Unusual/Interesting Photos pt 2

I picked this photo because there is so much emotion behind it, it shows a side of the world that people like me don't see very often. I found this picture under the "Best Published Picture Story (large markets)" category. The photographer won 3rd place. The photographer was able to get so much into the frame that there's so much to look at and you can't get bored. I think the judges were moved by this picture because of the story behind it. The photographer probably felt out of place or extremely uncomfortable taking this picture of such an emotional moment. 

Unusual + Interesting Photos

My reaction to this picture is pure love. One of my favorite types of photography is Double Exposure or Multiple Exposure, I think it's so interesting to be able to manipulate a photo like that. I think that he did this by taking multiple pictures of the same thing at different angles and then blending them together. I could easily do this to any building in Downtown Austin and it would turn out really interesting, especially the ones that have graffiti on them.

Academic Shoot Preview Assignment

My favorite photo was the one of the boy writing on the whiteboard but it was see-through, I chose this one because the colors go together extremely well. I think this photo falls under simplicity because the background is empty so that the boy writing is the main focus.

Next week, when doing this shoot, I'm going to  try and go to a classroom where I think it'll be interesting and not just students sitting there doing their work. I really would like to go into the theatre room, and I would take a lot of simple pictures, or ones with a lot of meaning/emotion behind them.

Filling the Frame

I chose this picture for having the most interesting things in the frame because even though it looks simple, the colors go amazingly together and it shows a full body shot that doesn't look awkward which is very interesting to me.

Action and Emotion

This picture shows emotion the best because even though you don't know how this girl is feeling, you know that she is feeling something. Unknown emotion is the most interesting because it could be anything. 

The Story

I think this picture tells the best story because the students are feeding the homeless! There's nothing better than giving back, and this picture shows a school coming together to give back which is amazing. 

Photo Manipulation and Ethics

The article I just read was about how sometimes manipulating a photo cannot have a good outcome. They gave four good examples of photoshop that ended in the person begin fired, or worse. Sometimes photos need to be left alone. I think this is extremely unethical because it's like messing with reality, it makes it harder to believe in things. 

Worst Manipulation, because this is something real that was happening and by changing it, it lessens the truth in the photo and makes it harder for people to believe in it. 

  

Best Manipulation, because I personally, don't think that it matters if someone edits someone else's teeth just a little bit, sure it might be changing the truth a little, but it's not anything that would hurt anyone.

Post Shoot Reflection

Some challenges that I came across while doing this shoot were the fact that I don't particularly see Bowie as the best place to take pictures. Also, I was worried about the fact that I only had about 15 minutes to complete this project. This probably isn't right but I found myself thinking about the content of the photo more than the composition or any of that other stuff. If I could do the assignment again, I would have thought about what I wanted to do more carefully as apposed  to just winging it. I think I would still take pictures of people for the "happy" prompt. I really do like some of the prompts he gave us, and I would love to do some of them again. 

Review of http://kendallmf.blogspot.com
In Kendall's photos I really liked how she tied simplicity into almost all of her pictures. It made them easy to look at and interesting. If there was one thing she could improve on, it would be that the Square one does not Avoid Mergers. 

National Geographic

I chose this photo, out of the 45 that were there, because when I look at this I can only imagine the feeling that that scuba diver is going through right at that very moment. The water, particularly the ocean, fascinates me so much and I know I could never do this so it makes it that much better to look it. It's so simple and captivating. If I were to take a picture that would later be submitted into National Geographic I think I would go somewhere like Iceland and take a picture of their "city life" since it kind of breaks the rules of what we know as a city. 

Composition 9/11- The First 6 Rules of Composition

Balance 
I chose this picture for balance because it has a lot of curves and is easy to look at. None of the water is a straight line, which is good.

Frame
I chose this picture for frame because everything in it is quire and a frame would go perfectly with it. The sign and trucks go really well together because they are all similar in shape.

 Lines
I chose this picture for obvious reasons. The lines are good on the eye and go well with the subject. The lines of the building don't lead to the man but it's almost like they go with him.

 (Not) Avoiding Mergers
I chose this because it looks like the helicopter is touching the building and it's not. A better way to fix this would be to take the picture from a lower angle so the helicopter wouldn't look like it was touching the building.

Rule of Thirds 
I chose this for rule of thirds because the boy is off-center. This goes well because the road makes it look like it would lead to the boy but then he's not where you think he'd be.

Simplicity
I chose this for simplicity because the background is extremely simple and even though the focal point is the same color, it still stands out. The woman's face pops out, showing the emotional part of the photo.

Touching People

I really really love this project and essay. One of my favorite kinds of photography is when someone does a project with strangers because the outcome is always different. I would be so excited and interested in participating in something like that, I think it's amazing. One idea that I had is to get certain couples who are actually dating and then certain strangers who have never met and get them to kiss each other and the idea is that you don't know who is actually together and who has never met. Overall, I LOVE this project and I could look at things like this all day. 

Welcome To My Blog

Top 40 Photos

I picked this photo because I love the idea that love comes first, no matter what. The colors in this photo match up with the mood completely and I literally can't stop staring at it. I especially love how everything in the photo is out of focus except for the couple on the ground, it really grabbed my attention. I think this photo made the top 40 because the idea of love above everything is something that people gravitate towards because it's really all we have.

I also picked this photo because it shows bravery, and the look on this dudes face is incredible. The story behind this is that this guy, Greasley is standing up to the Nazis while he is imprisoned in the concentration camp. I really look up this guy because he wasn't scared at all. I love how the photographer was able to capture the look on both of their faces so that the contrast of feelings is displayed perfectly between each other. I believe this photo made it to the top 40 because the Holocaust has and always will be so interesting to the world, and the story behind this photo  just adds to the disbelief of what went on at this time to us. 

This photo is one of my absolute favorites. I picked it because the caption said that after this photo was taken it would soon become the face of the Flower Power Movement. I really really love the colors in this photo and how soft everything is, it contributes to the idea behind the photo. I think this picture made the top 40 because it was the beginning of a very powerful movement and it helped change the world in some ways. 

1st Prompt Shoot

Metal 

Happy

Bowie

Square















Without even realizing it, the picture that I chose for Happy falls under the Rule of Thirds principle. The bug lands in one of those spots. Also the Bowie picture goes along with the Lines principle because all of the lines go towards the clock. 

Warm Up

This unique idea is something I would never have thought of doing. I think it's creative and really holds peoples attention. It took me maybe half a second to figure out what it actually was, but then once I did, I was just looking at which one I liked the best. This one is probably my favorite.

The Camera

The "camera obscure" effect is a tiny hole created in one wall. The hole acts like a lens, focusing and projecting light (upside down) on the other wall. 
In the 17th Century, Isaac Newton and Christian Huygens perfected the understanding of optics and the process of making high quality glass lenses.
In 1827 Niepce created the "film" which created the first successful photograph.
Modern digital cameras are still very similar to old cameras in the way that light passes through the lens, into the camera, and exposes the film in both. Digital cameras use electronic sensor called a CCD or a digital film to capture an image. This makes the photography cheaper and more environmentally friendly.  
On a modern digital camera, the difference between Auto and Program is that Auto will automatically take a photo without you having to adjust the flash or any other settings, however, the Program button will allow you to adjust the flash setting and/or most other camera settings before taking the picture. The Portrait mode will attempt to blur out the surroundings and focus on the person/focal point. It does this by using the fastest available lens (aperture). The sports mode is used to freeze motion by using the highest shutter speed available. By half-pressing the shutter release button, it allows the camera to focus the image before you take the shot.

The 'No Flash" symbol, or the one where the lightning bolt is crossed out, means that the flash is off no matter what. You would use this when there is enough light in your image, or to create a more dramatic image. The flash symbol with the word AUTO on it means that the flash will only go off when the lighting is not great. You would use this in either situation because it's used when pictures are dark or light. If there's too much light in your photo the image will be washed out, and if there's not enough light the image will be too dark. The term "stop" represents a relative change in the brightness of light. If the planet has two suns instead of one that;s plus one stop, and if it has four suns then that's plus three stops. A long shutter speed equals more light, and a fast shutter speed has less light. The aperture controls the amount of brightness passing through the lens. To increase the amount of light you would need to create a larger opening. 

Great Black and White Photographers PART 2

Harry Callahan
Known as one of the most significant photographers of the 20th century. His work "reinvented reality, to charge it with personal, even mythic, resonance." (Davis) 

October 22, 1912- March 15, 1999
Born in Detroit, Michigan, he worked for Chrysler at a young age and eventually dropped out to study at Michigan State, then, he actually went back to Chrysler and joined the camera club. He began teaching himself photography at the age of 38. When Ansel Adams came to Detroit for a photography workshop, Callahan was able to meet him and was struck by his "crisp nature studies and precise prints" (Salvesen) He later met Stieglitz and was inspired by his series of portraits of Georgia O'keeffe, which was what started his incredibly long series of Portraits of his wife, Eleanor. In 1946 Callahan was asked to join his friend Adam Siegel at the Institute of Design in Chicago. His work is in Museums all over America today. 















Eleanor, 1948

 Eleanor, 1948

Sources 

http://www.ethertongallery.com/html/artist_detail.php?recordID=2 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Callahan_(photographer) 

Great Black and White Photography

 Brassai

 Harry Callahan

Robert Doisneau

First Day Photos

 This is my best picture of Christina, and overall, because it was completely caught off guard and the wind was hitting her perfectly. I love the fact that I captured her face looking really soft and relaxed. Another thing that I like about this photo is that the shadows in the background really help with making Christina the focal point of this image which was the main idea and I'm glad I was able to accomplish that with a candid photo instead of a posed one because it adds depth.    

 

This is my worst picture out of all of the photos I took because I wasn't able to find out how to equally balance the light with the shadows. Minami's pose was great, however I think I could have moved her to a spot where the sun wasn't directly on top of her face, which would have not only not washed out her face, but her face would've been more relaxed, creating a picture that is easier to look at.