My Choice [Remember]

I found this small daisy placed at the grave site of a child. Ironic how the simple beauties of life can brighten the passing of a loved one. This photo was one of my favorites because its not a master piece or elaborate or even taken at just the right angle, but because of the simplicity. The bright color of the flower really spreads warmth in an otherwise cold picture. The lines formed from the green stems only distracts the viewer enough to draw attention to the vase it is held in. In this photo I really tried to focus on the petals and the bright yellow that the flower brought to the picture.

Self Portrait

In this portrait of myself I was completely unaware of my friend and her quick camera. We were dancing around in the wet sand and singing at the top of our lungs. My friend took this photo with the Rule of Thirds and while I was being my goofy self, hence the flying hair. She truly captured my character in this photo and in my element. I decided not to crop this photo because I didn't want to take away from my environment, the ocean has always been an important part of my life.

In the Likes of Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman has a very unique portrait taking style. She uses herself with the help of makeup, wigs, and props to convey certain stereotypes woman are portrayed as.In many of Sherman's portraits, the themes are dark and unsettling, but her subjects are always pulled out from their backgrounds and thrust onto the viewer. In this photo I attempted just that by creating one source of light that in laid on my face only. I also placed black makeup around my eyes but kept everything else rather simple, in doing so I hoped to create a dark feeling unique to this character. Many stereotypes towards women points to their fragility as well as being a sly and dark creature. I wanted to portray a woman whom was both slightly frantic looking yet controlled, weak yet strong, and a clear darker side to her personality.

I took the photo in the style of Balance and the Rule of Thirds from the Principles of Design. This really complimented the picture and gave it much needed character. Through trail and error I accomplished a sort of warmth in the picture as well as a highlight on the character's face giving the picture an errie feeling.

Shutter Photo [flames]

The shutter photo was especially difficult for me. It was a battle to adjust my camera settings to a slower shutter speed but an outright war between myself and the flaming match. As I balanced my camera in one hand and set the match alight I tried several different movements including up and down, side-to-side, and even diagonal (corner to corner). I wanted to show the movement the camera could catch with its' slow shutter speed but not too much that the screen was completely overpowered by the flame. With this photo it was purely trial and error. After a few hundred photos taken and a few burnt fingertips I chose this photo because it shows a certain quality my others did not. You can see movement as well as its source, you also are given large contrasts between the light and the dark in this photo, really emphasizing the flame.

Altered photo [gone to the cats]

For this assignment we were to create an altered photo shop photograph. I had plenty of fun running through the programs' different textiles and layers and many unique colors. For this picture I used a cartooning filter and then proceeded to play with the different highlights and the darkened tones of the photo. I really loved how this particular filter made the small kitten stand out against all of the horse tack. I tried to maintain a sense of depth as well as colors that complimented the picture.

When taking this photo, this particular kitty (whom had been preening himself and destroying my leather saddle) perked up as soon as i brought the camera out. I swear I could almost hear the puring.

Nature Photo [Winter Wonderland]

This snap shot of snowy Lake Tahoe was captured in the style of Ansel Adams, a famous nature photographer. With Adam's style of photography in mind, I attempted to capture a wide scale of value in the snow barren landscape var ring from whites, grays, and blacks. I was delighted to finally find a clear sunny morning, perfect for my pictures and an aid to finding the perfect balance between light and dark. I also made sure to take the picture with the snow tracks, giving the picture debt and a little bit of character.

Scanner Art

Our class was asked to create a Scanner Piece with photographs and different props. I laid everything down on the scanner, rearranging them as I saw fit and then uploaded the picture to Photo shop where I lightened certain aspects and darkened others. It was a completely foreign experience but I really enjoyed the new ideas I could achieve.

I used the Principles of Emphasis and Variety, trying to acheive an abstract feeling through the highlited angel and its surrounding darker objects. The vairty comes in the form of the diffrent shapes and shades of colors as well as the different props I used. I tried to create texture in my photo by placing my hand in the picture and adding a large beaded necklace around the angel.

Formal Portrait [Just for a Giggle]

A formal portrait is a very simple photo to take. You simply need to engage with your subject. What makes them laugh? What makes them cry or scream in rage? In this photo Hannah's face is one of the largest highlights. I wanted the viewer to grasp at the feelings Hannah was feeling and expressing. I focused mainly on the expressions shown and didn't place to much importance on background or props.

During our photo shoot, Hannah and I already had the advantage of knowing each other, making this picture easier to capture. At first I asked Hannah to imagine something that created anger and to then express it. She looked at me blankly and burst out laughing, I tried another approach but only ended up laughing myself. So instead of capturing Hannah as angery I decided to truly grasp her personality as the happy, giggling girl.

Enviromental Potrait [Smiles]

In an Environmental Portrait the photographer uses a person's surroundings to help show the viewer the character of the subject. Though the subject is the most important part of the picture, props or even facial expressions can help tell a story. When taking this photograph I made sure to make the camera seem invisible, when i took the picture my subject had no idea. I love candid photography. To capture the essence of a person's personality in a photograph is an extremely rewarding experience.

My friend portraed in this photo has a very bubbly and outgoing personality. She is full of smiles and enjoys life to its fullest potientail. The lighting really highlights her personal glow and captures her candid smile.

Principle of Design [Morning Dew]

The Principles of Design are great tools to use to organize your photo. There are six different categories, including Pattern, Balance and the Rule of Thirds, Unity and Variety, Movement and Rhythm, and Emphasis. For this photo I used the principle of Emphasis. I really tried to highlight the morning dew that formed on the open petals of this colorful leaf. I focused on the idea of capturing the feel of the photo and tried to leave the background up for interpretation.

Taking this photo I remember the brisk chill of the morning air, the ground still wet with the nights showers. I stumbled upon this small object as I was perched on top of a large rock, when something caused me to fall into the brush I immediately snagged the opportunity to take the picture.

Element of Design [Full of Hot Air]

The Elements of Design has six different categories, including Line, Shape and Form, Color, Value, Space, and Texture. The photograph of these particular hot air balloons were taken in the hopes of capturing the category of Color. There are three key points to accomplishing a successful photo. The first is hue. Hue is related to the spectrum, or rainbow, of colors that are found in white light. The second key point is called saturation. Saturation is the intensity or purity of a certain color is. The third and final key point is value. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.

Taking this photo was quite an adventure. Our dear old dad drove us up to Nevada to watch the hot air balloons race, little did I know that he would wake us up at literally 3 o' clock in the morning. We camped out in the freezing cold, pitch black night and watched as the sky grew lighter and lighter. With my camera ready I proceeded to snap photos of the great balloons taking off. I caught these three balloons lifting off alone in a clear blue sky, their color bright and larger than life.