World Within a World

{ April 12, 2010 @ 10:53 PM } · { Final Project }
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Water World

Inside the tiny drop of water, hanging at the edge of a discolored leaf, the contrast pops. I feel as though the raindrop frames a miniature still life. The trees, grass, and sky are inverted and can cause the viewer to be confused but interested. It is a kind of small wonder a child would discover. I like the contrast, framing and lines drawing one’s eye to the small drop. The depth of field works in this photo and helps the drop be the focal point. The raindrop is a familiar shape and catches one’s eye and it acts as a single point in the photo. The world within the water drop is analogous to the grain of sand in the poem.

Through the Fire and Flames

Another picture exploring the world in a new way is one that I took at our first bonfire of the year. There are many photos of fire and the flames flickering and moving have always mesmerized me. By using a slower shutter speed, I was able to show this motion. The flames fill the frame and also provide a frame for the subject. The world that is being discovered here is what can be felt and seen through the fire. I believe this photo speaks to the viewer in a new way. The sparks provide interesting lines and lead the eye upward towards the subject. The logs themselves provide contrast in light and dark. They also provide cohesiveness throughout the photo by their lines helping with the flow. I think the photo appears pleasing because of the balance in the photo. The bottom and top third are darker and the middle is lighter. The fire is analogous to the sand in the poem and shows the viewer a new way to view a photo of fire. We are reminded how one can sit and watch the ever changing world within the flames.

Place

{ April 5, 2010 @ 10:42 PM } · { Place }
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Porch

My first picture to show place is that of a colorful front porch caught in the morning sun.  The fun bright colors of the rockers really pop and give the picture a style and personality of its own.  The bright colors are what the viewer will instantly notice and appreciate.  But, the depth of field, lighting, and lines all work together to give this photo eye appeal.  The depth of field works for this photo, as all of the chairs are in focus.  I used a shutter speed of 60 and an aperture of 22 to create this depth of field.  The porch floor and ceiling provide leading lines that work right along with the chairs and bring ones eye into the photograph.  Lighting is a key factor in this photograph and provides one more element for the eye to engage in.  The colors and the lighting give this photo a sense of warmth and home.  One can tell that the person who lives here is one with passion and excitement in their life.  I love this picture because of the strong feelings of home it evokes.

Pile of Food?

My next photograph of place seems to be almost surreal with the big fluffy clouds in the background.  This picture is of a pile of feed for cows, covered with plastic and tires to keep the rain out.  This picture catches the viewer’s attention through the use of colors and other photographic elements.  The orange color of the feed pile complements the blue sky, the colors work together to give the photo an eye-appealing scene.  Also, the repetition of the tire circles gives the photo a shape we are familiar with in an unfamiliar scene.  I believe the viewer will be drawn to these shapes and the contrast of light and dark give the shape even more importance.  The frame is divided with a horizon line and there are also great vertical lines in the pile, the tire rows, and just the edge of the pile and the ground that make this photo interesting.  The huge pile of feed is displayed in the photo as a gestalt and one may wonder what is beyond.  This place is grand, majestic, powerful, and even home to some.  I think it tells a story of hard work and beauty.

Shadow Deer

Finally, I have taken a picture that describes place in a little different way.  While my family was coming home from Easter celebrations we spotted three deer in the field close to our home.  This is a common sight but somehow it looked so uncommon.  The sunset in the background and the contrast of shape, color, texture, light were all so breathtaking.  The ground, trees, road, sunset, and deer all were part of a scene I call home.  When we slowed down the deer began to run and each shot I took was more interesting then the last!  I kept snapping and felt a story was told in the beautiful picture of the deer in a silhouette running across the road.    The horizon line on the lower half of the photo gives the picture a beautiful sunset to display the deer against.  When first looking at the picture, one will only notice the sunset and what a beautiful picture it is of the clouds.  Then they will see that there is more to the photo than just a beautiful sunset and will focus on the deer shapes.  There are leading lines into the photo created by the road.  Ones eye will follow these lines and be brought into the photo.  One can feel this place and feel the darkness setting in the wide-open country spaces.  The fact that this photo of place also has a shape of a recognizable form in it does not take away from the feeling of the photo but adds to its mystery and complexity.

Portraits

{ March 31, 2010 @ 11:49 PM } · { Portrait }
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The first portrait is priceless! My little cousins all got to pose for me for this project and sometimes I got them when they did not even notice! The little boy was eating sunflower seeds and so I told him to chomp on them really hard to see what he would do! The end became a masterpiece and had much emotion in it. I was also surprised how the photo showed his true identity! Mike is very loud and noisy which could also be conveyed in this shot! The side lighting helped to make this photo very dramatic that adds to the expression of the boys face! Filling the frame with this shot helped to make the boy really seem like he was letting you have it and was right in your face! He is always right in your face trying to hog the attention of the group so this photo fits him perfectly!

Next is the photo of a little girl standing perfectly waiting next to get on the swing.  She is the most sweet and girly girl one would ever meet for a four year old.  I love how she is standing so perfectly with her legs bent and everything.  The girl is placed off center with her eyes looking to the empty space in the photo.  This leaves the viewer in a gestalt because one does not know what she is looking at and they can make up anything that the little sweet girl is looking at.  I also love the fence in the background of this shot.  I feel like it makes her feel like she is in a loving place that is hugging her with the fence.  Ones eye is easily rested on the little girls face and makes the photo strong.

Finally is a picture of a little girl showing her dirty hands to her friend.  She had just gotten done playing with chalk and her hands were very messy.  This shot is unique in the way that she has her hands in front of her face.  The depth of field is pretty short here as her hands are not quite in focus but her face is.  With this shot one can see that she is not afraid of getting her hands dirty.  This photo strikes me because of her strong gesture in the photo.  It would make any little girl look messy in the shot but she somehow manages to stay looking cute.

A Moment in Still Life

{ March 24, 2010 @ 9:16 PM } · { Still Life }
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Capturing still-life images that convey a feeling or emotion can be difficult.  Without a living form as the subject, how can objects be brought together to convey an emotion?  With lighting, form, figure, contrast, composition, and framing as tools; one can create a still-life photograph that is beautiful and shows emotion.  In fact, emotion through still life can be more meaningful by connecting the viewer to one simple object or idea.

Pride-Victory-Success

With this assignment, I chose to convey three different emotions with three unique compositions.  My purpose was to use the tools given to us to convey different emotions.  The still life that had to happen was the photo of the basketball, shoes, and first-place medal.  My entire family is intensely following the boy’s basketball tournament, as my cousin is on the Rushford-Peterson team that unlikely made the State Basketball Playoffs. I believe the feelings of pride, hard work, and success has been captured in this shot.  Quickly this photo tells a story and the viewer is filled with emotion that is undeniably tied to this still life.  Using a back light gives this photo a majestic feel and lets the objects stand out.  Composition was the key in creating this still life.  The basketball and shoes are less prominent, being in the background.  The medal is more prominent and is displayed to show it has importance.  One’s eye will be drawn to the medal first as it is a photographic element and also because it is an area of great contrast in lighting.  The neckband of the medal leads one’s eye to the other objects.   I believe the lines in this photograph are what give it movement.  The lines from the floorboards, medal ribbon, and curved objects; take one’s eye from object to object and keeps movement in the photo.  The lighting, contrast, composition and lines work together to create a powerful message in this photo.

Excitement

The close-up, still life of mushrooms on a stump is full of energy.  The contrast is extreme and the view so exaggerated that one may not realize what this is a photo of at first.  It looks like a piece of abstract art!  The concentric circles and circular lines show movement.  I feel energized when looking at this photo.  The viewer becomes connected and engaged in the photo by following all the curves and lines.  My purpose was to show the emotion of enthusiasm or vitality.  The subject is alive and defiantly shows growth in a still life and the circular lines help convey this message.  Contrast is another key element in this photo.  It is so stark that one’s attention is grabbed immediately.  The contrast just yells at the viewer to look more closely!  I also feel that the way the log and mushrooms fill up the frame helps the eye to engage and retain interest in the 
photo.

Shadow-Mystery-Memories

In the photo of a tire swing, one will quickly notice the form framed inside the tire.  My purpose in this photo was to use shadow and mystery to convey a past emotion.  Childhood is such a quick moment, almost a still life itself.  I feel as though it is becoming a more distant memory every day.  Feelings of freedom, nurture, and youth in this photo may create the emotion of longing, love, appreciation, or hope.  I believe the framing in this photo is the strongest element. It draws attention to the human shaped shadow and forces the viewer look at the shape more closely.  The critical plane of focus is on the tire and the shadow is out of focus.  This gives the viewer a mixed message.  I think it shows this is a memory or even a dream; it is something from the past.  This still life is a strong photo and using shadows and focus I believe one will feel an emotion from this shot.

All three of these still life photographs have amazingly different connotations and emotions associated with them.  With an object as the subject and an emotion implied, it is amazing how strong the emotional feeling of a still life can become.  I believe these are some if the most creative and moving shots I have taken yet!

Using Color

{ March 15, 2010 @ 11:16 PM } · { Using Color }
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Color Expression

Color Expression

The first way to explore color is by expressing it. By taking a color and using it as a dominant feature and color in a photo you have shown it or expressed it. Freshly baked pizza was caught as an image for expressing color. The red sauce and pepperoni were dominant features and the lighting accentuated the grease filled pockets. Taking an interesting view of the pizza worked well with an aperture of 4.8 and a shutter speed of 60. I feel this photo creates a three-dimensional color buffet and every time I look at it I get hungry. Using color expression worked well in this photo. The picture of my cousin all decked out for the tournament was a perfect opportunity to catch his expression as well as expressing the team’s color. Orange is so vibrant and exciting and so was the game. The color helps this photo tell a story and gives it stronger emotion. The boy’s expression is very strong and helps orange be a strong color also. The expression and color work so well together in this shot, it brings the moment alive. This picture was taken with a small aperture number of 5.6 and a faster shutter speed of 250. I really love this shot because it really is all about the orange and what that does for the expression in the photo.

Complementary Harmony

Next, I studied the different color relationships that can be thought of when shooting a photograph. Complementary harmony is when two colors are used from opposite sides of the color wheel but are placed next to each other in the photograph. I found a beautiful orange colored limestone in a rock quarry near my home. Shooting just the limestone ledge, the orange does not stand out. I tried that shot so I could compare it to the orange rock against a bright blue sky. What a difference that contrast made! I feel using complementary harmony is a great tool to give a subject a reference point to compare the color to. The lighting in this photo was also important in capturing the bright color of the orange rock. When using the blue and orange as complements of each other in a photograph, just like my art class color wheel, it was obvious what a real difference that made. Using an aperture of 22 and a shutter speed of 500 created this perfect exposure.

Harmony of Similarity

A relationship that uses different hues of the same color is called harmony of similarity. When the whole photograph is based on different shades of the same color it can be very eye appealing. I have often seen this principle used when families have their group dress in shades of the same color for a photo. The rock quarry was as great location on a sunny day to get many natural shades of oranges, yellows, and tans. This photo contains at least four different layers, which helps to create depth and interest. Lines, shapes, lighting, and color all play important roles in giving this photo interest and visual appeal. A shutter speed of 500 and aperture of 24 created this clear photo. I feel peace and harmony when I am outdoors so I purposefully wanted the photo showing harmony of similarity to be of nature. I believe this is a striking example of this concept and one that is interesting to look at.

Accent Color

Color accent is a relationship of color that can really make something pop out in your photograph. My picture of an orange sign in front of a rather colorless scene really gives the sign attention. There is no doubt in our mind what the subject is and the prominence of its location also gives the sign importance. I used an aperture of 22 and a shutter speed of 500 to get these colors to stand out. This photo has unique lines, both vertical and horizontal, guiding you to the sign. There is also elemental form we recognize in the rectangle shape. One’s eye is certain to focus on the orange sign in this photo.

Using Color

{ March 15, 2010 @ 11:08 PM } · { Using Color }
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Black and White

One can also use colors in muted tones or even black and white to communicate a feeling in a photograph. Muted colors can give a photo a softer feel. I used the foggy days this past week and the dulled colors of the end of winter to my advantage in creating a feeling in my photos. I found many opportunities to capture nature’s colors in muted tones. The colors enhanced the way I was feeling on these days; quiet, still, even gloomy. The gray days of last week were captured with a tone that the muted colors enhanced.

The black and white photo is an expression of color also. Colors like red and green tend to be darker in black and white photography than yellow and blue. Since the sky was such a dull blue-gray, I knew taking a photograph against that backdrop would help the subject stand out even more as a black and white print. The dark browns of the trees, deep gold of the sunflowers, and the dull green of the newly forming grass were the right colors to pop against the sky when changed to a monochrome print. This photo had eye appeal right away to me. I noticed the natural framing with the trees and the horizontal and vertical lines made with the stalks of the sunflowers were stunning against the light background. A shutter speed of 60 and an aperture of 14 created this photo.

Muted Colors

Muted Colors

The photograph of the melting snow, dead grass, gray sky, gray poles, and foggy appearance of the day makes me feel something personal. It is something like loneliness but I think it is more like stillness. The poles, somewhat out of perfect alignment, add to this feeling. They also give some shape and line for the eye to follow. The small stream of melting snow gives the photo perspective and again adds to the feeling. This picture would have a totally different feel and mood if it were filled with the bright colors of green grass and blue sky. One can really see there is a place for muted colors with this photograph. A shutter speed of 125 and aperture of 8 helped create this photo.

Natural Light

{ March 1, 2010 @ 12:39 PM } · { Natural Light }
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Back Light

Drawing inspiration from baby photos created by photographer Anne Geddes, I tried using many different kinds of props. The baby was a perfect model and it was amazing to get this opportunity. Using a sheer curtain as a copy of the babies prenatal home and a backlight to illuminate and cast a dramatic shadow of the subject gave me a strong feeling. When I processed this film, this photo really stood out. It had many elements that we have been talking about the past weeks, but it also just felt right. The whole experience of this shoot was very emotional. The newborn can be seen through the sheer material and the back lighting casts a dramatic shadow that follows the contours and shapes of the infant. The shadow creates contrast, curves, and interest. The lines from the curtain and the lines created from the shadow of the porch railing, create beautiful lines that bring your eye to the center of the photo, where the baby is. The baby is held in a beautiful curve that one’s eye can follow and this gives the photo more visual appeal. I chose a high key and low fill light to create this photo. The backlight was an important tool to give this photo such a strong feel.

Natural Light

{ March 1, 2010 @ 12:37 PM } · { Natural Light }
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Side Light

Since light from the side can create dramatic shadows I chose a picture that was also very dramatic. When my baby cousin began to fuss, I was able to catch his small cry in a big way. He naturally turned away from the light and the produced side lighting caught and emphasized the wrinkles, the expression, and the shapes in this photo. The side lighting also created depth in the photo. If the lighting had been from the front, the shadows that define the face would have been blown out. The hard lines of shadow and the soft blanket and skin create a contrast of hard and soft. This photo also displays motion and emotion. Motion through the movement of his hand, and emotion through the intense expression on the baby’s face.

Natural Light

{ March 1, 2010 @ 12:35 PM } · { Natural Light }
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Front Light

More direct in composition and in lighting is having one’s photo lit from the front. The photo of the baby’s feet held by Mom creates a unique photo with front light. The Mom’s hand was directed straight to the light source. However, shadows and depth are still present as this photo has many angles of interest. The blanket folds will catch some front light shadows as well as the unique way the child’s feet fit into his mother’s hand. I had to decide which picture to display for this aspect and I decided that this photo was unique in its qualities of light. It might not fit any category perfectly, so that’s why I liked it so much. My goal was to show the tiny feet in comparison to something that would give their size meaning and perspective. Mom directed the feet squarely towards the light source and this was the resulting photo. It was not what I expected and I really like the beauty of this photo. The surrounding curves of the blanket create a frame for the feet. It is a part of a whole, gestalt, and it has meaning. I can almost feel the baby’s softness and the mother’s care within this photo.  My goal was to show a relationship of size but I also got a relationship of love and caring.

Photographic Elements- Curves

{ February 22, 2010 @ 3:32 PM } · { Photographic Elements }
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Beautiful curves are prevalent in the human body. My photo displaying curves is of a wrinkled up foot. One’s eye is enveloped in a landscape of curves in this shot. Curves are interesting for the eye to follow and they create movement in a photograph. The sharp focus of this photo lets one see the tiny lines of the toe prints, the larger curves of the wrinkled skin, and the great contrasted lines of the edge of the foot itself. The unique wrinkles and curves of the foot are exaggerated in the close up shot and unusual angle. The foot itself creates a diagonal line from the right of the picture all the way to the left. This diagonal helps one move through the photo to see the entire subject. There is also a diagonal line in the stitching of the couch that once again leads one’s eye to the subject. I like that the two diagonals are the same element, leading to the same subject, but in two completely different forms and angles. One must also mention the texture of the wrinkled skin and the soft, fuzzy couch are in contrast as well as the light and dark created by shades in this photo. By thinking about curves as a photographic element it made a great photo better.

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