All About the Alphabet

We recently did a project called "A to Z Scavenger Hunt" where we had to take 26 pictures, each representing a different letter of the alphabet while also adhering to the rules of photography we learned previously.

The picture below was actually taken in my Physics classroom during a lab involving a meter stick and a lit candle. You can see a boys face faintly in the background, and his fingers are about to put out the flame. I chose this picture because I love how dark the background is compared to the illuminated candle and the light it put onto the meter stick. It represents move it from the middle, leading lines, and blurred background. I titled it "Intense Flame."

I chose the next picture of my friend Ben walking past an old trailer because I liked the angle and contrasting colors and the fact that the person isn't necessarily the focal point of the photograph. I titled this one "Nature Walks," and it represents leading lines, blurred background, and unique angle.

The last picture I chose is titled "Laughter," obviously because the girls are laughing. I captured my friends Hannah and Samantha in their moment of laughter before the Ke$ha concert, and I liked how their tough outfits contrasted with their frivolous expressions. This picture represents emotion and blurred background and somewhat fill the frame/close-up.

Photo Essay

 My photo essay topic was tattoos, so I went to Bella Donna Tattoo Company on Westheimer Road to get pictures of people getting tattoos. The three pictures in the post are my favorite out of the 14 that I used for my project. The one to the right is of the final product of a girl's tattoo that reads "everyone is forgiven;" although I only photographed part of the final tattoo I still think it captures a mood that speaks for itself.



                                                            
This picture below is of a tattoo artist putting bandages on the girl's finished tattoo. I wanted to capture this picture because it shows something other than the needle or finished product and also shows a meaningful tattoo on the artist's fingers.

The above picture is of an artist, who happens to be the owner, in the process of giving a tattoo to a man. The man's finished product will be a treasure chest in between two women pirates. I liked the lighting in this particular picture and the fact that neither men are looking at the camera or each other.

Start Snapping!

This picture follows the rule of "filling the frame," and I picked this particular one because I love the way the way the reddish-pink of the flower contrasts the stark green of the leaves. Had I not moved in close to the flower, the picture would not have the same popping effect that it does.

I chose this picture of my dad playing pool as my example of "leading lines." The cue stick leads the viewer's eye to the subject of the picture, my dad. I found this rule the hardest to photograph because most of my pictures either had to be set up or taken at odd angles.

The picture of my bed frame to the right represents the rule of "repetition." I was just sitting on my bed and realized how cool the interlocking circles would look in a picture taken at an angle but that still showed their obvious repetition.

Rules 9 and 10

Rule 9 says that you should "watch the light" when taking pictures so as to not have any unflattering shadows or brightness in your picture. This tip was actually the most difficult for me to do because you have to position your picture just right so that the lighting turns out looking good in the picture. This picture of Samantha is a good example of rule 9 because the shadows accentuate her face but don't hide it.

Rule 10 is a fairly easy concept to grasp; this rule states that you should be a director and organize the people in your pictures properly. This was easy to do because i could just take pictures of people sitting or standing naturally like they would then organize them in a better way. In this picture I told the JV lacrosse girls to get together for a picture and told them to move closer together to make the outcome better.

Rules 7 and 8

Rule 7 states that you should move your picture's focus from the center. This tactic is easy to do yet often overlooked or forgotten when one is in the moment. However, I captured some really cool pictures when i actually took the time to think about where objects were in regards to the rule of thirds.

Rule 8 is to know your flash's range. Most people would think that this rule is unimportant, but when one is in a situation with a good photo opportunity, you would most definitely want to know if your picture would even turn out to be visible or not.

Iconic Photo

We randomly picked iconic photos in photojournalism, and i got the infamous picture of the Kennedy family vigilantly watching JFK's funeral procession. The photo was taken outside the St. Matthews Cathedral on Monday, November 25th, 1963 (ironically John Jr.'s third birthday). No one knows for sure who took the picture because it was for government use, but Joe O'Donnell sold a cropped version of just John Jr. saluting his father's casket after his retirement from the White House in 1968. Jackie, Caroline, and John Jr. became national icons not just because they were the first family but also because of this photo. Personally, I see this picture as an icon in the fact that it brought the nation together and displayed the Kennedy family as strong, composed individuals. Each of the Kennedys retained a spark within them and were looked upon very highly by the American public. Sadly, Caroline is the only Kennedy still alive, but she carries with her the famous Kennedy charisma and passion for which the family was known.

Rules Cinco y Seis

Rule Six: Lock your focus on the subject. The picture above is focused on Luke's hand and the ticket he is holding so that the background does not distract from the subject. I really like this picture because the ticket kind of blocks Luke's face to even further emphasis the ticket and his hand over the hallway in the back.

Rule Five: Take Vertical Pictures When Necessary. The picture to the left would not have the same effect if it had been taken horizontally. The vertical perspective makes the stack of books pop even though the background is busy, and it even looks like the stack is leaning.

Flikr Pix

So today we went online to Flikr and found one example of a picture following each rule. These were my favorites:

 This picture demonstrates the rule of getting down on your objects level, and this little kitty is just so cute!

 The picture of the flower is a perfect example of having a plain background. The black and pink and green contrast one another very well.

This adorable tiger demonstrates a picture taken using the fill the frame/move in close rule. It is also a get down on your objects level picture, but I felt that it was less of the latter since it is such a zoomed in picture.

The picture to the right could also be a move in close example, but I am using it as my use flash outdoors example. The bright colors and saturation of her skin really pop because a flash was used.

Rules 3 and 4

Continuing in our lesson of the top ten tips for composition, our Photojournalism class went over rules 3 and 4 today.

Rule #3: Use Flash Outdoors. This rule only applies under certain conditions (i.e. if there is more light behind your subject than in front of it, if your subject is outside and it is a really bright day, and if you are within 8-9 feet of your subject), but when the conditions are present, using a flash makes your photo look much better than if it were taken without a flash. The picture to the right is of my friend Laurel taken without a flash, but the above picture of her is taken using a flash and looks much better than the one without flash.

Rule #4: Move In Close. That is, move your body and your lens closer to your subject in order to capture a "deeper" or more "artsy" photo. You can also "fill the frame" in order to draw attention solely to your subject. The picture to the left was taken of Mr. Biles' cacti plants.

Rules of Composition

A few days ago we began to go over the top ten rules of composition for photojournalism. Most of us are pretty new to photography, so these rules help us think about how our picture will look to our audience and whether or not our message will be properly interpreted.

Rule #1: Get down on your subject's level. One would think this rule would be easy to follow, but that is not necessarily true. Say you wanted to photograph a person or object lying on the ground or maybe something that is at an awkward angle or position. When applying this rule to my photography, I learned that sometimes it is difficult to capture a photo at eye level, but when you do the shot turns out much better than it would have from a bird's eye view. This picture is of a car used in my physics class for a lab we did.

Rule #2: Use a plain background in order to emphasis the subject. Sometimes when I'm about to take a picture I won't even realize that the background is so distracting that my audience will not be able to appreciate the shot i wanted to capture. Our eyes can see in 3D and can therefore distinguish between objects, colors, and patterns, but a picture is taken in 2D and images can sometimes be misconstrued. I found this above dandelion around some vegetation at my school and thought that the blurred green background would contrast and highlight the stark white of the dandelion.

All About Me!

This is a little collage I made using Photoshop; I learned how to navigate the basics of Photoshop, such as the tint of the photo, color balances, saturation, re-touching, edge blurring or sharpening, among other things. I included pictures that I felt really represented who I am. Naturally, I had to include pictures with my favorite foods, Crave Cupcakes being first and foremost in that category, along with chocolate covered strawberries from none other than the infamous Godiva Chocolatier. Dylan's Candy Bar also made into into my collage, and since I worked at Berripop over the summer, I included a picture of one of their cups as well. My favorite shoes, although somewhat contradictory of one another, are heels (Christian Louboutins are the ones I photographed) and Vans. I also included a picture of two animals i adore: my beloved dog Libby and a statue of an elephant. The slogans on the little boxes containing oddly shaped necklaces represent some aspects of my life; 'addicted' to coffee and tea; just 'hangin with my gnomies;' and  'life is a journey.' I also have a sticker on my mirror that says "Pray. 'I'm Third,'" meaning that God comes first, others second, and yourself third. It's a saying I learned at Kanakuk Kamps quite a long time ago, and I try to live by it every day, along with the lamented bookmark I received from an old Kamp counselor reminding me to "be joyful always." Under my name you will see an lopsided bottle; that is my perfume, "Alien" by Thiery Mugler. This perfume is AMAZING, and all of my friends know that it is my 'scent,' if you will. I felt compelled to include a picture my 'fabbers' from lacrosse; we were the five sophomores to make varsity last year, and we became best friends because of it. Lastly, and probably my favorite picture on this entire collage, I have an old picture from my gymnastics days with some fellow teammates. I sadly had to quit gymnastics, both because I was growing far to tall and at a rapid rate and because I wanted to have a life outside of the gym. Even though I no longer compete, I still hold the years I did gymnastics close to my heart, and my teammates and I remain good friends.

New Blog!

Just finished making my very first blog; so excited! Yay for a great semester in PhotoJ!