Project 7

Portraits & Landscapes

Red

I took this photo of my brother in my backyard in Chandler Az. 

This picture demonstrates one way of using a shallow depth of field with a midshot. Having only the hair in focus creates a more interesting image, and allows the viewer to "fill in" any bits that are missing. 

Someplace Called Home

This picture was taken from a high point in a park just down the street from my house.

This photo of a landscape uses a deep depth of field to incorporate the full landscape and uses the rule of thirds very well. 

Tilted

This is the view directly out of my front door.

This picture combines both a portrait and a landscape by showing both the subject, and the subject's surroundings. A deeper depth of field was used so that the viewer can get the full picture.

Close

I thought to add this one as well. I have always wanted to take a picture like this, and I finally have. I personally think it would be an awesome project to photograph as many people as possible using just this viewpoint. 

Project 6

Experiments in Lighting

7:17 a.m. MT

8:19 a.m. MT

1:21 p.m. MT

6:43 p.m. MT

The four pictures above demonstrate the difference in lighting as the day progresses. These pictures (above) were taken in Chandler Az, directly across the street from where I live. 

Ponder

This picture was taken on a cloudy day in Mesa Az. 

This picture is a cool concept, but has bad lighting for what I was trying to achieve. It is too light for  a silhouette, and too dark for anything else. This photo would look much better with possibly less, or more lighting. Besides that, the subject's arm is blurred from motion. 

Thoughts

I took this photo on a rainy day in Mesa Az.

This picture demonstrates proper lighting for this particular shot because the idea was to achieve a more quiet look. If the shot was brighter, it would throw off the cool lighting present in the picture. If the lighting was darker, the viewer would have to put more effort into actually viewing the subject. This, obviously, is undesirable. 

Project 5

Favorites

Note: I've put in bold the attribute each of the pictures represents best.

Waiting for Action

I took this picture in my garage. 

This picture demonstrates good background, color, balance, and some leading lines. 

-Balance in this picture is demonstrated by the opposite ends of the pedal and the back tire. This creates the diagonal in the picture and is pleasing to look at. 

-This picture also demonstrates good color and lighting by using the analogous colors of the concrete and the metal. The lighting used in this picture was actually just coming through the garage window.

-The idea of leading lines is brought in due to the pedal extending to the edge of the frame. This leads the viewer right to the focus of the picture. If you look at it, there a quite a few lines in the picture. Most of them being horizontal, appropriately giving the picture a "at rest" look. 

-Also, the background (literally the ground in this case) compliments the bike and creates an entirely different feeling than it would if it were on grass. 

All Else

I took this picture at my brothers desk. 

This picture demonstrates good viewpoint, color, and near symmetry and balance. 

-The viewpoint in this picture actually isn't someone anyone would typically see. The picture above is of a fan used to cool my brothers computer. So unless they decide to take apart a computer with lit up fans, they won't be seeing something like this. 

-The color in this picture is very cool. Literally. The blue and black mesh together and blend well.

-This photo demonstrates near symmetry because if rotated 180 degrees, it would look exactly the same. Because of this, the photo is also very well balanced. 

Me to You

I took this picture at a park near my home in Chandler Az. 

This picture demonstrates an interesting viewpoint, good background, and color. 

-Beginning with the background, the sky is wonderful. I'm actually hanging upside down from a bar and am staring into a mirror I put on the ground. The light background creates context for the picture and does not distract from the subject.

-The colors in this picture are very pretty. I used analogous colors of blue, green, and yellow. This creates a complete and natural looking picture. 

-Viewpoint. The viewpoint in this picture is, in my opinion, astounding. It is both high, and low. Both extremes at once. This absolutely has to be my favorite picture. And no, not because I am in it. The viewpoint is absolutely one that you'd only see from the ground looking up. 

Obviously, this is the same picture. I just edited it a tad. I took out the smudges in the mirror and shifted the colors just a little bit. The idea was to create a more accurate picture to make up for some of the things my camera couldn't capture. Because really, this is what it looked like. Very lovely.  

This is what the previous picture looks like after some more editing. My brother decided to edit it, and this is what came out. It is definitely pleasing to look at, but you can tell it has been edited. In my opinion, this picture is a little too touched up, but I still like it. 

Why I use Photoshop

I took this picture at a park next to my home. I've named it Backflip.

Unlike the example of the photo above, I like to edit pictures to make up for the imperfections of the camera. I use editing to sharpen, clean up, and lighten the photo; things I could typically get, if I had a slightly better camera.* Generally, I don't like to use editing for unreal effects as the picture above.

Man is visual. We usually store memories in pictures and feelings. Pictures create feelings. There are things that the human mind can capture, that cameras just can't. Have you ever wanted to capture exactly what you saw, but when you took the picture the lighting, sharpness, and focus just weren't the same as when you saw it in person? Editing can fix that.

I don't believe that editing a picture is a form of "cheating" in photography. I believe it can create new perspectives and enhance creativity. However, to take a picture just to edit it does rob you of the opportunity to become a truly good photographer. This drowns out the learning that should take place when doing the "field work" of learning settings such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and how they are interconnected.

Editing takes the viewers eyes to what the photographer wants them to see. It can fix pixel impurities and straighten the picture. My main purpose is to create a real look, not one that is limited to those that can create only a virtual reality. In essence, I edit to capture what the mind can see, but the camera can't.

This is why I use Photoshop.


*There are many things cameras can do, and they get better every year. More megapixels for sharper pictures, more ways to adjust the white balance, and so on. The camera I currently have is suffering from a few pixel discolorations (I'll have a few pixels that are just red, green, or blue where they shouldn't be). I use editing to fix this, and adjust a little for lighting. Again, better cameras could do that themselves. Therefore, the reality of the picture after editing isn't destroyed.

Project 4

Framing & Viewpoint

Still

This picture was taken literally in front of my home in Chandler Az.

This photo demonstrates an interesting viewpoint because most people don't see the world from such a low angle. 

Late for School

I took this picture in my room, and yes, I actually made use of the fact I forgot to make my bed...

This picture demonstrates the concept of framing because a frame exists to give the picture context to where it was taken. The fan in this picture serves to create a more homey picture. 

Reality

This photo was taken in my home in Chandler Az. 

The picture demonstrates an interesting perspective because no one could naturally have that perspective without a camera. One more reason why cameras are so cool.