Academic-Post Shoot Reflection + Critique

Academic Shoot

In this photo, I used rule of thirds by centering the subject to the right. The subject of my photo is  young artist working on his art project in an art class. This subject is clearly shown in the picture because enough background details are given to let the viewer infer that the setting is in an art class and that there are students working on their art projects.

This photo uses the rule of simplicity, because there is nothing in the background to grab the attention away from the subject. The subject itself is a young photographer taking a photo of a subject we cannot see. Despite the lack of background to tell the viewer what's going on in the room, the subject in the photo is made clear because there is nothing else going on in the photo to create confusion about the subject.

The rules used in this photo are rule of thirds and balance. The subject is placed to the bottom right corner and the background creates balance in the photo. The subject in the photo is a guy holding out a music sheet in front of him. With the blurred background, the subject is easy to identify, but the context of the photo is not very clear. To make the context of the photo clear, I could have included details that clearly say what kind of class this is.

The rule I used in this photo is balance. The subject is the teacher, who has his hand up in the air to conduct the students. The subject in the photo is not very clear because behind the teacher, there is a lot of activity going on that draws away the spotlight.  To make my subject more clear, I could have moved to a different spot to snap the photo in order to capture the teacher at a different angle where there were not students in the background. 

The rule I used in this photo is balance. The subjects are the teacher and the student and their interaction. The subject in the photo is clear because there is not much going on in the background that may draw the viewer's attention away. 

Academic Shoot Reflection + Critique

1. The challenge I ran into most was finding a class where there was some excitement going on. Many of the classes I considered with my group were giving lectures or just overall inactive. Another challenge I ran into was not being able to go to all the classes I had wanted to shoot photos of. 

2. I thought a lot about focus and how I was holding the camera and at what angle I was shooting at. I would put myself in a position where I could capture what was going on in the classroom at a particular angle. Sometimes I'd make myself lower than the subject so that the angle would be looking up at them. Sometimes I would make myself higher and angle the camera down to be looking down at them and what they were doing.

3. If I could do the assignment again, I would mess a little more with the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO in order to change the lighting. I would change the focus of my photos too since a lot of them came out blurry. 

Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO - What Are They?

APERTURE

Aperture is the amount of light that a camera takes in. Modifying the aperture on the camera's settings can create dimension in the photo or bring everything in the frame into focus.

A lower aperture, like the one below at F2.8, will blur out the background and add dimension.

A higher aperture, like the one below at F16, will bring everything in the frame into focus.

1. Aperture is modeled after the pupil in the iris of an eye. Like a pupil, which takes in light to create an image, the aperture lens takes in a certain amount of light to modify the dimension in the photo.

2. The smaller the aperture number, the higher the aperture. 

3. Aperture affects the Depth of Field because using a smaller aperture  can create dimension by blurring out the background and bringing one particular subject into focus.

SHUTTER SPEED

Shutter speed, also commonly known as exposure time, is the length of time that the camera shutter is open to allow light in.

Higher shutter speed will "freeze" a moment in time.

Slow shutter speed will create an effect known as "motion blur" and blur objects in motion. This effect is commonly used at night to catch trails of lights over a lengthy period of time.

Bulldogs & Hotdogs Scenario

"At the beginning while the sun was still up and the courtyard had reasonably good light."

a. Low

b. Low

c. High

d. High

e. Low

f. High

"Towards the end when there is no sun and has gotten dark enough that you can't see from one end of the courtyard to the other."

a. Low

b. Low

c. High

d. Low

e. Low

f. Low

2. Three settings the camera has regarding shutter speed are Manual, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority. Manual sets the aperture and shutter speed manually. Aperture Priority allows the photographer to set the aperture and the camera will automatically set the shutter speed. Shutter Priority allows the photographer to set the shutter sped and the camera will set the aperture automatically.

ISO

ISO is the level of the camera's sensitivity to light.

The lower an ISO number is, the less sensitive it is to light. The picture below was taken at ISO 200.

The higher an ISO number is, the more sensitive it is to light. The picture below was taken at ISO 3200.

1. Shooting at a high ISO  can capture an image in a low-light environment like at a night football game. As a result however, the picture will be more grainy.

2. The author suggested to use a low ISO when there is plenty of available light so that the best quality image can be captured. Occasionally a low ISO can be used in lower light if the camera is sitting on a sturdy surface like on a tripod or a flat surface.

2. The author suggested to use high ISO when there is too little light for the camera to properly capture an image. A high ISO can also be used to capture speedy shots of an object moving very fast.

DSLR Camera Simulation

The aperture settings on this camera are: 2.8, 4. 5.6, 8, 11, 16, and 22.

The shutter speed settings on this camera are: 1 SEC, 1/60 SEC, and 1/4000 SEC

The ISO settings on this camera are: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, and 25600

Unusual and Interesting Photos

Part 1

Q&A

1.  Christian Rhum has a very unique style that takes famous buildings and presents them in an abstract way. I think it's a very interesting and cool style that captures the viewer's attention.
2. I think that he took three different photos of the tower at different angles and then overlapped all three of the photos to create one abstract photo.
3. Buildings like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building would all be good places to take abstract pictures like those of Christian Rhum.

Part 2

under construction

Part 3

1. 3 Important Tips for Photographers

1. Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa shows an excellence example of the connection between the photographer and the subject. The relationship between the photographer and the subject is  an essential element to consider because it can effect the result of the picture. The expression on the subject's face and the atmosphere that is conveyed are important elements that can differ depending on the connection.

2. Good pictures have a story. Norman Rockwell's painting, titled The Runaway, shows this. The story behind the photo should clearly tell the viewer what is going on. Sometimes if the story behind the photo is vague, it can capture the viewer's interest.

3. Capture the unexpected. Juxtaposition is an element used in writing and photography. It takes two things that are very unlike and pairs them together to create a powerful and conflicting message. Paintings by Banksy uses juxtaposition a lot to reach out to his viewers.

2. Favorite Painting

3 + 4. Real Photo Comparison

This photo, taken by Nick Stern, mimics one of Banksy's paintings of a man dressed in black and throwing flowers. This photo captures the same message that Banksy conveyed through his painting. It uses juxtaposition, pairing a shady figure with a bouquet of flowers in place of what people would normally expect a bomb.

5. I think the style of painting in The Runaway where the story is evident in the picture is something that I will look out for in my future photos because I think it's a very effective style to capture the viewer's attention.

Academic Shoot Preview

The One With the Best Story

The three subjects in the photo (the two students and the teacher) clearly share a close or familiar relationship. Both students look to be seniors, though that's up to speculation. The story in this photo is that of two students who are graduating, who are sharing one last picture with their favorite teacher or a teacher they've known for a while. 

 The One With the Most Emotion

 There's a lot of visual activity presented in this photo. Two girls are preforming a water experiment which has resulted in a strong chemical reaction. Foam flies everywhere, splattering the two girls. The girls look on with ecstatic shock and amazement that shows clearly on their faces. 

The One That Fills the Frame

The frame of this photo is full of people as they crowd around a table.  In the middle of the table, they   watch on as dry ice smokes in the middle of the table. The picture does not leave on any activity out. The frame is completely full but still manages to capture the subject in the photo without having any distractions.

Academics and Community Service Photo

My chosen picture is titled "Political Secrets" and was taken by Allison Fahrni at Texas High School, Texarkana, TX. In the picture, a woman leans over to whisper something into the ear of an elderly man, and in the background a blurred American flag watches in tranquility. 
I chose this picture because I though it was interesting and suspenseful. What's the story behind this photo? What is she telling the man?
The rules of photography in this photo are Rule of Thirds and Simplicity. The two subjects of the photo are centered off to the right in the middle-corner. Behind them, the background is black and lacks any activity. Even the flag is blurred in order not to grab the full attention from the subjects.

Classroom and School Campus

Photos like the ones I previewed are taken at school (in classrooms and around the campus) or at school events. When I take my own photos for my shoot, I will have to explore various classrooms around the school. For my shoot, I will like to take my photos in areas where there's a lot going on, like in the Gym, the JROTC Room, the Art Room, and in Science classrooms where a lab is being done. As the photographer, I will incorporate the rules of photography and other elements into my photos to capture the best photo possible.

Photo Manipulation and Ethics

Photo Manipulation Article

A. The article gives examples of times when photographers altered a photo in order to make it "better" Many of these photographs meant their alteration as a light joke or had intentions of "improving" the moment captured in the photo, but ended up losing their jobs and credibility after it was taken too far.  Altering a photo can cause controversies. While it may seem okay with one person, it might offend another based on the details left out of the photo.

B. This type of photo editing, which includes adding or taking something away form an image, is unethical because it distorts the actual truth of the photo. The reality of the scene is not captured because the photographer intentionally tried to fit the photo to make it perfect, and reality is not perfect.

Most Unethical 

A. I thought this was the most unethical photo out of many of the ones I saw. In this photo, an injured Israeli commando lies on the ground. The original photo on the right featured a man holding a knife in his hands in the corner.  The scene itself is graphic, but the fact that the photograph cropped out an essential element to the story behind the photo that causes controversy. 

Least Unethical 

B. I thought this was the least unethical out of the photos I saw. In this photo, a woman kneels over the body of a student shot by Ohio National Guard during a protest at Kent State University (this event is also known as the Kent State massacre). There is very little difference between the original (left) and the altered photo (right). Nothing was cropped out or added from the original photo, but the lighting and shadows are modified to give them a sharper effect. This is the least unethical because it has the least amount of distortion. 

Great Black and White Photographers, PART 2

Lothar Wolleh

This photo was titled "Guard" and was taken by Lothar Wolleh in Stockholm, 1965.

Lothar Wolleh was born on January 20, 1930 in Berlin, Germany and grew up dab in the middle of the reign of Nazi Germany. In his early adult years, he spent 6 years at a Soviet prison camp before being pardoned and released. Afterwards he sought out an education at a photography school in Berlin and from then on pursued a career in commercial photography. It wasn't until he was inspired by a colleague to drop commercial photography and shift his focus to capturing famous artists and photographers beside their work. Many of the artists he photographed include Gerhard Richter and Rene Magritte. He never published any books, and unfortunately his life came to a sudden end on September 18, 1979 in London, United Kingdom.

These are photos taken by Lothar Wolleh

Monday Shoot Photos + Post Shoot Reflection

This is my picture for the prompt: Metal
This photo features the Rule of Thirds and Leading Lines. The lines created by the edges of the bricks lead the eye to the bike racks, which are aligned themselves. The bike rack is placed to the left of the photo, leaving out a bit of background to give more detail on the location. 

This is my picture for the prompt: Happy
I could not identify any rules of composition in this photo.

This is my picture for the prompt: Bowie

This photo features Rule of Thirds, and Simplicity. The bulldog is placed slightly off to the right, and the lack of activity in the background allows the bulldog in the photo to be the main center of attention.

This is my picture for the prompt: Square
I could not identify any rules of composition for this photo.

This is my Merger picture

This picture features Leading Lines. The sunlight on the ground and the lines and lights on the ceiling make a path that leads the eye to the squadron. 

These are other photos that did not fit any of the prompts but I still wanted to include them: 

Q&A:

1. What challenges did you encounter while trying to get the photos of your first 4 prompts (Square, Metal, Happy, Bowie)

The biggest challenge was that I was limited to my surroundings. I couldn't just walk anywhere I wanted - like a random classroom - and I couldn't do whatever I wanted to do just because there wasn't a teacher around. Seeking out specific prompts made me feel like I was bypassing other photo opportunities in order to specifically seek out those prompts. 

2. What technical aspects of photography or the assignment in general (focus, framing, holding the camera, etc.) did you find yourself thinking about the most? Provide a specific example of what you did to do this correctly.
Focus was a key aspect that I put my attention to the most while I was taking shots.  I messed around with the focus to see how it would effect the shot. If the picture was too blurry, it was harder to catch the eye's attention. I used focus in a few close up shots so that my subject was the direct center of attention while the background was blurred and hard to make out.  

3. If you could do the assignment again, what would you do differently now that you know some basic rules of photography?
Looking back on it, I would have focused a bit more on other techniques, like the way I hold the camera and how I could use my surroundings to make the outcome of my picture even better. I think I might've taken a lot more shots too to make sure that I had a larger variety to pick from.  I would have gone looking for ways to incorporate other com potion elements into my pictures, too. A recurring one I see a lot is leading lines, and not very much of everything else. I would've sought out more subjects to photograph than the ones I did. 

4. What things would you do the same?

While I would've liked a bigger variety for my photos, I generally like the ones that I did take, so I would have stuck to a few of the subjects that I ended up photographing. I still would have messed around a lot with the focus, since the focus can effect where the attention is brought to in the photo. 

5. Finally - go back and edit your blogs with the 4 photos (square, metal, happy, Bowie), tell me what rules of composition (which you just learned about) did you end up actually achieving? Did you have any?
(answers underneath photos)

6. Are you interested in shooting those same prompts again, why?

I would gladly shoot those prompts again, but only if I could expand my surroundings and not have to stick to the campus. I feel like I could find better ways to photograph those prompts if I could go outside of Bowie.

Photo Prompt Review

http://harrisonlphotoj.blogspot.com

I really liked the angles and the atmosphere created in the photos.  I liked that the elements in the picture, like the angle or the lighting, or where the subject was centered, made the pictures look really cool. I liked how a few of them - the Bowie and the Happy pictures in particular - gave the pictures a sort of atmosphere and liveliness. 

However, I think that the pictures could still be improved by including more interesting subjects and by incorporating more of the Rules of Composition in the pictures.