Float

 For this picture, I was trying to tell the story of someone running across a huge cliff. Some of the problems I faced were I didn't presh the shutter down at the right time. I either pressed it too early or too late, and the person either hadn't jumped yet or they were already on the ground. I resolved it by counting so the person would no when to jump and I pressed the shutter down a little later than I thought I should so I could get the image at the right time. At first, I was trying to take this picture by the vending machines but it didn't work out because of the lighting and the person blended into the background too much, so I changed location and everything worked out better.

 For this picture, I was trying to tell the story of a superhero. Some problems were the chair wasn't level because of the uneven ground. There were also a lot of cars in the background so it made it hard to take two pictures with the same background. Also, it was hard to keep the camera level and take two pictures from exactly the same position. To resolve this, I waited until the cars going in that direction had a red light before taking a picture. I moved the chair to a new spot to make it more even. An artistic challenge I had was when I photoshopped out the chair, there was a lighter area of grass exactly where the chair should be, so anyone looking at the picture could tell there was something there. To fix it, I used the clone stamp and selected areas of grass that should look the same and painted over the outline of the chair. I also tried adding a shadow under the person to make it look more realistic.

I was also going for a superhero feel with this picture. Some problems were taking the pictures from the exact same position for everything. To fix this, I took multiple background photos to make sure at least one would work out if the others failed. Another problem was again, photoshopping out the chairs. There was a patch of lighter concrete where the chair used to be, and I had to use the clone stamp tool again. This time it was harder because there were shadows behind the chair, and it looked really fake with just a person floating there and having a shadow of a chair. I just tried changing the ground to one color to fix it.

Poses

Standing Tall

 Location: Front Office
Problems: Reflection in the glass, finding a location with good lighting
Some of the other shots I took were blurry or cut off the top of the person's head.
I think the location could've been improved. It's just a person standing against a plain wall.

Location: Library
Problems: Finding a location with good lighting, getting the full person in the shot
Some of the other shots were zoomed in too far and only showed the upper half of the person when it was supposed to show the whole body, so this picture is the best.
I think I could've zoomed in a little farther.


Seated

 Location: Deer Court, vending machines
Problems: The lighting was a little weird for a lot of loactions I tried shooting in.
For my other pictures, the shots looked either too dark, or the pose didn't seem right to me, so this one was the best.
I could've taken the picture somewhere with an even amount of light.

Location: Deer court, vending machines
Problems: It was hard getting a good angle for the picture.
My other pictures were taken at weird angles and seemed a little too dark, so this one was the best picture.
I could have taken the picture in a place with more light.


Lean

 Location: Trees by the Deer Court
Problems: The lighting was all over the place
This picture was the best because the others were either too bright, too dark, or had part of the body cut off.
Even though this picture had the best lighting, it could still be improved.

Location: Trees by the Deer Court
Problems: Overexposed, underexposed
This picture was the best because on the other pictures, I took them at an angle where it didn't look like the person was leaning against the tree, just standing in front of it.
The lighting could be improved a lot; the sky is way too overexposed.


Environmental

 Location: Trees in front of the office
Problems: The sky was too overexposed and sometimes the trees caused the phone to blend in
This picture was best out of all the pictures I took because you could clearly see the phone and in the other pictures, the phone blended in or I took the picture too early or late.
The lighting in the sky could be improved; it needs to be darkened.

Location: Entrance to the 200 building
Problems: Sometimes the door would blend in with the phone and the papers on the door also became a distraction.
This picture was the best because it wasn't blurry and you can see the phone; it doesn't blend in with the door as much as it did in my other pictures.
I could've found a better location so the phone wouldn't blend in and there wouldn't be a reflection in the glass.


Wildcard

 Location: Umbrellas
Problems: The colors in the background were a little distracting
This picture was the best wildcard I took of this person because it was the most unique out of all the pictures I took.
I could've taken the picture from farther away and zoomed in so the background was more blurred out and less distracting.

Location: Tree by the gym
Problems: The pictures I took were a little overexposed in some areas
This was the best wildcard picture because it was also the most unique picture I took for this set of pictures.
I could've taken the picture from an angle where the lighting would be a little darker.


The most challenging part of the assignment was getting the models to do the exact poses for each picture. Some of the pictures have varying poses for each category. To overcome this, I asked the models to change their poses a little so it would look more like the actual pose I needed.
Back in September, I wasn't good at keeping one subject in my pictures, it was more like a jumbled mess, but now I am better at taking pictures with one subject in them. I am also better at putting more focus on the subject so the images come out sharper.
Before the end of the year, I want to learn how to be more creative when I take pictures, such as putting interesting and unique subjects in the pictures which no one would think about putting in there.

Vermeer

When shooting piuctures of other people, I found it hard to get the background blurry while zooming in a lot to get the person's face in most of the picture. It was also hard getting originality with the photos because with the Vermeer effect, the person is looking over their shoulder and there isn't a lot of variation with the poses.

When I was the model, it was really hard to keep a straight face. I'm always smiling so it was hard to be serious and I'd always start laughing before the picture was taken. It was also hard to force a smile on my face for a few seconds before the person took the picture because I wasn't genuinely laughing or smiling, I was posing for the camera.

I think a good model can master a lot of facial expressions and can hold it while the pictures are being taken, and listen to the photographer well. They have a lot of poses that they use well, also. A good photographer talks to the model when taking their picture, so the model knows what the photographer wants. They also take pictures from many angles instead of just one.

Photo Analysis: Portraits

In the picture, Hyuna is sitting on a stool with messy hair. The picture has a lot of calm, cool colors. In the picture I see a stool, a shiny floor, and something white in the background. There is also a lot of light. The photo feels messy but clean at the same time. Three things I might infer from the picture is calmness, peacefulness, and order. I wonder what is in the background, and what things are around Hyuna that I can't see.

In the picture, Kai is slumped against a wall and staring at something in the distance. The picture is in black and white. His hair is a little messy and he has a little smile on his face. His skin looks smooth and light. There is something dark sitting near Kai. Because the photo is in black and white, I get a calm feeling that I probably wouldn't get if it was in color. The picture feels spacious because Kai is looking at something far away and there looks like there's a lot of space around him. I also get a feeling of lonliness because he seems like he's by himself and his smile is a bit melancholic. I wonder what the thing next to him is, and I wonder what he's looking at.

The picture is really vibrant and has a lot of color. Luhan is standing more off to the right side of the picture and his gold pants stand out a lot. There is something bright behind him, which looks like a screen to me. Luhan's skin is really light and radiant, just like his top. His braclet is really shiny and attention-grabbing. There are blue and white circle patterns in the background and contrast well with Luhan's dark hair. That draws a lot of attention to his face, which is what I think the photographer wanted. I can infer that Luhan is happy because of the look on his face. The picture gives me an uplifting feeling. I can also infer that Luhan is on some sort of stage because of the background and the clothes he's wearing, which don't look like clothes he'd usually be seen in.

This picture doesn't have a lot of color in it, and is mostly black and white, even though it was taken in color. The background is almost completely white, except for the very botton, which looks a little bit pink. This is probably because the photographer only wanted people to focus on Chen. In the picture, I see Chen staring straight at the camera with his hand behind his neck and he is smiling slightly. The picture gives off a serene feeling and also it feels empty and spacious. I wonder if there was anything around Chen when the picture was taken or if there was a long white wall he stood in front of.

In the picture, Luhan is standing somewhere outside, looking at something far away. In the background I see mountains and by his face there are two colorful spots of light, one being green and the other purple. It looks like they would be rays of sun, and the light looks like it has a sepia tone to it. There are a lot of shades of brown in the picture. The picture has a lonely feeling to it because Luhan's expression looks a little sad, especially his eyes. I also get a feeling of emptiness because it seems like there is a lot of space around him. It also seems as if Luhan is longing for something. I wonder what is around Luhan and what he's looking at.

Midterm Portfolio

Rule of Thirds:

I think this is a good representation of rule of thirds because the cup is off to the side and the background is kind of blurred so the first point of focus is the cup.

Filling the Frame:

This picture represents filling the frame best because the leaves are the only thing in the photo. To make the image stronger, maybe I'd darken it a little because it looks a little white.

Lines:

This is a good representation of lines because the bar leads the eye down the fence. I don't think I would change anything about it.

Angles:

This is a good picture showing the angle at which the photo was taken because you can see there is a little height. It looks like the photo was taken a little above the truck, and if it wasn't there, it would be harder to see the angle. I would darken the image a little more to make it stonger.

Patterns:

This is a good example of a pattern because the bricks on the wall are all the same except for the black stripe. To make it stronger, I might crop off the brown door at the end of the wall.

Framing:

This photo represents framing well because the ticket window at the theater is on the outside of the picture and frames the inside of the room. I would zoom in a little more so the glass doesn't show to make it stronger.

ABC's:

This is a good example of ABC's because the ticket booth window is tilted sideways so that it looks like a C against a dark background. I would tilt it a little more so it doesn't look lopsided.

Shutter Speed:

This is a good example of shutter speed because the propeller is totally stopped. I would zoom in a little to make it stronger.

Panning:

This is a good example of panning because the background is blurry and the car is sharp. To make it stronger I might zoom in more.

Depth of Field:

This is a good example of DOF because the background is really blurry and the leaves are in focus and really sharp. To make it stronger, I would back away a little so the background is even more blurry.

Wildcard:

This is one of my favorite pictures. To me this is the best picture because I took it with my best friend in the class before she moved away. To make it stronger, I might lower the ISO so the background doesn't look so overexposed.

My biggest challenge was finding things to take pictures of because there are a lot of the same things around campus. I was able to overcome that because I started zooming in more and taking photos from different angles.

My biggest success was learning about shutter speed and ISO because I learned how to make my pictures not so over or underexposed. This stands out to me because all my pictures used to have these problems. It will help me in the second semester because now I won't have to fix these things.

I am interested in learning about how to take good portraits of people and landscapes, because I've already learned about zooming in a lot, and now I want to zoom out.

One thing Mr. Pedersen can do to improve my experience in the class is allow a little more time for the blog posts because then I could edit more photos in photoshop and still have enough time left to post on the blog.

One thing I could do to improve my experience is to not be afraid to try new things out because I'll never learn if I don't try.

DOF Photo Corrected

  Before:

After:

 

I made the image a little darker, but it isn't that noticeable. I liked the lighting the way it was. I also made it a bit sharper. I would only like to make the wheel more sharp but keep the background blurry and I think the changes I made made the colors of the wheel stand out more.

Before:

 

After:

 

 For this image, I adjusted the levels so it would be darker. I also made it sharper. I think this made the red on the altoids container stand out more, and the colors on the bricks. I think this was a good adjustment to make because the colors on everything can stand out more. I wouldn't really change anything else.


 Before:

 

After:

 I made the lighting a little darker and sharpened the image. It made the truck stand out more and you can see the bench better. I like making these adjustments because the image is less blurry. This is all I would fix with this photo.



Before:

 

After:

I made the image more sharp and I lightened up the picture. It brought out the details in the branches when I did this. I think this kind of adjustment was good because the branch is now more in focus and looks better. I wouldn't really change anything else.


Before:

After:

I sharpened up the image so Mr. Pedersen was less blurry. I didn't make the image any lighter or darker. I think it was good to sharpen the image, but I made it too sharp. Other than that, I would keep everything the same.


Before:

After:

I made the image a little bit darker and I sharpened the image. This made the details on the guy's face are more noticeable. I think it was good to make that adjustment because the image is less blurry and details are more easily noticed. I wouldn't change anything else.


Before:

After:

I made the image sharper and a little lighter. It made the spots on the fire hydrant more noticeable when I did that. I like the adjustments I made because now the spots stand out more and the spider web is more easily noticed. I wouldn't change anything else.


Shallow depth of field means only a few things are in focus. Pictures with large depths of field have many things in focus and are usually landscape photos. You should use TV mode when you want to have control over blur and AV mode when you want control over depth of field. The hardest part of the assignment was controlling how much blur there was in the background. I ended up being too close to the subject to do that in many of my pictures.