MACRO SPRING

In this set I took some closeup shots of several flowers, in each picture I tried to blur out the background and really get a lot of focus on the flower. This way there's definition on each petal, leaf, etc. I also really tried to boost the colors so that they contrasted to the background, here I edited the colors also that they really popped!

THROUGH THE YEARS

These first three photos remind me of my childhood a lot. The first photo shows a table with several holes placed in it, when I was younger a lot of play structures I went on were similar to this table. The shot facing upwards allows the sun to reflect into the camera, reminding me of when I was little playing on a slide or in the sand. The second shot is a water fountain, which was something that I visited constantly when I was younger. I feel that kids my age were infatuated with the water fountain. Finally we have chinese books, which is something I constantly read at a young age since I went to a bilingual school. I think the small cartoon animals on it really help remind me of younger days.

These next three photos help represent my elementary school life. The first shot shows off sharpies, which I used to color in many projects at the time. Nextwe have lockers, which were new to me when I reached middle school. Finally we have the library, when you reached middle school at my school you had access to the "middle school/high school library". I remember when I first walked into I was in awe mainly because there were older students (middle school and kids from IHS). So this shot of tables and books really reminds me of elementary school.

These final three photos help remind me of when I was in middle school. In my old school we visited the computer lab in the basement frequently, everyone would have a lot of energy and run around. This photo shows a slow shutter speed shot of someone moving around. I had a good amount of homework in middle school so the shot of someone writing and flipping through a book reminds me of staying after school to work.

E X T R A

P H O T O S :

PORTRAITS OF THE CLASS & INTERVIEW WITH ELIZA

For Aubrey I think that he really incorporates light painting well into his photos. Light painting involves slowing down the exposure of the camera and allowing any source of light to create interesting patterns in the photos. I think the way he incorporates this really brings the shots to life and really pulls the viewer into the shots he takes.

For Aubrey's portrait I am going to take a photo of him with light paintings surrounding his head. The color and intricate patterns the different lights make will bring interest to the photo while still being a portrait. I think that the way Aubrey uses light painting really helps make a shot.

For Eliza I think she takes amazing simple shots that are clean and close up. Eliza's portraits always come out very well since she doesn't add to much editing or add ons. Her shots are always closeup and intimate allowing the viewer to get a good view of ther person's face.

For Eliza's portrait I am going to take a full on portrait of her face without any editing to the colors or exposures. On the other hand I am going to change the lighting so that it really shows off her face.Here you can see taking portrait shots like Eliza can look really professional yet simple.


I N T E R V I E W :

What is your though process before taking a photo?

I think of what I want to photograph, where I want to find it, and then take it. I begin with a concept and then followe through with the idea.

What do you like about taking portraits?

I like the amount of detail you can catch on a person and I think that when we look at peopl when they are moving, but taking a still shot of them can really allow you to see so much more.

Are there any photographers that inspire you?

No, I don't really know of any.

What is your favorite part of photography? 

When you print out your photo on nice paper and it looks professional, clean, and amazing. All the smell is really nice.

Where are your favorite places to take photos?

I like to take photos in beaches and outside.

For Kendall I think that she makes many of her photos black and white, which allows her shots to all be extremely cohesive with each other. Black and white keeps the photo neutral, but also allows you to really focus on the details of the shot. Black and white can also add a certain mood to the photo, which I think really helps give Kendall a distinct style.

For Kendall's portrait I am going to take a black and white shot of her. This will really allow you to notice the details in Kendall's face and also make a photo that doesn't have too much going on. Here you can see using black and white like Kendall can really make a great shot.

For Renna I think she takes a lot of great action shots that really bring a picture to life. Some of her photos hav a lot of jumping and/or movemnt involved, which really draw your eye to the shot. Action shots are great since they are not as plain as non-moving characters.

For Renna's portrait I am going to take a closeup shot of her face but with her head moving. Her hair is really long so having it moving in the shot will make a really great picture similar to her own style. Here you can see action shots are great since they are much more interesting to look since there is activity going on in the photo.

For Nora I think that she really focuses on making all of the colors pop in her pictures. She has taken shots of flowers, nature, and simply the things around her. Instead of keeping the photos a neutral tone or turning to black and white Nora worked to intensify and boost the hues that were in her photo. 

For Nora's portrait I am going to take a semi closeup shot that still shows off her clothing and upper part of her body. This way I can really boost the colors and make the shot have a lot brightness to it. Here you can see vividness in colors work to make a photo stand out, similar to all of Nora's shots.

For Zephy I think that her work shines the most when she edits the pictures in neon. The bright colors that she selects really help intensify the picture and add a sense of whimsy. Neon allows the picture to stand out since it picks up on the outlines of objects instead of filling them all in, Zephy selects shades of color that work cohesively with the photo and also help bring them to life.

For Zephy's portrait I ujdecided to put her in neon, I took a close up picture of her to really allow the details of her face to be shown. The shade I chose was a yellow white shade since I think it is similar to the color of her hair. Here you can see how neon can be utilized in portraits just like in Zephy's photos.

For Khalena I think she adds a lot of strong editing to her photos with websites such as Picnik. Khalena adds instresting colors, dimension, depth, and fun exposures to her photo, making them twice as good to look at. Editing your photos can help make a picture better since it adds on things that we might not even be able to shoot in real life. 

For Khalena's portrait I am going to take a portrait of her and add on several effects to really bring out the shot. Adding text, color edits, and subtle changes to the photo will really bring out the shot. Here you can see using Picnik or different photo editing websites like Khalena can really change your photos.

For Zaina I think that she takes really strong landscape pictures or shots that focus more on the background. Zaina has countless photos of the city, country, etc that are detailed and edited very well. I think focusing on nature or just backgrounds in general is great since sometimes people forget about their surroundings.


For Zaina's portrait I decided to have her with San Francisco in the background. Here I'm taking a semi closeup photo that still shows off the city blocks, allowing more detail to come into the shot. Here you can see how Zaina's idea of showing off backgrounds and surroundings can really make a great photo.

For Cassie I think that her photos show off a lot of depth, drawing your attention in on the photo. Adding depth can move the eye around the shot, but also make it seem more realistic. Cassie really uses depth in a way that improves her shots and makes them seem less flat, adding depth to city shots and closeups really make for a great picture.


For Cassie's portrait I am going to take a photo of her on the street with the sidewalk leading up and out into the background. The photo will still be relatively closeup but adding the small amount of depth will really help draw your eye into the photo. Here you can see using Cassie's ideas of depth can make a photo really pop out a lot.

For Sam I think he really focuses on smaller details that really work to put together a great shot. I've noticed that Sam takes a lot of pictures of flowers, which are small sometimes go unnoticed. Flowers are bright and have intricate detail that Sam notices and shoots.


For Sam's portrait I am going to have him standing next to a pot of purple flowers. The portrait will still be intimate but the flowers details will really add some color and whimsy to the photo. Here you can see how focusing on little details like Sam can make a picture look great.

E X T R A

P H O T O S :

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

In these shots I was trying to portray a sense of the city in three different photos. Since my lens was cracked after shooting the center photo the side two have a slightly "broken" effect to them. For the center picture I was trying to show off the "beauty" of the city with the skyline effect. Then I wanted to show a more cooler side to the city with Aubrey standing at the bus stop in the fog. If you look into the corner you can see the shattered glass of my lens cap. Finally for the third picture I had warmer colors and pictures of the trees/sky to give the picture a happier feeling. I think the slight blurriness adds to it also. Overall I am really happy with my three shots!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjsXo9l6I8

Above you can watch the video for yourself! The mood to me seems proud and happy, which I tried to evoke through the photo with Aubrey looking out over the street. Also the sunrise brings the sense of rebirth, which I think evokes the song. Finally the brighter tones of the third picture makes me feel a bit more optimistic. The song's bright tones and great melody really inspired me to make the most of these photos. "These streets will make you feel brand new, bright lights will inspire you." was a strong lyric that made me want to use this song for this assignment. 

PHOTOSHOOT FINAL

In this set of photos I tried to really play with light to make Eliza pop out. In some shots I used light painting to sculpt and surround her face, while in others I simply changed the lighting by softening the color and blurring the edges. I think that these photos turned out very nicely and flow well!