Street Photo

The is a photo that I took on the street where my house is on. I really liked the look of all of the leaves being scattered alond the side walk so I wanted to get a picture of that. There is a strong use of line in this photo with the lines that are crossing each other throughout the photo. There is also a small pattern. The elements are repeating themselves a lot and that is creating a pattern that flows throughout the photograph. I like how the color of the leaves contrasts the grey concrete. I think there is a bit of a story in this photo. One can instantly tell the season it was taken in and time. It shows a beauty in nature that is still in our city. I also admire the light that shines on the leaves in this photo

Panoramic Photo

This is a panorama shot that I took at Mercy in early morning. When taking this picture, I wanted to show an inspiration from last semester's Ansel Adams assignment, while connecting that to our current Architecture theme. This photo uses a lot of value. The leaves show Low Kay Prints while the light in the sky shows High Key Prints. There is definately a lot of emphasis on the tree since it is in the middle and takes up most of the photograph. But more specifically, there is emphasis on the trunk of the tree. The trunk is on a third line and the lightness of it contrasts the dark leaves so it stands out more. I also used a lot of variety. There is concrete, grass, trees, signs, and a building all in one shot, yet it never gets distracting. They all work together in this one photo.

Detailed Architecture

This is a photo for detailed architecture. The main thing that stands out to me here is the lines. There are several parallel lines curving sideways while there are more pines in the pillars leading upward. I also used the Principle of Design, value. a light shines through the top windows which give us our light vales and there are several dark lines on each of the pillars which helps show the dark values at work here. I definately took this picture at a dramatic angle. I took if from that much below because I wanted to emphasize the height in the picture and lead the viewer's eye towards the ceiling. I use this for detailed architecture because you can see every detail that this building contains. The lines that cascade throughout is one thing, but you can also see all of the textures that contradict each other in this photo. The fact that I made it in black and white further emphasizes the variety because it leaves no distractions from the textures and lines in the photo.

Recolored Shot

This is another picture that I had taken in downtown San Mateo. One thing that stood out to me was the balance. There were many contrasting colors in this shot. One thing that I really liked was how the leaves that are on the left side are dark while the right side is light. And the bark of the tree on the left is light while the right is dark. This color adds great balance and proportion to the photo. I wanted to recolor this photo to enhance it. So I started by turning the picture into greyscale; giving me a blank pallete. I then started to recolor the picture using the color balance. I added a lot of greens as well as blue and magenta. The photo is digitally enhanced without it looking too out of the ordinary. I also embraced the element of Line. The walkway is the main line in the photo as it stretches farther and farther. There is also several implied lines with the trees and the way they follow one another. I took this picture in late afternoon for lighting purposes. If you look closely, you can see the lighter leaves scattered on the walkway with the darker ones. I think that helps bring all of the elements in this photo together even more.

Nature Shot

This picture was taken in downtown San Mateo in late afternoon. I saw the leaves scattered on grass and I wanted to get a picture of it. So I got low to the ground and made sure I had the best angle possible when taking this picture. I used the close up setting on my camera to take this shot so that the background would be blurred; thus leaving a lot of emphasis on the leaves. This picture uses the element of color. The greens, yellows and browns embody nature and give the viewer a calm and relaxing mood that I was going for. This picture also uses variety. The leaves and grass contrast each other while you can see cars and trees in the background. Yet none of it is distracting. All of these things are working together in one single shot

Architecture Part 3

This photo was completely took to represent architecture. I wanted to take the picture behind the glass to show a unique shape and bring emphasis towards the building that it lead up to. This picture was taken in downtown San Mateo on a busy street. I took the picture around 2 o'clock when the sun would be shining greatly on these buildings. I didn't do much photoshop to this image bacause I liked the original colors and shapes that were in the picture. This picture uses a lot of variety. There are several colors, textures, lines that are all different, but work together greatly to create this one image. I also like the old fashioned look that this picture creates. It doesn't look as modern as several of the buildings downtown and that is the basis of its appeal. It is unique and different and I wished to showcase that .

Botanical Photo 2

This botanical photo was taken on my free time. I wasn't planning on taking any pictures but I was looking at the flowers and thinking about how great they looked and how they would look in a photo. I pulled out my camera to know for sure. I took this picture behind the window rather than going outside and taking it because I liked the contrast that the black bars created. It helps draw your eye to different parts of the photo while bringing emphasis to the color of the flowers. This picture has a great use of unity and value. Although the black bars aren't blending with the flowers, there is a sense of unity with all of the light colors outside of the window. The black bars contrasting with the light flowers adds great value that makes the photo look complete.

Mercy Chapel 1

This photo was taken during our photography class' feild trip to Mercy's chapel. Although most of the pictures people took were at the alter, I wanted to find something different that spoke to me. I explored for a while than found this hallway. This hallway appealed to me cause of the arch in the window than mimicked the arches in the hallway. The lighting was also perfect for the type of photo that I wanted to create. I loved how the photo looks dark but as your eyes are lead down the hallway, it gets lighter and it makes the eye move from subject to subject. I definately embraced the element, line. There is an implied line that occurs through the windows that are troughout the hallway. This picture isn't the bright, colorful picture that I usually go for. The look is much more calm and ominous which exemplifies the mood I was going through at the time.

Architecture Part 2

This photo is one of my current favorites and it was taken for architecture. The first thing that I think of when I look at this photo is color. The orange, yellows, blues and greens all stick oout to me and contrast each other. The lines in this photo break up the colors and make each one stand out individually. This was taken outside of the store, Dregers. The building itself is huge but I wished to focus on the front because it alone had everything I was looking for in a photo. The dynamic that the lines and colors make is incredible when I look at. This was taken in the early afternoon so the light would be shining down on the building. I was very happy with the fact that it wasn't raining because it would have ruined the whole shot for me. It may not have ruined the whole thing but it sure would have changes it greatly. Because this picture turned out exactly how I wanted it to when shooting. The colors stand out and the lines help emphasize the height of the bulding.

Architecture Part 1

This photo was taken with the intent of architecture but turned out as a different photo than I imagined. It almost looks like another Ansel Adams shot but I use if for architecture because of the shapes and lines that the wall and benches create. This is the type of photography that I love. I love when I can express my vision in more than one way at a time. The lines from the wall and building show the obvious architecture that I was going for. But the line of the branches help compliment the look I was going for. I chose to make this picture black and white to express the mood I was going through when I took this picture. I had no intent in making this a bright of run picture. I wanted to combine what I learned from this week's architecture and last weeks photojournalism to get a brand new dynamic

Lightsabers

This was a very fun photo for me. My friends called me saying that they were outside fighting with lightsabers and I had a feeling that I should bring out my camera for this. I walk outside and see them running towards me, swinging the lightsabers in the night air and being very dramatic. I instantly knew that I wanted to get a picture of this. I asked my friend to pose for me and to make sure that the light was close to his face so that I could see his expression. He did just that and I got stellar shots right from the beginning. I like fantasy and free expression which is what make this shot appealing to me. It is unique and stands out from all of the pictures that I have taken. I also love the use of color in this photo. The fact that it is nighttime makes the green lightsaber stand out so much more than it would have if it was light out.

Environmental Portrait Part 3

This is a photo of my friend Nicole who I asked to model for me. After taking some basic shots, I wanted to experiment with new angles and ideas. I see the colors in the sky that is complimented by the lights of the street and decide that I need to get those in a shot. This photo isn't just about emphasizing the model like most, but is for looking past the model and seeing the surroundings. Therefore you can get a clearer image of what this picture is all about. I used the rule of thirds when taking this shot. I put her face on a third line and angled my camera upward to emphasize the gaze that my model was going through. You see her looking up into the sky and you also see exactly what it was that made her so compelled.

Music Portrait

This photo was actually taken while I was looking for sports photography. I was on the parking structure taking pictures for sports, while I see your class' own, Tim Wood, playing his guitar. I hadn't gotten a picture that had to do with hobbies or music so I was interested in catching this on film. I just told him to keep playing and that I would get the pictures. I used the rule of thirds to emphasize my subject and had a neutral brick background in the shot. I made it black and white and added a gradient to give it that old fashioned look that I was going for. This is a fairly basic shot and that is what I love about this photo. There is nothing distracting that is taking away from my subject. I made sure to not have too much in this shot because I wanted it to be a clear representation of my vision. I did use a film grain filter to enhance the photo as well, but it is fairly subtle and adds something much needed to the photograph

Sports Photography 2

This photo was made for sports photography. I wanted to stay away from basketball because it seemed like that was what every other person was going for. So I thought of what sports are different that I wouldn't normally think of. Track & Field entered my mind and I knew that was it. I asked my friend to run in front of me so that I could catch the action. I was careful with my camera placement because I wanted to have space in front of him to emphasize the line of his movement. Those lines were further emphasized by the lines on the track. I turned this photo into greyscale and then added a blur into the background. The photo turned out exactly how I wanted it to because it is a portrait of a sport that I usually wouldn't think of to take. I took this picture in late afternoon so that it was light out but the sun wouldn't be shining too hard down on my subject. I wanted the lighting to be perfect because since I knew that I wanted the picture in black and white, I wanted the values to be perfect also. Value is a big aspect of this photo because you can see the greys throughout the track, the white in the lines and shirt, and the black in the shorts and shoes as well.

Sports Photography 1

This photo is taken of my friend Mike playing volleyball outside on the parking structure. While taking the photos, I asked them to try only setting for a while. I liked how I could catch the shot when they would set the ball rather than when they bumped it or even spiked it. The color of the sky was very appealing to me so I decided to take the shot from an extreme angle. I got on the floor and started taking the shots. I was stuck between two pictures. This one, and a similar one that had the ball in it. Although it isn't as easy telling that this was taken for sports photography, I liked the movement that was emphasized in this picture. I didn't need a volleyball to show that my subject was moving. The arch in the arms created the rhythm that I was going for. There is also a great sense of balance in this photo because of the high key background with the low key subject. It created a perfect balance that I was going for in this photo.

Ghost

This picture was taken while I was just experimenting with my new camera. I saw a poster that looked very artistic to me so I took a blurry photo of it and zoomed in greatly. After minimal photoshop work, I had the image that I was going for. Some may see my taking a picture of a pictue as cheating but I can assure you that the original poster looked nothing like this. I wanted to give this photo a new perspective and image. I like the colors in this photo because they are llike a fantasy. Someone commented that this looked like the old saying, "your eyes are the window of your soul". This would be a very literal representation of that saying. Another fact I like about this picture is that nobody is completely sure what this it. People have liked the photo and all but nobody is completely sure of what is in the photo. That mystery adds a great mood the the photo

Friday Night Lights

This photo here was actually taken while I was at a gas station. A strange place to find inspiration, I know. But I look out in the streets and the several lights and colors grab my eye. Those are what make me go in with my camera for a deeper look. I then notice the lights' reflection being made on the wet streets. I was very inspired by this and started taking pictures. I knew exactly what I wanted right away. This photo is actually the second photo I took while at the station. I love the use of color here. This is because you have both the red lights and blue sky reflecting on the street and contrasting each other. The white lines in the street lead your eye further and further through the photograph. Overall, I am very lucky that I saw this and was inspired so quickly because I can easily say that I probably wouldn't have thought about taking a picture like this on my own.

Formal Portrait Part 2

This is one of my favorite photos. I was taking pictures with my friend and everytime I asked her to smile, she didn't use her teeth. I wanted to catch a smiling picture so I started to make her laugh. Once she started laughing, I didn't only get teeth, but I got a true smile. I didn't get a fake modeling one, but a real smile that came from her laughter. I think that makes the photo more powerful right there. I then burned the background a bit to make my model stand out more. The lighting was great on her face but to get it exactly the way I wanted, I increased the contrast just a bit. It didn't take much to make my model look good in the photos. It was honestly hard to choose the best ones because each had different elements that all worked in similar ways. This photo almost looks like a candid portrait but I wanted to use it as a formal portait becasue it contains all of the elements I look for in a formal picture. Although my model had just got out of the gym and was tired, she was a trooper and didn't let it show in the photographs. I think this is a simple, yet great shot that contains great emphasis, proportion and value.

Principle of Design - Proportion New

This is a photo that is actually a redo of last semester's principle of design photo. In this photo I really played with proportion. There is a lot going on in this photo. From the several escalators to the mirrors that resemble an Alice in Wonderland themed fantasy. But to calm all of this excitement down, I added a cutout filter and recolored the photo. I definately like how this photo turned out because the colors show the shadows and details in the picture. The lines are also very appealing to me in this photo. This photo is almost all lines that explode in every direction. This pictures shows a fantasy and my personal vision that I was attempting to convey. The colors are calming and subdued but you can still get a feel for the excitement and amplitude in this photograph

Element of Art - Color New

This is a photo that I'm usuing as a redo to last semester's Element of Art photo. I am using this photo for color. One thing that I love doing is using photoshop and finding new ways to make something look beautiful. This one has a hint of fantasy as did a lot of my photos but what I like most about this one is the values. I added a blur on all of the leaves on the left side while focusing on the branches. It gives almost a Halloween feel to this photo. But above all, the colors really work together here. They are all shades of blue and violet. The different values of these color make the photo look different and very original. I like this photo because I do not have anything else that resembles it

Digitally Alterred 2