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Monday, December 14, 2009

Environmental Portrait Part 2

Since I didn't have an actual model in my first environmental portrait, I wanted to do another that featured a model in a unique setting. During Mercy's Christmas Concert, I saw this window and knew that I wanted to take a picture there. I asked my friend Andrew to stand in front of the window so I could take the picture. This picture obviously used the Element, Line; but the color is what I admire most. I really enjoy the red tones that run through this photograph. I definately think that there is a sense of unity in this photograph. The colors are all fairly similar and blend together well to make this one strong photograph. I think that the environmental aspect comes in with the story that is told in this photo. You can see that the man is thinking and it makes you wonder what he is thinking about so intensely. You notice the view in which he has been looking outside staring at. With the was his face is positioned, you can tell that this was a moment and not just a quick glance.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Self Portrait

This photo is a self portrait that was taken with a simple idea. I wanted to emphasize my face so I made the surroundings dark so that I stand out easily in the photo. I used emphasis in this photo to get the look that I was going for. I also used the element, shape and form, by using a gradient in a circular motion around myself. I placed myself in the center of this photo to give it balance. A symmetrical balance shows that I wanted this photo to be a simple headshot. I did not have a timer to use so I had to hold the camera as I posed for the photo. I did not was to see my arm that was holding the camera so I was very careful with the angle that I took this photo in so that my arm would not be shown. I used the gradient that I placed around towards the bottom of the photo as well so that the photo strictly looks like a formal headshot.

Photographer's Choice

The photo that I chose was one that I took in the inspiration of Ansel Adams. Since the photo would be in black and white, I wanted a lot of value in the photo. So I took the picture with several different colors and shades of rocks to help them stand out. You can see the different colors lined throughout the shore and it alternates from dark to light. Two sections of rocks are darker, while one section of rocks and the water are lighter. The rocks together have a sense of unity. They are different shades and different sizes, but together they make a beautiful image. The dark hills in the background add to the dark shade of rocks and the lighter shade seen in the sky adds to the lighter shades of rock. You can also see how close the rocks are to the camera by comparing the size of the dips of the rocks going into the water.

Shutter Photo

In this photo, I experimented greatly with my camera and the things I could do with my camera. During this week, I aspired to take a moving photo and take advantage of the small shutter that I could use. After several photos being taken, I had the idea to take a photo of moving water. I remembered a pond that seemed polluted, but had a lot of color that I could use in the photo. So I went with the principle of Movement and Rhythm. You can see the water swirling around and you can see the direction of the stream. I added a slight blue tint so that the color of the stone would compliment the rest of the photograph. So the element, color, definitely took the forefront in this photo. Although it is all blue, there are several different shades of blue that run throughout the photo.

Photoshop Altered

This photo was taken with the intention of being a straight photography photo. I experimented with different values and colors and found that the photo stood out much more when outlined and darkened. Since there are electrical cords in the photo, I liked how the tower looked as it was being electrocuted. There is a lot of balance in this photo since the tower is placed on a third line and the electrical cords are going upward towards it. I also used the element of Line. The entire photograph is basically all lines. The lines lead up to the tower, and when you look closely, you see that the tower consists of several lines that are built up. I added a very slight gradient to the photo since the sky was lighter towards the bottom than the top. So I added a darker gradient on the two top corners to give the illusion of a sunset

Element of Art

In this photo, the element of art that I wanted to highlight was texture. But instead of going for a rough texture like most of the others did, I wanted to go for a smooth texture and highlight that by dropping water onto the top of the little pads. Although this picture was made to highlight the element of art, texture, it also highlights one of the principles of design, unity. There are several different elements that are working together to make one photo. When looking at the photo, you look at the whole thing. There isn’t one object that is taking all of the attention which shows the unity that this picture has. This picture was taken in early morning so that the lighting would make the picture bright, but not bright to the point where there is glare. Because the color of the lily pads reflects light.

Pictorial

This extra category that I wanted to show is a Pictorial Photo. A pictorial photo is a photograph taken to look as if it were drawn of painted. This was a core concept of this semester so I wanted to do this photo on my own time. Instead of using an artistic filter on Photoshop to make the pictorial, I wanted to take the picture while moving to create the look of brush strokes. I used unity in this photo by taking the colors of the road, the sand, and the sky to crate one cohesive image. I also used a lot of texture in this photo. One could feel the sand and the road just by looking at the picture. This photo was taken while on the road. Even though it is a bit blurry, the blur adds to the brush stroke affect and makes it further look like a painting. The colors are all neutral which makes the photo look calm and serene.

Ansel Adams Photography

This photo was inspired off of Ansel Adams’ photography. His pictures were black and white and always taken outdoors. So I wanted to do this but with a modern spin. The bridge that I took this on was taken very artistically and looked modern. But all of this was tied back to Ansel Adams by the photo being taken outside and by being able to see the trees in the background. The photo uses the Element of Art, Line. I have several white lines from the bridge intersecting while I have dark lines intersecting behind those. Many of the lines take place on a third line which adds balance to the photo. This is also seen by the shadow of the lines which add a nice contrast. By using all of these lines, they create a pattern that occurs throughout the photograph. This pattern can be seen in several different places in this photo.

Cultural Photo

This photo is one that I wanted to show because it shows a lot about my culture. I am several different nationalities but the ones that I wanted to focus on were the Asian ones being Filipino and Japanese. I took the picture of the tower while having balance in mind. The photo has Asymmetrical Symmetry with the tower. But also, has half of the photo in green and half of the photo in brown. I used many lines in the photo. Each story of the tower has a line going horizontal but I took the photo from below to show the vertical lines running under it. Also, the fact that I took the photo from below shows the height of the photo and makes it look grander. The contrast between the two very different colors adds emphasis to the tower and helps is stand out of all of those leaves.

Environmental Portrait

This photo was taken for to serve as an environmental portrait. I did not use a model in this photo because I wanted to bring the attention to the environment that the photo was taken in. The setting looks as if it could be a far getaway, but you can see the building in the background that makes it more urban. Although the building is behind the leaves, it is still emphasized (Principle) by the stream leading up to it. I used the Element of Art, texture, by comparing the texture of the stone with the texture of the leaves. The transparency of the water adds to the feeling of nature in this photo. I used a lot of space in this photo as well because you can see that the leaves are closest to the camera, than the pond is behind them, and the building is behind that. The setting and the space work together in this photograph.