Extra Credit

1. Ki Suk Han was pushed onto subway tracks after trying to stop a man that was harassing people. The photographer, R. Umar Abbasi, took the picture because he was trying to use the flash on his camera to alert the train that there was a man on the tracks and to signal for the train to stop.

2. The photographer said he took the photo because he was trying to save Han's life.

3. I don't think the photographer should have taken the photo, I think he should have tried to help Han up from the tracks.

4. I don't think the photographer did all he could in this situation because trains generally take awhile to come to a complete stop, so Han was likely to die, even if the conductor applied the brakes. I think Abbasi should have put down his camera and helped Han climb up from the tracks. That probably would have been more effective than taking pictures.

5. Although it is good news, I don't think the New York Post should have run the post because it's basically saying that it's okay to do what Abbasi did, which it isn't and many people may have been surprised or appalled at the picture because Han died.

6. I think stopping bad things from happening should be more important to a photojournalist because it could mean saving multiple lives, but I also think that many photojournalists believe that it is more important to capture the images of life as they happen, because that is their job.

7. I don't think it's okay for the photographer to take pictures of situations that they intervened in, only after they intervened in them, because it's kind of setting up the picture. Instead, the photographer should just intervene, if necessary, and not take pictures.

8. I think photojournalists should avoid intervening in events as they happen, unless it's a life or death situation because it's their job to not intervene and to take pictures.

9. I think the fourth comment is the most appropriate response for a photojournalist because it's most accurate, even if it's not ethical. A photojournalist's job is to take pictures and that is what Abbasi did, but other photojournalists may have chosen to act differently, as their values and ethics might have been different.

Review

1. Caption Review

Horse trainers Joe Columbia and Jerry Ilunin spend their nights getting their award-winning horse Sparkle ready for the upcoming Best Horse of 2014 competition in Orlando next May. Sparkle won the competition last year with her amazing tricks and nice looks.

Peanut the monkey cowers away as his trainer, Nick Jonaz walks toward him with a whip last Tuesday. Peanut was part of a world famous circus, but escaped last Wednesday.

2. Rules of photography 

a. Rule of Thirds: when the subject of the picture isn't centered, but is more toward one side of the picture.

b. Balancing Elements: when the subject is balanced in the picture whether it be because the subject is centered or because there are two subjects on either side of the picture.

c. Leading Lines- when there are lines drawing the viewer's attention to the subject.

d. Symmetry and Patterns (repetition): when there are elements of the picture that are repeating, which makes it visually appealing.

e. Viewpoint: the angle of which the picture is taken for example, bird's eye/worm's eye.

f. Background: when there is a plain background, so the picture can be more visually appealing, as the subject would be the actual subject as opposed to the busy background

g. Create depth: when depth is created in the picture, for example if something is more in front as opposed to something in the back, like mountains and it happens in layers.

h. Framing: when the subject is framed in the picture, whether it be intentional or not, for example taking a picture of the subject through a tunnel or hole.

i. Cropping: when the picture is more close up/cropped, making more of the focus on the subject as opposed to the noisy background.

j. Mergers and avoiding them: when something interferes with the subject, often times ending in a humorous result.

3. Aperture controls the amount of light that travels through the camera body. The larger the aperture (the smaller the f-number), the more light comes in and the smaller the aperture (the larger the f-number), the less light comes in. Shutter speed controls the length of time the camera has to capture the light. ISO is how sensitive the camera is to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the camera.

4. Changing how the subject/person looks is unethical, especially if there are drastic changes. Changing the brightness, contrast, etc. is okay.

5. Self- when the photographer takes a picture of him/herself.

Casual- a casual picture where the subject isn't posing too much.

Environmental- lets the viewer know more about the subject like what they do for a living or what they do for fun.

6. Exposure: amount of light in an area and determines how light or dark an image will appear.

Depth of Field: shows that there are layers in the picture/multiple dimensions. foreground, middle ground and background.

Focal Length: the distance from subject the lens collects light.

7. Magazine Covers

Early-looks like a book

Poster: very few words, focus on picture

Married to Type- start to have more cover lines

Forest of Words: a lot of cover lines, picture no longer in foreground

Magazine Covers

Portrait & Self Portrait

Portrait

Self Portrait

Fashion Photography

1.  The model's lips were made fuller, eyes were moved and enlarged, face was made skinnier,  and there were more shadows on her face.

2. The model's skin tone was changed, lips were darkened, nostrils were made a different size, eyebrows moved, eyes enlarged, pupils were made smaller, shoulders were moved up, boobs and stomach were made smaller, thighs were made smaller, legs were lengthened and made thinner, neck was lengthened and made thinner, butt was made smaller, hair was made lighter and whole complexion was made lighter as well.

3. The model's butt was made smaller, thighs and legs were made thinner, waist was made thinner, ankles were made thinner, armpit fat disappeared, arm was made skinnier, hair was lengthened, back was made thinner, boobs were made fuller and smaller.

4. It is not okay to change a person's appearance like that because it changes how they look completely.

5. It is more ethically wrong the more changes there are. For example, if the model's hair was slightly edited that would be more okay than changing the model's figure completely like in the third video.

6. Small changes in small parts of the model are more okay like hair, but changing the model's appearance to make them look "better" isn't.

7. Fashion photography focuses on fashion and people and there might be more opportunities to
wrongly use photoshop.

8. Photojournalism is more used in news so it would have to be more ethical and less photoshopped where as fashion photography may focus more on making people look good so they could be less ethical.

9. You may have showed us these videos to show us how not to photoshop/how photoshop may be overused and not ethical.

10. These videos aren't about guys because generally girls because people may want girls to look skinnier and have nice eyebrows but still have curves whereas guys don't have "curves".

My Favorite Cover

The New York Times Magazine, November 24, The Flight Risk

Photographer: Martin Schoeller

Designer: Arem Duplessis

"For this cover story on the U.S. women’s ski-jumping team, we featured the Olympic hopeful Sarah Hendrickson as photographed by Martin Schoeller. Schoeller captures the competitive spirit of Hendrickson, who wears her competition gear, in her body posture and intense gaze."

- See more at: http://www.magazine.org/asme/magazine-cover-contest/past-winners-finalists/2014-winners-finalists#sthash.XR5XZzDI.dpuf

I think this is a really nice magazine cover because the lighting, exposure and colors are all really nice. The words really pop and the simplicity of the cover make everything really easy and interesting to look at. I also like how the title is centered and how her competition gear is red and blue, so it gives it a pop of color. I like the way the subject, Sarah Hendrickson, is looking directly at the camera because it gives the picture a more intense mood, as opposed to if she were looking off to the side or something. It shows the subject's determined mood. This is a really nice magazine cover overall because of the colors, simplicity and lighting.

Best Magazine Covers 2013

1. Formal
2. Formal
3. Informal
4. Environmental
5. Informal
6. Formal
7. Informal
8. Formal
9. Formal
10. Formal
11. Formal
12. Formal
13. Informal
14. Formal
15. Formal
16. Informal
17. Formal

Magazine Tips

When designing a magazine cover, you should:
1. The cover should stand out vividly and be blended by color.
2. It can be simple or have as many pictorial and verbal appeals as possible, using every color.
3. Have a lot of coverlines.
4. Make sure the cover has familiar recognition every issue (the logo).
5. Make sure the cover is emotionally irresistible and arouses curiosity.

Prompt Shoot and Bridge

Electric

Cold

Purple

American Soldier Slide Show and Captions

I think this picture is most powerful because it shows how war effects the youth and how people are impacted by war.

Home in Denver: #1-7

At Basic Training: #8-30

At Fort Carson: #31-50

In Iraq: #51-70

Back in Denver: #71-82

I think the pictures taken at basic training were most powerful because they showed how Ian transformed and changed and they captured a lot of emotion. 

The pictures work together to tell a picture because there is a beginning, middle and end and the viewer can see how Ian transformed throughout the span of two years.

The verbs are usually written in present-tense.

The captions allow the viewer to understand what is happening in the pictures instead of having to guess.

Ian peacefully naps on his bed while waiting for his mission. He decided to nap after doing grueling amounts of work.

Joe and Allan start to cry while saying goodbye to their friend, Ian. They found out that they wouldn't see him again for another year.

Ian enjoys a smoke while at home in Illinois with his father and girlfriend McKayla. He had just gotten back from his mission.

Rules of Photography Part II

Rule of Thirds

Balance

Lines

Patterns

Viewpoint

Background

Create Depth

Framing

Cropping

Mergers

Self Portrait and Portaits Part I

Shoot Candidly

Sometimes posed shots can look somewhat…. posed. Some people don’t look good in a posed environment and so switching to a candid type approach can work.

Photograph your subject at work, with family or doing something that they love. This will put them more at ease and you can end up getting some special shots with them reacting naturally to the situation that they are in. You might even want to grab a longer zoom lens to take you out of their immediate zone and get really paparazzi with them.

I find that this can particularly work when photographing children. (http://digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits)

Experiment with Lighting

Another element of randomness that you can introduce to your portraits is the way that you light them. There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits.

Side-lighting can create mood, backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful. (http://digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits)

Find an Interesting Subject

I have a friend who regularly goes out on the streets around Melbourne looking for interesting people to photograph.

When he finds someone that he finds interesting he approaches them, asks if they’d pose for him, he quickly finds a suitable background and then shoots off a handful of shots quickly (if they give him permission of course).

The result is that he has the most wonderful collection of photographs of people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds.

While many of us spend most of our time photographing our loved ones – perhaps it’d be an interesting exercise to shoot interesting strangers once in a while? (http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-portrait-photography)

I like these pictures because the background is very nice and i like how there is a lot of repetition. I chose them because the first man is doing is work and there are button up shirts in the back, which is probably his job and the second man is sipping his wine in front of some wine barrels. They both look really nice and interesting. I like how the background is an important part of the picture.

I like these pictures because its a neutral background and it brings more attention to the subject. It also makes the picture easier to look at which is why I chose these pictures.

I chose this picture because I like the colors and how rule of thirds is used. I also like how the subject isn't looking directly at the camera.

I also like the colors in the picture and I like how the subject is posed.

I will try to take photos of my friends probably and I will take them outside of school. I will make sure that the ISO, aperture and shutter speed are all good before I take a picture and I will incorporate the rules of photography.

Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO

1. Aperture is closely related to the human pupil, because it controls the amount of light that enters the lens.
2. The smaller the aperture, the larger the aperture number (f-number).
3. Aperture affects Depth of Field because the smaller the aperture, makes everything in focus, where as a larger aperture would only make the subject in focus and the background blurry.

f/2.8

f/16

            

High Shutter Speed

Slow Shutter Speed

1. a.) high

b.) slow

c.) high

d.) high

e.) high

f.) high

a.) slow

b.) slow

c.) high

d.) high

e.) slow

f.) slow

2. Manual allows you to set the shutter speed and aperture by yourself. Shutter priority means that you set the shutter speed and the camera sets the aperture and Aperture means that you set the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed. Auto sets both.

ISO 200

ISO 6400

1. A higher ISO can freeze motion.

2. You should use low ISO when possible. Use it when you have enough light.

3. Use high ISO when there isn't enough light for the camera to quickly capture an image.

1. Aperture: 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22

2. Shutter Speed: 1 sec, 1/60 sec, 1/4000 sec

3. ISO: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600

Love and Loss

1. As I worked my way through the pictures, I began to feel a bit of sadness and sorrow. The situation was very sad and to see how the woman progressed as her cancer got stronger was very interesting.

2. I think that quote applies to him because he photographed important moments in his life and his wife's life. The pictures don't describe his life with his wife, but capture distinct moments.

3. If I was in his situation, I probably wouldn't think to take such good pictures. I would probably spend as much time with my loved one as I could and take pictures of them, not worrying about the quality, but worrying more about just capturing them.

4. If I wrote a letter to Angelo, I'd say that his pictures were really great and that they really captured his wife's journey well.

Abandoned Theme Parks

1. I would like to go to Takakanonuma Greenland in Hobara, Japan because it looks amazing and it seems really cool. I really like all the trees surrounding it and how everything is rusted. The rides also look really nice.
2.

3. I think taking pictures of trash dumps, pictures in mountains, underwater, different cities around the world, and the supermarket would be interesting. 

4.

5. It would be fun/interesting to photograph trash dumps to see different trash and different people. It would also be interesting to see where trash is dumped, etc. You could take pictures of trash in different places and see how it may vary. It's just interesting to me to see what different people would throw away.

6.  You would need regular equipment and it would be pretty cheap because you don't really need to travel that much. 

Africa

1. I found it really interesting how he would spend months in Africa just waiting to take pictures. It was also interesting how he would go almost a month without taking pictures. The fact that a lot of animals in Africa are going extinct/endangered really concerns me because I love animals and it upsets me that they are being hunted by humans when their population is already low.
2.

3. This is a picture taken by Nick Brandt and it has two rhinos facing each other in a body of water. It shows simplicity and rule of thirds, both of which are very visually appealing. It's my favorite because I just like how the subjects look with the background and with each other.

4. This picture shows simplicity because there's not a lot going on in the background and it shows rule of thirds because the rhinos are in the lower right hand corner.

5. Nick Brandt uses a Pentax 67II with only two fixed lenses. He doesn't want to use a telephoto lens because he wants to capture as much of the background and landscape as possible.

6. Brandt takes these pictures because the animals and Africa in general, are interesting to him. He also wants to let people know how we are affecting the animals.

7. Brandt hopes that people will become more aware and hopefully will donate money.

8. "Simply, I find myself indescribably moved every time I go to these places and see these animals in these settings." - Nick Brandt

Captions

Mary Sue Allen and Billy Ray take part in an intense vehicle race. The 43rd annual Wheels Race took place last Saturday.

Mary Louise casually celebrates 100th birthday in style. Louise was born on January 29th, 1914.

Sue Ellen, a 98-year-old mother of five, reeks havoc in city, out of control. Ellen was later found to have weak legs and needed a seat.

Great Black and White Photographers -- Part 3

1. What caught my eye about Robert Adams' pictures was that they were really simple and visually appealing. I also liked the subjects and backgrounds.

2. I see a woman standing in an old house. I see a simple house with other houses surrounding it and very few people around. I see the woman standing and processing her thoughts.

I smell freshly mowed grass. I smell the woman's perfume radiating off of her. I smell burning food coming from the kitchen.

I hear cars slowly driving by. I hear people talking and children laughing on the street. However, I hear silence in the house.

I taste the burning food. I taste the dirt blowing into my mouth (in the second picture). I taste the woman's overpowering perfume.

I feel the quietness in the home. I feel the calmness coming from the woman and the home. I feel peaceful and serene.

3. I would like to create some kind of collage on PowerPoint or in a book showing Robert Adams best/most famous pictures.

Photo Mural Project

1.  We could take pictures of different students doing different things, like hanging out with their friends, playing instruments, etc.
2. I think we should open it up the regular cameras too so that people that don't have camera phones or people that really want to use the cameras can be able to use them.
3. I think we should put the mural in a hallway or close to the cafeteria.

Academic Shoot Reflection and Critique

1. It was hard to find a good subject to take pictures of and also to incorporate the rules to the pictures I took.
2. I focused a  lot on rule of thirds because a lot of my pictures had the subject on one side of the frame and I also focused on filling the frame because in many of the pictures I took, there was a lot going on so the subject(s) would fill the frame.
3. If I could redo the assignment, I would change the subject for lines and framing because I didn't really like them at all and they were confusing to look at.
4. I would keep my picture for simplicity because I really liked the picture as a whole.
5. I think rule of thirds would be easiest to achieve because I would just have to move the camera a bit so the subject would be in one section of the frame.
6. I think the hardest rule to capture would be framing because you would have to find a subject and have it be nicely framed to get a good picture.
7. I understand all of the rules, but it is hard to take a picture using the framing rule.


I commented on Camille's blog.

Academic Shoot

This photo shows balance because there are two subjects on both sides of the screen and it looks symmetrical for the most part. The subject is the two boys and people would know this because they are the ones in front and they are the most in focus. I think I followed this rule pretty well and if I were to change it, I'd change the angle of the picture.

This picture shows framing because the two people in the front are framing the boy in the back. The subject is the boy in the back and people might know because he is the center of the picture and the focus is mainly on him. The subject is somewhat unclear and if I were to change the picture, I'd pick a different topic or I'd get closer to the subject so that it could focus on him more.

This picture shows rule of thirds because the subject is on the left of the frame. The subject is the boy in front and people would know that because he is in the front and in focus. If I were to change this picture, I'd do it from a different angle so that the boy in the back wouldn't be there.

This picture shows lines because of the lines of the desk and chair and the pictures on the wall. The subject would be the boy and people would know this because he is the most eye-catching. The subject is kind of unclear and the picture is somewhat awkward for me to look at, so if I were the change the picture, I'd maybe zoom in on him more or change the subject to the pictures and focus on them.

This picture shows simplicity because there is one subject in a simple background. The subject would be the boy and people would know this because he is in the front and in focus. If I were to change this picture, I'd take it from a different angle.

Academic Shoot Preview Assignment Part 2

My favorite picture was the "Melancholy" picture because it's really visually appealing. There are two beakers on both sides and they are being poured into a larger beaker in the middle. It shows balance and it focuses only on the subject - the background is blurred out.

1. I could take photos in a classroom or outside.
2. I would like to take pictures in any classroom where there is interesting stuff going on, for example, a lab or experiments as opposed to test taking and powerpoint notes.
3. I would use the rules of photography and make sure the subject is in focus and doing something interesting and I would make sure the picture is visually appealing.

Academic Shoot Preview Assignment

The Story

This picture tells a story because it shows a girl performing an action (picking up trash). It makes you wonder why she is picking up trash. Maybe there was recently an event like a festival that created a lot of trash or she was part of a club that picked up trash.

Action and Emotion

I think this picture shows the most emotion because it has two girls, both of them with looks of excitement and amazement on their faces. They are excited/amazed because they were doing a water lab that sent water everywhere.

Filling the Frame

This picture fills the frame because it has things happening on both sides and the subjects really fill the frame. The students/volunteers are on the left and the homeless are on the left, receiving food.