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.