5 Photographs in the Quad

Writing Assignment Week 5

My photographs were taken in the Quad during the early afternoon.

1. The quad was interesting to me because there are a lot of different subjects in it that can be photographed. I like the variety and color of everything in the quad.
2. In the quad, I used the sky to help me with my composition. The neutral blue sky color really helped to emphasize the important aspects of my photograph. Having the subject off-center really helps the composition. Sometimes things that are in the center don't always feel balanced. By moving a subject to the side of a picture plain, the viewer is forced to look at the subject in a different way.

Photoshopped Image

This is my selected photograph after I photoshopped it. I think that this photograph really benefitted from photoshop. Before, the bottles were blending in with the background. Now, the bottles stand on their own and the photograph is overall, more visually interesting.

Writing Assignment Week 4

1. composition: The composition of this photograph is well-planned. Each bottle is strategically placed so that the other bottles can be seen in the photograph.
2. lighting: The light is coming from the top of the photograph. The way the light is hitting the bottles is interesting because it turns dark in certain a
3. clear focal point: It is difficult to tell what the focal point of the photograph is because the the bottles repeat themselves. However, the red on the bottles and on the bottle cap pop when put against the gray background.
4. there is a clear purpose: The purpose of this photograph is not entirely clear.
5. the subject is interesting: The shapes of the coke bottles and the harsh red color against the dull background make this photo interesting.
6. unique perspective: The perspective is relatively uninteresting. This photograph could have been more successful if it was taken from a different angle that gives the viewer a vision of something they don't normally see. 
7. creativity: The photograph lacks creativity.
8. depth of the image, multiple layers: This photograph has a subject in the foreground, middle ground, and background.
9. emotional response: There is really no emotional response with this photograph... unless the viewer was extremely fond of Coca-Cola.
10. technical skill: The quality of the picture is nice. The majority of the photograph is focused and it's not under or over-exposed. 

Strengths- composition, light, depth of field

Weaknesses- unique perspective, creativity, emotional response

To improve the photograph, I would have brought the forward-most coke bottle even closer to the camera. I feel that this would create a break in the simultaneous vision that the photograph has going on. I also would have tried to make only one of the bottles in focus so that there is a clear, concise focal point of the photograph.

Interesting Compositions

1. Close-Up
The entire coke bottles are not in the frame, making this a close-up view.

2. Far Away
The viewer can see the entire coke bottle. 

3. High Angle
This photograph was taken from a view looking down onto the bottles.

4. Low Angle
This photograph was taken under the bottles looking up at them.

5. Disordered
The bottles are just randomly placed, and there is also a bad tangent between the two bottles on the right.

6. Balanced
The bottles are strategically placed, making for an interesting and planned composition.

7. Cropping for Interest
Instead of having the entire bottle in the frame (as in picture 2), I  cropped the frame making for more visual interest.

8. Framing
The two front bottles are forming an interesting negative space in which the back bottle sits in nicely.

More Fruit

My partner really liked this one.

Make it pop or blend.

When I want to highlight a subject of a photo, I make the background as simple as possible. I think that photography with one color as a background often turns out incredibly interesting. By simplifying a background, it forces the viewer to take a closer and longer look at the main subject of the photograph. Of course, there are always exceptions to this. Many photographs with busy backgrounds are successful too. It all depends on the creative image that the photographer is going for. I also really enjoy photographs in which the subject blends in to the background, forcing the viewer to find it. A lot of fruit photography highlights these two aspects.

Fruity Photography

The Light was best in my bathroom.

5 Favorite Photographs

5 Favorite Photographs of Alexa


2-5-11
Neahwa Park, Oneonta, NY
4:30pm

Assignment 2

1. It was a little uncomfortable being photographed mainly because I didn't want my partner's pictures to turn out bad because I was a bad model. Besides mentally, it was also physically uncomfortable because my nose was running due to the cold weather. Alexa and I both agreed that we should have worn gloves. We will remember to do so next time.

2. You can help someone feel more comfortable by simply just keeping the conversation going. Getting their input also shows that you are interested in their opinion and also that you are grateful for their help. Playing music can also help to create a relaxed atmosphere for photographing.

Assignment 1

Kara Olney                                                                                                            CART 210

Assignment 1                                                                                                            1/31/12

1.     Ben Shahn, Ben Shahn Photographer: An Album from the Thirties, 1973.

2.     Restaurant Window - I like this photograph because it has a great illusion going on. There are two main subjects of the photo, two men. A) It is difficult to tell whether or not the men are inside of the café or on the street as reflections in the café window. B) I like how the man on the left begins to blend in with the window. I also enjoy how the letters are so defined on the café window. C) Overall, the contrast in this photograph is very high, and it makes for a very interesting picture.

3.     Family on Relief- I enjoy this photograph because of the actual subjects. A) It is easy to tell that the subjects are related because they look very similar in the face. B) The horizontal lines of the wood on the house add a nice variation in the background. This makes the image more three-dimensional. C) I really get a sense of being in this photograph. The subjects look as if they are staring directly at me. The look on their faces says a lot.

4.     I chose this book because I am interested in portraits and candid photography. This book combined both. The majority of these pictures were also taken during the depression era and the emotions in these photos are one hundred percent real. I enjoy photography that tells a story and I believe that each one of these photographs has a story behind it. The contrast of the black and white stood out to me as well as the human subjects present in the majority of the photographs.

5.     I feel his strengths are capturing true emotion, framing, and lighting.

6.     A good photograph is an attention-grabber. It possesses interesting lighting, good framing, strong contrast, and most importantly, tells a story.

Ben Shahn

Restaurant Window

Murfreesboro, TN

October 1935

Ben Shahn

Family on Relief

Vicinity Urbana, OH

August 1938