Paul Strand

Paul Strand used geometric shapes and light and shadow as his tools when taking photos. 

 

I like the complexity of the differences in shapes. I can't tell if it's supposed to be portrait or landscape. The light differences give a very nice contrast. I'm not sure if there's a deeper meaning behind this photo though.

 

I like the idea of complexity this photo gives off. The soft shadows it casts across the rest of the gears from the upper and lower tier show a depth to the photo that would seem almost fake in color. 

I like the effect of the shadows and geometric features this gives off. I dislike how many of his photos like this don't really have a deeper meaning and they're just face value. 

Dorothea Lange

      I like Dorothea's photos because I recognize them. The "Migrant Mother" is something I've seen a lot in my life. It's something I've always noticed popping up here and there as a true culture piece for the history of America. Her other works really show the emotion behind the dust bowl .

 This is the Migrant Mother photo. It shows how people had to be strong when moving because of the impending dust storms. The children are crying into their mother's shoulders and the mother is being strong. Obviously with pain in her eyes though.I like the structure of this photo a lot and there's not much I would have done differently.

 I think this photo was taken to represent how fast we all have to grow up when facing danger.I like the emotion and attitude behind this photo but I dislike the weird alpha channel/white over the whole thing. It seems that it may be just this copy of the photo but I believe it goes back to when this photo was taken.

 This photo shows how hard work was just a normal part of the Dust Bowl. How everyone had to work to get their fair share and it was constantly a struggle filled with hardships. It shows a woman spending her time preparing crops outside.

B-Block Bad Photos - Reflection

  This week we took bad photos on purpose, whether that's to learn a lesson or to an easy way for Ms. Underwood for say "look how much my students have improved," well that's for time to tell. It was too easy to finish all these photos because I didn't have to worry about anything. Once I got down to the last few photos it was annoying to make sure I was hitting on one of the 5 different "bad photos." I guess it was enjoyable but I like when I have to climb or fit myself in the perfect angle to get a beautiful shot, this wasn't as challenging.

 

WHY ARE YOU TAKING THIS PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS?

WHY AM I IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

   I've wanted to take this photography class since my Freshman year. I was going to take it but I realize I wasn't a fan of film photography. So I dismissed it and took graphic design. It came my senior year and I realized I needed another fine art credit. I also realized Ms. Underwood took over the photography department and it was going fully digital. I thought I'd step in and try it out.

  I've always enjoyed digital film and digital photography so I thought this would be for me. I've already had history in Photoshop and After Effects. As well as working with a DSLR. Art in digital form has always been a big passion for me, I don't have a steady hand as I'm very energetic and can't sit still well so I figured digital is the way to go because I can fix small things in post.

 When taking photos, I've always felt like I'm missing technique. I know about the rule of thirds and what not but there are things unbeknownst to me that I could take into effect and make my photo have a truly good composition and set up.

Bad Photos B-Block

Camera Shake

 Poor White Balance

 Poor Composition

 Poor Exposure

Subject Blur

t3i Camera Description

My camera has two methods of accessing it's aperture settings. One is to hold down the "AV" button which allows you to use the scroll wheel located just above the shutter release button, scrolling side to side to change it. Releasing the AV button will accept the change. The other method is to press the button below the AV button with a "Q" in a square and a "print" icon on it. This will allow you to change the aperture with either the scroll wheel or the directional pad options "left" or "right".

When in Manual mode, the camera sits on shutter speed automatically. You roll the scroll wheel left and right to select a shutter speed.

The ISO button is just above the scrolling wheel, it is labeled "ISO". You can use either the the scroll wheel or directional pad to change the options.

Light Walk

I went on a light walk, like I was instructed to but instead of normal white light of day I investigated into something I enjoy more. Instead of light being everywhere and shadows being spots, I went on my light walk at night and noticed stars and lights that were scattered in smaller places. Ambient lighting creates a more interesting mood than a sun glare through my lens in my opinion.

I've always liked ambient light and soft glowing light more than harsh sun glares. A sunset with pink and orange doesn't compare to a large moon filling the sky with a deep blue over the ocean.

Dark hints of color where they barely show have always interested me over bright saturated colors. All though a bright hint of color in darkness always makes a photo/image/art complete. Even the flash of blue of police sirens seemed more interesting at night. The deepest darks that pull you in and make you want to investigate. I guess it's the opposite of the point of this exercise but what would light be if it weren't to light up the undiscovered?