Meet Katie: Week 5 Assignment

I decided to photograph my sister, Katie, for this week's assignment. My goal was to capture the various sides to her personality, and I feel I did that successfully.

Katie's "bitch, please" face

 Calm and normal

 Wild

 Model-esque

 Blue eyes

 Artsy-fartsy

 Crazy

Best cupcakes ever

If you find yourself wanting to make cake or cupcakes (from a box), replace the oil and eggs for 12 ounces of diet 7UP, Sprite, Sierra Mist, whatever. Seriously, they're perfect and delicious. Ignore the fact that my frosting is definitely not thick enough. However, it's also delicious.

Week 4: Writing Assignment

1.  What motivates you to make photographs?  When the motivation is internal, how do you benefit from your photography?  If the motivation is external, what results do you hope for?
I've loved taking photos since I was a kid. I like being able to create memories and remember things by photographs. I literally take pictures, or even just snapshots, of everything that interests me or makes me laugh, or anything that's cute, or anything that would make an interesting photograph. I've learned a lot over the years about photography and now I love going through my old "photography" from high school and recreating the photos I took to make them better, whether it's composition or lighting or perspective. Also, I use photography as a form of escape when I'm having a bad day or just need to get away. I'm also horrible at expressing how I feel in words (seriously, right now I'm struggling with this assignment) and that's one reason why I love art so much. It's my form of expression.

2.  What interests and inspires you as an artist in your broader life?  For you, what connections are there between what inspires you and your photography?
I love nature, and someday I will design my own house in the middle of nowhere, preferably on a peaceful lake with unobstructed views. A girl can dream, right? But anyway, that's really where my inspiration comes from. Anything fresh and natural and simple. I'm going to be lame and make a reference to The Notebook. I was always insanely jealous of Allie who, after Noah had restored the house for them, had her own room overlooking the lake so she could paint. In terms of photography (and any form of art for that matter), I love nature partially because it can be so simple but create a beautiful piece of art. Music is also a huge inspiration for me, as you all can see from the objects I used for this last assignment. I try to see my favorite bands/artists in concert as often as I can, and one thing that I love about concerts is capturing the energy of the crowd and whoever is on stage in a photograph. 

Four favorite albums - Week 4 Assignment

For this assignment I used four of my favorite albums, or at least ones that I have physical copies of.

CLOSE & FAR

The CDs are stacked on top of each other, thus being close together. And I zoomed in to get a "closer" effect.

Exact opposite with the photo above. The CDs are spread apart and I stood further back, but I was still zoomed in.

LOW & HIGH

I really don't think these need explanations. The CDs were low in the frame and high in the frame.

BALANCED & DISORDERED

 Balance can mean symmetrical to me at times.

 The CDs are not neatly stacked and I didn't center them in the photo.

HIGH DEPTH OF FIELD & LOW DEPTH OF FIELD

 Brand New and Something Corporate are fairly in focus while Hanson and The Academy Is... are not

All four are, for the most part, equally in focus.

Week 3: Writing Assignment

 Dune, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, c. 1942 - Ansel Adams

1. Photo draws your eye, catches your interest. This photo caught my eye because of the strong value contrast between the white sand and the grass/plants and its shadows. (The photo in the book I have is much brighter and not as gray as this crappy one found on the internet.) The long shadows caught my eye as well. They bring your eye down the photograph while the blades of grass bring your eye back up the photograph.
2. Angle or point of view. The angle works because most of the photograph is the sand dune. If Adams took the photo further up the sand dune, I don't think he would get the same effect with the shadows.
3. Makes the viewer think or react emotionally. The only "emotional" reaction I got from this photograph was the fact that I visited the Outerbanks in North Carolina Summer 2010 and took a ton of photos at a state park that was all sand dunes. It brought me back.
4. Has a message, or pushes barriers. I don't think this photo in particular has a message or pushes barriers. It's simple, which is what I like.

5. The subject matter is interesting. As I stated before, the shadows the grass makes are interesting. If this was just a photo of a sand dune I don't think it would have caught my eye as much.
6. Tells a story. Again, I don't think this photo tells a story.
7. Catches the ‘critical moment’ when action is at it’s peak. Ansel Adams was always good at taking advantage of the natural sunlight at certain times of day, such as this photo. Whether it's the slope of the sand dune or the angle of the sun to create the shadows, it works in this photograph.
8. Clear focus of photo (both the sharpness and primary subject matter). The photograph is very sharp all over. The grass at the top of the photo is just as in focus as the grass in the foreground. If the grass at the top wasn't in focus but softer, I don't think it would work as well because the sand itself is so soft and the photograph would need something sharper.
9. Design elements: composition, framing, lines, movement. As I stated before, the lines and movement are very strong and it was something that caught my eye. I feel as if the taller plant is a little distracting, but then again without it I think the photo would be empty.
10. Lighting interesting. Again, what I love about Ansel Adams is the fact that he always took advantage of the natural sunlight and the different angle of the sun and the effects it created. He took advantage of the angle of the sun to create interest in this photograph.
11. Technically proficient (exposure, focus, etc). The photo isn't too dark (at least in the book I have) and it's not too bright so the exposure works. Again, the entire photograph is in focus.
12. Good printing: frame, paper, size, all match content. Considering this photo is in a book, there really is no framing besides the layout of the photo on the page. The size is big enough where you can see the details.

Procrastination

Because taking pictures is more fun than a wire sculpture of a fish.

Meet Baby: Week 3 Assignment

I began to photograph something else for this assignment, and in the process I realized my cat, Baby, is much more fun to photograph.

What a mess. Flood 2011 in West O

Small stream across the street flooded, missed my house completely and flowed right into all of my neighbors' basements.

Aftermath - Country Club Road

 Aftermath - Otego Creek/Country Club Road

Portraits of Ted: Week 2 Assignment

Writing assignment for 9/8

1. Sometimes I always don't feel comfortable being photographed. I laugh too much and make stupid faces, which doesn't always lead to a good photograph. I prefer being behind the camera. However, I did not feel uncomfortable being photographed for this assignment. I was in an unusual good mood and had fun with it. Sure, Ted took some awkward and strange photos of me, but overall I wasn't uncomfortable.
2. I think it's important to tell the model when a good photo was taken. If there is a lack of decent photos, giving them directions (without being rude about it, of course) should make them feel better about being photographed. Laughing and joking with them is a great way to lighten the mood.