rule of photography part 2

1. rule of thirds

2. balancing elements

3. leading lines

4. symmetry and patterns (repetition)

5. viewpoint

6. background

7. create depth

8. framing

9. cropping

10. avoiding mergers

self portraits and portraits

best tips for portraits:

1. 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.

2. Introduce Movement

Portraits can be so static – but what if you added some movement into them? This can be achieved in a few ways:

• by making your subject move
• by keeping your subject still but having an element in the scene around them move
• by moving your camera (or it’s lens to achieve a zoom burst)

The key with the above three methods is to use a slow enough shutter speed to capture the movement.

The alternative is to have your subject obviously move fast but to use a shutter speed so fast that it ‘freezes’ their movement.

3. Frame Your Subject

Framing is a technique where by you draw attention to one element of an image by framing it with another element of the image.

Framing gives an image depth and draws the eye to a point of interest in the image.

You could do it by placing your subject in a window or doorway, have them look through a small gap or even use their hands around their face.

Types of portraits:

Environmental portrait- 

I enjoy this photo because it's sort of confusing, but wonderfully taken. It makes you wonder what he's doing in the middle of a train track with a train not far away from. 

I think this photo is really interesting. The girl looks really distressed and the "empty every night" bucket and caution tap add to it. I really love the feeling you get when looking at this photo.

Photography self portrait: 

The creativity of this photo is amazing. I love the idea and the lighting in this photo. I think it's really great.

This is another creative self portrait. I like that she's like this portrait on the wall in a self-portrait. The idea is magnificent and the rule of thirds is displayed wonderfully.

Casual portrait:

Though I do no agree with smoking, I think this photo is really pretty despite that fact. I like how the aperture blurred out the background so we can focus on the subject.

I think this photo is really pretty, and i really like how the photographer shot from the side of her inside of head on. I think it adds more interest.

My plan for the self portrait and portrait photo shoot is to get my god sister Wesley, who is nine, and sit her on a window sill so she is looking at her reflection in the window. I would maybe make her face appear dirty so the photo is more interesting, and i would shoot this at my house. To make the shot successful i would shoot from many different angles to ensure i get a good shot.

ISO

ISO 200

ISO 3200

1. using a higher ISO at a basketball or night football game will allow more light to be present in the photo, making it brighter.

2. Try to use the lowest ISO you can when possible because it will offer the most detail.

3. you should use a higher ISO when you need more light.

Aperture settings available: 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22

shutter speed settings available: 1 sec, 1/60 sec, 1/4000 sec

ISO settings available: 100 to 25600

shutter speed

high shutter speed

low shutter speed

1. This is sort of hard to do, because it really depends on the amount of light shining at each specific place. 

a) shutter speed of 1/500

b) shutter speed of 1/300

c) shutter speed of 1/125

d) shutter speed of 1/1000

e) shutter speed of 1/250

f) shutter speed of 1/420

If it's dark out you most likely need to be at the lowest shutter speed possible without needing a tripod so that would be 1/60.

a) shutter speed of 1/60

b) shutter speed of 1/60 

c) shutter speed of 1/125

d) shutter speed of 1/60

e) shutter speed of 1/125

f) shutter speed of 1/100.

2. Three settings your camera has regarding shutter speed are "Auto" mode, "Aperture Priority", "Shutter Priority", and you could also use "Manual" mode. 

"Auto" mode- both your shutter speed and aperture will be set automatically.

"Aperture Priority"- you wil set the aperture and the camera will select the shutter speed for you.

"Shutter Priority"- you set the shutter speed and the camera selects the aperture automatically.

"Manual" mode- you will select both the shutter speed and aperture on your own.

aperture

F2.8 aperture

F16 aperture 

1. The human eye.

2. The smaller the aperture (ex: F16), the less light let into the photo, therefore making the depth of field larger. And the larger the aperture (ex: F2.8), the more light let into the photo, which makes the depth of field smaller.

3. The larger the aperture is (ex: F2.8), the less depth of field you will have, meaning more of the background will be blurred out and the foreground will be smaller. And the smaller the aperture is (ex: F16)  the more depth of field you will have, which blurs less of the background and makes the foreground bigger.

Love and Loss

1. Scrolling through these photos was absolute heart-wrenching. I could feel the pang of sadness in my chest growing the farther I looked at Angelo and Jennifer's story.

2. Angelo's comment is 100% accurate. Photography captures one's life stories that make up who they are in a series of images.

3. I want to believe that I would be able to shoot photos like this if I were put into this situation, and I think that I could in order to make something really beautiful, but I feel lie it would be really hard. I think it would remind me that the subject is slowly dying.

4. If I could write a letter to Angelo, I would start off by giving him my condolences, even though I don't know him or his wife, but it's almost as if I did when looking through the photographs. Then i would proceed to talk about his project and how tragically beautiful and true it was.

abandoned theme parks

1. Takakanonuma Greenland, Hobara, Japan

2.

3. - withered buildings/houses

    - abandoned roads

    - abandoned trains in Galveston

    - Austin Western Railroad
    - a lighthouse


4.

5. This is a photo by David Salinas that he took on an abandoned train car located in Galveston, Texas. It would be so lovely to shoot some photos here for various reasons. Personally, I think abandoned things are awesome. I love the looks of them and how you get this creepy feeling, and I would love to go somewhere like this and take pictures. The whole vintage, destroyed, and withered look really excites me, and I am so jealous that this guy got to photograph a place like this.

6. To get a photo like this I would need my parents to drive me to Galveston. I have my own camera, so I wouldn't have to worry about that. Some things I would need are money, food, and my camera and camera bag, different lenses, and maybe an overnight bag. i would have to pay for gas and food, and also a hotel room if I'm staying the night. As far as travel plans go, I think I would travel down there, shoot the pictures i need, and then possibly spend the night. I may have to have permission to take photos at this abandoned railroad, but I'm not sure. I'd have to do more research.

Africa

1. After reading and viewing the photos taken by Nick Brandt, I am left quite astounded by his work. The photos were beautifully taken, and the truth behind them was unreal. It's sad to think that us humans are wiping them out from existence.

3. This is by far my favorite photo of Nick Brandt's. I think it was beautifully taken, and it leaves me breathless when I look at it. I think the head on angle is perfect, and I love that you can see every single detail on the elephant. It's simple, but complex at the same time.

4. Brandt used lines, simplicity, and balance in this photo.

5. Nick uses a Pentax 67|| with two fixed lenses. The film he uses does;t contain any telephoto or zoom lenses. This is important because he believes in being close to animal's in order to capture their personality.

6. He wanted to show these animals in a state of being.

7. To capture animals in a state of being before they no longer are.

8. "I'm not interested in creating work that is simply documentary or filled with action and drama, which has been the norm in the photography of animals in the wild. What I am interested in is showing the animals simply in the state of Being. In the state of Being before they are no longer are. Before, in the wild at least, they cease to exist. This world is under terrible threat, all of it caused by us. To me, every creature, human or nonhuman, has an equal right to live, and this feeling, this belief that every animal and I are equal, affects me every time I frame an animal in my camera. The photos are my elegy to these beautiful creatures, to this wrenchingly beautiful world that is steadily, tragically vanishing before our eyes."

Captions

i'm not very funny, but i tried...

Displaying the classic "hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil", senior citizens Gary, Hank, Mimi, and Harold upgrade this saying into a more modern version. Mimi graciously flipped off the camera, which added "screw evil" to this well known phrase.

Expressing her blunt opinion to fellow grocery shoppers, seventy-eight year old Barbara Shepard has no problem admitting her hate for everyone. The old lady showed off her inner teenager at the local market,  and helped prove that us adolescents aren't alone in our hatred for those around us.

Overtaken by envy, senior citizen Lorraine Johnson gossips to her friend as senior Bonny Benton proves that you're never too old for a swing set. Bonny didn't care and stated that, "Lorraine's just jealous because her bottom's to big to fit in the swing."

Great Black and White Photographers part 3

When looking at Ralph Eugene Meatyard's photos, the creepy feeling I get when looking at them is what caught my eye. He blurs out he subject or parts of the subject, and it's weird. Meatyard's photos are different and make you feel something, and I really like that about them. 

I see a curious child hurdling off the ledge of a window and towards the ground.

I smell the dried grass littering the floor. 

I hear the sharp intakes of breath as the little boy on the ground witnesses this moment.

I taste the bitter air and dirty red bricks.

I feel the anticipation. Is he going to land safely or fall?

I see a crumbling and peeling wall, no longer new.

I smell the rotting and mug of it's breaking surface.

I hear it cracking and damaging further.

I taste the dirt and ancient substances covering it like a blanket.

I feel it falling apart.

To show the world what an amazingly talented photographer Ralph Eugene Meatyard is I would hang up poster with his pictures on it around town or school, because that would be the easiest way to get his work out there.

Photo Mural Project

1. Some themes that we could take for a series of panels around school are spirit/dress up days, shoes, or really just anything.

2. i think we should open it up to regular cameras, because the quality will be better.

3. We could put to mural on a wall in one of the hallways.

Academic Shoot Reflection and Critique

1. The main challenge I faced was finding something to shoot for balance.

2. Throughout the photo shoot, I was focused most on finding the right angles to shoot things from.

3. If I could do this shoot again, I would like to take a different balance photo, and a different simplicity one if I could find something better because those two weren't my favorites.

4. I would keep the perspectives and angles I used the same.

5. I think the easiest rule to achieve would be the rule of thirds just because it's so simple and you basically have to position your camera differently.

6. The hardest rule to capture would be balance, just because there's not really must to shoot for that unless two people are interacting.

7. I'm pretty clear on all the rules, but I would like to work on balance more if any since it's sort of difficult to shoot when everyone is doing their own thing. I think just looking for those interactions will help a lot.



Critique


http://reagansphotoblog.blogspot.com


1. I really liked all of the angles Reagan used to shoot her photos, and I think they follow the rules nicely/ My favorite was her lines photo.

2. I think that she should try to fill the frame a little more, but otherwise they looked really lovely.

Academic Shoot

Balance

I think I followed the balance rule alright. It was just kind of hard to find something to shoot for it. The subject of this photo is the two girls obviously, but to be more specific their hands working on the art project and their faces. Looking at this photo I think it's sort of easy to see what the subject is. 

Framing

I believe that I followed the rule of framing nicely. The subject of this photo is Jamie who's being framed by the bottom of a chair in the library, and i think it's quite evident that she's the center of focus.

Lines

The rule of lines is expressed through the bookshelves and books on the sides and behind Melina. There's so many lines in this photo that lead our focus to Melina and the book she's reading that I think i followed this rule pretty well. It is clear that she's the subject.

Rule of Thirds

In this photo of Emma, the rule of thirds is carried out through her hand color her art piece. I believe the rule of thirds was shown well in this photo, and our eyes are most likely drawn to her hand, aka the subject, before anything else.

Simplicity

The rule of simplicity is easy to follow if you can find the right thing to shoot. I think I displayed the rule alright. I know it's not the most interesting photo, but I like that you can sort of feel the exhaustion the boy has when looking at it. The first thing my eyes go to is the top of his hat and his shoulders, so I guess that's the subject, and I think it's easy to tell.

Merger

This photo is a merger photo, at least I hope it is. I actually really like this photo and I think it's one of my favorites because of all the colors. Normally I don't prefer business, but I like it in this photo. The subject is the girls hand, and I think it's easy to tell.