Renaissance

http://images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com/image/A5229/52291/300_52291.jpg

This painting is very symmetrical.  The subjects are are right in the middle of the painting and on either side of them is a yellow wall.  The movement in this photo starts from the face of Mary moves down through the child, and back up Mary’s right arm to her face again creating a triangular shape.  The colors in this photo, yellow orange and blue, are complimentary making the photo contrast between the subjects and everything else.

Modern

http://photo.net/general-comments/attachment/4037152/DOCUMENTARY%20-3MIKRO.jpg

This photo from the Great Depression is also symmetrical, with all subjects in the middle of the photo.  There is also a triangular shape for the woman’s face, down her arm moving right and up the child.  Although this picture isn’t in color, it is also very contrasting because it has very white whites and dark blacks with a lot of shades of gray.  The feel in both of these photos is one of protection for the children and worry from the woman.  We get the sense that both woman are very strong, and yet they are going through very difficult while having to take care of children.  Both pictures capture a moment the eyes of the subject that would be hard to recreate outside of the moment.

Reflection

My eyes travel first to what is the most interesting in the picture which could be a number of different things.  This includes where a dark color and light color meet, eyes of a person, what is the brightest, where there is motion, where people are, where the nicest shapes are, texture etc.  It really depends on the picture what I am drawn to, but a good photograph has a definite point of interest and it should move me around the photograph effortlessly without me realizing that I’m moving.  In the painting, there the subject is offset from the background because her gown is complimentary to the background which helps to make a distinction where she ends and the background begins.  Also, the baby is offset from Mary because it is wearing a bright pink towel which is very distinct from the blue of the gown. 

Found Photos

Asymmetry

http://media.wiley.com/assets/1154/63/0-4700-3743-1_040114.jpg

Symmetry

http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/UNZ/UNZ664/sharp-pencils-arranged_~u15623959.jpg

Triangle

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EQP4HxrpjbY/R4ZvGv7VhAI/AAAAAAAACMk/Ouv2HRFhrA4/s320/cab-afghantourm-triangle.jpg

Circles

http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/circles-and-squares-joe-bonita.jpg

Linear

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/64/195933862_6b2c35ebcd.jpg?v=0

FLICKR SET 5

JOURNAL 6

Reflection

Abstract photography is different from documentary and portrait photography because it doesn’t have a clear subject.  In documentary and portrait photography, there is generally a specific object that is being shot and the background is to used to help draw attention to that subject, but in abstract the entire picture is the subject.  An abstract photograph is filled with the subject so as to keep the viewer from realizing what they are looking at.  A very good use for abstract photography would be in graphic design where the emphasis would be placed on the text and not on the subject.  I would enjoy shooting abstract, because mistakes can usually add to the photograph, and it is more open to creativity.

Found Photos

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1058/945370296_2a074ec7d2_o.jpg

http://dawnminchin.com/images/photography/pile.jpg

http://hobbyphotographytips.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/abstract-photography2.jpg

http://www.sc-photos.co.uk/home/galleries/abstract/AbPICT14091.jpg

http://openorigins.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/0116_07.jpg

FLICKR SET 6

JOURNAL 7

Reflection

I enjoyed photography with a lot of shadows.  It is more interesting to a get a very wide gray scale with bright whites and dark blacks.  I enjoy using the sun is my main light source because it is a lot easier to get really good color in the photo, but the shadows add the interest because it brings it all to life.  I found the lighting I used enhanced the photography, because when I put bright lights on the subject it would allow me to have more color because I could use a lower ISO.  When I only used room lights, the photo would be very dull and without a lot of contrast making it very flat, but if I did the lights right the photo would come alive.

Found Photos

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/g/gunfighter-shadow-461556-sw.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WDHMna7eqUM/Sa7icNptHLI/AAAAAAAAABU/VpekFD0VGfg/s400/27.jpg

http://www.steveshamesphotos.com/images/Riolinda01.jpg

http://diglloyd.com/diglloyd/free/Experiments/images/photoshop/_MG_0995-small.jpg

http://www.visionsofcontrast.com/6/imgMed/Cracked-earth-sky.jpg

FLICKR SET 7

JOURNAL 8

Reflection

I enjoyed using shape, color, and texture to the story because it makes the photo unified.  It took more time to the photos just right because I had to be sure that I was capturing everything correctly, but the photos turned out better because of it.  There was more of purpose to the photograph when I spent time thinking about the shapes, colors, and textures in the photos.  It wasn’t random pointing and shooting.  I have preference towards emphasizing color over shapes and texture because that’s what I’m personally drawn to visually.  If a photo doesn’t have colors that are interesting and work together in an interesting way, then I normally don’t give it another thought.  Overall, these three elements are very important in unifying the story the photograph is telling.

Found Photos

http://mk-photography.biz/articles/general/images/bright.jpg

http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/185/gazania-flower_13619.jpg

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/Content/bright-feathers-386745-ga.jpg

http://www.ambercrooks.com/images/Air/Bright%20Colours.jpg

http://fc09.deviantart.com/fs17/i/2007/150/1/3/Colorful_by_ArhcamtIlnaad.jpg

FLICKR SET 8

http://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/images/slow-shutter-speed-1-1.jpg

I like this photograph because for a while I wasn’t sure how this was possible, except by pasting the body from another photo into this photo.  But then, I was told that this is actually done by using a slow shutter speed and then a flash right before the shutter opens.  I really like how colorful this photo is and it simply amazes me how blurred the train is and how pristine the girl is, even though I know how its done.

http://69.90.174.248/photos/display_pic_with_logo/63814/63814,1173680331,1.jpg

This photo is really nice too.  The shutter speed would have to be really slow, and on a tripod for this photo.  Depending on how fast the people were moving, the shutter speed would have to be a couple minutes.  I like how the hall feels very ghostly, especially with the blues.

http://www.naturescapes.net/052007/fabs_lensbaby.jpg

Honestly, this photo is pretty boring.  But, the reason I chose is what because these types of photos give me a headache.  They always look like they’re coming closer and farther very fast.  Almost like pounding against the screen.  This effect is accomplished by a slow shutter speed and zooming in or out while taking the picture.  This works best when on a tripod because when changing the zoom you are very likely to move the camera blurring the entire picture.

http://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/blur-6.jpg

This is a fun photo.  I can assume photoshop had a lot to do with the colors of the picture.  Nonetheless, this feat can be accomplished with a low ISO and slow shutter speed and fast aperture.  A tripod wasn’t involved because the entire picture is blurred.  The ISO would have to be low because there is so much color.  The shutter speed would have to be slow to capture the motion, I would guess probably 1/10 depending on how fast the car is traveling.  The aperture could be a medium fast speed probably in the lower double digits.  But it would have to be fast enough to get such brightness.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e393/krayzee_a/justgroovy/blur-movement-1-1.jpg

This picture would have to have at least a 30 minute shutter speed because of the clouds.  It’s very nicely done because the clouds are going to a vanishing point right above the cabin.  The colors in it are very nice as well.  They are saturated making a very picturesque, complimented by the contrast of darks to whites.

FLICKR SET

PHOTO 1

I chose a shutter speed of 1/60 because I was holding the camera with one hand I didn’t want the camera to blur.  However, I need the shutter to be slow enough to let enough light in to keep the picture saturated.  Especially because the focus is on the mirror image, I needed a low ISO to get good saturation. 

PHOTO 2

I chose a slower shutter speed for this shot, around 1/10.  I wanted to make an anxiety shot, and I like I said before these types of photos give me headaches.  I wanted the focus to be on the time and so I put it in the center so when I zoomed it would remain in focus while the rest blurred out.  I chose 1/10 because I didn’t need it to be more blurred than that, but I also wanted the right amount of light in the photo.  I could have gone a bit faster, just to keep the clock from blurring since my hand isn’t very steady.

PHOTO 3

I was just watching TV and I thought, I wonder what this would look like?  I had a problem with crazy wrinkles in the TV and parts being all black because of how screens are.  I chose a slower speed in order to capture the motion of the players.  But, I had to make it so that the ticker tape at the bottom of screen wouldn’t blur since it was moving.  For this one, I used around 1/30 or 1/40.  Luckily, some of the players were moving fast and other weren’t, so I was able to capture an array of motion while leaving the text untampered with.

PHOTO 4

I was trying to capture motion of the soap which I thought would show up better because its green.  Unfortunately, because it was such a thin stream it gets lost a little bit.  However,  I used 1/50 on this one because it was such a close up shot that I needed a faster shutter speed because the picture would blur a lot easier.  If I had a tripod, I could have a had a slower shutter speeder and a lower ISO to keep the noise out of the picture.  However, this shot without a tripod was hard to execute and in the end I had to make a sacrifice.

PHOTO 5

With this photo, I used slow shutter speed to capture Kegan’s movement from the pantry into the dining room.  I was really just experimenting and I liked the way his head is straight on to almost a profile.  Again with a tripod this shot would have been more successful because the background would have been in focus, but because I don’t have very steady hands the background is blurred.  Kegan’s head also appears to be getting larger because he is coming closer to me as he turns the corner creating an odd effect.

My eye first went to the boy in the painting because the window light is leading me there.  I then go left, down, right, then I follow the light back to the boy again.  The drastic changes in light help to add to the drama.  We have an antagonist right below the light source in the dark and the protagonists in the light source as though heaven is shining on them.  My only complaint is that I wish the boy were more to the left and the window above him was more right.  There just close enough to the middle to be irritating.  Carvaggio creates a lot of dissonance by having a lot of dark areas leaving a lot in the painting undefined giving me a sense of anxiety because I can only see parts of the scene.  He did a good job of putting the antagonist and protagonist on opposite thirds lines since they are the main points of interest.  The entire story is told through their hands which are highlighted more than the rest of the picture.

ANSEL ADAMS 

http://www.twinoaksgallery.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/Ansel-Adams-Road-Nevada-Desert-1960.319201748.jpg

I was drawn to this Ansel Adams picture because unlike his other pictures, this one has a man made substance in it, i.e. the road.  I start at the bottom and go up ending at the sky.  But, because of the depth it feels more like start back and moving forward into the picture. 

REFLECTION

For my photos, I can work on how and where I put my main subjects in the frame.  The story is different when the object is in different parts of the frame.  I can also pay more attention to what’s lighted and what’s in focus or out of focus to help tell the story.  Just as Ansel Adams did, making the viewer feel as though they are part of the picture is important, but also creating a sense of surrealism to counteract mundanity.  I can also focus on cutting parts out of the picture with darkness just as Carvaggio did to leave room for imagination.

http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/17536/2653444740038079955S425x425Q85.jpg

http://www.shutterfreaks.com/Actions/RuleOfThirds/RuleOfThirdsBefore.jpg

http://jlphotosusa.com/Images-Thirds/RuleOfThirds-10.jpg

http://www.dcmag.co.uk/fx/c47d2916/flower.img?iwidth=651

http://www.yourphototips.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/2417541138_f5b7d16ea4.jpg

FLICKR SET

http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/05-5-10-3393.jpg

http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/images/high-iso.jpg

http://www.digital-imago.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/0z4i5586.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/382045119_156a806f41.jpg

http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b350/zeropictures/?action=view&current=iso1.jpg

FLICKR SET

            So far I have discovered that I hate the color management problem.  I will take a picture and it looks good on the lcd display on my camera, and then when I upload to my computer it’s a lot darker than I thought it was.  I found that a lot of my photos are very drab and neutral, when on the camera they were fine.  I’m also discovering the cliché’s of photography, such as comic sans is to graphic design, shallow depth close-ups are to photography.  Not to say that it is bad to have close-ups, and it is surely not as extravagant as comic sans, but it does get old, and its like a movie that ends with a suicide, and easy cop-out.

            When I was shooting the ruler and changing the aperture, I was intrigued to find that each F stop made such a small difference.  Doing them all in a row, I didn’t even notice that anything was changing until I looked at the difference between both extremes.  Then I viewed them on my computer and there were very noticeable differences between F stops.  It makes me wonder how to judge a picture from the camera’s lcd screen, because of the drastic differences between such a small screen to a monitor.

The first photo I was out in my backyard.  I wanted to capture the blue house in the midst of a lot of neutrals.  Its always stood out to me because it doesn’t quite fit in with the surrounding area.  Oddly enough, after I looked at the picture, what I was most drawn to was the bird bath.  I like that it is somewhat alone surrounded by a deteriorating fence and it seems to want to push attention off itself.  I’ll try to stay focused on the bird bath put my eyes keep getting push up towards the chaos of the scenery, but I want to examine the bird bath.  The photo as a whole is very cool giving a feeling of tranquility and its almost cold.  The dead trees help to magnify the feeling of somberness.  Over all, it looks like a nice neighborhood that has been through some rough times.

The second photo is of a handicap sign.  It leaves me wondering what its pointing to, especially because there is no indication of a handicap speciality being needed.  There’s no indication of where the sign is at either.  Even the branches seem to be pointing to the left.  I do know where the picture is and I know what the handicap sign is for, but if I just for minute disregard that knowledge, I have an entire imagination to think of what the sign is for.  I think it is a very good photography to let the viewer use his/her imagination to complete the picture.

The third photo is a depiction of freedom.  Its almost as if a homeschooler suddenly discovered that he can leave his own backyard.  It also looks like a storm is coming, because of the shaded lighting, so maybe the homeschooler will encounter some troubles on the way.  However, the world itself does not appear to be dangerous.  The frame is very symmetrical with an open door on each side which gives it a structure, especially with the road up the center.  It does not appear to be toppling over.  The road ahead reminds of the scene in the Lord of the Rings when Samwise is suddenly about to be the furthest from home he’s ever been.  He’s leaving his private yard, and stepping onto the public streets.

The fourth photo reminds me of really old lo-fi music.  The type of music that uses loops from a cassette player, and records with nothing fancier than a 1980s casio keyboard.  I get the feeling that I am in a dirty basement, and yet it is comforting for some reason.  All of the cords and the technology look very primitive, except for the bright blue ipod on the organ.  I would get rid of the ipod if I were to shoot this again, but this is how the organ was found.  I guess that raises an ethical question, how far is too far when dealing with “staging” a photo?

The fifth gives me the same feeling of dirtiness as the fourth.  This has as lot to do with the rotting fence, but even more to do so with the very bland colors that make up the photo.  It is very neutral.  Its quite boring in fact.  There is a juxtaposition of an old man-made fence, with old technology.  The photo looks like its stock from the 80s.  It has a very depressing mood about it.  Neutral colors are a good way to emote apathy (quite the oxymoron).

http://flickr.com/photos/brogshan/2511630986/

            This photo tells the story of a caterpillar who is trying to gain his bearings back on the limb.  The caterpillar lay suspended in mid-air alone.  It was effective to the caterpillar dead center, because it shows that there is only more botany around.  This is emphasized by the green so as to show that there is nothing but greenery in the area.  It was good to use short depth because otherwise the caterpillar would have been lost, although I would have made the caterpillar pop more, so he is unmistakeably the center of the photo.

http://flickr.com/photos/gregoryjameswalsh/2683796968/

            This photo made feel bombarded by a job or by homework.  The short depth is effective because it gives  the illusion that the stack goes on and on, while the point of view is also effective because the stack appears to go up and up.  The black and white gives me the feeling of monotony, especially because there aren’t a lot of mid-tones.  I feel like I’m bored at work and simply staring at everything I have to do for the day.

http://flickr.com/photos/skovdalen5/1352114341/

            With this photo, I was just impressed by how close they were to the fly.  The clarity and color is remarkable.  The depth of field is so short that even the right legs are out of focus.  I’m curious as to how long such a shot would take.  I almost doesn’t seem real.  The story is simple of a fly landing, but the technicality of the photo has really made me appreciate the beauty of a fly.  A bit weird.

http://flickr.com/photos/gregoryjameswalsh/2655842341/

            This reminded me of last summer when I worked in a factory.  Rows of the same machine and all you want to do is STOP.  The repetition of the handles is very fitting because in a factory, you do the same task all day long (or night depending on your shift.)  The STOP button helps to make the photo hopeful because it instills in me the idea of “I can’t stop working here whenever I want.  Just push the button.”  The light in the background is representative of the “light at the end of the tunnel.”  In the reflection of the button you can see the row of fluorescent lights on either side, which is also symbolic of the drabness of a factory, which is illuminated by fluorescents.  Just go in Wal-Mart.  If those fluorescents don’t suck your soul I don’t know what will.

http://flickr.com/photos/nothing-mind/2938086333/

            This was haunting picture.  I expected all sorts of ghosts to come hovering by.  The translucent brightness of the window panes are the sole reason for the ghostly effect, accented by the dark and mysterious hallway.  Because it is a short depth of field, it looks like an eternal hallway.  The way the panes reflect off the shelf helps give the effect of apparitions, and also the undefined quality of the entire photo makes me feel uneasy.    Our mind is left to draw lines where there are none, and assume what we don’t know.  Almost in the same way that we see figures in the night, due to our mind playing tricks on us.