Final Post

     For my final post I'm choosing my two best photographs. The first picture was during my trip to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador. We were riding on a water Taxi to get to the beach from the boat. I just put down my camera to take a picture for fun and it turned out amazingly well. The lighting in the picture is side light as I'm taking the picture in the shadow cast from the boat. The closeup on the boat creates an extensive depth field that show boats and tress in the background. The focus on the water in the foreground makes the texture of the water look cool.

     The second picture is from I hike I took in Muir Woods just outside of San Fransisco. It was in the morning and we were walking through a dark section of the forest. I thought the green grass and the trees lined up into the fog created a mysterious and ominous tone that was just really cool to look at. The lines of the trees also help to make the photo dramatic.

     I think this class has helped me grow as a photographer because I've become more thoughtful about my photographs. I've learned about different techniques that ca make my artwork more unique, gotten more familiar with adobe photoshop, and have had a great time. In the future I just want to keep having fun as a photographer. I hope to capture moments and landscapes that will make people smile.

Water Color Portrait

     For my water color portrait project I chose to use a picture of me golfing. Golfing is a passion of mine that I really enjoy. This project entailed a long list of instructions that I had to follow meticulously. First I had to increase the contrast and the brightness of the image to eliminate grey tones. After I edited the original photograph I had to create to versions of the picture. One that had a high threshold and another that had a watercolor filter. After doing this I merged the two layers along with watercolor to create this image.

     At first I struggled with the merging but after a while I realized I needed to clean up the image and erase all of these stray gray marks. If I were to improve on my project for next time I would make sure to use a picture that wasn't so pixelated. Believe it or not the final project would've come out even better than it did. Overall I think the project was a success. The artwork turned out great and I had fun working on it.

Selfie vs. Self Portrait

     For my Selfie vs. Self Portrait project I choose to take two pictures of my phone showing two completely different activities. In the photographs themselves I chose to use front light to illuminate my hand coupled with the glowing light from my phone. The lamp which I used as front light emphasized the phone and my hand. The photo is shot with a shallow depth of field for a close up on the phone. Additionally the pictures are high key, meaning their are a lot of light tones.
   
     But there is a significant difference between a selfie and a self portrait. A selfie depicts what you want people to think of you. A self portrait depicts what you think about yourself. For my self portrait I choose to do a picture of me playing Pokemon Go. Although I don't see myself as only someone who plays Pokemon Go but I think it represents my love for doing fun things that might be goofy or childish. My selfie depicted me reading the New York Times. Although its not always true people think I'm very intelligent, especially during the school year. It's not that I'm a teachers pet or I'm a genius, I just seem to do well at times when people are watching so they don't see me when I struggle. Even though these pictures aren't amazingly artistic I think they in some way really represent my life and my interests.

Hawaii picture

     I captured this photograph while waiting for dinner one night. I was walking around the area with my cousin and little sister when I saw these very interesting looking plants. I also saw the calm water and the dim sunset so I thought it would make a great picture. I experimented with the depth of field to come up with this photo. The focus is on the plants but the amazing landscape fills up the window.

Shadow, Pattern, Reflection project

     I really enjoyed doing this project. I had a lot of fun staging the picture and working with the lighting. The subject matter I chose was Dunder Mifflin Paper company from the show the Office. There isn't a specific reason why I chose it, but it's my favorite show and it occasionally pops into my head. While we were shooting we found that the iPhone flashlight worked a lot better than the lamp for the shadow effect even though I still really liked how the lamp photos turned out. I think this was a very basic shadow project and I could improve by taking on more of a challenge. But overall I think the project was a real success. The pictures turned out great and I had fun.

Independence

     I took this picture of a Hawaiian sunrise at five o'clock in the morning. That night we had camped out in Hana, the remote part of the island at this beach. Since we were in tents we woke up super early because of the light. But I think this picture shows freedom and independence because its inspiring and it makes me feel like I can do anything.

looking down

     Looking Down: I took this picture of a small plant in my back yard. I thought that the off center growth of the plant would look interesting in a picture from above. I also tried to follow the rule of thirds as best I could by placing the green part in the bottom right section. I think it turned out really really well.

a mess

     A Mess: For the prompt I took a picture of a spilled pencil holder. Nothing is worse then dropping something and spilling your pencils. I thought that this picture could convey the realities of life for most. Just trying to clean up messes before the next one happens.

complicated

     complicated: I took this picture for the only reason being that the bright red jumped out at me. but taking a closer look reveals there's more to it. The man that lives in the house was a fire fighter. His sacrifice to his community was selfless and heroic but it must have been complicated. While their children were growing up he was out fighting fires and putting his life at risk.

surrealism project

Surrealism Project: In this project I was prompted to create an imaginary scene based on a surreal experience in my life and I chose to base it off of my trip to paris over thanksgiving. But I needed to use my own pictures except for little things which I could get online. So on the bottom I used a picture of the buildings of paris and of the Eiffel Tour that I took from the Arc de Triomphe. On photoshop I cut off the top portion that featured a beautiful sunset. Secondly in place of the sky I added a picture I took of the subway. This creates the first part of the surreal effect. I also added an Air France plane to the top left that seemed to be landing. Finally the French flags on different buildings symbolize the unity and pride of the country. We happened to visit Paris two weeks after the horrible shootings. One thing that couldn't go unnoticed was how defiant the french people were. Flags hung everywhere and although the shootings were horrific, the people came together to stay resilient.

How I feel today, Habit

     How I feel Today: This picture depicts a sunny setting that almost remind me of some exotic beach you might fins in Europe. But this picture was actually taken in Palos Verdes near Terrenea Resort over the weekend. Today I felt very happy and up beat, but it was cloudy and over cast so I used this picture to describe my mood.

     Habit: In this picture you can see most of my childhood. This one street intersection was the epicenter of my life in elementary school. Everyday we would walk to and from school on Ingleside and when we got home all the kids in the neighborhood would come out to play a big game of tag. This picture shows the fun and carefree life everyone gets to live when their little.

My Favorite Place To Be

     This picture depicts everything I love about where I'm from. Manhattan Beach is my home and my favorite place to be. The sun, the ocean, and the people make up this tight knit town. This picture is of a cup of ice cream on a summer night with the lights of the pier behind it. Its hard to beat the simple pleasures of life in an amazing place.

prompts: Self, In My Bag

     Self: I chose to take this picture because I thought I could relate myself to a string of lights in a dark tunnel. This photograph was taken in a scaffolding covering over the sidewalk near my house. The contrast between the darkness of the evening with the bright light  really stuck out to me. I feel that at some points in my life I don't really see the end point. I feel like what I'm doing is not beneficial to my future, but the best way to succeed is to stay positive and persevere until you come to the daylight at the end of the tunnel.

     In My Bag: I chose to take this prompt very literally. This is a picture of what's inside my golf bag. But the clubs pictured are not just golf clubs, they're symbolic of the tools you need in life. While on the golf course I have many different choices. Depending on the distance, weather, or type of shot I select the club I believe will be the best fit. While its common to compare golf to life, I believe that this comparison is unique because in life you usually have the tools to succeed you just need to use them and select the right ones.

first entry pt.2

Photography is not only a fun hobby, but it’s a way to show another side of you to the world. When I show my pictures to people I know they gain a better understanding of who I am as a person. Before I could’ve just been their student, friend, or relative each only knowing one side of me. I’m drawn to photography for this reason. It makes me happy when other people enjoy my work. While I do feel proud of my photos, I am better rewarded when others can see them. Some may think photography is simple and not creative, I believe that only applies to bad photographers. Good photographers have a creative spark that allows them to see an interesting angle or a unique setting. Over the course of two years I believe I am an experienced photographer. I may not understand the buttons on professional cameras, or the ins and outs of photoshop, but I have developed an eye for a great picture and I belive that’s the most important skill you can have as a photographer. I find my self usually taking pictures of nature or my surroundings, but nothing specific. If I see something cool or I think could make a cool picture I take it. To become a better photographer photoshop is vital so I’d like to learn how to edit my picutres better on a professional application. I think that my pictures reflect me being a more right brained person. I love the creative aspect of photography. When looking at my photographs someone can see that I love nature, people, and interesting settings. I love to take pictures to capture the stillness of nature or bustling cities. I aspire to be like Peter Lik who is a photographer I have liked for a long time. His pictures are incredible, he uses long exposures to capture all the colors in an amazing nature setting. But if there’s one thing you should know about me as a photographer its that the pictures I take are unique and not taken before.