This semester, we did many projects in photography. At the beginning of the year, we started off with easy projects, such as taking pictures of crayons, and matching their colors with objects around us. As we got further into the semester, we started using different settings on the camera and experiment with new angles and poses. We also learned how to use Photoshop, so that we can modify the color and brightness of our photos, to make them better. Since I started photography, I have learned that I love taking pictures. I love finding the perfect spot to take a picture, and finding the right settings to make it beautiful. I have changed my ways of taking photos, by how I look for light sources when I take photos, and change settings on the camera when needed. My favorite project was the light graffiti project, because I really liked how we could use different colored light to draw pictures in the dark. I don’t think I would persue photography as a career, but I think I would be nice to take some time to just take pictures, because I think it is fun. I would really like to take photography is high school, because I would like to add on to what I have learned this semester about photography, and improve on my photography skills.
In this project, I had to take close up pictures of 5 things that are living and 5 objects. We had to switch the setting on the camera to Macro, so that the camera could know that we are trying to take close up pictures, and focus on the objects. What worked with this project was finding good lighting and getting very close to the object. Although I had to get close, if i got too close, the object would become blurry. For this project, I tried taking pictures of things that somebody would look at and have to think about what it is. What was difficult for this project was finding subjects for the pictures, because I had to think about cool objects that I could take a picture of and make it look different and cool. If I had the right equipment and the time, I would take pictures at a park, because there are so many incredible things I could take close up picture of in nature. To see the rest of my photos, click here.
In this project, my sister and I had to take pictures at our kitchen table, and tell a story with props and our actions. We were trying to imitate a project by a photographer named Carrie Mae Weems. The project was called the “Kitchen Table Project”. The goal of her project was to take pictures at her own kitchen table, and tell a story through them. Luckily, since we are sisters, we can take pictures of our own kitchen table at home, while others have to use a set in the school lobby. Another photographer we were trying to imitate was Justin Bettman. His project was called the “Set in the Street Project”. He would put out photography sets in a public place, that has nothing to do with the place in the set. Our goal for the pictures was to show our life at home through pictures at our kitchen table. After we took the pictures, we edited them in Photoshop. First, we turned them black and white. Next, we adjusted the contrast to make the dark things darker, and the light things lighter. If I had to choose a place to tell my family’s story, I would choose my family room, because that is the place that we can all be together and enjoy each other’s company when nobody is busy. I would show us sitting on the couch together and watching a movie, because that is the time we can all relax and be together. To see the rest of my photos, click here.
In this project, I had to take pictures of things in motion. In order to get a good picture, I changed to ISO to 800, because I needed it to be more sensitive to light. Also, I put the shutter speed to 1/800 of a second because I needed to catch the moving object in motion and at the right moment. A tip I would give to somebody who is trying to take action photography is to set the camera up where the person or object will end up, or follow them until you feel like they are at a position that is good. Also, you should take pictures while moving/following the object or person, so that you can have pictures to choose from. One of them might be the best picture in the whole wide world, and you could end up with a lot of money. If I could, I would want to photograph ballet dancers. I would want to capture their jumps and turns, just at the right moment. To see the rest of my photos, click here.
I am thankful for ballet because it is something I have been familiar with all my life, and I enjoy it very much. I have made a lot of friends, and we have gotten very close, with classes Monday through Friday, but also through the Nutcracker and the Spring shows. I feel liked doing ballet helps me calm myself and just focus on doing my best while having fun with my friends.
I am thankful for food because it gives me energy, but also tastes delicious. I love cooking and baking with my sister, and we especially like making vegan desserts for our cousin Phenon, who is vegan. The dessert in the picture is a vegan dessert with coconut, unsweetened cocoa powder, and sunflower seed butter. I enjoy eating food because there are many different kinds and types of food that I can try all round the world, and people are thinking of new ways to cook foods every day.
I am thankful for my cousins, Phenon(left) and Rowan(right), because they are role models for me. Growing up, they were the only cousins I had, and I loved them to death. Even though I only got to see them about three times a year, I cherished the time we got to be together, doing things from making duct tape wallets, to doing makeovers (One of which Rowan had to dress up like a girl). Now, Phenon is in college at The University Of the Arts, in Philadelphia. I miss her a lot while she is gone, but I keep in touch, and she tells me she loves everything about where she is and what she is learning. I learn a lot from my cousins, like responsibility and politeness, but also how to love and be nice to everybody.
I am thankful for my twin sister Fiona. She’s everything I could ever ask for in a sister. Much less a twin. Even though we have separated a ton, going from wearing the same clothes and nobody being able to tell us apart, to Fiona getting highlights, and people thinking we’re not even related, I know we have a special bond that nothing and nobody can break.
I am thankful for books because I love getting taken through the author’s imaginary world and getting sucked into an amazing atmosphere. The words that authors use are like magic. They suck you in and trap you, forcing you to make your way through the wonderful world your imagination creates through the author’s language. I love that there are so many different types of books, and that every book is unique and special.
I am thankful for the moon because if it didn’t exist, we would be drenched in darkness at night. The moon sheds a peaceful light for people at night and helps them find their way, and they can use the light for driving at night. I like all the cycles in the moon phases, because I enjoy looking out the window and seeing a different moon every night. Also, whenever there is a New Moon, I admire nature, knowing that it will come back again the next night.
I am thankful for my parents because they are my life. I owe everything to them, and I am thankful for everything they have taught me in life. I love knowing that they will always be there with me, in my struggles and my accomplishments, and I am very thankful for the beacons they shine to guide me through thick and thin in my life. My parents teach me to always do my best and that I can succeed at anything I put my mind to. I am very thankful that I have such awe-inspiring role models to follow through life and show me how to be the person I want to be.
In this project, I found 15 different people and took 2 pictures from each of them. One picture was a straight face, and the second was when they were smiling. What was difficult about this project was finding people to take pictures of. I am a shy person, so asking random people if they could be a part of my photography project was a challenge, but it paid off. Some changes that I saw were how it seemed like the person’s face lit up when they smiled. It transformed their face when they went from serious to smiling. Bias could affect your job as a photographer because you could judge somebody for what they look like or how they act, and decide not to take their picture, when their smile/picture could be one of the best. When hired, photographers could ask their clients questions about themselves or how they would like people to interpret their pictures, so that the photographer knows how to take the picture and how to make the client look. What I liked about this project was seeing the difference in people’s faces and attitudes when they smiled compared to when they didn’t. To see the rest of my photos, click here.
In this project, My group and I had to stand in front of the camera in the dark gym. We had to keep the ISO settings low to let in the least amount of light, so that the flashlight can contrast the darkness. We set a timer, about 20 seconds, to take the picture, so that we would have enough time to draw a picture. What worked in this project was that we were able to get good quality pictures and use different colors to draw with. What didn’t work was that there were some finger prints on the camera, so it made the pictures smudged. What would be cool would be to add different elements of colors. To see the rest of my photos, click here.
In this project, my group and I had to stand in front of a black background, and shine light on the person posing for the picture while somebody takes the pictures. The shutter had to be open for a shorter period of time, because we needed to let the minimum amount of light into the camera, to make the black background darker. To edit, we had to go to Photoshop and just tweak the picture by adjusting the darkness and lightness. We also had to make the background the darkest we could get, to make it look like we were standing in an abyss of darkness. What worked was when we shined the light on only the person, and not on the background. What did not work was if we shined light on the person, but also on the background, because that created a shadow of the person on the background. To see the rest of my photos, click here.
In this project, my group and I had to stand in front of a white background, and shine light at the background while somebody takes the pictures. The shutter had to be open for a longer period of time, so that it can absorb a lot of light. The ISO is the sensitivity to light. We had to put it at a higher level to take the pictures. To edit, we had to go to Photoshop and crop out some parts. We also made sure that the background could be at it’s whitest, so that it would look like we were standing in nothing. What worked was when we shined the light on the background, and not on the person. What did not work was if we only shone light on a certain part of the background, which caused the other parts to be darker and look yellow. To see the rest of my photos, click here.
In this project, I had to take pictures of 2 objects and 1 person. I had to take 5 different pictures of each object, from 5 different angles. The challenge of this project was finding angles that did not look similar. In some pictures, they look similar enough, even though they are from different angles. The hardest object to photograph was the person. I didn’t want to make the pictures look very similar, even if they were all taken from the front. This project helped me to realize that there is not just one way or angle to take a picture and make it look interesting. To see the rest of my pictures, click here.
