Author: Jack S.

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Pros Vs. Joes

Click here to see my photos.

 

During, my semester in photography class I have learned so much.  As a result of this class, I am a better photo taker.  In today’s modern world of endless connectivity, being a good photography is a useful skill to have.  It is often the case of the product, service or business with the best pictures to advertise their products end up on top.  I have had lots of fun and can’t wait to use my newfound skills in  the future. 

Before this class, I thought that only professional photographers with the most advanced cameras and equipment could take amazing looking photos.  I have since realized, all it takes is a little finesse and imagination. 

The way in which I take photographs has definitely changed since the beginning of the year.  Before I always though of how to center the subject of my photo.  Now I take time of use the rule of thirds so that viewers eyes will travel around the image.   

I greatly enjoyed almost all of the projects we completed this year.  Although my favorite assignment I have completed this semester was the 24 colors assignment.  It was so much fun because  we got to explore and notice all of the wonderful colors around us.  It was also a challenge because we had to find the perfect color that matched the crayon. We then had to take a professional looking photograph.  I will never forget the 24 colors project.

I believe it would be very fun to travel the world and be a photographer. Although I do not intend to become a photographer because I have other passions.  If I have the opportunity to take a photography class in high school I would love to enroll.  I have learned so much about photography and would greatly enjoy taking my skills to the next level.  

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Smile Photos

 

 

 

 Click here to see my gallery.

 

This project was okay, but no where near as fun as some of the other projects we have completed during this semester.  In my opinion the smile photos project did not allow for as much creativity as projects like the 24 colors project or the light graffiti project.  It was kind of awkward going up to random people asking to take their picture, watching them think about it, explain the project and then taking the pictures.   It was very time consuming to enter every picture into google slides, crop them, and then make sure the two pictures were lined up in the middle of the page. 

When I asked people to wear a neutral un-smiling face, they sometimes looked intimidating or un-friendly.  On the contrary when the the subjects were asked to smile the lit up and appeared open and friendly.  This project shows how important it is to smile everyday and advertise yourself as a happy, positive and friendly person.  As a photographer, I have also learned to fairly portray my subjects in the pictures I take.  If I can fairly show my subjects then they will be free of stereotypes and generalizations.

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Newseum

Carol Guzy/The Washington Post

This photo is of Agim Shala a baby escaping form Yugoslavia into Albania.  Agim and his family is ethnically Albanian.  In their home country of Yugoslavia a genocide of ethnic Albanians is raging.  They hope to escape into Albania where they will be safe.  I was drawn to this image by the mountain in the background and I wondered where this boarder crossing was taking place. I can’t understand how people can be so evil that they would kill thousands of people just because of their ethnicity.  This photographer captured a historic event. 

 

Jeff Bauman rests during occupational therapy at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital less than a month after having his lower legs blown off in the first of two pressure cooker bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon. (Josh Haner, The New York Times - May 8, 2013)

This photo depicts a man who lost both of his legs in the Boston bombings. He was working hard to recover and had to take a break.  Evil people around the world think they can destroy the American people by taking our lives and limbs, but they never will, because American courage and persistence will prevail.  I was drawn to this photo because the Boston bombing was a very horrific event. 

 

Photojournalists face many challenges.  It is hard to capture history without disturbing it.  In many situations photojournalists put their live on the line, to take a photo.  These people view very disturbing scenes that make them wish they could help.  The reward of being a photojournalist is educating the world about the event they capture.   

 

This is a picture of Jackie Kennedy holding her daughter, Caroline Kennedy, in the creating Camelot exhibit.  I like this image because it brings the Kennedy family to life.  I was able to see Jackie Kennedy as a real person instead of a historical figure. It think the chair in the background definitely assists in conveying this mood.  Jackie Kennedy is probably the most loved first lady in American history. She was adored by the American public and the world.  This made her a large part of the press and and the news covered her every action.  this image is a great addition to the Newseum.

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Set In The Street

Our Set in the street photography project was very fun to create.  Over the past two weeks my photography class has been assigned to build a set.  Everyone was working hard to make our set look great.  It was a long and difficult process, but along the way we had fun and in the end had a excellent result.  

 

First we had to build the background.  A makeshift wall would have to do for our background.  Our class was split up into three groups each being responsible for  a section of the wall.  After cutting wood into planks using an electric saw we assembled the outline of the wall. Then added a board going through the middle.  The next day we screwed pieces of drywall onto the boards.  We then painted the drywall grey. To set up for arts night, we connected the walls together.  After school students built a stand for the wall. They then decorated with couches, a picture, coffee tables and a bookshelf.  

 

Overall, this process was very efficient.  As a class we were able to complete the scene in a very short amount of time.  Students got to show their skill at carpentry and using building tools.  I learned a lot about building and got to use a drill correctly.  I was able to collaborate with my peers to create something we could all enjoy.  In order to make the process even more efficient we could have created roles for each member of the group.

 

Our final product was very satisfactory.  The scene we created looked like it belong in an actual living room.  Many people who attended arts night were able to lounge in the couches and have their pictures taken.  I truly enjoyed creating our Set In The Street project and learned a lot.

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7 Days

I am very thankful for all that I have

  1. I am thankful for my favorite country, and my home the United States of America because of its everlasting glory and power.  The United States is symbolized by the American flag.
  2. I am thankful for the state of Maryland because it is where I have lived all my life and where I have grown up.  The Maryland flag is shown.
  3. I am thankful for my dog Maddie who is always their to make me smile.  Maddie is featured in a very cute photo.
  4. I am thankful for the SGA because it has allowed my to share my opinions and lead our great school.  The SGA board where students are updated on the SGA’s work is featured.
  5. I am thankful for my middle school the best school in the world with wonderful teacher and lots of fun activities.  My middle school has allowed me to flourish as a student.  The LPMS mascot is a falcon.
  6. I am thankful for fires because they are very cozy and cool.  I greatly enjoy sitting by the fireplace and watching a movie with my family
  7. I am thankful for the world and all the wonderful people that have lived and live in it.  I love learning about all the different cultures and nations of Earth.  This idea is symbolized by many different flags.
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Rule of Thirds

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xgOqRfzxXvcjwPh12

 

In the image above I used the 2/3 vertical line.  A person is featured in this photo 2/3 to the right of the image.  In the other photos I have attached I used various different lines such as the bottom 3rd horizontal line.  

This project was lots of fun but difficult in many ways.  finding the right place to take the photo was challenging in a good way.  Editing photos is getting easier but is still a challenge for me.  It was fun going outside and taking. 

It think adhering to the rule or thirds is a great way to take amazing photos.  the rule of thirds makes your eyes travel across the photo.  It also creates an emphasis on the setting as well as the subject.  Before this project I had heard of the rule of thirds but didn’t think about it much.  Because of this assignment I will never take a photo again without at least think about the rule of thirds.  

 

 

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Light Graffiti

https://photos.app.goo.gl/m73rnBnDawGDlTo43

 

For the past two weeks my group and I had lots of fun working on our light graffiti projects.  Ansh, Jack P., Carter and Me (Jack) were able to create colorful and creative light images.  In order to do this we increases my camera’s shutter speed. The shutter speed variated from picture to picture ranging from 15 to 8 seconds.

The pictures looked good when when the subject was standing still  and 1 or 2 people painted the light.  All of the pictures I have included were created using this methodology.  We tried to incorporate creative ideas that look interest but are not to complicated.

When we tried to have to subject move during the time the shutter was open our product was blury and looked very unprofessional.  We also tried to thow glow sticks away from the camera but not enough light reached the camera to create an image.

I was never frustrated during this project especially since it was so fun. Although it was hard for me to paint the light in some pictures.

In order to make this project even better I think we should be able to use the stage in the all purpose room as the setting of our photographs.  It think the groups should be more spread out between different rooms to avoid light pollution.

This project was such an amusing experience.  light graffiti is a great why to experiment with light.  I will never forget this project and hope to use what I have learned again.

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White background-Portraits-Jack Swisher

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kk0Jef8hSSBoptTK2

 

 

In order to produce the magnificent linked photographs above,  I used many camera settings.  These pictures are much lighter than your average image.   To create this lightened effect I employed a very slow shutter speed.  In other words, the light being emitted from the background and my subjects had lots of time to reach the lens.  This is why the backgrounds are completely white creating an look of nothingness in the background.  ISO settings in these images are very high.  The images are extremely sensitive to light which is made clear by their bright appearance.  All of these settings were manipulated manually and required a photographer’s expertise.  These images were edited using Adobe Photoshop.

During this project it was easy to edit the photos and add the link of their album into my website.   From my past experience I was able to maneuver the download and upload process but occasional ran into problems.  Once I forgot to convert an image an image into a  jpeg and had to retrace my steps to locate it.  Overall this project challenged me and produced professional images I am proud to share.

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Portraits-Jack Swisher

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipM0YUG32G_1Ho4icbrjV7BctKZDO53alnlQo9ns

 

In order to produce the magnificent linked photographs above,  I used many camera settings.  These pictures are much darker than your average image.   To create this darkened effect I employed a very fast shutter speed.  In other words, the light being emitted from the background and my subjects has very little time to reach the lens.  This is why the backgrounds are almost completely black and the faces look more like silhouettes.  ISO settings in these images are very low.  The images are not sensitive to light which is made clear by their darkness.  All of these settings were manipulated manually and required a photographer’s expertise.  These images were edited using Adobe Photoshop.

During this project it was easy to edit the photos and add the link of their album into my website.   However it was very difficult to upload these images to Google Photos from Adobe Photoshop.  I became confused with the JPEGs and the folders; as well as, where to locate my work.  Overall this project challenged me and produced professional images I am proud to share.

 

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Photo App Review

The application that I find most resourceful when editing photos is Snapchat.

Snapchat is a social media app that allows you to apply many filter to pictures you take in your everyday life.  Snap chat is a way to show of your pro photography skills to your family and friends.  The enormous amount of filters leave you discovering something new every day because of the frequent and automatic updates.  A very famous Snapchat filter is the dog face which turns you and your friends into adorable puppies that move and stick out their tongs.  Snapchat updates its filter for ever holiday and adds faces what relate to that celebration.  Snapchat has mastered augmented reality and allows you to take picture of various object that dance around your every day world.   For example you can photography a dancing hot dog who is definitive the coolest kid in town.   Once you have taken your picture you can write a caption do describe what you are doing, flip through different designed names that tell your friend where you are.  You can even record the speed you are traveling at and the time you look the picture.  Snapchat is my favorite photo editing app because of the expansive amount of fun and exciting enhancer that make me laugh ever time I look at my professional photos.  Snapchat is the dream application for all photographers wrapped in a main stream social media mega app.

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.befunky.com

 

BeFunky is an amazing photo editor that allows you to turn any picture from landscapes to selfies into professional photos.  Befunky has every modification that you could think of.  my favorite available addition is the ability to ads diffident objects into your image fro example a party hat.  My Image had the following add-ons 2 text boxes, a party hat cartoon image, a two shaded outline, and a colorful light decoration.  Befunky allows you to insert thousands of different enhancers to your professional image.  BeFunky is without a doubt my favorite online photo editing site because of the easily to use and inspiring website design as well as the professional photo touch up tools.  I hope you explore this treasure trove of image editing and share your creations with the world.