Slide Show Presentation

So yeah, I went to use my windows movie maker to make a short slideshow of some of my favorite photographs from this semester... That was a bust. I found a site that seemed to work better for me... for FREE! (who doesn't love free)

Anyways, to see it click HERE. 

And that, my friends.... is the end of this semester!

To see my KCU gallery Flikr set click HERE.

To see my Photography Class Flikr set click HERE.

Element of Light

There are various ways on using the element of light in photographs. I am supposed to write how I used light in mine... but rather than go into a technical discussion, which I would fail miserably in, I thought I would show a few pictures that feature different ways I used light to get an image I was pleased with.

The above picture was taken at a David Crowder Band concert. The lights were so bright coming off the stage, as one would expect at a concert. I loved the colors and played around with my settings until I got one at just the right moment...body surfing time! I love how the bright light is illuminating the "surfer".

This next one (above) was natural light. It was nearing sunset, on Lake Louisa in Clermont, Florida. The sun was going down behind me as I shot this picture. It is one of my more favorite nature shots, that I have taken.

The tunnel shot (above) was just for fun. I didn't think anything would come out of it. The light is peering in behind my son, as he gets ready to go down the black tunnel. 

And this last one was taken at The Cincinnati Museum of Art, Ohio. The lights were already shining on this religious work of art... so when I was looking through the pictures I took (knowing I could in no way use flash there) I was pleasantly surprised. To me, it makes this statue of Mary and Jesus have this "holy" glowing look, along with the different shadows behind them. 

So there it is... a few ways on how I have used light in my photography. I know I still have more to learn, but I am happy with my start.

Reflection

So I have to write a reflection based off of one of my photographs taken during this semester. I decided to write about one of my more recent pictures, though it is not my favorite of the ones taken this semester. It is a picture I snapped early in the morning, while waiting for my little guy's bus to get to his stop.

It was sprinkling out, so I handed him my floral umbrella since I do not allow him to take his to school. This was just a funny moment, which is why I snapped a few shots of him holding it. My little "macho" boy, holding my very girlie umbrella...not caring at all!

The flowers and colors of the umbrella gave this picture a nice backdrop, filled with a pop of color. The look on his face, the direction he was looking, draws your eyes over from the right to the left instead of stopping the picture within the photograph. There is also a slight humor about it, and that caught my eye too. I did edit the photo a bit to frame it, and draw your eye to his face and the surrounding flowers. All in all, this has to be one of my more favorite close up shots of my youngest little guy. But that is just my opinion. 

Collages

Just a few {well more than a few actually} collages of my work for this assignment...
Click them to see them on my flickr account. :)

Storytelling Aperture

Storytelling aperture is when you capture a story your photography. When you are going with a 'storytelling composition', the single picture captures the story. The foreground is the beginning, the middle-ground is the middle of the story, and the background is the end of the story. He also talked about the beginning of a story, avoiding empty foreground by moving in close to the foreground. and lastly Peterson talked about 'short stories' using a telephoto lens instead of a wide-angle lens to tell a story in a sharp, front-to-back, image. 

...just a few more images,  not really with the topic of this post... but more can be found HERE.

"Learning to See"

For this assignment, we had to read from our Peterson's Field Guide on the section titled 'Learning to See'. This section contained artist portfolios going over various lens uses, positioning, shooting, and seeing themes. I loved the images captured throughout this section, especially when they showed the first pic verses the one using the method spoken about on that page, it really shows the difference in what has been captured and at times completely changing the composition, for the better, in my opinion. Oh, and I now know what a fish eye lens is! :)

...just some pics, but you can see more HERE.

This week's assignment, wordle.net. Click on the image for a larger and more clearer look. 

 

From my favorite poems.

Everything, by Lifehouse.

As before, click HERE to see my Flickr set for this class.

Designing a Striking Image; Reading Response

This chapter contained information and tips on how to catch striking pictures. I can relate to this, in the form of drawing and painting. A lot of the same principles are used. Line, shape, form, texture, pattern, color, scale, composition, and yes- even filling the frame. Photography is an art form. It is not just snapping random pictures hoping you got a great shot in there. Yes, editing tools help enhance a picture, but you still need to understand these basic principles. When I chose a subject to draw or paint I take my time as I look at the various elements that will tie it together. This principle is no different when looking through your lens at the world around you.

You can find my photography for this class on my Flickr account by clicking HERE.

Photography Class, What I'm Expecting

The end of last semester I decided to switch my major from Elementary Education to Arts & Humanities with a minor in Literature. I wanted more room for creativity and felt it was time to work on a major of my choosing. I signed up for photography class because I want to build up my art portfolio with various mediums. I love taking pictures and editing them so I was happy that my major gave me room for this class. My camera isn't the most expensive, but for the pics I have taken it works. I don't see the need in buying a camera of high cost when photography isn't my primary medium, and I would rather wait to invest until I know that I can take good pictures. The main thing I am expecting is to learn how to shoot pictures using the manual settings, not just the settings I am used to.

Just posted my first 3 pics taken on the KCU campus, all using manual settings. See them HERE.