Assignment #3: AGING , FRAMING, BLACK & WHITE

THEME: AGE

PHOTO RULE: FORE-GROUND FRAMING

STYLE: BLACK & WHITE

I really enjoyed this particular assignment and I believe it was one of my best photo-shoots partly because of all the things I have learned. My photos this week were taken at at huge cemetery in downtown Norfolk,Va. I choose this location because of the theme of theme of the week being "AGE". I personally have had a huge epiphany in the last year working at a retirement home and being around 80 and 90 year olds all day everyday has truly opened my eyes to the circle of life. I believe that now more than ever before I take a new meaning to the word "AGE" and "LIFE" for that matter. Life is truly precious and time is truly the most precious of commodities.

In this first photo I definitely used the rule of the week. The statue does a great job of framing while being in the foreground. In picnik I decided to make everything black and white except the line of green created by the bushes in front of the statue. I love color and for me this was small way to keep some color and still comply with the theme. I decided on this particular back angle because in my opinion it added some type of "holy" powerful thing ,if you will, feeling that came from viewing the statue of jesus from the back and seeing the earth from his point of view.

Photo#1:

ISO- 80

SHUTTER SPEED- 1/316

F-STOP- 2.9

In this second photo at the cemetery I was able to capture this second statue in a way that made it appear that it was looking at the line created by the other tombstones. Again this statue also provides the fore-ground framing guide that makes the photo very interesting. I love the layers that also add an interesting touch to this photograph. I used the black and white effect from picnik.com but I faded it just a bit so that it still had some tones of color.

Photo#2:

ISO- 80

SHUTTER SPEED- 5.5

F-STOP- 1/605

Finally in the third photo I was able to shoot a ground shot which allowed me to use small flowers as a fore-ground framing tool. This photo also uses layers which adds perceptive to the photograph. In this photo I also used picnik.com to add a layer of cinema film and black and white faded to show some tones of yellow. I absolutely love this photo because it uses the theme wonderfully using such small objects. I love it!

Photo#3:

ISO- 80

SHUTTER SPEED- 10

F-STOP- 1/276

2ND HALF: ASSIGNMENT #2 (Non-Theme Photo)

PHOTO 3 (NO THEME)

SHUTTER SPEED: 1/540 SECONDS

F-STOP: 3.2

ISO: 80

In this photo I decided to stay with the nature theme because i was already outside. I used the rules of FRAMING, LAYERS, and LEADING LINES. I absolutely love this photo because it turned out to be very interesting and I feel that the colors really make it something special.

I used picnik.com again to enhance this photo using a cinema gloss as well as color boost. It really did something for the photo. Another thing that makes this photo interesting is the symmetry that the the foliage gives to center the fountain.

I am thinking about printing this photo as a large print and framing it in my house (thats how much I like it!) :-)

2nd Half : Assignment #2 NATURE/SIMPLICITY/COLOR SCHEME

PHOTO #1 In this photograph I was able to capture beautiful flowers at the Chrystler Museum of Art Garden. I used the rule of LEADING LINES and the rule of LAYERS. The main colors used in this photo are pink , green , and blue. These colors are intermediate colors on the color wheel. Shutter speed: 1/30 second F-stop: 5.7 To enhance this photo I used the Picnik.com and used the color boost feature to really brighten up some parts of this photo. There is also a moving car in the background which should get me some extra points :-)

PHOTO 2 In this photo I really used the rule of SIMPLICITY and the rule of LAYERS. This photo used split complementary colors of almost a purplish red, bright green grass, and a pink yellowish color flower at the bottom. This photo was enhanced using picnik.com focal blur tool and color boost on the flowers only. I feel like this really helped with the SIMPLICITY theme of the nature shot. Shutter Speed: 1/30 F-Stop: 9.3

April 12, 2011 (Class Assignment)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thrumyeyeslnicole/5397360160/in/photostream In this first photo the diagnosis was is that this photo was out of focus, most likely because I was at work and was trying to take a fast photo. Also, this picture would have also been better if it was not slanted and if it was cropped to only fit the table. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thrumyeyeslnicole/5397357104/in/photostream In this second photo the diagnosis is that the photo is too wide. Also, I think it would look better if I would have zoomed in on the background across the water to portsmouth. I think it also would have been more intresting if I could have moved over to get some of the the building on the right out of the shot. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thrumyeyeslnicole/5397362234/in/photostream In this final picture the diagnosis is that the photo is out of focus because the subject is moving and talking. Orginally I thought that having half of the subjects face would make a more intersting photo but it turned out not to be that way. I think to fix the problem I would re-take this photo and ask the chef to stand still and make sure I had his entire face in the shot. If I had control of the apeture on my camera I would also like to make the food in front of him in focus and leave him out of focus but not moving just to see if it would make a good photograph and I would see if it added anything by making this photo in black and white.

MY TOP 5 (Semester One)

These are my favorite photos from this semester:

1. Karen Brown ( Project 2/ Photo #1) Washington Monument

In Karen picture of the Washington Monument she uses the rules of lines, layers,and emotion. After looking at this photo I feel patriotic :-) . She has a lot of great pictures for this semester but in my opinion this is her best!

2. Tahlia Grey ( Evening Commute)

T. Grey has had a lot of great pictures as well . This picture is one of my top 5 because of the use of thirds, lines, and emotion. The color of the sunset adds a lot the photo's emotional appeal.

3. Ronshea Duncan (Fri. 18, 2011/ Photo #3)

This photo uses the entire frame. I really like the perspective of being higher up. The rule of lines and framing are used in this photo well.

4. Lillian Thompson (Week #1/ Photo #3) Romantic Skies

This is one of my favorites of the pictures from myself. The perspective of the table is made interesting because of color of the sunset.

5. Marian Brooks ( Project Photo 8)

This is a really great picture! I love the way the the sky is framed by the curtain and the sky is absolutely gorgeous. This is one of the pictures I would frame and hang in my house. Great Pic Marian :-) !

First Semester Photo Portfolio

In this photography class I feel that I have learned a lot of things. Of everything I have learned about camera and photography the rules of good picture taking are the most valuable in my opinion. As I have been taking picture these last three weeks I have tried to apply these rules and perfect them to the best of my ability. I also have been trying to try out different techniques for example in my first set of pictures I took them all at my work place. i work at a retirement home for millionaire's downtown Norfolk,VA which sits right behind the historical Fort Norfolk military base. I wanted to take Dr.Hart's advice about "making" pictures to represent the world through my eyes. So with that being said it obviously important for me to take some pictures as my job because I'm there between 25-40 hrs per week. Below this introduction paragraph are a few examples of some rules I have tried to implement for the last three weeks.

( In this photo I use the rule of lines, the rule of thirds with the stop signs, the rule of layers.)

( In this photo I used the rule of third with the sky, the rule of S curve with the fence. )

(In this photo I used the rule of leading lines)

After learning about the rule of diagonal lines I was amazed at how much they could add to a photograph. Many of my favorite photographs use the rule of diagonal lines. As shown below one of the very first pictures I took in class used this rule . Lines typically are supposed to lead to the subject in the photo. We call these "leading lines" these lines are thought to be something that makes a photo more interesting. In the example to the left the subject is most likely the teacher at the front of the class. Also adding to this photo is the reflection of the outside elements.

Another rule that I have been trying to develop is the rule of layers. This rule definitely adds to a photograph because it gives the picture depth and makes it more interesting. I prefer to take pictures that include this rule and I would say that it is apart of my style. As shown below this paragraph. The layers is what makes this photo interesting . The sky adds a element of romance. My goal was to make this ordinary two person table by the window, something I come into contact with on a daily basis , and make it look like something that could be in an advertisement.

Something else that I have been trying to develop has been the rule of framing. Framing a subject could be a huge help in making a photograph more interesting . For example, in the photo below you can see the subject (the outside) is framed by a the large windows . This photo is also made more interesting by the diagonal lines from the lines. The fact that it is in black and white definitely adds to it as well because it makes the light coming in through the windows more dramatic.

In conclusion, I have learned a lot from the first half of this semester. The rules that make photographs interesting is by far the most practical of the knowledge I have acquired in this class. I honestly feel that I have been able to improve my photography skills in a short amount of time. Before this class I had no idea about these small techniques that can have such a huge impact in the quality of the pictures I take. In addition to these things the existence of Flickr is also something I was unaware of prior to taking this course. Overall I am happy with my progress as a photographer and I am looking forward to learning more in the second half of this class.

Week #3 Assignment: Black & White

This picture uses the rule of framing. I used the outline of the window and curtain to frame the view of outside. I particularly like this photo because it was a rainy day outside, as you can see from the windo pane. I had planned to get some sunrise photos that morning but to my dismay I awoke to these conditions. I remembered reading in the textbook that good photographys can be taken in adverse weather as long as you are willing to change subjects and be flexible. So that is what I attempted to do with this weeks photos. And on a personal note Im happy I will have some photos of my apartment because I do have some sentiamental attachment to it because it is my very first appartment .

Also, Dr. Hart there happens to be a moving car in the background of this picture, and I remember what that you said we get extra points for moving vechiles ;-) (wink*wink*)




In this photo I used the rule of framing again as well as the rule of diagonal lines. It was amazing to me that this picture looked so much better in black and white. There is also an element of layers in this photo with the bambo plant on a table infront of the large window and then finally the outdoors.

In this still life style photograph I tried to use the whole frame. The rule of diagonal lines applies to the background and it also uses the rule of layers. I think the fact that you can see the view from the blinds being open. The bambo plant is the true subject in my opinion which is complimented by the incent holder with the smoke coming out of it .