These pictures and works are a collection of my favorite pieces of media I have created over the course of Photo II. Some of these I picked because I like the color, composition, or abstraction of the work but either way they are all meant to represent my favorite aspects of photography. During the course I enjoyed learning and experimenting with new aspects of photography along with being able to work on independent projects. The class gave me time to create some really good projects that I think represent my best creative work. Even though it was tedious at times, the catalog of pictures I ended up with make it totally worth it in the end.
This was one of the first pictures I took after a year hiatus with the camera. This was taken for the "serenity" themed album we were assigned to make, serenity was my choice among the two other options. One of my favorite parts about this picture is the fairy-tale like quality it has. The frost of the curled up leaves and the hint of pink among the leaves make for a very appealing shot. This picture was taken at a very low angle in freezing weather so it was a good reintroduction back into photography.
This was the first grid I created and it got me a place into the Congressional Art Show which I thought was pretty cool. This was the first independent project we did in Photo II and it represents one of my favorite image collections. I only wanted to show 4 different seasons in each corner of the grid originally but I also ended up adding an eagle and some butterflies that I took from last year in Photo I. After adding the centerpiece of the heart flowers I felt that it was complete. I am really proud of this collection.
From our cupcake shoot for Valentine's Day I selected this picture to be among the best because of its simplicity and vibrant colors. The white foil in the background is illuminating with a pink flashlight and the composition of the small red decorations are very nice. The luminescence of the light on the decorations and foil make the photo complete and the cupcake's focus is also a nice touch. To make it even better, the cupcake provided for a nice snack after a long class of shooting.
This picture was taken during a free shoot, later to be edited with a chosen PSDT. I think this picture has a really nice freeze frame and the muddy PSDT adds to the splotchiness and murkiness of the splash. The splash itself is really satisfying to look at, it almost looks thick on some parts of the walls. The whole vibe is very swampy and this was very good practice for using freeze frame settings and getting the perfect shot.
For this picture taken during our paper shoot in the lab I had to get a unique composition to get this picture. Firstly, I made a paper airplane and made a ripple background with another piece of paper. I then got another piece of paper and make a diamond shaped hole in the paper. I wrapped it around my camera lens so it looked like a window peering into the plane. After messing around with the focus I finally got the perfect shot. This image pushed my creativity for staging pictures indoors because usually I go outside and take pictures there.
Also from our paper shoot in the studio lab, I think this picture struck me because of the clarity of the purple. There is nothing particularly crazy about this picture but the pieces of paper scattered make the composition interesting. I also added a ripple effect on the background paper that I think helped move the light across the photo well. The outline of the pieces of paper with the vibrant pink/purple are also interesting details to note.
One of the first pictures I took for our toy shoot, I went outdoors and brought this tiger leopard looking thing out with me. After finding a curvy branch out behind some trees I set the stuffed animal up and took some pictures from different angles. I think the focus of the stuffed animal as opposed to the foreground and background add to the adventurous vibe the picture has. After the picture was shot I added a yellow tint and it came out looking like a jungle. Using different settings in Lightroom to get a nice environment for this type of picture was a very important part in the picture's composition.
Also taken during the toy shoot, the composition of this picture was quite interesting. I set up some dark foil and placed this ominous looking rabbit thing leaned up against a Rubik's cube. I had a red flashlight illuminate the scene but I also placed a white flashlight overtop the Rubik's cube so the colors could be differentiated. This was very good practice using different lighting techniques in my pictures, the whole scene is very red but the colors on the cube make the picture complete.
The second to last from the toy shoot, I took this goofy looking Rubik's cube and placed it in the center of the foil. I put both blue and red lights on the sides to create a very cool shadow effect. After getting the focus correct I got this picture and after some edits it turned out to be one of my favorites. I love the way the blues and reds can be seen on the different sides of each individual cube and rectangular prism. The foil adds a nice simply scenery and whole picture is just very luminescent and pleasing to look at. Very good lighting practice.
The last shot in the toys shoot and with the goofy Rubik's cube, I assembled some war figurines on top of different parts of the cube and the end result was very cool. Instead of red I switched out for a green light to give the figurines a more natural look. The different heights on the cube make the scene look very unique. The positioning of the army men holding their weapons make it look like this story is alive. I also acknowledged that I wanted each person to be in frame so nobody got cut off, its just a very good picture. The composition was good practice for manipulating toys to make a scene really come alive.
This was the second grid I created from our class, I think this one tells the best story. This was the first time I used the wacom tablet in my work and it turned out very nice. I wanted to take everyday thoughts both positive and negative that people feel as they go throughout the day. I then made pictures warmer or black and white to correspond with the feeling the sentence gave off. The reception of this grid was very good as compared to how I think it was going to turn out because it took unnecessarily long to create. I really like the outcome though, it is one of my best works.
I think this is my best freeze frame shot of the semester, this was taken during the lemons and limes shoot. Me and a classmate took turns chucking a lemon into our jug of water until we got the perfect splash. I think this can be classified as a perfect splash because of how clear and in focus each little droplets are. The framing of the splash is just right and the wave of water coming up from the jug is very interesting to look at. This was one of the best practices for freeze framing during the entirety of photography class.
Also from the lemon and limes shoot, I really like the clearness of the speckles of water flying up into the air. The pictures couldn't have been timed better. The lemon is not visible either which focuses the attention to the water. The background of the fire hydrant and wet concrete add to the picture well. Along with the previous picture, this is one of my best examples of freeze framing.
This was taken from the flower shoot in the lab, I think the focus and subtlety of the orange splotches add really well to the picture. The stems of the flower and in focus which is nice and the whole feeling of the picture is very warm. I also really like how the orange gathers around the edges of the picture mostly on the left side, then the rest are pretty spread out and not too splotchy or photo filling.
Another flower lab shoot, I really like the color this picture emanates. The darker blue ink contrasts really well with the lighter color of the water as it sits on the blooming flower. The way the ink falls off to the left is really cool, almost like it is exploding. The atmosphere feels very deep sea and ominous. The specks of blue ink floating in the water add to the environment by giving the tank the feel of desolation. Overall a very nice blue composed picture.
Possibly my favorite shot from the first quarter of the class. Also taken during the flower shoot I love the red and blue duality this picture has. While the flower is the main subject of the picture the colors really take over but don't drown out the flower either. The parts on the bottom where you can see every little droplet of ink meshing together are very interesting to look at. All of these flower shoot shots were very good practice for staging pictures, especially with paint.
My only encounter with an animal or bug of any sort throughout the Photo II course. During our spring shoot I saw this silkworm hanging from a tree all alone about to be blown away by the wind. I took a leaf off the tree and pillowed it and took it to a less windy place near a tree stump. I then held up the leaf to capture shots of this unique find. I really enjoyed how the silkworm found the leaf delicious (as it was eating it) while I took the picture. It's little wormy movements were kinda cute and after I was finished with it I put it back on a tree. One of the coolest stories to a picture that I took this course.
I love the clarity and focus on the water droplets of the grass here. Also from our spring shoot I liked how the early morning can pretty much be summed up in this picture. It is not too bright and the grass is still wet from the rains the previous day. I got down very low to get this picture but it was worth it. Some of the water droplets are super focused and you can clearly see the whole formation of the bubbles. I also really like the overall emerald color of the picture.
The last picture from our spring shoot, for some reason this picture reminds me of country music. The weird grainy wheat looking plant is a cool focus of the picture as compared to the background. The background is split by the ground and the forest in a wide diagonal line which I think is cool to note. The picture looks like a wheat field and I wanted to increase the warmth to make it feel more farm like.
The last grid, picture, and work that I will ever have in school. This grid was really tedious to make because I kept undershooting the amount of pictures that I needed (nearly 200 total) and I had to keep going out to shoot. The editing process of making the pictures different colors also took a really long time. I'm surprised I was even able to finish because of how much time it took. The composition of the grid itself is designed like a scavenger hunt. Each diagonal row of colors has a little hidden self-drawn color corresponding person in them. There are 10 total and they are pretty hard to find. I came up with this idea at the very end of the project so I added it to give another element of the grid that I thought was missing. I am kinda glad photography is over after this project because it drained me. Though it is still one of my favorite pieces of work from Photo II.