Photos Inspired by Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He was born May 15th, 1923 in New York and he died in 2004. He "helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century" according to the NY Times. 

Our group was drawn to this photographer because we admired his portrait styles and the way he captured the subject in one single photo. 

Modern Take on Richard Avedon

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Our inspiration for this photo was Janis Joplin. Her persona was definitely punk, but also free and easy so we tried to capture that essence in this photo.  

Old Style Family Photos

This photo is something that would definitely make the front page of Awkward Family Photos. We were rushed, which is something we don't do well. We had about 30 seconds to stand in front of the camera and decide what place we would be in. We look out of place and just all around weird, but what family isn't?

Portraits

1. How To Take Portraits - 19 Portrait Photography Tutorials
2. 10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits
3. How To Take Portrait Photos
4. How to Take Portraits - Nikon
5. Tips for Taking Natural Looking Photos 
6. 14 Portrait Tips You'll Never Want to Forget
7. Portrait Guide
8. How to Take Great Portraits 
9. 6 Tips for Perfect Composition in Portraits
10. How to Shoot Perfect Portraits 

 One of the things that I learned was that if you use a neutral location or a location the subject is familiar with it would be easier to get them to act natural instead of actually looking like they're being forced, even though they actually are. Also, give it time. You can't rush the process of a good picture so there should be no set time for you to get a picture done. Another thing that I didn't think was important at all was timing. Even though I basically knew I never thought it was quite as important as it actually is. The timing can really make or break your photo.

Artistic Review

Whilst reviewing Bryan Farley's photography portfolio, I was able to study his work and assess the quality and effectiveness of his website. The website was very effective at advertising to his audience, and also serves as a great connection from the viewers to the true definition of photography. At first glance, Bryan Farley's website has many links on his page which guide viewers to his Portfolio, Gallery, About section, Contact page, and his Blog. It contains pictures of his recent projects, a description of the events, as well as the names of the people in the photographs. 

The first technique used to draw you into the website is definitely tasteful. The layout itself expresses his own style, which is very unique and modern but still classic. Adding to the artistic layout is his use of photos throughout the site, which gives you a really good sense of who Bryan Farley is. The photographs of people on the Home page matches the introduction of his site - "As a person with individual disability, I am motivated to uncover hidden stories. Healing and recovery interest me more than tragedy. by showing images of diverse groups finding common ground, I can teach others to avoid tragedy or lessen its impact. I am a photographer, teacher and advocate. I am also a person who lives with epilepsy." This is such a strong introduction because it not only presents the photographs on the website, but it also represents Farley as a photographer, and the struggle he goes through everyday living with epilepsy. 

Although the visual appeal is what grabs your attention it's the content that keeps you on the website. The About section includes a biography, his talents as a photographer and how he plans to make the "invisible.. visible" through photography. After reading his biography, readers are sure to understand the unique eccentricity of his photography, making them want to see even more photographs and keep up with them. On the site he includes a Portfolio section, with both pictures and descriptions of events he's photographed. He also has a Gallery section, with details of all the photographs that he's posted on this site. The website also includes a Contact section which will allow fellow photographers contact Bryan for advice or commentary on their photos.

Bryan Farley's website does a fabulous job advertising his photography and making viewers want to return to his site and view his latest photos. His website reflects him as a photographer, proving that his website really does hold the definition of photography. Bryan is a great teacher and enjoys finding the beauty of things through photography. He inspires many through his photography, as well as looking at life a bit more open-minded. His website makes his photographs so accessible and really helps fellow photographers become more involved with his and possibly their own photography. It serves as a connection from the photographs, to the people, and finally to the heart of other photographers, making for a great website.

Rule of Composition: Cropping

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 For this picture the composition is Rule of Thirds. It's Rule of Thirds because the way it was cropped to stay focused on the subject and if the horizontal and vertical lines were in place the subject would remain the same.

Cropping for Better Composition - Advanced Photo

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The cropped photo illustrates background as rule of composition, because in the photo the only thing in focus would be the bubbles. The background is busy, but the bubbles remain to be the focus.

Rules of Composition: Space

The Composition we chose was space and you can see the way we incorporated it in the following pictures.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i has excellent video capabilities, images and video quality. The bad is that it can be frustrating. It is hard to shoot fast things such as an impatient child when they're messing around or sports. It's good to take videos, but not as much pictures because it is hard to keep up. The T3 is about $450 but if you have more money to spend you should buy the T3i because of it's video capabilities. It has significantly better performance and photo quality than the T3, and you can get higher resolution, excellent video capture, and an articulated LCD. The Canon Rebel T3i takes the consumer level dSLR a couple steps closer to the mid-level Canon 60D with the addition of the rotating rear LCD screen, remote flash firing, and in-camera processing features. The T3i is heavier than the T2i because it has the rotating rear. 

Canon Review
Tech Crunch Review
PC Mag Review

Assignment Two: Cropping Composition

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Cropping a photo can seem like the most insignificant thing, but can change so much of the photo from the lighting to the subject.

First Assignment: Light

As a photographer, light can be used to make or break your picture. Going out as a group to use the light fixtures as natural light was interesting because it's really crazy how it can change how you view a picture. It can bring out shadows, make things appear brighter and change the outcome of your picture overall.