Advanced Photography Final Exam 3

Today is June 9, 2014; also known as the 70th anniversary of the brutal D-Day WWII battle. During this time, there were many photographers taking pictures of the actions going around. One of the most famous war photographer who stormed in Normandy with the soldiers was Robert Capa. There were several photos that he took that were able to survive through that time. In 1947, Mr. Capa, co-founded Magnum Photos in Paris with: Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and David Seymour. This agency was one that was able to cooperate with many worldwide photographers. Photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson said some things needed to be aligned with a picture to be successful, that included: the rules of geometry and composition, being patient, and sticking to one lens. This is the link to my Photo Website. This is the link to my Unity Project.

Abstract

Portraits

Art Contest - Fitting in or Belonging

Recreation of Beatles albums

Print Ready

4x6 inch image at 240 dpi

Semester Final Exam - Period 3

Photo Website

Favorite Blog Post 
This is my favorite blog post because I really love the feel of capturing new pictures with a definite vintage feel. I also loved how great the portraits came out. Not to mention the fact that they were black and white which makes everything look 100x more sophisticated. 

This would definitely be my favorite picture because Linda looks radiant. I feel like it's one of the best pictures I've literally ever taken because it's very relaxed. Everything about this picture is just right.

The good usually outdoes the bad with my group. Three advantages would be that we all work really well together like I literally could not ask for a better 5 people to work with. Also when we're motivated we get 'er done. Another thing is, we all have our strong points and we do our best to help each other out. Some disadvantages would definitely be something as small as we clique sometimes. Or sometimes (basically only me) we can get really lazy. We get sidetracked easily?
I tried to complete Life Magazine's founder phrase: "Photo _____", but didn't find anything so I  skipped that question. I did find what Henri Cartier-Bresson mainly focused on and it was the geometry of pictures, being patient and only working with one lens during his time of life.

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Black & White

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Mr. Farley wants a "hecka free zone" because he's from Oakland and people say hella in Oakland and there's other more academic ways to emphasize or exaggerate words. For example: Really, extremely, excessively, indeed, truly, much, immensely, literally.. and you chose hella? Get a dictionary. 

First Semester Final Group Project

I really liked this picture of Millicent because that's a genuine smile. It really captures her bubbly side and I feel like it's not too posed.

Linda in this picture is 110% real. She's caught completely off guard and I feel like I've captured her legit feelings in this shot.

This picture is rather posed, but nonetheless a great picture. Linda is very photogenic, but a little closed down so when I'm able to get her to let her walls down a bit, it's always a great shot.

I feel out of this round of pictures this is my absolute favorite, or better yet overall. I don't know what actual emotion this pinpoints, but it's a stunning picture and I'm proud to have captured it.

Millicent at this point was getting frustrated so getting this last shot was almost a miracle. Millicent's repressed smile looks a little plastered on, but it's a great shot because if I would have never mentioned it, no one would have ever known. 

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. 

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Assignment Two: Cropping Composition

Before cropping:

After cropping:

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