Africa & abandoned theme parks

Africa
1. As I was reading about Nick Brandt's techniques I was inspired by all the things he goes through just to take one photo. Once I actually saw his work I was completely captivated. I realized that all the waiting and risks he takes is worth the beautiful pictures he captures. His photos are fascinating and really show the beauty of wild life and nature.

2.

3. This was my favorite photo because instead of the lion just standing, he's actually crying out for something. It showed the superiority of the lion and living its roll of "king of the jungle". In addition, the lion is my favorite animal, and I think Nick Brandt did an over all good job of capturing them in their natural habitat.

4. In this photo Brandt used the rule of simplicity. The background is simple and clear of any distracting objects so you can completely focus on the lion.

5. Brandt uses a Pentax 67 rather than a telephoto or zoom lens. He believes that actually being close to the animal is important rather than standing at a distance and zooming in. He believes it makes a difference in his ability to reveal their personality.

6. When Brandt takes these photos he is interested in showing the animals in their state of being before they cease to exist. He says the world is under terrible threat and is vanishing before our eyes.

7. He hopes to show people the harm they have done and what beautiful creatures they are killing. He wants to inspire people to donate money and try to keep these animals on our earth for as long as possible.

8. "Why the animals of Africa in particular? And more particularly still, East Africa? There is perhaps something more profoundly iconic, mythical, mythological even, about the animals of East Africa... There is something deeply deeply, emotionally stirring and affecting about the plains of Africa - the vast green rolling plains punctuated by by the graphically perfect acacia trees."

Abandoned theme parks

1. If I got to visit one of these parks and take photos I would want to go to Takakanonuma Greenland, Hobara, Japan. This park's rides were the most rustic and unique. These qualities gave the park more personalityand makes it more interesting to shoot. I would want to take pictures from high places and get the park from a birds eye view.

2.

3. unusual places to take photos

• On the top of a skyscraper 
• Abandoned buildings in small towns
• Abandoned water parks
• Open farmland
• Underground tunnels/caves 

4.

Abandoned water park in California

5. I think an abandoned water would be interesting for all the same reasons of an abandoned theme park. A place that was once used and now abandoned gives it so much character and such exotic an  feeling. If I were to shoot here, I would take pictures on all of the slides from different angles. I would also take photos like the one above, with people doing something interesting on the slides, like riding a skateboard. I would also want to go to the highest point of the park and take a picture from birds eye view of all the slides integrating and swirling into one another.

6. To make this photo shoot possible, I would need money to cover traveling expenses. I would also need a camera because I don't already own one. As far as the law, I'm unsure if you need permission from a specific person to enter the park.

FUNNY CAPTIONS

Opal has decided to sit downtown and show everyone how bad she is. She's always getting told otherwise and finally had to do something about it.

Susana is proving to everyone that she'll never be too old for anything. She never let anything stop her in the last 99 years.

Willie is getting down with all of his brothers at the Washington family reunion. He's been preparing for this occasion for months.

Great black & white photographers - PART 3

1. When I first saw Tina Modotti's photos I immediately saw that they told a story. She captured people going through hardships that they call life. Her photos show how fortunate we are to be living the way we do and to be grateful for what we have.

2. I see two women who are holding baskets on top of their heads. They're in a barren region with no sign of life near by. They're smiling and don't seem to mind having to stand in the horrid heat.                      

I smell the contents inside of the baskets lingering in the air. As I continue my trek, the aroma is weakening me and making me hungry.

I taste the stale air swirling around me. It picks up all the dirt and debris and tosses it in my mouth.

I hear the wind whistling through the air. The branches in the lifeless trees shake like maracas.

I feel the shards of rock digging into my skin, and the pebbles sliding through my toes. The hot sand is scalding the bottom of my feet. All while the wind passes through my clothing and the sun's rays beat down on me.

I see a boy carrying a stack of hay on his back. He seems to be in a more country setting. Unlike the last photo, he looks miserable to be standing in the heat with such a large load over weighing his back.

I smell musty sweat dripping from the boy's forehead as he struggles to keep walking.

I taste the crisp air surrounding the scene. The straws of hay are blowing in my mouth and leave me cringing in disgust.

I hear the boy's footsteps pounding on the ground as he continues on his brutal walk.

I feel compassionate for the boy. He looks so miserable to be doing such labor in the blazing sun. I feel very lucky and fortunate to live a life where my only job is to go to school and get good grades.

3. To share all of Tina Modotti's captivating photos, I would make a poster explaining her journey and how she came to be a photographer. In addition, I would paste some of my favorite photos by her.

Mural project

1. A possible theme we could do here at school is outdoor landscapes. Bowie has several gardens with a variety of flowers. We also have captivating trees with a range of broad sizes. We have an overall beautiful campus, with really good scenery, that needs to be captured.

2. I think we should be able to use both phones and cameras. When we don't have cameras checked out, we would have our phones to still have the opportunity to take pictures. Then for those who don't have camera phones, they'll still have the chance to check out a camera.

3. The murals that we create can be placed on the wall over your head, right before you walk into a hallway. 

Academic shoot reflection & critique

Reflection

1. When I was getting the photos, I had a hard time trying to include the rules of photography while  was taking my pictures.

2. I was really focusing on filling the frame with captivating subjects that make you interested what the students were doing or thinking. I didn't want to capture something small and boring.

3. If I got the chance to do this again, I would focus more on the angles of my photos. A lot of the pictures I had could've been better if they were shot from a different perspective. A different view of things can make a more clear subject and help achieve the rules of photography.

4. If I had to do something the same, I would still come close to my subjects like I did rather being far apart to where you can't even tell what the subject is.

5. I think rule of thirds is easiest to achieve. All you have to do is take the photo from an angle in which your subject is put off center.

6. I think framing is the most challenging rule to capture. your subject won't always be by other objects that'll surround them and create a frame.

7. I'm still not completely clear on the rule of balance and how to capture a good picture with this rule. Too get a better understanding, I can look at more examples to get me familiar with what this rule requires.

Critique

http://yanasphotojblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/academic-post-shoot-reflection.html?showComment=1445353478610#c6567814145115974666 

Academic post-shoot reflection

1. This photo is an example of avoiding mergers. The two girls at the top got their heads a little cropped out of the photo.

2. The subject of the photos is the all the girls doing their homework.

3. In my opinion, the subject is very clear. At the same time, someone else might be confused if you're supposed to be focusing on the girl who is to the left of everyone.

4. When I was shooting, I should of had the girl to the left sit in the chair next to her, so all the girls could be next to each other. Then I would have shot at a different angle to capture all the girls together at the table without any mergers.

1. In this photo I used the rule of lines. There are several objects in this photo that have lines leading to the subject.

2. The photo of this subject is the girl working on her art.

3. I think the subject of this photo was clearly shown.

4. To make this photo better, I could have shot from a higher angle so I wouldn't have gotten all those distracting books in the background.

1. In this photo, I used the rule of thirds. The subject of my photo is placed to the left, making the picture more interesting.

2. The subject of my photo is the girl in the front, typing on her computer.

3. The subject of the photo somewhat clear, but there were some things I could have done to make it more obvious.

4. I could have shot from a lower angle so the picture could be more focused on the girl in the front typing.

1. In this photo, I used the rule of balance. On both sides of the picture there is a girl holding up a camera.

 

2. The subject of this photo is the two girls holding up a camera and taking a photo of what is in front of them.

 

3. The subject is clear because there are no distracting items in the picture that take your focus away from the girls.

 

4. Nothing was needed.

Aperture & Shutter speed & ISO

Aperture

F2.8

 F16

1. We should closely relate aperture to the pupil (inside the eye).

2. The smaller the aperture diaphragm, the higher the f-number.

3. The aperture controls the depth of field, in other words it controls whats blurry inside the picture by the amount of light that the camera captures. A larger aperture means a smaller f-number, which gives a blurry background to focus on the photo's subject. A smaller aperture means a larger f-number, which gives a more clear background. 

Shutter Speed

low shutter speed

high shutter speed

During the day

a) a booth in the middle of the yard near the tree - low

b) a food booth outside under one of the red awnings - low

c) the stars performance inside the gym - high

d) students dancing near the center of the courtyard - high

e) people streaming in from the doors - low

f) the basketball where students are shooting baskets - high

At night

a) a booth in the middle of the yard at night - low

b) a food booth outside under one of the red awnings - low

c) the stars performance inside the gym - high

d) students dancing near the center of the courtyard - middle to capture light with your subject's action

e) people streaming in from the doors - low

f) the basketball where students are shooting baskets - middle (same as d)

Aperture Priority- This is when you set the lens aperture and the camera automatically sets the shutter speed.

Shutter Priority- This is when you set the shutter speed and the camera automatically sets the lens aperture.

Manual- This is when you set both the lens aperture and shutter speed manually.

ISO

ISO 200

ISO 3200

1. Shooting at a higher ISO captures quick movement/motion in a dim setting.

2. The author suggested to use low ISO in well lit settings to retain the most detail and have high image quality.

3. The author suggested to use high ISO in a place where there is not enough light for a camera to quickly capture an image. It also freezes motion for good action shots.

DSLR camera

Aperture settings: f- 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11,16, 22

Shutter speed: 1 second, 1/160 second, 1/40000 second

ISO: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600

Unusual and Interesting Photos

Part 1

1. Christian Rhum's photos are very unique and something I hadn't seen before. They gave me this illusion that the picture was spinning which made my eyes go in circles.
2. I think he took several photos of the same object at different angles. Then he faded all of them except the one standing up straight. Lastly, he merged all of the photos into one, making it look like the landmark was spinning.
3. The capital in downtown Austin, Texas (south congress) would be a good landmark to use on this photography technique. The building has nice architecture and easy access. I also think the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana would be a good building. It has a very broad size and shape, and is located on a public street for everyone to view.

Part 2
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Part 3

1. I think the 3 most important rules a photographer should remember when they are shooting is to be able to make the ordinary seem extraordinary, look at things from different angles to get the best shot, and look at where your light is coming from.
2.

Bathing at La Grenouillere 

3. 

 

4. The photographer did not show the difference in light between the rowboats and the lake. Their camera was not able to expose the shadow being casted over the boats and the light of the open lake. Over all, they both captured a quiet, relaxed day at the lake.

5. I think the painting will influence me the most. Monet captured a lot of subjects at once, without having any distracting factors. He was also good at giving the picture a calming mood for the audience. These are good techniques I need to remember when I shoot.