Creative Portraits

          I created this image by photographing Molly and Kenzie who were posing very nicely. I made sure to allow for space for where they were looking to. I think the background of bricks and photo letters adds some more interest. This was taken during the allotted class time. I think Molly and Kenzie are trying for different things, Molly is trying to look all serious and inspired, gazing off-camera and Kenzie is trying to take it more lightly. I always thought off camera looks were more serious, but that's just my opinion.

         These last two photos I took in Portland. The above photo is from the narrow gauge railroad. I was taking pictures of the train and this little guy just kept staring at me with his, sort of sad looking gaze. I tried very hard not to be creepy when taking this photo. I have some difficulty taking pictures of other people, especially when I don't know them just because I know I don't like strangers photographing me. in November I read an article on Engadget (tech blog) about Matt Stuart and street photography, I kept trying to channel his fearlessness in photographing other people. (here)

        Which leads me to my next photo of what I think is an arguing couple. I took this by briskly walking by, my phone upside down and by my side constantly taking photos. While I still can't get over the creepy feeling, I really like the result. I think that I really captured the emotion of the argument with the woman pointing her finger and the man with his head cocked  in a confrontational manner. Also the accidental off kilter framing adds to the mood even more because the diagonal lines add tension, I think.  

Selfies

We chose this photo because it had a good plain background. Also Chris's getup was perfect and offered a nice foil to my typical American clothing. However, at the time of the shot we were not thinking this deeply. I really dislike selfies, so this is something of a parody of the typical faces squished, weird expression, smiling selfies. Our solemn expressions break the selfie mould. This photo also had the best focus.

Portrait Techniques

1.Play with backgrounds

By choosing a different background the photographer can change the mood of the portrait dramatically. The background can very from being very minimal to being complex and descriptive.

2. Subject Expressions

Extreme moods and emotions add interest to the photo. Playing with varying moods can make the image a lot better.

3. Alter your perspective

Totally changing from the standard view of a subject can make a portrait truly amazing. The from the mould of standard eye level photography.

4.Looking off camera

Having the the subject look off can make a photo more candid or intriguing. This off-camera look can also make the photo look more serious, and less corny.

5. Candid Shots 

Candid shots can really bring out the expression in the subject. These shots sometimes include the subject looking off camera. The point is that the person being photographed doesn't know it.

Famous Portraits

Richar Avedon, 1980, Roberto Lopez

I like this portrait because it is plain and honest. By the was the man is presented it is easy to understand his profession. He looks as tough as the land he works, this is conveyed in his furrowed brow, lean face, and mildly toned physique. Richard Avedon's style is shown best in this portrait. Avedon rarely uses props, and mostly includes a plain white background. He lets the subject do the talking.

Arnold Newman, N.D, JFK

This photograph of JFK illustrates a man(JFK), his fortress in the foreground and his lands in the background. I think the large, towering architectural features emphasize the commanding position this president is in. Interestingly, Where JFK is looking is cropped out from the viewer. This crop shows that photographers don't always have to follow the rules. Arnold Newman's style uses interesting backgrounds and unique framing to describe the person being photographed. 

Annie Leibowitz, Whoopie Golberg

Annie Leibowitz always portrays he subjects in unique, edgy poses. Often, like in this photograph, these poses describe the subject's personality. Woopie is a playful and funny person, so apparently a bathtub of milk shows that. Leibowitz photographs many famous personalities. Some of these famous personalities include: McJagger, Demi Moore, Miley Cyrus, and john Lennon. Most of the people were at least partially unclothed during the shoot.

History of Photography

By completing this poster I learned that formatting is key. It is very difficult to make all the font sizes and border sizes all the same over a period of four days. I also learned that the first photograph was really a piece of work! it is impossible to see anything from it. Joseph Nicephore’s image demonstrates how far we have traveled in the field of photography in just two hundred years. Our timeline puts into contrast this imaging revolution, because the first camera phone is at the other end. The third and final thing I learned while doing this project was that the life of a photographer can be hard. While researching Annie Leibovitz I discovered she filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and had to sell of all her photos before then. It is amazing how such a famous photographer can have such an abrupt fall from grace.

Shadow

I just stumbled upon this image composition. I'll admit finding shadows which are interesting and distinguishable is very difficult, at least for me. I turned off all the lights in my house, then started shining a plug-in torch onto different surfaces to find what looked cool. The boots really popped out at me. I did rearrange them, but still I think the boots are an intriguing subject. I like them because of the neat texture on the grip and laces. During this assignment I leaned that shadows can be in and out of "focus" not as a result of the camera, but due to the distances between the object, light-source, and wall that the shadow is reflected on.  

Hot. Cool. Yours.

        It is amazing how many different letters are lurking around us. I think that this is a case of if you know what you are looking for, then you shall find it. This helped me with my learning because it shows that it is possible to find things that are not that obvious if you just look for them. Also, the geometry of our words helped us. We picked word with many Os. There are a ton of circular objects in our surroundings and not many Rs. If I did this project again I would choose another word with many Os or Is. This is important to my learning because it helped me understand what shapes that look like letters are most common in our environment. In addition, I learned how to use photoshop more efficiently. I learned the shortcut for black and white. Also I gained a greater understanding of how to use the brightness and contrast sliders to the right amount. Photoshop is a very important tool for any photographer to understand. It is interesting to see how some compositions "read" and others do not. It is very startling when the word pops out and makes sense. We had to go through two revisions to make sure that the objects read correctly to form a word. Photoshop and the revision process are very important things for any photographer to understand.