Ethan Merrill, Edward Weston Photo project link.

This is a link to my Famous Photographers project, Edward Weston link.

Hobbies, Merrill

I have been selling on eBay since 8th grade. Although I never use packing peanuts because they are very annoying. I mostly sell my own things, however I sometimes do consignment selling at 15%. Also it is very expensive to ship priority mail so I rarely do. The only things I really use in this photo are the laptop and the scale.  However the box and peanuts made the photo more interesting.

Food, Merrill

I took this photo while in whole foods. I picked this photo because it looks delicious! I love sweet things, so that may be why my camera gravitated to the eclair. Also I have never looked at a pastry this close before, and with so much detail. I took this through the glass of the display, so I am surprised I did not get any reflections in this photograph. The people at whole foods didn't really mind me going around and pointing my camera in random foods. I stayed out peoples way and they just ignored me. I struggled with this assignment to make my photos really interesting. I noticed cool colors and textures, but nothing really stood out as the subject in the sea of contrasting subjects and interesting textures.

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.