Fall Final Extra Credit

1. Explain what happened to the man that was killed by the subway and how the photographer was able to take the photo.
The man in the image, Ki Suk Han, was at a subway station and he was trying to calm down another man who had been harassing other people who had been passing by. After his attempts to calm the man failed, the harasser pushed Ki Suk Han into the path of an oncoming subway. Being too weak to lift himself onto the platform, the man was struck by the subway and later died. The photographer who witnessed this all claims that he took the images in order to try and alert the subway with the flash of his camera. His attempts also failed and the subway was unable to stop in time to save Han's life.

2. Why did the photographer say he took the photo?
The photographer says he took the photo to warn the subway operator of the man in the tracks by using his flash.

3. Do you think the photographer should have taken the photo?
I do not think the photo should have been taken because it depicts a man who is about to meet his death. The overall feel of the image is morbid and in a way haunting, and it was very unethical to take this image.

4. Do the think the photographer did the best thing he could have done in this situation? Why or why not?
I do not think the photographer did the best thing he could have done in this awful situation because instead of flashing his camera he could have been trying to help the man out of the tracks. By choosing his camera over his ability to help lift a man out of the way of a subway, an innocent life was lost.

5. Do you agree or disagree with the decision to run the photo on the front page of the New York Post? Explain why or why not.
I definitely disagree with the decision of running the image on the front page. I do not agree because the image is haunting to view, and no one wants to start their day with a photo like that. Also, family, friends, and loved ones of Ki Suk Han would see that image and just cause them more grief.

6. What is more important to a photojournalist, capturing images of life as it happens or stopping bad things from happenings? Why or why not?
For a photojournalist, it is normally more important to capture images of life as it happens rather than stopping bad things from happening. This is because in most cases they can offer no help and their job is to document history as it happens. One the other hand, in some cases the human nature of helping other people will kick in and they will put their career on the sidelines for a few moments.

7. Do you think it is ever ethically acceptable for a photographer to involve himself/herself in a situation that he or she photographs? Explain why or why not.
I think that is is sometimes ethically acceptable for a photographer to involve himself in a situation. I believe this because in some cases it is necessary for them to do so like in the story of Ki Suk Han. The photographer got involved and was trying to save this man, but unfortunately his attempts failed.

8. Should photojournalists always avoid influencing events as they happen? Explain your answer?
For the most part, photojournalists should avoid influencing events as they happen because normally it is not okay for them to het involved in the situation. In some cases though, it is okay for them to influence events if it is a matter of life or death.

9. After reading the responses from the professional photographers, what stands out as the most appropriate response for a photographer in this situation?
The most appropriate response in this situation from the professional photographers was about how this image should not have been published due to the effect it would have on the family of Ki Suk Han. This brings into perspective how the actions of magazine companies can affect the lives around them. They need to be considerate of the mourning family members and friends.

Final Exam Review

Captions

On Friday the thirteenth, Sean Jacobs falls to the ground when he hears the start gun fire at the New York Marathon race. Having had a fear of loud noises since he was little, the deafening sound of the gun scared Sean and caused him to have hit the ground in a matter of seconds.

In April of 2014, the streets of Galveston flood with sea water from a giant wave originating on a nearby beach. After the shock of the event passed, the citizens of the Texas city decided to make the best out of the situation and go kayaking in the familiar streets.

Marcus Goodman, a famous pie maker, hides behind his two winning pastries when he receives the information about his placing in the national competition. The well renowned baker shields his teary eyes from peering onlookers as he covers his face after hearing that he had won first place overall.

While friends go and hide in disclosed areas of the surrounding field, James McCouth awaits the moment when he can go search for them on Halloween. Mr. McCouth and his buddies have played hide-and-go-seek with each other for the last fifteen years as a tradition.

Rules of Photography
1. Rule of Thirds - positioning the camera in a way that the subject is not centered in the middle of the photograph, but instead is positioned in on of the corners
2. Balancing Elements - having elements in your photograph that balance each other out and create symmetry in the photo
3. Leading Lines - lines, such as a road, wires, or a pathway, that lead the viewers eyes to the subject of the photo
4. Symmetry and Patterns (repetition) - in a photo, having a specific pattern that is repeated over and over to create balance and symmetry in the image
5. Viewpoint - positioning yourself, as the photographer, at different heights to adjust your view on the subject like standing on a hill looking down on your subject
6. Background - choosing a backdrop for your photograph that brings out the subject in a way that shows the subject in the best way possible
7. Create Depth - angling the camera so that the viewer can feel/see the physical depth of the photo and it does not just look like a 2D picture
8. Framing - using surrounding things in the photo to make an artificial frame around your subject
9. Cropping - cropping your image so that the subject is obvious and in some cases the only thing in the image besides the background, and it causes simplicity in the photo
10. Mergers and Avoiding Them - avoiding putting the subject of the photo in a way that it interferes with the background of the photo


Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO
1. Aperture - this technique either brings images into focus (the background and the subject) or creates depth in the photo by blurring out the background and making the subject pop out. It relies on the amount of light let into the image.
2. Shutter Speed - this technique can either freeze action or blur it to create cool effects. By setting this, you are changing how long the shutter stays open before shutting and capturing the image. Long time, blurry image; short time, frozen action.
3. ISO - this technique refers to how sensitive your camera is to the surrounding light. Higher ISO, lighter the picture; lower ISO, darker the picture.


Photoshop
1. Acceptable - altering the lighting of the photo to make the image a better photo, fixing small blemishes without changing the subjects overall look
2. Unacceptable - altering the size of different bodily parts, changing the shape of a face/neck/other, when the subject does not know about the changes being made, facial parts being edited to the point of being unethical, editing photos to where the convey a false message

Portraits
1. Environmental - a portrait of a person taken in their "natural habitat" and where they are usually found (work, home, etc.)
2. Self - a portrait of the photography done by the photographer, usually set up with a timer on the camera
3. Casual - an informal portrait of the person in their natural state/caught off guard, usually not looking at the camera

Photographic Terms
1. Exposure - the amount of light per unit area reaching a photographic film or electronic image sensor, as determines by shutter speed, lens aperture and scene luminance (wikipedia.org)
2. Depth of Field - the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image (wikipedia.org)
3. Focal Length - the distance in mm from the optical center of the lens to the focal point, which is located on the sensor or film if the subject is "in focus" (dpreview.com)

Magazine Covers
1. Early - modeled after book covers (looked very similar)
2. Poster - the main focus was the photo or painting on the cover and there were very few words if any
3. Married to Type - these covers have an image but also cover lines/words, yet the words do not dominate the cover but rather they compliment the photo
4. Forest of Words - the image on the cover is covered partially by words and there are a lot of words all over and they take over the rest of the cover

Extra Credit: Spiral Staircases

http://petapixel.com/2014/12/19/disorienting-beauty-spiral-staircases-old-abandoned-buildings/

Why I Picked This Photo: I picked this spiral staircase picture for many reasons. One reason is because out of all the staircases I viewed this was the one that caught my eye due to the patterns on the steps. Another reason is because of the blue railing on the stairs. It grabs the viewer's attention because it stands out from the rest of the image. Overall, I chose this photo because it is pleasing to the eye and my favorite.

Rules of Photography: I definitely see the rule of viewpoint on this image because the photographer is looking down the spiral staircase. I also see patterns because of the steps and the repetitive pattern/symmetry on them. Finally, I see leading lines because the stairs naturally lead the viewer's eyes down the spiraling steps into infinity.

Who Took the Photo: The photographer of this photo is Christian Richter and he is a fine art architecture photographer.

Extra Credit: Photography Resolutions for 2016

http://petapixel.com/2014/12/31/10-photography-resolutions-new-year/

Brief Summary: On this website that I viewed, I read about many different photography related New Year's resolutions. The author was discussing how to make goals for yourself to get your work out into the world and not being afraid of possible criticism and/or not getting recognized in the way that you want. Overall, the article was about putting your work into the world for other people to see, not being bogged down by doubts that creep into your mind, and mainly setting small goals that eventually lead to bigger goals and better photography and publication.

What I Learned: While reading this post, I learned the importance of making goals for yourself to achieve along your journey in the photography world. I learned that at some point you have to get over your fear of being rejected and just go for it because you are not going to get any better if you do not learn from your mistakes.

How This Site Related to Photography: The main theme of the website article was about New Year's resolutions, especially those pertaining to photography. The author wanted to convey to the reader the significance of being proud of your photography work and not letting the world's judgement cause you to hold back.

Magazine Cover Images

Portraits and Self Portraits

Fashion Photography

1. The changes to the model's face:
- lips enlarged
- neck elongated
- eyes moved downward
- hair edited
- neck was made skinnier
- eyes enlarged
- face was made skinnier
- face was highlighted

2. The changes to the model's body:
- face coloring was edited
- lip coloring and angle was edited
- nose was made smaller
- eyes enlarged
- shoulders were raised
- stomach was made flatter/skinnier
- legs were made skinnier
- legs elongated
- feet made smaller
- calves made skinner
- neck elongated
- tone/coloring of body was made lighter
- butt was lowered

3. The changes made to the model:
- butt was made skinnier
- legs/calves were made skinnier
- arms and hands were made skinnier
- stomach was made flatter/skinnier
- chest was enlarged
- back was made skinnier
- head size was adjusted
- butt was raised
- hair was enlarged and elongated
- nose was lowered
- cheeks were edited
- coloring/lighting was edited

4. It is not ethically acceptable to change a person's appearance like in those photos. This is because the editor is changing the psychical appearance of a person and changing who they appear to be as a person. A person should accept who they are because they cannot naturally change how they appear to look in the real world.

5. There are circumstances in which it would be more ethically wrong to do this type of manipulation. For example, if the model did not know the changes that were going to be made to her body on the computer. If a person is going to be edited to that degree then they should at least be aware of it.

6. There are a few things that would be okay to edit. For example, if a the model wanted to remove small blemishes on their body but do it without changing the overall appearance of their body that would be ethically acceptable. Also, the lighting of the picture would be okay to edit, and this can affect the model's skin tone.

7. Photojournalism is when the photographer captures their subject in their natural state and very little editing is done to the pictures. Fashion photography involves model's being taken pictures of and then those photos are edited so much that in some cases the model is unrecognizable.

8. In photojournalism, this type of photography is very closely related to reality, as the photos are not edited very much. On the other hand, fashion photography has a very distant relationship with reality. These photos are edited to a point of extreme unethical practices. Photojournalism is very ethical because of the lack of editing/photoshop.

9. I think these videos were shown to us because you wanted us to see what not to do. You want us to capture our subjects in their natural states and positions. You want us to avoid using photoshop, and if we do have to use it, use it sparingly.

10. None of these videos are of guys because women feel more pressured to appear stereotypically "beautiful" and to fit in with the rest of the world. In reality, the model are doing anything but fitting in. They are giving women around the world false hope for looking like the model's edited selves. Guys are less pressured to appear stereotypical and feel less judged.

Magazine Part 2

1. Throughout the development of the magazine cover over the years, the types of covers/designs have varied greatly. The earliest type of cover, Early Magazine Covers, contributed the idea of cover lines. It was the beginning of figuring out how to use them and how many to use. This type of cover also contributed to the idea of having an image on the cover to capture the attention of the viewers.

2. Another type of cover, The Poster Cover, also attributed some development to the evolving of covers. This cover brought around the idea that pictures were worth a thousand words and that there was no need for cover line, or if there were then very few. This type of cover was very powerful and conveyed the idea of using large pictures and paintings was incredible.

3. Yet another type of cover, Pictures Married to Type, contributed to the cover development. This type of magazine cover used pictures and words together to create a beautiful image of the two dancing together. The art of designing these covers involved placement/arrangement of the main image and cover lines, the use of different fonts, font sizes, and colors. In the end, the result, when well done, made a cover that drew people towards it because of the concept of it.

4. Finally, the fourth type of magazine cover, In the Forest of Words, supplied the covers with more ideas. This one gave the world of magazines the idea of using very large cover lines to cover the entire magazine cover space. In some cases, the model on the cover is even competing for space with the words, and this type of cover uses cover lines as the most important part of the whole thing.

My Favorite Cover

Men's Health, November 2014, The Ultimate Men's Health Guy

"Too often magazine covers simply repeat one another, and we're not just talking about the last ten years of O, here. So when we launched our Ultimate Men's Health Guy Search last spring, we hoped it would produce a November cover that would be unique, inspirational, and stop readers in their tracks. Meet Noah Galloway, the double-amputee Iraq vet who is our first ever UMHG. In this shot by Peter Yang, he simultaneously broadcasts troubling disability and vibrant health, and instantly commands respect and gratitude. Corporal Galloway, we salute you--and your Men's Health cover."

Critique

This portrait is very well done, as it captures the viewers' attention. The photo is simple with a white background yet dynamic with the concept. Being my favorite out of all the magazine portraits on that particular website, this cover is inspiring to me and I like it because it is not like other magazine covers with perfect models posing. This man is a double-amputee and he is displaying how his disadvantages are not slowing him down. The lighting in the cover is amazing because all the different features of the man'd face and body are clearly defined. Overall, the portrait is nice to look at because of the story behind it, the lighting, and background. The message of the cover is communicated through simplicity.

Best Covers

1. The Advocate Formal
2. Wired Formal
3. ESPN The Magazine Formal and Environmental
4. The New Yorker Environmental
5. OUT Formal
6. Harper's Bazaar Formal
7. ESPN The Magazine Formal
8. New York Formal
9. The Atlantic Formal and Environmental
10. FamilyFun Environmental
11. Harper's Bazaar Formal
12. Vanity Fair Formal and Environmental
13. Variety Formal
14. New York Informal
15. Men's Health Formal
16. Bloomberg Businessweek Formal
17. Golf Digest Environmental
18. Kinfolk Informal

Magazine Tips

5 Things to think about when designing my magazine cover:

1. Make the cover appealing to the eyes
2. Arouse curiosity by using the cover and making it interesting
3. Remember that the colors on the screen is going to be more vivid than the actual printed version
4. Look at other magazine covers to both know the competition and get inspired
5. Know that the cover is very important and take the time to edit the fonts, colors, and visuals

American Soldier

1. The most powerful photo throughout the slideshow is the on of the young boys crawling in the dirt with guns and the purple smoke in the background. This is the most powerful because it shows the seriousness of the situation. There a very young boys training to go off and fight for our country and that is displayed in this photo.

2. Set 1- at home - Image #1 to Image #4

    Set 2 - basic training - Image #5 to Image #13

    Set 3 - in Iraq - Image #14 to Image #27

    In image #28 he is back home in Denver

3. The most powerful set of images was the set in Iraq because it displays what it is like to serve over seas for the good of our country. The photos show emotions and this is conveyed to the viewer through facial expressions and action shots.

4. The images all worked together to tell a story. They did this by following the story of the young men in their homes, then at a training camp, and finally over in Iraq. The viewer was able to see the story because emotions were displayed in the photos.

5. In the photos in Part One where Ian is the main subject, the captions are written in present tense.

6. The captions enhance the photographs because they further tell the story behind the images. The captions provide a link into the subjects world and also they sometimes provided quotes which told more of the story as well.

7. Ian Fisher was a young man who went off to serve in the military. He first went to basic training camp where he learned everything he would need for Iraq. During this time at camp, he was injured multiple times and was provided with drug pain medications. He soon obtained an addiction to the drugs and this was possibly due to the fact that he had nada breakup with his girlfriend. Ian came clean with his drug addiction to his military authorities and was denoted a rank in the army. He was later deployed to Iraq where he drove the Humvees and waited for instructions from his officials. After serving in Iraq for quite some time, Ian returned home and was reunited with his family and a new girlfriend. When he returned to Denver, Ian wasted no time in marrying his girlfriend, Devin.

Prompt Shoot

Electric

Cold

Purple

Self Portrait and Portraits Part 1

Best tips for portraits:
1. Alter your perspective and completely change the angle that you shoot at.
2. Making sure the setting is right for the portrait.
3. Get closer to your subject/fill the frame.

Environmental Portraits:

I liked these two environmental portraits because of the setting. In both photos, the subjects are pictured out in nature and I think this provided a sense of peace and calm to the photos. Each photo conveys a sense of the subject(s) character and personality. The photographer was able to capture the silliness of the two men in front of the mountains and the passion of photographer of the man with the camera.

Self-Portraits:

I chose these two self portraits because they are both interesting to view and eye-catching and I liked that about them. I absolutely love the one of the young man because it was very creative the way he used the different shades of blue in his settings to match his outfit to. The portrait of the girl is beautiful because you, as the viewer, get to see her personality through the photo. It was taken in a car mirror and this suggests that she is adventurous and likes to travel, and her face shows the emotion of wonder of her surroundings.

Casual Portraits:

I liked these two casual portraits because of the emotion shown in the photos. The photo of the mother shows how much joy she has in her son. Her smile says everything in the picture and this intrigues viewer. Due to the colors, I love the portrait of the man. His blue shirt matches his eyes and this is helpful for a photo because you can learn a lot about a person through their eyes. The color of his shirt also contrasts against the background making him pop out.

My Project:

For my portrait project, I am going to shoot either my sister or a friend of mine from church in an outdoor environment. I would like to go either downtown to Zilker Park or go to a greenbelt near my home to shoot my photos. To make my photos successful I am going to take both horizontal and vertical photos. Also, I will use rules of photography like simplicity, background, cropping, and rule of thirds.

Love and Loss Warm-up

1. As I looked through the photos on the website, I felt different waves of emotions. There was some pictures that made me feel very happy and bubbly because of the subjects smiles. When I got to the end of the photo, the first emotion I experienced was sadness and regret. The photos show that the woman who was battling cancer finally lost the fight and because of this I was filled with sorrow for her and her family. Although it was sadness at first, my emotions changed to happiness because the woman was not suffering anymore.

2. The photographer said "These photographs do not define us, but they are us." After looking at the photos, this comment shows me that the husband and wife did not let the struggles of cancer get in the way of their normal life. The couple did not want to be defined by the sickness, but instead be known for the well-fought battle. Saying that the pictures do not define them but they are them, the photographer declares that they will not be bogged down by the disease, but they will not ignore it either.

3. I do not know if I would be able to shoot pictures like these if I was in the situation. I would want to document the life of a loved one, but it would be very difficult to watch the changes that occurred in him/her. In the end, I probably would shoot photos like these and they would be emotionally challenging to get, but worth it in the end.

4. If I could write Angelo a letter I would tell him how inspiring his pictures are. I would say that he did an amazing job capturing the beauty in his wife in a very difficult time. I would want to ask him how challenging it was to shoot the photos and how long the cancer lasted. The main portion of my letter would be about how beautiful and wonderful his pictures were.

Rules of Photography Part 2

Rule of Thirds

Balance

Leading Lines

Symmetry and Patterns

Viewpoint

Background

Depth

Framing

Cropping

Merger

Africa and Abandoned Theme Parks

Africa:

1. I absolutely loved looking at these pictures of animals from the African safari. My reaction to them was just sheer amazement at the natural beauty of these deserted places. I enjoyed reading about how these photos were managed to be captured and the dedication of the photographer as he waited for the perfect moment to snap a gorgeous picture of the African wildlife. Overall, the slideshow of photos grabbed my attention and held it there because they were undeniably wonderful.

2.

3. In this photos, a lion and a lioness are pictured in a beautiful and intimate way. They look as though they truly love one another and the male is pictured as being protective over his woman. This photo is my favorite of Nick Brandt's because of the natural beauty and innocence of the lions.

4. One rule of photography depicted in this photo is simplicity. The lions are the only things viewed in the photo, and they draw the attention of straight to them. There is also balance in the photo because there are two lions each on one side and they balance each other out.

5. Nick uses a Pentax 67II with only two fixed lenses. This is important because he does not use a telephoto lens due to the fact that he wanted more of the sky and landscape in his slideshow of pictures.

6. Nick's reason for taking these photos is to reveal the personalities of the African animals. He wants to display to the world the beauty of these barren places.

7. His hopes in taking these photos is to create an emotional connection with the viewers in conveying the African wildlife. He wanted to show how small the differences are between humans and animals.

8. "My images are unashamedly idyllic and romantic, a kind of enchanted Africa. They're my elegy to a world that is steadily, tragically vanishing." -Nick Brandt

Abandoned Theme Parks

1. Of all the abandoned theme parks I viewed, the one I would want to visit to take pictures would be Spreepark in Berlin, Germany. I liked this one for photography because not only are the park attractions amazing to look at, but the scenery is also gorgeous in the background. When I was looking at the photos of this park, I loved all the animals incorporated into the rides. Throughout the beautiful park, there was horses, swans, cats, and even dinosaurs. Back in the time when this theme park was still open, the statues of creatures would have attracted a lot of attention from children. The park and scenery combined would provide a very interesting photography opportunity.

2. 

3.  Five other unusual places that would be of interest to photographers would include the black sand beach in Hawaii, the glass sand beach in California, Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in China, Juizhai Valley National Park in China, and abandoned hotels around the world.

4. 

5. I think it would be fun to document the Juizhai Valley National Park in China for many reasons. For one, it is absolutely beautiful scenery and I am sure it is even more stunning in person. The area would be interesting to take photos at because the waters are so clear in the park and this makes amazing pictures. The entire park is full of undisturbed, natural beauty and it would be wonderful to capture images of it. I could expect to take photos of still water in China and the photos would come out very unique to view.

6. In order to actually take photos of the Juizhai Valley National Park, I would need quite a bit of  money for traveling due to the fact that it is in China. Because it is halfway across the world, I would need money for place tickets, transportation, food, hotels, and more. For equipment, I would need a good camera that had a very good focus. I might also need a tripod to make sure my photos do not turn out blurry. I would have to take in account for some rules about shooting a National Park. If I wanted to use any props or sets, I would need a permit and I would also need a permit for using a model in the park.

Funny Captions

In the streets of Venice, Louis Caster soulfully sings his heart out as he plays a melodious tune on his accordion. After he had been asked to leave the restaurant he performed at, Louis moved his show to outside of the store in a protest.

Staying beset friends for seventy years, Maybell Smith scolds Gloria McCormick for ruining their photo session in California. Although Maybell was legally blind at the time the picture was taken, she still felt her friend's bunny-eared hand as it crept to the peak of her snowy head and Mrs. Smith was upset because she wanted a decent picture of her and Mrs. McCormick.

Susie Norman goes to the mall at least twice at week, but during this visit an officer politely asks Mrs. Norman to leave the premises of the candy store because she is disrupting the customer service. Believing she has a health condition where she needs to eat sugar constantly, which she does not actually have, Susie loudly protested about leaving the store and this resulted in her being placed in the "out of control" area.

Great Black and White Photographers Part 3

1. The first thing that caught my eye in these photographer's (Andre Kertesz) photos were the simplicity of them. Andre took pictures of people in their everyday lives and the result was amazing. The pictures are so simple but so intriguing. I chose these particular photos because I really like the content of them. In both photos, the subject(s) are playing an instrument out on the streets and I found that very interesting to look at.

2. The senses 

For the first/top photo:

I see a man who I sharing the joy of music with his two boys. He looks very happy to be able to play his instrument for his sons. The boys look very serious and it seems like they know how important music is to their father.

I smell the dusty streets of this small town. I can also smell the sweat and dirtiness of these people who are viewed in the photograph. The street give off a smell of a farm and I can smell the dirt.

I hear the sweet sound of the man's instrument as he plays for his boys. The melodious tune carries through the surrounding streets. The sounds of glee from the young boys as they proudly watch their father play for them.

I taste dirt on my tongue. As I inhale the dust particles land on my tongue while we stand out on the streets. Also, the taste of the sweet music courses through my body as we are listening.

I feel the smooth body of the man's instrument and its gleaming surface feels cool to the touch. I feel the arms of the young boys wrap around me as they give me a sweet farewell hug. I feel the course, rough hands of the man of the man as he firmly shakes my hand.

For the second/bottom photo:

I see the passion in the musician's face as he plays his accordion. I see the business of the streets where he is playing. The man's wife is very dutiful and cares deeply about her husband and she wants to help him pursue his musical career.

I smell the busy streets of the city as people pass by. I can smell the fumes that were given off by passing cars on the roads. In addition, I can also smell the people surrounding me and their anticipation to get to work or wherever they are going.

I hear the tune of the man's accordion. I can hear the deep bellowing voice of the man as he sings out his heart. As people pass by, I hear the consistent patter of footsteps on the concrete and asphalt.

I taste the fumes of the cars and factories in the air. When I breathe, I can taste the salt on my tongue from the sweat because of the hot day. Finally, I can taste sweet water going down my throat as I rehydrate myself due to the hot sun.

I feel the hard, solid concrete below me as I listen to the man's song. I can feel many people brushing up against me as they hurry to get to work. I can feel the vibrations of the man's music through the ground as he belts out his beautiful and heartfelt song.

3. I would like to create a blog about Andre Kertesz to share with the world the wonders of his photography. On a blog, I would be able to post his photos and write about them.

Mural Project

http://www.geekadelphia.com/2011/11/18/instagram-meets-the-street-mike-smith-casey-catellis-nomnow-wheatpaste-art/

1. A possible theme that we could use in our school to create panels like the ones on the site would be to focus in on the diversity of Bowie. Our high school is full of many different clubs, class choices, ethnicities, personalities, and characteristics. Using this theme we would be able to get a mural of pictures that were all very different from each other, but when they are placed together they create something amazingly beautiful.
2. When taking the pictures for these panels, we should let people take photos with their cameras and phones so that the people who do not own cameras would be able to contribute. Opening up the panels' pictures to cameras and not only phones would result in the pictures being better quality.
3. I would want to put our mural up either near the library between A hall and F hall, or put it up inside of the library. I like these places because there are always many people around those areas so the mural would be constantly viewed and admired.

Academic Shoot Reflection and Critique

1. One of the challenges I encountered was finding an interesting academic class to go into and take photos of. It was hard to take that first step and enter into a room and start shooting. Another difficulty I ran into was trying to avoid having a very busy background that had a lot of people/objects in it. It was hard to take photos that did not have a lot of different things in the background that distracted from the subject(s).
2. I found myself thinking the most about the focus of my camera during the shoot. I wanted my photos to be perfectly in focus and my camera would not always focus how I wanted it to. In order to do this correctly, I would switch my camera to manual focus if it was not focusing how I wanted it to. This let me focus the camera on the subject I wanted without very many further difficulties.
3. If I could do this photo shoot again, there are a few things I would do differently. For one, I would go into more classrooms and not just stick to mainly the theater room. If I did that, I would get more of a variety of photos to choose from. I would also focus more on the rules of photography and prioritize that.
4. One thing I would do the same was continue to direct my attention towards the focus of my camera. I would want my photos to turn out completely focused on the subject. I would also still go into the theatre class, but just not spend as much time in there as I did.
5. During the next prompt shoot, I think the easiest rule to achieve would be the rule of thirds. I think it would be the easiest because I just involved shifting the camera to make your subject a little off center to provide the viewer with a more interesting photo to look at.
6. The hardest rule to capture would be framing. This would be the hardest because it is difficult to find natural framing in the world that does not look like it was placed there purposefully. I would want a very natural looking frame, and those would be hard to find.
7. There are not really any rules that I am unclear about. I understand them all and how to obtain the rules, but I just need to incorporate them more into my photos. They will make my photos more interesting to view and look at.

http://isabellasphotojournalismblog.blogspot.com

These photos were very interesting to look at because they were pretty unique and they were also pleasing to the eye. I especially liked the one of the paintbrushes because it was in very good focus and she used the rule of thirds very well in it. All the photos were focused nicely. One thing that she could do differently would be adding people into the pictures. Since it was a academic shoot, it would have been nice to see the people's faces/expressions while they were drawing, painting, or sculpting. 

Academic Shoot

For this photo, I used the rule of simplicity. I used this rule by making the only main subject of the photo the two boys. By making them one of the only things in the photo, I simplified the overall picture. The subject is the two boys who are hanging on one another. When a person looks at my photo, the subject is very apparent because it is the main part of the picture.

In this photo, I used the rule of lines. The people standing together create a line that leads to the two subjects of this photo, which are the boy faking a punch and the girl who is on the receiving end of the playful hit. It is very clear what my subject is in this photo because they are in the foreground and they take up over half of the frame.

In this photo, I also used simplicity. It is the rule of simplicity because the subject, which is the girl at the computer, is the only person in the photo and she takes up about half of the frame. There is not too much going on around her and in the background, so a viewer's eyes would be directed towards the subject. This makes the subject very clear and apparent to a person looking at the photo.

This photo followed the rule of balance because there is equal "weight" on both sides of the photo. There is one girl on the left-hand side and one on the right-hand side. This creates a balance in the photo. The subject of this picture is the girl who is facing the camera and wearing the tiara. She is obviously the subject to any viewer because she is the only face you can see fully and this draws the attention to her. 

For this photo, I also used the rule of balance. There are two people on the left-hand side and two on the right causing an equal balance on both sides of the picture. There are multiple subjects in the photo and they are all four students sitting at the front desk. The subjects are the boy in the red shorts, the boy sitting next to him in a black shirt, the boy in the yellow hoodie, and the girl with the black shirt and jean shorts. The subject is pretty clear in this photo because they are all in the foreground and there are not very many other people in the background, so the viewer's eyes are drawn towards the students sitting at the desks.

Aperture, Shutter Speed, & ISO

Aperture

Photo taken at aperture level F2.8

Photo taken at aperture level F16

1. We should closely relate aperture to the eye.
2. The smaller the Aperture size, the higher the Aperture number.
3. Aperture impacts Depth of Field because when the aperture number is smaller the foreground is sharper/more in focus than the background. As the aperture number increases/gets bigger the background begins the become more visible and less blurred out.

Shutter Speed:

Photo taken at a high shutter speed

Photo taken at a low shutter speed

1. If you were assigned to shoot at Bulldogs and Hotdogs night, what shutter speeds do you think you would have to shoot at the following events that night?

At the beginning while the sun was still up the courtyard had reasonable good light:

         a) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree - low shutter speed

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

         c) the Stars performance inside the gym - high shutter speed

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

         e) people streaming in from the front doors - low shutter speed

         f) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop - high shutter speed

    

Towards the end when there is no sun and has gotten dark enough that you can't see from one            end of the courtyard to the other.

        a) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree - low shutter speed

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

         c) the Stars performance inside the gym - high shutter speed

         d) students dancing near the center of the courtyard - low shutter speed with flash

         e) people streaming in from the front doors - low shutter speed with flash

         f) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop - high shutter speed

2. The three settings on your camera regarding setting shutter speed are Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual. In aperture priority, the photographer manually sets the aperture and the shutter speed is automatically set. In shutter priority, it is the opposite where the photographer sets the shutter speed and the camera automatically sets the aperture. In manual, the photographer will have to manually set both the shutter speed and the aperture without the camera setting them automatically.

ISO:

Photo taken at ISO 200

Photo taken at IOS 6400

1. The advantages of a shoot at a higher ISO at a sporting event like basketball or a night football game consist of the motion being frozen in time so that the images don't appear blurry.

2. The suggestions the author made about using a low ISO were to stick to the base ISO as much as possible, and use it for some dark environments.

3. The authors suggestions about using a high ISO were you should increase it when there is not enough light available, you can use it to freeze motion, if you want yo get ultra-fast shots.

What happens:

1. Aperture settings on this camera: range from 2.8-22

2. Shutter speed settings on this camera: range from 1 second- 1/4000 second

3. ISO settings on this camera: range from 100-25600

Unusual and Interesting Photos

Part 1:

1. My reaction to Christian Rhum's photography was mainly surprise. His work was like nothing I've ever seen before. It was quite beautiful and awe-striking, and I really enjoyed looking at his photos. I could not stop looking at the different pictures because they were so amazing and different. The originality and uniqueness was my favorite part.

2. I think he made these works by taking many different pictures of the same thing (at different angles/viewpoints) and combining them all to create these wobbly masterpieces. It would take a long time to make each photo, but the end result was incredible.

3. A good building to use this technique on would be either the Austin Capital, Texas Tower, or the downtown Austin Frost Bank building. These buildings are all pleasing to the eye and well known so many people would recognize them. They are all located in downtown Austin and the Capital and Tower are both relatively near each other. The buildings are easily accessed because they are set on public street downtown, so they would be easy to take photos of.

Part 2:

Part 3:

1. The three most important suggestions to remember while out shooting for photographers:
- Look for the quiet moments as well as the "bigger than life explosion" moments (Painting #4)
- Do not let an awkward angle deter you from your inspiration. Take a shot even if you take to look straight up (Painting #11)
- Never stop looking for the right angle to take a photo (Painting #18)

2.

3. 

4.  The suggestion was to know how to take a photo of a reflection/take a photo showing perspective. This photo uses both a reflection and perspective in the image, so yes the photographer followed the suggestions given.

5. The style of painting that might influence me is the idea of using different angles to get your picture and not hesitating to either climb on a chair, lay on the floor, or get on your hands and knees.