Time Project: Pressed Flowers

Ovoid Project

Smiley Project

Love Concept Shooting

 Ignorance of loved ones.

Restoring Old Photographs

Reflection/ Reflection

Adjustment
In the second semester I am going to use my time more wisely so that I can plan out more creative ideas. This way, I will not hold myself back as much with different concepts due to not giving myself as much time as I could have had. I also plan to take more risks, visually and conceptually, opening up new doors to the photos I am striving to create. I also plan to do this to further individualize and perfect my own style.

Reflection
For most of the assignments this quarter I have pushed myself more creatively and managed my time more wisely. This was true with the Daily Dozen project, as I spread out when I shot my photos throughout the course of about two weeks. With the photos from that assignment, I planned them out and attempted ideas even if I wasn't sure if they would work out well. My Forced Perspective was also creative, though it wasn't the most complex photo I could have taken for that kind of assignment. My Conceptual Photography could have been better if I made a plan earlier on from being assigned it. As a result, those photos were not my best and I think there could have been more potential for a very interesting composition. 
Taking a look at this semester so far, I would give myself a B grade overall for how well I have stuck to my plans.

Conceptual Photography- The Story

Letter to the Past

Dear past self,

You're about to take photography. Walking into this class, you've had no experience with photoshop, compositional structures, or taking conceptual images. The good news is, within just a couple weeks, you'll have a good idea on how to use these tools to get very improved photo compositions. You will want to manage your time wisely, so you should allow yourself time to come up with unique ideas and get started on them early enough to complete a project to its full potential. Experiment with and take advantage of the different features of photoshop to edit during class time. If you are stuck on ideas for an assignment, just take pictures of one idea to start off and then let that transform into something different. There are many resources in class and there are subjects all around to use for your photography, just keep your eyes open to them.

The composition below is a triptych. The requirements for this assignment were to place three separate yet related images together into one. As you can see, the three images were taken at the same place and all include orange pumpkins and corn stalks. In the middle is the odd image out, as there are several pumpkins together, taking up about a third of the photo. This creates a nice balance, because if the middle image was on the side, the visual weight of the pumpkins would lay strongly to the side, creating an empty feeling on the side with the single pumpkins. An addition to this triptych that can be seen is the green border. The green matches a color found within the pictures, tying it in nicely. The thickness as well as the muted and darkened color of the border help to separate the three images, so that the bright orange and lighter tones of the images aren't overwhelming. The contrast and almost opposite colors of the green and orange also help the pumpkins to really stand out. If something were to be changed about this piece, it would be to have the sky also appear at the top of the first image like it is in the other two. The third image also has a very light ground at the bottom. Some more white coming from the sky and ground of the first image would have further balanced the composition.

Good luck in the new school year!
                 
Sincerely,

Yourself

The Importance of Art

Art is a very important part of school, so tax dollars should go toward those programs. Though school should prepare students for going to work in the real world, that doesn't mean that core classes are the only ones of importance. Art, music, and theater classes allow and push students to be creative. This is useful, as it requires someone to make decisions for themselves, and with confidence. With those kinds of skills, applied to a future job, students will be able to excel, improve, and solve problems in different ways when they are faced with challenges. They also require students to have persistence, patience, and practice to perfect their craft. Art classes are an enjoyable way for students to acquire these necessary skills.

So, in response to the quote regarding tax dollars; art, music, and theater classes may not directly relate to some students' future professions, however, they do teach skills needed within the workforce. These classes deserve funding just as core classes do. In fact, without support from tax dollars, art classes would have a serious lack in supplies, making the classes less complex and interesting. It is in the best interest of not only the teachers but the students to have good funding for the art classes, as that provides more learning opportunities.

Another point of discussion is that sports and programs at school that are unrelated to academic courses gain support and are thought to be important. So, if art, music, and theater classes also aren't necessary to graduate or go to college, but provide a lot to learn about (like history of the subject, creative processes, and lots of practice), they should be rightfully funded through tax dollars.

Forced Perspective

What Art? 1

Part 1

1) The mood of the images are serious, as the models' facial expressions are very concentrated toward the direction they are facing. The first model has a normal, resting posture, as she is not completely straight up, however is not quite slouching either. The second model has a more interesting posture, as her head is tilted back so her face is looking up into the camera, and her shoulders are pulled forward as well. This elements create a more dramatic effect in the second photo, while the first feels very still.

2) I think these images were created through body painting. Colors and brush strokes were placed on the models in a way which blocked out certain natural highlights and shadows. This resulted in a 3D photograph that appears to be 2D.

3) Color is not very blended, making obvious and exaggerated brush strokes on the models. In the first image, the model is brought out by the bright and cheery blue color, contrasting from the intense red in the background, almost separating her from the chaotic world around her. The second image incorporates a red-orange throughout. This fiery color in addition to the pose of the model leaves a passionate, profound mood.

4) I think the artist intended to convey intense emotion through the varying colors and shadows of the paint. It really adds emotional depth to the images, alongside the facial expressions. I think the response the artist intended to evoke was to question how the images were created (how the paint was added in, whether it was real or applied in photoshop) and to create a strong mood presented with darker and lighter colors as well as the solemn facial expressions. I think the effort was very successful. The images really drew me in, as they were also very unique, and got me to really think about how they were created.