Final Review

1.
Paul Blofis, a baker of forty years, poses with his scotch pies after winning first place in the World Pie Championship in December of 2015. Blofis used his winnings to open a second bakery where  half of profit will be donated to charity and the local homeless.

Charles Beckendorf, the adopted son of two avid marathon runners, kisses the ground after winning first place in the New York City Marathon, a tearful moment for the running enthusiast. Beckendorf's adopted parents died in the Boston Marathon Bombing and this is the first marathon Beckendorf has completed after their passing.





2.

1. Rule of Thirds: placing the subject in a corner of the photograph, instead of the center
2. Balancing Elements: when an equal weight is placed on either side of a given point
3. Leading Lines: when linear or curved elements lead the eye to the subject
4. Repetition: when a type of element is repeated throughout the image
5. Viewpoint: when a subject is photographed from a different perspective to create a unique feeling
6. Background: when the background doesn't distract from the subject and allows the subject to stand out
7. Create Depth: when the subject and its background create a 3-d effect
8. Framing: When the foreground or background create a frame around the subject 
9. Cropping: when parts of the edges are cut out of the photo
10. Mergers: when two things appear to be the same thing but actually aren't

3.

Aperture: How big the opening in the lens is

Shutter Speed: How fast the opening opens and closes

ISO: How sensitive the camera is to light

4. 

Manipulating images is almost never ethical, acceptable only when all parties agree to the manipulation and when it doesn't mislead the public. 

5.

Environmental Portraits:when the background shows personality of the subject

Self Portrait: when the photographer takes their own portrait

Casual: when the photographer takes the picture when the subject is interacting with their surroundings 

6.

Exposure: the amount of light in the image that was not part of the environment

Depth of Field: which part of the image is in focus

Focal Length: the distance between the lens and image sensor when the subject is in focus

7. 

Early Covers: Looks very similar to the book, usually a hand drawn image and a title and publisher

Poster Covers: When the cover is an interesting and captivating picture

Married to Type: when the type's placement is dictated by the picture, not a lot of type

Forest of Words: when the type dominates the cover and the picture isn't quite as important. 

Magazine Cover Images

Portrait and Self Portrait

Portrait

Self Portrait

Fashion

1. 

• Longer neck
• Moved hair
• Eyes moved
• Make neck skinnier
• Lips bigger
• Eyes bigger
• Make up fixed
• Face shape changed

2. 

• Make up fixed
• Lips emphasized
• Nose changed
• Eyes bigger
• eye make up fixed
• shoulder moved
• Skin color changed
• stomach erased
• legs made longer
• legs made slimmer
• Longer arms
• Longer neck
• face shape changed
• Hair color lightened
• skin color changed
• back made skinnier

3. 

• backside made skinnier
• legs made skinnier
• arms made skinnier
• chest slightly smaller
• outline of figure changed
• stomach erased
• legs made skinnier
• chest enlarged
• back made skinnier
• legs made skinnier
• backside made skinnier 
• backside enlarged slightly
• elbow made skinnier
• creases in skin erased
• chest size changed
• stomach made smaller
• back made thinner
• outline made skinnier
• legs made skinnier
• backside enlarged slightly
• back made skinnier
• chest enlarged
• head size changed
• backside moved
• more hair added
• stomach made smaller
• elbow color changed
• hair made bigger
• hand changed

4. It is not ethically acceptable to change a person's appearance like this because this is not their body and it says that their body is not acceptable and needs to be changed. 

5. It is more ethically wrong when the image is changed so much that the new "person" can't resemble an actual human being.

6. The very few changes that are okay are the ones that have been approved by the subject and are almost unnoticeable and are extremely minor.

7. The difference between fashion photography and photojournalism is that photojournalism shows people how they are and how they look, while fashion photography is about showcasing bodies that are socially perceived as perfect and don't resemble the actual subject.

8. Fashion photography's relation to reality is slim to none, fashion photography has almost no ethical practice because it doesn't show reality. Photojournalism type photography's relation to reality is major, and photojournalism is ethically acceptable because it shows reality no matter what.

9. These videos represent the unrealistic expectations of women's bodies and how even the models in the pictures don't look like their pictures. These videos show how society perceives women and their bodies and how society perceives the "perfect" body. These videos are intended to show how unrealistic the photos in the magazines actually are.

10. None of these videos depict photoshopped guys because society perceives men's bodies as acceptable and in need of little changing. Society doesn't perceive men as physically as women, men are judged on both appearance and intellectual capacity on the same level, while women are judged on appearance more than their intellectual capacity. 

Magazines II

Early magazine covers didn't have the eye catching pictures that are vital in today's magazines. These primitive covers only provided the title and publication date. Some magazines didn't even have covers, but the front page had the beginning of the article, and cover lines didn't started appearing until the late 1800's.
Poster covers were popular from the 1890's until the 1940's, however, the posters didn't relate very much to the content of any of the articles, they generally depicted a season or a certain mood. From the 1920's to the 1960's, poster covers were the norm and featured no cover lines. However, a few cover lines were eventually added. Today poster covers remain an option, but not a popular one.
While poster covers were making magazine history, some magazines relied on cover lines to draw in consumers. The magazine published by McClure's in July of 116 shows a "integrated" cover that features both a large picture and many cover lines. This magazine included two kind of cover lines, primary cover lines and secondary cover lines. The secondary set of cover lines contrast with the primary set in both type and color, drawing in more readers. Most of these integrated covers, made sure that the cover lines didn't intrude on the picture.
Today, cover lines are just as important as the poster is to most of the magazines. On some issues, the cover lines draw just as much, or more, attention to themselves as the poster does, creating a sense of curiosity that helps draw in readers. Cover lines now are in the foreground, in front of the picture, while the picture is partially covered by the type. Very few poster covers can be found on newsstands today because they don't draw as much attention to themselves as they used to.

My Favorite Cover

The New York Times Magazine, September 14, 2014, The Culture Issue

Photographer: Victoria Diehl
Designer: Raul Aguilla
"For the cover of the magazine’s annual Culture issue, the artist Victoria Diehl rendered Lena Dunham in the style of an ancient Greek bust. This juxtaposition of the modern and the classical highlights the issue’s underlying theme: the waning of the patriarchy in art and culture, and the rise of other kinds of voices. Modern typography inspired by old-style calligraphic letterforms completes the design."

This photo conveys the cultural relevance of Classical Greece in the modern world, the prevalence of the patriarch and the significance of its effects on society. In order to send this message, the photographer had Dunham pose in the specific manner of a Classical Greek bust and used a black background, simplicity, to allow the image to stand out significantly. The amount of light on the bust is just enough to give it the illusion of being marble, but not so much as to create too much reflection. While in reality Dunham is not so pale, the whitish color assists with the marble effect and conveys the message by showing how unrealistic the "ideal woman" is in reality. The message is mainly communicated by showing the similarities of the patriarch in Classical Greece and today's modern society. 

Best magazine covers 2015

1. The Advocate-Formal
2. Wired-Formal
3. ESPN-Environmental
4. Out-Environmental
5. Bazar-Informal
6. ESPN-Formal
7. New York-Environmental
8. Atlantic-Environmental
9. Family Fun-Environmental
10. Culture-Formal
11. Bazar-Formal
12. Bazar-Informal
13. Vanity Fair-Environmental
14. Variety-Informal
15. Men's Health-Formal
16. Bloomberg-Formal
17. Golf Digest-Environmental
18. Kinfolk-Environmental

Magazine Tips

Five things I should be thinking about when I design my magazine cover are:

1. Don't mess up a good picture
2. In a boring picture, make one element pop
3. Make sure it catches attention 
4. Make sure that it stands out
5. Make sure that the picture is interesting

Portrait Prompt Shoot

Self Portrait and Portraits Part I

Introduce a Prop:
Add a prop of some kind into your shots and you create another point of interest that can enhance your shot.

Frame the Subject:

Framing gives an image depth and draws the eye to a point of interest in the image.

Play with Eye Contact:
      This can create a feeling of candidness and also create a little intrigue and interest as the viewer of the shot wonders what they are looking at. 










Environmental Portrait:

I like this photo because it shows off her passion without drawing away from her. This image has a simple background and two lines that lead to the subject.

I like this photo because it shows off his passion without being too busy. This image has lines that showcase the guitars beauty and the lines lead to the subject.











Photography Self-Portrait:

I like this picture because it gives a different perspective of the subject and the background points eyes toward the subject.

I like this photo because it gives insight into an old home, as shown by the coke bottles in the foreground, and because it is an older self-portrait.












Casual Portrait

I like this photo because the joy in the image is evident and nearly palpable, the smile is genuine and the dog can almost be seen wagging its tail.

I like this photo because both the woman and the child are happy and smiling genuine smiles, the joy is clear and almost tangible.











I hope to photograph my sister with her dog, either her chasing the dog or the dog laying on her lap. I would like to photograph the running scene in my backyard, with the dog on one end and her on the other, preferably with a huge smile on her face. I hope to photograph the sleeping scene on a car ride, with him in the middle seat and her on the side with the dog's head on her lap and her hand on his back, or with her laying her head on the dog's back and the dog's head on her lap. In order to make these shots successful, I will send them both into either the backyard to run, using a high shutter speed, or into the car, preferably at night and using a high enough ISO, and have her lay on the dog in the backseat.

Love and Loss

Going though these images, I felt happy, upset and horribly sad. While not knowing these people personally, I was still able to perceive their emotions and I reflected them to an extent.

"These photographs do not define us, but they are us." To me this quote means that while these images show the couple, they do not capture their personality, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies and their treasured memories.

If I was in this situation, I would not be able to photograph these images. I wouldn't want to look at pictures of my loved one sick and remember those days, I would rather look at pictures of them happy and smiling.

If I could write Angelo a letter, I would tell him to remember the days before she got sick, to remember the moment he met her, the moment he asked her out, their first date, when he proposed, when she said yes, their wedding, all the happy moments when she was lively.

American Soldier

A:     This is the most powerful image to me because Fisher's realization that the army is different than what he thought it was going to be is clear on his face.
 B:     I can tell when the location of the photos changes because the background is different and the type of dress is different in each location.
Set 1: Image #1- image #4
Set 2: Image #5- image #14
Set 3: Image #15- image #27
Back home: Image #28
C:     I found that the second set of images was the most powerful because it shows Fisher's transition from a high school graduate to a soldier.
D:     These images work together to tell a story because it shows Fisher's mental, and physical transition from a high school graduate to a soldier and why he transitioned.
E:     In the photos where Ian is the subject, the caption is usually written in present tense.
F:     The caption enhance the images because they provide more information than is evident in the photo.
G:     Ian decided to join the army on his 17th birthday. In order to join the army, Ian had get his diploma, so graduation was important, but not the ceremony. A week before leaving for Basic Training, he learned what it would be like. His family threw him a traditional party, with ice cream and cake, while his friends threw a different king of party, with beer pong. Ian's friends Buddha and Pineapple came to say goodbye before he left for Basic Training. The recruits were given an impossible task to be completed over and over. After failing to inform the army of a previous injury and then aggravating that injury could have gotten him disqualified. Ian and the other recruits are broken down to nothing so that they can be rebuilt in the army model. Ian keeps his playful quality by making machine-gun noises after being handed a M-16. Ian's drill sergeant John Eldridge got attached to Ian and motivates him during field training. After a long week, Ian turns to his religion to help alleviate his problems. Ian received his qualification as an infantryman. On a week-long field training exercise, Ian put his skill to the test during "raid" on Iraqi "villages", "attacked" their base, and a ten mile march with 65 pounds of gear on.

Rules of Photography II

Theme: World Landmarks

Rule of Thirds
Temple sight at Hawaii Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Park

Balancing Elements
Colorado State Capitol

Leading Lines
Golden Gate Bridge

Symmetry
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China

Viewpoint
Statue of Liberty

Background
Gateway Arch

Depth
Arlington National Cemetery

Framing
San Jose de Los Jemez Mission

Cropping
9/11 Memorial

Cool Merger

Abandoned Theme Parks

I would like go to Glen Echo in Maryland partly because its legal to enter the park, and it would be interesting to photograph the unused part in contrast with the used part. I would love to capture a abandoned building in the same photo with a used building, because it would show two eras of history in one shot. Ideally I would also be able to go at night in order to see the lights on a current building and the eeriness of the abandoned building.

5 Unusual places to Photograph
1. Chateau de Loup
2. Henry and Edsel Ford Memorial Auditorium, Detroit
3. Vanity Ballroom
4. Chateau Clochard
5. Boca Chica Village

Boca Chica Village
The Boca Chica Village is located in Cameron County, Texas, about a mile from the Mexico border and two miles from the coast. I think that his would be a cool place to photograph because some houses are unkept, while other houses are neat and clean. The road is filled with potholes and is in disarray, and there is a completely abandoned motel-like house that would be awesome to photograph, as well as a shrine to the Virgin Mary.
In order to photograph this location, it would be a 300 mile drive from Austin and a 30 minute drive from the edge of the city of Brownsville. On the way back into town, you would have to check in with Border Patrol in order to enter the city. Hotels in the city are average rate, as long as you don't stay on South Padre Island or Port Isabelle. I would need a camera, different lenses, maybe a tripod and a flash. Some expenses I would encounter would be hotel rooms, restaurants, personal items, and possibly souvenirs. I would have to consider privacy laws and some property laws before photographing the village.  

Africa

This photography, by Nick Brandt, is my favorite because it shows these animals in their natural habitat doing something thats dangerous yet necessary. I like this image because it shows the risks these animals face on a daily basis. In addition, I like seeing the cliffs in the background and the rapids in the river and the herd of animals waiting their turn to cross the river.
Some rules of photography are evident in this photo are lines, as shown by the horizon formed by the cliff and sky, the bank where the river meets the cliff, the line of zebras in the water, and the ripples formed by the current.
Nick Brandt uses a Pentax 67II with two fixed lenses. This is important because these images are taken without any telephoto lenses meaning that Brandt got up close to these animals and waited for hours to take their picture.
Brandt reason for taking these photos is to bring awareness to the destruction of these animals by humans, as shown though his interview with Scientific American. Brandt takes these images to showcase these magnificent animals before they are extinct in the wild.
Brandt hopes that, by taking these images, he will inspire people to take action against the destruction of these animals. I believe that he hopes that his images will raise more awareness of these atrocities and more and more people will stand against the impending extinction of these animals.

"In 1995 I first drove the main road from Nairobi down through southern Kenya to Arusha in northern Tanzania. Along the way, in completely unprotected areas, I saw giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, wildebeest. A few months ago, just 13 years later, I made the same drive. I didn't see a single wild animal the entire four-hour drive. It's not that they've moved elsewhere. It's that they've been wiped out—turned into bushmeat." - Nick Brandt

Funny Captions

Rory Pond, with an unfair advantage, and his wife Amy Pond race to the finish line on their custom made power chairs at the annual Old People Race. Having been married for sixty years, the Ponds's have attended, or lately participated in, the Old People Race every year since they started dating, this year, however, they spent half their savings on their new power chairs.

Rufus Gable (far left), Frank Wright (middle left), and Sammy Valdez (far right) imitate the three wise monkeys, while Hazel Valdez (middle right) adds her humor to the scene instead of copying the "do no evil" monkey. The Valdez's, married fifty years, along with Gable and Wright grew up together in Houston Texas, and every year they take this exact photo, except Hazel changes her pose every time, having always been the rebel of the group, usually chooses an obscene gesture.

Rose Tyler shows off her NFL spirit at the 2014 Super Bowl with a half shaved head the the NFL logo painted onto her hair. Tyler was nearing her due date when she attended Super Bowl I in 1967, during which her water broke, however, she refused to leave the game until her team, The Green Bay Packers, won, luckily the game ended with enough time for Tyler's son, Nathan, to be born in the nearby hospital.

Mural Project

Some themes we could do for this project include: friend groups (of all sizes), books people are reading (for class and fun), and extracurricular activities.
We should use both camera phones and regular cameras.
I would place these murals somewhere every student could see them, in the courtyard, on lockers, near bulletin boards, or on the wall outside the office in the entrance.

Great Black and White Photographers III

Coast View Number One

1) Watkins's photographs caught my eye because they show nature in a different way that I am used to seeing.  I particularly liked the old feel of these images, because they remind me that these pictures were taken about 100 years ago. 

The Half Dome

 I see the ripples of the river, marring the reflection of the scenery. I observe wildlife drinking refreshing water from the stream. I stand in awe of the distant mountains, dwarfing the gigantic trees behind me. 

I smell the water on the fragrant leaves and flowers. I crinkle my nose at the odor of the filthy animals. I relish the scent of the grass and shrubs.

I hear the flowing of the water and the rustling of the leaves in the wind. I turn my head at the noise of a person walking on rocks. I hear the current of the fast water on my leg. 

I taste the water in the misty air. I eat the tangy berries from a bush. I frown at the bitter flavor of the stream water. 

I feel the rocks beneath my feet and the smooth water falling though my fingers. I shiver at the coldness of my pants against my wet ankles. My hair covers my face as the chilly breeze blows against the back of my neck. 

Vernal Fall

I see the green needle leaves against the blue sky. I watch the indigenous animals fight for the female. I  observe the small, medium and then large clumps of dirt falling from the cliff before a large rock falls. 

I smell the aroma of the leaves mixing with the dirt. I crinkle my nose at the unpleasant odor of the scat nearby. I enjoy the scent of the fragrant path of flowers nearby.

I hear the roaring of the water falling from the cliff and hitting the rocks below. I catch the sound of a deer walking behind me, looking for food. I listen to the songs of the birds high above my head. 

I taste the water hanging in the air, flavored with the fragrance of the leaves. I grimace at the taste of dirt in the water. I eat the sweet berry that grew on a shrub nearby. 

I feel the soft dirt underneath my feet and the sharpness of a splinter entering my hand. I push my sleeves up at the warm humidity surrounding the waterfall. I relish the feel of the warmness the sun brings on my face.

I would like to create a Prezi, or maybe a power point, to showcase facts, and my thoughts, about Carleton Watkins.

Academic Shoot Reflection and Critique

Some challenges I encounter when trying to get photos while following the set rules were finding the right angle from which to take the picture, finding a good subject, and getting good lighting.

While I was taking photos the technical aspect that I thought about the most were following the rules of photography. For example, in the photo of the art student at the table, my main focus was on getting her situated in the corner of the photo, and in doing so, I was also able to capture what she was drawing.

If I were to do this shoot again, I would get more simplistic photos and more images that were framed. I would also be more thoughtful of avoiding mergers.

If I were to do this shoot again, I would still get multiple shots of each subject and I would still focus on the rules of photography.

In the next set of prompts, I anticipate the Rule of Thirds to be the easiest rule to achieve, with Lines being the next easiest.

In the next set of prompts, I anticipate getting a Simple background being the hardest rule to achieve, with Balance the next hardest.

I am still not entirely clear on balance, and I will reread the article from before, or find another reliable source from which to learn the rule, in order to completely understand the rule.


Nora's Photojournalism Blog
Nora's quality of photos is amazing, particularly the fifth photo, the boy in the dark green shirt looking at the ecosystem with a fish, rocks, and a couple of plants, where the balance in the photo is great. Another awesome picture is the first photo, the fish in the PetCo. bag, where the rule of thirds is  obvious and carried out splendidly.
The only thing that I would change about the images, would be to chose a photo where the background is less busy.

Academic Photoshoot

I used Lines in this photo.

My subject in this photo is the artist's hand that's holding the pencil.

I think that the subject of the photo is mostly clear to other people. 

In order to make the subject obvious, I would have changed my angle from which I took the photo. 

I used Rule of Thirds in this photo.

My subject is the artist sitting at the table. 

I think that the photo of the subject is clear to other people. 

In order to make the subject even more obvious, I would have changed my angle from which I took the photo. 

I used Lines in this photo. 

My subject is the girl standing with the lei around her neck and a Hawaiian shirt on. 

I think the subject of the photo is mostly clear to other people. 

In order to make the subject obvious, I would have gotten closer to the subject. 

I used Lines in this photo.

My subject is the hands using the ruler.

I think that the subject of the photo is pretty clear.

In order to make the subject more obvious, I would have slightly blurred the background. 

Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO

Aperture

We should associate the pupils with the aperture setting. 

The smaller the aperture size, the higher the aperture setting. 

When the aperture size is small, then the foreground and background are more in focus, and when the aperture size is big, then the foreground is sharp while the background is blurry. 

Shutter Speed

When shooting while the sun was still up and gave good lighting. 

a) a high shutter speed 

b) a highish shutter speed 

c) a really high shutter speed

d) a higher shutter speed

e) a higher shutter speed

f) a really high shutter speed  

When the sun was down and you can't see across the courtyard.

a) a slow shutter speed 

b) a slower shutter speed

c) a really high shutter speed

d) a slowish shutter speed

e) a higher shutter speed

f) a slowish shutter speed

The camera has three settings regarding setting shutter speed, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual. In the Aperture Priority setting, the photographer sets the aperture setting while the camera controls the shutter speed. In the Shutter Priority setting, the photographer sets the shutter speed, while the camera controls the aperture setting. In the Manual setting, the photographer controls both the aperture setting, and the shutter speed. 

ISO

The advantages of shooting at a higher ISO at a sporting event is that the images won't be blurry due to fast motion, and that the camera doesn't need as much light to capture the image. 

The author suggested using a low ISO as much as possible when there is plenty of light, or if you want a "ghost" in the image.

The author suggested using a high ISO when there isn't enough light, or when capturing action shots, but to make sure that its alright to introduce noise. He also suggested used the Auto ISO setting in low light areas.

Unusual and Interesting Photos III

Three really good suggestions for photographers that I found were using natural light, using a soft hook, and capture a story in a single photo.

It is unclear if the photographer followed the specific suggestion beneath Van Gogh's painting, photographing something meaningful, however it is a definite possibility that the location in the image is significant.




The style of painting that influences me the most is scenes, I love photographing scenes that tell a story or scenes that are important to people.