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.