Black & White

Assignment Description:
This assignment was supposed to show us how to capture pleasing images without considering the colors of the photograph. By eliminating hues, photographers focus viewer's attention to certain aspects of their picture, enhancing certain elements of the picture.

Photo:

 This is the original photo I took of a jar of coins. The lighting was not very good, so I had to eventually adjust the balance in photoshop. The exposure triangle was:
Shutter Speed: 1/8
Aperture: 5.0
ISO: 200

This is the edited photo after using photoshop. I wanted to make some shadows in the picture to contrast the brightness of the rest of the photo.











Slide Show:



What I Learned:
I learned that it is extremely important for one to consider the lighting of the picture when taking a black and white photo. Without different colors to balance an image, you must rely on the exposure triangle to get a decent photo.

Gimp 6: Dictionary

Assignment Description:
This project was to introduce us to complex digital editing, for we were instructed to take four words and try to illustrate their dictionary definitions through pictures we found on the internet. We had to incorporate at least three images per word.

Pictures:

 What I Learned:
I learned how to alter multiple images to incorporate them together into one picture. I never realized how much work to took to make these photos. I had to use tools like the perspective tool, scaler, blend/blur tool, and the opacity. These techniques were combined with the other skills I've used before, like colorize, levels, and saturation/hue.

Portrait

Assignment Description:
This assignment was to get young photographers such as myself to begin taking creative, professional pictures of people. We were instructed to fill the frame with our subject, and to somehow portray the person's personality.

Photo:



 I forgot to save the original photo, which was taken outside. There had been grass in the bottom third and a parking lot in the remaining background space. I had an exposure triangle of: shutter speed 1/400, aperture 4.0, and ISO 80.












Slide Show:



What I Learned:

I learned previously how to adjust the lighting of the environment to get a proper exposure on my subject's face, as well as placing them in a natural setting to enhance their personality. I barely used photoshop or gimp to enhance the pictures. It was mostly used to adjust the lighting on the girl's face. Although some of these pictures involve multiple people, they truly display the two girls' personalities, which is the most important aspect of a portrait photo.

Gimp 5:Portrait Project

Assignment Description:
In this assignment we were exploring how to get a professional portrait picture using studio lighting. We set up expensive cameras at many different angles to add light onto our subject. We also tried to make decent photos using a bounce cad; a big piece of white cardboard to reflect light in an attempt to add additional lighting on the subject.

Photo:

What I Learned:
I learned how to manipulate the lighting in an area to get enough to create a nice portrait without expensive lighting tools. I also learned that it is extremely hard to get the lighting to look so professional without that equipment. It is really hard to get good lighting without additional light sources.

Food

Assignment Description:
For this assignment we were instructed to photograph food in a pleasing way that resembled that of professional work. We were told to consider compositional elements as well as exposure settings to create a well thought out picture.

Picture:

 This is the original photo. I used an auto exposure setting and only adjusted the shutter speed in order to get the lighting I wanted.

In the edited picture I removed the second strawberry, seeing it as a distraction, and did my best to blend the new black background with the red berry.









Slide Show:



What I Learned:
I learned that food photography is very difficult the master and takes lots of planning and prep-work to finally create a creative picture. It was really hard to get the lighting the way I wanted and was quite difficult to merge the original image with the adjustments I made on Gimp.

Gimp 4: Changing Context

Assignment Description:
This assignment was developed to inspire creativity within ourselves as we were instructed to take a picture of the school and digitally add objects to change the context of our photo. By using pictures from the internet and many tools in Gimp we were able to alter the photo in unexpected ways.

Picture:

This was originally a simple shot of the outside of one of the stairwells in our school. I wanted to set the building in a mystical-looking environment by placing it inside a cave thriving with lush rain forest vegetation and ghostly birds.













What I Learned:
I learned how to use layers to create multiple parts of a picture. I also used the scale and perspective tools to change the different elements in an attempt to get a pleasing balance of objects. I messed around with the opacity of different layers to create the allusion of transparency, and used color saturation to make certain hues pop.

Still Life

Assignment Description:
This particular type of photography focuses on displaying an item in a pleasing fashion. The goal is to create a picture that could be used as an advertisement in a magazine. It is essential to consider the elements of composition and to create the appropriate exposure to create a good photo.

Best Picture:

This is a picture of a perfume bottle. I placed green foliage around the product to add additional visual interest to the picture and used a flashlight to create a controlled lighting.In manual mode I was able to self-adjust the exposure triangle, with an aperture of 2.8, a shutter speed of 1/15, and an ISO of 100. I needed these settings to ensure a proper exposure in such a low-light situation.

Slide Show:



What I Learned:
I learned how much time it takes for professional photographers to create an advertisement. Each photo I took required multiple adjustments to the lighting, settings, and positions to finally take a good picture. It forced me to learn a little patience.

Gimp Assignment 3: Panoramic

Assignment Description:
This project was designed to introduce us to a new form of photography. By combining separate pictures with 10-20% overlap, you can create a wide angle view of the environment. We were instructed to take three pictures of the same place, with a 10-20% overlap between photos, then upload them into Gimp where we used multiple layers to seamlessly combine them into one cohesive picture.

Photo:

This is the photo I worked on. I took three pictures of an outdoor courtyard on the school grounds with a slight overlap. (I also used a tripod to ensure minimal differentiation between photos.) Then I uploaded them into the computer, and through gimp altered each to be combined together.

What I Learned:
In this assignment I learned how to create a panoramic view through multiple photos. I learned how to use The shear, scale, and perspective tools that help seamlessly combine these photos. I also learned how to adjust the color levels and sanitation despite the obstacle of multiple layers. I dis howevere have a difficult time getting the overall perspective correct.

Nature Pictures

Assignment Description:
In this assignment we were told to capture on image that expressed something special about the environment in which we live.  We were to tell a story about the outside world through our subject and its surroundings, using the elements of composition to enhance our photos.

Best Photo:

This is a picture of a budding tree in my backyard. I wanted to show the richness of spring through the redness off the buds, and use the darker background to contrast that color. I had the Shutter speed fast, around 1/125, and an aperture at 2.8, for I wanted to counter the lack of light the shutter would let in as well as create a nice depth of field.

Slide Show:



What I Learned: I learned how to see nature in a more artistic way than before. I now look for pictures that display a mood or feeling within viewers, and I pay more attention to compositional elements. Many time I try to off-center a subject, or alter the lighting to get a better photo. I also used gimp to touch up the coloring of the buds to get a little more contrast.