Assignment #11 - Final Edit

For the final assignment I had to edit a photo. I chose this bundle of roses.

I gave the flowers a bit more colour, darkened the background, and removed a small flower that could be irritating to look at.

The compositional rule I used for this photo I aimed for simplicity.

I really liked just how simple yet pretty the flower was to look at. I also like the flower in the background, despite that for some people it might take away from the photo. I somewhat dislike the small flower on the right just hiding behind the roses and trying it's best to blend in.

Assignment #10 - Gastown Scavenger Hunt

For this assignment we went to Gastown and hunted down photos off of a checklist. We were to make a post with ten of the things we successfully found.

These are my ten.

Planes

This first photo is of a helicopter that I tried to take a photo of while it was flying. I was way too slow. I dislike the pipes (?) in the front of the photo. 

I'm Hot and Steamy

This was the first photo I found for this assignment. I personally dislike the tree leaves at the top. I'm certainly not fall enough to move branches around though.

W

What I dislike about this photo is that the tip of the w is cut off and that it's closed off by glass. Would have been better without the reflection.

Stairs

I tried my best to get the first visible step on the lower thirds. As well as the 'centre' of the stairs on the left third.

Old vs. New

What I like about this photo is that the trees, that are both old in age, but new in terms of the leaves, are separating the older in updated buildings and the more recently updated buildings.

Trains

I tried to get some of the trains on the thirds, which they kind of are, in a square. I only wish I got the entire display, but I have a feeling that not as much detail would be visible, which is kind of necessary for something so small.

Vancouver

I rather like this photo and I don't know if there'd be a lot I'd change.

Water

This is another photo that I really enjoy. The fountain itself is on the corner thirds as best it can be.

Gassy ______

  This old fart (haha get it? Whatever.) is Gassy Jack and I had two photos of him but decided to use this one. I dislike the electrical wire behind the statue.

Lights

This is a pretty basic photo, but I felt like my other potential photo for lights was a bit too cheesy (it was a photo of the sun poking through a tree.)

Photo Challenge #3 - Natural

Natural was the word that we had to work with for this photo challenge. 

On the weekend I went for a walk with my mom and my dog and we came across this little slug having a snack.

I figured that something that isn't exactly appealing to the eyes, but nonetheless natural doing a natural thing was a decent photo for this challenge.

Photo Challenge #2 - Loud

For this photo challenge, the word given was 'loud'.

When I thought of loud I soon afterwards quiet. Not that I'm averse to loud areas, but sometimes it's nice to be able to relax in at least somewhat silence.

However long ago I used to enjoy looking out the window or just relaxing near it while cuddling my dog when I couldn't sleep. I would do it more while it was raining, but still.

While taking this picture my camera was dead and I forgot to charge it throughout the weekend, so I had to use my phone.

Assignment #9: Composition - Contrast, Texture, Repetition, Angle of View, & Don't Forget to Avoid Mergers

This assignment's photos were taken alongside assignment #8.

Contrast

Contrast, or in this case colour, is used to either really make something pop out or make two things contrast each other to the point that they accentuate each other.

My attempt at this was to take a picture of these berries.

What I love is that not only are the berries bright as opposed to the background, but the berries are in much better focus as opposed to the background.

I could do without those berries in the corner though.

Texture 

Texture is another form of contrast.

In this case I took a picture of a shiny and smooth ladybug sitting on the leaf that isn't so smooth.

I wish I could have gone closer, but I didn't wanna scare away the lady bug.

Repetition

Repetition, well I don't know how I'd describe repetition. 

In this photo I had to do a lot of moving around. As in I moved around a bunch of trash bins. Thankfully I had hand sanitizer with me.

I wish I could have moved the trash bin in the corner completely out of the way but there were a bunch of flies and I didn't wanna piss anyone off with the whole 'me moving things around' thing.

Angle of View

Angle of view is used to give a unique and not often seen view of something. I mean how often do you crawl on the floor in a park. You don't, and if you do I hope you're at least relatively hygenic.

I have several takes if this photo but I chose this one because of the tree. I was conflicted because of the lens flare. Not because I dislike it, but more because it feels cheesy.

I really like the view of the tree from below. I feel like that really adds something.

And that's that.

Assignment #8: Composition - Scale, Depth, Framing, Simplicity

In this assignment we went to The Key, a shopping area, and Queens Park, that is... a park, both places are in New Westminster.

For assignment number 8 we were to look out for various settings that involve 4 themes or composition rules.

Scale

Depth

Framing

and Simplicity.

Scale

Scale is used to compare things and truly show just how small or large something really is. Sometimes like a person standing next to a tree is a great example of how scale truly makes one realize that, hey that's a damn big tree.

In this photo I used scale to compare the large tree with the small, well plant I suppose.

I'm not very fond of the lack of difference between the two different plants, but you can still tell the small plant is there.

What I do like is that the leaves of the tree really stand out with the light blue sky behind it.

Depth

Scale is used to draw someone into the photo and usually it is used to draw attention to whatever is at the end of the depth.

What I dislike is that there isn't symmetry. But considering that I can't move around the flowers without some backlash, it's just something I'll have to live with.

I do however like that it leads the viewer to the fountain and/or the tree.

Framing

Framing is used to accentuate or bring focus upon a specific area, as in whatever is in the frame.

What I love about this photo is that the frame made by the trees is, to my knowledge, completely natural.

What I dislike is that there isn't exactly something to focus on.

Simplicity 

Simplicity is just that. A nice and simple photo without a lot to distract from the photo.

My attempt at simplicity was this bundle of roses.

What I love about this photo is how clean the flowers are.

Photo Challenge # 1 - Smile

For this photo challenge I chose to take a picture of my dog smiling.

While it wasn't the smile I wanted before hand (she does this thing where she smiles in her sleep sometimes), I chose to just go for this.

P.S. That's my dog Loki.

Assignment #7 - Composition - Leading Lines (Part 2)

This is part two of the assignment, leading lines.

While I was decently confident in the rule of thirds, in leading lines I wasn't anywhere near as confident. 

Leading lines is when various objects are in a row and might lead towards either a scene or a person.

Here is the first of three photos I'll be putting forward as my attempt at leading lines.

In this one I took a photo of the wooden poles, that of which I have no idea what functionality they serve. Also while taking it, an older man kept looking at me like I was losing my mind or something. Or perhaps we was suspicious that I might take photos of the children playing at the playground behind me, I have no idea.

I like this photo though, perhaps one of my favourite.

Here was another attempt of mine.

While I don't exactly know the specifics of what make a photo follow under the guidelines of 'leading lines' (other than repetition) I'd guess that curves qualify. Maybe.

While the plants are pretty, I'm not fond of where they lead to. The trash can and the rather grey unattractive background. Also the sky is quite washed out and I'd rather it wasn't, but I'm not exactly a photographer with years of experience under my belt am I?

This isn't one of the three photos I'm posting for the assignment.

I'm just posting this one for fun, seeing as the snails were there and almost in a line.

Kinda cute.

Here is my third photo I'm posting for my attempts at leading lines.

It was brought to my attention that this one would have been better taken if the bridge was more visible but I thought that maybe if it was more at the side it might not have been quite the same effect. I still very much so like the look of this photo.

And that's that.

Assignment #7 - Composition - Rule of Thirds (Part 1)

The rule of thirds is a method of taking a photo in which objects or people cover a line in a grid of three, hence thirds (because the photo can be divided in splits of three).

These are my attempts at taking photos with rule of thirds.

Here is one of my attempts and the first of three photos I'll be showing for this assignment.

In this photo I took a photo of the ship that was open as a sort of playground. Out of all the photos I took in attempt to follow the rule of thirds, I'd say that this one might just be my favourite. I like the sky and the ship, just how they look together. While it is my favourite, I'm not exactly fond of the building in the background. I'd also like it to be a little bit brighter, but considering that I live no where near the place where I took this photo it's not exactly easy to retake it. 

This is the second photo I'll be showing for part one. 

This one was taken from the inside of the boat. I tried to go for a framing effect using the windows of the boat. While the painted killer whale is curved, it is, to some extent, on a third. I'm not a huge fan of my job getting the photo framed in that it wasn't exactly even, but I can't exactly move the boat so that the windows will be even and that the killer whale will still be on a third.

Here is my third and final photo I'll be showing for my rule of thirds attempts.

Now this one has a lot I wasn't exactly fond of, but I couldn't exactly alter them. I do wish I took the photo while the sky train (a method of transportation that tends to go above ground, for those unfamiliar) was passing along but I didn't exactly manage to get my timing right. I also wish there weren't people in the corner but I can't exactly tell them to bug off so I can take a photo. Also it's a little dark, and I'm not too fond of that. What I am fond of is that two lines of thirds are being covered, the left and the bottom ones. I also like the clouds.

This was part one of assignment number 7.

Assignment #6 - White Balance



In order from left to right, top to bottom, the photos had the white balance setttings of automatic, flourescent, shade, automatic, cloudy, and sunny.

With the first row of photos I noticed that shade gave the photo a high amount of yellow and the reflection that the apple gives off was no longer visible. Auto (if I remember correctly) was closer to how I saw the white in the phone and the booklet than flourescent was.

With the second set of photos I noticed that with the cloudy setting everything was slightly darker but the white was still quite white. The apple also was no longer visible. Auto was quite accurate or similar to how I saw the white like cloudy. Sunny oddly had a blue shade, but thinking about it sunny would make things darker so things would be more visible.

Assignment #5 - Exposure Composition

Before I get into the actual assignment I just wanted to throw it out there that, yes, I did without realizing it delete the original photos from my camera so I had to take several new ones.

I should also mention that everything was very fickle and extremely slow (such as five hours to upload the photos only for it to tell me when 'done' that the file was too large) so I had to end up reducing the photo size by 50% before it would deem them acceptable and upload them.

Now to the assignment itself. 

With this assignment we went and took pictures of various settings, two light and two dark, with us end up having to choose one of each setting, one light and one dark. The photos were taken with various different exposure values, -2 to +2, ending up with five different photos that were to be put together in a collage of sorts like above.

I noticed that the lighter photo setting (the one on the right) was still rather clear even on +2 EV, while I had a very hard time trying to get the camera to focus on a dark EV +2.

While taking the dark -2 EV picture my camera still had a hard time focusing and would only focus with a decent amount of light. Even with 0 there was still a slight challenge. I also noticed that while having the same shutter speed throughout all the photos +1 and +2 of the darker photos (the ones on the left) were blurry and not as in focus as the others.

Assignment #4 - Discovering "Your" Type of Photography

http://visionwidget.com/fashion-photographs-iain-crawford.html

I would say that in general I gravitate towards photographs that involve liquid or the colours blue and/or green. I enjoy liquid textures because it makes its own boundaries and it looks appealing. The fascinating thing about liquid is that it can be manipulated to show many shades of a colour based on the lighting the photographer uses. I enjoy the colours green and blue because they occur naturally in various shades and can be especially vivid.

This photograph in particular grabbed my attention because the colours really pop and the plastic around her head turns into liquid around her body, which makes for a very striking texture. The photographer was able to capture various shades of yellow through use of lighting and the blues of her eye shadow create a contrast. When I first noticed the picture I noticed the use of colours and how bold they are compared to the rest of the scene.

Assignment #3 - Culture Jams

Part 1: Critique

I chose to critique this Apple ad that was subverted.

1. What company does the advertisement represent/subvert?

The Apple company is the company that is being subverted in the advertisement. This is known because of the iPad's presence in the picture and the text mixed with the white background that frequents Apple advertisements.

2. What kind of product(s) is being advertised?

The iPad is being advertised in the ad because it is seen being shown off and praised for being 'thinner than ever'.

3. What imagery is used in the advertisement to subvert?

The imagery of a young very thin child reaching out for the thin iPad is being used to subvert the advertisement.

4. What message (text, copy) is used in the advertisement?

The text 'thinner than ever' is being used. It is likely being used because it is both used for the iPad and because it fits well when comparing the images of the iPad and the child.

5. How are the elements and principles of design used to convey a message?

The comparison of the thin iPad and the thin child are used together to convey a message alongside the caucasian hand giving the african child the iPad. The starving child is also used to subvert the ad.

6. Who is the target audience of the advertisement?

The target audience of this advertisement are Apple consumers and those who might not be quite are sympathetic towards assisting those less fortunate.

7. Does the ad jam convey a clear and successful message?

Yes, it seems to be relatively clear with the message being that there are people saying the next new step in technology is a thinner tablet when there are starving children who could be a better way to spend time, money, and energy.

8. How could the ad jam be improved?

It could be improved in that, the image could show more of the person handing out the iPad comparing two different people and lifestyles.

Part 2: Create

For part 2 I chose to 'corrupt' a Kardashian advertisement.

1. What company does the advertisement? 

OPI Products Inc. does the advertising of the original ad.

2. What kind of product(s) is being advertised?

Nail polish is being advertised.

3. What imagery is used in the advertisement?

The Kardashian women, who believe it's safe to say frequent the reality show they are on, are part of the advertisement alongside smaller pictures of the nail polish bottles and clothes.

4. What message (text, copy) is used in the advertisement?

"KardashianKolor", "Sparkle this holiday with shades inspired by everyone's favorite TV family!"

5. How are the elements and principles of design used to convey a message?

The 'favourite TV family' are all photoshopped to perfection and are posing above the product itself. 'If you buy this you'll look just like us'.

6. Who is the target audience of the advertisement?

Adolescent and adult females and fans of the Kardashian's show.

7. What made you choose the advertisement you created an ad jam for?

It's rather easy to make fun of the Kardashians and I've never really been a fan of their show. It also happened to be within the magazine.

8. What have you done to create an ad jam?

I changed the messages and drew them as 2 dimensional figures.

9. Does the ad jam convey a clear and successful message?

I would hope so yes. There isn't very much substance to be found within 'everyone's favorite TV family'.

10. How could the ad jam have been improved?

It could have been draw more professionally and I could have added more detail to the figures, but that could possibly take away from the message. I also could have put more time into creating the image.

Assignment #1 - Getting Started

This isn't my first introduction to blogging, so I am not necessarily out of my comfort zone or confused about how this whole thing works. I haven't really used Blogspot/Blogger before simply out of personal preference. I have a personal blog elsewhere, but I likely won't be sharing that with anyone.

I'm not really all that nervous about this whole 'blogging for school' thing, just that it's a little different. I'm also not too nervous about sharing my thoughts with others, just a little curious as to how I'm going to put my constructive critique or support of others photography together.

Blogging for the photography class and sharing my photos for critique is something I'm somewhat impartial to. Just waiting to see how it will unfold, blogging alongside others within the class.

All in all I'm not really excited or nervous about how this is going to unfold.

I suppose that this will suffice for now, seeing as I don't really have very much else to add.