My Photographic Journey

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Abstraction

A Day On The Couch

Serving Myself A Drink

Monster In The Mirror

Follow The Light

Sun Light

Rust

Flower Inside Out

Splatter

Upside Down Garage

Reflection

Monday, November 25, 2013

As I searched through several of photos that came up under the word controversy, one photography that kept coming up was Sally Mann. Sally Mann is a photographer who took photographs of her children. Most of the pictures are of them in the nude. It was hard to choose just one of her photos, so I chose three photos that really stood out to me. In the first photo of the little girl smoking a cigarette, I love her "I don't care" attitude that is displayed in her facial expression and body language. The shallow depth of field allows your eyes to really focus in on that attitude. The rule of thirds created by the other children also emphasizes that focus. The next two photos really spoke to me cause the photos portray such raw beauty. In the second photo where the siblings stand shirtless, I feel a sense of unity. They are making a statement that they stand together. This closed frame shot with a shallow depth of field strengthens that message. In the last image, the framing of the little girl with shadow of the water is just amazing. I love how her hair emulates the ripples of the water. From this photo I see a little girl enjoying nature to the fullest and almost becoming one with the water. I understand the controversy surrounding these photos, but the intention of the photos is to let you see the story happening without any distractions. At first it can seem appalling, but if you actually see the stories being told you will see these photos for what they really are...beautiful!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Motion and Sequence

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Critique of Anna's Humans of UTSA

Overall, Anna's pictures had great placement and framing of the individuals that she took pictures of at UTSA. However, all her photos were underexposed. Anna had a great eye on whom to photograph.

Her first photo was the only one that did not follow the rule of thirds. The woman is slightly off to the left, but you don’t notice that until you really look for the woman’s placement. Because of the placement, the woman seems centered and blends in with her background. There are also two different exposures in this photo. The light in the background is very distracting. This could have possibly been fixed with some cropping.

Her second photo had the best exposure. I feel Anna needs to crop this photo as well to take out the light in the back. Once cropped there would be no contradicting exposures. I love the placement of the individual. The young lady really pops out from her background because Anna took this shot from a great angle. Good job on this one Anna!

The exposure on Anna’s third photo is conflicting. It is better exposed in the background and the individual is underexposed. The color on this photo is really off. The colors seem too fake and the woman’s skin tone does not seem natural. I do like the placement of the woman. She pops from her background really well. There is a lot going on in the back but it is not distracting from the woman.

I love the way Anna had this gentleman pose. His playful charisma shows through in this picture. It really captures his essence. This pose along with his answer to Anna’s question gives the picture so much meaning. I think that with his pose perhaps a full body shot would have been best. Again this picture has contradicting exposures. Cropping is not a solution here. Perhaps if Anna shot the picture from a different angle that would fix the exposure issue.

I love the way the women are posed in this photo. It was taken from a great angle. The women truly pop from the background. Because of the shot of the angle, there is a very balanced feel in this image. I know it wasn’t planned, but the patterns and colors of the clothing and backpacks of the women really give balance. This just goes back to Anna having a great eye on whom to photograph. The only issue with this photo is the exposure. It is really underexposed.

I had the chance to see the original photos Anna took of these individuals. I have to say that the photos really did not need much editing. I think with the way she edited the coloring is what caused the photos to become underexposed. I think Anna has a great eye for placement and framing. I would just suggest that she place her individuals in better lighting so that there is enough light to get a great exposure. I would also suggest that Anna work on her color editing skills because some of her photos were well exposed before that.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Humans of UTSA

"What is your greatest achievement?"

"Being here at UTSA. Seriously. Even though we are military, I couldn't get the Hazelwood Act because both of my parents came into the military in different states. We didn't come in from Texas. I'm so lucky to be here to get my education."

"If you could give advice to a large group of people what would it be?"

"Don't stress over the little things because life is too short."

"What has inspired you to start dancing on campus?"

"I just like to get people involved. Like today it's a nasty day. Nobody wants to do anything. It kind of brings smiles to people's faces"

"What has inspired you to start dancing?"

"When it comes to dancing, nobody can tell you how to. It's completely up to you. Like what we're doing right now, it's free styling. Whatever you feel. Whatever comes to your mind. That's why I do it. It's fun and I like to wow people."