The first day I walked into this class, I had no idea what to expect or how my photos would turn out. When my teacher gave us free time to take photos, I would basically point my camera at everything I saw and press the shutter release button. I quickly realized I had a lot to learn about how to make a photo appealing to the eye. It's harder than it looks!
I have grown a lot as a photographer throughout this class. Not only have I become more familiar with the technological aspects of the digital camera, such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, I have also tapped into my creative side and become better at creating scenes and arranging subjects in a beautiful way. My final shooting project (the one I did at graduation), was particularly special, because I will treasure those photos for the quality and for the memories that accompany them. I'm also a lot better at Photoshop now! I've started using Photoshop for fun in my free time and I really enjoy experimenting with the different tools. I used to get frustrated when I couldn't figure out how to achieve an effect, but now I see it as an opportunity to learn and use my critical thinking skills. Overall, I have learned a lot in this class. I hope to continue taking photos even after the school year ends. I think photos are a really beautiful way to express the successes and struggles of life.
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There were two parts to this project. The first part, Visual Puns, consisted of creating a representation of a pun/idiom using solely images. The other part, Visual Dictionary, was where we had to choose two words and represent their definitions with images. What I LearnedI learned that a picture really is worth a thousand words! It was actually hard to think of ways to describe things without words, especially for the puns. I had to really use my creativity to make a cohesive image that wasn't too obvious.
For this project, I took photos at my high school's graduation ceremony. I tried to capture the feelings of pride and victory that my subjects felt after finishing high school. I really enjoyed shooting at graduation because now I have a multitude of professional-ish photos that I can look at and remember this special evening. My Photosshutter speed: 1/30 aperture: f4.0 ISO: 200 What I LearnedI learned that photographing events is really hard, because life is very fast paced! I had to time my action shots at the exact right time to achieve the exact right effect, which was difficult. On a happier note, though, I also learned that many people are more than willing to model for photos! I really enjoyed this photography experience.
For this photoshop assignment, we had to take two portraits, one which was taken in a studio and one that was taken elsewhere with a bounce card. Then, we had to combine the photos in photoshop and create a white frame to place the photos on. original photos final product What I LearnedI learned how to use Photoshop independently in this assignment. The teacher did not give us any instructions for how to create the white frame in Photoshop, so we had to figure it out by ourselves. There are many ways to do it, but I personally used the Rectangular Marquee tool and created the frame, then filled it white with the Fill Bucket. I felt proud that I didn't have to Google how to do it.
For this assignment, my friend Brianna (check out her blog) and I walked around the suburban area of our hometown and took photos of the buildings around town, specifically some of the historic buildings recognized by the town. My PhotosNo editing done Shutter speed: 1/1250 second Aperture: f2.8 ISO: 160 What I LearnedIt may seem simple. but changing the angle or layout of your photo can really do a lot! Sometimes I would find a subject I really liked, but the photo just didn't seem right. I solved this by moving myself to change the angle or rotating my camera to capture the height of the building.
This week, we were set free to search for Photoshop tutorials and create some unique photos! I decided to create a polaroid effect, a watercolor effect, and a comic book effect. tutorial here tutorial here What I LearnedI learned a lot about Photoshop during this assignment! I experimented a lot with different filters in the Filter Gallery. I also learned some new keyboard shortcuts that make operations a lot faster. Finally, I worked more with different types of layers, groups, and Smart Objects while creating these.
The AssignmentI happened to be having a bunch of appetizing meals the day I shot these, so I decided to capture them! I tried to convey how yummy they actually were in the photo. My PhotosShutter speed: 1/5 second Aperture: f5.6 ISO: 100 What I LearnedDuring this shoot, I learned that sometimes a photographer has to risk being judged in order to capture their subjects. I got some weird looks as I took pictures of my food at a fast food restaurant, but hopefully it was worth it!
For this assignment, we had to set up the camera in one place and take multiple photos using different poses while keeping the exposure the same throughout. Then, using Photoshop, we loaded the photos into a stack and then merged them into one trippy photo! What I LearnedWhile working on this assignment, I became a lot more familiar with the Lasso tool. It is a little harder to use than the Quick Selection because all the selection is done freehandedly, but I feel like I can use it competently after this assignment.
For this assignment, we had to take multiple overlapping photos of the same scene and use the Photomerge function on Photoshop to create a panorama of the location. What I LearnedI really struggled with this assignment. I had difficulty with achieving the 30% overlap that makes the photo appear seamless and unified. However, using the manual focus was a good skill that helped me make successful final photos.
The AssignmentFor this assignment, I took photos of (mostly) inanimate objects around my house, including my makeup, my candles, my pet cactus, and more! My PhotosNo editing done Shutter speed: 1/15 second Aperture: f4.0 ISO: 400 What I LearnedDuring this shoot, I learned how much effort goes into photos of objects. It's not enough to just take a photo of the object; this isn't appealing to the eye. As the photographer, I had to be creative in using different angles, lighting, and composition elements to capture the beauty of the objects.
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AuthorA high school junior trying to learn how to capture the world in a more beautiful way! ArchivesCategories |