Final Reflection

Chandelier - Kill Your Darlings, Fibonacci 

The Color of Sound - House of My Mind

The works stand out to me because I love the way they turned out. As a photographer, many of the things I do seems like they will work perfectly when I picture them in my mind, but they often don't turn out exactly how I expect. Sometimes thats a good thing, but other times it isn't. For these works, they turned out better than I could have expected. When I shot the first image, I was just trying to compose an interesting photograph of a pretty chandelier that I saw. When I printed this photograph in the darkroom, it turned out as an intriguing photograph that plays with light, texture, and depth of field in a way that almost makes it abstract. For me, this photograph also represents how much I have improved my darkroom printing skills since the first film project freshmen year. The second image was one of the few works that turned out exactly how I pictured it before I started working. I really love how this project turned out, I think it looks seamless and is interesting and playful. This image for me also represent attention to detail, such as the shadow of the colors on the black back of the piano, and all the Photoshop skills I have learned and honed this year. 

My least successful work this year was definitely the darkroom part of the Transforming Materials project. For this project, I first shot a roll of film over the weekend that I thought might have some usable images on it. However, when I developed the film it was so thin I couldn't print any of the pictures. So, I took another roll of film, but I had to shoot at school and was uninspired, so I didn't get many good shots. Furthermore, that film didn't turn out well either, and by the time I had processed it our time for the project was almost over, so I ended up with very little time to print only two uninteresting images. 

I think I have a good eye for composition. I also really love to play with detail and texture in my photographs, by zooming in on objects, and I think this has been really successful in many of my photographs. 

I think I put a lot of effort into this class. I really enjoyed this year, and I worked hard on all of my project, except maybe for the darkroom part of the Transforming Materials project. I definitely spent a lot of time in Photoshop this year, asked a lot of questions and really improved my Photoshop skills. I would have liked to spend a little more time in the darkroom so I could improve my photo developing skills. 

I would really like to continue to pursue photography, even if its outside of class. After two years of taking this class, most places I go I will notice something that I think would be an interesting photograph. Hopefully I can get my own DSLR camera and pursue photography outside of school. I would also really like to pursue more projects, like my House of My Mind project, that mix photography and crafts, constructing art objects instead of just photographs. 

I think working in Photoshop has definitely taught me patience. I also think knowing how to do basic things in Photoshop is a skill that might come in handy in other classes, or even after school in the working world. I think this class as a whole has also taught me a lot about the process of creating something to present to a group, and about how to critique your own and others' work, which are skills than can be used outside of the art studio. 

Defy Ms. Seal

The objective of this project was to take images of flowers and/or pets that are esthetically appealing with out being cheesy or cliche flower or pet pictures. For my project I chose to take photographs of flowers with studio lighting on a white background, making the color, texture and translucency of the flower stand out. I also chose to pair up my photographs, with two different photographs with different perspective on the same flower. 

Future Tense

My book is titled Juxtaposed, and juxtaposed is defined as "elements placed side by side, leaving it up to the viewer to establish connections and impose a meaning. By digitally manipulating different images together, I hope to make the view think about the images and draw their own conclusions. My intention in this series was to mix things that do not necessarily go together, for a digitally manipulated end product that fits together well. 

My images focus on the shape, detail and texture of multiple objects. In many of my images, I hid certain parts of each image and highlighted other parts so that the most interesting texture and detail stands out in the final image. 

 For someone who plans to embark on this project, I would suggest that before you start, make sure you have a theme you are passionate about and interested in, because it takes a lot of time and you want to stay engaged. I originally chose a topic I didn't like very much, but when I changed my theme to something I was really interested it, it made the project much more enjoyable. Another important component of this project is to plan specifically how you are planning to construct your book early on, so you know how many photographs to choose, how large to make them and how to pair them up.

Kill Your Darlings, Fibonacci

How did you develop your craft with this assignment?

In this assignment I tried to focus on very carefully composing my photographs, as opposed to finding an interesting subject and not focusing so much on the composition. At the beginning I really focused on finding compositions that fit with the Fibonacci viewfinders we made. At first it was frustrating, but as the project went on it became easier to find the compositions.

What problems emerged? How did you solve these problems? 

When I was taking picture, the lighting I had was often very low, which caused me to have a very low aperture and shutter speed. However, most of my negatives were still easily printable. When I first started printing, my photographs were unclear and almost looked foggy. After dusting the lens of the enlarger I reprinted the photographs and they turned out much better. I was glad I reprinted them because they actually turned out to be some of my favorite in the series. 

What ideas, feelings, or meanings did you want your work to express? How did you go about expressing it?

My original intent with the project was to have a whimsical, playful feeling. I tried to achieve this by taking picture of my little cousin, children, a carousel and architecture in Golden Gate park. I also tried to focus on texture and detail. I don't think the collection turned out as whimsical as I originally intended, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Write about one of the photos that you "killed". Was it a darling? What is intriguing about it?

One of the photographs I "killed", a photograph of hooks displayed on a ladder, was I picture that I really liked. I liked the picture because of the different perspective it had, looking down as opposed to straight at the object. I also liked the reflection off the metal hooks. However, the photograph was clearly not as strong as the rest of the series so it made sense to kill it. 

Write about the photograph you chose for display in the library foyer. What makes it the right photography for group display?

The photograph of a chandelier that I chose to display in the foyer is one of my favorite photos I've taken this project. I chose it because I think its a strong photo. I also think that the tonality of it goes really well with the rest of the photographs that my peers chose to display. 

Your peers gave you feedback on your photographs. Did their preferences mirror yours? 

My peers' feedback mirrored my opinion on most of my photographs, though there was one photo of a plant that I really liked and that Ms. Seal really liked as well, but no one in the class chose it as one of their favorites. 

Stop Motion Movie

zoe from Ms. Seal's Art History on Vimeo.







The narrative of my project is based of the lyrics of the song that I used, "Shape of my Heart" by Noah and the Whale. A boy feels that his heart has been broken and doesn't want to let his emotions show or feel anymore. The moment of crisis in this project is when he gives up on his heart and leaves it behind. But the girl character carefully picks up the pieces of his heart and carefully plants it in a pot, waters it, and watches it grows into a plant and a new heart blooms. She then takes the plant and brings it too him. The narrative ends with seeing his happiness at seeing that she really does care. 


The music in this project is what inspired the narrative, so they fit together well to tell the story. I also tried to match the rhythm of the project with the music. I also thinking that the setting where I took my pictures and the lighting makes the pictures visually appealing. I also tried to use many different types of shots, which I think made the short film as a whole more interesting. 


I think the strength of my project was really the narrative. When this project was first assigned I was uninspired and didn't know what to make my short film about, but once I got the idea I really liked it and I'm happy with the way that I portrayed it. 


If I were to make another short film I would plan much more carefully and make sure that I had all the materials I needed on the day that I shot. I would also try to take all the shots on one day, because I took the majority of the pictures on one day but a few later in the week, and finding a second time when both actors could be there, wearing that same clothes, and I could bring the props proved to be difficult. 

House of My Mind

2. Preliminary Reflection:  

   a. Briefly describe the project and your personal intentions for this work.  

The goal of the project was portray the metaphorical house of our minds, using different works, or rooms to represent different aspects of ourselves. In this project we used Photoshop to create final works that are carefully thought out compositions of photographs and non-photographic elements woven together. My intentions for this project were to use textures and colors that represented both the memories and experiences and the future possibilities in my mind. I like to think of the house of my mind as someplace that holds past beauty and also the potential to create new beauty. I also had the idea to present my pictures using some sort of 3D shape, and I ended up choosing to make a dodecahedron out of eat picture,

   b. Reflect on the success of your final product.  How well does the work convey your intentions?   In what ways did your process propel the development of your work? (Are there any "Studio Habits of Mind" that would be meaningful to refer to in describing your process?)  How refined is you craftsmanship?  In what ways did your grow as a student of art (conceptually, formally and/or technically)?  

At the beginning of this project I brainstormed basic ideas and I was inspired by those ideas and let them develop. Some of my pictures, such as the picture of the piano with different colors keys, turned out similar to how I originally pictured them, and were very successful.  However, some the original ideas that I attempted did not turn out well, and I decided to do seething else instead. Some of my pictures, such as the collage of purple flower petals, street signs, and buildings, just came to me as I worked on them, taking inspiration from photographs I had previously taken. My idea of making dodecahedrons was ambitious and proved to be a tedious task, but I did it. I like the look of my dodecahedrons, but I also feels that so little of the picture is visible with them, that it undermines the hard work I did in Photoshop creating the pictures. Maybe if they had been on a larger scale the dodecahedrons would have been more successful, but I am glad that I followed through with my idea, whether or not the end product was exactly what I wanted. I think making three dimensional shapes for this project will encourage me to consider other creative presentations for future projects. I also think that this project really helped me realize and understand all the things Photoshop can do and how to use it to make composition realistic and intriguing, not cheesy or fake-looking.

Transforming Materials

For this project we attempted to take ordinary every day materials and transform them into something beautiful and interesting that can be captured in a photograph. I used baking cups, tin foil, and parchment paper in my photographs. I tried to emphasize the texture and monochromatic shades of these materials. With the tin foil, I like how it reflects different colors to create and more interesting photograph. In the picture I took using parchment paper I also utilized the natural light to create different shapes and shades in the picture. Overall, I think this was a successful project. 

Final Reflection

I think that I originally came into this class with an eye for photography. However, when I started this class I didn't know anything about how a camera worked, or what things like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO meant. Learning the different technical elements of photography has been very important for me this year. Learning to use the darkroom is also an important skill I'm glad to have. Before starting this class I only knew how to use a point and shoot camera. I realized that in order to be successful in this class, I needed to do more than just take a good picture. Learning the techniques behind taking a good pictures has been something I've learned in this class.  Now I know how to take pictures with a film camera and develop them. I also know more about using digital cameras, and how to manipulate them in Aperture and Photoshop. I think that these skills are skills I will be able to use my whole life. By practicing these skills in class, I have  become familiar with them, which will allow me to explore photography more. I'm excited to continue photography, now that I have a understanding of the basics and can experiment more. 

My favorite photograph that I've taken this year is the photograph that I took of a man walking his dog in Golden Gate Park for the Urban Landscape project. I think the way that this photograph captures a specific moment and plays with the natural lines of the landscape is very successful. I also think that the contradiction of the beauty of nature in an urban setting makes this photograph interesting. 

My favorite project that we did was the abstract project. I really like to focus on detail in my photographs, so the abstract project was the perfect opportunity for me to do that. I also enjoyed experimenting with different 'abstracting materials' to intentionally make a photograph more abstract, rather than just taking a photograph and hoping it turns out well. 

My least favorite project that we did was the portrait project. For this project, I was planning on taking pictures with a friend over the weekend, but she couldn't do it at the last minute. Instead, I had to take pictures during a class period on campus of my classmate Anna. I think that if I had had more time to think about the photographs and to experiment and a more interesting setting, my photographs might have been more successful. I also realize looking back at the project that it might have been beneficial for me to get closer to Anna when I was taking the photographs and to focus on her more than the setting. 

Still Life with Studio Lighting

Digital Abstract Photography

In this project we took abstract photos digitally and then edited them using Photoshop to make them more abstract and interesting. When taking my pictures I experimented with using water and putting different materials in the water. I wanted my photographs to be about the shapes and textures created within them. I think that this was successful, especially in the first three photographs. I also tried to have my photographs capture a sense of movement, especially in the first two. 

This photograph was solarized in photoshop. 

This photograph was made cyanotype in photoshop. 

Abstract Photography

 For this project we experimented with taking abstract pictures. We tried to take pictures that focused on texture and detail instead of specific objects. We also used abstracting materials to enhance the picture. In my picture of wine glasses I filled the glasses with marbles and water to make it look more interesting. I also took pictures through a vegetable steamer, which created an abstract pattern. When printing these pictures we experimented with the techniques of sepia-toning and solarizing pictures in the darkroom.

 This print is made sepia-tone using coffee in the darkroom to give it a brown tint. 

This image has been solarized in the darkroom by exposing it to light for a few seconds halfway through the developing process.

This photo has also been sepia-toned using coffee in the darkroom.