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.

Portraits

For this project we experimented with taking portraits. We took a series of portraits of the same person. Before starting to shoot, we looked at many different portrait photographs on flicker to get ideas for what techniques we could use when taking pictures. I tried to focus on capturing emotion and taking photos in an interesting setting. I think that my photographs would have been stronger if I had gotten closer and focused more the face. 

Urban Photography

For this project we focused on taking pictures in an urban setting. We tried to focus on the buildings and the setting more than the people. We each chose one famous urban photographer whose work we liked and took pictures in a similar style as them. The photographer I was inspired by was Eugene Atget. I noticed that many of his photos focused on alleys so I took multiple pictures of alleys, but I only printed one of them. I also tried to take pictures that focused on the lines of the architecture, more than the people, because Atget often took pictures early in the morning, so that there would be no people in them. Unfortunately, the photographs for this project did not scan very well, and have red at the bottom of them. I think some of my photographs, such as the second one down and the last one, were much more successful than others, but overall I am happy with the project.