Warm/Cool Colors
In this photo, there is a bright orange tunnel leading to a small circle of shrubbery, which is slightly off-center. The shapes are both geometric and abstract. The shrubs create a circle, while the orange surrounding it outlines said circle, and fills in the rest of the frame. The main focal point in this photo is the contrast in warm and cool colors, with the orange creating a warmer tone, while the green is a much cooler shade. I found this project to be difficult, since differentiating warm color from cool colors (i.e. what makes one shade of blue warm, while another shade is cool) is not my strong point. However, I am pleased with the result, and I don't think I would change anything.
Inspiration Photo: Horst P. Horst
Horst P. Horst's Photo: Lisa Hat and Gloves, 1959
The idea behind this project was to find a photographer and attempt to imitate his or her style, without copying the photo itself. I chose Horst P. Horst, as I found the simplistic, glamorous, and vintage feel to his photographs very charming. The style I chose to imitate was the style used in Lisa Hat and Gloves. I used vintage clothing and style to try and capture the feel of the time period his photo was taken in, and then using photoshop I softened the image as well as the colors and contrast. By doing this, I was able to replicate the soft, grainy quality that is associated with older photographs, without losing the colors in the photo completely.
Diane Arbus
In this photo, I attempted to imitate Diane Arbus' awkward and unique photographs. This project was extremely challenging for me, since I find it difficult to find the perfect balance between "not awkward enough" and "too over-the-top awkward". Diane Arbus has a way of photographing someone without overthinking it, without staging the photograph too much, and while still capturing something real in the photo. Oftentimes it is difficult to place exactly what is off in her photos. I (rather unsuccessfully) attempted to imitate this style in my photo. I tried to achieve this effect by placing the model's (Briana's) belt askew, and twisting her bangs oddly. I then moved the image to photoshop, upped the contrast, brightened it slightly, and then digitally altered her face by moving her nose up higher than where it normally sits. I feel like this photo was overall not a great success, as I overthought it much too much, and it seems like the resulting photo is rather forced because of it. The hair and the belt are very obvious, and not at all like the subtle style Arbus uses so well. The only part I really do feel works is the photoshopped nose. This is because there is something slightly off about the proportions in her face, but it is difficult to say exactly what. Although I can't speak for the viewer, to me it creates a slightly awkward and almost uncomfortable feeling, because something is clearly amiss, but isn't obvious enough to jump right out and show itself.
The Burning House Project
In this project, we were supposed to take a picture of what items we would save if our house was burning down. This was tricky because, obviously, I would want to save everything. I finally settled on items that absolutely could not be replaced, either because they were rare, unique, or had sentimental value.
I picked:
I picked:
- Moishe, my Wild Thing from when I was a baby
- My mom's original, limited edition prints of The Hobbit (2 copies) and The Diary of Anne Frank
- A box from my dresser filled with notes, doodles from friends, and little odds and ends I've collected over the years
- My vintage dress (background)
- My laptop
- A picture of my great great grandfather
- Teeth (4)
- Notes that my mom left in my lunchbox all through elementary school
- My three cats (not pictured; I couldn't get them to sit still)
Photo Series
In this series, I took multiple pictures of a broken chair, balanced in different positions. I included a Gatorade bottle with an orange cap to balance out the orange sandbags I used to stabilize the chair. I took this using a strobe, so there are interesting shadows made by the objects.
Six Lightings
In this set, there are six different pictures of Briana, each lit differently. This was shot outside, with bounce boards and Briana as my model. She is in the same pose in each picture, demonstrating the difference lighting can make in a photo.
Head Replacement Project
In this project, I was supposed to replace a classmate's head with an object, using minimal amounts of photoshop. Instead of replacing Eve's head with a single object, I replaced it with a set of circular bars from the playground nearby. I managed to do this without using too much photoshop by using a tripod, and having Eve stand on a chair. I then proceeded to take pictures of her standing behind the hoops. After I had gotten a satisfactory amount of photos, I had Eve step down, and took pictures of just the hoops. Because the camera was on a tripod, the picture was exactly the same, minus Eve. Once I uploaded to photoshop, all I had left to do was adjust the brightness and contrast, and cut the smallest circle from the photo without Eve, and replace her face with it.
Symbolism Project
In this project, I was supposed to take a photo that symbolized something, without being too over-the-top or obvious. The photo I took is of two peoples' arms and hands, with two red strings running down both, tied in a knot where their hands meet. I lowered the contrast to give it a slightly flat look, and changed the color balance so that the colors in the photo are mostly cool colors.
The idea I was trying to convey is that we are connected to our loved ones, whether they are blood relatives or a life-long friend. The knot in the string represents that these kind of bonds are permanent, and while the string can break, that bond will always be there, even after things have come to an end.
The idea I was trying to convey is that we are connected to our loved ones, whether they are blood relatives or a life-long friend. The knot in the string represents that these kind of bonds are permanent, and while the string can break, that bond will always be there, even after things have come to an end.