Marlene Peña
Period 8
Macro photography
Our first assignment of the year required for us to take macro photos of any subject. At this particular time of the year, the school gardens are home to many insects as well as some summer-blooming plants, two perfect subjects I could photograph for this assignment. As a result, I whipped out one of the classroom's cameras and stepped outside. I made my way into the closest garden to the classroom, where I found myself having trouble finding an interesting subject, but soon enough I found what I was looking for. The wind was a little rough, so I had to increase my shutter speed to capture the subjects' motion. In the end I was satisfied with my pictures, although I would have preferred more interesting subjects and a less windy day.
Stranger Portraits
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This week's assignment called for three portraits of strangers. I prefer to take my photographs somewhere other than the school campus mostly because photo content can get quite repetitive, but this time I had not other choice. My school work has been increasing as the days go by, impeding me from shooting photography assignments on my free time. However, I soon realized how much easier it is to take photographs of strangers at school than at some other place. For one, the people you encounter at school are for the most part opened minded and all the people who I asked to take portraits of accepted my request, except for one, which I understood. I am in fact very proud of these portraits, I can say with confidence that they look better than last semester's stranger portraits assignment.
Reflection
This week, we were assigned to take photos of any subject relating to reflection. We were only given one day to shoot, and was not very successful with my photos. Besides having a short time to shoot, my main problem was not finding interesting subjects to shoot. While there are many reflective objects in campus, I did not find them interesting enough to get a good shot. In the end, I was not satisfied with my photos, and I plan on re-shooting for this assignment.
Worm's eye motion
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This week, our assignment asked for motion photography from a low angle. As always, I attempted to complete my assignment in school, but was not really satisfied with the subjects I was shooting. As a result, I decided to work on this at home, were I also had a hard time finding a subject to shoot, but was a lot more successful. I had the most difficulty when shooting the toy cars, for I had to move these myself while also taking shots of them as they moved. Worm's eye motion is an interesting type of photography that I will surely explore further in the future.
Studio Portraits
The theme for this week's assignment, was studio photography. During the class period, our task was to arrange the studio setup by modifying our light sources to our liking. The black backdrop and contrasting light made for a very dramatic, yet soft value on the model's skin; this lighting brought attention to her face, as it radiated a reflection into her eyes. While the directions given to the model were quite simple, she was able to emit very comfortable and natural-looking poses. This assignment was an enjoyable experience in which I gained a bit more practice regarding studio photography and its process.
Outdoor Flash
Normally, the work we are assigned in class is enjoyable and exciting to experiment with. This week, our assignment was far from the usual. The moment my eyes met with the assignment written on the board, my face scrunched up in disgust. This assignment read: "Outdoor Flash Photography," my absolute least favorite subject to take photos of. From the difficulty I have with limited flash ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to the artificial tone given to the model's skin, my outdoor flash photography just seems so bland when compared to my other photographs composed with natural and studio lights. While this assignment gives you well needed experience, I would not see myself practicing this kind of photography again unless my own life depended on it.
Optical Illusions
For this assignment, our task was to take pictures of a subject while incorporating some sort of optical illusion. This proved to be a little difficult, given the fact that I had never photographed anything like it. The most difficult part was to find the right angle that portrayed the required optical illusion. This assignment was a new experience for me, and I learned how to use different angles to create the illusion of a different situation.
product photography
For this assignment, our task was to enhance our skills regarding product photography and turn in three pictures taken in the studio, and three pictures outside. I had to retake some of the objects utilized in this assignment due to some problems regarding the products' logo visibility, problems which I considered while taking the six images above. Like other class assignments, the process was a bit challenging, yet expanded my skill on product photography, a skill that is extremely useful in the world of professional photography.
Up close photography
In this assignment, our task was to photograph a variety of subjects from up close. Although the camera I use does not focus on the subject if it is too close, I was able to capture some images that hopefully meet the requirements of the assignment. This is a type of photography that i am drawn to, perhaps because of how much detail can be found in close-ups, so much so that such images can even become abstract.
end of semester portraits
