MARLENE PENA
3 sTRANGER PORTRAITS
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For this assignment, our job was to go outside and take the portraits of three strangers. During class, we were given time to go around campus and take some shots of people we had never met before. At first the models were a little awkward about it, but as I took more pictures and complimented their attires, the tension in their faces eventually disappeared. The first picture was taken later in the day, so my ISO was higher than 500, and my shutter speed was fast enough to get a sharp image while still maintaining a good level of light. In addition, my aperture was at around f6, making the subject sharp with a slight blur in the background. The last two pictures where taken early in the morning, as a result I set my ISO to around 400. I changed my shutter speed and aperture accordingly as my subjects posed in differently lit places. I was very happy with the shots I got and I am looking forward to experiment with portraits in the future.
3 Color Studio Portraits
We had already shot studio portraits many times before, and this week we used the things learned from these to complete a set of three portraits in color. At the beginning of our shoot I was the model, I wore a turquoise colored wig and a red sweater. I modeled for most of the class, and then took my shots. The studio lights were not too harsh on the subjects I was photographing; therefore, I used an aperture of f4 to have the model in focus while maintaining a blurry background. In addition, I used auto and cloudy white valance to get a warm hue and a cold hue to the portraits. The subjects were quite stiff and looked uncomfortable at first, but I managed to help them relax a little by telling them how to pose. In the end I was happy with my pictures although I wish I could have gotten more interesting shots.
Blue and Red Gels
Recently, our assignments have required us to submit 3 pictures on each week’s assignment. This time, our goal was to learn how to photograph using different color light gels in a studio setting. The first time I tried this new light setting I was getting very blinding and warm pictures, which were not the look I was going for. As a result, I changed my white balance from incandescent to fluorescent, which toned down the harsh light on the model’s face. My ISO stayed at around 800, trying not to go too far from that to prevent noise in my pictures. I also made sure to stay as still as possible while talking my pictures, for it was a low light situation and I had to keep my shutter speed low to get the right amount of light. In the end I was very pleased with my pictures, I had never photographed with gels before so this was a great learning experience.
Symmetry and balance
This week’s assignment called for three photographs which showed balance and symmetry. After being shown examples of what a full credit picture would look like, we were allowed to go around campus to take our shots. The first place in which I took some shots was one of the school’s gardens. At first I thought it would be hard to find symmetry in a garden due to the prominent amount of organic shapes. However, as I looked very closely at the plants and flowers around the garden, I began to realise that some sets of flowers followed a pattern and could be photographed in certain ways to fulfill the goal of the assignment. I took a couple of shots that day but I decided to only turn in the three purple flowers I photographed. Two days after, we were allowed to go around campus once again. This time I decided to head to the PAC, where I found my last two shots. Here I found some kind of water drain and two pipes dripping water from last night’s rain. Both of these were pretty easy to photograph. I was happy with the photographs I came up with and I will be taking more photos that show balance and symmetry in the future.
Product photography
This week, our assignment was to learn the basics of product photography, and turn in three photographs. Before taking our pictures, our teacher explained some of the ways we could shoot products. He gave us advice on what types of background you’d want to use for dark and light objects, and the settings we should use depending on the background. Another idea he stressed a lot was that a product photo should always showcase a clear view of the brand’s name or logo. This assignment was one of the most important lessons we’ve had over the school year, mainly because product photography is a big industry. The information acquired from this assignment can be applied to many professional situations, especially by those who aspire for a career in photography.
Isolation
This week, our assignment required us to take pictures of subjects with a recurring theme of isolation. As always, our teacher showed us examples of isolation in photography and sent us outside to take pictures around campus. I got my first set of pictures at the PAC, although I was not very happy with my results. Eventually I decided to use pictures I took before, since I had pictures that showed isolation and looked a lot better than the pictures I took this week. The pictures from this week were difficult to shoot since my camera seemed to have some issues in focusing on my subject. Isolation is a very interesting concept that I definitely plan to use in future photographs.
Lifestyle photography
Our task for the week required for us to take pictures on the recurring theme of lifestyle photography. For my three pictures, I decided to take photographs of a Nikon camera, a pair of Converse shoes, and a Nautica jacket, all on or being used by my friend Galilea. The day on which I took these photos was very cloudy, so our light source was nicely diffused on my model. For all three of my pictures, I made sure that enough of my subject was in focus in order to have a clear view of the brands' logos. Although I cannot recall exactly, I am positive my settings were around 400 ISO, aperture f8, and a shutter speed of 1/200. I was quite satisfied with my photographs and I do plan on doing this type of photography in the future.
Garden Photos
This week, our assignment was to take garden pictures. The day our assignment was presented to us, I went to one of the school gardens to take some photos of flowers. Unfortunately, the flowers in the garden were either dried up or very discolored and would not make a very pleasant picture for the assignment. As a result, I took some shots around my apartments when i got home, where i was pleased to find blooming flowers. The next day I took the last two shots I needed for the week from another garden in school. Here the flowers were better looking, and i was able to get some macro shots which I was very satisfied with. Garden photos are very fun to shoot, and I will definitely continue to photograph gardens in the future.
Depth of Field
This week's assignment revolved around depth of field. Our job was to take three pictures, preferably of the same subject, demonstrating a transition between a wide depth of field and a shallow depth of field. For my pictures, I decided to go with a lock I found around the football field. For my first shot, I had my f stop at around f 23. For my second shot, I had an f stop of 9, and for my last shot I had an f-stop of f 2.3. In the end I was satisfied with my pictures although I would have preferred to take shots of a more interesting subject (something other than a lock).
Senior portraits
top 5 pictures of the week
Unlike past week assignments, our job for this week was to turn in 5 of our favorite pictures of the week. On Tuesday, our class took a field trip to Balboa Park where I took all of the pictures shown above. My favorite shot out of these five was the first squirrel picture. While roaming around Spanish Village, I found a squirrel looking for food. The squirrel noticed me taking pictures and luckily decided to stick around and I was able to get many good shots of it eating and running around. The lens I used allowed me to get shots of the squirrel from far away while still filling the frame. I really enjoyed this field trip and I plan on going back to Balboa Park to take more pictures around the many interesting places found here.