Avedon

 In this photo I experimented with having Leyla walk away from the camera and then turn towards it at the very last second.  I found that giving her less time to 'pose' was effective in capturing a natural looking photograph.  I think this picture channels Avedon's focus on the eyes of the people he photographed as well as the serious expression that many of his models had.

I especially like this photo because I was able to incorporate movement into the portrait.  As I mentioned in the photo above, I think one of the hardest things about taking someone's portrait is that people tend to try and mold their expressions for the camera.  What I found really interesting is that through taking what can be considered an action shot, it was much easier to capture the genuine expressions that Avedon looked for.

One aspect of portraiture that is difficult is that many people don't like the photos that are taken of them.  Eva wasn't the biggest fan of this picture, but it's one of my favorites because I caught it right as she looked up, which I believe gives the viewer immense insight into her authentic emotion at the moment the photo was taken.  Also, the intensity of her eyes interact with you when you look at this picture - a characteristic of many of Avedon's photos. 

This was the last photo of quite a few that I took of Sydney.  In the documentary about Avedon, I found it interesting that he told his models stories and was in many ways as involved in the photograph as his models were.  When I was taking these pictures, I tried to keep talking the whole time to keep my model relaxed and I thought it worked well.  At one point I pointed out to Sydney that I thought she was posing, which made her laugh and it was at that moment that I took the photo. 

 This photo was taken in a similar way to the one above.  It was the very last photo I took and yet it is the one that I think demonstrates the most sincere emotion.  I was inspired by Avedon's portrait of Marilyn Monroe after a long day of work, which shocked the public because it presented her in a light that the public had never seen before.  I especially like the portrait because it shows a more subdued emotion that isn't caught up in falsely appearing cheerful.

Favorite Assignment

 

This photo is taken of a window and so the building depicted is actually a reflection.  I attempted to create a frame using blurred leaves in order to draw the eye to the center of the photo which is the tower.  It is not necessarily important to come to the realization that the building is a reflection, but I think once you see it, the picture gains more depth through the use of background and foreground especially through the darker reflections of the leaves.

 

 I used the rule of thirds by placing the stairs across the lower third of the photo.  I think this photo is interesting to the eye because it plays with the angle and in the process creates geometric lines.  The stairs also create repetition and the trees are leading lines.   

  

 This photo demonstrates rule of thirds as well as foreground/background.  I think the focus on the branch really makes it pop because the blurred background establishes depth through making it look farther away.

 

 

 I think this picture is really cool because it has both a blurred foreground and a blurred background.  The point of focus is in the center of the photo.  It almost gives the impression of being underwater because of the way the light is falling on the plants.

This shadow in this photo creates rule of thirds.  I really like the use of light because the dew creates a really interesting texture, while the slight reflection in the glass creates depth.  It is more subtle but the angle of the photo almost creates leading lines and a foreground/background effect because the glass begins to blur towards the right side. 

Titan Hunting Frogs

This photo plays with the concept of foreground/background.  I blurred the foreground (the action figure) in order to bring the focus to the frogs.  I also was attempting to emphasize the illusion that the action figure is looking at the frogs but also hiding (both to someone looking at the photo and to the frogs).

In this photo, I tried to establish the illusion of sunlight through including the glare of the background.  It was challenging to establish the right proportions in this photo because I was using a book as the background and the frogs were slightly larger than I wanted them to be in proportion to the trees but I took the picture close to the green frog in order to establish a foreground that made the trees look more realistic. 

In this photo, I used the angle (close to the frogs) in order to make the size of the ocean believable.  The use of background and foreground also helps create a sense that the ocean is far away.  I also think rule of thirds applies to this photo in two ways (1. The sky is the upper third of the photo and 2. the frogs make up the lower third of the photo).

In this photo, I used the angle (close to the frogs) in order to make the size of the ocean believable.  The use of background and foreground also helps create a sense that the ocean is far away.  I also think rule of thirds applies to this photo in two ways (1. The sky is the upper third of the photo and 2. the frogs make up the lower third of the photo).

Finally, this is my favorite photo because I think it does a good job of establishing depth.  The orange pitchfork immediately draws your eye because it is brightly colored and in focus, but after a moment, the eye picks up on the ocean in the background.  It is almost as if the pitchfork is pointing at the line where the sand meets the ocean.  The point where the sky meets the water also creates a rule of thirds composition.

Rule of Thirds

 The blurred effect of the photo was an accident but I think it works for the Rule of Thirds assignment because it captures colors within the light that wouldn't have showed up if the photo wasn't blurred as well as establishes leading lines that draw the eye first to the circle of light and then to the line that trails off.

 In this photo I also played with relationship between leading lines and the Rule of Thirds.  I like how the lines on the wall draw the eye toward the hair in the right third of the photo. 

model: Leyla

 This photo is somewhat of a contrast to the previous hair shot because instead of leading lines it shows a straight on view of the wall.

Model: Parvin

 This photo demonstrates the Rule of Thirds because there are three figures captured.  I like this photo because it plays with light and shadows and shows the viewer the time of day the photo was taken.

Macro Setting/AV setting

This picture wasn't taken with the macro setting, but it still accomplishes a blurry background.

This picture was taken with the macro setting.  I like how the dew is in focus, but the leaf closest to the camera is out of focus because it's moving.

For this photo, I used the AV setting.  I like how the background is blurred but the leaves are an interesting focus point.

In this photo, I used the AV setting. I think it's interesting how the very bottom of the photo is blurred as well as the background and the middle of the photo is in focus.

Background

Leading Lines

 

3X3

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