For my 3rd photo assignment, I chose to take pictures of nature. In order to capture aesthetically pleasing photos of the environment, I had to make sure I had a wide depth of field (which means a smaller aperture) and, in the case of photographing moving water, a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion. Here is my best photo from the shoot, which is an abandoned bird's nest I found at the library: Aperture: 2.8 -- ISO: 80 -- Shutter Speed: 1/160 Here are 5 of my next best photos: The only editing I did in Photoshop was cropping unnecessary or "ugly" elements in the photos.
While I had all sorts of choices when it came to photographing nature, I struggled to try and find interesting and colorful aspects to take pictures of. Given the current weather, everything is mostly white or gray. However, I enjoyed this challenge and had a nice time driving all over Saline looking for inspiration. I was also able to find a bit of green amongst the neutral colors, which is shown in my slideshow. I used the camera mostly in Auto mode (unlike my past 2 assignments in which I used Manual only) to observe how the camera captures outdoor images.
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For our newest assignment in Photoshop, I had to use various tools (such as Levels, Layers, Selection, and Paintbrush) to take an original photo of a car and tweak it to look like the Photoshopped demo version of the same car. Here is the original photo of the car: Here is the demo version of the Photoshopped product: Here is my Photoshopped copy of the photograph: This assignment forced me to look at the minute details of a photo and determine how Photoshop can improve the image, whether that be eliminating glare or altering shadows to create a cleaner product. I had some difficulty with the Clone Stamp Tool, but I was able to correct this problem by double checking that I had clicked on the correct layer I wanted to work on. Finally, I took a photo of my own and changed it up a little in Photoshop. Here is the original photo: Finally, here is the Photoshopped version of the eggs: I used the same tools that I used for the car assignment to create this image, particularly the Selection Tool and the Paintbrush to change the color of the eggs and nothing else.
For this assignment, I took photos of various objects using the Macro mode on the camera. Not only did I have to get incredibly close to the objects I was photographing, I also had to adjust the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO accordingly to prevent digital noise and/or shadows in my photos, as well as focus the lens on the subject. Here is my best photo from this assignment: Aperture: 2.8 -- ISO: 400 -- Shutter Speed: 1/20 Here are 5 more of my best shots: I enjoyed this assignment because it allowed me to explore photography in a way I never have before. It was fun to take seemingly arbitrary objects and create detailed photographs out of them, such as the candle wick and the packing peanuts shown above. The issues I had centered around digital noise in my dimly lit bedroom, as well as camera shake. Thus, I changed my ISO and shutter speed to counteract these problems.
For our first Photoshop assignment, we used the Adobe program to create an Andy Warhol-esque Pop Art photograph. To accomplish this, we had to learn how to use the layer function on Photoshop, as well as the use of guides, creation of filters, and use of the threshold dialog. The following is the original photograph I used: Here is the finished Pop Art photograph: Finally, here is another Pop Art photograph I created, just for fun: This project taught me how to incorporate a photo into Photoshop, as well as how to duplicate it, place a colored filter on it/change the saturation, and then place it into a collage. It was easier for me than I expected it to be, perhaps because I have prior experience with Photoshop from the Graphic Communications class here at SHS.
For my second shooting assignment, I will be taking photos of objects in Macro mode. I chose this topic to become more familiar with the macro setting on my camera, as well as get more practice working in Manual mode. These photos provide inspiration for me because each one closely defines the texture of the subject that is being photographed. Additionally, many of these photos show that ordinary objects can create interesting macro photos, which will be beneficial to me because the current season doesn't provide many opportunities for flower and insect photography, which is what macro photography is typically used for.
For my first photo assignment, I chose to take pictures of food in such a way that captures the dish as appetizing. My family goes out to eat at Mark's Midtown Coney Island every Wednesday, and my 18th birthday was this past Thursday, so I had many opportunities to take pictures of delicious meals. The following is the best photo from this past week's shoot: Aperture: 3.5 -- ISO: 1600 -- Shutter Speed: 1/25 Here are 9 more of my best photos from this shoot: I made the decision to take all of my photos in Manual mode, which was challenging but interesting. The biggest problem I faced was that I had to take all of my pictures in low-lit, indoor areas and thus had to adjust my ISO and aperture to the correct levels before moving on to the shutter speed. I noticed quite a bit of digital noise in most of my photos, some more so than others, so my next goal will be working toward reducing that.
For my first shooting assignment, I will be taking pictures of food. During this assignment, I hope to improve my skills when working in the Manual mode on my camera. I will change the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO on my own accord, in order to create photos with the correct exposure. The following photos are inspiration pieces to get me thinking about how I will photograph my food. I chose these three photos because I really enjoy the presentation. Each one shows the food as a full meal, often with creative placement of the various ingredients in each dish. I am having Chinese food for my birthday, so I hope to take photos similar to these that capture the unique flavors and recipes for international meals.
For this assignment, we had to research various compositional elements, go out and take pictures that reflect those elements, and then create a blog to display those photos. The mechanics of how our cameras work and the online research regarding the compositional elements took up a majority of the project to ensure quality photos. This project taught me the importance of compositional elements and the interactions between them. As I went around the high school taking photos, I realized it is difficult to take a photo without multiple elements becoming involved. For example, there is a framing element in the photo I took to show balance.
Perhaps the most difficult element to capture was texture, because the lighting in the high school does not often give way to textured photos. I was able to solve this problem by going outside, and the photo I captured is actually one of my favorite photos I have taken thus far. My name is Becky Mitchell, and I'm a senior at Saline High School. I spend my time working as a page at the Saline District Library and cuddling with my German Shepherd, Lola. I have a younger sibling named Ezra and an older brother named Rhys (I somehow missed out on the cool baby names when I was born). I took this class primarily because I needed to fulfill my technology credit in order to graduate. However, I chose this class to accomplish the tech requirement because I have always enjoyed taking photos and I would like to get better at it. I do not really have any prior experience with photography, other than my love of taking selfies. I am excited to learn more!
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I'm Becky.Look to the left to view my photos! ArchivesCategories |