All Around the World

By: Chelsie Leathers
Taken of Rhoda K.

We All Smile the Same Language

file:///Users/leatherc/Desktop/We%20all%20smile.psd     
    In this photo, four separate shots of children were placed together to make a single statement. We are all, in many ways different, but in more ways, the same. Although we may all be different people, in the end, we are all one. Equality is very important to teach to kids at a young age, in today’s society, so that they may grow up knowing that everyone is equal. Although we may come from different places and have a different colored skin, we all smile that same language. This was my inspiration!

Portrait Assignment

For this specific write up, I am going to focus on one image to critique, the photo with my younger sister Kathryn, with a fan as a prop. This picture is an example of a posed shot. The way she is posed in unnatural and different. For the Depth of field, it is shallow to allow the clouds and background to be blurry. The focus is placed upon the subject, being the model in the shot. I set the shutter speed and aperture so that this image could turn out the way that I wished. Personally, I enjoy the depth of field and focus that this image has. there were a few minor complications in achieving the correct aperture to capture this exact shot. However, after some adjustments, I was able to complete what I wished, which as this photograph.

The exposure of this shot is rather original. With the sun as a light source, my sister and I decided to try something new with the prop that we brought from home. I thought, well, maybe if we place the fan right on the sun, the light will come through with an interesting effect. The exposure of the picture focused directly on how much light was let into the camera, from the tiny holes in the fans handle. The shutter speed and aperture has to correspond with each other in able for me to get the correct amount of exposure necessary. From this project, I learned further that depth of field and exposure depend on each other.

Again, the lighting in this shot, in my opinion, is more unique. Like stated before, I had Kathryn place the fan she had in her hand directly in the way of my camera and the sun. In doing this, tiny amounts of light was able to scape through the prop, and the light went into my camera. With this done, the light was able to spread throughout the shot, giving the surrounding area a yellow tint. This is also an example of outdoor lighting. I had to really work with my environment to capture this shot. Being that the light source is behind the subject, backlighting was also used here. Backlighting also, at times, poses as an issue with sun rays, however, I purchased a sun hood in the past to place upon the end of my camera, so I was able to avoid these problems.

Lines play a large role in the composition of a photograph. However, lines in this particular image are limited. The only lines that I personally am able to see are the lines in the fan. These lines were abundant running horizontally out towards the face of the subject. When I see these lines, they draw my eye out towards the subject, whom is almost a silhouette, in the right-hand side of the shot. It is interesting, because the sun has created an illumination of the lines, with the colors of yellow and orange. I believe that this really adds to the photo.

Color in this picture is also abundant. They consist of shades of blue, yellow and orange. Mostly having to do with the sky, this color combination gives me a sense of a natural environment. The colors are not extremely vibrant, but soft and complimenting which  I enjoy very much. I also prefer how the whiteness of the models dress has been turned to a pale, but dark blue, because of the reflecting blue of the sky, and lighting of the sun. It truly was amazing to see the colors come to life in a totally different way, just because of the fact that the sun was low, and covered in this particular way.

Last, the composition of the shot. Unlike most of my photos, this image does not follow the basic rule of thirds. The subject is places in the center of the photo, which, for me at least, is very different. How the light from the sun begins in the handle of the fan, then spreads throughout the picture is a more artistic method. Simple, but effective.  Again, I really enjoyed playing with the light from the sun for this photo shoot. I hope to continue experimenting with tactics such as this, in order to expand my skills as an artist, and photographer.

Panorama Assignment

For this introduction to my two part panoramic assignment, I am going to focus on the 180-degree image to be able to use specifics about the composition, depth of field, ect. The depth of field of this shot is rather deep. The viewer is able to see all of the detail in the back and foreground. The focus is constant throughout the frames because while I was in the process of capturing the photographs, I was able to turn off all of the automatic aspects on me camera, and make everything manual. The focus on the lens was also done manually. There is no place in the picture that is out of focus (not including the background in a very select few areas). There were no complications that I had in giving this picture the depth of field and focus that I requited to make this collaborative panoramic work correctly.

The exposure of this shot was also done manually, to ensure that all of the pictures would fit when they came together over Photoshop. To be able to be combined into one shot, they all required the same exposure. In able to do this, I had to set my aperture and shutter speeds constant. This objective was easily obtained while in manual mode. There is no area of the shot that is over or under exposed. Again, this is a simple task to complete when done without the assistance of auto mode.

For these series of pictures, I was outside. I used the sun as my natural lighting. Because of this side lighting, some shadows are visible from the trees and surroundings. Just off of judging this picture alone, one may infer that the sun is on the right side of the picture, because there is a shadow on the left side of the tree that the model is leaning on. Also, a small hint of shadow can be detected on the models left side of her face.  I love the lighting in this photo. I would not have done anything different than I did. I love it!

Lines are abundant in this collaboration of shots. The lines are visible as elements of composition in the white lines of the fence. When I personally look upon this shot, my eyes go directly along the lines of the fence from the right all the way to the opposite side, on the life, to where there are trees and a girl leaning against a single tree. The fence is composed of three planks of wood, therefore giving the picture many lines that will assist the viewer to the subject of the shot.

As for the color of this picture, all of the colors are extremely natural. The colors are primarily green, blue, and white. I believe that when views look at this panoramic, they will get a clean feeling, as I do, when they look at it. Although the colors are extremely natural, they are also bold, and make an interesting statement. They play a major role in giving the onlooker a specific feeling. I especially love the splash of color that the bright green shoes of the model gives to her outfit, kind of fun!

As for composition, the rule of thirds plays a major role in the way this picture looks.  The subject of this collaboration of pictures in the model placed up against a tree. Again, the lines bring the viewers eyes all the way across the photo, to the subject and the trees surrounding her. For example, if you were to cut the photograph into three pieces vertically, the point of the photo would be placed in the upper and lower, very left of the shot. It also fits into the Golden rule! Of course! The basic elements and rules are all met, I believe. 

Color Assignment (Three Parts)

This specific assignment has three parts. The first part, is a combination of eight images to portray a specific color. For my photos, the color I chose to show was the green of leaves. To make the collage more of a set of pictures, I shot only leaves and not other objects. By doing this, I feel that it makes the whole image have a point or main idea, which is leaves. The second part is a combination of four photos to portray a time of day through the color of light. In my array of shots, I chose to photograph a front door as the sun was setting. By doing this, I was able to capture blue light from the darkening sky, and the yellow tints from the setting sun. However, I used eight photos, opposed to four to add a bit more to my finished product. The last part of the assignment was to take a single shot that creates a specific feeling to the onlooker. I shot a photo of the sun rising in the morning, which gives the window a red-orange glow to it. When I look that this picture, I feel warm, as the sun rises. I hope the people that see this image do too.
For the depth of field and focus, I am going to specifically speak upon my part three of this rather large assignment. In the photo of the sun rising with the light fixture. For the DOF for this picture, it is a very shallow depth of field. To allow the background to be more blurry, the depth of field must be shallow. Also the focus plays a large role in this shot. As a matter of fact, there was so much focus upon the fixture and the background window, that I was forced to blur the window a bit on Photoshop to get rid of a few tiny bits of dirt and dust upon the window.
The exposure in this photo has to be high. If the exposure was not as high as it is, the sun would have less of an effect on the shot. When I look at this picture, personally, my eyes go directly to the sun in the upper right. For this to not have a dull look to it, the exposure must be higher than usual. Also, the light fixture is somewhat silhouette, because of the background lighting. Well, I do not want to give too much of this away, because I will need something to talk about for the lighting portion of this entry haha. The exposure of the picture is also easily adjusted on Photoshop.
Lighting in this picture, in my opinion, is the second most important aspect of the shot (first being color of course). I believe that this specific lighting is really a major contributing factor of the feeling in the photograph. The natural light of the sun assists in the color of the lighting. Also, because the light is coming in through the window towards the light fixture, again, it creates a more silhouette image. The type of lighting that is showed is called backlighting. This is where the sun is in front of the photographer, coming directly at the camera. The backlighting, i believe, gave this photo a very unique and cool look to it.
Again, the lines in this image are somewhat limited. Although they are not straight, the lighting fixture has a few dark rod iron lines, that contrast nicely with the sunlight from behind the window. Also the actual lines from the window itself, frame the lighting. If you notice, all of the space beyond the rim of the window is completely black. The lines from around the window draw the audiences eyes into the main two subjects of the shot, being the sun and fixture. Even thought they do not play huge roles, the lines in the picture are extremely important to the composition of the photo.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for...color!  The entire main purpose of this assignment was to properly display color. I absolutely love the color of this picture. The large array of oranges, and shades or red and yellow allow the audience to guess the time of day. I shot this image early in the morning, to allow this tine of the sun to come through in my shot. Switching gears here to the first portion of the assignment. For this image, the concept was green, and the theme was green. I loved being able to work with the different shades of the different leaves. To achieve such bold colors, I carefully places a flashlight behind the subjects, and photographed each one individually. For the second part of the assignment (four pictures), I photographed a front door, looking out towards the sun setting. From this type of color, it also allows the audience to be able to guess the time of day. The blue shades in this picture suggest sunset. I learned form these assignments the importance of color, and the ties they have in a photo to an onlookers mood. I loved these colors!
For the first part of this assignment because there are a total of eight photos, it is difficult to mention each and every one of the composition elements. Some apply to the rules of thirds, as to some of the shots from the second part of the assignment. Lines are also extremely important in each of the photos from the second part. Most of the entire shots from the second part include only lines and the color from the background lighting.The third part of this assignments composition, the rules of thirds apply. There are really two subjects in this shot, the sun and the light fixture. Both of these things show up in the right side of this picture, and the sun in the upper right. Again, I loved this assignment.

Self Portrait Assigmnemt

     The depth of field in this photo is extremely shallow. Because it is a portrait shot, it is necessary that all of the face and body is in focus. As you can see, because of the depth of field and focus working together, all of the details in the photo are easily seen. Nothing is blurry on the face or body. However, the very front of the picture is blurry. This is possible to do because the carpet is not the subject, therefore, it is just an element not needing focus. 

     The exposure of this shot is a little on the different side. For what I wanted to be captured, the exposure had to be high in able to correctly show how the sun was peeking over my hair. The high exposure allowed the rays of colored sun to be shown on the bottom portion of the image. The shutter speed had to be set and open for a longer period of time, (not on automatic) for the light to have more time to come through the camera. 

     The lighting, in my opinion, is the most interesting and capturing part of the photo. I believe that it is the light that really gives the picture its feel. Again, I could not use the auto mode if I wanted to be able to adjust the shutter myself. Since the auto mode was not used, and the flash was turned off, the flash was not used to ruin the sun spots. I shot the picture indoors, but in front of a window, to give the picture a natural light, the sun.

     Lines in the shot presented themselves in the form of sun rays. The rays of the sun draw the onlookers eyes to the subject, (my face), and away from distracting elements. The lines begin in the center of the photo, and stretch themselves out to the rest of the frame. I believe that lines give the picture a more artistic feel. There is no curvature of the lines, they are all straight, and easy to follow with your eyes. 

     The colors in he photo are very vibrant. When I personally see the photo, I can see a tint of yellow on my skin, due to the color of the light from the sun. I love the colors, because of the fact that the sun and light creates the interesting rainbow effect towards the bottom of the shot. The black color of my shirt really brings out the contrast of blues, yellows ect. from the rays of sun. The carpet element in the picture is tan or cream, like my skin color. The brown in my eyes also matches the rug which is in the bottom of the frame.

    As for composition elements, for sure this photo follows the rule of thirds. The subject is present in the top of the frame. Also, the entire picture was filled, leaving no space untouched or blank. The lines in the photo also demonstrate good elements of composition. They draw your eyes onto the subject of the photo. This assignment was a little bit more difficult, being that we, as photographers, were unable to really see what our product was going to be. We were unable to look directly into the camera to make sure everything was correct. 

HDR Assignment

     For this picture, to be able to by pleasing to the eye, it had to have a shallow depth of field. The focus in this shot is on the rose. Because of the depth of field, the black background would be out of ficus if the paper was not in place. The focus in this shot is directed towards the flower, allowing the maximum amount of detail to really present itself in the frame. For this picture, the image was shot as a sort of "portrait" for the flower, giving a sharp focus on the subject.

     This picture, unlike others, has a specific part of the photo where the exposure is higher. To allow this picture to have a high exposure behind the flower, I carefully placed a flashlight behind the subject to capture the light. I did not shoot this picture automatically, which meant that I had to open my shutter for a longer period of time for all the light needed to come through the camera. As you can see, to the right of the rose, that extra space is dark, because of the limited amount of light that was presented there. I also shot in a dark room so that no access light could effect the shot. It was also made possible by Photoshop to improve the exposure if needed.

    Again, the exposure of the picture has a lot to do with the lighting in my picture. To reiterate, I used a flash light in the background to capture a different and more interesting lighting technique. I shot indoors so there was no natural light to have in the picture. I really enjoyed playing with lighting to make the picture the way that I wanted it. I believe it is a very simple and easy thing to do at home. And cheap too!

     The lines in this picture arelimited. In fat, there are really hardly any. However, the lines from the flashlight created rays that have a very clean line that they make. This line proceeds out fro the left side of the frame, and stops on the right side. By having these lines present, I believe that it really draws your eyes from one side of the photo to the other lower part. Also, the thicker line presents some detail that is on the black paper background.

     In this particular shot, I believe that the color is one of the most important elements. The combination of he shads of yellow, red, and black come together nicely in my own opinion. The red in the flower is also very vibrant, giving it a warm feel. A high amount of contrast is also represented. In the center of the subject, the light from behind the flower makes the petals thin, and it becomes white. I personally love the colors that the flower has. Color is one on my favorite elements to this photo.

     As far as composition goes, the rules of thirds applies to this photo. As you can see, the subject is found on the left plane. It is true that the rule of thirds appeals more to the eye, giving it a more artistic feel. Also, the basic layout in very important to the picture. The entire frame is filled on the left side.  This photo is very balanced with artistic techniques used. I really enjoyed this project.

Composite Assignment

     For this very first assignment, I used pieces from my 100 photos to combine with each other, to create a horse and barn themed image. For the depth of field and focus, since each photo was different, a variety of exposures are present. The background had a broad depth of field, since I wanted to capture a far away tree and horizon line. In doing this, it was possible for me to include all the details I wanted in the trees and clouds. The image would not be the same without this type of depth. The focus was on the entire image, not placed upon a specific subject.
     Just like the depth of field and focus, all of the images in this composite shot vary upon the exposure. For the background image, the exposure level is very low, to give the entire image a much darker look. On this particular day, the sun was not out. Therefore, the sun could not give me much light to work with for exposure reasons. A flash was also not needed for light purposes. My camera was set to auto mode, making the exposure fit for the particular shot. The shutter speed and the aperture worked together to give me a correct exposure. Everything else done to the light of this shot was done on Photoshop.
     The lighting of the composite image has a lot to do with the exposure of the shot. Again, I was outside for all of these photos, so I used the sun as my light source. I did not use a flash. All the rest of the light features were done on Photoshop. I wanted the ground and tree in the background to be darker, while the sky was lighter to be able to turn my images of horses and barns in the sky to be black and white and just faint in the sky.
     As far as lines go, there are not many present in any of the shots. In the background, the one line is the horizon line of the trees going through the image. More lines can be found in the upper right corner of the composite. This is where the image of the fence is located. The lines on the fence draw your eyes and attention to the other images in the composite. (Being the horses.)
     For color, I wanted to take a different approach. To be able to achieve the black and white on top and color on the bottom, I used the magnetic lasso tool. To do this, I had to zoom into the photo on Photoshop. Once the ground and tree were selected, I used the color balance to adjust the color to where I wanted it. Then, I selected the sky, and again, used the color balance to turn it black and white.
    In photography, it is all about the eye appeal! So the basic rules of composition come majorly into play in this picture. This images falls directly under the rules of thirds. The tree is on the left plane of the background. As for the other images, the horse pictures are on the right top planes of the images. The basic layout rules also apply in the image. I really loved this assignment. I believe is provided us with a great way to express out creativity.