(I want you to see) ALL OF THE LIGHTS

The concept for these photographs was to take them with multiple and varied light sources, rather than just the flash of the camera, or the provided light in a room, etc. I incorporated natural light from the sun, as well as light from a plugged-in bulb into these three photographs. I used these  light sources differently in each shot which, in the end, provided me with interesting, beautiful, and captivating shots.

For the first photograph, I placed the bulb beside the person's face, illuminating it and casting a pleasant, soft glow onto my subject, who stood facing the natural light. I also love the genuineness of her kind emotions, which added to the overall subsistence of this photograph. For the second photograph, my subject was faced with her back to the natural light, but the bulb placed relatively close to her face, lighting up half of it and casting a mysterious and alluring presence. A feature that I love about this photograph is the warm, orange hue that the light projects, which softens the photo. I also like how the natural light behind her outlines her figure, helping my subject stand out even more.  For the third photograph, I took the shot from the outside of the glass looking in, with my subject close to the glass on the inside, with the bulb lighting up her face from the inside as well. I caught the reflection of the breathtaking scenery behind me in the glass, and had my subject "smiling towards the sun" on the inside. For an instant, she appears to be in the same setting as the background, however she is posed inside which coincidentally fit perfectly with the reflection on the glass.

What I especially like about these photographs is that they are especially unique and beautiful in their own way because they are created through various types of light. They each seem to tell a story as well as showcase a piece of their personality. I shot these photographs with a Canon Rebel T21 with an 18-55 mm lens, a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second, and an aperture of f8.

Can anyone see me?

I always imagined taking portraits like these would be simple and easy; I never considered the multiple components necessary in order to capture a successful portrait photograph. I never knew the difficulty in capturing the perfect lighting, or the best aperture and shutter speed for the type of photo I want to take, or the perfect timing required so that the photo conveys your message or purpose. After this assignment, as well as every other assignment thrown my way, I truly appreciate all types of photography more and more.

My inspiration for these shots was quite clear to me from the beginning: I wanted to convey the message of someone who feels like an outcast; someone who feels invisible to the world around him. I wanted the viewers of this photograph to feel the model's sadness and desolation, as well as the lust to just simply fit in. I believe my photographs channel the theme of feeling like an outcast or a "nobody". I was trying to showcase someone who attempts to put himself in different settings, or at a fresh start or "new light" as some people refer to it as, in order to fit in, yet no one notices. I captured this message through this person's expression and positioning as well as my manipulation of the camera and the lighting I used. No matter what light he was in, whether it be spooky or "scary" lighting (where the light source is psitioned below the person's face), or side lighting (where the light source is positioned at the side of the person's face, highlighting only half their face), or of course, head on (where I used two light sources in order to light up the entire face), they all attain a certain mystery that draws the viewer in to the pictures as if they are being told a story; a story about a person that is just trying to fit in and "be seen", yet he unfortunately can't seem to accomplish this goal. For my photographs, I used a Canon Rebel T2i with an 18-55 mm lens, a shutter speed of 1/125 of a second, and an aperture of f12.

Hidden Identities

For this assignment, the technique I used is referred to as "painting with light". When I first heard of this expression, I didn't know what that definition entailed, for I had never seen an example of the technque, nor had I ever tried it. However, when I discovered what the technique was and how to accomplish it, I was thrilled to try it out. I needed some sort of a light source that, if executed properly, would work the same way as a paint brush would in a painting. I used the flash of a cellphone to successfully "paint with light". For the first photo, as you can see, I "painted" the addition of the pitchfork and horns onto my subject to symbolize a devil. I achieved the red hue of the pitchfork by covering the flash with my finger so the light had to travel through my finger in order to be captured by the camera, which then successfully transformed from white light to red, which added an ideal component to a devil. I then released my finger off the light source to "paint" the horns, so the full light could be captured by the camera. I also did this because, by letting the full light source be shown, it becomes a larger "stroke", which casted a slight shadow or blur on the person's face so that the person wasn't the subject of the photo, but the actual devil figure was. For the second photograph, I "painted on" wings and a halo to my model to represent an angel. As I did for the horns in the devil photograph, I allowed the full light source to be flashed onto the camera, in order to achieve the bright and powerful look I wanted for this photograph. My inspiration and motive for these photographs was "hidden identities"; in other words, what kind of person someone really is. I am fascinated by human emotions, passions, actions and histories, which is what derived my inspiration for these photographs. If only in real life you could turn out the lights and have it be this obvious to the human eye whether someone truly is a bad person (devil), or a good person (angel).  For my photographs, I used a Canon Rebel T2i with an 18-55 mm lens, a shutter speed of 15 seconds, and an aperture of f22.