(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.

Just some harmless Renaissance mocking... Did you find it shocking?

Lavinia Fontana (August 24, 1552 – August 11, 1614) was an Italian painter, with a long 40 year career, which was especially legendary for a women in the Renaissance era. This oil on canvas painting of hers, called "Portrait of a Noblewoman", was created in 1580 and is now featured in the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. What I found interesting about this painting was the complexity, elaborate detail, and drama in her dress contrasted with her simple, boring expression. I found it quite amusing that this portrait was supposed to showcase the women's status, class, and power, yet she seemed lost and frankly quite bored and absent-minded in this painting. I decided to pursue this contrast even further and have a little fun with it. I explored the humour and irony in differentiating the person's dull and boring facial expression in the original photo to the strange, vibrant, funny, "out-there" facial expression of the photo-shopped version on the right. My purpose in doing this was to initiate the surprise factor amongst the people viewing this, as well as give them a little laugh. I shot my photo with a Canon Rebel T2i with an 18-55 mm lens, on a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second, and an aperture of f8. I used the various tools available on Adobe photoshop to crop in my photo to the original, and make it appear as real and authentic as possible.

My Name Created by a Dozen Different Objects

For this assignment in grade 11 photography, our task was to take photographs with a digital SLR camera and re-create our names in a banner using letters that wouldn't normally be perceived as that letter. We had to use our imaginations for each image we shot in order to grasp this assignment and execute it successfully and creatively. 

I believe the purpose of this assignment was not just to take pictures and throw them together in order to create our names. I believe that the goal of this assignment was to exercise our minds and use our brains and eyes more actively and precisely than we would on a normal-day basis. Normally we wouldn't look at our school's outside bleachers and see the letter "T", or observe a wheelchair sign in a parking lot and spot the letter "G". Nor would we go to unlock a closet door and grab the handle and say, "hey look, the letter 'i'!" I believe that perception is everything; the way you look at something is always different than the way a someone else looks at that same thing. When you challenge yourself in this way, afterwards you tend to observe the world differently, and appreciate everything in a new light. 

I shot these photos with a Canon Rebel T2i with an 18-55 mm lens at an aperture of f16 and a shutter speed of 1/100 seconds. I found this assignment very challenging, but at the same time I also found it rewarding and exciting. I now grasp a better understanding of my camera and its capabilities, as well as how to use lighting and camera functions more effectively when taking my photos.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!

Fortune Cookie Assignment Inspiration

For our first assignment, we were given a fortune cookie and assigned to take a variety of pictures relating to the fortune inside. For my first blog post, I chose a picture that clearly related to fortunes and fortune cookies. However, what drew me to this picture was the beautiful quote in the fortune cookie as well as the pretty watercolour painting it is sitting upon.

Respect everyone's opinion. While you're looking at the sky on the top of a hill, someone else may be looking at that same sky from the bottom of a well... perspective is everything.