Extra! Extra!

The following pictures are photos that i took on my own time or for different assignments that did not make the cut for that specific task. This is a glimpse into my life. While there are many things in my life that make my life amazing and exceptional, I just wanted to give you a glimpse into my world. The following pictures are pictures of my parents, a picture of my amazingly adorable father, my parents holding my dog, and a photo shoot of my beloved dog. There is also a shot of one of my trips to Washington, D.C. I hope you enjoy.

This picture was taken during my day in Washington, D.C. I went to the Museum of Art and spent time walking the Nation's Mall. I love people watching and what better place is there to do this, than in our Nation's Capital!

These two delightful people are my parents. My mom has the most amazing smile and my dad's eyes are soft and caring. The little fur-ball is my beloved dog-baby Monster Truck. Monster Truck is originally from Hong Kong. We brought her home with us when we moved back to the States after our year abroad.

My dad has the most amazing eyes. I love him so much.

The following photos are of my beloved Monster Truck. She is a pure-bread Pomeranian with Asian roots! She has an amazing personality and causes everyone to fall in love with her. As you can see, she also has an amazing smile!

Photographer Styles

The objective of this assignment was to implement the style of another photographer to evoke emotion in a series of original photos. I searched through child and family photographers and stumbled upon the well-known British photographer Roger Mayne. After looking through his pictures and reading a quote on his webpage, I was thoroughly enamored by his work. He says that "Photography involved two main distortions - the simplification into black and white and the seizing of an instant in time. It is this particular mixture of reality and unreality, and the photographer's power to select, that makes it possible for photography to be an art. Whether it is good art depends on the power and truth of the artist's statement." (Roger Mayne, Peace News, 1960)

I loved that his pictures are not necessarily perfect, in the sense of clarity and even within the realm of the power of thirds. However, there is always a story behind the picture that can be seen and understood from the picture! Check out Roger Mayne when you get a chance! He was born in 1929, studied Chemistry at Balliol University in Oxford. It was then that he started to take his first pictures (in 1947-1951). By 1957, he had become active in photojournalism and worked on commissions for the Sun Times and Time & Tide. His work has also been seen in Observer, Vogue, Queen, New Left Review, and Peace News. His entire life's work is well documented and I have definitely found a love for his photography. The pictures I chose are from different areas and shows a variety of his work, but definitely leads towards the work that I really enjoy.

f/5.6, 1/60 sec., ISO-100, 55mm - Canon T3i

Evan could not figure out if he wanted to be outside or inside. His big tears are heartbreaking, however, this picture evokes so much emotion, I had to snap it. He had just woke up and wanted to go outside but also wanted to go inside. I took a color photo and changed it to gray scale, adjusted the contrast and the brightness. 

f/4, 1/60 sec., ISO-100, 24 mm - Canon T3i

I chose this picture of Evan because he was very concerned about his shoe having "sticks in them." He asked for my help, however, half-way to me he decided to take care of the problem himself. He took a moment to himself, took charge, and helped himself. I am a proud auntie. 

f/5.6, 1/125 sec., ISO-100, 47mm - Canon T3i

This is my other handsome nephew, Carter. He is difficult to photograph as he is always moving and when asked to smile, his smile is far from genuine. It is a fun challenge to help improve my skills. I chose this picture because of the difficulty behind getting the photo as well as the fact that I was able to catch him mid-blow with so much concentration in his face. He was making a very important wish. 

f/5.6, 1/125 sec., ISO-100, 55mm - Canon T3i

"Nanadabooty, you can't catch me!" This is what Evan was saying over and over before I took this picture. He was eagerly taunting his brother and I to come get him. This picture is a little darker than I had hoped but I still appreciate it, as it adds a bit more to his "ploy of sneakery."

f/5.6, 1/160 sec., ISO-100, 55mm - Canon T3i

Carter was enjoying his time playing on trees, pretending to fly, and kicking all the wish-makers. He really wanted to see the "fluff fly!" I love that I caught a private moment of him in an open field of grass. This picture actually causes me to feel the -"they grow up so fast!" - emotion. He looks like such a little man.

Digital Eye

The project Digital Eye was an assignment that allowed us to experiment with the tools of Photoshop, including filters, color enhancement, and other photo manipulation. I chose a picture of my mom and a picture of my nephew Evan. I used filters, color enhancement, and other manipulation tools to change these photos.

f/5, 1/8 sec., ISO-800, 33mm - Canon T3i

This is my beautiful mother. Her facial expression and stance looks as if she got caught doing something wrong. So I put a red filter on the picture and masked a giant cookie into the photo showing what she got caught doing! This was originally a photo from my high-key/low-key photo shoot. The picture was way to fun to not do anything further with it; I think this worked out nicely.

f/5, 1/800 sec., ISO-1600, 50mm - Canon T3i

This is another photo of my nephew. I adjusted the color so that his face is a dark shadow on a light background. It adds a bit of mystery as to what my nephew is thinking about. I love the curvature of his little face and the contrast with the highly digital background. The background shows the outline of the houses through the window.

High-Key/Low-Key

High-Key and Low-Key photos are a very specific type of photograph. High-key images have softer light, minimal shadows, and an overall light tone. Low-key photos have more dramatic lighting with darker shados and higher contrast. I am a huge fan of high contrast photos, so learning to do this was very fun. The high-key photos were a little more difficult, however, I was able to photograph a friend and I love how it turned out.

f/3.5, 1/100 sec., ISO-6400, 50mm - Canon T3i

This is my lovely friend Neva. She had recently dyed her hair pink and the contrast of her hair, the white shirt, and the white background with no shadows is a beautiful view of high-key photography. I also enjoy the light shining through her hair as well as the shine on her hair. I upped the contrast and lowered the brightness to add to the photo. 

f/5.6, 1/30 sec., ISO-6400, 50mm - Canon T3i

This photo seems like it could be a promo shot for this particular game controller. The dramatic  darkness and heavy shadowing provides an excellent view of low-key photography. The angle helps to pull your eyes throughout the photo and you are still able to see the texture of the buttons. I love the focus as well.

Faceless Portrait

Faceless Portraits is an assignment we were given that employed techniques with the camera and editing. For this assignment, we selected a human subject and took portraits of the subject without showing the subject's face that convey's a meaningful story and shows the subjects personality. I chose to photography my two year old nephew. He has a fun and vibrant personality that shows through; you don't have to see his face to see it! This is a morning with Evan while his brother is at school...

 f/5.6, 1/13 sec., ISO-800, 39mm - Canon T3i

My nephew was telling me where his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are. I decided to grab my camera and ask him to show me again; this time I took picture of him pointing to his belly button! I love that this picture shows his little belly, his chubby hands, and his eagerness to show me where his belly button is. The composition uses the rule of thirds and while his face is not shown, you can see that he is actively engaged in the activity.

f/5.6, 1/80 sec., ISO-1600, 55mm - Canon T3i

After the game, my nephew showed me his new rented Scooby Doo DVD! He was so excited, he carried it around most of the day and took a lot of time out of his day looking at the pictures. I snagged this photo as he was about to sit down and dropped the DVD case and his water. My favorite part of this photo is the diaper hanging out of his jeans; it adds a plumber-esque feel to the photo. 

f/5.6, 1/15 sec., ISO-800, 27mm - Canon T3i

The only thing that took his attention off his DVD case was his snack and complimentary Tinga Tinga Tales episode. He was busily eating his animal crackers, however, he was so interested in his show, he did not even have time to sit down completely. While this picture is a little more centered than I had hoped, I love that it shows his intent stare on something that he loves. I had to adjust the the contrast and made sure to have the correct white balance set, as I was working inside and with natural light.

f/5.6, 1/13 sec., ISO-800, 40mm - Canon T3i

This is my favorite photo out of the bunch. His time away from his beloved DVD case was not long, he had to hold it while finishing his snack and his show. I love seeing the grasp of his hands on the DVD while his attention is obviously elsewhere. I made sure that the object in his hand was clearly in focus as we are not looking at his face and need to draw some conclusions from there. 

f/5.6, 1/125 sec., ISO-800, 55mm - Canon T3i

Once his show and snack were finished, it was time to pick his brother up from school. Once I said that it was time to go, he ran to the window and asked if we were going outside. He ended up seeing something interesting and while the photo could be a bit more in focus, intent and purpose is seen throughout this photo. It is fun to see him pondering and looking off into the distance.

Unlikely Beauty

We were tasked to choose at least 2 objects that would not normally be seen as beautiful and to abstractly used the subject to emphasize qualities such as texture, line, light, color, and pattern. These are the photos I came up with!

f/5, 1/25 sec., ISO-400, 35mm - Canon T3i

I decided to use your average banana as one of my subjects. These are not typically seen as beautiful, especially with the discoloration and obvious ripe spots. However, when positioned in bright lighting and using the proper composition, the subject is more interesting and pretty. I love that while the entire picture is light and on the tan/yellowish side, the bananas still stick out and look lovely.

f/5, 1/30 sec., ISO-800, 28mm - Canon T3i

Again, I used the overripe and discolored bananas as my subject. I decided to hang them off the side of the stand mixer in order to show them in an unlikely position. I love that they are bright and stand out among the other items within the picture. The composition fits nicely with the rule of thirds.

f/5, 1/320 sec., ISO-100, 50mm - Canon T3i

My second subject that I chose is the garden hose in my backyard against the brick wall. The contrast in colors is lovely and makes the subject stand out. It also provides a nice contrast in subject matter. The blue on the red is a nice touch as well!

Uncluttered

The following photos are ones that were taken for an assignment called "Uncluttered." We were tasked with selecting a subject that was interesting and positioning it in a way to create photographs that isolated the subject and did not contain distracting or irrelevant background elements.

f/2, 1/3200 sec., ISO-100, 50 mm - Canon T3i

Believe it or not, this carved pumpkin is 3 years old! My husband and I somehow allowed it to petrify and we now keep it as a permanent addition to our home. The composition and lighting brings an artistic and intriguing - almost mysterious feel to the photograph. The vertical view of this photo allows it to be uncluttered and the subject matter is definitely the focus and provides a good range/view of the depth of field. 

f/5, 1/1000 sec., ISO-100, 50mm - Canon T3i

I chose this picture because it is bright and the topic is pronounced. There is minimal shadowing as well. The background is interesting but does not take away from the subject matter. I love the face of this pumpkin!

f/5, 1/800 sec., ISO-100, 50mm - Canon T3i

I chose this photo because it has a good usage of the rule of thirds. I love the shadowing on the pumpkin and the way that it looks as if it is falling from the fencing. While it would be less distracting if the background was less interesting and if the pumpkin was horizontal, I still love the way this picture came out. I feel that the focus of this picture is the pumpkin.

Technical Operations

Our second assignment was to experiment with taking photos utilizing different camera operations. Technical operations are things like stop motion, motion blur, shallow depth of field, and dealing with different white balances. The following photos show my usage of motion blur, stop motion, and shallow depth of field.

f/1.8, 1/15 sec., ISO-200, 50 mm - Canon T3i

This photo shows motion blur. I had to adjust the setting to allow enough light in and for the shutter to catch the blur. Unfortunately, my husband's face blurred slightly, but I think that adds a bit of character. Had I had better lighting, the stability of the photo would have been easier to keep intact.

This demonstrates stop motion. As you can tell, my husband is furiously jumping in a fit of rage caused by the evil hamster. All my settings were heightened so that I could get him jumping in the air while remaining in focus. It took several tries to get it right, however, I am pleased with the outcome. While the picture was planned, I love that we framed it in a way to make it look as if I was stealing a rather awkward and private moment between my husband and the hamster.

f/1.8, 1/4000 sec., ISO-400, 50mm - Canon T3i

This is another view of stop motion, as well as shallow depth of field. This is is a picture of my husband waving his hand in front of the light while I aimed and took the shot. I love the artsy feel of this photo. This shows the camera's ability to snap a quick photo at different depths of field.

10 Minutes

During my Spring 2013 semester, I was privileged to take a Digital Photography course! For our first assignment, we were given the task to travel 10 minutes from our home, explore and shoot! The following photos were taken during the last few weeks of Winter when we finally had some snow! The pictures were taken at a boat dock within my neighborhood.

f/5, 1/200 sec, ISO-100, 50mm - Canon T3i
I loved photographing this bench covered in snow. The drastic color change between the bright red bench covered in untouched snow with grass peaking through on the ground, provides a sense of life through all times of life. The sky was a perfect "snow gray" which only seemed to enhance the contrast in colors. If only I could have a man smoking a pipe while wearing a black pea-coat and top hat, that would give this picture even more character.

f/5, 1/200 sec, ISO-100, 50mm - Canon T3i

This picture is a great way to show leading lines that can be seen in photos. I particularly love the linear feel and the fact that you cannot see where the fence posts leads. The contrast of the snow on the leaves and the tan fence posts also provide a solemn feel to the photo. The contrast of white and tan colors is nice with the bare trees and the water in the background.

f/5.6, 1/160 sec, ISO-100, 53mm - Canon T3i

As the snow began to melt the next day, I took my camera out with a different lens. I was delighted to find duck prints leading directly to the water. It continues with the feel and theme that life can be seen throughout the seasons. The grass poking through the duck prints is a nice contrast to the bright snow.

f/5.6, 1/160 sec., ISO-100, 53mm - Canon T3i

This is my favorite picture out of the bunch. The different layers of ice and the post going into the water is  a fun look at the different things once can see during an east coast winter! The water actually froze over leaves that were just at surface level and made its own ring around the post. Nature in its element is cold, frigid, and  still very much alive.

f/4.5, 1/160 sec., ISO-125, 33mm - Canon T3i
While shooting for this particular assigment, I decided to take both portrait and landscape type photos. However, I also wanted to step out of the box. I literally walked into the shrubbery, looked down, focused in on the stems, held my breathe, and shot! I was able to focus in on the tallest stems to get a good depth of field. I feel like this is a more artistic photo.