Final Critique: Natural Beauty

I shot my photos throughout this process using an iPhone 4s with iOS 7.0.4. The photo above was edited with the app Snapseed 1.6.1.

With this last recipe, I want to explain my process for a totally different kind of shot than what I typically took throughout this semester. I really liked the idea of exploring what photography I could create with my own body and show a more personal and intimate side. I considered making an entire section of my final portfolio a "Body" section, but decided that I wanted to explore how I could incorporate body photography into a different category that people would not immediately think of. The inspiration for this photo was actually from the wavy lines shown in the image below. I really liked the texture and color and movement that this photo had. I felt like using my hair I could create a photo with lots of texture and interest and provoke movement of the eye. The inspiration for the above photo is posted below.


I took this photo after I got out of the shower so that there were hints of water droplets to increase the interest. I only had to take one shot and I knew it was just what I wanted to capture. I liked how my hair naturally fell down my back, wet and curly creating visual interest and a provoking a possible story. I also really liked how the contrast between my hair and skin created texture and added to the visual interest. As strange as it sounds I also really liked how my skin wasn't perfect in the photo. You can see the bumps and birth marks which shows how raw and real this photo moment was. It creates a more personal and visually interesting photo.

Technique wise I wanted to create a very head on and more square shot. I utilized the shadows to create the angles in this photo, instead of the positioning of the camera. This was very different because a majority of my photos are taken from a more camera positioning view that creates the angles. I also knew immediately that I wanted the line and textures to be the focus of this photo and made the photo black and white. I think this really helped emphasize the angles and drama, and added to the rawness of this photo. I combined my techniques I have learned throughout the semester with camera app techniques which I will discuss in the following paragraph.

Photo editing really helped bring this photo to where I wanted it to be in my vision. I used the Snapseed app to make all of my edits. I first selected the "black & white" option and then selected the "neutral"  tone of black and white. I decreased the brightness to about -55 and bumped the contrast to about -12. I then cropped the photo to create a very specific and narrowed focus. I finally selected the "drama" option and selected the "drama 1" preset. I then bumped the filter to about -46. This helped me create the more dramatic shadows and create angles.

Jada Goodwin - Crit 4: Memory

 

 

Device Used: Samsung Galaxy S4

Opertaing System: Andriod, version 4.3

Apps Used: Google+ Photos

This two photos recieved the most comments and are two very different shots. This first you may remember from a few weeks ago ina previous critique. I captured the picture mid day when the sun was coming through my balacony doors. I was actually laying on the floor when I took teh picture which resulted in the unique angle. Previously the picture was very dark, so for this week's critique I added a a vintage filter from with Google + Photos and lightened the saturation so that it gave the picture this nice blue tone.

For the second photo, I was in Busch Gardens. That theme park has amazing shooting scenes and subjects. While crossing one of the bridges yu look out into the beautiful picuresque scene. It really just took my breath away. The picture really had a great amount of elements. The boats traveling towards each other, the bridge on the other side added depth, the trees were not quite in bloom yet but you can see the slight color begining to come back to theme and to top it off it was abeautiful but not grogeous day just the right amount of sunlight. I didn't do too much to alter the picture because I really enjoyed the colors it contained. I added a blurred and reduced it so taht it was only at the very edges of the picture and then added a shadow to the edges as well. I believe this made it seem more like dynamic and added depth versus the audience looking at a static photo.

Kristi Flesher / Memory&Vintage Recipe

iPhone5
iOS 7.1

CameraBag2 version 2.4
Afterlight version 2.3

For my POW this week for topic 4 I used two different photo applications. I first shot with the camera on my iPhone and then I opened it in CameraBag and applied the filter 'portofino'. This filter added contrast and exaggerated some highlights. I then opened this version of the image in Afterlight and added a 'dusty film' to the picture, number seven, and brought the exposure down a little. This is how I attempted to create a vintage feel to the image.

Originally when taking this photo I knew I wanted to present a similar style to old school candid type polaroids/photographs. This is why the subject is in action or caught in action, touching her head and laughing and smiling at something. To add a little mystery I decided to not show the full face and cut her to be slightly outside of the frame.

Crit4: Post Apocalypse

 
I shot my photos using an iPhone 4s with iOS 7.0.4. These two photos above were edited using the app Snapseed 1.6.1.

For this recipe, I am going to focus on the techniques and strategies I use to create very mysterious and desolate looking photos. I have found throughout the weeks that these are my favorite types of photographs to create. I like to create photos that draw the viewer into the scene and have them feel as if they are a part of the photo and at this specific location. I also like the viewer to stop and pause while looking at my photographs to see all of the specific details and textures that are in each piece.

The techniques I use while shooting have a lot to do with composition. I like to shoot in a diagonal angle to my subjects because I find them more visually interesting than straight on shoots. This is evident in a majority of my work throughout this semester. I also really like to shoot in the evenings because lighting is a big inspiration for me when I look at a possible subject. The photo on the left was shot in very low lighting at night and the photo on the right was shot in the evening with the sunsetting which created the long shadows.

I also employ certain techniques in regards to my filter selecting. I am drawn to filters that either suck the loud colors out of a photo and give a faded look, or create a more vintage grungy look. Both of these photos were done using the Snapseed app I referred to at the top. The one on the right was enhanced by the "drama" filters and the "grunge" filters found in this app. The one on the right was created by using the "vintage" filter. All of these filters enhance textures and create certain color scenes in these photos.

I often combine techniques to come up with my own personal strategies as a photographer. I like capturing subjects at a certain angle to enhance my shadows and create more visual interest. Shooting in the evenings often helps me to create these shadow angles that appear more visually interesting. On the photo on the left, because the sun was very low, it helped me get this more dark and mysterious look with a few bright spots where the sunset was still visible in the water. Also, because I was shooting water, the reflections definitely helped bring in a lot of visual interest and enhance the mystery. Overall I try to use my form to enhance my content and not overwhelm my original photo.

While looking around the web this week I found the photographer Michael Lavine who is now a very famous photographer. I connected mostly with his entertainment posters that he photographs for because he has very grungy or dark feel to a lot of his work. We are very different in our shooting styles because I like shooting more scenes or buildings, but he often has a direct subject because of his now Hollywood influence. He photographs lots of different subjects and it's really interesting to see the variety he shows in his work. I'm sure everyone could find something to connect to. A link to his personal website: http://www.michaellavine.com/#/Photographs/Entertainment/1/

Hynda Blum Crit 4 Recipe

Phone 4S // Afterlight App 

The techniques I used were pretty consisted with most of my pictures. I saw a subject that I thought was ideal to photograph and I set myself up so the photo would be composed in a tasteful manner. I usually held down the screen before taking the shot so that the camera would adjust properly to the lighting and focus. I also experimented with different angles for my shots. Some were horizontal, some were vertical and some were perfectly centered while others were angled a bit differently. 

With this topic, I used a few different shooting strategies. Firstly, every photo taken had some sort of message behind it. Every shot contained a subject or location that was memorable for ,me in some way. I intentionally made most of mine a bit abstract as to the exact message so the viewers could conclude ideas on their own. I also used the Afterlight application to add light leaks, filters, an aged appearance and different lighting and contrast adjustments. 

My exact recipe goes as follows: first, the lighting of a situation catches my eye. To me, lighting can truly make or break a photo. Next, I usually see something that inspires me. I then utilize the lighting and the subject and I work on the perfect angle. I adjust the phones settings to get a clear shot and I press the shutter. From there, I open that photo in the Afterlight app and I adjust the alignment of the picture. I like when my photos are level because if it is at an awkward angle, it takes away from the shot. I adjust lighting and add features as needed, and everything combines evokes mystery, emotion and interpretation.

Sam Spellman- Crit 4 Recipe

"Trail Ride"

I used an IPhone 4s to take my pictures and it runs on the IOS6 version because I refuse to update it to IOS7.  I took all my photos with the standard IPhone camera and then edited them using some apps that I downloaded in the app store.  For this particular photo I used the FX Photo Studio app version 5.1. 

For all of my pictures I used the FX Photo Studio app and chose the vintage category.  In that category there were 12 different options to choose from to make them look like old fashioned photos.  The app lets you chose the different effects you want on the picture and even combine the effects to create a new effect.  For this picture in particular I started out with the Sepia effect.  After applying that effect to the photo I then added the Aged effect to it as well.  The sepia just added a browner tone to the photo that the aged just didn't do by itself.  

All the photos taken were put through this effects process and I messed around with all of them choosing the right filter for each individual picture.  

Sean Rogers - Crit4 Recipe

iPhone 5, iOS 7.0.4
App: Snapseed

For this photograph I wanted to capture a memory from the house I grew up in. I took the photo to show the deterioration of things that were once new, the passing of time. Framing the shot, I wanted to get as much into it as possible. I framed it so that I captured a large amount of the floor because I like how that really grounds the shot. After taking the shot I put it into Snapseed and played around with a few different vintage filters. I ended up selecting one, but then lowered the saturation and raised the brightness to get the effect that you see here.