Africa and Abandoned theme parks

Africa

1. On your blog post your reactions to what you read and what you saw. How about 3-4 sentences.
Nick Brandt spent several months in Africa shooting amazing portraits. Instead of humans, he used animals and the way he shot, makes it look like the whole thing is staged. His photos are outstanding.

2. Do a google image search for Nick Brandt, find your favorite photo and post it on your blog.



3. Describe it and tell me why its your favorite.
This photo depicts the animal standing in the tree. I like it because it is taken from a distance and is very well centered. He fits everything into the photo perfectly.

4. What rules of photography are evident in the photos you selected, be sure to explain the rule to me?
Avoid Mergers - Tree is not cut off, everything is in photo
Simplicity - Background isn't distracting, and easy to detect subject
Framing - Subject is framed in the tree 
Balance - Picture is evenly balanced with tree covering whole picture.

Do a google/wikipedia search for Nick Brandt

5. What kind of camera and lens does he use and why is this important?
Brandt uses  a Pentax 6711 with two fixed lenses

6. What is his reason for taking these photos?
Brandt takes these photos to show the animals in a state of being.

7. What is his hope by taking these type of photos?
To capture the spirit of the animals he is photographing.

8. Find something he has to say about Africa, and post the quote on your blog. 
"My images are unashamedly idyllic and romantic, a kind of enchanted Africa. They're my elegy to a world that is steadily, tragically vanishing."

Abandoned Theme Parks

1. Tell me which amusement park featured in the two articles that you would like to visit and take your camera along and what about that park made you want to go there. Write at least a paragraph.
I would like to visit the Amusement park in Prypiat, Ukraine because it is in bad condition which adds a spooky feeling to it. It would be dangerous because of the radiation from the Chernobyl power plant, but if I went in quickly and took photos there probably would be no problem. Another reason I like this park is because the Ferris wheel is still standing, which means, with great caution, I could climb up for some cool photos.The Bumper Cars seem really cool to photograph because it looks like it is in mid-game, as if they were playing while the evacuation happened. Everything in ruins adds a really cool effect to the park.

2. Post one photo from that park. You may use the photos from the link, or you can google an entirely new photo. I would prefer to see a photo of the park in disrepair and not a photo of it when it was still operating.
3. Think of at least FIVE other unusual places you think would be of interest to photographers. List them.

1. Abandoned train station
2. Burnt down forest
3. Abandoned Native American settlements
4. Shut down apartments
5. Stores out of business 

4. Use google or another search engine to research ONE of your five places and see if anyone has already started documenting that place. If you find that someone has already started - post at least one photo of their work.


5. Write a paragraph about why you think that it would be fun to document that location. Tell me what interests you about that place and what kind of photos you could expect to take there.
It would be fun to document this location because the idea that something is abandoned makes it a lot more creepy. I find it interesting that everything is so destroyed instead of just left there. I would like to take photos of each room to compare how destroyed they are. It would be fun to explore what other people haven't touched in a long time.

6. Tell me what it would take for you to go and take photos at your location. What would you need as far as equipment goes, travel plans, expenses you might encounter and what laws you would have to take into consideration to take photos at your spot.

I would either need to fly or drive to Detroit to shot these photos. I would need a camera, and a hotel to stay in for a few days while I shoot the scene. I could be breaking a law by trespassing but I doubt anyone even looks at the apartment in the first place. Plane tickets would be expensive but a lot more time efficient.

Funny Captions

 Mr. Wallace sure is getting some sweet revenge after his wife took away his television remote after breakfast in their house. Mrs. Wallace took his remote while he was asleep but she wasn't going to go around without being pranked back. Mr. Wallace took advantage of this wonderful opportunity right before Mrs. Wallace went bird watching.

 Mr. Schulz is needing some action in his life today at the elders hospital. Mrs. Baker was trying to help Mr. Schulz get to his room when he grabbed her thigh. What a sneaky dude.

Mrs. Louis knows something is scratching on her back door this evening in her cold house. Sure enough a sneaky raccoon was waking her from her slumber and she didn't take it lightly. Next thing I knew, Mrs. Louis grabbed her gun and shot the bugger.

Mural Project and Great Black and White Photographers Part III

1. What theme, that we could take here at school, could we do a series of these panels to place around the school?
A theme that is already existing in this school is "Stand Up Bowie". It would be a good idea because we need to control bullying in school.

2. Should we use phones only, or should we open it up to our regular cameras for those people that don't have camera phones?
We should use both because we could have a larger variety of pictures spreading the theme faster and making it popular.

3. Where would you want to put the mural on campus?
I would put the mural in the front of the school because everyone would walk into school and look at the mural.


1.) What first caught your eye while looking at your photographers photos? Is there something in particular about their photos that made you want to choose them? The first thing to catch my eye was the lines in the sand from the winds in the desert. I picked this photo because I liked how the lines went with the black and white photo.

2.)  Use your five senses to tell me more about those photos. 

I see grainy sand flying around me. There are lines of sand going on for miles. There are large mountains in the background. There are dunes approaching with each step.

I smell dirty sand. There is a smell of dryness in the air that is detectable. There is the hope for a smell of water.

I hear wind blowing. Is has a sharp whistle to it. I hear the crush of the sand beneath my feet.

I taste dry air. every breath makes me thirsty wanting to take another sip from my canteen.

I feel coarse sand running against my skin. I shake it off only for more to pile on. A never ending cycle continues until I am out of the desert.


3.) Finally, what would you like to create to show the world your great photographer. Ideas include, posters, power points, a blog, etc. You tell me what you would like to create so we can come up with a plan to share your thoughts and ideas about your photographer with your classmates and with the rest of the school.
I would Like to show the world my photographer by creating a powerpoint. It would be an effective and simple wasy to present and create a powerpoint about my photographer.

1.) What first caught your eye while looking at your photographers photos? Is there something in particular about their photos that made you want to choose them? The first thing that caught my eye was the center of the lettuce head. The reason I picked this photo is because it looks like a ongoing pattern of just getting smaller and smaller.
2.)  Use your five senses to tell me more about those photos.I see an ongoing pattern of shrinking lettuce. It looks like an illusion waiting to happen. I see layers and layers or lettuce waiting to be consumed. I smell dirty vegetable fresh out of the ground. It looks like it is needing a good scrub to be ready to be sold. I hear running water from other heads being washed preparing to be sold to the stores. I hear lettuce squeaking as it is being washed. I hear the commotion of farmers talking about how much they need and by when.I taste the crunch of leaves of freshly washed lettuce. I taste the flavors of ranch and tomatoes in a salad with my meal. I taste the watery crunch of each bite.I feel the rough head of lettuce being bought at the grocery store. I feel each vain in the leafs. I feel the water from the machines at the store spraying the vegetables with water.

Academic Reflection and Critique

1. What challenges did you encounter while trying to get the photos following the rules I set out for you? 
In this shoot, I had trouble finding subjects to shoot. There were not many classes I could go into, however I was lucky in that students were working out in the hallways.

2. What technical aspects of photography or the assignment in general (focus, framing, holding the camera, etc.) did you find yourself thinking about the most? Provide a specific example of what you did to do this correctly.
I focused on holding the camera the most. There were time were I would take both Horizontal and vertical pictures.

3. If you could do the assignment again, what would you do differently now that you know some basic rules of photography?
I would focus on avoiding mergers and taking photos farther away so I don't crop out half a head.
4. What things would you do the same?
I would manage my time the same, I covered the whole school in a good amount of time.

5. When you go out with your next set of prompts, which rule do you think will be the easiest to achieve?
I think the easiest rule to achieve would be avoiding mergers now that I'm thinking about it more.
6. Which rule do you think will be the hardest to capture?
I think the hardest rule to capture would be framing because you need to time it perfectly.

7. What rule are you still not totally clear on and what can you do to figure out what that rule is?
I am not strong with balance because I don't fully understand it.


http://bobbittaab01.blogspot.com/

I like this students work because is is taken from farther away rather than close up. Another thing I like is how they  took photos at angles instead of straight. Something the could improve on is Finding better subjects to work with because a classroom during a lecture isn't as entertaining as a science experiment.

Academic Shoot

1. What composition rule did you follow the rule?

In this photo I followed Simplicity because your focused on the student and her painting. 

2. What is the subject (be very very specific)?

The subject in this photo is the newspaper collage painting the girls is working on.

3. Is it clear to people looking at your photos what the subject is?

Yes, the subject is easily identifiable .

4. If you can't very clearly see what the subject is, what could you have done differently?

I probably could have framed the photo a little better because of the distractions in the top right of the photo.

1. What composition rule did you follow the rule?

In this photo I used Rule of Thirds. The drawing is on the bottom third of the page.

2. What is the subject (be very very specific)?

The Subject is the Newspaper rough draft the boy in the white shirt is drawing on. 

3. Is it clear to people looking at your photos what the subject is?

Yes, it is obvious because the subject is centered in the photo.

4. If you can't very clearly see what the subject is, what could you have done differently?

I could have changed the angle at which I took the photo

1. What composition rule did you follow the rule?

In this photo simplicity is evident. It is focused on the young artist working on her newspaper collage project.

2. What is the subject (be very very specific)?

The subject in this photo is the girl painting with watercolors 

3. Is it clear to people looking at your photos what the subject is?

Yes she is the only thing in the photo making it easily identifiable.

1. What composition rule did you follow the rule?

In this photo I focused on balance.

2. What is the subject (be very very specific)?

The subject is the student working on his art project in the hallway.

3. Is it clear to people looking at your photos what the subject is?

Yes it is clear who the subject is in the photo.

1. What composition rule did you follow the rule?

In this photo I followed rule of thirds and avoiding mergers.

2. What is the subject (be very very specific)?

The subject is the girl working on her artwork be the staircase.

3. Is it clear to people looking at your photos what the subject is?

Yes, she is the only main focus in the photo.

4. If you can't very clearly see what the subject is, what could you have done differently?

I could have made the picture a bit more clear and focused.

Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

 

Above is a photo taken with an f-stop of 2.8.

 

Above is a photo taken with an f-stop of 16.

1. What part of the body should we closely relate aperture?

The human eyes are closely related to the aperture.

2. Finish this sentence - the smaller the Aperture _____________, the higher the Aperture ________________.

The smaller the aperture the larger the f-stop, the larger the aperture, the smaller the f-stop.

3. In your own words tell me how aperture impacts Depth of Field?

An aperture affects how big the area of the picture that is sharp. The bigger the aperture the larger the focus of the photo.

 

Above is a photo with a high shutter speed.

 

Above is a photo with a slow shutter speed.

1. If you were assigned to shoot at Bulldogs and Hotdogs night, which was a few months ago, what shutter speeds do you think you would have to shoot at the following events that night I would like you to answer the question for the following two situations:

At the beginning while the sun was still up and the courtyard had reasonable good light

a.) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree

Slow Shutter Speed.

b.) a food booth outside under one of the big red awnings

Slow Shutter Speed

c.) the Stars performance inside the gym
High Shutter Speed

d.) students dancing near the center of the courtyard
High Shutter Speed

e.) people streaming in from the front doors
High Shutter Speed

f.) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop

High Shutter Speed

Towards the end when there is no sun and has gotten dark enough that you can't see from one end of the courtyard to the other.

a.) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree

Slow Shutter Speed

b.) a food booth outside under one of the big red awnings

Slow Shutter Speed

c.) the Stars performance inside the gym

High Shutter Speed

d.) students dancing near the center of the courtyard

Slow Shutter Speed

e.) people streaming in from the front doors

Slow Shutter Speed

f.) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop

Slow Shutter Speed

2. List the three settings your camera has regarding setting shutter speed (these are found at #5 on the Shutter Speed website. Explain how each works - DO NOT COPY AND PASTE, use your own words.

•  Aperture priority - Where shutter speed is automatically set, and aperture is set manually
•  Shutter priority - Where shutter speed is set manually, and aperture is automatically set.
•  Manual - Where both aperture and shutter speed are set manually.

 

Above is a photo with an ISO of 200.

 

Above is a photo with an ISO of 3200.

1. What are the advantages of shoot at a higher ISO at a sporting event like basketball or a night football game?

When you shoot a basketball game or football game, it is good to shoot with a high ISO because you will get more clear photos without blur.

2. What suggestions did the author make about using a low ISO?

Use low ISO when there is a lot of light.

3. What suggestions did the author make about using a high ISO?

Use high ISO when there is not much light or when is is dim.

Unusual and Interesting Photos

1. What is your reaction to his work?

I think not much effort was put into creating this. I did't really enjoy his art.

2. How do you think he made these photos?

I think he made these photos with a feature in the digital camera, or he morphed three photos into one.

3. Think about some buildings you have seen, which ones would be good to take a photo like this? Tell me about those buildings, where are they, could you get easy access to them?

The U.T clock tower would be a good candidate for this type of photography. It would be an off-campus assignment, so not necessarily easy access. Another building good for this would be the Statue of Liberty. It would be very difficult to do this because it would require going to New York.

Here is a picture of a clock tower with the type of photography explained above.

1. Why did you pick this photo? 

It was very well shot, and it interested me because I like baseball.

2. What category did you find this photo?

I found this photo in Sports Action

3. What award did it win (what place)? 

 

It came in second place.

4. What did the photographer do that attracted your eye? (I am not talking about the subject, but what the photographer did)

I think the photographer intentionally shot this because it is very rare to catch a baseball with your open hand. He also Shot it so that it only focused on the player and not the field.

5. How much do you think the subject of the photo weighed in the judges minds when they picked this photo as one of the best of 2012?

I think the subject weighed in the photo a lot because he is the only focused thing in the photo.

6. What do you think the photographer had to do that was unique to getting this photo?

The photographer had to get low to the ground because the player was low to the ground, sliding for the ball.

1. Why did you pick this photo? 

I picked this photo because it shows heroes putting their lives on the line to save others.

2. What category did you find this photo?

I found this photo in the Domestic News category.

3. What award did it win (what place)? 

This photo placed in Third.

4. What did the photographer do that attracted your eye? (I am not talking about the subject, but what the photographer did)

The photographer intentionally shot it to where the subjects were leaning over the raft and holding on to the tree.

5. How much do you think the subject of the photo weighed in the judges minds when they picked this photo as one of the best of 2012?

The subject weighed not too much in the photo because it was the situation that was important. As long as the subject was in the photo, it was good.

6. What do you think the photographer had to do that was unique to getting this photo?

He had to go way downstream to  be ready for the search and rescue team.

1. Why did you pick this photo? 

It depicted a very important event, the Israel bombings.

2. What category did you find this photo?

I found this in the Photojournalist of the year category.

3. What award did it win (what place)? 

It came in Third place.

4. What did the photographer do that attracted your eye? (I am not talking about the subject, but what the photographer did)

The photographer focused the photo on a person running out to help those who were in need.

5. How much do you think the subject of the photo weighed in the judges minds when they picked this photo as one of the best of 2012?

The subject wasn't that important because the background depicted the bombing.

6. What do you think the photographer had to do that was unique to getting this photo?

The photographer had to put his life on the line to take this photo because he could have been bombed.

1. Below each photo are suggestions for photographers. List 3 of the ones you think are the most important for photographers to remember when they are out shooting.

Window Light is the best light for portraits.

Don't let different parts of the story distract others.

The smile says a lot about the connection between the painter and the subject.

2. Pick your favorite painting, get a copy of it and post it on your blog.

3. Then go find a REAL photo that looks like your painting. DO NOT GET AN ACTUAL PHOTO OF THAT PAINTING, find a photo that copies the style of the painting, but is NOT the painting.

4. Did the photographer follow the suggestions fully?

The photographer followed the suggestions of the photo. It wasn't exactly the same but it was similar.

5. Which style of painting do you think might influence you?

I like the reflection style of the painting. It would be a fun style to work with.