amanda's thoughts

a blog dedicated to my digital imagery class.

[amandaxmv-blog]

Pinhole photography is a type of photography that uses a pinhole camera. Pinhole cameras are as minimalist as the art gets. It is is a simple camera light-proof object without a lens but with a tiny aperture, the pinhole. Light passes through the pinhole and projects an inverted photo on the light-sensitive paper on the opposite of the object. Pinhole cameras are often cylinder objects and can vary in sizes. The special thing about pinhole photography is that there are no buttons, dials, and technical displays to distract you, you focus on the fun of it instead of the different techniques. Even though pinhole cameras are not hard to make, anything could go wrong during the process. First, the object has to be fully light-proof because if light leaks in, it will damage the light sensitive paper and ruin your photo. Second, the shutter or the pinhole has to be large enough and fully covered to prevent light from going in. Third, the exposure time (depending on the light of the surroundings) can vary and sometimes the photo will be over or underexposed.

The first step of pinhole photography is to prepare a light-proof cylinder object with a shutter on it. After that, we cut out the right size of light sensitive paper and put it in the camera without covering the shutter in a dark room. It is very important to work in a dark environment while working with pinhole cameras because any natural or artificial light will affect the paper. After loading up the camera, we take a tripod and find a place to take our photo. We set the camera tripod and peel the electric tape so the shutter is exposed to light. When we are outside on a sunny day, we open the shutter for around 15-20 seconds. The more bright your environment is, the less time you should expose your camera. After taking the photo, we go back to the darkroom to develop it. We place the light-sensitive paper in the developing fluid. Once we see black appearing we put it in “stop” fluid, which is water, then we move it to fix. After leaving it for a few minutes, we hang them up and leave it to dry.

My favorite thing about pinhole photography is its surprise because you never know how your photo will turn out. It’s also very interesting and beneficial for me to experiment with a different kind of photography. Some tips to be more successful at pinhole photography is just to take many photos. Our group had many failures before we finally had a photo that worked. My favorite photo was one that I took at the OLE which captured a garden gate. It was a very sunny day but we were under the shadows. I exposed the shutter for around 15 seconds and the tripod was placed lower than eye-level.

[amandaxmv-blog]

H U M A N S  O F  I S B -- F I V E 

Leslie Wang (Parent)

What’s a piece of advice you would offer a new parent? About being a parent that no one tells you. What do you love about parenthood? What is a struggle about parenthood?

“Be comprehensive to your children, love them as who they are, don’t treat you children as a continuation of your life. They are separate individuals, love them, respect them.”

[amandaxmv-blog]

H U M A N S  O F  I S B -- F O U R

Catherine Lin (Grade 9 Student)

What keeps you awake at night?

“The fear of the unknown, the knowledge that the universe is expanding so fast that one day we will forever be alone until not even our atoms, and molecules, and electrons, and protons can interact with each other. That keeps me up at night.”

[amandaxmv-blog]

H U M A N S  O F  I S B -- T H R E E 

Jake Sklarew (High School Teacher)

What is your greatest struggle right now?

“My greatest struggle at the moment is getting rid of you two so I can finish my class. (laughter) I live in the moment guys, I live in the moment.”

[amandaxmv-blog]

H U M A N S  O F  I S B -- T W O

Matt Schroeder (Grade 8 Humanities Teacher)

What is one of your most memorable points as a child?

“My family would always go to Cedar Point, which is an amusement park in Ohio, and I wasn’t tall enough to ride the rides. The summer I went, I don’t remember how old I was, six or seven, but the summer I went I could ride the rides, pure euphoria. It was the best day of my life, I still remember that.”

[amandaxmv-blog]

H U M A N S  O F  I S B -- O N E

Danielle Chang (Grade 9 Student)

What keeps you awake at night?

“Schoolwork.”

[amandaxmv-blog]

The thing I enjoyed most about taking portraits of people is capturing a decisive moment that really reflected the character of a person. A strong portrait is one that reflects a character or tells a story. The framing, lighting, and color all contribute to a strong portrait. Being the photographer allows you to interact with your subject, and often times, the best portraits are captured during good interactions. In this unit, I discovered that the main key to taking portraits is just to practice it, especially with young children. Another technique that helped me take better portraits was always having the different “rules” or “tips” that make a good portrait such as, experiment with lighting, introduce a prop, shoot candidly etc. Taking portraits of young children had its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages were that children are often open and can be more free in front of cameras. The disadvantages were that most children had a quick attention span and they moved very fast, so sometimes it’s hard to capture a good moment. An advice I would give to a beginner photographer who was taking portraits for the first time is to keep practicing. Practicing more makes you more comfortable when interacting with people and you also learn how to take good portraits. Above are two of my favorite portraits that I took. The first one was taken with the Pre-K 4 students in their classroom. The first one shows a boy writing his name. I was sitting across from him on a chair, and I lowered myself to be a little higher than his level. I used a shallow depth of field so only he is in focus. I very like this portrait because of its framing and lighting, and it also introduces a prop. The frame allowed all of his body to be in the photo and the lighting was quite warm and soft which created a pleasant and comfy mood. This photo captured a moment of a school child practicing writing his name in his everyday school life. The second photo was a portrait of my brother. I asked him to raise his foot and I crouched down and pointed my camera upwards. This portrait focused on his shoe instead of his face. It also created a different angle. This portrait conveys a playful and fun mood.

[amandaxmv-blog]

Our digital imagery class went on a field trip to Gulou and the hutongs in the Nanluoguxiang area in downtown Beijing on April 27th. We took photos around the area as we walked through the Hutongs and visited the Gulou. The thing I enjoyed most about was to capture good photos and also the lunch we had at Mr. Shi’s dumplings. It was interesting to see the lives of the local people that still lived in the hutongs and around that area. Some techniques I tried out were different POVs, leading lines, portraits, and contrast. Different POVs and leading lines can be seen in the first photo of the view of a hutong. I had a chance to go up stairs get above the houses which gave me a different POV of the hutongs. The use of portraits and contrast can be seen in the second photo of the grandma in red that stands out from the white wall. The third photo also uses contrast as the yellow bike contrasts with the blue window and umbrella in the background. To take a successful shot, I needed to be aware of my surroundings and notice the details. I looked for interesting framings that would make a subject stand out. It was hard for me to keep all the techniques in mind while taking the photos. Naturally finding good framing that also satisfies the techniques is very hard, it takes a lot of practice for it to become an instinct. I have been to the hutongs here just about a month ago with my friends to hang around and have fun. However, this time my goal was to take good photos and capture the life of people. I had interactions with the local people and learned or at least experienced the life in the hutongs neighborhoods. When I’m walking around with a camera, I notice the details in the surroundings. What I see is completely different than what a tourist passing by would see. The most challenging thing for me on this trip was obviously photo taking. It was hard to take unique photos when you go around in a large group because everyone would have similar photos. It was also hard to capture good portraits because some people did not want a photo taken. After this trip, I have realized that street photography is fun but not easy at all. Sometimes it really takes time and effort to capture one good photo. I also learned that the strongest street photography photos are portraits. Portraits directly tell us a lot more about their life than a scenery would. The most important thing I learned from this field trip experience was to always stay aware of your surroundings, whether its the scenery or the people. Staying aware helps me notice the details and find good framing. Sometimes its just a few second or slight angle difference that makes a good photo.

[amandaxmv-blog]

Photoshop is an image editing software that allows users to create incredible and unique images. Understanding how to process photos in Photoshop is extremely crucial to being a digital photographer. You not only have to know how to take good photos but also know how to edit them to create different styles and effects. Photoshop gives the users a lot of freedom in manipulating their photos. In my digital imagery class, we learned how to do some basics edits such as contrast, levels, brightness.  we also learned how to create more interesting photos such as double exposure, “I’m Not There”, levitation and multiplicity. In terms of digital imagery, I think Photoshop has introduced me to a lot of different things that I could do. The new techniques that I’ve learned in this class would be helpful to me in the future when I want to edit different photos and create a cool-looking image. Photoshop can also let me be creative and try to create different visual effects.

One of my favorite Photoshop assignments was the double exposure. Double exposure is when you mix two images together and you can see a part from both images. It is often used to create a ghost effect. Double exposure is often used for portraits. However, I also tried it with other objects. I thought double exposure was pretty complicated at first because I had to go through many steps. For my double exposure, I didn’t necessarily aim for a ghostly effect. I put together a picture of an autumn leaf and a sunset. I thought both images share a warm mood that strongly links them together. I utilized the unique shape of the leaf and the rhythm in the sunset and clouds photo. Through this double exposure, shape, form, rhythm, simplicity, as well as a frame within a frame is well displayed. My second favorite Photoshop assignment was when we tried to imitate Andy Warhol’s style of art. We learned how to turn a black and white photo into a bright and lively colored photo for different parts of the person. I paid attention to the elements of art, the principle of designs by using color and pattern. Fill the frame and focal point of the compositional guidelines is used in this photo.

The techniques of Photoshop that I’ve learned in this unit introduced me to a many different and cool images that you could make.

[amandaxmv-blog]

Diptychs and triptychs in photography refer to putting two or three images horizontally or vertically side by side. The purpose of putting images side by side is to create an artistic statement or to tell or story. There are four primary themes that all great diptychs or triptychs touch on, POV (zoom in and out), visual connections, time lapse, and opposites. POV is used when the photographer wants to emphasize two main elements or give a different perspective on one object. The theme of “visual connections” is used when a photographer wants to put similar or different photos side by side that has a unifying element. The unifying element could be the color scheme, the shapes, the mood etc. Time lapse is used when the photographer wants to show a series of events as time goes by. An example would be a triptych of a melting ice-cream. The last theme of “opposites” is used when the photographer wants to emphasize the contrast in different elements.

Diptychs and triptychs can be challenging to make. The difficult thing about diptychs and triptychs is to find photos that fit together very well and look aesthetically pleasing. An advice for beginners to diptychs and triptychs is to focus on one theme and take photos keeping that in mind. Photographers should also think about the story they want to tell through the diptych or triptych.

The thing I enjoyed about making diptychs and triptychs was putting images and together and looking at the final result. The most challenging part about making diptychs and triptychs is finding images that really fit together, but also that could tell a story. Above is one of the diptychs I made. The theme used in this diptych is visual connections. The images are connected by the elements of tone/value and space. Both of the images are in black and white and they express a feeling of far away through the negative space. The photos are visually connected by the principles of balance and contrast. Both images are mostly symmetrical which gives a feeling of balance, in addition, the colors strongly contrast. The compositional guideline used in both images are leading lines. The image on the left has leading lines formed by the stairs that lead up. The image on the right has leading lines formed by the hallway that brings the attention of the viewers forward. This diptych does not tell a specific story, however, it does evoke feelings in the reader. The overall mood expressed by the diptych is emptiness. The empty stairs and hallway seems far away from the viewer and makes the viewer feel alone.

[amandaxmv-blog]

We watched a TED talk by David Griffin on “How Photography Connects Us”. He talks about how photography can make real connections between people, and how people can understand the problems and challenges in this world we face today. A quote by Griffin that really resonates with me is: “But even more importantly, you need to know how to create a visual narrative. You need to know how to tell a story.” Photography used to be only a technical process of taking photos, but I think it has become a medium for communication just like many social media apps. The quote by Griffin highlights the importance in the story or message behind a photograph. A great photographer should know to take good photos but also create a strong and interesting story behind it that makes the photo come alive. Empathy is very important in storytelling because the audience can connect deeply with the story and the people concerned in it. When using empathy in telling a story behind a photo, the audience can understand and share the feelings of other people.

A photo I very liked that was mentioned by Griffin during the talk was a photo with an underwater photographer and a leopard seal. The story behind the photo touched me. Photographer Paul Nicklen was documenting leopard seals in Antarctica for a 2006 National Geographic magazine story. When he got into the water, a female leopard seal came up to him. Instead of harming him, she actually fed him penguins and followed him around. She first fed him alive penguins, then dead penguins perhaps assuming he was a “weak predator in the ocean”. This story represents the usual misconceptions of “dangerous” animals. Many dangerous predators attack the researchers or humans. But for Nicklen, instead of being a predator, the leopard seal became a nurturer. This was truly an amazing experience for him. The main element used in this photo is form. Multiple forms are shown is this photo, the form of the human, the leopard seal, and the water. The different forms contrast each other which makes this photo unique on its own. The main principle used in this photo is emphasis. The leopard seal and the human are the focal points of this photo as it contrasts with the plain blue water. This creates emphasis on the human and leopard seal which further strengthen this important moment. This photo uses the compositional guidelines of the rule of thirds, simplicity, and focal point/center of interest. The interaction between the human and the leopard seal is placed on one of the hot spots of the photo. This photo is relatively simple as there are only a human and a leopard seal. This photo also uses focal point/center of interest because the interaction between the human and the leopard seal is the focal point and center of interest in this photo which brings the attention of the audience there.

[amandaxmv-blog]

Aperture measures and defines the size of the lens which is adjusted to change the amount of light coming in the camera. It is one of the principals in the exposure triangle along with ISO and shutter speed. Aperture can be compared to the humans’ pupil. When the surroundings are dark, the pupil will expand allowing more light to come through. Alternately, when the surroundings are bright, the pupil will become smaller to block the light. Similarly, when you have a small aperture, less light come through when you have a large aperture, more light come through. The aperture of an average camera usually ranges from f4-f22. Aperture controls the depth of field. The smaller the aperture is, the larger the depth of field is, meaning the objects in the foreground, middle ground, and background are all in focus. The larger the aperture is, the shallower the depth of field is, meaning only the foreground, middle ground, or background will be in focus. You would use a large aperture (f4-f5.6) indoors and when you want a shallow depth of field effect because this lets more light go through the camera which would not result in underexposed photos. You would use a small aperture (f18-f22) outdoors and when you want a wide depth of field effect, because less light goes through the camera, preventing from overexposed photos. Some things to be careful when having a high or low aperture is the exposure of the photo. Sometimes you might want a wide depth of field effect indoors but realize the photo is underexposed. At these times, you should change your shutter speed and ISO accordingly to get the right amount of exposure. Understanding helps us learn how to find the right exposure and the depth of field for a photo. Aperture plays an important role in the exposure triangle. In manual mode, we can change all three principals of the exposure triangle to get the perfect exposure and depth of field for our photo.

[amandaxmv-blog]

ISO is the camera’s sensitivity to light in the surroundings. The ISO of a camera can range from 100 to 25600, some professional cameras can even go higher. A lower ISO number is used when the surroundings have a good amount of lighting. For instance, a sunny day outside on the streets. When there the surroundings are bright, your camera does not need a high sensitivity to capture the light, we usually use 100 ISO. On the other hand, a higher ISO number is used indoors or in a relatively dark place. Usually, we use 1600, 3200 or even 6400 ISO indoors to make the camera’s sensitivity to light higher so it could capture more light. Some negative effects of using a high ISO is a grainy effect on the photo, or the so-called “image noise”. The images taken with a lower ISO is typically more clear than images taken with a higher ISO. However, there are some exceptions with professional cameras. Understanding ISO helps us learn how to take a photo with the right amount of exposure. ISO plays an important role in the exposure triangle along with aperture and shutter speed. In manual mode, we can change the ISO, shutter speed, aperture to get a right exposure for our photos. We can learn when and where to change our ISO to get the best results for our photos.

[amandaxmv-blog]

Robert Holmes is a British award-winning travel photographer. He is one of the most success photographers with his career extending over 35 years. Holmes had won numerous awards, five of which were from the Society of American Travel Writers on their Travel Photographer of the Year. He has worked for National Geographic, Geo, Times, Wine spectator and hundreds of other magazines and companies. Holmes started his career in Britain 1975 when he took photos for the British Everest Expedition of London Daily Mail and Paris Match. Robert Holmes is known for his photography and illustrated books. He illustrated over 45 books and has been one of the 100 elite photojournalists in the world invited to be part of a series called “Day in a Life”. I personally like his sense of colors, framing, and symmetry. His photos are inspiring because he pays a lot of attention in the framing and focal points of a photo. As he once said, “the photographer is responsible for everything in the photo”.

The photo on the top is one that he took in Myanmar and during the middle of the day. Holmes utilizes all the elements of art except for tone/value and pattern from the principles of design. The leading lines formed by the patterns on the wall lead to the focal point which is also the punctuation in this photo. In addition, it also uses the rule of thirds, as the boy is placed on one of the intersections. This photo tells the story of a quiet temple in Myanmar. It shows the culture of Myanmar and peoples’ lives as monks.

The photo in the bottom left is a photo taken in Clos Pepe vineyards, Ste. Rita Hills, California. Holmes utilizes all of the elements of art and rhythm of the principles of design. The yellow plants in the top half of this photo create leading lines and give a feeling of rhythm. Holmes also uses reflection in this photo as well as rule of thirds as the boat is placed on one of the intersections. The tree in the photo composition also has some visual weight, making this photo more interesting. This photo tells the story of a tranquil and beautiful vineyard in California, which also expresses his love for wine.

The photo in the bottom right is also taken in Myanmar. This photo shows a lake with a person on a boat. Holmes utilizes all the elements of art except for color and tone/value. He also uses rhythm and emphasis of the principles of design. The clouds create a sense of rhythm, and the boat is the center of interest in this photo. The water creates a good reflection of the sky. The boat is also placed on one of the intersections of the rule of thirds. This photo tells a story of local person paddling a boat on a calm lake in Myanmar as the sun is setting. This gives us a glimpse of their lives in Myanmar.

Sources:

http://www.robertholmesphotography.com/index

[amandaxmv-blog]

In the 1 object 30 times challenge, we choose one object and take 30 different pictures of it using the compositional guidelines. This assignment helps us familiarize with the compositional guidelines and understand how to use it correctly. The compositional guidelines include:

Focal point/Center of Interest

Figure/Ground separation

Simplicity

Leading Lines (especially diagonals)

The point of View - change it up!

Give space to moving objects

Rule of Thirds (hot spots)

Rule of Odds

Framing within the frame

Fill the Frame

In addition, we also used reflections, silhouette, and shadow. It is very important to understand the compositional guidelines because it plays an important role in making a good photo. In photography, we utilize the compositional guidelines to help us frame a good photo. The most challenging part of this assignment was finding different framing and locations to fit the compositional guidelines. We had to pay attention to our surroundings and think about how we can find a unique and interesting framing. The “biggest takeaway” from this assignment for me was learning about the compositional guidelines and using them through taking photos for one object. It forces me to think differently and be mindful of my surroundings and framing of the photo.

[amandaxmv-blog]

The 7 principles of design in photography describe the way photographers utilizes the elements of art. The principles of design include balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, contrast, and unity. There are also different ways you can utilize these principles. For instance, there is symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial balance. Understanding the principles of design helps us identify how the elements of art are utilized in different artworks. By taking photos around the school campus, it helped me interpret the principles and the ways to use them. I learned to employ the principles of design when taking photos. The principles of design are also crucial to taking a good photo. 

One of my favorite photos from this assignment is shown above. The photo portrays the principle of rhythm and also a little bit of pattern. The photo was taken at a low angle which shows a gate with the blue sky in the background. Although the pattern is not very easily identified, overall it still gives a feeling of rhythm. The line in the middle of the composition formed by the pattern of the gate is a leading line that leads the viewer’s eye to the sky. The contrast in color gives depth and form to the photo. The side shined by the sunlight is contrasted with the other dark side. The principles of design can be easily found around you and is also critical to making a good photo. 

[amandaxmv-blog]

The 7 elements of art are the “building blocks of art”. A work of art can often be analyzed from different aspects which are the elements of art. The 7 elements of art include line, shape, form, color, texture, space, and tone/value. Understanding these elements also help us to learn about photography. We will be able to discuss and critique a photo based on the elements. This activity of finding the different elements around school made me see things in a new way. I became more mindful of my surroundings and paid attention to small details. Going around campus and finding these elements myself helped me understand these elements better.  

My favorite photo from this assignment is the photo shown above. It shows a dark hallway, at the end of the hallway is a door that leads to the outside. This photo demonstrates the element of space. The lines on the floor, lights, and lockers lead to the single vanishing point in the center of this photo, the door leading to the outside. The leading lines give the photo depth. The vanishing point gives the image a stretched look. The photo’s symmetry creates the effect of distance that defines the image. The positive space in this photo is the white walls and doors in the foreground and the white small door in the center of this photo. The negative space is the dark hallway which gives contrast and bringing emphasis to the door in the background.