The Images - YangXiang

Welcome.

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Week 10 SDL

[ardn516yangxiang]

Week 09 SDL

I went to the restaurant this week as planned to prepare for the shoot, but the plans don’t come together. They were actually closed until next Saturday for renovations, so I had to try and get some test shots around the restaurant. With no staff and no customers, the shots always felt incomplete. So in the evening I went to another Chinese restaurant and tested some compositions. Overall I’m not really happy with the results this week and can only hope that when it reopens next week I can get some shots with some substance.

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Week 08 SDL

This week is also exploring the stories of those in the Auckland area that could represent an international student or expatriate. I went to Ponsonby and Herne bay. There are a lot of hidden beaches in Herne bay, and with the cold weather, these little houses and sailing boats on the beach gave it a very deserted feel.

But during my wanderings around the neighborhood, I accidentally discovered an interesting Chinese restaurant. It stood out in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by so many old heritage. But as I was in a hurry, I didn’t stay too long. I planned to go back and combine my research with a preconceived idea for next week’s shoot. So I went back and did a quick brainstorming session to outline the story I wanted to tell and some compositions I could try.

[ardn516yangxiang]

Week 08 Class: One-meter Practice

In this week’s class, we were asked to do a One metre square exercise, and I chose the square in the center of campus as my location. Mainly because I could look through it to see 360° of the surrounding buildings and the events that were happening; it just so happened that the student union was preparing for an event on the square, and I quickly recorded their preparations, which basically consisted of a medium and closed up composition. I also focused on the staircase in the distance, the layers and structure of which were fascinating. For the rest of the photo, I used my partner’s clothes for the foreground and used the depth of field technique to capture the scene in the distance.

I think this exercise does several specific things; firstly, it trains you to compose objects in a scene. You need to take the camera and choose the suitable objects around you. For example, you need to consider how each different thing needs to be viewed separately. This is very similar to how I used to choose a fixed focal length lens for my street photography, which is an excellent way to help photographers improve their compositional skills. Secondly, I think it’s a good exercise for timing because you can’t move and everything around you is fleeting, so you need to learn to find that decisive moment, as the photographer Bresson mentioned.

[ardn516yangxiang]

Week 07 SDL

It’s been a bit of a gloomy week, at least when I didn’t encounter any moments of sunshine when I was out and about. I went around Ponsonby with a couple of friends. Still, unlike last time, I mainly spent time in things in the community, such as the ancient and beautiful heritage houses, or the forgotten shopping carts on the side of the road, appearing in locations where they shouldn’t have been, with a bit more depressing.

The feeling I’ve been trying to find this week is one of loneliness, so have directed my attention to many items that have been abandoned on the street, such as shopping carts, chairs, etc. Sometimes there is something uniquely beautiful about them being left on the side of the road inorganically. I think it might be similar to my life abroad, but not exactly the same.

[ardn516yangxiang]

Week 06 SDL

This week I went back to my aunt’s house and walked around the block. Based on the lovely weather, I started to try to take colorful landscape photos. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this kind of shooting, so I was a bit uncomfortable initially, but I’m slowly getting a feel for it. The time towards evening is my favorite time of day, the blue hour that everyone is talking about, the blue and purple hues on the sky like a palette of paint have been spilt.

Since we know the proposition for the next assignment. We have to expand the exploration of place and multiple ideas of home, so I think maybe my apartment will be a good place to start. As an international student, my actual home is not here, the environment I have been in for the past two weeks is nothing more than a temporary living space. They lack the soul that a so-called “home” has. So it felt like I needed to explore the Tāmaki Makaurau area, so I could find my answer about how I could identify with my identity when I was surrounded by an unfamiliar culture.

[ardn516yangxiang]

Week 06 ClassWorkshop: Focal Lenth

Lens focal length is always one of the camera data that I pay more attention to, and I feel that the same scene at different focal lengths can be a different sensory experience for the audience. In my usual process of making CG art, I have concluded that 135 - 300 mm telephoto: the lens is more parallel, horizontal and vertical, suitable for big thick scenes or close-ups；15 - 20 mm wide angle: the lens has a significant distortion and is ideal for impactful images；50 - 80 mm: for pictures with characters.

[ardn516yangxiang]

Week 05 SDL

This week, as I have just finished my assignment, my SDL was mainly a record of my daily life, trying out various lighting conditions, such as outdoor, indoor, sunny, and cloudy, day or night, etc. Even though I found out it’s quite chill, but I still prefer to peek into other people’s worlds by photographing them; my desire for expression is very lacking in aspects of my personal life.

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Brainstorm

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Abandoned Shopping Carts

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Statement

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Short introduction about me

My name is Barry, and I am an international student from China. After I finished middle school, I came to New Zealand to start my study abroad life. Since I still don't know how to drive, currently I live in an apartment in City Centre. Therefore, I am not able to move around very much. I have been exposed to photography since I was a child under the guidance of one of my elders. Under his influence, I believe an excellent photography series must have a point to move people, so I prefer to shoot some interesting people and moments. Due to multiple factors, I didn't have the habit of regularly taking photos before, and I would only carry my camera when I traveled at most. But through this course, I feel that I started to enjoy the feeling of capturing at any time.

[ardn516yangxiang]

My Favorite of Week Four

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