Roland Dale's Photoblog

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April 2022, By Kaitlyn Delott

1/50 at f/3.8, ISO1600

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“Deflection” by Kaitlyn Delott

In this photo it seems as if she is optimistic.  Her mouth seems to be formed into a sly smile.  Her umbrella is also faced to the back of her where it seems the majority of the rain is coming from.  I like to think the light she's looking at represents a brighter future and that she is using the umbrella to deflect the rain which represents the past she has moved on from.  As if she is ready to go down a brighter path.

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Interpretation Photo by Roland Dale

April 30, 2022

ISO 2500, 24mm, f / 4.0, 1/160 sec

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“No Rebound” by Roland Dale

May 8th, 2022

ISO 1600, 38mm, f / 5.3, 1/250 sec

In the photo it seems as if the young man is truly devoted to his craft.  His lock that his eyes have on the ball show that he is truly in a focused state of mind.  His stance shows that he is ready to receive the ball and/or prevent it from getting into anyone else's hands.  I think the focus on the hoop and the fairly gloomy background create a feeling of intensity.  The determination from the boy plus the condensed background help the viewer get into the subject’s headspace.  One that is pure concentration and a love for the game.

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“Lazy Bones” by Roland Dale

April 30th, 2022

ISO 2000, 24mm, f/ 4.0, 1/160 sec

The main subject of my photo is a young man that is going through a rut.  The persona I was trying to create was that of someone who was not truly living life.  Someone who has been complacent and has no will to be productive or even try to improve their situation.  To show this I had him be surrounded by ps4 games with a controller in his hand to show what he does with his free time.  And by doing this I think I effectively communicated that he uses video games to forget about the outside world.  I chose this topic/look to emphasize a very real issue with our country and our screen obsessed youth.

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“Praying for Peace” by Roland Dale

April 20th, 2022

ISO 1250, 24mm, f / 4.0, 1/320 sec

My subject is a young man who has gone to the cemetery to mourn.  When I was shooting this photo, I wasn’t trying as much to go for a story as I was trying to establish a mood of sadness and grief.  I do think that I accomplished this task.  Things that helped me achieve this goal were the fact that the photo is set in a cemetery, a place that is commonly associated with gloominess and melancholy.  I also think the rain really helps add to the story and it also establishes the darker atmosphere. 

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“Confidence In Colors” by Roland Dale

April 6th, 2022

ISO 500, 50 mm, f / 6.3, 1/200 sec

The subject of my photo is my friend Jose.  I chose him because of the stoic nature he embodies in his body language and facial expressions.  He always seems to be at peace with himself.  I chose the colored wall because I thought it contrasted nicely with the more muted colors found on his clothes.  When it came to directing my subject, I told him to think of a bittersweet memory and to really contemplate that moment in his head.

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“Nature Always Smiles Back” by Roland Dale

ISO 200, 24mm, f/13, 1/125 sec

I altered the landscape by arranging leaves surrounding the path into a smiley face. By arranging the leaves, I was able to take an abundant and overlooked object in the forest and turn it into a common symbol of positivity.

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“The Grass Keeps Going” By Roland Dale

I made this panorama by taking five pictures that I took of the surrounding park and piecing them together.  I tried to make sure that the color of the grass stayed consistent with the rest of the image.  

As for editing the image, it was a bit washed out in the original file so I tried to bring out more the the clouds and color in the image.  This meant that I had to slightly increase the vibrance and saturation while increasing the texture and clarity.

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“Through the Backwoods” by Roland Dale

ISO 2500, 24mm, f/13, 1/250 sec

Line:  The picture has a strong use of line.  The path that is drawn between the metal water drain to the end of the dirt road helps guide the viewers eye through the photo.  It also helps give the photo a sense of curiosity because we don’t know what is at the end of the path.

Texture:  I find that the picture has a strong sense of texture.  From the coarse merging of rocks in the beginning of the photo to the thousands of small prickly branches the photo just oozes with personality.  Every time I look at this photo, I truly get the sense of decay and neglect this environment gives off.

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“Glimmers Beneath The Trees” by Roland Dale

March 11, 2022  ISO 1600, 41mm, f/13, 1/500 sec

Light enhances this photo by giving it dimensions of exposure that weren’t initially there.  The light is able to flourish and is scatter throughout the snowy ground below due to opening in the trees above.  The shadows make it seem like the light is invading the space, as if it is violating the space.  I also like hoe the light seems to formed in a trail of sorts that spreads from the lower left corner to the upper right corner of the image.  

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“A Path Defined By Nature” by Roland Dale

03/04/2022

ISO 640, 26mm, F16, 1/200 sec

I took this photo at the La Grange forest preserve around 2 pm.  This was right after the snow melted and it was a bit gloomy and drab outside.  This made the light seem limited and a little hard to mold.  As for the focal point, that would be the road.  By following the lines of the road, you can feel like you are also walking through this side of the woods.

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“Shadows in the Snow” by Roland Dale

I used the backpack in the photo to help manipulate the light so that it would funnel only through the soda bottle.  I learned from this assignment that using a clear subject helps bring other elements in the picture out more,’

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“Infusion” by Roland Dale

The two most prominent formal elements in my photo are line and color.  The line is present in the way the bottle leads your eyes down to the splatter at the bottom of the photo.  And the color is shown in the way the red liquid keeps your eyes focused on the subject because it is in such stark contrast to the white snow.

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“Emerging From Darkness” by Roland Dale

I purposely lined up the shot so it would look like the sewer was dividing the light.  I learned that the lighting and angles are one of the biggest factors in changing the tone and feeling of a photo.

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“We All Float” by Roland Dale

The sewer assignment was an experiment in taking something that we take for granted and applying multiple creative angles to it.  By following this process I discovered that even the most mundane of objects can be captured in an intriguing light.  

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This is another photo by Manuel Alvarez Bravo called Striking Worker, Assassinated. The photo was taken in 1934. The photo is composed of the graphic death of a union worker after a strike. The photo is made out to show the casualties of disputes between corporations and their workers. I think the photo is famous because of the unflattering way it depicts the violence of this real world event.

https://www.masters-of-photography.com/A/alvarez_bravo/alvarez_bravo_assassinated.html

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/98657/manuel-alvarez-bravo-striking-worker-murdered-mexican-1934/

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This is of of Manuel Alvarez Bravo's famous photos. It is a silver gelatin print of the famous artist Frida Kahlo. It was taken sometime in the 1930s at an unspecified location in Mexico.