Creative Photos at Hunt

A list of things to notice at Hunt Union/Athletic Fields:

1. Bright orange goldfish

2. Rippling water

3. Wooden dock

4. Grey, stone stairs

5. Large, red track

6. Intimidating hurdles

7. Large hill leading to some softball fields

8. Tall black fence surrounding the tennis courts

9. Dangling tree branches

Portraits at Hunt

I decided to take pictures of my friend at a few different places on my block. Most of them were around the pond - on the dock and in the woodsy path behind it. I didn't habitually put my friend in any certain place; we just walked around and stopped to take photos in areas that looked interesting. I took some photos with part of her body showing and others with all of her body showing. I like the ones with only part of her body showing the most because you get a better look at her face and the expressions she made. My friend is taking up at least half of the photo frame, if not not more, in almost every picture. I think that when people look away from the camera and into the distance, it makes you wonder what they're looking at or thinking about. I also think that when some people look at the camera, they feel like they have to smile out of force of habit. I was comfortable photographing my friend because I know her well. It wasn't hard to make Caroline comfortable because I explained what I had to do for this assignment, plus she likes getting her picture taken. If I was photographing someone I didn't know, I could make him/her feel comfortable by talking/striking up a conversation and not getting too close to him/her. I don't mind taking pictures of people I don't know too much if they don't notice me doing so. Otherwise, I feel awkward.

Portraits: 60 People

The first picture is a street portrait and the other four are documentary portraits.

I got within 5 or 6 feet of the first guy pictured. I think he knew I was there using my camera, but he probably thought I was taking pictures of things around the pond, not of him. He started to turn around when he heard my camera click at one point. Maybe it was because I wasn't that far behind him. It was a little hard to focus on composition because I wanted to get a good picture, but I also didn't want him to notice me. I wasn't afraid to get close to the girl playing the trombone. At first, she didn't know I was taking pictures of her. I think the girl playing the clarinet knew I was taking pictures because when she came over, she saw me with my camera. The other two guys knew I was taking their pictures. I didn't notice any patterns in their behavior, gestures, or facial expressions. I could convey intimacy by getting close-ups. 

Block Number 2: Hunt Union and Athletic Fields

I think these first five pictures are the best ones...

...but I also like these.

Photo Assignment 6 Adjustments

Photo Assignment 6: Lighting

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Day 6:

Photo Assignment 4: Composition

I decided to take photos in the quad. I also took photos of one of the flower boxes by Mills and the stones by the Physical Science building. I was interested in seeing the shapes the objects were and the colors, textures, and shadows the objects casted. The pillars were lined up in a way so that they all created triangles. I think my photographs help viewers see what interested me because I took a few close-ups and focused on the way the pillars were in relation to each other, color, and texture. 

Photo Assignment 1: Photograph a Partner

1. Make a photo about one part of your partner's body.

The background is light and blurry, so she stands out more.

2. Photograph your partner in motion.

She started jogging in place - the blurriness in her arm is interesting.

3. Take a posed portrait of your partner.

I'm happy with the fact that I figured out how to get her face in focus and make the background look blurry.

4. Take an unposed documentary photo of your partner.

I like how you can see the guy in the background - it looks like he is moving quickly.

5. Photograph your subject in any way you want. Be creative.

I like this one because I decided to take it at a different angle than all of the other ones.

1.     I didn’t feel uncomfortable being photographed at all. I think it’s because I worked with my partner a couple times in class, so I already kind of knew her. It helped that I knew what kinds of photos she had to take of me. The hardest part of being photographed this time was trying to figure out how to pose for the “unposed documentary photo.” I think some people might be uncomfortable with being photographed up close because the photographer/camera gets into their personal space.  

2.     I think if you’re taking pictures of someone and he/she feels uncomfortable, you should explain to him/her what project/assignment you are working on so he/she can understand what you’re doing and why. You could also talk to him/her before you take photographs so he/she can become acquainted with you. It also might be helpful if you show him/her what shots you took so he/she can see your progress and work. It would be a good idea to see if he/she is uncomfortable with posing a certain way.  

Photo Assignment 2: Fruit

1. For my first series of photos, I decided I wanted to capture the curves in the apple.

2. For the second series, I focused on lighting and the shadows that this lighting made.

3. I started taking pictures with the orange and wrapped both pieces of fruit in a scarf. I thought it would be interesting to see what they looked like against a patterned, textured fabric.

4. For the last set, I decided to hold a mirror up against the fruit and placed the fruit on the mirror so I could look at the reflections my objects casted. I also played around with lighting and aperture. 

There are a few ways you could draw a viewer's attention to your photos. For example, you could play around with shutter speed to make certain objects look blurry. You could also experiment with how your photo would turn out if it was in color and black and white to see what would make your picture look best. It's good if your photo's composition is strong - that way your viewer's eyes constantly move throughout the photo. Having contrast (color, lines, brightness) can help make things interesting.