Final Project

Here are a few examples that I will most likely end up using for my final project in my Digital class.  I decided to take pictures of my house at Christmas time.  My family and I have a ton of decorations that we've been collecting over the years and I thought it would be perfect to document some of these things.  I wanted to do them all in black and white because I feel that it adds a classic/ vintage feel to my photographs.  I'm not completely happy with the quality of these online, they look a lot better in person, I promise!  I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's projects on Monday and to hopefully get some feedback from my peers.

Light

I can't believe there's only two weeks left in the semester, these past three months have gone so fast.  I was looking through my files on my Passport in my Digital class and I came across a few photographs that I completely forgot to edit.  I probably already said this, but I'm obsessed with black and white photography.  Pretty much all of my pictures are changed to b&w at some point just to see what they would look like. This is one of those pictures that I can't really remember what I was doing or why, but I'm glad I did because I think it looks pretty cool.  I love photographing light, especially Christmas lights around the holidays.  

Embracing Our Differences

I decided to try something a little different for this particular project.  I don't normally take portraits for my assignments, but I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone a little bit for this one.  This is my fourteen year old sister Olivia.  She was diagnosed with Scoliosis (abnormal curving of the spine) when she was in Kindergarten, causing her to have to wear a brace up until she was twelve.  We pretty much knew from the beginning that she would have to undergo extensive surgery when she got older, but at the time we weren't sure when that would happen.  Her curve kept getting progressively worse over the years, and in the summer of 2012, she was rushed into surgery.  I asked her if she would mind posing for me, and at first she was definitely a little hesitant about it.  It hasn't been easy for her dealing with this scar for the past two years.  She decided to go through with it though, and I feel this photograph shows just how strong she is, and that even though it has been extremely difficult, she has learned to embrace it.  I couldn't be more proud of her.

Just wanted to share another one of my portraits from the other day.  I'm excited to continue editing them over the next few weeks.  

I was able to start shooting our portrait assignment on Friday, and I'm very happy with my results so far.  My friend Chloe and I drove to a golf course in Sayville and got there just in time to catch the sunset.  We were absolutely freezing, but it was worth it.  The only thing I'm worried about is the fact that some of my pictures are a little dark due to the lack of light we had, but I got a few silhouetted shots that I'm pretty confident about.  I had to take some nature shots as well because the sunset was just so beautiful.  I can't wait to start editing these a little more in Photoshop.

I just wanted to share this image I took a few days ago.  I cannot believe it's already November, time is moving incredibly fast.  I love Christmastime, but I'm honestly not looking forward to all of the trees being bare.  I love all of the beautiful colors Fall has to offer, and once they're gone, it can be quite depressing.  Especially with the freezing temperatures we get here in New York.  I still enjoy photographing trees during the Winter, but it's just not the same.  I'm trying to take as many pictures as I can these next few weeks before the leaves are completely gone.

In my Digital 1 class this past week, I was playing around with my camera a little bit.  I don't normally work with long exposures, but after taking a few I definitely want to continue practicing.  I wasn't expecting them to come out too great, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this photo.  My Professor was walking around, giving us a demonstration, and I was actually able to capture her twice.  I love that both figures don't appear solid giving the photo a mysterious/ghostly feel.  I edited it a little bit when I got home by changing it to black & white, and adjusting the brightness/contrast.  This is definitely one of my favorite photos I've taken so far this semester.    

Since I'm not completely finished editing our current project, I thought I'd dedicate a post to my favorite season.  Fall, in my opinion, is the best time of the year (besides Christmastime).  I've always loved the colors and how chilly the weather gets because I'm obsessed with sweaters.  A quote I read recently says, “Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”  I think that's the best way to describe it because the colors are just so bright and beautiful.  I always go a little overboard with the amount of pictures I take, especially when I take a trip to a pumpkin patch with my family.        

MOTION

I can't believe we're already six weeks into the semester, it's crazy how fast time flies!! Our project this week was all about motion.  I have to say, this assignment was the hardest so far because it was difficult to find human subjects.  I wanted to take a trip into NYC because there are always tons of people on the streets, but unfortunately it didn't work out.  I experimented with a bunch of things, or at least I tried to.  I honestly felt like I wasn't doing a great job because I was mostly taking photographs like the one on top, which is me just moving my sweater around.  I also took a trip to a park down the street from my house with my mom where I took some shots of her on a swing.  It seemed like I didn't have anything usable until I started working with some of them in Photoshop.  It turned out they weren't as terrible as I thought.  I definitely want to keep working with motion because I have a bunch of ideas I would like to try in the city.  Hopefully I can take a trip soon.  I've been learning so much these past few weeks and I can't wait to continue building up my portfolio.

Line, Shape & Texture

I've really been enjoying working with Photoshop.  I've used it before, but that was a few years ago now and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.  I mean I'm still pretty confused about a lot of it because there's a lot to learn, but I'm definitely getting better.  I'm sure it'll get easier with time.  This was a fun project to shoot because I love photographing detail/texture.  I think wood is so beautiful especially when it's been aged and worn. I also love shooting an object upclose because at first, you might not know what it is.  It makes it fun to try and figure it out.  

To be perfectly honest, I was really nervous before starting my classes this semester.  Over the summer, there were many thoughts running through my head, "How difficult will the projects be?" "Will I make any friends?" "Will I be good enough?".  The most common thought I had would have to be the last one.  Throughout my life, I've struggled with anxiety, and I never really had much confidence.  Most people who know me, know that I'm extremely shy.  A lot of the time, my shyness has held me back.  Going into the first project for my Photography 1 class, I was definitely a little worried.  I didn't know what to expect.  When we first started editing, I looked around the room and saw so many impressive photographs.  I instantly started doubting myself, which is something I really need to stop doing.  On Wednesday, we had our first critique, and I was so overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback I received for this photograph.  I definitely wasn't expecting it at all.  Having someone tell you that they could see it in a museum was so encouraging and it really boosted my confidence.  I was also thankful for the constructive criticism because there's definitely a few things I need to improve.  I'm really enjoying getting to know everyone in my classes and seeing all of their beautiful photographs. I'm so excited to continue creating, and learn as much as I can these next few years.      

            

NYC is probably my favorite place to shoot.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved everything about it.  I love to capture little pieces of people's lives like this girl on the tricycle in the middle of a busy street.  It's hard to put into words, but there's just something about the city that speaks to me.