Graduation Program

After looking at the other programs the thing I think I did the best would have to be the way that I set up how the hands are holding the Pegasus. Now that I have seen the other programs I think i could have set the back and the words up better. I think the design was a little easier then I thought it would be, because I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I think the most important parts of parts and or aspects of Graphic Design are how u set everything up, because if its not set up right it does not look good. I really don't have any suggestions that I could make for next year.

Alternate Program: Senior Portfolio Show

After looking at the other program covers I think that I did really good on setting up the how I wanted the circles, the photos and the Pegasus. Now that I have seen the other programs i think I could have worked with the words a little more. The thing that I struggled with the most might have been how many photos I need to put in the circle on the back. The one that I think I did the best is the portfolio show one because it looks more artistic then the graduation one dose.

Effects

I really like the glow photo because it looks so soft and delicate. I love how the effect on the glow photo makes it look like everything is brighter then it is and how the effect makes it look like it is a wedding photo. Thats why I like the glow effect.

Frames

The photo I like the most would have to be the one where I am leaning on the wall and the frame is next to my head. The reason that I like this picture is because I like how the sun hits everything just right and the shadows are so strong against the brick wall. What I think makes this photograph artistic is the way that it was positioned to make it jus a plain background and how it was taken at just the right angle to catch the sun and how it made the shadows more vivid. I think one thing that could have done to make the photo more artistic is that the little white square next to the shadow could have been taken out of the picture, but other then that I don’t think anything else could have been done to make this a more artistic photo.

Group Collaboration

The thing that i found most difficult about taking these shots was trying to figure out were we wanted everyone and how we wanted them situated. Another hard thing was trying to find a way to set the camera up and trying to figure out at what angle and position the picture looked better taken from. If I could retake the group photo, somethings that I would have done differently is, I think I would have planned the photo better and looked for better places that the photo could have been taken at. But other then that I don't know what else I would have done differently in this photo.

Artist Statement

In my portfolio you will find all of the worksheets I have done so far in this first semester of photography class. You will also be able to fine all of the photos I have taken and I like. With some of the photos there will be grading rubrics while others may not have them. Lastly what you will find in my portfolio is photos that where put on display.

I feel very good about my portfolio. I have kept it up very well, and I have done a good job trying to make everything look nice. I also feel like I have done the best possible with my portfolio. That’s how I feel about my photography portfolio.

What I have learned over the course of this semester is how to take awesome photographs and not just snapshots. I also learned how to use Photoshop which I did not know how to use let alone did I know what it was. I learned how to use certain compositional tricks to turn an ordinary photo in to a artistic photograph. Those are the things that I learned this semester.

I feel like I was most successful with the leading lines compositional trick. The reason I feel I was most successful with this compositional trick is because I feel like it was easy to come up with an emphasis and it was easy to get a line to lead to the emphasis. I also think I did well on this compositional trick because it was easy to have fun with and be creative. That’s what I think I was most successful with.

The thing I struggled with the most was thinking of a social issue and the statement. The reason is because when I would come up a social issue I could either not find a picture to work with the statement or I could not find a statement to work with the picture. When we did our social issue projects it took me a long time to figure out what picture I wanted and what statement sounded, and went good with the picture. That’s what I think I struggled with the most.

I think in the future I could look deeper in to the project that I am doing to get the most creative idea possible. I could take my first I idea and run farther and farther to get the most from it. If I do that I’m sure that I can get even better pictures then I first thought of. That’s how I think that I can improve in the future.

I have seen improvement in my creativity. I notice that in the being of the year my ideas were not that strong. But now I notice as the year has gone on I noticed that the more we do the stronger my ideas become. So that’s what I think I have seen improvement on.

I think that my art work has gotten better and better as the semester went on. In taking this class I have learned the difference between pictures and artistic pictures. I also have learned that your first picture might me good but if you keep working it could be great. That’s what I have learned over this semester.

Lyrics

The lyrics I choose for this project are Corazon and one step at a time by pima j and Jordan sparks. “Don't worry your not alone baby those days are gone I promise you it'll get better Corazon a Corazon. Sometimes I just don’t get it and I don’t know why your heart all up in it and it still don’t fly girl I know- yeah I know sometimes your feeling so low when you got to maintain nine out of ten run the same game girl I know- yeah I know. Do it for you not for nobody else girl I know. Don't worry your not alone baby those days are gone I promise you it'll get better Corazon a Corazon. Hurry up and wait so close, but so far away everything that you've always dreamed of Close enough for you to taste but you just can't touch. You want to show the world, but no one knows your name yet Wonder when and where and how you're going to make it You know you can if you get the chance In your face and the door keeps slamming Now you're feeling more and more frustrated And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting We live and we learn to take. One step at a time There's no need to rush It's like learning to fly, Or falling in love It's going to happen when it's Supposed to happen that we Find the reasons why One step at a time.”

The reason I choose the lyrics I did is because the words from both are really strong and when I hear them they remind me of what obstacles that I have had to overcome. For instance “It's going to happen when it's Supposed to happen that we Find the reasons why One step at a time” when I hear this it makes me think back to when I was told if it is meant for me to keep going and go on to something better in school and in life its going to happen, and I know now that when I kept trying and trying it pays of in the end. Also like when the song says “Do it for you not for nobody else” I can relate because if I want something bad enough I know it’s got to be what I want and I need to do it for me and only me. That’s why I picked these lyrics because they keep reminding me that I need to do what I want not what other people want and I need to do it for me and no one else, because they don’t matter only what I want and deserve matters.

Social Issue

My social issue was sexuality and only seeing what was on the out side not what’s on the inside. Also it was to make society aware that not everything is as it seems. I wanted to show people that you cant just look at someone and think you know what they are all about that’s not how it works. So I took it from the sexuality point of view, because when people look at someone they judge them. Like when a man sees a woman dressed in guys clothes they assume that the woman is gay all though that may have just been what she was brought up to wear or what she feels comfortable wearing. That’s why I chose to do sexuality as my issue.

The reason I chose this issue was the simple fact that when anyone I know chooses to wear guys clothes people will always ask if they are gay. The reason that I picked the picture that I pick was to show that on the outside a woman could dress like a man but on the inside they might be just a girl, but no one might never take the time to get to know the real them. I also chose this picture because I wanted to show no matter what people think not everyone is the same. So when I thought about it this picture came to mind and it seemed like the perfect way to get my point across.

Haunted Chavez

This project we were suposted to pick a place on the Cesar Chavez Campus and make that place look haunted. Although this is not and easy task it was extreamly fun to try and do on our own. While doing this project we were to use the skills that we had learned so far about photoshop and put our knowledege to the ultimate test. In the beging my idea was to have zobies and ghosts chasing me but in the end I thought that it would be better if the ghosts looked like they could grab me as I ran past. I think some of the most difficult decissions that I had to make was how i want the other charcters to pose, where I wanted to put them in the picture, and how i want to make the whole picture look. The problem I faced was that the background was to bright and the way that I resovled that was that I went in and darkend the sky and amped up the colors so it looked like it was darker than it really was. The thing I think I did well on this was the way that I was able to use what i learned in photoshop to make and out standing picture and fix the background problem that I had. I think that this project was great and i love how we were able to do this on our own and express our own creative side, and I think that overall I did a good job on this projcet.

Parkeharrison's "Guardian"

High in the leafless branches is an older looking man on stilts. As he stands on a stump, he looks like he is boldly waiting to take flight. The cold fog that covers everything in the background is creeping up to take him in to a world of cold nothingness. As he looks down to take in the destruction that has happened all around him, he notices that there is only stumps and dead tree branches. The certainty in his posture say he knows he must try and get away before he has met the same destructive fate as the world around him. As we can see the darkness of the stilts against the whiteness of the fog, we know that the stilts will lead us to this man. Is this photo it show great contrast between the whites, darks, and grays. In this photo the bold look of certainty on the elderly mans face show that he is not worried what will happen, he only knows he needs to get away. This photo is extremely good, for the simple fact of how the artist captures the feelings of boldness and certainty on this mans face. Also by show us that no matter what happens in life you must always trust in what you think is the right thing to do, because in the end it maybe just what you need to do.

Scary Expressions

When I look at this picture I think of dreams that I have had where I am hiking and then I come up to a bridge. When I look at the bridge it looks like a normal bridge then all of a sudden things start to fly at me and all I see is white orbs and I don't know what they are till they call out to me. Thats what this picture reminds me of.

When I look at this picture it makes me think of a horror movie that I watched when I was younger. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and turning on the t.v and then seeing all of these zombies. I remember that I was so scared I could not sleep for days. Everytime I look at this picture I remember back to that night. Thats what this picture reminds me of.

Everytime I look at this picture it reminds me of someone who recieved third degree burns to their face. It makes me think that since the person was burned so badly that they are evil to everyone. So I think that since the person is evil they try to scare everyone away with a scary face. Thats what this picture reminds me of.

The Scream: My Interpertation

The reason the person in the scream picture is screaming is because he is being followed to be killed. He is trying to show you how you feel and react to fear. I can see that the reason he is scared is because he is the only one who is in this desolate place other than the one person who is coming to get him as the end of the world comes. He is the last one left on earth and she man in the shadows with what looks like no face is coming after him, and fear is coming in to him and he can do nothing but scream. Lastly he is screaming because he thinks that he is the only one left and he feels bad for everything that he has done bad and wrong in his life.

Creative Me

This project was an opportunity for us to put the tools we have learned to use. We were to take one of our portraits, and change it creatively using the following: selection tools, layers, adjustment layers, layer styles, blending options, paint brushes and opacity.

What I like about this image is the way that i am postioned and how I look like I am focused on something that is important. I like how I can put a gradiant on the background and then combine the layers so they look nice and like they are all one. I feel like I am able to use photoshop but that i might still need more practice, but i feel semi confident.

Adjustment Layers

In this exercise we learned about Adjustment layers. Adjustment layers allow you to add adjustments to your image on separate layers instead of directly to the image itself. This comes in handy during long complicated projects. In Photoshop every tool is specifically designed to help improve your photo. However, here we took some artistic liberties and explored adjustments creatively.

Self Portraits

For our Self-Portrait project we were to take three self-portraits. They were all to be in black and white, and they were all to capture a mood of some sort. We were also challenged to be as artistic as possible, and stay as far away from normal, cliche portraits that we see on personal pages etc. as possible.One had to use the rule of thirds as the base for the composition; One had to incorporate leading lines, and one had to be taken from a more extreme angle.

In this project I had so much fun going out and looking for the best places to take pictures, express myself, and also to express my creativity. Although it was not an easy task to look for ways in which I could stand out from the crowd and be different in the end I did end up finding away to be out of the ordinary, while still using what was around the Cesar Chavez campus which I really pride myself in doing. I know that one of the success's I had was the extreme angle's picture, in which I was up on a wall. Yet in this picture you would never be able to tell it was taken at Cesar Chavez High School. That is what I think was the most important thing that no matter what the pictures don't look like something that could tell you it was taken at a school. So all in all I think that the self portraits project was a great success to me because in the end I think i went above and beyond with the photo's that where taken.

Contact Sheet

I feel that the overall turn out of my contact sheet was fantastic I love the way it turned out. The thing I think I did well was the way I was able to make all the pictures almost the same size, and that there was no white other than where the title went. The thing I think I could do better next time would be that I could choose a different color to shadow the title. The photo I think turned out the best out of all the compositional tricks would have to be my leading lines photo. The trick I enjoyed using the most would have to be the extreme angles. The reason that particular trick would be the one I enjoyed doing the most is because it gave me a chance to show my subject in the most intense feeling, mood, and placement possible.

Compositional Trick #5 Cropping

Cropping is a trick that photographers do all the time, even if they don't realize it. Every time a photographer chooses to cut something out of his/her frame, before they snap the photo, that is in essence cropping. We also have learned tools on Photoshop that allow us to crop an image after we have taken it. When cropping in Photoshop it is possible to improve our composition or change it completely.

The way I changed the composition for the original photo was I cropped the picture so that it was more focused on my subject and the background did not distract you from who the picture was about. The one that I really like better would have to be the cropped photo because it is more focused on my subject, then the original that just showed to much of the background and did not really let you focuse on who the picture was mainly about. One was that I used crop was that I took the crop tool and cropped only what I wanted to show in my picture. The other way that I used crop was that I had cropped the picture to show what I wanted then I pulled the edges out to show the background that I thought would help bring out the mood and feeling in the picture.

Compositional Trick #4 Extreme Angles

What i did to get the extreme angle in this picture was i had my partner squat down, then i stood on a pillar and positioned the camera to look down on her. What i like about this picture is how she looks so depressed, how her pants contrast with her shirt, and the angle she is at just makes the picture very intriguing. What I think I could have done better is I could have taken the picture at a different angle or from a different side. I think that using extreme angle's for a picture is good to make the mood more intense. The time I think i would use extreme angle's is when I would be trying to get a certain mood.

Compositional Trick #3 Macro

The macro function on a camera show you things close up such as textures and colors you wouldn't be able to see in a regular picture. Depth of field is when you zoom in really close and everything else is blurred out. When you have a deep depth of field your subject and background is clear and visible. As opposed to shallow depth of field which you subject is in clear focus and the background is not completely blurred out. Macro would be the compositional trick of choice so that you would use to show everyday things you don't see with just your regular eyes. the photo that i like best would be the macro texture because, it show the texture in the wood that you wouldn't notice if you didn't have a magnifying glass or you were not down on your knees really close to the wood.

Compositional Trick #2 Leading Lines

Leading lines are a line that takes you in to the picture. They also lead your eyes to the emphasis of your picture. Also leading lines take you throughout the whole picture in a little bit of time. The leading line in my image is a little stick. The purpose of the leading line in my picture was to lead you straight to the flower.