Reading Photographs

For this assignment I decided to use one of my favorite decorative pieces, which if my miniature Eiffel Tower. I think the simplicity of the lines, make enough of a statement alone and the neutral coloring makes it adaptable for any alterations.

In the first photograph I took it outside. The leaves are just starting to fall and I thought it would make an interesting photo with the Eiffel Tower. It reminded me of how I think it would feel to be in Paris, France in the fall. I have always wanted to visit the city and this photo takes me there in a way.
I tried a straight on view, downward view, color, black and white and sepia angled the camera and tried to get an upward shot. I settled on this photograph because the angle is interesting, its not straight on. I liked how it looks with the sepia, because it softens it and makes it feel a little vintage.

 

 

 

For my second photo I darkened the room and plugged in some LED Christmas lights and wrapped them about the mini Eiffel Tower. I tried taking the photo with standard  settings, soft, warm and even tried massing with the shutter speed to see what would happen. I also tried black and white, sepia and finally on this cool tone. I love how the light plays off in the background and adds interest. Again I have always wanted to visit Paris and have been drawn to know what after dark brings in "the city of lights" it could be elegance or a time for young people to head out on the town and have fun.

 

 

 

So as you can see just by changing the tone of the lighting and exposure and even the time of day between day to night can have a huge impact on what the photo has to say. It can be light and cheerful, calm and beautiful or even dark and mysterious.

There was also no editing of the photos I took, this is how they were shot and captured.

Week 3: Seeing With the Camera

 

I decided to take my boys to the mall at night so they can enjoy a carousel ride at night with the lights decorative lights on. There weren’t many people in the area at this time of night (7:30 pm), because it is a school night. It was calm, enjoyable and almost serene.  I could feel the excitement my sons had about going on the “horsies” with mommy and daddy. Carousels are very colorful and you would expect the photos to be bright with color, but I like the depth that came through in the black and white. When taking motion shots, you cannot get the perfect lines every time, which can make for an even better shot than you hoped for.

 

Walking towards the carousel I didn’t notice the length of the straight away walk until we were leaving and that’s how I got the distance shot. I took the same scene photo in color and black and white but I loved the black and white due to the beams, arches and lights on the ceiling. You can see a few people enjoying their evening.



The black horse, I loved. This was the only black horse and it stood out among the other white horses, and the white walls of the mall. The horse is clear for the most part, but you can see the slight blur of movement behind and in front of it. So in my eyes it was so much brighter, but on camera it deepend.

The stairs leading up to the second level of the carousel caught my attention, with the woman figure carved into the top. This was a candid shot, then I purposely took a few more of the same shot, but the candid came out better than the rest (which I didn’t expect upon review). I love the almost eeriness of the shot. It was a bright area, but the shot came out in such a contrast that I cant believe. This is my favorite shot of the night by far.

Week 2: Hunting With My Camera

For my day out with my camera, my family and I went out to the city to walk around one of my favorite locations, which is High Falls in Rochester NY. (Nothing is edited; I only changed the setting on my camera i.e. monochromatic, soft, warm etc)

My first photograph is my view down from the top of a parking garage. I took it in black and white; I order to see what kind of shadows and contrasts that I might be able to find. Everything looks almost flawless and to me it almost looks like either a miniature set or a movie set. I am really happy with how it looks. I wonder how this scene would look at say sunset or sunrise and how the shadows would look.

My second photograph is of an old water mill. I used the sephia setting, because the tones in the bricks and wood of the mill are all red and brown tones, and I like the antique feeling.

My third photograph is a picture of the Falls themselves in color.  It is a crisp color filled photo that displays the falls and the city around and behind it. I had a hard time finding a strong contrast which I seem to be searching for, so maybe if I take the photo at a different time of day then I may be able to capture a different definition.

The fourth photograph is of this brilliantly red door to this restaurant. I love the contrast of the vivid red to the gray painted bricks. I can see the deep shadowing between the area of the door and wall and also the bricks. I should have used a grid in the view finder so it could have been a little straighter, but non-the-less I am happy with it.

For the fifth photo, I set my camera to the sephia mode and took an upward shot of this cool aged building, with the afternoon sun coming through the clouds cascading from the top corner of the building. I like that you can see the beams of the light.