Thursday, June 12, 2014

Assignment I Am Most Proud Of


Here is the link to my iMovie.

What I am most proud about is my recent "Who am I?" iMovie. I simply loved this assignment. I'm not usually one who enjoys playing with iMovie, editing slides, inserting test, and picking out a song that fits the overall feel of the movie I'm working on. However, with this particular project, my perspective on iMovie-making shifted. What initially got me excited to start this project was the subject I chose: Chebeague Island. Because I picked a topic that I have so many great pictures and video clips of, I was eager to start compiling them. It was so fun to move around the photos, see which ones look the best, and then solidify them in that order. After doing that, what was even more fun was choosing what effect I wanted to put on the video clips and where to place them. Once I did that, I was ready to find a fitting song, and you can never go wrong with one from the Parent Trap soundtrack. Overall, I loved making this "Who am I?" movie. My abnormal love for a school assignment was evident when I found myself working on it at home just for the fun of it. I am very proud of the end result, and I really hope the beauty of Chebeague Island was communicated well through my iMovie.

Memorable Experience



My most memorable experience I have from this class was working on our photoshop Culture Clash assignment. What I loved most about this project is that there were very few limitations. I got to pick any pictures off the Ning that I found interesting, got to place them any which way upon my chosen background, and got to crop, erase, and rotate them in ways I saw best fit. This project was all about experimentation. I was not familiar with Adobe Photoshop before beginning this Culture Clash assignment. However, within just a few minutes, I was able to navigate this application somewhat easily. I had a great time showing depth, layering, and most of all, playing with the opacity. There were some objects that I spent a good amount of time editing, but I ended up putting the opacity to such a high percentage that they ended up being difficult to spot in the end picture. For example, in the top righthand corner, there is a spider web. You may have a hard time seeing it, but if you look carefully, it's there. That's what I loved about this project though. I was the creator, and I got to choose how I wanted my overall Culture Clash to look like. Although editing that spider web took was tedious, it was worth it. I really like the subtlety of it. All in all, this was a very beneficial project. What is great about this program is that I now know how to use it and will definitely use it again in the future.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Culture Clash


Purpose:

• To create a Clash of Cultures by creating your own Photo montage, combining images from Beijing, China and Yarmouth, Maine, USA;
• To further develop your Photoshop knowledge and skills;
• To create a "surreal" landscape by montaging a variety of photos;
• To know, use, and understand the Four Collage Techniques to use in your Photo Montage: juxtaposition/fragmentation, point of view, scale change, overlapping

When our class was first granted this assignment, I was a little worried to say the least. I had never used Photoshop before, and I know that learning the ins and outs of technology for the first time isn't exactly my forte. However, once I gave it a go, I came to realize how much I love using this application; it is so fun! After I understood how to use the eraser and transformation key, I was pretty much golden. There were definitely other tools that were very useful for this project that I didn't know how to use at first. In this case, I would "phone-a-friend" and ask former graphic design student, Maddie for some help. Even beyond the walls of this classroom, this application will be of great use. I'm so glad I got to learn how to navigate Photoshop through this fun and creative project.


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Free-Choice


Alone.

Caged up,
Tied down.

Beaten.

Three legs,
one heart.

One 
big 
heart.

Frightened to trust again,
but ready.

Ready.

Ready
for a new
home. 

Ready to trust again.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Inspiring Digital Artist: Salvador Ramirez


Purpose:

  • • To become familiar with 5 accomplished digital artists;

  • • To see what is possible in the world of digital art.



Culture Clash Photomontage

Juxtaposition– how two things are aside one another and have contrasted effects

Fragmentation– the process of breaking something up into smaller parts

Point of View– angle or position that one is looking at something from

Scale Change– the difference in something and how much it has changed

Overlapping– to have a particular item cover another




Thursday, May 8, 2014

Hobbies, Emma


in•ter•est

Noun.
The state of wanting
 to know or learn
about 
something
or
someone.

Synonyms.
Absorption
Delight
Curiosity.

When I am sad,
the sun absorbs my sorrows.

When I am joyful,
the trees dance in delight.

When I am stressed,
the birds show me how to be curious.

"E"
A letter.
An abbreviation.
A reminder to stay true to myself.

Interest.
Continue
to be
fascinated
by the world 
outside
the window.

Monday, April 14, 2014

"Food" - Emma


I hate seafood– especially this seafood. I was sitting on a stone wall enjoying the view of the ocean with my little brother as we waited for my other brother to bring us back lunch. Prior to this, he had told my brother and me that he was just going to run across the street to get us some hot dogs at Five Guys. We had waited all afternoon for these hotdogs. They were much anticipated for. However, to my disgust, he brought back these. First of all, he said he would only be gone a minute. A minute turned out to be twenty, the same number, in dollars, that he spent on these few oysters. What a ripoff. Second of all, gross. I don't even like seafood. Not only did I have to continue walking around the Old Port with an empty stomach and a disappointed face, but I also had to carry around the everlasting stench of the oysters.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Selfie Photography


In this photo, Maddie and I placed ourselves on the opposite side of a rail. In order to successfully capture most of our torsos, faces, and the railings, I had to put the camera around to the other side. We wanted to use these rails in a way that positively adds to the overall photo, so we decided on having ourselves positioned in the middle of the rails so that they frame Maddie specifically. Then, because Maddie is pointing at me with her hand, I'm the next object the viewer's eye goes to. We intended on having a smooth and interesting transition for the eyes that are looking at our selfie. With that said, the composition within this picture is pretty well thought out.

Creative Portraits


Although orange juice is notorious for simply being a breakfast beverage, in the Torres household, it is nothing less than a dinner necessity. OJ goes with pretty much any dinner entrée you can think of; however, the ideal companion to this juice are my mom's hotdogs. Sure, the hotdogs themselves are ineffable, but what's even better is the grilled bun. Slopped in butter and then placed on the pan, the hotdog buns cook to perfection. Nothing is better than a Sunday night hotdog and OJ meal.


My friend, Maddie Mitchell, going on an excursion. 

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Portrait Techniques

Experiment With Lighting
Photo by Bukutgirl
This portrait is simply incredible. I keep staring and staring at the subject wondering so many things– what makes her have this sad and weak expression upon her face? is she trapped in something somewhere? how is the light hitting her face like that? I could just wonder for hours on end what made this photograph come to be, and that's exactly what makes it great.


Framing The Subject
Image by darkmatter


What I love about this portrait, first of all, are the colors that devour the page; the browns and oranges all go together so perfectly. His face, specifically his eyes, is the first thing the the viewer's eyes will go to because they are framed by these two bars of some sort. The eyes are framed even more by his hair cut that cuts right across his forehead. 


Rule of Thirds
What's unique about this photo compared to a good amount of other ones I have seen, is that this one is simple. Not only is only a portion of the subject's face in the frame and the background is blurred, but the photo itself is processed as black and white. I love black and white photos. I also love how this photographer placed his/her subject and how she is looking off into the distance with an expression of determination and hope. 



Play With Eye Contact- Looking off Camera
Photo by monicutza80
I don't think I can pinpoint exactly what it is about this photo that I'm drawn to; however, if I were to try, I'd say that it's the fact that the woman who is photographed is looking away from the camera. Because of this slight action, there is a little mystery left to the viewers. I'm sure I don't speak for just myself here when I say that I'm curious as to what she's looking at and what she's doing. 

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Famous Portraits

Richard Avion
Roberto Lopez, 1980

What I'm really drawn to about this portrait is the expression on the person's face. One can tell just looking at the photo even briefly that he is hardworking and tired; there is dirt on his face and his hair is messy probably due to the wind as he is doing physical labor in the fields. I also really like how his eyes are toward the camera but looking down a little bit. Because of this slight action, I now am curious as to what he is looking at or thinking about. 



Arnold Newman
Jean Dubuffet, 1956

The thing that interests me most about this photograph is simply that I've been looking at it for a couple minutes just trying to figure out what Newman is trying to get across. At first, I was contemplating what the black is that outlines the face of the man. When I look at the photograph with a little distance, I see the profile of an ape as the black image. I wonder if Newman was trying to make a connection between the human and the ape. 



Annie Leibovitz
Obama Family Portrait

This portrait of Obama and his family is beautiful. I really love the way Annie Leibovitz positioned the people. Because Obama is leaning down and kissing the head of one of his girls as his body wraps around both of them, it shows he is fully invested into his children. His wife is connected to the family in this picture mostly because her arm positioned against the grass in the same location as Obama's right arm; it is assumed that they are holding hands and are simply a loving family. 





History of Photography



Through doing this project, numerous insights arose for me. I realized the impact that certain photographers had on the world around them. For example, there was that one photographer that shot the little kids working in the factories; it was a sad sight to see, but it was reality and was for the public to get a good idea as to what is really happening to those kids. Similarly, from my own project, the name Berenice Abbott will always stay with me. I really loved the photos she took of New York as it endured the 1920’s. The book Changing New York, that has those pictures compiled, is something that I would love to see. I also thought it was good to learn what looks visually appealing to the eye when constructing our poster. We had to match specific colors to either images, text, or title. Another learning that I had gained by doing this project is learning the value of teamwork and how it can be a little stressful or challenging at times.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Shadows


Pacific Ocean waves crash upon the innumerable gains of sand on a nearby shore; they go in and out continuously. Bordering the blue coast of California, a line of bikes devour the sidewalk– bike after bike for miles. The sun casts down an undeniable light that hits the surfaces of these bicycles resulting in blatant shadows. The clean-cut lines of the rubber tires, wires, and air valves have never been so worthy of a photo. The girl walking by to get a hotdog at the hotdog stand just couldn't resist to capture such a moment when nature meets geometry.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Energy • Passion • Fresh




Purpose:
  • To strengthen your creative problem-solving skills so that you are looking at things in a different way;
  • To find letters of the alphabet in everyday objects to create a word;
  • To become familiar with basic photoshop tools.

As I reflect back to this project, I realize all of the new insights I gained. First, I figured the importance of working with a partner. Working collaboratively toward a common goal played a huge role in this project. Maddie and I had to voice our own personal opinions and take into consideration the other's regarding what we wanted to use for our words, what to photo, and what to use for our final piece. Also, pertaining more to the skills of photography, I learned how to look at objects in a different way. For example, it would be difficult to look at a telephone cord from afar and know that that object would make a perfect S. Instead, I figured out that you really have to get up close to the object and take it from an angle that makes sense. Another learning would be how to navigate and use Photoshop. Before this, I never learned how to edit photos using this application– let alone even open it up on my computer. This program is very useful and will be majorly beneficial in the future. 

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Unusual Prospectives



Knives. When many hear that word, immediately, specific characteristics of this misunderstood object come to mind. Though this action may be more common amongst boys who play Halo Reach on the XBOX endlessly, it can still be easily applied to all ages and genders. Words like "dangerous" and "murderous" are subconsciously connected to the word "knife." I believe, however, that knives are their own being and should not be grouped with such harsh words. Don't make assumptions. In fact, most of the time, knives are used to chop up fresh vegetables for an innumerable amount of meals each day, giving food to this planet. Knives can feed the hungry. So next time you think of judging this tool, just remember the yummy cup of herb-filled soup that you had for dinner last night and know that without your friend, Knife, that meal wouldn't exist.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Compositional Strategy


Above is a picture of a seven-pointed star necklace; I decided to photograph this object due to its unique design. With that said, for my compositional strategy, I chose to execute the rule of thirds. In order to accomplish this, I placed the subject of the photo on the right side and up in the top corner. This composition makes the photo more interesting than just an over-head shot of the pendant. Also, the photo is a little blurred on the near side but gets clearer where the further half of the pendant is located. Both of these dynamics are designed to appeal to the viewers' eye.  

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Shapes


I was driven to photograph these waffles from school because not only do I love waffles, but I also think that this food has great shapes to it. For example, a single waffle has multiple squares that are not necessarily perfect. Within the dents that the squares provide, there are little air holes which give off the illusion of dots on the surfaces. There is another waffle atop of the base one; this waffle is absorbing all of the lighting coming from the top right corner. With that said, the photo has a unique dynamic regarding color variation that distinctly separates the two objects and shows depth.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Motivation


Although I haven’t had too much experience taking quality and artistic photos, I really enjoy photographing landscapes and people. I love experiencing the world outdoors and want to learn how to capture its beauty in a single photograph. When I’m going skiing with friends, going on a walk with my dog, or watching the sun set on Chebeague, I always feel inclined to document the event. Recently I traveled to South Korea and had the opportunity to take a copious amount of pictures of everything I saw. All the different places I went to were so beautiful and breathtaking, thus, worthy of documenting. However, looking back at my album of the trip, I wish that they had come out a bit better, which is why I’m so excited to take this course to improve my photography skills.
I’m always motivated to do my best in areas where I feel I’m weakest in. I haven’t had much exposure to photography in the past, and I’m eager to broaden my horizons and strive to learn the ins and outs of taking a good picture. In order to be successful in this class, I feel that I need to learn what I have to do in order to get a great picture and then apply it. Repetition is key for me. I also feel that I learn better in a fun and easygoing environment. I have no doubts that this course won’t provide that though; I can’t wait to begin!