Artist Statement

I feel that my portfolio for this class has been very successful. I think that this portfolio shows some of my best work and shows my improvement throughout the semester. Over the course of the semester, I have learned to convey my ideas more creatively. In addition, I have learned how to use ISO, metering, more Photoshop tools, etc in order to make my artwork more interesting. My ideas have grown through the help of my teacher and classmates.

I think that I was most successful with my personal metaphor. I believe this because it was
something that I really felt and it portrayed my feelings in a different way than most people would think about it. I struggled with the self portraits. I didn't know exactly what or how to take the pictures, but in the end I figured it out. I think some influences were that we just had to take the pictures and there was no exact way to take them.

Throughout the semester, I have seen growth and improvement in the way in which I illustrate my ideas. I believe that I can improve on learning the different tools that the camera has to make my pictures turn out better. This class has helped me to express myself in a better manner. This class was very fun and I enjoyed all the projects that we did in the year.

Adjustment Layers

Self Portraits

Through this self-portrait project, I wanted to express through photographs different aspects of everyday life. My ideas sort of changed because I couldn’t show as much as a variety as I originally had intended. I believe my most creative moment was the one of myself and my personal prop which happened to be my dog. I think it was creative because it wasn’t planned to turn out that way, but it just did. It was difficult for me to come up with what exactly to incorporate and take pictures of.

In order to strengthen my photographs, I made sure that there was a good contrast between the whites, blacks, and grays. There were pictures that I set up specifically such as the element that I would use which was texture, however the way I sat just happened casually. In addition I set up how I would hold my dog for my prop of a meaningful object, but the angle in which the photograph was taken happened effortlessly as well as how exactly I was holding her. To be able to strengthen my compositions, I made sure that there was an emphasis on myself and that the photograph included details which may help them to stand out, such as the background. Some of my compositions weakened, however, because I did not plan them out as well as I should or could have. The portrait that has the strongest composition in my choice is the personal prop photograph. The portrait that I would change the composition on would probably be the light. It turned out okay, but I wanted to take it with the sun, but it was always either too high or already gone.

I believe that the rule of thirds picture did turn out a little on the dark side because the picture was taken in a dark area. I did use some of the camera techniques that we have learned in order to fix lighting. I changed the shutter speed in order to choose how much light I would allow into the pictures. In addition, I changed the ISO so that the light could be controlled. My lack of understanding didn’t really hinder my craftsmanship because they were set up compositionally well and the settings were pretty accurate to make them look good. My strengths are that the contrasts are very good. My weaknesses are that I should have planned out the pictures more and changed the scenery.

I think I did well on the portraits. I did well on setting up the pictures and the emphasis. I think that if I did the same assignment again, I would have worked more on scenery and planning of the place of taking the pictures. My overall favorite shot is the one with my dog since I am always taking pictures of her and with her all the time. Overall, I think I did alright on this project, but I know what to work on in the future in order to take perfect pictures.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed effects the amount of light that appears in the picture as well as the amount of motion. The shutter speed is represented by a fraction of a second for the camera. Manual mode and shutter speed mode allow for shutter speed manipulation. The difference between manual mode and shutter speed is that in manual, you can change both the shutter speed and aperture manually while shutter speed is used when a person is moving. You would want control of the shutter speed if you have a lot of movement in the picture and the manual mode if you have too much or too little light.

ISO

The first picture is taken with flash. I learned that I will use flash when I take pictures in a dark area. The second picture is using ISO 50. I will use this setting when I need the picture to be darkened. The last picture is ISO 5000. I learned that I will use this ISO when I am in a dark room and I want the photograph to come out lighter.

Light Metering

In the pictures above, we had t0 meter our photos. When you focus onto a specific color, the camera takes it as the normal color and shows it up the best. The picture on the left was when I metered my partner so that the camera would take that as the "white" normal color, therefore making the screen appear very very bright. The picture on the right was when I metered the computer screen. The camera took the focus color blue and blacked out everything else.This is important we can now learn how to incorporate metering into our pictures and the appropriate times in which we must use them.

Personal Metaphor

The metaphor I chose was: I feel like a dandelion clock because time is running away from me. I chose this metaphor because it describes that time is going by really fast in my life. I was trying to express the stress that I have in my life at this point in time. This project allowed me to interpret and express how I felt in a creative style. I feel that I don’t have time to do things and there is no way to get time back that I may have wasted before. I was trying to capture a mood of wonder and melancholy since the time is leaving me.

I placed my composition in such a manner so that it wouldn’t be over crowded. I arranged it so that it would have leading lines causing you to focus on the front of the picture and move towards the back. The strong focal area is the fence with the dandelion clock and me on the dandelion clock. It is strong because it is in the front of the picture and they are the biggest objects. My composition is balanced because there are objects on both sides of the photograph. Also, there is an even amount of objects on both sides and they are placed in a way that makes both sides even. My image does feel unified because the objects look as if they should go together.

I think that I did well on blending the objects together throughout the art piece. The most difficult part was probably trying to get the objects to look as if they were meant to be together. I think that I could have done better on the matching the background and main objects color. I would probably change the color so that it created a more even tone, but all in all, it still looked pretty good.

The Aesthetic Experience

The water emerges deep and seems as if it will go on forever, then something drops inside leaving a mark on it forever. It seems as if it will be okay when something else falls in making it harder to breathe. The twists and turns of the dyes pulls me in deeper and deeper and it feels like there will be no end. All the hard things I'm going through start pulling me in every direction showing that I'm not okay, but I have no choice but to pull through this like all other times. It seems as if it's getting harder to see, but my hope tells me everything will be okay. Then I realize I am left alone and cold in a dark place and realize it will never be the same. It went on forever, but soon stopped cold in it's place leaving me without an escape.

Hybrid

In preparation for our PERSONAL METAPHOR project we brushed up our skills combining objects together. Using layer masks and the clone stamp we blended this dog and bird together.

Movie Moments

Inspired by Cindy Sherman, a contemporary photographer who took photos of herself starring in movies that never existed.

Movie Title: Where the Road Takes Me

Genre: Historical

Movie Summary: During the Great Depression, young Roselyn and her family lost everything. Everything she once had as a child had vanished and disappeared. At such a young age of sixteen, it was time for her to become independent and make something of her life. In a struggle to survive, she decides to leave home in order to be able to provide for her family. It all starts in the fields of California which would change her life forever. After arriving in California, she soon acquires a job in a field in which she picks fruits all through the season. As her family struggles in Oklahoma, it pushed her harder which obligated her to work harder and make something of herself. That drive pushed her so far, she would head all the way back home and all the way east, where she became a world renounced actress.

Scene Selection: In this scene, Roselyn is hiding in the corner getting ready to eat an apple since she finally got food after not eating for days. All of a sudden, she hears someone coming and doesn't know what to do.

Chocolate Frog

For Valenine's Day we turned frogs into chocolate. I thought this project was creative and allowed us to change the picture without moving or replacing the object. I learned how to change the colors of objects and how to make it look realistic.

Shadows & Reflections

In these exercises, we learned how to create shadows and reflections to help us create more realistic artwork. Anew tool we learned was layer mask. The things we learned here can help me in the future by helping me to make shadows and reflects different objects to create a more interesting artpiece.

Program Covers

This is the cover that I created for the Graduation Program. It had to include a quote as well as pictures that we took. I used a picture of the school and included the school colors to represent the school in a more effective manner.

This the program cover that I made for the Student Handbook. It includes different angles and pictures of the school to represent just that, the school. Since the pictures included a lot of purple, I made the background a cloudy gray background.

Aged Photo

In this project we used one of our frame photographs to practice using Photoshop to create specific effects.

Balance with Frames

In this project we were given a frame. We had to use it in our composition. We also had to be in our photo, but not in the center. It was to be in black and white, and we needed to create a sense of visual balance. I created balance in this picture by making sure there was something on each side of the picture in order to make it even on both sides. This photograph exemplifies this because I am on one side, and the tree is on the other. With me looking toward the tree, it creates the effect of making it balanced. In addition, there was also balance created because of the contrast in color between the black and the white.

Random Object

We were each assigned a random object to photograph. We could choose to have it in color or black & white. We were to focus on "The Three C's". According to my peers, one thing I did well was the contrast and the way the photograph showed the reflection of the cactus and from the mirror. One thing they suggested I work on was that the hand not show up in the picture and include more of the cactus in the mirror reflection. I agree with what they said because the hand did hurt the picture. With more of the cactus, the picture would have turned out better. Also the contrast in colors turned out very well.

Egg Challenge

In this project, each student was given an egg to photograph. We were to take a photo in both color and black-and-white. We were supposed to exemplify one or more of the following: Creativity, Craftsmanship or Composition. I believe my colored picture of the egg was the most successful because it put the object through a different perspective. It gave it more life and made the egg stand out with the bright white and pink. The pink flowers surrounded the egg and emphasized the object that was to be in focus. It also was very creative because it was displayed in a manner in which it was sitting on top. The composition was good since it was not directly in the middle and used the rule of thirds. The stem of the flower also helped emphasize the egg because it created a leading line which took your eyes towards the egg and then out of the picture.

My Favorite Project From Last Semester

This is my favorite project because the effects create an interesting scenery. I'm basically looking off into the distance thinking. The picture resembles multiple colors even though there is more black and white. It was one of my favorite projects and I learned how to use Photoshop effects.

Last Semester