Final Thoughts

   Of all the assignments this semester, three specific ones stand out. The first is the Photos of the Week water assignment. My sister was oh so kind and modeled for me. We were lucky to have a beautiful day in the fall and took advantage of the warmth. Using the natural light, I was able to focus my attention on the shutter speed. The assignment allowed me to experiment with freezing the water in place and letting it flow to the point of it being a blob of white and blurred color.

   Another assignment was our first film experience. We used our new knowledge of manual controls to shoot with SLRs instead of DSLRs. For part of this, we were able to go to the Cumberland Fair and shoot in an environment with many possibilities for interesting perspectives. We then learned how to develop black and white film. I never realized how much of a science photography is until we learned about the timing and which chemicals do what to the film. In the darkroom, we learned about filters, time tests, and more about f-stops. It was really enjoyable and I hope to do more with it in the future.

   The last assignment was the abstract photography unit. I enjoyed these assignments because it allowed more experimentation with geometric shapes, fractured repetition, and hard lines. When we shot with DSLRs, we were also able to capture the way color was fractured and affected by light and shadows. The unit was open ended in a way that seemed to allow more space than usual for innovation in composition and artistic elements like movement. It forced us to learn more about perspective and how it changes objects to make them abstract.

Proudest Work

 
   The work I'm most proud of is the "Hands" film assignment. It was the first time I've ever been in a darkroom. It took me a while to capture the right values. Getting the clouds in the background to show up took some thought. We decided on just the right amount of exposure time so I didn't have to do any burning. This assignment introduced me to the world of traditional photography and increased my knowledge of how to properly operate manual settings. Without the unit on manual settings, I'd probably be trying to teach myself and getting extremely frustrated with it.

Emulation Video || Sally Mann

Early Work (1971)

Image 10 of 20

Sally Mann

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Emulation, Sally Mann

Photos of the Week (No. 2) - Free Choice

   For this free choice, I decided to use my supply of fake flowers to create strong and soft photos. I wanted to portray an elegance that vast gardens and spring itself emit. I believe I was successful in conveying a softness that was confident. I'm not completely sure that I captured the timeless aspect that I wanted but I may have gotten close.