Project 4

My initial idea for this project was that I was going to use mostly scenery pictures with a object. Also, I was planning in adding other objects to the pictures if it did not interfere with the surrounding background or the parts of the picture that I liked. But, that did not work out the way that I wanted it to.

My picture in project four are mostly of scenery. That I took when I was in the West Yellowstone with my family and friends. The pictures that I choose from our trip are all of scenery. The first picture that I picked for this project is of the mountain side. The reason that I love this photo is because of the way that the lighting hits the trees and the way that the are arranged. The picked that I picked looking of a hill or looking off a cliff are also some of my favorites because I love the way that the the colors look together. The other picture in project four are of a few of my pets. The picture of my cat Bianca. I took this on my driveway this fall. I love this picture because of the way that the bird is looking right at her and not even attempting in fly away and the way that she is staring right and pawing at the bird not even attempting to kill it. The reason that I find this picture funny is because she usually does not play with birds and other animals, she just eats them. The picture on my sister dog Rowdy (Brown dog chewing on his toy), The reason that I choose this picture is because of the way that he is looking at the camera and still chewing on his toy. Also, because it is a very rare sight to see this dog sitting still. He is usually jumping over 5ft gates and getting into trouble. The last picture that is not scenery is of my mom's dog. You would ever know that this picture was taken in that car. The reason that all of my pictures are not all taken in West Yellowstone are because I was not able to find enough picture that I liked well enough to turn in. So I had to think of some other things that I could take a picture of or use. I think that it fits this project good because I think that is show how, much I have improved on my picture taking ability because I am not only able to take good pictures of people anymore. I know that I did not change much to these pictures, but that is because I feel that these picture looked better these way then when I added objects and other stuff to them. For example, I added a snowmobile to the picture with the snowmobile tracks on the side but I did not like it as much. That is because you are not able to see as much as the background when the snowmobile was there so I took it out.

Final Paper

When I was comparing my pictures from my past projects to my current projects, I noticed a big difference. For example, all of my pictures in my first project are of people and my pictures in my last project are of scenery. I am not only taking pictures of people anymore I am now making pictures of other subjects. I also made a difference in the way that I edit my pictures because in my first project I did not change anything. I think that I will definitely be using the skills that I have learned about in this class. This year me and my family are planning on going to Ireland to visit my family over there. I am even more excited because I will be able to take better quality pictures.

My favorite picture in my first project is a tie between two. They are of my mom's dog scooter. Which I took this fall in my yard, and I was very surprised on how well that pick was. The other picture that I love in of my sister Brittany and my cat Billy. The reason that I love this picture so much is because of the way that I captured their emotions. My favorite picture that I took in project two would have to be the one of my sister Brittany. That I selected just her and changed the background on the image. My favorite picture in project three would have to be the one that I took of the scenery in Duluth, MN. The reason that I love this picture is because of the colors that are in this picture I really love the contrast between the redish-orange tree in the background and the black tree in the front of the picture. Lastly, My favorite picture in my last project would have to be the one on the mountain side that I took when I was in West Yellow Stone. When I was their snowmobiling with my family and friends.

Final paper...ME

I have learned so much in this class. I guess it boils down to the fact that the computer doesn't scare me so much now as it used to. I feel that my abilities will improve with time. Some of the photos I attempted to put together were a bit awkward. I'm used to just drawing or painting. When the computer gets in my way I get really frustrated. It was fun to see other peoples images in the class, plus the ones that were introduced to us. It broadened my viewpoint on what could be done to photos besides just taking quick snapshots.

My favorite photo of the first project was the closeup of grass with dew. I actually surprised myself with that one. I did not do a single thing to alter it because it looked so perfect as I saw it in nature. Plus, I did not know how to alter it anyway. Now, within project 4, I chose to discuss the snowman in the wood with the wolves. I worked along time on that one to utilize all the steps we learned in this class. I combined images, changed colors, changed sizes, worked with layers, used the paint brush, clone tool, resized everything, and added some extra snow everywhere. I think it looks like a Christmas gift card now...but not my intention. I simply wanted to create something like a painting on canvas. I did not know how to do a single thing with Photoshop before this class started so I think I came a long way. Of course I didn't take the photos of the wolves, but if I worked as a photographer, thats what my subjects would be...anything that has to do with nature and wildlife. I admire those who climb to the far corners of this planet to get the most beautiful natural images. That is what I love to do.



Morning dew on grass



There is one artist that we were introduced to that I love. He captures wildlife so beautifully. He does landscapes, animal subjects and closeups of plants. His name is Jim Brandenburg. I noticed he takes many photosgraphs of prairie wildlife and plants. I did a project on prairie restoration in a sciene class last year. I went around and photographed a prairie I walk through during the summer months. I fell in love with all the beauty that is abundent within a field of authentic prairie plants and grasses. I was happily surprised to see that someone else had the same love of that beauty.

Snowman in the pines

I know I will continue to keep tinkering with Photoshop. I already have a bunch of photos of my sister's kids and events from this fall downloaded onto my laptop that I'm going to process through Photoshop for her. I get excited sometimes, and feel like I could go into some type of photography related job. But then I think well that would be too fun. I need to do something that's more challenging for my brain. However, why not do something that is creative and up my alley. I've always been an artist and feel most comfortable and happy when I create things

Reaction paper 7-Mn Photographer,

http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=197703&pageIndex=13

I saw this photographers work on fireworks and I thought, Wow...that is beautiful. The usual setting for Fourth of July fireworks is laying on my back staring up at the constant flashing and booming of the bright, bold and noisy displays. However, in her photographs, Nanette Drellack captures the serene images of a single firework exploding. The shutter is set at a slower speed. It captures the trail of light at the time the firework is shot up to the time it explodes into its big bloom of lights. The human eye does not capture the same image of a slow shutter. When I see a firework explode, I simply see the quick trail that shoots up, then the flash of color from the exploding canon ball.

This gives me even more to think about for future photo endevers. I haven't really worked with shutter speeds yet. I haven't done any photos with a tripod either. I assume she uses both these techniques to create her firework photos. I would love to photograph lightning someday or the different moons at night. It is always a challenge but the use of a camera is valuable at creating what the human eye doesn't see in slow motion.

When comparing my photographs I took for project one to the ones I have taken for the last project. I see some differences. Examples being that I don’t look at just one subject. I have begun to make it many objects. I also make more differences in the photographs now where before I would just give you a basic picture with little edits.

I will definitely be using some of the skills I have learned in the future. This year I am planning on making my families Christmas card. I’m kind of excited to get started on it. Before the class even started I had made my own “Thank You” for graduation. But now that I know more about Photoshop I can make a more advanced card.

Final

A new baby for the New Year!

Oh finally a baby being born in our family. My niece and her boyfriend are due to have a baby. They say it’s a girl, but we won’t know in tell the day of birth. We’re in the month of December and the baby is due in January, but the doctor said she’ll be fine if the baby comes any day now. The family is very excited and waiting for the baby, we haven’t had a baby in the family in eight years. That’s a long time without a new born. She is the first granddaughter born and this is the first great-grandbaby.

As we wait for the birth we throw the parents to be; a party of celebration. We make a cake out of diapers, and have flowers and decorate tables in thinking it’s a girl. There are games played and prizes won. We play a baby bottle game race for the kids, filled with different flavored juice. First one done gets the prize and it wasn’t easy, the hole in the nipple was pretty small, if you want the prize, you got to try very hard to get the juice out of the bottle. My son was the winner he got the prize, a green bag filled with candy. All kids like candy so that was a good prize.

The party was coming to the end. The new parents to be open up the gifts they received, lots of clothes for a girl, oh no what happens if it’s a boy, a cute boy in pink cloth; “maybe not” They got Packs of diapers, toys, play set, high chair, little shoes and a few more baby items that will come in handy for a boy or a girl.  With lots of great gifts this will sure give the new parents to be a start with their new born baby.

The little girl is from the same culture, she will be a cousin to the new baby that will soon be here. She is a cute funny little girl, and her picture goes very well with the swirled M&M’s in the back ground. It makes it look like she is lying in the M&M’s. I took a picture of the M&Ms in a bowl, just because I like M&Ms and the colors of them. The second picture is of the same cut little girl, I made blocked patterns behind her, and it turns out to look like she is crawling out of the pattern, with all the pattern change  I found this picture to be really amazing.

Bags are packed, car seat is bought, and the crib is all most ready for the day the new born baby comes home. She hoping to have their own apartment before the baby comes. No more rest for mommy and daddy. Mommy has to get all the rest now before baby gets here. Soon you will hear the cries out loud, seeing the squirmy baby instead of just feeling movement within. The restless nights are soon approaching, but filled with lots of joy to your restless nights. There won’t be any more just getting up and going, you’ll have baby to get ready soon too.

Reaction paper 8

Eli Hoversten    

In the first project, we did the resizing. I chose to take a few pictures of my rebel flag, some toy John Deere tractors, and my roommate sitting on the couch. I think that these pictures were way outdone by the pictures in my Landscaping project. One of the first things that I notice that is different from the old and the new is that I finally figured out how to remove the date that was obviously wrong, and I also started to crop the images and change the hue and saturation a lot more to make the colors more bright and vibrant.  Another big difference in the photos, is the angles, and the amount of thought and action that goes into acquiring the shots.

                These images really show what I learned in this class because there is just so much more work that I put into them. I went from simply resizing the pictures, to doing a complete overhaul on them, including: Resize, crop, layers, hue and color saturation, and so much more!

                I think that my artistic views reflect the work of many of the other photographers that we have introduced in class. I think that my photographs most closely represent the work of the photographers that enjoy working outside and love to take pictures of the outdoors. In my photographs, most of them happen  to take place outside or in the woods, or at a lake, or just about any other out doors area.

memyselfandI

Well they always say you best know yourself. As an “artist” I think that I have grown immensely since the beginning of the semester. Comparing my pictures from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester it is apparent that I have learned the concepts and been able to execute them in a proper way. If I compare my picture of the bench from my first set, against the dock from my third set, I have learned the digital imaging concepts of pixels and resizing, sharpness and white balance, the levels and curves tool in Photoshop as well as using the masking tools and layers. I have been able to create a background on color perception and change the color using the eye dropper tools, as well as changing and creating a different appearance with the lasso tool and several different filters. Besides the elements of Photoshop, I have successfully learned how to take a picture, to allow the viewer to see it from your perspective, may it be the depth that you capture in the picture, the tones, or the sharpness of the picture, what is in the foreground and the background as well as what the subject is and how you are trying to portray it. I feel that the lenses of the camera are an extension of the eye, so you want viewers to look at the photograph how you imagined and how you saw it. I have learned how to use the macro setting to capture the details, and to get on the level of m subjects to see if from a different view, been able to change the lighting and the flash setting depending on my settings. I take my subject out of the middle and can also lock in on focus. I can also change the picture by the landscape or vertical or panoramic view that I capture the photo at. My newer pictures in the sets, were influenced by the nature photographers that we studied within the last few weeks but for the most part I captured what I thought was beautiful in nature and something I wanted to share with everyone else. Kevin Michael Snyder was my favorite artist that I have been able to relate to and he really inspired me to capture the beauty of nature. He stated that “Nature and being in nature makes me feel alive. For me, Capturing these moments is a blessing and the ability to do these tasks a gift.” I believe that that is SO true! I am always taking pictures and will continue to after this semester is over. The things that I have learned from this semester I will definitely carry over and be able to use them in creating better photographs. I will use photography as an art form throughout my whole life.

Reaction Paper 8

I have learned a great deal about photography and my style of photography this semester. When I first started taking pictures for digital photography, I basically just pushed the button on my camera not expecting anything in particular and hoping that the picture will turn out. Surprising myself with whatever I capture. I also didn’t edit my pictures at all. Nor did I know how to. I believed that the picture that I had taken looked great and that was how it’s done. When I got to be more developed with my photography skills I learned how to edit the lighting, color, and much more in the photographs that I capture. This helped my pictures to look much more alive and beautiful. I also learned to take a picture with a purpose, and not just to take a picture of any old random scene. I didn’t take any random old picture for my final project, I thought about something important in my life, like my family, and decided to capture a memory. I took pictures of things that had a meaning for me and had some impact or importance in my life. I also learned how to portrait aspects of my life and at times even told a story. The most recent picture I have photographed have been influenced greatly by things I have learned throughout the semester in digital photography. I have portrayed many different techniques I have learned in my photographs. Such as levels, layers, hue/saturation, and much more. It amazes me that a small little change to the lighting of color of a picture can make such a big impact on the final portrait. I found that my style of landscape photography was very similar to Bill Atkinson’s. We both wanted to show the beauty of the earth around us, and the beauty of the earth around us. We both choose to photograph many of the same landscapes and the way we edited our photos was greatly alike. After class ends I predict that I will still utilize the tools that I have learned this semester. I hope to use my new found skills to capture memories of my family and just my life in general. I will continue to use photography to capture my life, and hopefully develop my skills to an even higher level, to help my pictures to look more and more developed in time.

Reaction Paper 7 - Kevin Michael Snyder

Kevin Michael Snyder is a photographer who attended the University of Iowa. I was really drawn to Kevin’s work when I started viewing some of his images because I love being outdoors and taking nature photos. I follow the link to Kevin’s website and found this amazing quote that I can relate to very well. “Whether I am on a lake, climbing a frozen waterfall perched on a rock in the middle of a raging river or just watching a sunrise to a new day, Nature and being in nature makes me feel alive. For me, Capturing these moments is a blessing and the ability to do these tasks a gift.” Kevin also says that his goal through his images is to raise awareness of the treasures that surround us and also to preserve them. There are many breathtaking photos in Snyder’s set “hidden falls 1” on the Minnesota artists website.

I love the way he captures movement in these photos through the water. One example of this is in the photo titled “cascade river” where everything in the photo is very well focused except the water. His other photo in this album entitled ”Illgen Falls” is incredible. The color and scenery is simply beautiful. It makes me want to go to this place. I must say, Kevin’s goal with his photography is to show its beauty and preserve it he certainly has met it in just this photo alone. One photo of Kevin’s that I really enjoyed was the photo at Palisade Point on Lake Superior. This photo is cool because it was taken on a foggy day and you can barely see the water and rocks beyond the point. I found it quite interesting seeing this photo because the one time I have been to Palisade Point it was also a rainy foggy day. “Behind the Falls” is a unique photo.

It is taken from behind a frozen waterfall and the light is passing through the ice creating a very cool effect. Another photo of Kevin’s I really liked was “Lay’in Low.”

This photo is of a sail boat on the water with a sun setting in the background. The colors in the photo are very warm. It is quite a relaxing image. In the end, Kevin Michael Snyder is an amazing photographer. I don’t think I saw a single image of his that I didn’t enjoy. It was also very cool to find a photographer that enjoys taking nature photographs like I do and also the fact that I have shot at some of the same locations he has.

Tim Olson

One of my favorite photos from my project 1 set is the close up of the beans in the field. The reason I like this picture so much is because you can see so much detail on the plant. It was taken at a very shallow depth of field which keeps the focus on the subject. I am a photographer who loves to take close ups of anything and everything. My favorite type of photography is landscapes because I really enjoy the outdoors and taking snapshots of interesting things that catch the eye. It is amazing how a photo can make something so ordinary look so interesting. My favorite photo from my last project is the photo of the vines growing on the barbed wire.

I like the earthy colors in the photo and also that only one of round pods is in focus rather than all of them. The angle the barbed wire is at also makes the photo unique. I must say I learned many new things in this class which helped me improve my photography skills. While editing this last photo I made sure the levels were adjusted correctly so the picture wasn't too dark or too light. But with both of these photos I didn't make any other changes that would manipulate the photos. While you can make some very cool effects to your photos in photoshop I believe photography is at its best when it is left in its natural state. If the photographer goes through the process of taking photos correctly, there should be little to do in photoshop unless you are trying to create art. Nothing has influenced my photos in project 1 or 3. I am still very much the same photographer who I was before I started this class. My focus is still on nature and close ups. I don't take a picture with the thought that it looks like someone else's work or that a particular person might think it is cool, I take photos of things that I enjoy. I really enjoyed looking at Kevin Michael Snyder's photography last week. Like me, he also takes lots of nature pictures. He takes many photos of rivers and streams which are among some of the best photos I have ever seen. He has also taken photos of Palasade Point near Duluth, MN which I thought was very cool because I've taken many photos at this location. After this course I hope to continue on with photography. My dream job would be to take people's senior pictures because I know how important they are to people. It also allows me to be creative and to still work with photoshop. Whether or not this happens, I will always continue to take photographs because I really enjoy it.

Reaction Paper 8

Throughout the time period of this class I feel I have learned a lot. From my first project to my last I can see some things I would have made different. I feel that my first projects were just "blah" compared to the one I have done in my last couple assignments. I feel like editing the photos with layers, editing the color and everything like that makes a huge difference when looking at a photo. I think that I have found more interest in taking pictures of nature now than I thought I would. I think I will continue to use what I have learned in this class to make my photos "better". I have often thought of going into the Photography feild but I havent quite decided yet. Overall I think everyone enjoyed this class just as much as I did. It was a great learning experience.

Reaction Paper 8, Final Paper

When I look at my work from my first project set compared to my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sets, I can tell that my motivation to take good pictures has became better. For instance, one of my pictures from my first set was a random picture that I honestly really didn’t put much thought into. I can’t get them to upload on here so here is the link to one of the pictures on my first set. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53291164@N04/4999458080/in/photostream/ compared to this picture in my third set where I became more creative with taking pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/53291164@N04/4999458080/in/photostream/ I have learned a lot about taking good pictures and editing then through Photoshop to make them look like better pictures by being in this class. I feel that taking this class will help me in the future to be creative and to make pictures look good. The best and most elements that I used in Photoshop were levels hues and saturations. I felt that these really made the pictures look good. You can take a picture of something that’s dark and gloomy and by changing the levels hue and saturation you can make the picture lighter and brighter and not as gloomy. My favorite photographer was Cindy Sherman, I liked how she could take so many pictures of herself and make herself look different in each one. I thought that was very creative. Although we don’t have anything in common as far as taking picture and interests I still liked how she was creative. My favorite part of this class was taking pictures of landscape. Taking the pictures I did really showed me how beautiful my area that I grew up in is. I see it everyday and didn’t really realize how beautiful everything looked until I look at it in an actual picture. I liked that doing this made me realize how beautiful landscape really is. I feel that this class has taught me to be more artistic when I take pictures. Instead of just taking them from a straight on angle, to take them from a different angle to make them look different and sometimes even better.

Reaction Paper 8 by Amanda Knudsen

I've learned so much about photography over the time period of the class. I've noticed that I took pictures of things that I wouldn't typically find beautiful. I challenged myself by trying different angles and steering away from the typical kind of pictures. I noticed that my photo from my first project is very symmetrical and balanced, and with my third project I branched out to expiermenting with asymmetrical and unbalenced pictures. I feel like I can identify with the photogrpaher Robert Adams the most of the other photographers. I noticed while looking at his photos, he expiermented with angles, textures, and details. I also loved the fact that he took pictures of things that he disliked. I think it's really great to broaden your horizons with photogrpahy, because if you take pictures of the same things over and over again you don't grow as a photographer.

I'm gonna continue to take pictures in different ways, and expiermenting with different angles and textures. I learned so much about photoshop that I will continue to use it for editing pictures. This class really heped me and I will let my new knowledge of photography influence my creativity in the future.

My Visions: Kristine Sellner #8

I would have to say I love the sunset road image from the first project. Then to compare the sunset with the project three image of the waterfalls or the swimming ducks, I have began the process of visual correction. I think the images reflect the capture of brightness and darkness in the first image which was an easy fix to show more contrast. Then I began the process of learning about the levels and colors. I began to experiment with altering the red the green and the blue. I was able to change the color scheme completely in the sunflowers. In working with the selection tool, it gave me total control over the image. I could select areas to alter. In working with the clone tool I was able to copy areas into areas needing correction or elimination. One of my favorites was the layers and the curves. This allowed me to mask specific areas I wanted to protect and to make changes to that layer. In creating this mask I did not make any modifications to my original image. I am a saver and it pains me to think about losing any information I may want back later. I find the layer mask is the best tool in photoshop. The results have endless possibilities allowing me complete control over the image. I really enjoyed the filters they added that fun to a very complex program. I love being able to outline images for the purpose of coloring for my daughter.
Dean Tatooles inspired me to work with images of nature without civilization resulting in beauty without time. I think I was able to do this with the waterfall image, capturing size, seasons, color and motion.
One of my favorite memorable works was of Cindy Sherman who inspired me to step outside the box and work stage shots. This was something I have not done before and it was hard to work for a natural look. I think her process of trying multiple looks and endless attempts show that this is just a start in artistic growth.
I love taking photos. I have since I was given a camera to use at age 7. I know I have taken photos in the thousands over the years. Now, I can say, I have experienced the tools to add artistic quality to my photos. I know I will continue to take photos and use the tools of photoshop, however now they will have a new agenda for perfection. I was inspired by the exposure of the styles of many photographers. I intend on entering art shows in our area as I work to improve my photos. Time permitting I look forward to a camera club.

Reaction Paper Eight

I chose to compare two very different photos that I had taken; a portrait taken early in the semester and a landscape photograph taken towards the end of the semester. Although these photos are very different, they really show what this class has taught me. This class made me look at things differently, I was known for photographing people;














however this class has made me look at many other things as subjects. I can create a beautiful photograph by changing the angle, creating depth and showing the gradient of colors or tones. These types of things are what will change an ordinary photo of a tree into something much more interesting. After researching the many photographers that we did showed me that a ordinary door or a broken tree can still be art. It is all in the way we look at things as well as the technique used when photographing these areas.


I have always been more of a spontaneous photographer. Although I may have an idea of how I want to photograph something, the outcome, setting and angle always seem to change in the last frame. This is the case with my self portrait that I photographed. My original idea was to have dramatic lighting and I wanted to be under the truck. The lighting technique that I wanted to use was something that I learned many years ago, painting with light.







I found that by switching things drastically I had a better outcome. I ended up using a normal flash with a slow shutter speed, and I put myself in front of the lens. I found that learning photography using digital versus film is much easier. A person should never have to go back to the drawing board. A person can see things immediately and switch things up if necessary.

I compare myself to Jodie Keefe, a photographer that I located on www.mnartists.org. Jodie is currently employed as a band director, yearbook advisor, photographer and vocalist at Holy Name of Jesus School. She received her BA in Music Education from the College of St. Benedict and later went to Hennepin Technical School to study photography.

Flower Photo taken by Jodie Keefe.

Leaf Photo taken by Me.

Portrait taken by Jodie Keefe.

Portrait taken by Me.

I am currently employed as a Human Resources Personnel Specialist at Mount Olivet Rolling Acres. I received my Photography degree from Ridgewater College and am now working towards completing my Business Administration degree.

Although Jodie received her BA prior to studying photography, I see that our style of photography is similar. We both look at a moment and tell the story through photography. This is more than just taking a photo of a subject with a prop. There is a story to be told, this can be done with a close up photo, or a portrait.

This course reminded me why I went into photography as a career many years ago. Although I miss it a lot, I don’t see myself making a full career switch again. I will continue to create beautiful photographers; perhaps after I am completed with my business degree I will go back photography as a side business. Photography is a true art form. I have really missed seeing the art after the photo is taken. The last few years I have viewed my camera as a job. Even when it has come down to taking photos of my family. I felt it was a hassle to take photos at a family event; it was easier to get a CD from my sister than to be the one to take the photos myself. I do think this class has reminded me that everyone sees things differently and if I want to have photographs with my point of view, telling my story, I have to be the one behind the viewfinder. I will continue to have my camera by my side.

Final reaction paper

I have learned so much in this class, and I think it will definitely come in handy down the road. I will probably be able to use some of the knowledge in the career that I am going to school for now. When I become a police officer I am sure I will have to take digital photos of crime scenes and I will have to know the best way to use the camera to capture the best image. As far as the editing goes, I will for sure have to use it to help enhance some of the family pictures that my wife and I like to take throughout the lives of our children. I my first images I was trying too hard to focus on one certain thing, but now I like to try to look beyond the primary subject and try to capture the best background that goes with the subject. I think by biggest influence was and will be Jeremy Turner. His work with landscape is very inspiring, and will help me to look for more awe inspiring images to capture.

(My second image would not load to here so here's the URL for it http://www.flickr.com/photos/53289155@N02/5144099111/in/set-72157625307993506/)

I really do like my first image; however, you can see that over the course of this class, I’ve learned many new techniques. As you can see, in the second photo from project three, layering has become one of my favorite things to do with my work. I love how I can make changes to each layer to make the perfect final image. I also really have had a lot of fun with filters. I like how I can make my photo appear, for example, as an oil painting or blurred or outlined in neon colors. There are so many to choose from to acquire that perfect compliment to a photo. I look forward to using every single one of them over the coming months. Another useful tool has been making selections. I am far from perfecting the use of this tool but do look forward to getting better at it and using it to making many enhancements to my work.

The artist that I identify most with is Terry Bebertz. As I looked through his gallery of photos, I noticed that my subjects are much like his subjects but his work is superb in comparison to mine. In his Beaver Pond and Paint, he captures a still pond which aids in acquiring the perfect reflections of the fall color. Then, in his Cone and Water, he captures a natural border of branches and cones on the top portion of the photo and rocks in the foreground with the main subject being the softest water flowing downstream. So often I attempt to acquire that perfect border too. I strive for photos like many of his but often do not get it perfect mostly due to lack of spare time but I also have a lot to learn yet too. If only I had all the time in the world, I too could begin to capture some great photography closer to Terry’s caliber.

I have always been one to have my camera in hand most places I go. I do not foresee that changing at all after this course ends. Actually, I expect to have my camera with me even more so than ever before. My family will go even more crazy! They already tease me a lot about having my camera whenever they see me; however, they do reap the benefit of receiving some pretty good pictures every now and then and I know they appreciate that. I always look forward to entering my work into the local county fairs and maybe will receive more ribbons or maybe even a trip to the State Fair. My new knowledge of editing photography will definitely come in handy. I have really enjoyed enhancing my work and sharing it with others. I look forward to learning more about PhotoShop and continuing to enhance my photos!

Final Reaction Paper

This photography class has definently taught me alot during this semester. I think that it has helped me figure out who I am as a "photographer". The picture above is from our first assignment on resizing an image. Do I like this photo? Of course I do, but at this point I did not know how to do anything in Photoshop. I only was able to put a picture into Photoshop and really just look at it, I had no idea how to use any of the options available.

This picture above, is actually my favorite picture that I have used for an assignment during this semester. I used this photo for our Project #3. It is a picture that I took around New London. I really like this picture, I think that it show good use of Photoshop. The main thing that I used in Photoshop is the levels, hues/saturation. I think that this is something that can be helpful to anyone who has photoshop, this picture was very bland and plane to begin with and now it turned out very bright and colorful.

I really enjoyed looking through all the different photographers work this semester. I really liked Jim Brandenburgs photographs, but I do not think that my work is anything like his. My main interest in photography is people. I really like taking photographs of people, kids and families.

When this class is complete, I think that my main focus will be photographing people. I am very interested in taking family photos and photographs of my own children. I think that I will be able to use absolutely everything that we have learned in this class when editing my photographs. I really did not think of myself as an "art" person, but I guess in a photography aspect I am an "art" person. Ask me to draw you something......not gonna happen, but ask me to photograph something and I will!! I am very excited to use my knowledge from this class on any photographs that I will be taking in the future!

Reaction Paper 8

I looked back at my first photos for this class and couldn’t believe how my pictures have changed. I look at the picture of the flowers that I took although it was ok it could be better with some of the effects that we learned in our class since that first project. Then I look at the last project that we did and I look at the picture I took of our dog Zip going after the pheasant. Using the warm filter that I put on this picture really made a change in it. I would never have done this without learning it in this class. I am not sure if any one influence made this picture possible for me except that of our instructor and his ability to make us find that inner photographer and his ability to teach us all the techniques that we can use to change a photo. I really like the landscape and nature photographers as I love the outdoors and this is what interests me the most. I would say that the last photographer I wrote about Kevin Snyder was one of my favorite he is able to make his pictures dreamy or mystical. John Corney gave me a different prospective on landscape photography seeing things I would not have considered landscape before. I think that the most I will use this new ability for is to capture memories for my family. I am a big scrap booker along with my little sister so using this will make our pictures even more interesting. I also hope to use my photographer for my career in Criminal Justice, Corrections & Law Enforcement. There are many uses for this in these fields and I hope to become an investigator so this should come in handy.

Penny Mulder

Penny Mulder

                I fee l I have learned a lot in this class from start to finish. My first pictures to now, “WOW” it is totally different, all the different changes that you can make with pictures.  If I never took the class I would have never known I could do this with pictures. This class was awesome I really like how we can change out pictures, take one picture and turn it in to another with the Photoshop program. There is a definite a new influence introduced in this class especially the new artist, there are a lot of artists out there that have different ideas of photography and take great pictures and how they describe the pictures of what they reflect, and the reflection of their life.

                I have Identify Kelli Maag the most.  I really like her work in photography it is great. I like what she takes pictures of and does art. She takes pictures of what I would definitely, take pictures of I love too like wild life, sun set, flowers and a lot more. I like all the artists work and enjoyed doing the research on all of them, if I didn’t get to do the research on them then I wouldn’t have had the chance to see other pictures out there. There were a lot of nice pictures I got to view, some were very creative and some were of not my taste, but photography is of anything the photographer wants to take pictures of. The one most that is most remember able is Kelli Maag the tattoo artist. She does some really nice art work and photography; she also can draw whatever you want for a tattoo with a tattooing machine. If you find a picture or take a picture of something; she can use it to make a tattoo. I really like this artist because I like tattoos so we have something in common besides photography. I think this was the best artist I wrote about I really enjoyed doing the research on her.

                My prediction after the course is that I will still use photography because I like taking pictures and now I can enhances them for scrap booking or for my picture books for the kids and I can sit down and show them how to do it also then we can come up with different ideas together or they can do different things on their own. I will still see photography as art and now I will be looking for more things to take pictures of. Art is beauty and comes with in the beauty of the artist. I’m sure I will be the artist of the family pictures, to develop a new setting of them and be creative with them and later on capture some pictures and sell them or if other people want certain pictures I could take the pictures their looking for and frame them and do the selling or just be creative with what I learned in this class and do the art work myself and keep the pictures for what I learned in this class.