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.