Square

Part 1/2

Casey Liu

Where else are your eyes drawn, but the center? This picture focuses on the idea of symmetry and center focus. Therefore, the primary point is the center and the secondary point is the chairs because its color pops from the rest of the photo. Lastly the other focal point is the windows. Its shape and lines give it an appeal to the eyes. All the shapes and color comprised in this single photograph makes the photo artistically strong. For example, look at the colors. They give a warm tone because the shot is made up of warm colors (red, orange, yellow).

Casey Liu is a young photographer and also serves as the model in this photograph. She is young girl living in Hawaii and often takes portraits and landscape photos of the beautiful scenery. I especially enjoy her self-portrait photography because she knows how to capture the essence of natural beauty. For more on her photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46061757@N04/

Annie Leibovitz

            Have you ever picked up a Vogue or Vanity Fair magazine? If so, you just might be skimming
along the photographs of renowned photographer, Annie Leibovitz. She has shot some of the most famous celebrities from John Lennon to Heath Ledger. Annie was born in 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut to a large family of eight, who continuously moved from army base to army base. Her father was in the army. Being constantly in a car, “it was easy to be an artist because you saw the world through a ready-made picture frame”, says Annie’s older sister, Susan Leibovitz. Annie was not foreign to cameras, as her mother documented the family’s life with her camera. As she grew up, she decided that she wanted to be an art teacher in San Francisco, California. Leibovitz enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute with hopes to study painting. However, she took a workshop, one summer, for photography. “It clicked with me”, says Leibovitz.

             She went into the Rolling Stone office with a portfolio of pictures, which impressed editor of the magazine at the time, Jann Wenner. Rolling Stone was new to San Francisco and, luckily, Leibovitz was hired as a photographer. Not many people, like Annie, can say that her first professional photography assignment was to shoot musical legend and former Beatles member, John Lennon. Her photographs graced the covers of Rolling Stone magazine. She describes her photographs as, “the magazine is an extraordinary empty canvas that is waiting to be filled up with imagery. I remember the first time I saw my very first cover, that moment stayed with me forever, Its so powerful to see this image replicated over and over and over again and on news stands.” In 1980, Annie had the privilege of working, yet again with Lennon. This time, he wasn’t alone. He was to be shot with current girlfriend, Yoko Ono. It was only hours from this time that Lennon was shot in front of his apartment. The picture that Annie shot was used in many magazines in honor of his death.

            In 1983, Annie moved on to work for Vanity Fair. Some of her most famous images were that of Whoopi Goldberg, bathing in milk, and Demi Moore’s naked photograph during her pregnancy. She continued to shoot A-list celebrities, some of which are Brad Pitt, Ellen DeGeneres, Scarlett Johansson, and Nicole Kidman. Some of these photographs were not only featured in Vanity Fair, but also Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, and advertisements for The Gap, American Express, and the Milk Board. Leibovitz continues to do mostly portraits for famous magazines.

            Over time Leibovitz had taken many pictures aside from the renowned photos seen in various magazines. In 1991, she collected over 200 black and white photographs. These photographs were featured in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. In 1996, she was chosen to be the official photographer for the Olympics. In 2005, a museum in Brooklyn known as the Brooklyn Museum of Art, honored her work entitled: “Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life: 1990-2005”. In recent years, Leibovitz has written many books including Photographs, Photographs 1970-1990, Olympic Portraits, Women, American Music, A Photographer’s Life 1990-2005, and Annie Leibovitz: At Work.

            As for Leibovitz’s personal life, she had a close relationship with Susan Sontag. They met back in 1989. However, Sontag, unfortunately, passed away in 2004. Now, she is a mother of three children. She has a daughter, Sarah, and twin daughters Susan and Samuelle. Her twins were born to a surrogate mother, which means that these are not Leibovitz’s own children. However, she is a dedicated and loving mother. 

Love

Days With My Father

Phillip Toledano

Just look at this picture. What do you see? Think about how it makes you feel. As for me, I think back to my grandma (Nana) who passed away several years ago. Basically, she was my hero, one of the sweetest people I will ever meet. For the 12 years I knew her, she was the grandma who always made sure I had enough. I never saw her without a smile. When I think about her, I remind myself that it's important to live with a positive attitude. The picture itself brings out a strong emotion that I had felt years ago. This is how effective this photo is. 

This photo portrays texture, lighting, and value. Again, value is shading used to emphasize form. In this case, most of the picture is dark, so it uses shading to highlight the man's face and the chair. The value gives shape to this picture because it highlights every detail. Texture helps to emphasize the features and details of a photograph and lighting can draw attention to an area. In this case, texture and lighting come hand in hand because the lighting emphasizes the texture of the man's face. The lighting in this picture is particularly unique because it is dark, which sets the mood, but also, it is coming from a peculiar area. This, however, makes the photo look more natural. 

As for Toledano, I came across his website where he shares the last moments he spends with his father. Please take some time to read through this story: http://www.dayswithmyfather.com. This is called photo journalism, which is where a photographer documents an experience. Many times, photo journalism is used in war and modern-day newspapers. I cannot express the talent Tolendano has as a photographer. He knows exactly how to capture an image and it matches flawlessly with the story he shares. 

Curve

Playing With Architecture

Pamela Tuazon

It goes on and on. The lines repeat. As you walk on the bridge, the poles repeatedly pass you by. I wanted to introduce one of my own photographs to you. This is one of the few pieces I've produced that intrigue me. I took this photograph in a mall in Irvine, California. The repetitive lines on the bridge and the way it curves was appealing to my eyes. In this photograph, I've incorporated the elements of lines, rule of thirds, movement, and pattern. There are some new terms I have listed. By following the rule of thirds, the rule states that the subject is not centered. In this case, I meant for the subject to be the vanishing point of the bridge. As you can see, it's off-centered. As I have not yet defined pattern, it is what creates rhythm. The pattern/rhythm is found in the curve of the bridge. 

Personally, when I take photos, I like to capture anything that I find appealing. My photographs can vary anywhere from portraits to architecture. I would easily classify this particular photo as architectural. Photos of this nature typically are the most interesting. They can move a viewers eye from the most simple to most complicated direction possible. And with a single building or art piece, there is a seemingly infinite amount of angles you can shoot from and each angle can completely alter the way you see the piece.

Source: http://photoinf.com/General/NAVY/Pattern_Volume_Lighting_Texture_Tone.htm

Red

The Red Telephone Box

Kristine May

If anything, nothing stands out in a picture like the color red. Think about it. What was the first think you looked at in this picture? Not only did, perhaps, the title draw you in, but the color itself. Outstanding colors like these are what make various photographs artistically strong. In photography, this picture incorporates movement and color. Movement is when the photograph allows a viewers eye to move from place to place in a photo. Within movement there are main focal points and secondary focal points. In this case, the telephone booth is the main focal point because it was the first thing I, and I assume all viewers, laid their eyes on. The secondary focal point would be the bikes because they contrast from the background. I had defined color in the previous post, and evidently, it's self-explanatory. Not only does this photograph provide movement and color, but it portrays the essence of London, England, with telephone booths aligning the streets of Europe. Bikes are placed just to the left of the booth, which is also apart of English culture. 

As I mentioned previously, I enjoy exploring Flickr and this was one of the pictures I have encountered that I really admired. I enjoy pictures that can capture a way of life, without saying much. Kristine May is the username or the photographer on Flickr. Based on her photostream, she too enjoys European lifestyles and knows exactly how to capture the essence of it. I admire her work and use it as inspiration when I have the opportunity to photograph architecture. 

Take a look at her photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/krishhtine/

Introducing Principles of Composition

There are many aspects that make a strong, artistic photograph. But some of the rules that professional photographers abide by are the "Principles of Composition". Among these are: line, shape, color, texture, form, value, and space. In this blog, I will be using these terms.

Line: The visual path that enables the eye to move within the piece
Shape: Areas defined by the edges of the piece
Color: Hues with their various values and entities
Texture: Surface qualities which translate into tactile illusions
Form: 3D length, width, or depth
Value: Shading used to emphasize form
Space: The space taken up by positive or negative objects

Snap

Snap. I remove myself from the viewfinder of my camera and look around. People assume I'm a photographer, with my Nikon D50 in hand. I don't deserve that title. The label is far more professional than I believe I am. When I feel like I have fully progressed with my pictures, I will give myself that title. For now, I'm still progressing with my photos. When I take pictures, I take them merely for my own benefit because it is fun and a hobby of mine.

It all started in middle school. My sister started bringing around my mom's DSLR, to dinners, to outings, and family celebrations. I started to explore Flickr.com. As I looked at all the various photos, angles, and colors, inspiration started to flow within me. I started to recreate pictures I had seen before. With thousands of buttons with questionable functions, I gradually learned more about my camera. I brought it to outings with friends and practiced taking pictures. I liked the idea of looking back on the pictures. The emotions and expressions in them would make me laugh. I liked capturing that moment and having the ability to look back on it. I continued to bring my camera around and I haven't let go of it since. I've become almost addicted to bringing it around.

Because there is only one Nikon in our family, sometimes my sister or my mom have to use it. When it's not in my hands, I sigh when I find a photo opportunity. My eyes are adjusted to think through a lens. I frame pictures in my head. I look at different angles of an object. But when I do have a camera in my hands, I have a sense of security, that I will never forget that day.

This blog is intended to share with you my thoughts on photographs, photographers, pictures I've taken, professional pictures, techniques, different mediums within photography, and more. This may seem contradictory to when I said, "People assume I'm a photographer, with my Nikon D50 in hand. I don't deserve that title." To clear things up, I'm not a photographer, but hopefully one day I'd like to be. I'm inspired by photography, professional or not. I hope you readers enjoy this blog!