1. I gained information on how to deal professionally with people at the gallery show. It taught me how to carry on conversations with potential buyers.

2. To be successful in creating a portfolio, think about topics in advance to photograph. Don't spend too much time thinking. Usuallly if you just start taking pictures you will get one that you like and be able to expand on an idea from there.

3. Positive aspects of the class this year were learning to use photoshop better and the photos that I produced throughout the school year. I liked learning art techniques to apply to my photography.

4. Letting students read the instructions themselves and then helping them individually could be done differently next year. It wouold give us more time in class to work.

5. As an artist, I learned that I like working with light and color. I like taking experiences from my life and turning them into art.

6. I will apply the patience I learned this year to my future life. I will also be able to apply the art techniques I learned to any design work or art that I do in my future life.

Concentration series

This week I edited some of the pictures that I am using in my concentration series. I upped the contrast and experimented with tilt shift more. I also planned out the story that my concentration series will tell. It will begin with images of training for track, go into the competition aspect, show that moment of injury, and then explore living with the injury that keeps the athelete from doing what they love. What do you think of the editing?

This week something happened that is forcing me to change my concentration idea slightly. I got a severe stress fracture at my first track meet of the season and am out for three months. Because of this, I am going to change my concentration to a look at the process that I went through to get to this point. I will include pictures about training for running, pictures of competing, and pictures that portray my injury and what it is like to live with it.

Here are pictures that I took at the track meet before I broke my leg. They will be part of the competition section of my series. What do you think of the tilt shift blur effect in the sprinting photo? I want to figure out a way to blur more of the background. Does anyone have any tips?

 

 

Here is another image of turf that I like. Does anyone have an idea of how I could use it?

 

Concentration Change and Resulting Pictures

This week I changed my concentration series idea to Running, and the emotions that stem from the hard work required to succeed at it. I am also adding an element of the different ways that people use running in their lives.

I woke up the other morning and saw the beautiful fog and knew that I had to take pictures. The resulting photos are of a man running in the early morning fog. The fog gives a dreamlike quality to the pictures. It highlights the way that running can be used in a zen way when people go out by themselves.

What do you think of the editing in these pictures? Would the triptych be better as a layered image? Is the layered image too cheesy looking? What are your opinions?

Here are some more pictures that I took the same morning. What are your thoughts on them? I took several pictures of trees in fog also. I could maybe use them in a diptych to show more the zen state that one goes into when running by themselves.

I realized this week that I do not feel a strong connection to my concentration series idea. I brainstormed possible alternatives and practiced photoshop techniques that I found tutorials for online.
-Track/ Running
-Adrenaline
               I could link this to running and add pictures of other extreme sports and places that cause adrenaline and excitement. I could link this to photoshop techniques that create this feeling as well.
-Le Grand Vitesse de la Vie

http://digital-photography-school.com/4-easy-photoshop-techniques-to-make-your-pictures-pop

After trying to use these techniques, I realized that the school's Photoshop program doesn't have the effects that this website required. It was interesting to see the potential of photoshop though.

Here are several pictures that I had from last week that I experimented with layering:

Even though I am changing my concentration idea, it was still fun to see the way you can change the mood of a picture simply by changing the effects.

Week One

For my first series of photos for my concentration series, I photographed my brothers and cousins when we went out on a boat on the Columbia River to an island. Since it is Februaury, it was very cold but the sun came out and gave the images a wintry glow. The pictures appear to be cold because of the muted light. The contrast between the happy children and the muted light creates interest through contrast in the photos. In the photos of kids, I was trying to convey the idea that their strong but simple friendships can enable them to have fun together in a harsh setting. The pictures of my uncle and brother show how knowledge and wisdom can be passed down though generations.