Class Feedback

I liked a lot of things about this class. It was very interesting. I liked learning about using the camera, and taking good pictures. One thing I didn't like as much was using photoshop. Photoshop was very confusing to me and I found it quite difficult to use. But after a while I got the hang of it and now I think it is fun to use photoshop.

The challenges in this class to me was getting the right combination of settings to take a good picture. I had to make sure the shutter speed, and the aperture, and ISO was in the right setting. For example, if I changed the camera to a faster shutter speed, then I woud have to raise the ISO so its more sensitive to the light. This whole class was pretty challenging, and I didn't really think any of it was easy. Which is good because I liked to be challenged.

I liked how the class structure was, we would go out and take pictures. Then we would download and edit them. The photo assignments were cool also, I thought it was a good idea to take the camera home over the weekend and take as many pictures as you wanted for the topic you were doing that week. I didn't really mind the blogging either. It was pretty easy to do, and I knew how to do it so I could do a decent blog entry pretty fast.

What I learned- I am very glad I took this class, because I feel that I gained a lot of knowledge in it. I learned the basics, setting the camera up, and taking a good picture. But I also learned about what makes a good photo. Probably the thing I was most excited to learn about, was photoshop. I learned how to edit pictures. Editing such as cropping, changing the color, or cutting and adding things to pictures. I now know a lot about the camera and photoshop, and I know that I will use these skills in the near future.

Assignment 7- Light & Shadows

Assignment Description- For this week, I chose the theme light and shadows. I went outside in my backyard and took pictures of the light from the sun shining through the trees. As well as the sunset. Then I took pictures of my dog while she was outside, I got some sun spots in the picture so it really shows the light from the sun. I didn't edit any of the pictures.


Best Photo- (No editing)

ISO- 1600
Aperture- f/16
Shutter Speed- 1/60 seconds


Slideshow-






What I learned-I learned how to position the camera to make the sunset look really cool. But it was difficult to take pictures of the sunset before it was gone. So I didn't take as many as I would like. It was also hard to keep my dog still but after a while she calmed down and I got some pretty good pictures of her. Overall i'm proud of the pictures I took and I think they all turned out pretty good. I especially like the ones with sun spots.

Assignment 6- Animals

For this assignment I chose to do animals. I took pictures of my cat and dog, but also went over to my friends house. At her house I took pictures of her two rabbits, and her dog. Then I downloaded them on to photo shop and didn't really edit any of them.

Best Photo- No editing

ISO- 800
Aperture- f/14
Shutter Speed- 1/80 seconds



Slide show-




   



What I learned- Working with animals can be really hard at some points. Its really hard to get them to sit still while adjusting the camera. The dogs I took pictures of were very energetic and would not stop moving. The two rabbits I took pictures of kept hopping away and wouldn't sit still. The cats I took pictures of were actually pretty easy. They were pretty calm and didn't move much. Although it was hard I got through it and I think I took some pretty decent pictures.

Dictionary

Assignment Description- For this assignment, we had to choose a word and use photoshop to define it. We had to use pictures and designs. I chose the words marriage, and frolicking. We used photoshop to combine several pictures, and also write the definition of the word somewhere in the picture.

What I learned- Everything went well for this assignment. For frolicking I instantly thought of deer. Deer like to frolic and jump and stuff. So I put a bunch of frolicking deer in the picture. For marriage I wanted too show what makes up a marriage. In the background is two people obviously in love. Then a wedding cake, and a bouquet of flowers. I also added two wedding rings because thats what really joins the two people together once they put the rings on eachothers fingers

Visual Puns

Assignment Description- For this assignment we used photoshop to create visual puns. We looked for a word and we photoshopped two pictures together. Then I turned them into the hand in folder.

What I learned- I used photoshop and it went really well. It was really easy to use and I knew exactly what to do. The puns were a little hard to think of, but I managed to find three of them. The first one was is RockStar, the second one is Dr. Pepper, and the third one is Egg Plant. Over all i'm happy with my pictures for this assignment.

Assignment 5- Black and White

Assignment Description- For this week I decided to do black and white pictures. I set my camera to the black and white setting and went around the house taking pictures of random objects. I tried to take pictures from different perspectives to make them look more interesting.

Best photo-

ISO- 1600
Aperture- f/6.3
Shutter speed- 1/20 seconds

Slideshow-







What I learned- Pretty much all things went well for this assignment. I found quite a few things that i could take cool pictures of. I really like the black and white setting. I think it makes the pictures look really cool. I use my dads camera for these assignments, so I am able to take really good pictures. The focusing is really good on his camera.

school photoshop

Assignment Description- For this assignment we took a picture of the school and we had to photo shop other images and things into it. I took a picture from and angle pointing up at a ledge. I then photo shopped characters from The Lion King, including the monkey holding Simba up. Then I added a sunset that shows through the windows.

What I learned- I got a lot more familiar with photo shop. I learned how to make shadows and using the layers made a lot more sense to me. It was a little frustrating at first, especially using the selection tool. I found it really hard and frustrating to use that. But I soon got the hang of it after a while and found that using photo shop is really fun!

Assignment 4- Food

Assignment Description- For this week, I decided to do food. I took some chocolates from a box that we had and some marsh mellows. And I set them up in different ways and took pictures. I also made a bowl of ice cream and took pictures of that.

Best photo-

ISO- 1600
Aperture- f/11
Shutter Speed- 1/80 seconds

Slide show-






What I learned- It was difficult to pose the food so shadows and stuff like that wouldn't get it the way. But it wasn't hard to find the food to take pictures of. I got more experienced with focusing the camera. It was sometimes hard to get it to focus on the food. Overall I think most of my pictures turned out pretty good. I am proud of this assignment.

Portrait

Assignment Description- For this assignment We did portraits. We had to do two different types of portraits. One using the lights all set up in the library, and one using the sunlight. Then we downloaded them on photoshop and edited them and framed them.

What I learned- I learned a lot more about photoshop in this assignment. I was really frustrating at first but I soon got the hang of it. I also learned that the picture looks better when the light coming through the sheet is directly behind the persons head. It sort of looks like a halo. I also learned how to angle the camera so there are no shadows or anything on the persons face.

Assignment 3- Macro

Assignment Description- For this assignment I chose the topic Macro. I hadn't done anything like macro before and also really like it. I went around my house and into my yard to look for ideas. I had my camera setting on macro, so that made it easier. I really liked this assignment and think my pictures turned out pretty good.

Best photo-

ISO- 100
Aperture- 5.6
Shutter speed- 1/2000 sec




Slide show-
                                                                           












What I learned- I got more experience using the camera on the macro setting for this assignment. It was pretty easy finding things to take pictures of. Sometimes I did have trouble trying to get the camera to focus on what I wanted. But it wasn't that challenging once I got the hang of it. I'm happy with how my pictures turned out, I also really liked how the macro looked. I think bigger depth of field looks cooler.                                                                                                                                                                       

Panoramics

Assignment Description- For this assignment we took panoramic pictures. I went out around the school and took four pictures using a tripod. Each picture has to verlap the last one about 40%. Then I loaded all the photos on the computer, and opened them in photoshop. I used photomerge to merge together the four pictures and it made them into panoramic pictures.

What I learned- For this assignment I once again learned a lot about photoshop. I learned how to use the photomerge, and touch up some spots that it didn't exactly get. I think my pictures turned out very well and they all fit together nicely. I thought it would be hard to take the pictures that are about 40% apart from each other, but it was actually pretty easy. The tripod really helped a lot. If I didn't have it then my pictures would not turn out as well as they did.

Assignment 2- Event

Assignment Description- For this assignment, I decided to choose the topic of event. My neighbors had a Halloween party that they throw every year. So I went over there and took pictures of the decorations, and people having a good time.

Best Photo-

ISO- 800
Aperture- f/3.5
Shutter speed- 1/40 sec

Slide show-









What I learned- I think that this assignment went pretty good. It was the perfect event to take pictures at. People were having a good time, and I hope some of my pictures show that. It was kind of hard trying to get people to stay still. So I did have to adjust my shutter speed. I adjusted the ISO and aperture too, so I got some more experience using those tools.

Photoshop

Assignment description- For this assignment we had to use photoshop. We had to photoshop a car to make it look as close as we can to the demo of the car. We had to adjust the color and change things with the background. Then I handed it in and am now blogging it.

                                                               Car demo-

Photoshopped car-

What I learned- For this assignment I definetly got more familiar with photoshop. I learned how to adjust the color, and how to duplicate colors. I grasped on to the concept fairly quickly, I did need a little help sometimes though. It was really fun to learn about photoshop. I'm glad that I know how to use it, and it will come to good use whenever I need it, its a good skill to have.

Assignment 1 Landscapes

Assignment description- For this assignment we had to take a camera home, and take a picture of our chosen topic. For my topic I chose landscapes. I went out into the corn field behind my house and I took some pictures of the landscape.

Best photo-

ISO- 100
Aperture- f/5.6
Shutter speed- 1/125 sec

Slideshow-





What I learned- For this assignment I chose to take pictures of landscape. During my assignment I got used to Iso, shutter speed, and aperture. I kind of got a feel for what would look good. I think my pictures turned out pretty good. The sun was out so most of my pictures have pretty good lighting. It was kind of challenging making sure that the picture was balanced out. But other than that I feel my pictures turned out pretty good.

Inspiration

For my inspiration I chose landscape. I really like the idea of landscape and find it really cool. Here are three of my favorite pictures of landscapes in the links below. In the first one I really like how its like they are in a canyon, and taking a picture of all the cool abstract forms the rocks make. For the second one, I really like how they are in the desert. It is really vacant, and all there is is the sand and some vegetation which I think is really cool. The third one is a simple field, but the lines and the tiny tree way in the background make the picture look really nice and not boring.


http://www.mindyjohnston.com/trottier/photos/landscapes/2.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1299/556137713_ef65e479e2.jpg

http://www.widescreenbackgrounds.net/wallpapers/green-striped-field-widescreen-landscapes-desktop-background-wallpapers.jpg

Goals- My goals for the landscape assignment is to find a really cool landscape. I'll make sure the landscape is really cool and interesting. I have a creek in my backyard with lots of trees and plants around it, and that might be a cool place I could go to to take pictures. I can't wait to do this assignment!

Pop Art

Assignment Description- For this assignment we used photoshop for the first time. We took a picture of ourself and then uploaded it on to photoshop. We then edited the picture and ended up putting four of the same picture in each corner of a square. Then I made each picture a different color. Its called Pop Art.

Pop Art-

What I learned- I learned a lot about photoshop in this assignment. I learned how to edit the picture, and add cool effects to it. I also learned how to change the hue and saturation of the picture. I am definetly more familiar with photoshop. I can now put the new skills I learned to use and edit other pictures.

Compositions 2

Assignment Description- For this assignment we went out and took pictures again. We had to take pictures of framing, perspective, space, color, and balance. After we went out and took the pictures, we loaded them on to the computer, and on to the desktop. I then put them on photoshop where I made an album to put my selected pictures in. Then I moved them into this blog.

Photo Description-
Framing- Tree through the door
Perspective- Shoes
Space- Stop sign
Color- Pink flower (close up)
Balance- Green, black, and white colors

Slideshow-



What I learned- I learned many things for this assignment. For framing, I learned that it helps you hilight your main point of interest. Perspective helps you discover new angles on your subject, and drastically impacts the look. Space crates a nice sense of intamacy and connection, but also gives your subject space to breathe. Balance helps improve the image by counter balancing the main focal point of an image. Color can add vibrancy, energy, and interest to you picture. Color also impacts the mood of the picture.

Shutter speed and Aperture

Assignment Description- For this assignment we had to show the difference between different shutter speeds and apertures. We went out with our cameras and took pictures of moving objects using different shutter speeds. The faster the shutter speed, the clearer, but darker the image is. As you can see in the slide show, the first picture of the water coming out of the drinking fountain is slightly blurrier then the ones after that. The last picture of the water is also significantly darker, but clearer. For aperture  I took pictures of a locker combination dial, the first pictures only focus on the dial but as the pictures move on you can see the background get more focused.

Photo Description-
Shutter speed- Water fountain
Aperture- Locker combination dial




What I learned- For this assignment I learned the differences between shutter speed and aperture. Shutter speed is how long the shutter is open. The longer the shutter is open, the more light is let in, those photos are usually brighter. The shorter the shutter is open, the less light is let in. When the shutter is really small the picture usually comes out really dark. Aperture is how in focused the picture is. The lower the aperture, the more focused the picture is on one thing. Then the background is usually blurry. But when the aperture gets higher, The whole picture becomes less blurry and it is all in focused.

Composition 1

Assignment Description- For this assignment we learned about the rule of thirds and different types of compositions. Then we went out with our cameras and took pictures of pattern, rule of thirds, lines, symmetry, depth of field, and texture. After getting a couple pictures of each composition, we downloaded them on to the computer, and then photoshop. When we downloaded them onto photoshop, we made an album with one picture of each composition. We could edit the photos on photoshop if we weren't satisfied with them. Then we created a blog which we will download our pictures on.

Photo Description-
Depth of Field = Locker
Rule of Thirds = Duck in the pond
Symmetry = Road
Texture = Tree bark
Lines = Diagonal road lines

Slideshow-

What I learned- I learned a lot of things about compositions. For example the rule of thirds, I learned that it just doesn't look right in a picture if the subject of a picture is directly in the center. Therefore you should put the subject off center, then it looks more natural. I also learned how to download and use photoshop. Overall I learned a lot of useful things during this assignment.