Africa and Abandoned Theme Parks

AFRICA:
1. I am amazed by Nick Brandt's work. I think that it's crazy how close he gets to his subjects and how natural and real his photographs look. The impact of his photos is very strong because he doesn't use a telephoto lens to give the illusion that the photographer was a lot closer to the animal, so the picture feels more real. I am shocked at how good his photos turned out because if I was put in front of a lion and told to take a photo I would probably be scared out of my mind. 

2. 

3. This photo is my favorite because I love the way the elephants are in a line. They seem so mature and firm-minded in their expression, the image is very impactful. I also like the black and white and how the elephants looks so focused and determined, the photographer was able to capture a very natural expression.

4. I see the rule of lines portrayed in this image very well. There isn't a straight line, but I do see a pathway formed by the elephants that lures the eyes of the viewer deeper into the image. The line of elephants visible to the eye seems almost never-ending. This is essentially the purpose of the rule of lines, to draw the eyes deeper into the image, so that is why I believe this rule is emphasized in the image.

5. Nick Brandt uses a Pentax 67II with two fixes lens, no telephoto or zoom lenses. This is important because his camera and lens are what contribute to the unique effect of this pictures.

6. His reason for taking these photos is to show the animals in their state of "Being", their natural state before they cease to exist.

7. He hopes to show people that animals and humans are equals and that everyone has the equal right to live.

8.  "Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the last places on the planet where one can still view multiple species en masse in the wild. Not that I am necessarily going to photograph them any more. I may be photographing their absence, but this place just moves me on a fundamental, visceral level."

-Nate Brandt

THEME PARKS:

1. I would like o visit the Six Flags in New Orleans. I want to visit the park because it seems really interesting and because I have been the Six Flags in Texas so many times, it would be cool to see what an abandoned one would look like. Also the park is being consumed by a swamp so the scene would be very unique and different than any other abandoned theme park. I also like many of the elements of the park, like the "Main Street" or "French Quarter" that they have in the park. It looks like it would have been part of an old town, it sort of adds an antique feeling to the park which I like.

2. 

3. 

• A haunted house
• an abandoned school
• national parks that have been deserted
• cemeteries
• abandoned allies 

4. 

5. I think that a decaying abandoned school would be an interesting site to investigate and take pictures of. I think this because there are so many different things to take a picture of at school. There are offices, classrooms, theaters, cafeterias, bathrooms, and musical interments that can make for a creepy and unusual subjects. Another reason I would like to visit this place is because there is probably graffiti on the walls that can create a cool image. I would expect to take pictures of destroyed desks and decaying walls.

6. I don't think that I would have a lot of travel expenses to go to an abandoned school because there are probably a few in Texas. I do however believe that I would need to get government permission or permission from the former school district because I wouldn't want to go to jail for trespassing. As far as equipment goes I would need to have a camera, different lens, and a tripod to capture the best images from different angles and take crisp photos.

Funny Captions

At his own birthday party, Old Man Earl's cake sets on fire. He met is online girlfriend for the first time, she found out that he wasn't 23. 

Mr. Wallie, who was on laughing gas, slumped down next to his sleeping dog after he came home from his dentist appointment. Mr.Wallie pretends that he, like Bubba, is a tired dog.

Mrs. Dabney casually drove along the road, unaware that she was doing something illegal and dangerous by having driven alongside cars. She yells at the cars for honking at her.

The Great Black and White Photographer Part 3

1. I really love William Klein's photographs because of the focus he puts on the subject. The subject is usually humans and his pictures center in on their expression and really the beauty of the person. I enjoy the photos of his where the subject in a more real state versus a fake, posed feeling.

2. 

I see a women standing, waiting for someone to give her a ride. She's patient, but is starting to get tired because no one is willing to give her a ride. I see a man in the back looking back at the women feeling bad about not helping her.

I smell the aroma of the cool fall breeze. A cool crisp wind mixed with a wood-like scent. I also smell the exhaust from the scooters the men passing by were driving. The smokey smell isn't pleasing.

I hear the sound of traffic beginning to start up ahead. The sound of the scooters and cars driving by. not helping out the women. I also hear the sound of the wind howling.

I taste the fumes of the exhaust in my mouth. It leaves a lasting taste that makes me hold my breath so I don't inhale anymore. The taste gives me a gassy, unpleasant feeling that makes me almost gag.

I felt that a story is beginning to be told through this image. There can be so many possibilities of the back story of the subject and why she is stand there looking off in the distance. I felt like the photographer really gave the audience the choice to define the image with their own imagination.

I see a girl with defined features. I see how beautiful the subject is and how defined her features are. I see the dark makeup on her eyes making her eyes seem black.

I smell the flakiness of the subject's makeup. I also smell the sweet fragrance of her perfume and how delicate it is. The smell defines her job of a model and unifies her with other models, as the smell similar.

I hear flash of the camera and the voice of those around her, unseen, directing her pose. I hear the rustle and bustle of the the makeup artists and costume designers ready to change her costume and makeup for the next shoot. I hear the voice of the model asking about the outcome of the photos.

I taste toxins in the air from hairspray to makeup. The taste overwhelms me and I can't seem to escape it. Between the photos the hairspray and powder is reapplied and the  room is once again consume by the same taste.

I felt amazing by the beauty of the photography as well as the model. William Klein manages to catch the beauty of the model's facial structure in the picture in what seems like a normal position. As the photographer: I feel the warmth of the camera lights. The warmth also comes from the amount of people in the small room , that aren't seen but are there.

3. I would like to create a poster with some of my favorite photos by William Klein to showcase his amazing talent. I feel this would be the best way that people will be able to appreciate his work because anyone and everyone in school could see the poster. 

Mural Project

1. What theme, that we could take here at school, could we do a series of these panels to place around the school?
A theme w could do would be Bowie students and show the different people and how unique each individual is as well as the cultural variety at Bowie.
2. Should we use phones only, or should we open it up to our regular cameras for those people that don't have camera phones?
I think we should do cameras and phones for the reason mentioned.
3. Where would you want to put the mural on campus
I would want to put the mural in the entrance of the academic building in front of the library because that is a place that everyone would see it.

Academic Shoot Reflection and Critique

1. What challenges did you encounter while trying to get the photos following the rules I set out for you? 
It was very hard to get interesting pictures because most of the time the subjects weren't doing anything unique or visually intriguing. Most of the class were either working on a worksheet or the teacher was giving a lecture.
2. What technical aspects of photography or the assignment in general (focus, framing, holding the camera, etc.) did you find yourself thinking about the most? Provide a specific example of what you did to do this correctly.
I found myself thinking the most of the rule of thirds. Every time I took a picture I would at least think about that rule and how I always had to somehow incorporate at least that one rule. This is because it is such an easy rule to follow and embed into photography, and it can make a photo all the better.
3. If you could do the assignment again, what would you do differently now that you know some basic rules of photography?
I would try to change my positioning while taking pictures and try to think about how I can focus of the subject to take the clearest and best photo possible.4. What things would you do the same?
The thing I would do the same would be how I would always try to at least incorporate one rule because that made my pictures so much better and appealing.
5. When you go out with your next set of prompts, which rule do you think will be the easiest to achieve?
The easiest rule to achieve is the rule of third because it simply has to do with the way you position your subject in the lens of your camera.
6. Which rule do you think will be the hardest to capture?
The hardest rule is simplicity because there are so many distractions throughout the school from posters on the wall to people walking in the way of the picture.
7. What rule are you still not totally clear on and what can you do to figure out what that rule is?
I am kind of confused about avoiding mergers because I understand it, but I still don't completely know how to avoid i and recognize it when I take the picture. Although I am able to recognize it after I see the image on my computer screen.

Critique:
http://rebeccasphotojournalismblog.blogspot.com

I really likes the natural expression she captured of the boy in the theatre classroom and how she always zones into the subject so that the subject is clear and at the center of attention.

I think that if Rebecca used rule of thirds in one of her balance images it could have added a different affect which could have been interesting and contributed variety to her photos.

Academic Shoot

1. I tried to follow the rule of lines in this image as well as rule of thirds. I think i was able to successfully capture both because there are many lines in the window as well as the with the walls surrounding the girl. Rule of thirds is fulfilled because the girl is off center in more of the first third of the image vertically.

2. The subject is the girl who is drawing on the canvas board with the pen in her hand, listening to music.

3. Yes the subject is clear, because the girl is the main focus of the image and is in the foreground.

4. I think the subject is clear.

1. I tried to follow the rule of thirds mainly, as well as lines because of the solid black and vibrant red columns. The girl is in the far third of the image so the rule was complete and the lines were create by the columns, vertically and horizontal lines were created by the lights on the ceiling.

2. The subject is the girl in the grey shirt who is drawing in the background of the image.

3. I believe that the subject is clear, but since she is in the background it may be hard to realize this.

4.To make the subject more clear I could have taken the image from a different angle to that the girl was in the foreground, not the background.

1. I attempted to follow the rule of thirds in the image because the girl in first vertical third of the image.

2. The subject of the image in the girl sitting in the chair, erasing part of her drawing.

3. The subject is very clear because she is in the foreground and takes up most of the space in the image.

4. The subject could be placed a little bit farther because there isn't a distraction in the frame that would change the subject of the photo.

Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO- What Are They?

Aperture

F 2.8

F 16

1. We should closely relate photography to the human eye. The aperture would be like the pupil of an eye because size of the pupil determines the amount of light can enter the retina, similar to how the camera sensor works. A large pupil is equivalent to a large aperture and a small pupil is equivalent to a small aperture.

2. The smaller the aperture the smaller the pupil, the larger the aperture the larger the pupil. 

3. The aperture impacts the depth of field by controlling the area in focus. The larger the aperture the smaller the area in focus. The smaller the aperture the larger the area in focus.

Shutter Speed

Slow Shutter Speed

Fast Shutter Speed

Day Time:

a.) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree- low shutter speed

b.) a food booth outside under one of the big red awnings-low shutter speed

c.) the Stars performance inside the gym- high shutter speed

d.) students dancing near the center of the courtyard- high shutter speed

e.) people streaming in from the front doors- low shutter speed

f.) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop- high shutter speed

Nighttime: 

a.) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree- low shutter speed

b.) a food booth outside under one of the big red awnings- low shutter speed

c.) the Stars performance inside the gym- high shutter speed

d.) students dancing near the center of the courtyard- low shutter speed

e.) people streaming in from the front doors- low shutter speed

f.) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop- high shutter speed 

2. 

Aperture Priority Mode: This is when the photographer has to set the lens aperture and the camera will set the shutter speed automatically.

Shutter Priority Mode: This is when the photographer has to set the shutter speed and the camera will set the aperture automatically.

Manual Priority Mode: This is when the photographer has to set the aperture and shutter speed by themselves, by hand.

ISO

1.Shooting at a higher ISO during sporting events allow the subject to be captured in time, frozen, instead of blurry.

2. Try to sick with the lowest ISO possible, but definitely use it whenever there is a lot of light and certain dim environments.

3. If there isn't enough time for the camera to take a picture quickly, then increase the ISO. 

Aperture Settings: 2.8, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5.6, 6.7, 8, 9.5, 11, 13, 16, 19, 22

Shutter Speed Settings: 1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1.6, 1/8, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/30, 1/45, 1/60, 1/90, 1/125, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000. 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000

ISO Settings: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600

Unusual and Interesting Photos Part 3

1.
a) A photographer should always look for a connection between them and the subject, like a smile.
b) A photographer should be on the lookout for quite moments, too.
c) Being able to capture a story telling expression.

2.

3. 

4. Yes this photographer did follow all the suggestions because they took a photo of a reflection, a photo of themselves, a photo of perspective, and a photo of a hand.

5.  The style of painting that influenced me the most is taking pictures of simple, quiet, and subtle things that grabs people's attention.

Unusual and Interesting Photos Part 1

1. What is your reaction to his work?
I think his work is so unique, beautiful, and really amazing. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. His work is very intriguing because it makes you wonder how he made it look the way it does. I do although think it is a little hard to look at because it makes me a little dizzy if I look at the image for too long. 

2. I believe he created this effect by taking multiple images, possibly from different angles and combining them in a way that created this effect. That technique created a surreal and wobbly masterpiece. 

3. Good buildings to use Christian Ruhm's technique on would be the capital building in Austin, Texas or the Austonian. They are both buildings that are accessible to the public and someone would just have to travel to downtown Austin, Texas to take the photos.