Photography 1 

Final Portfolio Review 

I had a very enjoyable semester in photography. I learned a lot about how to take and edit interesting and meaningful photos. Overall I feel that I was very successful in this class. The hardest thing for me was navigating photoshop. This was hard for me and quite frustrating at times. I ended up overcoming my difficulties and making some pretty cool images. Looking back on it, I do feel that I have gained a lot from my struggles. My favorite project this year was the portrait project. I enjoyed using my sister as a model, and I ended up getting some pretty cool shots of her.  My least favorite project this year was the photo montage. This was my least favorite because I had a really hard time getting photoshop to cooperate and wasn't able to finish. I had a few more touch-ups to do but it wouldn't let me work anymore on it.  I tried everything, including saving and going back in, but it didn't help. 

My understanding of photography has grown so much from taking this class. Now when I see other photographer's photos I have more of an insight and appreciation for them. When I see a photo I tend to notice things like, "oh look, he used the rule of thirds in that" We watched a senior project where this guy took photos of toys and transformed them in photoshop into super cool action scenes. If I hadn't taken this class I wouldn't have had nearly as much appreciation for his work.  I was struck by how much time he must have put in on photoshop to create such amazing pieces. 

In the future, I want to continue to use what I've learned from this class, and grow upon what I have learned. I want to learn how to use a more complex digital camera, and learn how to use a film camera.  I plan on taking photography 2 next year in order to pursue this. I also hope that I can take my photography skills with me past high school, and maybe even incorporate them in my future career.