ePortfolio - One Shot Summary

M U L T I M E D I A S T U D I E S 1 7 3

P H O T O G R A P H Y I N M U L T I M E D I A

KNOWING WHERE YOU'RE AT: PART 3 (ONE SHOT SUMMARY)

This assignment requires a critique of the first assignment and a single photo symbolizing the summary of the whole class.

MMS 173 Assignment 4: Knowing Where I'm At (Part 3) / One Shot Summary

Throughout the duration of this class, I was able to know more about the basics and techniques in photography. Admittedly, I was unfortunately not able to use my time as effectively as I had hoped at the very beginning. However, the course was still able to widen my perspective on what goes into capturing a shot. For this assignment, I will be going full circle; providing critique for my pre-173 shots and attempting to summarize how I view the class as a whole in one photo.

Bibimbowl Wannabe: Although I was able to get the right amount of color variety and harmony in this photo, the frame looks ever so slightly cropped out on the side of the utensils.

Feline Pose: I was initially trying to go for emphasis on texture here, but compared to my comment on the first photo, there is a similar problem of over-cropping along the left ear and the toes. The hand and the tank in the background also distracts from the balance in the photo because there's too much on the top and just enough at the bottom.

Flat Screen: I seem to be a heavy fan of overcropping; the bottom of the television is unnecessarily cropped out as well as the edge on the top left. Even though I was initially going for the rule of thirds, it doesn't work quite well, because it can be quite confusing as to whether or not I'm trying to emphasize the main poster graphic, the title, or both. There's also an unnecessary space by the right side, and the plant doesn't do much aside from providing a slight distraction from the main subject.

Camera: Despite the fact that there's ample headspace, the rest of the sides do not have any additional space that helps balance out the frame. It appears that I was trying to isolate the subject but once again, overdid it with bad cropping.

Field Trip: There isn't very good use of focus in this photo and the distracting elements on the right side can still be cropped out. In that case, it can possibly create better balance between the weight on the left side and the right one. The photo is also slightly underexposed which makes what is supposed to be a fun, nostalgic photo slightly more dull than intended.

Beach Frame: I like how the slow shutter speed makes the photo look a little bit like a watercolor painting and the contrast between the dark, dreary background against the pop of color on the shirts is a good use of elements. However, if we apply the rule of space and/or the rule of thirds, the photo could use more space on the right side instead of the left, and leave a little bit more room on the opposing side.

Waves: The first thing I can notice about this photo is the lack of emphasis on a certain subject (other than the subtle part of the small dark wave). The waves add a nice touch to the texture elements, but because of the plain subject-less landscape, it falls flat. The photo is also not leveled properly.

Fireworks: The spacing within the frame is reasonably applied but the contrast between the night sky and the sparks also lacks a bit in emphasis. I would also alot a little bit more space within the frame and apply a slower shutter speed to create a motion blur line effect between the sparks.

Family Reunion: Since the rest of the staircase got cropped out, I would say that there could have been more unity in the photo, had the other elements been retained. There's also more space towards the left compared to the right.

Tagaytay: The unnecessary flash creates an unpleasing light reflection right of the bat. Although the subject is placed in the center, there isn't much symmetry because the poster board is over-cropped, creating too much space on the upper left side. It would've been better to capture the whole board and show what the full text says while also featuring the comedic element of the wacky faces to make a better frame.

One Shot Summary

In summarizing the class as a whole, I decided to choose a photo I took of the Quezon Memorial Shrine in bright colored evening lights. To start off, reading through majority of the forums and browsing through most of the assignments gave off a similar feeling as I had in taking this photo - even though I didn't have the skills to present my work at a highly professional level, it was encouraging to be able to see a lot of photo sets and insight that was able to shed some vivid lights on what I perceived as ideal photography. Granted, the whole picture was not exactly perfect, much like how I ended up with a slightly leaning tower in the photo (which I attempted to level out but ended up skewing the bottom line), but it was a great view, nonetheless.

I had initially noticed as well that although there were a lot of well-executed photos, it was a little less common to see absolute stand-outs with professional-looking work from the bunch. In comparison to this, the only really remarkable thing about the photo I chose is the monument. Despite that, it still helps to have some emphasis on what to aspire towards, considering that learning is part of the experience, especially for those who are still trying to navigate that learning curve (myself included).

After going back through majority of the final projects in particular, I was amazed with some of the sites I had come across, most especially the toy-themed portfolio by JB Burayag. It was unlike majority of the portfolios I had seen and I was overwhelmed with the project's well-planned artistry. Aside from that remarkable portfolio, I also saw some stunning visual work captured by Maria Cabingao and Joel Manansala, along with others like Erwin Tunada and Peter Yango with a simpler but still aesthetically pleasing collection.

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