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While there may not actually be much that I haven't already articulated in my second assignment, I will do my best to address the guide questions outlined in the instructions. We have now reached, if I’m counting correctly, Week 5 or 6 of the term, the halfway point through the semester!
In the time between assignment 1 and 2, I got a new phone, and therefore a new camera! I am now a proud owner of a Samsung A55! The camera quality is AMAZINGLY detailed. It's frankly very shocking. Unfortunately, I havent been able to formally practice my photography like I hoped to. I still do take photos but they may not be that noteworthy to show, save for the following:
These were all taken on my phone! I could only dream of such quality on my old one!! Some context for the photographs: I was attending an indie artist's concert held at the Bahrain Cultural Hall. The lightwork was pretty spctacular throughout the show!
Arguably the most exciting feature of my new phone’s photography capabilities are the expanded options available in the photo edit settings. Like it’s actually crazy expanded. I typically do not edit my photos but I sure am open to it now. As I briefly mentioned in my post on the storytelling discussion forum, while transferring some photographs from my digital camera, I decided to test out the editing features. I realized that I could ‘save’ (re: refine) the darker photos to have more of an enhanced clarity. Cranking up the brightness, in addition to other settings, brought back a LOT of missing detail. So I went DEEP into my gallery and did the same process. Here are some comparisons:
Yeah... I'm still trying my best at getting the hang of editing as to not make the resulting photography overly textured or full of noise. I'm new to this! Cut me some slack! I also do habe to point out that the quality doesn't always translate well across different platforms (i.e from phone to laptop). I have also yet to try my hand at the editing software prof had suggested in the course site, but I'll get to it when I get to it (baby steps).
And granted, I am aware that this editing oversight stemmed from my own reluctance to even experiment or explore editing techniques for my photos. At the very least, I am now aware of its potential and am interested in seeing how else to improve in this specific aspect.
As I mentioned in my self-introduction, I didn't have much expectations for this course under the premise of wanting to be a “blank slate” and to learn as much as I could. I still believe that this was a good approach to take, and those no-expectation expectations were met sufficiently. While I would’ve liked to have joined the planned face-to-face sessions, my status as an offshore student essentially squashed any possibility of that happening. A bit of a shame, but it can’t be helped. My inability to participate in certain activities is a natural consequence of UPOU’s hybrid learning format. Aside from looking through my classmates' posts - which, believe me, is one of my favourite past-time activities - and the modules, my opportunities for further practice are somewhat limited unless I pursue it independently, as I have mentioned in previous reflections.
Without going into too much detail because an assignment is not the appropriate platform for such, I have been in a slump. Creatively and academically speaking. These things come and go. I’m not about to make this paragraph something straight out of my personal diary (even if this ePortfolio features pictures of said journal), but I believe that this slump holds me back more than I'd like to admit. I am, however, grateful for the online synchronous sessions. In those, I take a passive listener role, but I really appreciate the opportunity for actual interaction rather than resigning myself to the monotonous routine of self-learning. I also appreciate the timings being later in the evening in Philippine time, because, in my time zone, the sessions are placed sometime in the afternoon! Basically, it’s quite convenient for me. I hope to join more synchronous sessions because genuinely I do learn a lot and enjoy hearing both the professor and my classmates inputs on various topics.
[I also opted out of the game photography activity because I am more of an idle mobile player. There aren’t much artsy photography subjects I can take pictures of in games like Good Coffee, Great Coffee or Mystic Messenger.]
ANYWAYS, my outlook remains consistent with what I have previously stated. I am determined. I also feel nervous and excited about the coming assignments and modules. I won’t allow myself to stay in thie creative slump any longer than I need to be. April will be a busy month, but I intend to prioritize my photography projects to the best of my abilities. While I have received insights from friends who have previously taken this course that offer some guidance on what to expect, I won’t be cocky because of that! Though, managing my expectations does add onto my fluctuating motivations.
There’s still a lot to be done!
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