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Applying what I've learned so far...
Applying what I've learned so far...
The second this course kicked off, I was like a child with a brand-new toy, diving right into the Pro camera on my Samsung S24 Ultra, trying to get the hang of all its features. I can still see myself on that first day of class, sitting there with my phone, taking random snapshots and playing with the settings to figure out what they’d do. It was all so new and a little overwhelming! I’m still at that point where choosing the right settings feels like a bit of a shot in the dark, mostly going with my gut on what seems to work. And honestly, having a husband who’s all about his iPhone isn’t helping my confidence. He’s always snapping shots that somehow look better than mine, even though my camera has better specs, and I can’t figure out why! Still, I’ve done my best to use the ideas we’ve talked about in class, even though I’m totally new to this and still learning the ropes. These shots are my first real attempt at capturing the five themes: Height, Pattern, Night, Flower, and Motion and I’m a bit nervous about how they turned out. I hope I managed to do the brief justice! I used my Samsung S24 Ultra for all the images, and I’ll walk you through my process, settings, and the concepts I tried to apply. I also did some minor post-processing on each photo using the in-built photo editor on my phone to adjust light balance, highlights, sharpness, and definition. Let’s get into each photo!
"The Towering Dubai Frame"
"The Towering Dubai Frame"
Why I Used These Settings:
I took this picture in bright daylight, so I set the ISO to 50, perfect for the sunny weather. It kept the image sharp with hardly any grain, just like we talked about in class for handling exposure in bright settings. I went with the Wide (Pro) camera mode, which has an F1.7 aperture that let me capture the whole Dubai Frame clearly, even if the depth of field was a bit shallow. The super fast shutter speed, 1/1667s, meant no blur at all, especially since I was just holding the phone without a tripod. The 23mm wide-angle lens beautifully framed the entire Dubai Frame, effortlessly taking in the palm trees and endless sky, creating a sweeping, majestic vibe.
Description and Reasoning:
I snapped this picture in Za’abeel, Dubai, UAE, gazing right up at the Dubai Frame from the street to catch its vibrant vibe in full. It nails the "Height" theme since I shot it from ground level, gazing up at this towering 150-meter landmark that totally owns the scene. The golden frame, with its sleek circular patterns, stands massive above the palm trees I included to show just how tall it is. The angle makes it seem like the frame stretches endlessly into the sky, and the bright blue shining through the center gives it a wide, soaring vibe.
I went for this spot because the Dubai Frame is built to show off its crazy height, catching the city’s skyline from way up there. Snapping the pic from down below gives it a strong, in-your-face look, with the frame’s edges guiding your eyes to the sky. The palm trees lead your gaze higher, making the whole thing feel massive. I messed with the photo a bit after, bumping up the light and sharpness so the golden frame and bright palms really stand out against the sky, hammering home how huge and striking the Dubai Frame is.
Why I Used These Settings:
I snapped this picture indoors where the light was pretty low, so I cranked the ISO to 800 to get enough brightness without having to use a tripod. I tried my hardest to keep the phone steady to avoid any graininess. The F1.7 aperture let in more light and created a subtle depth-of-field effect, which helped the spiral staircase pop against the background. The shutter speed was 1/30s, a little slow, but I steadied the phone to avoid any blurriness. I also dialed the exposure compensation down to -0.3Ev to stop the bright lights above from getting too washed out.
Description and Reasoning:
I snapped this photo at Loghouse Cafe in Lipa, Batangas, Philippines, zooming in on their spiral staircase to capture the "Pattern" theme. The staircase has these awesome, curving lines and little leaf designs on the railings that create a gentle, flowing feel, almost like a melody, pulling your gaze inward in this really smooth, rhythmic way. I went with this subject because the warm lighting and detailed craftsmanship made the pattern really pop in a beautiful way. I wanted to show off the winding spiral pattern. When I was editing, I tweaked the light balance and bumped up the sharpness a bit to highlight the wood’s texture and make the lights glow even more, which really brought the pattern to life.
"Spiral Elegance"
"Spiral Elegance"
"Citywalk's Radiant Glow"
"Citywalk's Radiant Glow"
Why I Used These Settings:
For this night shot, I decided to switch to Pro Mode on my phone because I wanted to have more control over the settings. I set the ISO to 100 to keep the noise down since it was pretty dark out. I also used the 13mm ultra-wide option of my camera, which has an F2.2 aperture, so I could fit the whole structure and the area around it in the frame and it really helped show off how big the scene felt! I set a 1/30s shutter speed, which was slow but manageable since I stabilized the phone on a surface to avoid blur. I bumped up the exposure compensation to 1.2Ev because I wanted the scene to look brighter without the lights getting too blown out, and I adjusted the white balance to 6000K to make the artificial lighting look more natural and not so harsh.
Description and Reasoning:
I grabbed this shot at Citywalk in Dubai, right after we finished dinner at one of the restaurants there. We were just walking around, taking in the evening vibes, when I spotted this huge structure glowing with a hexagonal light design. At first, I thought it might work for a pattern shot because of the repeating shapes, but what really drew me in was the massive, colorful display. It was so vibrant and only visible at night, so I knew I had to capture it for my night theme. The dark sky and those bright, colorful lights really made the "Night" theme come to life. I knew I had to capture this spot because the whole vibe felt so magical, like something out of a dream, and it just screamed "night shot." Plus, having the Burj Khalifa peeking out in the background gave it that extra Dubai flair. I made sure to frame the shot so the structure wasn’t right in the middle, giving it a more balanced look with the lights all around it. When I got home, I played around with the photo a bit, tweaked the highlights and definition to make the lights stand out even more while keeping the sky nice and dark.
Why I Used These Settings:
I took this photo inside my house where the light was all soft and cozy. I bumped the ISO to 500 to grab enough light without making the picture look all speckly. The aperture was locked at F1.7 since my phone picks that automatically and it worked great to blur the background, letting the flower steal the show. I set the shutter speed to 1/100s since I was just holding the phone and didn’t want it shaky. The exposure compensation’s also preset, but I nudged it up a smidge to 0.2Ev to make the flower pop a bit brighter without washing out the lighter bits.
Description and Reasoning:
This is a photo of my peace lily (Spathiphyllum), an indoor plant I’ve been taking care of at home. The "Flower" theme really comes through with the peace lily’s big white spathe and the green spadix in the middle. I chose this flower because it just looked so elegant, with those soft colors that feel super calming, you know? I wanted to catch that peaceful vibe. To make the flower pop, I kinda blurred the leaves behind it so your eyes go right to it. The sunlight hit just right, soft and warm, making the flower’s petals look almost fragile. I took the shot, then played around on my phone a bit. Bumped up the brightness, sharpened the edges a touch. Wanted the flower to pop without losing that hazy, mellow vibe in the background.
"Serenity in Bloom"
"Serenity in Bloom"
"Splash in Time"
"Splash in Time"
Why I Used These Settings:
I wanted to snap the water splashing in the moment, so I dialed in a slower shutter speed, like 1/15s, to catch a bit of blur and show the water’s flow. The kitchen was crazy bright, almost like a movie set, so I set the ISO to 50 to keep the shot super clear. The phone’s aperture and exposure were already locked in (Wide shot at F1.7), but I bumped the exposure just a smidge to make those water droplets really pop against all that light.
Description and Reasoning:
I snapped this shot in my kitchen. Catching water splashing out of a glass screams "Motion" to me but it was no easy task. I tossed in an ice cube to make the splash happen and timed it just right to freeze the water droplets mid-air. I had to do it again and again and it was kind of frustrating to be honest. The droplets have this subtle blur, showing they’re moving, but the glass stays crisp, which makes the whole thing pop with contrast. I went with this setup because it’s such a clean, classic way to show action, and my plain kitchen background keeps all the attention on the splash. I nudged the glass a bit off-center for a more balanced feel. In editing, I bumped up the highlights and sharpened things a touch to really make those water droplets shine.
I shot all the photos for this activity with my Samsung S24 Ultra, which gave me a ton of flexibility thanks to its killer camera setup. It let me play around with different ways to compose each shot, so I could line things up just right. I carefully composed each photograph to highlight the unique essence of my subjects, using gentle depth and strong leading lines to draw the viewer's eye. Every image was purposefully created for this collection, with intentional framing to evoke particular feelings or narratives. This series reflects my deliberate artistic perspective, far more than a quick snapshot that I usually do. Although some photos were taken months ago, they align perfectly with the project's goals. To maintain their authentic feel, I kept the editing to minimal and making only slight tweaks to brightness, contrast, sharpness, and texture. My aim was to enhance the visuals delicately, staying true to the images I captured.
The toughest one was the motion shot. Capturing that exact moment when the water splashes by dropping an ice cube. This was definitely a real test of patience. It probably took me 80 or 90 tries to get the timing down, since even a split second could mess it up. It was tricky, but the final shot shows the work I put in.
I’m honestly happy with how the whole set turned out. Each photo feels like its own little creative experiment, and I think they show how much I poured into this.
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