Why London?

I wanted to participate in this program for several reasons. Firstly, I've never visited Europe before, and I felt this program would give me the chance to explore a different culture and learn about London's interesting and immensely unique history. Photography was the perfect medium for me to display my progress in exploring London, England, and even a little bit of mainland Europe. I've been interested in photography for years, but during the academic year, I had very little time to devote to the hobby, so I was quite excited at the opportunity to dedicate a significant chunk of time to taking pictures during this project. While I knew relatively little about London before this project, one thing I had heard was that its architecture was a mishmash of many different styles all coming together in a unique way, which intrigued me and caused me to explore more deeply. Looking back on this project, I can proudly say that I've accomplished my learning goals. Whereas before this project, I couldn't even list three different architectural styles on display in London, I can now look at a building and confidently categorize the style in which is was built. More importantly, I can justify this categorization by pointing to specific details typical of each time period. Additionally, I'm proud of the size and quality of my photography portfolio. While it's a somewhat subjective measure, I believe the quality of my photographs has improved immensely thanks to this project. I feel more confident now in my ability to select framing, exposure, color, saturation, lightness, detail, and even more aspects of a photograph to effectively display the subject.

Learning Goals

• Gain a better understanding of architectural features from different eras in London's history
• Explain different periods in London's architecture, citing examples from specific images to demonstrate points
• Create a portfolio of 50+ curated, edited images that I'm proud of
• Improve ability to edit photographs to correct or modify contrast, exposure, and color (demonstrated on Before/After page)