DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY 1:

Haley C.

his portfolio represents my work in Digital Photography 1 from fall of my freshman year. In this class, we learned many different techniques for taking pictures and editing pictures. Enjoy!

THE MOON

This photo also came from my Massachusetts trip. To get this picture, I was on my balcony and I had an extreme zoom lens. Even though I had to zoom in all the way, I would consider this photo a mid-range one.

ALL SMILES

For this photoshoot, we practiced selective focus. Somehow, I was able to get this darker background by being closer to Judah and capture just her face. By doing this, the background isn't necessarily blurry, but it draws the viewer's eye straight to her face.

EVERGLADES

For this assignment, we had to practice sub-framing. I wanted to get a straight-on shot of Caroline with no angle. I placed her in front of this door but she was pretty far away from it. By putting her here, I wanted to frame her with the door so to the viewer, it looks like she is walking towards it. I like the contrast between her hair and the woods in front of her.

FOURTH OF JULY

This was a special trip I could take near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. My assignment was to take images through E.M.A.C.E. For this shot, I was at the bottom of the tower backed up so the angle wasn't as dramatic, so I could get a good mid-range photo. I wanted to create a type of dark, gloomy, feeling because of the darker clouds and flag at half-mast.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

This is another image from the Massachusetts trip. To get this image, I had to kneel down to get low, because even though this grass looks long, it wasn't. So, by getting low, it creates an angle that makes the subject appear larger and more powerful.

ORANGE

In this assignment, we were doing the one-light challenge. Here, I placed the light on one side of Caroline's face to outline specific features. For example, the light brightens up her hair and creates a cool effect.

COTTAGE

While in Massachusetts, I came across this gorgeous house on the water. Even though the view may have been nicer than the house, I thought the landscaping and house created a bright and rich mood.

THE SPOTLIGHT

This photo was from our Scavenger Hunt assignment. Here, we had to create a shot where we had to apply the rule of thirds while expressing a mood or emotion. To do this, I positioned myself on the floor to get a worm's eye shot of Caroline.

SILVER MOUNTAINS

This is my favorite image from our silverware shoot. For this assignment, all of our photos had to be in black and white and include silverware. So, I set up all of my utensils next to one another and when I went to the side, there was this mountain-looking shape and I loved how each of the curves are slightly different. To take this shot, I placed my camera on the windowsill where the utensils were set up.

SALT

In Cape Cod, I was walking along this hill and noticed this view. That day, the sky was dark and gloomy. However, the water was filled with bright green and blue. I thought that together, the whole image created a salty mood.

SPRING

For these three images, we practiced adding presets to images in Lightroom. For this image, I loved how I was able to find things like wildlife completing their daily tasks. Here, I was able to capture a bee pollinating.

SUN AND SMILES

This is my best friend Sophie. For this image, I tried to capture this using the rule of thirds so that the background was the trees. I liked how I was able to get such sharp focus on her so that you could see every hair.

PORTRAIT

I enjoyed editing this picture. I liked how Caroline's eyes popped more in the sun and the texture on the fence and the brick really contrasted with the outline of her body, making her stand out more to the viewer. While editing, I tried to make it simple and realistic while also making the picture have better quality in general.

WILSON 2

For this assignment, we practiced selective focus. I loved how this image shows that. If you look at the pavement, you can clearly see the slim plane of focus that lands on the tennis ball. To get this shot, I placed my camera on the ground and did autofocus.

METAL

For this assignment, we were tasked to take pictures and make them abstract. Can you tell what this is? I think the materials in this picture make it more realistic and the way that there are layers in the picture creates more depth. The darkness in the image adds more mystery to it and makes the brighter-colored metal pop out more.

GHOST OF THE GREEN MILE

In this photoshoot, we experimented with our shutter speed. To do this, we set up a tripod so that the background would stay in focus. The person in the shot would then stay still for a second or two and then move. By doing this, it made the person transparent and see-through.

EARTH

This was one of my favorite projects. Although it was short, I had so much fun being creative with light-writing. We did this by changing our shutter speed in the darkness and writing using a flashlight. Tip: we found that our phone flashlights produce more full and bright light than the flashlights.

WEBS

While we were using presets in Lightroom, I decided to edit the images that I took after a rainy day. The spider webs popped out to me on the bush after it rained because it was glistening in the sun. The detail and texture throughout the image make you want to look around, and there is no particular place to look.

SUNNY AND WARM

For this image, I loved how the sunrise was coming over and through the trees, creating a glow. My intention was to create a bokeh effect to make the mood of the image more warm. The sharp focus on the plant with the highlights on sunlight I think really make the plant stand out.

DARKNESS

For this assignment, we learned how to make deconstructed portraits. I had a lot of fun editing this image and I learned a lot of new techniques in Photoshop. It was pretty simple to make too. I like the contrast between me and how the background is just darkness.

During this course, I have learned so much. Not only have I learned to take photos using many different techniques, but I have also learned to look for those techniques outside the viewfinder of a camera. Now, I see good pictures everywhere and I see how photogenic our world is. My favorite part of the course is being able to go outside of the classroom every day and physically walk around. I like that I'm able to explore and use my creative eye for an entire block! One thing that I would tell the viewer of this portfolio is that all of these pictures were not hard to create at all, and that once you learn how to correctly apply different compositions, settings, and good edits, you can create anything.

Report abuse