History Brush

To do this go to adjustments, turn down the hue adjustment, add a new layer, and then use the history brush tool to color in the sections you want to be colorful again. I chose this picture to focus on color because the background was all brown and gross. I didn't think it would matter anyway and bringing out the green in the leaves makes it more interesting because it makes these three leaves the main subject.

Overall, I think this photo turned out pretty well and wasn't very difficult because the steps to complete it were pretty simple. I definitely like it a lot better than the original picture because it has a subject. One thing I would change though is the space in between the biggest leaf. I just noticed there is a little yellow spot that stands out a bit if you zoom in. It isn't too noticable though.

Composite

The assignment was to combine two different photos. The top half with the blue ski and fluffy

clouds is a picture I took in Florida. The bottom half is a sunset over Lake Michigan. To combine the two subjects, I blended them together by using the blending modes and opacity tool. Then, I clicked on layer one and added a layer mask. Unfortunately, my photos were not very easy to blend so after making a slight change with the layer mask, I started using the feathered eraser tool to make the clouds on top stand out more.

This is one of my favorite pictures so far this semester. The only thing that made me frustrated was the layer mask because it didn't help as much as I was hoping but the eraser tool was very simple. I like how the clouds stand out though and how it all blends together. If I could change one thing, it would to make the bottom half a little lighter so it looked more like one scene.

Pop Art Portrait

This project is, in my opinion, the biggest assignment we have had all semester. Our job was to create a photo that reflects Pop Art. To do this we each chose a photo from the portrait assignment, deleted the background, desaturated the image and posterized it. For my picture, the hardest part was making sure the outline of her hair stayed the same because if I messed up even a little bit, it would look unnatural. Then, we were told to chose a color scheme and change each color in the photo with the Paint Brush and feathering tool. We repeated this step three more times and then put all four photos (each with different color schemes) on one paper.

I found this assignment to be the hardest one so far because there was so much to keep track of. I don’t have the steadiest hand so it was hard to make everything perfect and it also took me a while to learn how to use the new tools. On the plus side though, I think the final image turned out pretty well. I like the colors I chose for each picture because they’re all pretty bright and make Shannon’s t-shirt stand out in each photo. I also like the detail of her hair especially with the orange and green.

Natural Lighting

For this picture, there were no reflectors being used because we were fortunate enough to have a nice sunny day. Originally, the photo was big enough to show her legs but I cropped it to this size because I wanted to focus on her face and how happy she was in the sun. I also enhanced the color in her hair by making the copper background and the shadows around her face a bit darker with the burn tool. This is a common theme in most of the portrait photos I took. By making the shadows darker, it also help show off her smile.

This picture turned out to be my favorite because it's so colorful. I also like the background because it's so different from everything else and the green streaks are a good color with her red hair. The one thing I don't like about this is the red splotch on the wall next to her left shoulder. It's a distraction from her face and hair. If I could edit and reprint it, I would definitely make it darker by using the burn tool and possibly the clone stamp. Other than that, everything went pretty well.

Natural Lighting Portrait

For this photo, I chose to use a back lighting to make Lauren's hair stand out. First, I turned the lights off in the photography room. The hand-held light was then covered with a sheet of white paper and placed behind her, angled towards her head. I did not use a reflector because I wanted to make sure her hair was the main focus instead of her face. The tripod also help make this picture turn out by stabilizing the camera so that it could focus on Lauren in the dark light.
I would say this picture turned out pretty well because my main goal (to make her hair stand out) was acheived through this proecess. Another strength in this picture is the detail of her hair. Not only was the color brightened, but single strands stood out and made it more interesting. The only problem I had was keeping the light bulb and the paper covering the bulb out of the picture. In the end, I had to edit a bit of the paper out of the picture because it was so distracting. If I could change one thing in this picture, I would have used a different angle because the one I used makes me a little dizzy. I think it may just be me though... Anyway, overall this project was a lot of fun to put together. I like working with light even though it's a challenge to make everything perfect.

Day in the Life of Bubbles

For this assignment I tried to follow my cat around for an entire day and used a number of different angles to make the shots more interesting. Several of the photos were of flowers because he’s so obsessed with them. This is why I chose to post a picture of a sunflower. Another reason I chose it was because I love the colors. Blue and yellow work really well with each other and makes the picture come to life (even though the flowers are fake). The most difficult thing about it was getting him to go different places…He was more amused by the camera than anything else around the house so I had to lead him around a bit. If I could change one thing about it, however, I would reposition one of the flowers on the left because the petals are not showing. In other words, the brighter the picture, the better. I also think this would make it more balanced.

For this photo I changed the ISO to 200 to make it feel more energetic. The first thing I did while editing was increase the saturation to make the picture stand out more. Next, I brightened it to make the room seem more open and to give the vase a glassy texture to it. Contrast was another tool I used to do this. In addition I used the magnetic lasso tool to edit the brown chair on the right. Initially, it was a distraction because it was so red. I solved this problem though by decreasing its saturation and vibrancy.

Artistic Statement

I have always been interested in various forms of art. Music, plays, and movies have always fascinated me. While I was growing up, I took a number of art classes such as ceramics, painting, and drawing. In fifth grade, I joined the school band and later on tried taking up guitar. The Gutherie is basically my second home in the summer and I watch movies with my friends all the time. Photography, however, has always been my main focus. This summer I took a couple classes at the Art Center with photographer Stephen Haynes. Unfortunately I missed the introduction session so I didn’t pick up as much information as I was hoping but it was still an eye opening experience.
I take pictures because I like letting people see things through my eyes and making random things look amazing. I also love how everything freezes in time…It makes life more interesting (especially Candids). Whenever I have my camera with me, I am constantly think about how to take good pictures. The people that inspire me the most are random photographers I have met such as Mike Krieter (my friend’s dad) and Andrew Vick (the guy who took my senior pictures). They inspire me not only because their pictures are jaw-dropping but because I’ve always wanted to have my own photography business (we’ll see if it ever happens). So far, I’ve taken thousands of pictures. I just need to learn how to edit them. I have Photoshop, which I use frequently, but I’m not sure if I’m using it properly. This semester my goals are to learn how to use Photoshop, get to know my camera, and become a better photographer by using different angles and being unique.