Thursday, January 22, 2015

Period 3 - Semester Final

1. My favorite photo is the ninth one of the silhouettes of a deer and its bird companion.

  • This photo has a simple theme that focuses solely on shape of the animals rather than their color.
  • Unlike the other photos in the slideshow, this photo captures a more natural aspect of the world separate from humanity.
  • Even though it lacks significant detail, the foliage above and behind the two creatures adds a sense of depth.
2. The second photo is the best one because:

  • it portrays a strong mix of emotions with the woman and her children
  • it creates a feeling of unresolved apprehension and worry
  • the direction the woman is facing opposes the direction of the people in the background
3. My best work is the fourth picture of this post and in general the entire Masters of Photography project.
  • This project allowed me to examine Robert Capa's photography and learn from what he saw in his life.
  • This photo in particular was taken spontaneously with no set up which is what Capa's war photos captured
  • It also flows from the right which has more clutter to the left which is more open, aiding the sense of direction
Given more time, I would focus more on the digital editing after the photo is taken in order to bring it more in line with the limits of Capa's work.

4. My three rules of composition are:
  1. Rule of thirds
  2. Lean into the frame
  3. Balance
5. 
A Hawaiian cat demonstrating the rule of thirds and balance
The cat occupies approximately two-thirds if the frame with its face centered. The light reflects off of its fur, creating a balance of light and space with darkness of the forest behind it.

6. Your first rule of composition is to "get closer." 

7. The benefits of working in groups are:
  1. A large number of opinions creates new perspectives
  2. More people means more subjects for photos
  3. They challenge you to succeed through encouragement
  4. Working together can solve complex problems easier than one person
  5. Work can be divided among group members
8. The difficulties of working in groups are:
  1. Differing opinions can make collaborating impossible
  2. People won't feel compelled to contribute if everyone else does the work for them
  3. Decisions take a longer time to make
  4. People may not offer their opinion if they feel like it will hurt the group
  5. More people leads to more conflict which hurts everyone
9. My favorite work is a portrait done by Cara of Haroon which is here.
10. Our master photographer was Robert Capa, best known for his war photography. His most significant photos were those of the invasion of Normandy which are the sole photographs of that time.

11. Dorothea Lange's most popular photo is the one titled "Migrant Mother". It was taken early in the year of 1936 in Nipomo, California. She was working for the Farm Security Agency at the time.

12. LIFE magazine was originally founded by John Mitchell and Andrew Miller on January 4, 1883. Later, Henry Luce bought the magazine and transformed into a photojournalism magazine that began publishing in 1936.

13. Robert Capa was one of the foudners of Magnum Photos which began in 1947.

14. Robert Capa's "Falling Soldier" photo was taken on September 5, 1936 during the Spanish Civil War in Cerro Muriano although there is some doubt about its authenticity.