Thanksgiving Extraveganza!

I went down to Arizona for Thanksgiving, and my nana (grandma in Spanish) is a great cook. Here are some shots of our amazing Thanksgiving dinner.

It was very...very good!

Mini Final - Six Favorite Pictures

For our Fall Term Photo Mini Final, we were asked to pik our favortie six pictures from the term, and write something about each image, and why we like it. The six I've chosen vary from Assignment #1, to extra shots in South Carolina, to a few from our latest assignment, Assignment #5, which was definitely my strongest assignment.

Here are my six favorites from the term:

Leaf

This was one of the first shots that I took this term, and was probably my all time favorite. When I took this shot, the leaf was one of the few leaves left on the tree, as it was getting cold outside. It tells a story in the fact that it has survived from spring to fall, and that it has holes from where caterpillars have chewed through it. I love how this single leaf is magnified and how the light and shadows bounce off of it, and I'd love to frame this in my room.

Ghost Hand

I took this shot of my sister's hand during the Halloween Extra Credit Assignment. I used a tripod and a really slow shutter speed, and I had her move her hand out of the way after a little bit. I love how there is a grave in the background, and how the hand is transparent so it looks like a ghost like zombie is rising from his or her grave. I love the mood and story this shot tells, and it has definitely been one of my favorite shots so far.

South Carolina Grove

In early October, my dad, my brother, and I went to go see U2 in South Carolina. I had shot Assignment #3 there, and had taken some other photos while I was out there. I found this grove of trees near our cottage on the golf course where we were staying. I love how the light and shadows are all going down hill, and I love the contrast from lights and darks. An awesome shot in my eyes, and it is one of my all time favorites, right next to Leaf.

Birdhouse

I took this shot from the last assignment, "Get on Your Belly", and I loved the contrast from whites on the right to blacks on the left. I am not sure why, but I am really fond of this shot, and I just love the way it looks. It feels right to me, even though I can't put my tongue on what I like about it.

Stick

This shot was also taken in assignment 5. My favorite part about this shot is the focus, and how it is so sharp up on the stick, and everything else is blurred in the background. This combined with the angle and the overall setting make for a shot that I really enjoy.

Dead Trees

Again, I took this shot in assignment five. The reason I like it so much is the mood that is given when you star into the dead forest. It gives me a chill, and I love the depth of all the dead trees, and the mostly gray and neutral coloring to it gives it more of a mysterious and eerie feel to it.

These are my six favorite shots from this term. I have definitely developed as a photographer this term, and now I know what I want in the frame before I take a shot. I am excited for the last stretch of digital photography in winter term, and I can't wait to photograph some snow!

Artist Study - Joe Rosenthal

Joe Rosenthall was a famous American photographer during World War II. He was born on October 9th, 1911, and shot photos for the AP during World War II. He passed away on August 20th, 2006. Mr. Slade was lucky enough to meet him and get his autograph.

On Friday, February 13th, 1945, Joe Rosenthall took his famous photograph of four Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. Joe had one chance to shoo the Marines raising the flag, and he was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Many say that this photograph was staged, only because it is so perfect. Joe took one of the most famous photographs of war, and a statue has been made out of it in the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.

Assignment #5 - Get on Your Belly!

For this assignment, we were asked to shoot on our backs, or on our bellies. The purpose of this was to magnify things that usually seem small or insignificant. According to Mr. Slade, in the "photo biz", this type of shooting and angle is called the "Hero Angle", and it makes things look literally larger than life.

I had a fun time shooting this assignment, and I think I got a very good turn out. I wasn't very satisfied with my prints however, because Eddie seemed to be printing dark. For the next assignment I will try and shoot looking for more contrast, and make sure my prints have plenty of white areas and contrast.

This week is re-shooting week, so there will probably be a huge blog update by next week, and I will definitely be using this type of angle again. Here are the highlights from the assignment.

South Carolina Exports

Well, for practice, Mr. Slade asked us to do 3 before and after shots. Mainly, this was for exporting practice, as well as focussing on the "workfront" and what order and how we should be editing our photos. Here are a few, after images are on the top.

South Carolina Trees

South Carolina Grove

Sandy Mountain Range