Final

Artist's Statement

             I've been playing around with photography for about two years, but I've always had an interest. Two summers ago, we visited my family in New Jersey, and my Aunt gave me her camera. That sparked this awareness of another form of art that I’d not yet focused on.

            One of the things I dislike about photography at school, and learning it elsewhere, are when we’re told to plan out our ideas. For me, and I assume others as well, photography is a random encounter with a great idea. I find myself walking somewhere and just see something completely different to everything else and think “Wow, I wish I had my camera. That would be a great photo.” Most of my photographs are entirely unplanned and out of the blue. As much as I’d like to say I try to plan them out, I really don’t. I find something that I think looks visually pleasing, and line up the photo to the best of my abilities at that point in time. More often them not, I’m in the right place at the right time with the right equipment.

            One of my favorite things about photography is that you can capture details passed by people every day, without them knowing. That’s why macro settings and a shallow depth of field are my best friends. I love how you can make details clear, while alluding to what the object you've found is. The colors that turn out in these photos always appeal to me, too. The camera blends the background colors with the lighting, and I think it always turns out great, wherever you are. This is also the reason I prefer to photograph natural settings, because there are no colors out of place that shouldn't be there.

            I don’t really have any goals as a photographer right now. I plan to do something with art as a career, I just need to do more research before I narrow down my choices. Photography is something I’m interested in, though, and I’d like to research more career options that may be the best for me. 

My Artist's Statement

          I first got involved in photography this past summer when my Aunt gave my other Aunt a replacement camera. Before that, I've never really had adequate opportunities to take photos. She let me borrow it and I was off taking photos of plants, trees, and the light that ran through them. I loved the macro settings and how you could make something so small appear large and entirely different than it really is.

          Looking through a camera lets me get a better view of something. I've always had this idea that the human eye sees things better and more detailed, but we really don’t. When I look through a lens, I see the world up-close and personal. There are textures and objects I normally wouldn't have noticed.

          I enjoy showing those around me who don’t care what they see, what they’re missing out on. I tend to photograph plants because there are so many details and colors that people miss out on with a quick glance. People see the big picture, but without macro shots they don’t see the tiny aspects of that picture.

          I love to use a shallow depth of field and odd angles because they let you see those small parts, along with the other ones. I've once told my friends and family, “Strange angles are the best!” because they truly are; you can’t capture what you’re trying to get head on, because it looks the same as anyone else who would attempt to get it. Odd angles show a different perspective and side of the story. A shallow depth of field allows you to capture the essence of the background without letting you focus on it for too long.

          The thing I love the most about taking photos is what other people get out of it. Some people get exactly what I was shooting at, and others see it differently. Besides my odd angles and subject matter, that’s the most important. It’s not what I’m trying to show people, but what they see that matters.

Final Exam Photos

Here Comes the Rain

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: Elizabeth's Front Yard

Weather: Rain

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

Reach

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: Elizabeth's Front Yard

Weather: Rain

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

Daydream

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: My Backyard

Weather: Cloudy

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

Patriotism

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: My Backyard

Weather: Sunny

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

Moving On

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: My Backyard

Weather: Sunny

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

A Whole New World

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: My Backyard

Weather: Sunny

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

Atypical Blooms

Camera: Fujfilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: My Front Yard

Weather: Sunny

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

Popping Up

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: My Backyard

Weather: Sunny

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

Little One

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: My Front yard

Weather: Sunny

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed

Microscopic

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix s2940wm

Location: My Backyard

Weather: Sunny

Editing Software: Gimp and Microsoft Office Photo Manager

Edits: Black and White, Contrast, Compressed