Proportion Shot

Katelynn the Giant

Food Coma Adventures

Baraka

When Currier told us that we'd be watching a movie, I was a little uncertain on how interesting it would be. The words "no dialogue" and "I find it interesting" that came from Currier didn't really sit too well with me. However, I really liked the movie. Not only were the various scenes beautiful, but it was a great way to start off my days. I did, however, find it difficult to not be lulled to sleep by the relaxing music. I really wanted to keep my eyes open to be able to see all of the beautiful scenes, but it got really difficult to do so with the calming music in the background.

For the parts I did get to keep my eyes open for, I had mixed feelings about them. My favorite part was that group of guys singing and dancing with their hands. It was really cool, and it really woke me up. My least favorite part was the creepy guy with the white face. Paired with the eerie music, that scene had me wishing that I had kept my eyes closed for that part. I'm going to have a nightmare about him some time in the near future. Other than that, nothing else really stood out to me like these two parts did. Everything else was just as beautiful and interesting and all, but those two scenes really captured my attention.

Overall, everything about this silent film was amazingly beautiful. I never knew that I could enjoy a movie without words. I'm glad that I got the chance to see the many things that happen around the world. And maybe next time when Currier says that he finds something interesting, I'll think on it with curiosity rather than uncertainty!

Shadow Shot

Stairs

Dear Jordan...

Dear Jordan,

I very much enjoyed looking through your photos on Facebook because it's so different from what I'm used to seeing in Photography class. I feel like your photos tell me that you are very friend and family oriented. Although not all of your photos were taken of people, I noticed that of the places you went, you had your friends or family with you all the time. I liked how you incorporated many of the elements and principles even through random shooting. I saw a lot of emphasis, value, color, and expression. My absolute favorite photo in the album that I took a gander at was the one of Tina at BJs attacking a mozerella stick. I loved the fact that it was black and white. I'd like it if this random but delicate type of shooting from you was brought into our Photography class.

Sincerely,
Michelle

One-Shot Photo

A pretty little flower on a freezing November morning.

Sports Photo

Mercy Varsity Dig Pink Game

Video Notes (Courtesy of Killz)

• photos become the most important thing when someone loses everything
• emotional memories
• proof of something you're proud of
• sonography & x-ray photos save lives
• Brownie camera
• $1.00
• in production for 80 years
• pre-Brownie: photos taken once in a lifetime
• post-Brownie: photos accessible to simpletons & average Joes
• great slices of social history preserved
• photography = success --> National Geographic
• photography needed human intervention to really be art
• straight photography - "...art would depend on eye of photography..."
• World War II
• war photos raise awareness at home
• magazines prohibited from showing pictures of dead soldiers/death of any kind
• anti-war lobbyists showed pictures to tell truth of modern warfare
• 1900s: photos replace drawings
• newspapers use photos to catch people's attention
• staged photos

Blog Notes: Ch. 5 Portraits (p. 120-125)

• environmental portrait - subject's surroundings used to help tell person's story, combo of formal portrait & photojournalism, shows subject's life, prominence of background depends on how much it says about the person
• wide-angle lenses (indoors): 35mm, 28mm, 24mm
• f/5.6, f/8, f/11 for greater depth of field (sharp & in focus)

How to retouch a digital portrait...

1. clone stamp tool or healing brush for blemishes & imperfections
2. 100% opacity to completely block out area & replace it
3. Alt (Opt) key & left click to sample area you want to clone/copy

• self portrait - you become your own subject, show who you are, show something about your life, can reveal as little or as much as you want

Blog Notes: Ch. 5 Portraits (p. 114-119)

How to shoot a formal portrait...

1. 10-20 ft. of clear space in front of background, 4-6 ft. of space between background & stool
2. light 45* to the right side of subject, reflector held 3-4 ft. from subject on left side
3. camera set 6-10 ft. away from subject--depends on lens: telephoto = further

• wide-open aperture for out of focus background
• 35mm cameras, 50mm lens: f/2 or f/2.8
• zoom lenses: f/3.5 or f/4.5
• focuses on subject
• increases shutter speed (slowest is 1/60 of a sec.)
• indoors - light 45* on on side of subject & reflector on other side
• outdoors - open shade (avoid deep shade), assistants holding reflectors stand 3-6 ft. away from subject, overcast = bueno
• candid portraits - capture a person going about everyday life & activities, completely natural, include surroundings (context & meaning)
• shutter speed of 1/250 or higher

5 Random Photos

Old School

hap-pi-ness [hap-ee-nis] --noun: 1. the quality or state of being happy, 2. good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy, 3. see Briana 

Blush

Hammertime

The Chelsea Daily

Self Portrait

Blog Notes: Ch. 5 Portraits (p. 108-113)

• collaborative, teamwork
• build relationship with person
• 4x5 view cameras: most detail, slow to operate, can't see through them when photographing
• 35mm cameras: candid & environmental portraits, fast to operate (respond quickly to changing expressions & actions), not as much detail
• bigger negative = more detail
• slow film (50-100 ISO) - fine grained & small particles of silver for B&W films/dye for color films, more detail, smoother look (good for formal portraits), tripod (slower shutter speed)
• fast films (400-3200 ISO) - more sensitive to light, ideally suited to available-light photography (candid & environmental portraits), coarser grain structure, not as detailed, no need for tripod (sharp images anyway), faster shutter speeds
• B&W - focus on subject (eliminates distracting elements), formal & serious qualities, edgy energy with grainy & harsh B&W images
• color - feelings & impressions, mood
• 24 mm - distortion
• 50 mm - less rounded & broad, slight distortion
• 100 mm - most flattering, near normal perspective
• tripod - steady & sharpen
• cable release - flexible wire, one end attached to camera release, other end lets you trip the shutter
• reflector - for flattering 3-D portraits
• formal portrait - simplest, emphasizes person only, neutral background, close-up face or full-length view
• Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879) - England, Victorian photographer, dreamlike & softly romantic paintings, self-taught, inspired & influenced Alfred Stieglitz

Blog Notes: Ch. 5 Portraits (p. 103-107)

• formal portraits - emphasize only subject in photograph (person)
• candid portraits - capture person in everyday activities
• environmental portraits - person in setting that says something about them
• photography replaced painting as primary medium of portraits (people = popular subjects)
• Gaspard-Felix Tournachon (1820-1910) - a.k.a. "Nadar," 1853: started photoraphing in France, first great portrait photographer, soft lighting + dark backgrounds = formal & eloquent portraits, comfortable working relationship = "speaking likeness" (portraits reveal subjects' personalities)
• August Sander (1876-1964) - Germany, created some of the first environmental portraits (settings of lives & work), 1892-1954: great photographic documentary of Germans
• values - what catches our attention first, textures & shapes, depth, emotional content, emphasis
• shape - when a line meets itself, flat, 2-D
• organic - flowing curves & irregular outlines
• geometric - circles, ovals, squares, triangles, etc.
• form - 3-D shape

Photo Essay: In Mercy Students' Shoes

Get yelled at by your advisor on a Monday morning.

Eat a bagel with cream cheese while the PA system blares with an SBO's voice.

Finish your calculus homework in advisory.

Whisper about the cute Italian guys encountered on your friend’s trip to Europe.

Partake in the secretive taking of pictures during an English presentation.

Eat lunch on the green with your friend that duct-tapes her shoes.

Sit next to your best friend in study hall as she starts her Religion homework that's due next class.

Wait with your friends to get picked up after school even though you can drive.

Food Photography

There are three main types of food photography: Editorial, packing, and advertising. For editorial food photography, the main purpose of the photographer is to make the food look good. Lighting plays a huge part in this. Some tips are to shoot from a lower angle, use a shallow depth of field, and close in on the image. Packing food photography is the hardest kind because it is the most technical and most tedious. Flat light must be used to reveal full detail of the food, and there can be no special effects. Advertising food photography is used mainly for things like food ads and menus. Although it is less tedious than packing food photography, it is still strict. Props and special lighting may be used in this type of food photography.

Photojournalism: David Burnett

David Burnett, a photojournalist for more than forty years now, has been covering the news and the people of today. Co-founder of a New York based photojournalism agency, Burnett has been named as one of the "100 Most Important People in Photography." Returning back to a job that he had had for fifteen years during the 1970s and 1980s, Burnett has been working for TIME magazine as a contract photographer since 2003. Burnett covers history's elements: war, sports, politics, the famous, the infamous, and the unfamous. To check out some of his work, visit the following website...

http://www.davidburnett.com/index.html

Mercy Week: Mercy Day Rally

Rochelle Sison

Senior Spectacle

Colleen McCann

This chick ruined my shot.

Bernadette Arrogancia

Can you teach me how to dougie?

 

Freshmen & Forever Freshmen

Mercy Week: Skittles Day

Justine Carion: Orange

Taimane Tuiasosopo: Starburst

Julie Ann, Annette Lee, Melanie Teepronpirut, Ripika Bedi, Coco Khan

Asians

Julie Ann: Calculus

Itzel Diaz: Conspicuous

Mercy Week: Bowl-A-Thon

Tanya Alvarez

Invincible

Ms. Horan

Crime Fighting

Jen Winnett, Trea McElhone & Leslie Baumann

Rock & Bowl

Briana McTiernan

S-E-N-I-O-R-S

You Wish You Were a Senior

Mercy Week: Rockstar Day

Tina Cuevas: Kiss

Jessica Duncan: Blue Steel

McKenna Stack: 182

Alana Dunn: Mug

Chelsea Glynn: Free

Mercy Week: Disney Day

Angeli Gomez & Midori Le
Woody & Marie

Coco Khan

Minnie Mouse

Annette Lee, Bernadette Arrogancia & Midori Le

Mickey Mouse tackles Marie to the ground while Prince Charming watches.

Chelsea Glynn & Tanya Alvarez

Mickey Mouse & Tweety Bird (equipped with Mickey hands)

Midori Le, Annette Lee & Angeli Gomez

Marie, Prince Charming & Woody stare off into the distance.

Group Assignment Photo

Reception Room

5 Photojournalism Pictures

The scene is of a bunch of people surrounding a pool for waste water in Japan. This pool of water waste is found at the Chisso Chemical Plant. This photo shines light onto the ecologically damaging fact that there's this pool that is filled with water pollution and chemical pollution. Eugene Smith took this picture. He framed it in a way that although the cracked ground takes up a majority of the photo, the numerous silhouettes of the people are still emphasized. The ground, dried up and starved of life, creates a mood of solemnity.

The scene of this picture is of two lucky bums relaxing on the beach. Although this doesn't seem to be an event of any special significance, one can assume that the events of summer or a Sunday afternoon are reason enough to just lounge on the beach. This photo was taken by Elliott Erwitt, who framed it so that the line of beach chairs, echoed by the line of the horizon, is perfectly centered. The expressions of the two guys and the black and white elements give off a calming mood. Life on those beach chairs is simple and relaxing.

The scene is of a curious young girl on the streets of Madrid. One can guess that she was tagging along with her parents as they loitered passed the vendors on the street when she came across this intriguing contraption. I find that this photo really displays what childhood is all about: Curiosity, and curiosity alone. I noticed that while this girl may have been interested by the warm air coming out of the ground, not once did she worry about her dress flying up and revealing her underwear. Cristina Garcia Rodero took this adorable photo. Framing this with regards to the rule of thirds, Rodero included the portraits in the background. The shape of the girl's dress is emphasized not only by its light value, but also by the similar shapes of the portraits in the background. The photo somewhat portrays a mood of wonderment.

The scene of this photo is of a woman clearly distraught. One can guess that she's hidden herself in a closet. The important thing is the question of "why?". Why is she hiding in a closet? From her body language and the fact that she has no clothes on, it's probably not because she's playing hide and go seek. This photo, taken by Werner Bischof, is framed in a way that keeps the woman's identity a mystery. The way the light hits the subject really emphasizes her body language. This photo creates a mood of anguish and despair.

This scene is of a young boy taking full advantage of one of Boston's water playgrounds. One can assume that this is no special event; It's just an image from the everyday life of a kid. That's what makes it significant. This photo really captures one of the many things that children cannot resist: playing with water. Taken by Christopher Anderson, this photo is framed so that the subject is at the center. The emphasis is clearly on the child freely drenching his face in the spewing water coming from the ground. The vibrant spray of the water portrays a mood of carefreeness.

All photos from http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.AgencyHome_VPage&pid=2K7O3R1VX08V