Since my last reflection, I have read “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly. I am half finished with the book “The Hunger Games,” and I am nearly a quarter finished with the book “Frankenstein”. I am currently attempting to complete “The Hunger Games”. I liked the book “The Hunger Games”, and I extremely recommend the book to other people. There are several imageries that make the audience imagine and further clearly understand the storylines. The level of this book suits me well and has an excellent Adventure genre storyline that I enjoy. Book “Frankenstein” has a bit of complexity for me with some incomprehensible dictions. However, I still favor the story in general by how the author describes a situation. Currently, the protagonist of “The Hunger Games” named Katniss finished her preparation after being selected as the representative of District 12, where her family lives, in the annual poverty escape purposed game called “The Hunger Games”. She is starting her new journey in the survival game. The text is engaging due to the author’s detailed description of the situation, character, and emotion using the technique of imagery. The prediction that I can make for this story is that Katniss will keep following Haymitch’s suggestion, who is the last winner of the game in district 12. She will confront numerous conflicts, struggles, and hard decisions, which will lead her to a successful survival, essentially being the winner of the game. For my independent essay, I would like to choose “The Hunger Games” due to its amount of techniques utilized, such as symbolism, similies, and metaphors, to further engage the audience and understand the storyline. For my essay, I might be focusing on the protagonist’s characteristics, the protagonist’s identity shift, and the ability to survive. The themes of love, poverty, and survival are strongly presented throughout the story. Some concerns that I have to include are whether adventure and fantasy genre-based story is suitable for writing this informational essay?
Science Engineering Project
Define and Inquire
Our Grade 9 science engineering project is to design a machine or product that clearly shows an energy transfer with considerations of the purpose of the product.
One of my plans for this project is to make a product that absorbs the sunlight, which is solar energy, one of the renewable energy sources, and stores it in a battery that converts it to electrical and potential energy. This electrical energy then will be connected to a light bulb which transfers the energy into light energy.
https://creativewayej.blogspot.com/2021/03/build-your-own-emergency-solar-led.html
The video embedded above and the website include a precedent product that utilized my idea of converting solar energy to light energy. Between converting, they used batteries to store the solar energy to convert it to electrical and potential energy. I really liked using the on/off switch so that the energy can be used effectively, no matter at night or in the morning. We can control the energy released by the switch that connects to the battery with potential energy to store solar energy. Moreover, the creator of the product also tried to utilize renewable materials such as bottle caps as the stand of the lamp, which I also liked about. I disliked how they only used one solar panel, which takes a long time to store energy into the battery. By the light intensity of the LED, it is predictable that it requires high voltage. Therefore, essentially, without more solar panels, it might take a long time to lighten up the LED.
The targetted audiences of my project are people who live in rural places and less advanced countries that lack electricity. Lack of electricity leads to inaccessibility to multiple aspects, one of which is light. It is hard for them to see in the dark and at night, which provokes problems such as safety.
Another plan was an emergence hand crank flashlight; the potential energy of your hands will be used to convert it to light energy. There is a handle that, when you spin it, the potential energy will be sent to a motor that is connected to a light bulb using wires. The more you spin, the more energy will be sent, and the more the motor will work, which the light will be essentially more vital.
The video attached above is the precedent of the hand crank flashlight. It is simple and easy to make with a motor and a light bulb. I like that in this video, the person who makes the emergency hand crank flashlight uses reusable materials to make it. The reusable materials are easy to find anywhere and cleaner in a global environment. However, I don’t like the light bulb he used; it can barely make the room brighter. It will be more efficient to use a bigger light bulb.
For this product, my intended audience is people who often go camping and live in less advanced countries with less electricity, thus making them lack lights. Camping people can use this when they are on a mountain or in an environment with no lights.
My third planned product is a light generator using wind energy, a renewable energy source. For this product, the wind helps process and power the motor. Wind power converts to mechanical energy by powering the motor. In addition, the electrical energy created through the motor will convert to light energy as we light up the light bulb.
https://www.exploratorium.edu/video/light-wind-science-snacks-exploratorium
This video provides a procedure of the precedent of my planned product. It has the same features that my planned product has, which wind energy operates the motor and then lights up the light bulb. The precedent utilizes simple materials; even the fan is made up of popsicle sticks which I like about. Something that I don’t like is using a small light bulb; it might be better to use a bigger light bulb to strengthen the light intensity. This way, the audience can use the product effectively.
The intended audience for Light wind generators is people who live in windy, less advanced countries with a lack of electricity. During the nighttime, people can save electricity by opening their windows and using the breeze and wind to generate light through this product. It essentially can be used as a lamp.
My final planned project is to make some kind of lamp using battery packs. The battery pack will be connected to a switch then a light bulb. The switch is included in determining if we turn/off the light to save energy. The battery will send electrical energy to the light bulb, converting the energy into light energy. On the side, I also want to add another battery charger product with a solar panel. The two products of the battery charger and the lamp are connected into a single product. This way, when the battery is out of battery; thus, it can’t light up the light bulb. Individuals can charge up the battery or use the spare battery charged up. There will be a solar panel connected to a battery slot. When the solar energy absorbs the solar energy through the sun, the solar energy converts the energy into electrical energy through the battery pack slot. The energy transfer will charge up the battery, which we can use these batteries for our lamp.
This video embedded above is an inspiration for one of my products. The battery is connected to a wire and directly to a light bulb. I like this prototype because it utilized a small number of materials and made it work reasonably, efficiently, and effectively. However, I don’t like how the designer didn’t use a switch so that they could save up some batteries for a longer duration of usage time. When people don’t use it, they can easily turn off the switch which the light bulb will be out. For this design, you need to dismantle all of the materials. Utilizing a switch is way more efficient than not using it.
The video embedded above is my precedent of the second product for my fourth plan. It is a solar panel battery charger; it uses a solar panel, wires, and a battery. It works the same way as my plan says. The solar panel collects the solar energy and utilizes the energy to charge up the battery. What I like about the design is that it is easy to make and works efficiently using only two main materials.
The target of my fourth plan of this science engineering project with the lamp and the battery charger is people who go outdoors and indoors frequently. Also, the target can be people who dwell in rural areas with less electricity and fewer lights but has frequent sunny days. People can utllize the environment to charge up the batteries which can be used to light up the LED. They can use the values of the sun to power up the lamp.
Pros/Cons
The first project using solar panels requires renewable energy, which relies on the weather of the day. There are numerous benefits to using renewable energy; it allows the audiences to utilize it whenever they are required to. However, climates are different from time to time. It might not be a sunny day to use solar energy. Moreover, because of the size of the solar panels, it requires time to gain enough solar energy in the battery to generate light energy. The second project of the hand crank flashlight, it is beneficial because it is easy to make, and there are numerous reusable materials that I can use. However, I think the motor made for hand-crank flashlights is not easy to find. Moreover, when the person top spinning and making the motor stop, the light would not come out. This makes the hand crank flashlight to be inefficient. Furthermore, the third project of the wind light generator is great in that the structure is simple and is easy to make with reusable items. The cons of the product are that it relies on windy weather, which might not work frequently. At last, to address the previous fourth plan of my project, it is great to use renewable energy to charge up the battery and utilize this battery to light up a light bulb. It is easy to make and utilizes non- harming materials. The cons or the problem of this project is that the battery charger relies on solar energy or the sun, so there is not enough sunlight. For the lamp, it might use up too many batteries due to the light bulb’s power. It is efficient to use a bigger light bulb so that people can efficiently use it during nighttime.
Develop and Plan
Sketch of my Idea
Third Plan- Failed
This project failed
The techniques that I am going to use are soldering the wires and the use of different cutting machines. It is my first time using the soldering machine to solder the wires to connect a light bulb with a motor. I will be learning how to use the soldering machine from my peers who have knowledge of the soldering machine and the teachers around me.
Fourth plan
Science 9 Engineering Project Fourth Version Planning PDF Version Link
There are two parts of the product to make; one is the solar panel battery charger, and the other is the lamp using the 1.5 volts batteries. For the solar panel battery charger, the solar panel absorbs the solar energy from the sun then converts it to electrical energy through the wires. In addition, in the lamp, the electrical energy sends the energy to the switch, which determines whether the energy should flow to convert it to light energy using the LED light or to obstruct the energy flow so that it saves up the energy in the batteries and does not light up the LED.
One of the problems for the solar panel battery charger is that the solar panel might have too little power and absorb not enough solar energy to power up our batteries. It is recommended to use two solar panels so that it has double the amount of power. Voltage so it sustainably charges the batteries.
The techniques that I will use are to solder the wires and manage the wires arrangement and the circuits. Moreover, sawing and other machinery uses will be skills that I will learn throughout the making. As mentioned for my last project, it is my first time using a soldering machine to connect wires. The wire arrangement and the circuits are sometimes complicated, but I had experience doing it. Therefore, I will get help from my peers with sufficient design experience and my teachers for the soldering and machinery parts.
Plan
Tuesday- Sketches/ Investigating in designs
Thursday- Investigate the materials. Make the shell that can put the lamp and the battery charger in it. First, Make the base (wood, at the bottom) and the walls (transparent plastic, sides) of the shell and hot glue them together into a triangle shape. * IF there is not enough time, use Monday’s class
Monday- Make the lamp using wires, LED light, 6 batteries, and a switch but don’t hot glue them with the base and the walls first. Test if it works. *If there is not enough time, use the study hall session on Tuesday
Wednesday- Make the battery charger using wires, battery port, LED indicator, and solar panels. Test it out by going outside with sunlight
Friday- Hot glue the lamp and the battery charger into the triangular shell. Receive Feedback from teachers and peers.
Tuesday- FInal touch on my product and reflect on feedback received from others.
Create and Improve
Initially, I started my design by making the shell first by cutting the woods and using the laser cutter. For the base of my product, I have used a wood-based board. I used two transparent plastic-made recyclable boards for the two walls on which the solar battery charger will be placed on one of them. The use of transparent plastic-made boards was intentionally utilized because it is a lamp which exposure of lights is extremely necessary. To further expose the light more, the product’s base can also be changed to transparent plastic-made boards. Moreover, I have used recyclable transparent plastic-made boards so that it is beneficial to the environment, making other individuals use the materials again. I got some support from the design professionals of the circular saw and wood cutting machines for the wood board. I also got help from teachers with the laser cutter machine for my transparent plastic walls. I have earned several new skills while making the shell and the base. The base and the walls were hot-glued, creating a triangular shell where the lamp will be placed inside, and the charger will be glued outside.
Process of making the shell
After making the shell, I started on my road to making the lamp planned to be on the wooden base. One of the problems I faced was finding a bigger LED so that the lamp could be used efficiently with high light intensity during nighttime. Moreover, because using a bigger LED essentially requires more energy, I had to use 6 batteries to power up the LED. The LED I found required about 6 volts, and unfortunately, I only found 6 battery slot battery ports which with no doubt needed 6 batteries. It had enough electricity and power with 9 voltages of 6 batteries. However, the problem is that it is so detrimental to the environment. There weren’t any bigger LEDs with the high light intensity that required a small amount of power. One of my improvements can be changing a LED that requires less power that can be helpful during nighttime. To ensure my product works, I used the multimeter to test the voltage of the batteries in the battery port and tried to connect the batteries with the LED first so that it demonstrates if it lights up or not. To restrict the amount of light it produces, I have used a switch that people can turn on or off anytime they want. This way, it saves energy. After gathering all the materials, I solder the wires with the materials. The arrangement or the circuit of the wires wasn’t complicated; it wasn’t a hard job than I expected. The soldering process was a new technique that I learned; therefore, with several times of support from peers and teachers, I could fluently finish the soldering process. After the soldering process, I placed the soldered lamp on the wood base and hot glued it. I was satisfied with the outcome because the lamp was well-made and worked perfectly with my plan.
Initial Lamp
After making the lamp, I started making the solar battery charger. Even though I have utilized 6 batteries in my lamp, I determined to use a port for two batteries for my solar battery charger. This was because the space was limited, and the solar panel had not enough power. Two batteries required 3 volts, and the solar panel was barely enough to power up 3 volts. The process of making the charger was easy. One of the pieces of knowledge I learned during the process was the utilization of a small LED as a diode. The diode was needed because It allowed the electrical current to flow easily in one direction but severely restricted current from flowing in the opposite direction. With a mind of the charger’s circuit, the charger was easily made with the soldering skill I learned. After the solar panel absorbs the light, the small LED light will light up, showing that the batteries are charging up. After successfully producing the charger, I equipped it on the transparent wall using hot glue. In addition, to visually look impressive, I have covered up the battery port by placing the solar panel over the battery port. I used two wooden sticks and hot glued them to both the transparent wall and the solar panel to hold the solar panel. Overall, the product was successful but had improvements that could have been made.
After the Soldering Process/ Hotglueing process, place the solar panel over the battery port.
Finished Battery Charger
The final product as a whole with the lamp and the battery charger was definitely a success. The general purpose and goals were met; however, improvements could have optimized the product. Adding another solar panel was essential as I tested it a few times. The solar panel’s power decreased after a few tests of my product. From 3.5 volts to about 2.6 volts. The charger possesses a battery port with 2 battery slot, which requires about 3 voltage. It would have been more successful if two solar panels had been equipped. Moreover, the wires sometimes got disassembled due to the over amount of soldering or too little amount of soldering; improvements on the skills were required. As mentioned, to protect the environment more, it would have been better to use a LED that requires less power (voltage) but has a great light intensity for darkness.
Testing Videos
Final Product
Feedback from peers/ teachers/ design professionals
- Expose the light more
- Add another solar panel.
- Cover up the switch so that from the “switch” view, you don’t see the battery port and the wires
- Change the two slot battery port for the battery charger to 6 slot battery ports to charge 6 batteries that are needed to light up the lamp.
Improvements
The improvements I made were reflected in the comments I have received. Some of the feedback wasn’t reflected due to limited space and time. If there is a future engineering chance, I will continue to further optimize my product by adding solar panels and increasing the battery slot so that the battery charges quicker and has more batteries to charge.
I cut a small piece of wood board to expose the light more and fitted it into the aperture above the switch and between the two transparent walls. This way, the LED can be placed on the wood board and placed more outside the shell. The problem I faced as I hot glued the wood board between the transparent walls was that no glues could immobilize the LED on the board. Hotglues even superglues didn’t work. The only way I solved it was to use a rubber band to fasten it.
Furthermore, to visually look good, I reflected on covering up the wires from the “switch” view, so when people try to turn on the LED by the switch, they don’t see the messy wires. I decided to use wood boards again, and I cut them into small pieces using the woodcutter machinery. Then I used hot glue to stick it around the switch. It worked well, but it might be better if I used a laser cutter to cut only a piece, not several pieces, and use hot glue to connect it. This way, the pieces prevented what happened to me which the parts didn’t match. One of the pieces was too behind the switch one was more close to the switch, which from the side view looks visually disappointing. I reflected on some of the feedback I received, and it was pretty successful, but it can be optimized better.
Reflect and Share
My intention has been to provide a lamp to people in rural areas with fewer lights but frequent sun lights and people who go outdoors or indoors frequently. The purpose was successful in delivering an efficient lamp. However, it wasn’t successful in one side of using the values of their environment to charge up the batteries so that the lamp can be used for a long time.
The product I made can be split into two products; one is a lamp, and the other is a solar battery charger. The lamp worked very well; the energy in the battery port converted to light energy. We can even control the transfer by using the switch; it can let the electrical current flow so that it transfers the energy and light up and can obstruct the electrical current, which will impede the transfer of energy. One problem throughout the process was that it was useless to use a battery port with six battery slots. Six batteries equal to requiring 9 volts; each battery needs 1.5 voltage. The LED only needed about six voltages. It would have been enough to use only a battery port with four slots; unfortunately, I couldn’t find one. The use of an excessive amount of batteries causes adversaries in our environment. Without considering the environment, the lamp was overall a success.
It was successful at first for my solar battery, but it was a failure at last. Before making the solar battery charger, I worried about the solar panels. At first, solar panels had barely enough power, about three voltages to charge up the battery. If we see the first video I embedded, we can see that it worked very well. The LED indicator lightened up below the sun, showing the batteries were getting charged. However, after a few days of working, the solar panel degraded and lost its power. Using the multimeter, the voltage of solar power degraded from 3 voltage to 2.4 voltage. 2 batteries require at least three voltage, as one requires 1.5 voltage. 2.4 isn’t enough to charge these batteries; after a few trails below the sun, as in the last video, it can be seen that the LED indicator isn’t lightening up below the sunlight. The batteries are not charging up. As asked teachers, the problem was the lack of power of solar panels, which they recommended for at least two solar panels to be equipped next time. It would have been a successful product with two or more solar panels. Furthermore, I would apply a more significant battery port with more battery slots to charge more batteries.
Some of the areas where I was successful were already mentioned above; the lamp was a big success. It provided a sufficient amount of light that could be lightened up in darkness. Moreover, it was personally successful throughout the process as I developed several new techniques by learning from teachers and peers.
Some of the areas where I wasn’t successful and required some improvements were mainly on the solar battery charger. As I expected only one solar panel would be enough, I didn’t consider a solar power degree its power, making the batteries unchargeable. If I had a future chance to continue on my product, I would add more solar panels to effectively and quickly charge up the batteries so that people effectively use the values of their environment and use the lamp longer.
The impact of my product on the environment can be harmful but also might be positively eco-friendly. The materials used for my walls, the transparent plastic board, are recyclable as it is made up of plastic. In addition, the wood base can also be reused as I only used hot glue and tapes on them. Nothing dangerous, and chemicals have been used. People can reuse these items in further design projects. Moreover, for my battery charger, with solar panels, the battery charger operates through solar energy, which is a source of renewable energy. Renewable energy is a source of energy that is naturally replenished on a human timescale. Solar panels help combat greenhouse gases and reduce the collective dependence on fossil fuels. Both greenhouse gases and fossil fuels lead to brutal consequences such as global warming, loss of animal habitats, and extinctions. Overall, the utilization of solar panels and recyclable materials positively affects our environment. On the other hand, it is unfortunate that my product might also be detrimental to the environment. As mentioned a few times, I have utilized six batteries to light up the LED for my lamp. If individuals improperly discard these batteries, their chemicals soak into the soil and contaminate groundwater and surface water.
To conclude, to fully optimize and fully operate my product to achieve the intention of providing lights to people who go outdoors and indoors frequently and people who dwell in rural areas with less electricity and fewer lights but have frequent sunny days. It was partially successful due to its lack of power in solar panels at last. If I had more time, I would be much more successful in providing benefits to the intended audiences and consumers.
Formative Socratic Seminar Reflection- “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”
My group, including me, recently finished a Socratic Seminar discussing the first-person narrative novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie. After receiving feedback and thinking back to the Seminar, I noticed parts that needed improvement and did well. During the Seminar, I had done well in part “supported my claims clearly and accurately with a relevant selection of evidence from the text, often citing the page number” (RL10.1). When I stated my point, I backed it up with evidence found in the book. Moreover, for my teammates to easily locate the evidence to comprehend my claim, I began by stating the proof’s location with the page and the chapter number.
The part that I need to work on is to “challenge others’ ideas” (Mr.Dalton) to make efficient conversations with agrees and disagrees from my teammates. Instead of keep using the frame of “I agree with your idea,” keep elaborating on a person’s idea. I can disagree with one’s idea and present opposite ideas. It assembles the Seminar more efficiently but convinces my teammates that one of two different ideas is correct. There would be a back and forth conversation. Furthermore, as one of the most demanding standards to reach, I can “engage with the effect of language, linked to the themes of the novel”. It was easier to present the technique to my teammates, but it was hard to demonstrate the effect of the technique to the readers. I did less on the explanation, which I can do more next time. In addition, to make a successful seminar, it is required for full teammate participation. When people don’t talk much, I can encourage them to engage in the conversation.
My goals for my next Seminar are to present the effect of techniques in the book to the audience. I can reach my goal by preparing thoroughly with annotation of the impact next to a specific technique. Also, challenging others’ ideas with courage is another goal I have for my next Seminar.
As mentioned, preparing thoroughly with complete annotation in the book is a significant step to reaching the goals. Moreover, I can anticipate what my teammates might say and prepare a counterclaim.
Set 3
Statement of Intent
COVID-19 has severely limited our human activities from place to place. I want to provide a sense of “desirable” and “hope” to the audience in this set. I want my audience to imagine the scene and the setting I have depicted in my photographs with a scenery photograph. I will experiment with different kinds of backgrounds, lights, and Affinity software.
Artist-René Magritte
I noticed that René Magritte depicts identity by experimenting with different backgrounds mostly related to nature and settings from these photographs. René Magritte wants the audience to become sensitive to their surroundings. René Magritte isn’t a photographer but an artist. He doesn’t really use elements of photography. One of the elements that he uses is ” interaction” and sometimes “Get in close”. He utilizes different colors, detailed backgrounds, no facial reveal, and expression. His choice of setting and the background is the main point of his photographs. He interacts with the audience through the background, showing a feeling of desire. This artist inspired me to use different backgrounds to show a desire of a person to go to the place during the covid-19 periods. His way to put a set into a person’s body or to use the setting as the background inspired me.
Favorite
The main subject is a person with a hat on. It doesn’t show the details of the person, but it shows his desire to visit the place that is shown inside the subject’s body. There are numerous details included in this photograph. The repetition of small lines and dots on the brick behind the main subject, the plain brownish background, a small circle-shaped object are all the details in the background. René Magritte didn’t show the actual body of a person, but cut it out and leave the frame of the person. He filled it with a setting of a place inside a person’s body and the frame. The details of repetition of woods, a house with 6 windows, orange lights from the house, snow, small stars, and the blueish sky are all the details shown. From my perspective, the character has a desire to visit the place. The place is replacing his/her identity, and the place represents his character. The place might be his desirable wish or his hometown. When I looked at this photograph, I was a bit confused but my eyes are drawn directly to the small house inside the body. I was confused about the repetition of bricks and the small circle-shaped object as the background. The blueish color and the small details of the place are so attractive and stand out so much in the photograph. The place is focused in this photograph with numerous small details. It let me feel calm as I look at that place. This photograph is an inspirational image for me. I will be eliminating my whole body including my face, and utilize my editing skills to fit in another photograph that depicts a place and fit it in my body.
Least Favorite
This is my least favorite photograph among René Magritte’s photographs. The background seems gorgeous, giving a sense of calmness to the audience. However, the photograph seems empty. It mainly focused on the background, not on the main subject of the person. This photograph doesn’t use the element of “Get in close” which makes the photograph seems empty. There are numerous details included in the background, but on the person, the main subject. From the audience’s perspective, there is the repetition of rectangular shape on the ceiling, the repetition of green trees, and the grass. The background is zoomed out, it shows the place in this photograph but not time. Like in other photographs, the main subject is a person who wears a black coat and a black hat. When I looked at the photograph, my eyes were drawn to the trees. As mentioned the background seems to be the main focus in this image. The repetition of trees stands out the most for me. Even though René Magritte isn’t a photographer, in this artwork, the image itself seems bright due to the different colors included in the image. It doesn’t use any elements of artificial or natural lights. The background itself provides a feeling of calmness but the negative part of the photograph is that it seems empty.
Planning my shot
Editing
Experimenting Studio Lights
Blue shots
These are my blue shots and are the before photographs from editing. I have chosen these photographs by considering how they will turn out after editing the photographs by cutting out the body only leaving the frame of the body. Then, plugging in a scenery image to show the desire to free themselves to travel to countries. To choose these images, the whole body should be exposed, so the light was important. Some of the exposure wasn’t correct, and I tried to use photographs that utilized different “Quality lights” and colors.
Green Shots
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I have narrowed down my list by eliminating the repetition of lights and posture. I also have chosen photographs that are linked to my artist, who show his character as unemotional. All of these green shots photographs are suitable for editing, because of the correct light setting and the exposure of the main subject.
Red Photographs
These are my red photographs that are chosen and edited to what René Magritte did in his photographs. The idea behind these pictures is to show a “hope” for freedom in the covid-19 pandemic. COVID-19 had severely limited our individuals’ freedom to move and travel. The strength of the images is the color balance, use of the element of “Quality Lights”, use of “Get in close”, and experimentation of editing. Even though some of the photographs didn’t edit well and were unnatural, it has given the idea of “hope” to the audience. In addition, these photographs are well-followed of the expectations of my chosen artist, René Magritte. For this set, I have strongly developed my editing skills. I have experimented with different tools in Affinity Software. Moreover, as this is my second time in the studio, I have developed the skill to use different lightings and place lighting in correct places. From my previous sets, I have learned to change the focal length for better portraiture. Something that works well with these images is how they show the theme of “hope”. The brighter tone and how the scenery backgrounds replaced one’s identity show a desire of traveling and how close traveling and freedom are to individuals. They shouldn’t be giving up but believe in “hope”. Furthermore, like my artist René Magritte, the small details can be seen in these images. Something I need to develop further is my editing skills. Some of these photographs include messy edits. Some of them have small dots and lines that are interrupting the photograph and catch the audiences’ eyes easily. To further show a clear photograph and ideas, I should develop further my editing skills. For next time, I would like to use the theme of “hope” again but show it by different posing.
Red Shots Critique
Favorite
This is my favorite photograph from my red shots. It’s the image that is most related to my topic of “hope”. All of the elements support the main subject and the theme, including the element of “Get in close” and “Quality Lights”. The white light coming above the head might be distracting the scenery background, but it was intended to show a sense of “hope” to the audience. Bright white color shows a strong sense of “hope” that covid-19 is almost over, so people can go see the scenery sky. I want my audiences’ eyes to be drawn to the white light and the scenery sky to let them understand the theme of “hope”.The exposure is correct, some of the lights that are caught in the camera were eliminated by editing in Affinity software. However, the majority of the exposure including the red, orange, and white lights is correct. It wouldn’t be better if I change the focal length to depict the character. The focal length I have used in this photograph is just right, it is not too zoomed-in or zoomed-out. The head would be too big if we longer the focal length which might be a distracting part. By the character facing the scenery sky, it shows the subject’s desire to free himself from the covid-19 pandemic and go view the beautiful sky. The white light as mentioned above shows a theme of “hope” which shows how close the pandemic will end. The background of the scenery sky is to show the subject’s desired place to travel after the pandemic. The composition or the element of “Light” is strongly emphasized in the image. The “Get in close” element is to show the details of the characters and the background. However, the light covers the image the most. The color in the photograph is accurate. None of the colors are showing a theme of darkness, but the colors are chosen in the photograph show a warmness and a theme of “hope”. The depth of field isn’t really shown in the photograph due to the editing I have done. This photograph shows my vision as the clearest and the most accurate one.
Least Favorite
This is my least favorite photograph from the red set. Even though, it correctly followed the expectation of my chosen artist, René Magritte. I want my audiences’ eyes to be drawn to the details of the scenery photograph inside the frame of a human subject. Moreover, there are some distractions in this photograph which makes it the least favorite photograph in the red shots. In the head part, the editing was a bit messed up. Furthermore, the unknown green rectangle-shaped on the side is a distracting element. It catches audiences’ eyes very well, and it makes the main subject lose its main focus. All of the elements support the main subject including the “Quality lights’ and “Get in close”. The exposure is correct, when I was taking the photograph in the studio, I set my ISO setting lower so that it depicts the light well in a darker space. Some of the lights shone on the body were eliminated through editing in the Affinitiy Software. All of the lights in the photograph are correct including, the white, purple, and green light in the scenery photograph. The focal length can be longer and the focus of the photograph can be moved to the left to eliminate the dark background and the distraction. The posing is also is a mistake, the posing is kind of irrelevant but it might be better to choose another posing to strengthen the theme of “hope”. However, the scenery photograph is well chosen. All the lights are included in the scenery photographs, and the lights in them are correct. None of them are dark which shows darkness and a tone of depression. All of these colors of lighting are bright enough to show a sense of warmness and hope. The background is just a simple dark image to suit the scenery photograph. There are no universal symbols in the background. The composition or the elements are balanced well. The element of “Quality lights” are strongly focused in the photograph. As mentioned, it might be better to emphasize more on the element of “get in close”, so it eliminates the distractions and useless spaces. This also can be done by cropping the image. The depth of field isn’t really shown in the photograph due to the editing I have done. This photograph kind of shows my vision but it can be developed more.
Set 2
New vision
These days, during the time of COVID-19, people face numerous struggles and hardships. I want the audience to believe and understand “hope”. For this set, I will experiment with lights to show the message of never giving up.
Artist-Robert Bergman
From these photographs, I noticed that Robert Bergman likes to use face to reveal one’s identity. He depicts people that have different ethnicity and skin color. By the reflection of lighting, it shows a sense of “hope” in each photograph. He utilizes facial expressions to convey the idea and expresses tone to the readers. Moreover, different colors of lightings and simple plain backgrounds are found in his photographs. I will utilize these backgrounds and lightings in my set. In addition, elements of “out of focus”, “get in close” and “Sharp eyes” are noticed.
I have chosen this photographer because of the use of background, lighting, and using face to represent one’s identity. Like in his photographs, I will use a simple plain background and lightings to show the idea of “Hope”.
Favorite
This photograph is my favorite photograph from Robert Bergman, because of the lighting. The main subject of one’s face is clearly shown by the element of “Get in close”; the details like the curly hairs, the bones, the blue-colored eyes, and the dots on the face can be seen clearly. The background of this photograph is what I like. It doesn’t show any information about the time or the setting. It is simple and the lighting attracts my eyes. Even though the subject has an unemotional face without any posing of their body, from my standpoint, the lighting gives a sense of hope. The red, pink, and purple color is bright enough and shine behind the main subject. The subject seems very skinny like he/she has faced poverty or any hardships. However, the lighting and the red flower on the subject’s shoulder seem like there is still hope behind the subject’s life. When I first saw this image, my eyes were drawn to the main subject because it was covering my whole frame. However, I focused on the details, the lighting, the hair, and the red clothes. There is a similarity between these details. The colors of red, pink, orange and purple are all bright enough to catch my attention. The colors are emphasized and stand out because the incarnadine color of the main subject fills the frame. It seems dull and plain by the color, but adding these brighter colors makes it unique.
Least Favorite
This is my least favorite photograph from Robert Bergman. The main subject of one’s face is clearly shown by utilizing the element of “Get in close”. However, the lighting in the background doesn’t fit well with the subject. From the lighting, it seems that the character is facing some pain. It seems like he misses someone of something but there is no hope for him. The lighting is dark which makes the tone of the photograph dark. Moreover, the image doesn’t show any information about the setting of the time. It makes the image unattractive to the audience and depressed. When I first saw this photograph, my eyes are drawn to the main subject’s face, but particularly the left side of the face. The reflection of the light seems a bit interesting to me. It shows a contrast between the skin color and the light. Bergman might want to show an idea of “equality” through contrast and lighting. However, the lighting wasn’t unique, it might be better to have a color change in light.
Planning my shot
Set 2 Blue Shots
These photographs are my 20 chosen images for my blue set. These photographs all link with my artist, Robert Bergman. Even though I didn’t blur and out focus the background as what Robert Bergman had done in his photographs, I was inspired by his lighting skills. In these blue shots, I have experimented with different colors of lighting with different light intensity, warmness, and different angles. I have chosen the blue set by the variation of posing, different colors of lights, and how it links with my artist. All of them have a theme of “hope” by using different posing and using the prop of “mask”. By having photographs that the subject wears masks and does not wear a mask, it shows that hope of ending covid-19. Some posing shows the concept of “never give up”.
Set 2 Green Shots
I have narrowed my photographs down to 10 for my green set. First, I have chosen these images by eliminating the repetition of posing from my blue set. Moreover, I focused on the lighting. I have chosen photographs that are showing a contrast of darkness and warmness or images that show a complete warmness.
Set 2 Red Shots
The idea behind this set of photographs is “hope”, specifically “hope for the end of a pandemic”. I have chosen these 3 images by posing, lighting, lighting placement, and variety of lights. The lights I have used include yellow, white, blue, and red to show the idea. They tell a story through lighting and the mask. The lighting of red and blue represent sadness or hopelessness. On the other hand, white light and yellow light presents hope and warmness. In addition, the mask the main subject is wearing is obviously symbolizing the covid-19 pandemic that people have been facing. By using two colors of hope and hopelessness. It shows that confronting a pandemic is hard, but there is always hope to face it and fight for it. It shows a desire to eliminate the pandemic with the idea of never giving up. The strengths of these images include the use of different elements, tones, and experiments of lighting. In these photographs, I have included the elements of “getting in close”, “Quality lights” and “putting dominant eyes in the center”. I have achieved this through utilizing editing skills like cropping. Moreover, the lights are chosen well; it expresses different emotion and tones to the audience. By looking at these three images, audiences might feel warmness or hope through the photograph with yellow lighting. In addition, people might feel a bit depressed through the photograph with blue color lighting as the background. But also feel a feeling of hope through the small strong white light coming out from the side of the subject’s body in the image with blue lights filling the frame. I have learned to use different lighting to better express the idea and the tone of the images. It is interesting and attractive to others. Something that works well about these images is the tone and the show of my idea through lighting. The color choice of lighting worked well to present the idea of “hope”. Something that I need to develop further is to use different emotions to strengthen my idea. For my next set, I am looking forward to using the same idea of “hope.” It was hard for individuals to go out and travel during the pandemic. I will depict photographs that show a person hoping to travel to a place. Unlike this set, I will be using and developing my editing skills in Affinity software.
Critique
Favorite
This photograph is my favorite of the whole set. There are multiple elements included in this photograph, “Get in close”, “Quality Lights” and “Sharp Eyes”. It would be better to spread out the lighting more so that more lighting comes out from the side of the main subject. The lights might be a distraction, but that was intended to show an idea of “hope” and a “positive future”. When I looked at this photograph, my eyes were drawn to the mask and the lights coming out from the side. The exposure is right and intended. I have utilized the element of “Quality of Lights” and when taking the photograph I have used higher ISO to depict my character clearly. The blue light is correct because it was intended to show the concept of hardship and sadness. In addition, the small amount of bright white light coming from the side of the body is also intended to show the concept of hope. Even though I have used the element of “Get in Close” for this photograph, it would be much better to use a longer focal length to depict the details on the face. The background is simple, it is just a combination of two-color lights, blue and bright light. As mentioned, these two colors symbolize different tones and different concepts. Dark blue shows the concept of hardship and provides a tone of depression to the audience. On the other hand, the small white light coming from eh side shows the concept of “never giving up” and “there is always hope”. It gives small courage to the audience. The element of “Quality lights” are taking up the most. This photograph mainly focuses on light and the prop of masks. They both show universal meanings. It might be better to strengthen the quality and the quantity of the white light. The choices of color are definitely correct. Before taking the photographs, I have searched up for the color that gives the audience a feeling of sadness which was the blue color. Even though yellow was the main color for hope, white was the other option. The depth of field between the main subject and the light can be closer to increase the white light intensity and amount of light. Furthermore, the photograph definitely fits the vision. The mask showing the covid-19 collaborating with the blue-colored background shows the difficulty of facing covid. However, there is always a small amount of hope behind everyone. It tells a story that no one should give up and stop confronting.
Least Favorite
`The photograph I have taken is my least favorite photograph from the red shots, because of the light choice. All of the elements included in the photograph support the main subject of my face. The elements include “Get in close”, “interaction”, and “Quality Lights and Shadows”. This is my least favorite image, because of the lighting. The choice of lighting was a mistake, it would be much better to change one of the lightings to bright white or yellow to show a stronger idea of “hope”. Still, by not wearing a mask, it shows the character’s desire to end the covid-19 era and should not give up to reach the goal of not wearing a mask. When I first saw this photograph, my eyes were drawn to the face. On the face, it showed a mixture and the contrast of the red and blue color. It makes the photograph attractive and interesting by giving two different tones. The reflection of the white light on the glasses of the subject is kind of a distracting element. It makes the audience see the subject’s eyeless clearer. The exposure is right, but the color choices of light are wrong. It distracts showing the idea of “hope”. I have utilized my photograph technique by lowering my ISO in a darker room so that it depicts the character much clearer. The color choice of red seems to make the photograph not hopeful but increases a feeling of brutality and depression. The focal length is correct and just right; I have correctly used the element of “Get in close”. By making the focal length longer it might be too concentrated on the face. The background is simple with different colors of lights showing different tones. Both a bit showing the hopeless and dangerous tone. The composition or the element of “Quality lights’ are taking the most part and frame in this photograph. It is the most focused element in it. By not wearing the mask, it shows an interaction with the audience. It might be better to strengthen the interaction. As mentioned, the color in this image isn’t correct. It might be better to change one that shows warmness and hope. The depth of field between the subject and the light is just right. Unlike my favorite photograph, this photograph doesn’t need to close the depth of field due to the different placing of lights. It does show my vision through the mask but not really by the lights.
Set 1
Mind Map
Focus
Generally, I am focusing on the social issues of inequality and the famous quotation, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” from George Elliot. I want to show that people are just people; they are all equal. I am trying to present this idea using unique ways to reveal a person’s identity. The methods include depicting only a part of the person’s body, such as hands, using eyes as the main focus, and the background.
Statement of Intent
The title of this project is “Equality.” The social and cultural issue I want to explore with my photographs is a cultural difference. I want my audience to feel a strong sense from different cultures and ethnicity and different emotions such as isolation. I want my viewers to clearly see the cultural difference of people, like how some are different than others. I also want my audience to feel the isolation in different ways. I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that depict the eyes as the main focus, showing different cultures by their appearance, different poses, and different ways to show identification, such as offering a person’s hands.
Artist- Bill Brandt
Bill unusually expresses emotion to show some part of the body. The body parts and the background catches the audiences’ attentions. Bill set a pretty busy background, unlike other photographers who focus on a plain and not busy background. He usually depicts the parts of the body that represent someone’s identity on a beach or in a room. He slightly uses the technique of “Get in close” to fill the main subject of body parts on the frame. Furthermore, he usually depicts these body parts utilizing “Change your angles.” It doesn’t use angles to eliminate the distractions but instead takes the main subject in a weird angle. We can also find his photographs mainly as a portrait shape. Even though he follows these rules, he breaks these rules more. One of the features that makes his pictures different than others is the editing technique. Most of his portraits are in a Black & White tone. I have chosen this artist because it relates to my intent. He uses just one of the body parts to represent identity and uses a feeling of oldness, isolation, and darkness through the tone of Black & White. I will take his idea of Black & White tone, using body parts to show identity and angles on my experimentation. Moreover, I also want to experiment with the shadows that he utilizes. I want to depict the essence by taking photographs from different angles and distractions.
Least favorite photograph
The subject of this photograph taken by Bill Brandt is unclear to me. This subject was the first thing that caught my eyes because it took up the most frame space. It seems more like an arm, but it might also be a knee. Even though this shows a person’s identity through a body part, it is unclear.
On the skin, I see a minor blemish; this shows the uniqueness of its identity. By the background, we can identify it is near the shore. This photograph is attractive due to its unique part of the body and the busyness of the background, but I don’t like the posing.
Some positive features of this image include the details on the skin, like the fainted lines and dots. The Black & White tone and the shadows created by the subject on the pebbles show the uniqueness of the photograph. In addition, The small pebbles catch the audience’s attention by showing the setting of this image.
As for Portraiture, a simple background is much better than a busy background. This can be improved by depicting from a different angle. By the clearness of the small pebbles, I anticipate this photograph was taken during the daytime.
Favorite Photograph
The subject is taken in this photograph taken by Bill Brandt is very clear to me. It was the first thing I saw in the Portrait. It takes up most of the frame, and the identity stands out clearly. The subject of the photograph is fingers. I like this photograph since it clearly zoomed in and focused on one part of the body to show identity. Moreover, it has a plain background as standard Portraiture than other images taken by Bill Brandt. There are multiple shapes, lines on the hand, and the tone of Black & White presents the photograph as impressive. Furthermore, the element of “light” is well used. It creates the shadows of the hands-on pebble and clearly shows the subject. The shades provide uniqueness to the photograph.
The feature of the catch in texture also provides a positive effect to the audience. The smoothness of the fingers and the rocks can be identified.
The setting and the time of this photograph aren’t precise. I can anticipate that it is daytime near the sea. I can see small details like palm lines from the picture of fingers. The palm lines show the characteristics of the person and the identity. By the number of palm lines, there is a high possibility that the person isn’t young and works a lot. More palm lines show more ages. People who work a lot of hand movements often have rough lines on their hands. I am predicting he is a diligent and middle-aged person.
Plan my shot
I might need to use props such as a watch, light, and clothes to show one’s identity.
My vision is clear; I want to show different cultures and a feeling of isolation through photographs.
I am going to take my pictures in any school space that has a simple background to take photographs. (like the cafeteria tables)
Plan
Set 1 Blue
I have chosen photographs that are mainly related to my artist in my blue shots. Some photographs are related to my topic of depicting the cultural aspect of one’s identity and the idea of equality. I also focused on the element of tone, “Get in close” and “Quality lights and shadow.” In addition, the variety of posing was also what I was looking for in this set.
Set 1 Green
For the Green shots, I narrowed it down to photographs that are both related to my topic and my artist. Again, I was also looking for a variety of posing. I didn’t want the repetition of posing. The contrast of the color of hands was another part that I was looking for; it shows the cultural part of one’s identity.
Set 1 Red
I have chosen these images as my red shots because they have the clearest color contrast of hands. From the contrast, it meets my vision of showing a strong sense of cultural difference. It represents one’s cultural identity well and shows an idea of equality.
The idea behind these photographs is equality. Each photograph presents one’s ethnicity and cultural part of one’s identity in different ways. By the contrast of colors of hands, it shows the ethnicity that one belongs to. Moreover, it has a story or an idea that no matter what skin color you possess, everybody has the same hands. In addition, they care for each other and collaborate with each other.
The strengths of these photographs are that there are multiple elements included and different posing of hands to tell a story. The elements comprise “Get in close,” “Quality Lights and Shadow,” and “Out of focus.” In addition, it has a clear color contrast of hands by editing. I also have followed the style of my chosen artist, Bill Brandt, for this set.
Throughout the set, I have developed different skills, including photo editing and managing ISO setting when taking photographs. Moreover, I have experimented taken photographs from a variety of angles. From my previous tasks, I have learned to use shadows to attract audiences’ attention. Moreover, I also learned to use a Black & White tone to express feelings of darkness and isolation.
Something that works well about these images is that it clearly follows the expectations of my chosen artist. Moreover, it has a clear color contrast and has a variety uses of important elements for Portraiture.
Something I need to develop further is photo editing. I think I only did a decent job of editing. I could have used a variety of colors of hands to show different ethnicity of individuals.
Critique
Favorite Picture
Most of the elements support the main subject of hands. The element of general lines in the background might be a distraction. On the other hand, the use of “Quality Lights and shadows” and the tone of Black & White fits well with the main subject. The tone expresses a feeling of darkness, and the shadows created by the artificial lighting attracts audiences’ attention. When I first saw the photograph, my eyes were drawn directly to the dark part of the hand. I want the audience to see the color contrast and then see the sculptures in the background.
The exposure is correct because I have used low ISO when taking photographs. Moreover, the shadows are included in both the sculpture areas and below the hands. There is also a bit reflective of the light beside the hands. I have utilized the element of “Quality Lights and Shadows” to exaggerate the exposure. It might be better to depict the shadows more; the shadows are a bit small.
By a longer focal length, I think it would be better by eliminating the background and utilizing the element of “Get in close.” It would increase the magnification. This way, it makes the audience focus on the details on hand. Moreover, shortening the focal length would make the photograph worse since it would have more backgrounds. It makes a wider angle of view and low magnification.
The background includes the cultural sculptures and the repetition of plain woodblocks. The woodblocks do not mean anything, but the cultural sculptures links with the hands. It shows the western and Indian ethnicity of one’s identity. It gives a sense of cultural identity and difference to the audience.
The element of the tone of Black & White is taking up the most composition. The use of the component “Quality Lights and Shadows” are also seen below the hands and on the side of the sculptures. By the hands, which are the main subjects in the photograph, the use of “watch the hands” is found by the posing. The pose of hands has a universal meaning of equality and peace.
The color is accurate because it has a clear contrast between black and white hands. These two colors show different identities and different cultures. However, it is still based on the idea that everybody has the same hands.
The depth of field between the hands and the sculptures fits well. The hands are directly pointing and facing at these sculptures from an angle. The sculptures might get a bit closer to the hands so that hands are more focused by the element of “get in close.”
This photograph clearly shows my vision of identity through hands with cultural features. The addition of the tradition-based sculptures strengthens the idea of giving a sense and information of one’s identity about their ethnicity and heritage. Moreover, the Black & White tone provides a sense of isolation and darkness.
I think the audience will feel a robust sense of the culture of one’s identity by the posing, color contrast, and artistic sculptures. Even though the photograph is in a Black & White tone, which possesses a dark tone, the reflection of lights beside the hands might give the audience a brighter and positive feeling.
Least favorite picture
Most of the elements support the main subject of hands, such as Quality lights and shadows, a contrast of colors, and getting in close. However, there are distractions in the background. The background isn’t simple and plain. My artist, Bill Brandt, also made his background distracting, so I tried to follow that. However, it seems a bit taking away from the strength of this photograph. One of the reasons I have chosen this photograph as my least favorite is because of the background. Moreover, the editing skills were a bit lacking. The sleeve on the right side has a weird dark shape. My eyes are immediately drawn by the color contrast of the hands but also on the sleeve. The sleeve has an editing error that catches eyes. I want my audience to focus more on the hands because it is my main subject. It also shows smy topic and links with my artist. Yes, it would be better through a different focal length. By a longer focal length, it would be able to eliminate the background, making a focus on the element “getting in close”. The background doesn’t mean anything. The main concept of distraction in the background was inspired by my artist. Moreover, I also utilized the element of shadows to attract audiences’ attention. The element of the tone of Black & WHite covers most of the frame. I also utilized the element of getting in close to make the audience focus on the main subject. There are only two colors in this photograph, Black & White which is the tone. I have used these two colors to show the feeling of darkness and to show the cultural difference by the contrast of the colors on hands. I think the depth of field between the hands and the background is too far away. Depicting the hands closer to the background might eliminate the distractions and have a plain background by the bench. Furthermore, this photograph shows my vision but it doesn’t really show my cultural identity. It might be better next time to place an item that represents one’s ethnicity in the background. The color contrast even though shows the cultural difference by their skin colors. However, it might be depending on audiences’ interpretation.
Reading Reflection #2
The current book I am reading is “The Crown’s Game” by Evelyn Skye. I just started reading; so far, I have read up to Page 17. There is a vast difference between the last book I read entitled “to Kill a Mockingbird.” The previous book was more like a true story, but after reading a few pages of this new book, I can already feel the adventurous feeling and a strong fantasy feeling. This story introduced the protagonist as a magical sorcerer training to serve the tsar, essentially the king in Russia. It also partly introduced the Russian Culture
From my perspective, I really enjoy reading fantasy and adventure genre books. I want to continue reading more rather than abandon it in the first place. As the story goes on, I have noticed a few personifications in describing the places and the situations. Moreover, I noticed multiple dialogues in the story between the protagonist Vika and other individuals mostly related to her father.
Introduction to Potraiture
Portraiture
Portraiture or Portrait is a type of photography aiming to depict a person showing their face, appearance, feeling, emotion and personality. Picturing portraits utilize different techniques, including adequate lighting, angles, poses, etc. From my perspective, Selfies are definitely considered Portraiture. It can be counted as “Self” Portraiture showing a portrait of the author. As long as the photograph includes faces and people, I consider them Portraiture. In a portrait, people or person is essential; it is one aspect that should be included in portraitures. I believe there are no specific aspects or things that shouldn’t be in Portraiture. A “good portraiture” should include a blank background; usually, if we see portraits taken by photographers, the background isn’t busy but straightforward. The most crucial aspect that makes a “good portraiture” should definitely focus on the face or the part of a person that shows their identity. A portrait by Mahesh Balasubramanian is a great example. This Portrait has a clear focus on a child’s face and is built without any distraction in the background like trees, but just a simple black background. In general, rules in photography can be broken. You don’t need to focus on the whole body in the Portrait. In Portraiture, it is possible to consist of small details like close up of hands because it shows a person’s identity. In my perspective, picturing one part of the person, which can be handed, can also establish the identity and emotions. For example, a hand photo taken by Eamonn McCabe is a great photo showing only the hands. Even though it didn’t show the face, the photograph showed more meaning, making the readers more interpretations. Hands essentially present the identity.
Moreover, when the focus subject isn’t on an aspect of identity or a person, it ceases to become a portrait. It essentially depends on who people interpret the photograph. However, I think as long as it shows the identity, no matter the photography is blurred, torn apart, or faded, in my standpoint, it is still considered as a portrait. In addition, it is possible to represent photographically without people presented in the images. It can be defined as objects or shadows that make the readers interpret further. From my perspective, if the objects show the identity of a person or people, I think it counts as a portrait cause it shows a part of someone. It essentially depends on how viewers interpret it. Portraits don’t have to be single photographs but sequences of events and images.
Mind Map
Focus
Generally, I am focusing on the social issues of inequality and the famous quotation, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” from George Elliot. I want to show that people are just people; they are all equal. I am trying to present this idea using different unique ways to reveal a person’s identity. The methods include depicting only a part of the person’s body, such as hands, using eyes as the main focus, and the background.
Image Inspiration/Mood Board
Statement of Intent
The title of this project is “Equality.” The social and cultural issue I want to explore with my photographs is a cultural difference. I want my audience to feel a strong sense from different cultures and ethnicity and different emotions such as isolation. I want my viewers to clearly see the cultural difference of people, like how some are different than others. I also want my audience to feel the isolation in different ways. I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that depict the eyes as the main focus, showing different cultures by their appearance, different poses, and different ways to show identification, such as offering a person’s hands.
Artist- Bill Brandt
Bill expresses emotion in an unusual way to show some part of the body. The body parts and the background catches the audiences’ attentions. Bill set a pretty busy background, unlike other photographers who focus on a plain and not busy background. He usually depicts the parts of the body that represent someone’s identity on a beach or in a room. He slightly uses the technique of “Get in close” to fill the main subject of body parts on the frame. Furthermore, he usually depicts these body parts utilizing “Change your angles.” It doesn’t use angles to eliminate the distractions but instead takes the main subject in a weird angle. We can also find his photographs mainly as a portrait shape. Even though he follows these rules, he breaks these rules more. One of the features that makes his pictures different than others is the editing technique. Most of his portraits are in a Black & White tone. I have chosen this artist because it relates to my intent. He uses just one of the body parts to represent identity and uses a feeling of oldness through the tone of Black & White. I will take his idea of Black & White tone, using body parts to show identity and angles on my experimentation. I want to depict the essence by taking photographs from different angles but without distractions.
Least favorite photograph
The subject of this photograph taken by Bill Brandt is unclear to me. This subject was the first thing that caught my eyes because it took up the most frame space. My interpretation is someone’s ankle or knees, but I don’t really know it. Even though this shows a person’s body part, it is unclear.
On the skin I see a small blemish; this shows the uniqueness of its identity. By the background, we can identify it is near the shore. This photograph is attractive due to its unique part of the body and the busyness of the background, but I don’t like the posing.
Some positive features of this image include the details on the skin, like the fainted lines and dots. The Black & White tone and the shadows created by the subject on the pebbles show the uniqueness of the photograph. In addition, The small pebbles catch the audience’s attention by showing the setting of this image.
As for Portraiture, a simple background is much better than a busy background. This can be improved by depicting from a different angle. By the clearness of the small pebbles, I anticipate this photograph was taken during the daytime.
Favorite Photograph
The subject is taken in this photograph taken by Bill Brandt is very clear to me. It was the first thing I saw in the Portrait. It takes up most of the frame, and the identity stands out clearly. The subject of the photograph is fingers. I like this photograph since it clearly zoomed in and focused on one part of the body to show identity. Moreover, it has a plain background as normal Portraiture than other images taken by Bill Brandt. There are multiple shapes, lines on the hand, and the tone of Black & White presents the photograph as impressive. Furthermore, the element of “light” is well used. It creates the shadows of the hands-on pebble and clearly shows the subject. The shadows provide uniqueness to the photograph.
The feature of the catch in texture also provides a positive effect to the audience. The smoothness of the fingers and the rocks can be identified.
The setting and the time of this photograph aren’t clear. I can anticipate that it is daytime near the sea. From the photograph of fingers, I can see small details like palm lines. The palm lines show the characteristics of the person and the identity. By the number of palm lines, there is a high possibility that the person isn’t young and works a lot. More palm lines show more ages. People who work a lot of hand movements often have rough lines on their hands. I am predicting he is a diligent and middle-aged person.
Posing and Studio Photography
Inspiration
My goal and my inspiration came from this photo. I wanted to depict portraiture that provides the viewer with darkness but also a little bit of brightness. I have shown this by using a Black & White tone and the control of lights. I also achieved this by putting lights in different directions and positions. The pose was intended to show loneliness and isolation.
Lighting Workshop Planning
Final Portraiture (Light Workshop)
From my standpoint, I think it was successful following the inspiration photo to create a feeling of isolation. I edited the photograph a little bit to add the tone of Black & White. By looking at my face, it shows a contrast of brightness and darkness just like the inspiration photo. The lighting position was almost the same but less bright. I think next time it will be better to wear whiter clothes so that it shows a clear contrast and brightness on the upper body.
Reading Reflection 1
The current book I am reading right now is an eminent Southern Gothic fiction of Harper Lee. I almost finished this book. This book is entitled “To Kill a Mocking Bird.” This story has a theme of fighting discrimination. Many residences are racist, and our protagonist’s father, Atticus Finch, diligently tries to fight back the discrimination towards individuals. One of the questions I have about this book is that If this story is a true story. The protagonist’s father, Atticus Finch, is an eminent lawyer for discrimination. When I read, the word choice and especially numerous dialogues provide the feeling of reality. This book has inspired me to attend more charity activities because the story is to resist discrimination. It made me feel frustrated when reading and considering that the modern world still consists of inequalities. One of the predictions I can make is publishing another to kill a mocking bird book related to the modern world in the 21st century. However, unfortunately, the author Harper Lee passed away in 2016. As I read, I learned how unequal society is and compared the story and the modern world in my mind. Overall I enjoy reading the story; however, I think changing some wordings that include racial terms will improve the story, even though these words are strong. I plan to read or reread other novels are “Holes” by Louis Sachar and “The Crown’s Game” by Evelyn Skye.
