May 7

Mind Map & Statement of Intent

Played with some techniques in capturing movements:

Yellow: Some have objects cut off the frame, and some have unintended things captured (such as hair, wall, etc.), making them look unfinished.

Green: These photos below look more finished, as they contain all the requirements I wanted to include in my final photograph. However, although they look nice, some of the photos (the hand gestures) have nothing related to my social issue. Hence, I put them in the green category. 

 

final product:

Title: Filtered Reality

We, mostly youth, constantly compare and influence through social media, eventually blurring our identities. I tried to express this by making one side of myself take a picture, and the other side of myself edit the photo and texting my friends.

 

Mind map

Statement of intent

Recently, as I was scrolling down my Pinterest board, I saw this quote “We are sad generation with happy pictures.” This instantly made me reflect on the social issues teenagers nowadays often face in light of social media. I chose to use monochrome or grayscale for this project because it makes the audience feel more emotive, removes distractions, and helps focus on textures, shapes, patterns, and composition.

“By taking away the color, you remove one layer of distraction from the photo revealing, for instance, form and lighting in a new, clearer way – so important when you want to draw the eye to your subject.” – shotkit

Category: photography, Portraiture | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 5

Introduction to Portraiture

There are no rules required for taking a great portrait. It captures one’s identity, personality, and essence using photographic techniques such as composition, lighting, location, emotion, posing, and technical settings. Although people think a portrait is one type of photograph of a person that only depicts them from head to shoulder, there are countless varieties of portrait photographs, such as Selfies are considered a form of self-portrait photography:

Traditional Portrait Photography

  • This type of portrait often comes to mind when people think about portrait photography. Portrait photography usually includes the subject’s head and shoulders.
    • Beatrice by Julia Margaret Cameron,1998

Lifestyle Portraits

  • This type of portrait focuses on capturing the everyday or relatable setting of people(s). The subjects are often candidly depicted when performing day-to-day activities. On the other hand, lifestyle photographers usually do not position their subjects.
    • Finnegan by Jordan Parks

Environmental Portraits 

  • This type of portrait focuses on capturing the moment in a meaningful environment for the subject, which offers the viewer an insight into the subject’s personality. Elements such as the location, lighting, and posing techniques have a significant impact in this type of photography.
    • Igor Stravinsky, New York, NY, 1 December 1946

    • 3rd Place in the Documentary Family Awards in the environmental portrait category (Fall 2021) by Deepak Kaushilya

A photo becomes a portrait when the subject, along with the background, lighting, and emotion, can evoke a sense of connection between the viewer and the portrait photograph. Hence, a person you photograph should be included to call it a portrait. Although, some say that shaky hands or blurriness is considered a bad portrait. That may be true for some photos; a photo that does not think carefully about the subject’s position in the frame might lead to an aesthetically unpleasing portrait. However, there is still no rule for a good portrait. If taking a portrait blurry was the intention, it is reasonable. The unusualness makes it contains more symbolism and representation in the photos:
    • ex) capture surreal reflections

   

useful websites for taking portrait photography

 
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April 6

Street Photography

Street Photography – “…street photography is 99.9% about failure” – Alex Webb 

Street photography is a genre of photography that records everyday life in public places. The publicness of the setting enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without their knowledge. Street photographers do not necessarily have a social purpose in mind, but they prefer to isolate and capture moments that might otherwise go unnoticed.

 

Developing My Vision with a  Mind Map

Hutong alleys: the soul of Old Beijing - ARCHITECTURE ON THE ROAD

The real culture of Beijing lies in the culture of Hutong, because it gives an insight into the old lifestyle of ordinary Beijingers (many laid out hundreds of years ago during the Ming and Qing dynasty eras 1368-1912, but it first appeared in the Yuan Dynasty 1271-1368) and has special appeal to tourists. During the trip to Beijing Hutong, I am hoping to capture the hidden Chinese culture of the common people in the world as Hutong represents an important stage in the development and evolution of the capital’s and the citizens’ history and culture.

 

Theme(s): looking for the hidden culture of Hutong

Photograph(s) that inspire(s) me:

  

 

Techniques I will be using for street-photography

Fishing technique: find a scene, light quality, and background that interests you but misses a subject or that little more. Set yourself up in that spot, find your framing, and wait for the ‘extra element’ to happen in your frame. Capture it.

examples)

(background-> background and subject 1 -> background and subject 2)

(Antennae)

(Railway community colorful lady)

no title

Capture gestures: Gestures in photography convey strong emotions. When talking about gesture, refers to a stance, movement, pose, or any way that someone uses their body to show feeling. When talking about emotion, it refers to someone’s face, their eyes, their mouth, and the subtle micro-expressions in the forehead.  They can be facial gestures: someone smiling, someone frowning, someone making a funny face. It can also be a hand gesture.

ex) pictures I took (got permission to take)

 

And other pictures …

 

 

Category: street photography | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 13

SET 2

Ahmed Thabet

He was another one of the contestants at the Minimalist Photography Awards 2022. He is an Egyptian doctor by profession who made an unexpected career change and became a photographer. His exceptional photographs tell stories of artificial structures, glorified by a photographer’s sharp eye.

Ahmed Thabet’s photographs 

(more AMAZING Ahmed Thabet’s photographs )

(My favorite picture in Ahmed Thabet’s photographs, one of the series of “Oculus”)

Ahmed Thabet’s “Oculus” particularly inspires me. It was taken in New York City to the beautiful (transportation hub) named the Oculus, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, in a very abstract approach, delving into details more and more, diving into curves, trying to get the best of it. His philosophy regarding his work is to “focus on a preconceived idea in my mind.” He usually puts it into a series of shots with the same architecture. Although working in a series is usually challenging, he considers architecture a beautiful model. He mentioned that getting lucky shots out of a series of shots is hard. He believes an artistic vision can only be fully expressed through a series with different perspectives. He also said, “I do not accept the norm in art, my image should convey emotions and thoughts to the viewers.” This was a very motivational quote to me because I also agree with it and agree that the most boring thing we do in arts is being expected. Thabet also mentioned that he usually uses long exposure monochrome, abstract, minimalism, creative editing, etc., to make his photos look revolutionary.

In set 1, I focused on the lighting and color. However, for set 2, I want to alter my vision and focus less on the lighting and more on the pattern, shades, and textures.

 

Pictures I took:

            

The images above is my response to Thabet, I am pleased with this out-come because it demonstrates my understanding of how Thabet is able to use techniques such as long exposure monochrome, abstract, and minimalism. My aim was to alter my vision and focus on capturing the pattern, shades, and textures of objects and surroundings.

Best 3 pictures

I chose these pictures as my final product, and I am pleased with these images. I produced this picture by setting specific places focused. I am trying to remember the type of camera I used, but it was a camera that takes close-up shots; it was tough to handle. After I took a bunch of photos, choosing three of them was extremely hard. I chose those pictures as my final product because it overall seems balanced as the objects all have a horizontal line.
What went well in this photogram was the balance between the textures, patterns, and shadows. Moreover, the monochromatic color scheme made the pictures produce a cold and calm vibe. One challenging part while taking this photo was removing the distracting objects in the background and focusing on specific things. I could have improved these images if I had taken pictures (such as buildings) outside to make the pictures look more abstract because it was more complicated than I thought to find places with specific little patterns in our school. Overall I am pleased with these photos because I like the mood it produces using various techniques.

Category: photography, SETS: Take and evaluate pictures | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 9

Statement of Intent

Title: [Insignificant but Precious]

Looking at the pictures I took, I want my audience to feel miserable. Although my message is to seek the insignificant subjects preciously, my most significant intention in taking abstract photos is to make them think and observe the techniques and “how” the photographer made it look abstract. For set 1, I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that show different techniques, such as Shirine Gill’s photograph. For set 2, I will focus on taking abstract photos that effectively include patterns and shades. Hence, I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking at Ahmed Thabet’s photographs to find the beauty within the ordinary. 

Category: photography, SETS: Take and evaluate pictures, Statement of Intent | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 6

SET1: Take and evaluate pictures

Shirine Gill 

is a nomadic artist who uses Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), which is processed by moving during the exposure to create a creative effect.

 

Shirine Gill’s photographs 

5 Characteristics 

“I do not like to work in any specific work-space. A studio creates anxiety in me. I am a nomadic artist. Working digitally enables me to work anywhere. My environment and the evolving available materials, inform my work. Discovering new materials is an exciting part of the work’s unfolding.” – Shirine Gill

I chose this photographer because her photos were interesting and made me wonder what Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) is. Through this photographer, I want to learn the techniques and steps she took to take these photos. Moreover, I chose this quote because it emphasized what and how a photographer works.

I chose this image because I really liked the texture (the white lines and the blurriness), the greenish-white color, and overall the auroral feature of this picture. Thus, this abstract photography makes the viewers focus on form, color, texture, perspective, movement, and light rather than the message it conveys. The most important element in the Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) is light, which creates line, repetition, shape, and texture. Using a long shutter speed, the photographer can deliberately move the camera to paint with light and accentuate the subject’s tone and texture, creating a stunning abstract picture. To adapt this style in my photography, I found a place that is dark but has a limited amount of light so that it can capture the light. When I tried to highlight the vertical lines of the trees, it was hard to achieve a correctly-exposed image during bright daylight hours. 

 

I am willing to take pictures that make the viewers miserable of the intention; therefore, I focus on the image’s form, texture, and color. I will take photos in the style of Shirine Gill, which uses Intentional Camera Movement (ICM). I am particularly inspired by Aquatico Series 2009 and will try to take pictures that express patterns (lines), colors, and textures (blurriness).  

 

Pictures I took:

          

 

Best 3 photos

Taking pictures using intentional camera movement taught me how to take abstract photographs. I accomplished to take intentional camera movement by intentionally moving the camera during exposure to create a more abstract rendition of the subject. Instead of recording a sharp, lifelike image, I effectively painted with my camera. One notable thing about using ICM is that it enables me to capture a picture in a unique and personal way that cannot quickly be produced using other techniques. When I tried to take pictures using ICM, I first began to find places that offer vivid colors, lines, or patterns. Additionally, I used horizontal and diagonal movements to pan the camera, proving equally effective. According to other websites, I found out that forest, especially during the spring and autumn seasons, is a good ICM location. The parallel lines provided by the trees and the vibrant colors of nature lend themselves to a vertical camera movement shot. The scene produced unique forms, colors, textures, and interests. Moreover, because there is no right or wrong, all that matters is that I create an image that I enjoy and that reflects my vision.

Category: SETS: Take and evaluate pictures | LEAVE A COMMENT
February 20

Photo Safari

  

Photo 7 didn’t work so well because it was hard to find the pattern (for example, the library window had a similar pattern; however, it wasn’t the same as the standard). Hence, I took a photo of the floor to make it look similar to the standard, which doesn’t look unique.

Picture 8 came out well, especially the right one, because I noticed everyone else was also taking the picture with the mint holes; I wanted to find something unique. I went to the area near the theater, where there was some old Chinese carriage. The carriage wheels had those wheels, so I took a picture.

 

 

 

Category: Photo Safari, photography | LEAVE A COMMENT
February 16

Formal Elements

[ Formal Elements ]

    • Formal elements are visual features that have the potential to transform simple subjects into great shots.
      • ex) line, shape/ form, pattern, etc.

line: Line create visual interest and conveys a message in an image. It can direct the viewer’s attention, make sense of depth, and develop an understanding of movement.

Using Lines to Improve Photographic Composition - The Photo Argus

shape: Shape is an essential element of photography composition, as it can create balance and symmetry in your photos or lead the viewer’s eye toward the main subject.

How to Use Form and Shape in Photography Composition

pattern: Patterns are made of lines, shapes, textures, contrasts of light and darkness, sun and shadow. It can compose a visually compelling image that keeps the viewer engaged.

Patterns in Photography: Showcase of Beautiful Patterns

texture: Texture adds visual interest. Unlike pure lines or patterns, irregular or complex texture holds the viewer’s interest. Texture can also provide information about the subject- it age, condition, and other qualities.

Macro Texture of Leaf, Black and White Photo Stock Image - Image of cell, detail: 119414885

tone: Tone refers to the levels of brightness in the photograph. ex) solid black to pure white

Understanding Tonal Range and the Importance of dark tones (shadows) in Photography - George Digalakis Fine Art Photography

focus: It is part of an image that draws the eye of the viewer to the most important part of the image or the area you want to highlight.

Using Selective Focus - Outdoor Photographer

It is hard for an image to show just one element at a time; as we see in the examples, a picture that was supposed to represent one element also has other features. For example, the ” pattern ” picture also contains texture, shape, and line.

 

Paul Strand

This photograph includes lines, shapes, and textures. I named the title “Seek” because it is hard to find the intention of the image, but the viewers can still spot some elements the photographer included. An interesting thing about this picture is that the shadows form the patterns and lines. In addition, although the picture seems like there needs to be more information, if the viewers seek detailed insight, we can find all the basic shapes: rectangular, triangular, and circle.

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February 14

Researching the starting point

Abstract Photography

Abstract Photography is all about pictures and interesting and eye-catching photos. Ideas, abstract features, textures, lines, and colors evoke emotions and change the viewer’s perspective. However, it can be difficult for the viewers to understand the artist’s intentions at first glance. It can often be ambiguous. Besides, taking abstract photos is difficult because they can look good or terrible.

 

 The Pictorialism Mobement


The Pictorialism Movement was active from 1885 to 1915. Pictorialists reinvented the medium of Photography as an art form, prioritizing beauty, tonality, and composition over creating accurate visual records. This movement sought to elevate Photography to the same level as painting. Advocates have used various darkroom techniques to create imagery that can be used to tell stories, replicate mythological or biblical scenes, or create dreamlike landscapes to express their creativity. Pictorial Photography refers to images manipulated in some way to enhance their artistic effect. Common themes are soft focus, color tintings, and visible manipulation, such as adding composite images or brushstrokes.

 

Straight Photography Movement 


Straight Photography is a photo that was not taken initially or manipulated in a darkroom or digital process but depicts the scene or subjects as seen by the camera. Straight Photography is a process and time-based approach. It represents immediacy, the passage of time in history, or the suspension of time as in snapshots. For the first time since Photography was invented, straight Photography respects the medium’s technical visual language. The camera’s unique vocabulary includes form, sharp focus, rich detail, high contrast, and rich color tones. Straight Photography is also synonymous with pure Photography, as it describes a camera’s ability to reproduce images of reality faithfully.

 

Aaron Siskind 


Aaron Siskind was an American photographer who, instead of taking pictures of the post-World War II social and political world, looked inwardly to find meaning in the almost inanimate forms he observed around him. He was the first photographer to combine straight-line Photography with abstraction. Siskind also identified the ideas and styles of abstract expressionist artists in New York in the 1940s. Nonetheless, he strengthened his approach to painting production, emphasizing texture, line, and visual rhyme to create abstract images of the real world.

 

Andreas Gursky and Uta Barth 


Andreas Gursky is a German photographer and professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany. He is known for his important architectural format and landscape color photography, often using elevated perspectives. Gursky focuses on globalism and digitally reconstructs the images to give them a look akin to an abstraction. However, images are never completely abstracted, as they are tied to the objects they depict.

 

Uta Barth is a contemporary German-American photographer dealing with themes such as perception, optical illusions, and non-place. Her work is about vision and perception as much as it is about the failure of seeing, human belief in the mechanics of perception, and the precarious nature of perceptual habits. As such, she is an artist with evocative abstract Photography that explore the nature of vision and the difference between how humans see reality and how a camera records it.

Category: Connect and Respond, photography | LEAVE A COMMENT