School Photos

• Purpose of the Photo – The photo’s purpose appears to be expressing the freshness of the season, autumn.
• Visual Flow: Where do the eyes go first?–

  The viewer’s eyes are naturally drawn first to the bright yellow leaf in the foreground due to its strong color contrast.
  Because the leaf is slightly blurred, the viewer’s attention naturally drifts toward the subject’s face behind it.
  This creates a controlled two-step visual path:

  1. Vibrant foreground → 2) Soft human expression

• Exposure– described as soft, warm, and even

• No blown-out highlights

• Shadow details preserved

• Warm tones fit the autumn theme

• Lighting& Focal Light- the soft natural lighting works well because

1. It supports the emotional tone
2. It avoids harsh contrasts that might fight the subtle narrative
3. Autumn colors stay warm and inviting

* A stronger directional light could add drama, but would not suit the calm, reflective purpose.

• Composition& Balance– the layered composition is strong( leaf -> person -> field )

• Color Accuracy– Warm tones of yellow, orange appear accurate and natural for autumn.

1. Reinforces the seasonal theme
2. Complements skin tones without oversaturation
3. Maintains a cohesive warm mood

• Purpose of the Photo
  The purpose of this photo seems to be expressing youthful confidence and energy through an exaggerated low-angle perspective.
• Visual Flow: Where do the eyes go first?
  The viewer’s eyes go first to the large soccer ball in the foreground because of its size and proximity to the lens.
  Since the ball dominates the frame, the eye then moves upward to the subject’s relaxed pose, creating a clear two-step visual path:
  Oversized foreground → Confident subject above it
• Exposure
  Bright, natural daylight.

• No blown-out highlights

• Shadows remain visible

• Contrast fits the energetic outdoor mood

• Lighting & Focal Light
  Soft natural light keeps the subject’s face readable.
  It supports the casual, active theme without introducing harsh shadows.
• Composition & Balance
  Strong low-angle composition (ball → subject → background).
  Creates forced perspective, although the large ball slightly unbalances the frame—intentionally supporting the playful tone.
• Color Accuracy
  Natural daylight colors appear accurate.
  Blue sky + neutral clothing + warm skin tones keep the image clean and energetic.

• Purpose of the Photo
  The purpose seems to be capturing a natural, candid moment using strong flash lighting to highlight facial features and expression.
• Visual Flow: Where do the eyes go first?
  The viewer’s eyes are drawn first to the illuminated face because of the bright flash contrast.
  From there, the gaze moves outward to the hand placement and the diagonal arm line, creating a clean visual path:
  Highlighted face → Extended arm → Background lines
• Exposure
  Bright flash exposure.

• High clarity on the subject

• No details lost in highlights

• Background remains slightly darker, which increases subject emphasis

• Lighting & Focal Light
  The flash creates sharp, direct lighting.

• Strong emphasis on facial features

• Minimal shadowing

• Works well for a bold, high-contrast indoor look

• Composition & Balance
  The pose adds dynamic balance:

• One arm raised behind the head

• The other extended toward the wall
  These diagonals give the portrait movement and prevent it from feeling static.

• Color Accuracy
  Colors remain neutral and clean.

• Black shirt stays deep and solid

• Skin tones appear bright due to flash but still natural

• Background curtains and walls stay soft, keeping focus on the subject

• Purpose of the Photo
  The purpose seems to be capturing a straightforward, honest portrait using flash to emphasize clarity and simplicity.
• Visual Flow: Where do the eyes go first?
  The viewer’s attention goes first to the face at the center of the frame because it is the brightest and most defined part.
  From there, the eye moves downward to the dark shirt and then toward the neutral curtain background.
  This creates a simple visual path:
  Bright center → Dark clothing → Soft background
• Exposure
  Flash exposure creates bright, even lighting.

• No strong shadows

• Skin details remain visible

• Slight softness adds a gentle tone to the portrait

• Lighting & Focal Light
  Direct flash creates a clean, frontal light.

• Emphasizes symmetry

• Reduces dramatic contrast

• Fits the straightforward, neutral expression of the portrait

• Composition & Balance
  Centered composition gives the photo stability.

• Straight-on angle

• Balanced vertical lines from the curtain

• Minimal distractions, keeping focus on the subject’s expression

• Color Accuracy
  Colors appear clean and neutral.

• Black shirt remains deep and solid

• Skin tones are brightened by flash but stay natural

• Background whites maintain a soft, consistent tone

• Purpose of the Photo
  The purpose of this photo is to experiment with artificial lighting to create a completely new mood and atmosphere. By using a strong red light, the image moves away from natural portrait conventions and focuses on emotional intensity.
• Visual Flow: Where do the eyes go first?
  The viewer’s eyes go first to the illuminated side of the subject’s face, where the red light is strongest.
  The gaze then moves outward toward the soft, diffused red shadows, creating a smooth visual path:
  Bright face → surrounding red glow
• Exposure
  The exposure is intentionally dark, allowing the red highlights to stand out.
  No blown-out areas appear, and the deep shadows enhance the dramatic tone.
• Lighting & Focal Light
  The red directional light establishes a cinematic, surreal atmosphere.
  It supports the experimental intention and adds depth through shadow falloff.
  The warm-red color dominates the emotional impact.
• Composition & Balance
  The off-centered placement and angled head give asymmetry, which suits the moody, experimental concept.
  The background fades smoothly, keeping attention on the face and red tone.
• Color / Tone Accuracy
  The saturated red is intentionally stylized rather than realistic, reinforcing the photo’s purpose:
  emotion over accuracy.

• Purpose of the Photo
  The photo is designed to highlight the contrast between the subject’s outer appearance and inner self. The exaggerated shadow on the wall symbolizes this duality.
• Visual Flow: Where do the eyes go first?
  The eyes first land on the lit side of the subject’s face, then move to the large, cast shadow.
  This creates a clear two-part path:
  Real face → enlarged shadow (inner self)
• Exposure
  The image uses high contrast, with deep blacks and bright highlights.
  Shadow details are intentionally lost to strengthen the symbolic tension.
• Lighting & Focal Light
  A strong single light source creates a sharp, oversized shadow.
  This lighting choice supports the theme of psychological contrast and adds depth to the narrative.
• Composition & Balance
  The frame balances the physical face on one side and the exaggerated shadow on the other.
  This asymmetry emphasizes the idea of dual identity.
• Color / Tone Accuracy
  The black-and-white treatment removes distractions and focuses on shape, contrast, and meaning.
  It reinforces the emotional weight of the image.

Viviane Sassen – Similarities to My Work

• Uses strong natural shadows across the face/body

• Creates a layered, abstract look with light interruptions

• Prefers minimal backgrounds so the subject stands out

• Captures raw, honest expressions rather than posed ones

• Plays with geometric shapes and patterns of light

Through the portrait unit, I came to be more and more aware of how intentional choices in lighting, perspective, and composition can shape the emotional quality of the image. Before this project, most of my thoughts on a photo had to do with whether or not it looked “pretty,” but learning more technical skills, such as depth of field control, subject placement in the frame, and noticing background distractions, helped me to see portraiture as a form of visual communication rather than simple documentation. While working on these images, I was particularly interested in how the environment interacts with the subject, and tried to enlist natural elements like shadows, leaves, and low angles in expressing varied personality and mood. This process helped me understand that building a rich portrait requires both technical decision-making and awareness of the viewer’s way of negotiating the image. As a result, I believe I have clarified an artistic intention: to capture authenticity while guiding the viewer’s attention through the deliberate use of composition and light. The unit allowed me to not only improve my technical skills but also build confidence in expressing identity and emotion through photography.

📷 Skills Testing Write-Up

Camera Techniques

During my skills testing, I practiced techniques that are especially important for portrait photography:

• Low aperture (f/1.8–2.8) to create shallow depth of field and make the face stand out from the background.

• Manual focus for sharper eyes in close-up shots.

• Adjusting ISO and shutter speed to keep skin tones clear without unnecessary noise.

• Testing front light, side light, and backlight to see how each type of lighting shapes the mood of a portrait.

Composition Techniques

I also worked on composition specifically for portraits:

• Rule of thirds for placing eyes at a natural and balanced point.

• Tight close-ups to highlight emotion.

• Negative space when I wanted the portrait to feel more calm or lonely.

• Symmetry for a clean and strong impact.

These helped me make portraits that feel more intentional and expressive.

Feelings and Emotions Created

Each small choice in lighting, angle, and distance changed the emotion of the portrait:

• Soft lighting created a calm, gentle mood.

• Shadows made the face look more dramatic or thoughtful.

• Close-up shots felt intimate and personal.

• Side angles added depth and made the portrait feel more natural.

Through this, I learned how portraits can communicate identity through non-verbal expression.

A portrait is more than just a picture of a person — it is a visual representation that reveals identity, emotion, or personality. What makes a photograph a portrait is not merely showing appearance, but expressing who someone truly is. For example, Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother captures both the subject’s face and the hardship of the Great Depression, turning documentation into emotional storytelling that conveys resilience and struggle.

Selfies can also be portraits when they convey mood or individuality, rather than simply recording appearance. In Cindy Sherman’s self-portraits, she transforms herself through costume and expression to explore identity and perception, showing how self-representation can be a form of portraiture.

A good portrait uses composition, light, and expression to evoke presence. Irving Penn’s close-up of a worker’s hands communicates dignity and character without showing the whole face, proving that a portrait can exist in a single detail. Even abstract or fragmented images, like Francis Bacon’s distorted figures, remain portraits if they express the human essence and emotion.

Portraits can also exist without the subject being physically visible. Sophie Calle’s photographs of personal objects convey identity through traces of life, while sequences of images, such as Duane Michals’ narrative portraits, create layered storytelling that deepens our understanding of a person.

Ultimately, portraiture is about revealing identity and presence through deliberate visual choices. Whether direct, symbolic, or abstract, a portrait connects the viewer to the human story beyond the surface of a body or face.

– Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother”

  – Cindy Sherman’s self-portraits

– Irving Penn’s close-up of a worker’s hands

– Francis Bacon’s distorted figures

– Duane Michals’ narrative portraits

– Sophie Calle’s photographed objects

• ① A Moment of Quiet Recognition

  I chose the title “A Moment of Quiet Recognition” because this image captures the subtle dignity and presence of an ordinary man, and the quiet acknowledgment that exists between him and the camera feels like a shared understanding. The recognition isn’t dramatic; it’s found in stillness, gaze, and the acceptance of being observed.

  I took this photograph on a quiet stairway where an elderly man, dressed in a dark leather jacket, squatted on gray concrete stairs holding a tumbler and looking directly at me. I angled the camera diagonally to introduce movement, while keeping focus on his relaxed posture. The natural light gently illuminates both the texture of the stairs and the leather jacket, creating visual depth. By isolating him within the frame, I emphasized his quiet presence and the authenticity of this unposed moment. The diagonal composition guides the viewer’s eye, balancing stillness with subtle motion.

  I was interested in how textures, tonal contrasts, and urban surroundings could evoke emotion. The muted gray of the stairs contrasts with the deeper tones of his jacket, highlighting resilience, calm, and quiet strength. His gaze feels unguarded yet grounding, reminding me that beauty often resides in small, unnoticed details of everyday life.

• ② The Light Between Us

  I titled this photograph “The Light Between Us” because the connection and warmth between the two people—the woman in pink and the man in blue—felt like a subtle illumination in an otherwise ordinary moment. The “light” symbolizes both the literal natural light in the frame and the metaphorical glow of human connection.

  I captured this fleeting moment of laughter, where their smiles were completely unposed. The pink and blue of their outfits complement each other visually, creating balance and harmony. I centered the subjects in the frame and used natural light to preserve softness. The shallow depth of field keeps attention on their expressions while the background gently recedes, allowing the human emotion to become the focus. Timing was crucial: I waited for the precise instant when their gestures and smiles aligned naturally.

  This image radiates warmth, joy, and authenticity. The laughter feels spontaneous, highlighting the beauty of small, shared human moments. It reminded me that emotional resonance often comes from unplanned interactions rather than grand gestures. The photograph invites viewers to notice the quiet poetry in everyday human connection.

• ③ The Space That Holds Us

  I named this image “The Space That Holds Us” because the photograph emphasizes how distance and silence can coexist with warmth and presence. The space between the elderly couple is not emptiness—it carries emotional weight, allowing each figure to exist independently yet still within shared life.

  I photographed the couple standing by a white marble fence at the riverside, quietly facing the water. I composed the frame horizontally, leaving ample negative space around it to enhance the feeling of calm reflection. The soft natural light creates uniform illumination, emphasizing serenity without dramatizing the scene. The distance between the couple became the central element, suggesting that relationships do not always require physical closeness to communicate care and connection.

  I wanted to explore how silence, space, and stillness can convey intimacy. The marble fence and riverbank add subtle texture and geometry, grounding the scene in reality while allowing the empty space to speak emotionally. This photograph reminds me that connection can exist in quiet equilibrium, and that sometimes absence or distance itself becomes a form of expression.

• ④ Stillness in Color

  I called this photograph “Stillness in Color” because the image relies on both the calm solitude of the figure and the striking contrast between the green grass and the gray wall. The colors, combined with the emptiness of space, amplify the reflective mood and draw attention to the quiet presence of the man.

  I photographed a man standing alone with his back turned, centered in the frame against vivid green grass and a gray wall. I used natural light to keep the contrast gentle, and a central composition to emphasize symmetry. The empty space surrounding him allows viewers to focus on both the subject and his environment simultaneously, creating a meditative feeling. The scene’s simplicity turned what could have been an ordinary moment into a study of solitude, reflection, and the quiet poetry of human presence.

  Through this image, I wanted to explore introspection and the calm power of minimalism. The man’s posture, his back to the camera, invites viewers to imagine his thoughts rather than dictate them. Even a single figure, isolated in color and space, can evoke deep emotional resonance when observed carefully.

My project, “The Beauty of the Unposed,” explores the quiet, natural moments in everyday life. I aim to show how unplanned scenes can reveal genuine human emotion and subtle beauty.

• This photograph, which I took, shows a blonde woman in a pink outfit and a man in a blue jacket smiling warmly at each other. Their laughter feels natural and unposed, showing a genuine human connection. I used natural lighting and careful framing to create a calm, poetic mood, while the soft contrast of pink and blue adds harmony. Through this image, I wanted to capture the quiet beauty that appears in simple, unplanned moments.

• Technique: natural light, contrast, framing

• Composition: central focus, balance of colors

• Purpose / Mood: warmth, human connection, joy

• This photograph, which I took, shows an elderly couple standing side by side in front of a white marble fence with a calm river behind them. The moment feels peaceful and unposed, showing quiet companionship and time’s gentle passage. I used natural lighting and simple composition to highlight their silhouettes against the soft background. Through this image, I wanted to express the beauty of stillness and the quiet harmony found in everyday life.

• Technique: natural light, simple framing

• Composition: horizontal alignment, rule of thirds

• Purpose / Mood: companionship, peacefulness, calm

• This photograph, which I took, shows a family of three—a mother, father, and son—smiling and putting their arms around each other while someone on the right takes their picture. The scene feels joyful and unposed, capturing a real moment of connection. I used natural light and framing to include both the family and the photographer, showing the warmth of togetherness and the beauty of shared happiness in everyday life.

• Technique: natural light, inclusion of photographer, candid capture

• Composition: triangular arrangement, central focus

• Purpose / Mood: togetherness, happiness, familial warmth

• This photograph, which I took, shows a person wearing a safety helmet moving dynamically in the front, while behind them, only the legs of someone sitting in a rickshaw are visible. The motion blur in the front layer contrasts with the stillness in the back, creating a strong sense of layering and depth. Nothing about this scene is staged—it captures the spontaneous rhythm of urban life and shows how unplanned moments can form unexpected beauty.

• Technique: motion blur, layering, depth

• Composition: foreground-background contrast, diagonal lines

• Purpose / Mood: energy, urban life, spontaneity

• This photograph, which I took, shows the same riverside scene with a white marble fence, but this time the elderly couple stands apart, quietly facing the water. The space between them and the soft natural light create a calm, reflective mood. Using simple composition and natural framing, I wanted to express the quiet distance that can still hold warmth—showing that even silence and separation can have their own kind of beauty.

• Technique: natural light, framing, spacing

• Composition: horizontal alignment, negative space

• Purpose / Mood: reflection, quietness, subtle emotional distance

• This photograph, which I took, shows a man standing in the center with his back turned, against a background of bright green grass and a gray wall, creating a striking contrast. His posture and the empty space around him give a sense of solitude and quiet reflection. I used natural light and careful framing to highlight the contrast and to capture the unposed, introspective beauty of this simple moment.

• Technique: natural light, contrast, central framing

• Composition: central focus, color contrast

• Purpose / Mood: solitude, contemplation, quiet reflection

• This photograph, which I took, shows an elderly man wearing a leather jacket squatting on dark gray stairs, holding a tumbler, and looking directly at me. The diagonal angle of the shot adds a dynamic sense to the composition, while his relaxed posture and direct gaze feel natural and unposed. I used the contrast between his jacket and the stairs, along with careful framing, to capture the quiet, human beauty of this spontaneous moment.

• Technique: natural light, diagonal angle, contrast

• Composition: diagonal lines, subject-focused

• Purpose / Mood: intimacy, groundedness, casual observation

• This photograph, which I took, shows a person crouching on the left side while fishing, with calm water reflecting the trees and the river. The quiet scene feels unposed and peaceful, capturing a simple moment of interaction between a person and nature. I used natural lighting and composition to emphasize the reflection and the stillness, highlighting the subtle beauty in this ordinary, unplanned moment.

• Technique: natural light, reflection, composition

• Composition: left-side subject, environmental context

• Purpose / Mood: calmness, stillness, harmony with nature

• This photograph, which I took, shows an elderly woman pulling her luggage while walking through a beautiful landscape. The moment feels natural and unposed, capturing the quiet dignity and resilience of old age. I used natural lighting and simple composition to highlight both her movement and the surrounding scenery, showing how ordinary moments can reveal subtle beauty and human grace.

• Technique: natural light, simple composition

• Composition: subject-leading lines, environmental balance

• Purpose / Mood: resilience, movement, dignity

• This photograph, which I took, shows a couple sitting on a bench by the river, both wearing hooded jackets with the hoods up, placed centrally in the frame. Their quiet presence and relaxed posture feel natural and unposed, creating an intimate and peaceful mood. I used natural light and careful composition to highlight their connection against the calm river background, capturing the subtle beauty of a simple, shared moment.

• Technique: natural light, central placement, framing

• Composition: central focus, symmetry, calm background

• Purpose / Mood: intimacy, peacefulness, quiet connection