Portrait Assignment

ISO 400

f/5.6

1/250 sec

Lauryn's nails made quite a notorious appearance in the last project so I thought this was fitting. I like how it's focused on her hand yet says so much about her in the blurry background.

ISO 400

f/5.6

1/80 sec

I like her eyes and the colours in this photo. It's a very fresh and groovy look.

ISO 400

f/5.6

1/250 sec

Lizzy's smile and laugh are such a blessing to the world and I think this a very natural and happy capturing of her.

ISO 400

f/5.6

1/250 sec

I want to juxtapose the beautiful colour of her hair with the rest of the world by taking the colour out of the bush behind her. She has this very stormy gaze and I love it.

ISO 800

f/5.6

1/125 sec

I love how Aylin is in casual clothes but she looks like such a diva warrior queen. I think I really got her personality in this one.

ISO 800

f/5.6

1/125 sec

I like this faded sepia instagramesque edit and I think Aylin has a very chill look on her face.

ISO 200

f/5.6

1/1250 sec

When I saw Anna and I saw those clouds, I saw this picture so clearly in my mind before I took it. Like a vision. Anna looks so stoic. Like a beautiful ancient Roman statue.

ISO 200

f/5.6

1/1250 sec

Once again, Anna is being stoic. I think she has a very deep soul so I'm glad my portraits of her make that evident.

ISO 400

f/5.6

1/250 sec

Kaitlynn's eyes and face are so serene that time literally stops. Just look at the rain drops! I love the feel this photo gives. I think I have done the great photogrpaher Kaitlynn photographic justice.

ISO 400

f/5.6

1/250 sec

I love this background and how her pose is natural yet interesting. This photo has very strong composition I think.

ISO 400

f/4.5

1/30 sec

I was struggling with the camera and exposure on this day yet I think I captured the strong yet elegant outlines of Tasha's face.

ISO 400

f/4.0

1/15 sec

Tasha looks sad yet very knowing and at peace. Like a hidden wisdom. Not hidden as in she hides her intelligence. Like a a quiet wisdom. Even though Tasha is far from quiet.

ISO 400

f/2.8

1/60 sec

I feel like this could be like a stock photo and could be on PAA's website! She looks really into playing the guitar but also like she's having a meaningful time doing it.

ISO 400

f/4.0

1/250 sec

This was kind of a candid moment and I thought it was so cool. You can tell she's really pensive and I like the mood she sets in the photo.

ISO 400

F/4.0

1/250 sec

This one of the one's I was most proud of. Lots of credit goes to Ellen because she didn't need a lot directing while modeling. I love the colours and the melancholy of the photo!

ISO 800

f/5.6

 1/1250 sec

I think Ellen juxtaposes this blue recycle dumpster. I got really excited when I saw this dumpster because I just love that particular hue and it's texture. It goes well with her green shirt and strawberry blonde hair.

ISO 400

f/5.6

1/1250 sec

I wish I could've had more to time to shoot Francais but she was gone a lot. I tried to bring out the reds because I thought they went well with her. I think the over all composition is intriguing too.

ISO 400

f/5.6

1/30 sec

I like the candid listening look she has on her face. Her outfit that day was also very unique and classy. As Francais always is!

ISO 400

f/14

1/80 sec

I think this really captures Joelle's sweet whimsy essence. Light hearted and endearing.

ISO 400

f/14

1/100

This shows a different side of Joelle. A side she kind of keeps hidden. The confident, super model, strong princess side.

Architecture Project Self Critique

I think I did well with this project. Most of my images were, in my opinion, beautiful. This sounds vane but in reality most of the credit goes to God for creating such a beautiful world. I will give my self credit for capturing with a camera, editing, and choosing just the right photos for this collection. I think as whole my project looked nice together which I think shows a sense of style and purpose. I did a lot of creative and unique editing as well which is a newer strength I've developed. I believe this project to represent elements of my soul blended with the soul of Portland. That was my goal as an artist and I think I accomplished.

I could've done better on this assignment. Not that I have any regrets. But perfection is impossible (like a wise Joseph once said) and I think it's healthy and logical to accept that flaws were made in the past and improvements should be made in the future. My images were exposed pretty well but I feel like I did a lot of "Sprit led" turning of nobs when it came to adjusting aperture and shutter speed. I got what I desired as far as depth of field but I feel like I have a ways to go in mastering and controlling it.
There were A LOT of people I saw downtown that I wanted to take a photo of but I only had the courage to shoot the couple in photo 13. This is fear I should overcome because I think I could be pretty good at street photography. I also wish I could've explored Portland more than my two photo shoots. But I got enough material.

This project was a great experience. I had never really shot downtown besides with the class last fall. I think urban and street photography are things I want to explore in the future and I'm glad I got a bit of experience with them.
I think I grew a lot in editing with this project. My editing for the first project was a little harsh as far as contrast and now I think it's improved a lot. I also experimented a lot with black & white, saturation, and colour removal / singling out one or two colours. I even used the brush tool on 7, 10, and 12 and I think it really paid off.
I grew as a photographer and artist. I learned about myself, photography, and Portland. I got some great pictures. And feel really good about it all.

Thursday Thoughts- April 17

This week was good. I finished my project which is very exciting! I'm very proud of it and had fun doing it. I'm really excited to see the other student's projects!! I was Tali was here so I could see her photos.
I think I've grown a lot as a photographer and especially an editor during this project. I think the portrait assignment will expand my photography even more.
We continued to discuss portraits as well shooting in general and life.

Architecture and Urban Photography Assignment- Second Submission

This is my Architecture and Urban Photography Assignment in it's full glory. It includes the ten photos of the last submission as well as ten new photos that were due later.

 Cityscape 01

3 March 2012

The Rose Quarter

ISO 400

1/400 sec

f/5.6

I love grey and I think that really shows through in this photo and project. I really didn't like this photo before I brought it into Lightroom.

Cityscape 02

14 April 2013

Eastbank Esplanade

ISO 400

1/125 sec

f/22

I think this represents how Portland's Urban beauty and natural beauty live in such harmony. (Not to mention the clouds are incredible.) I love the composition and I couldn't have asked for a better city to capture this concept.

Cityscape 03

14 April 2013

Eastbank Esplanade

ISO 400

1/800 sec

f/13

I think the greens and reflections of this scene are really refreshing. This photo makes me feel free. I also think it's refreshing how this isn't the usually skyline shot of Portland.

 Urban 04

3 March 2013

SW Naito Pkwy and SW Salmon St

ISO 400

1/250 sec

f/4.5

I love the symmetry of the streets and the fountain. I practiced my editing skills to only keep the red car saturated which I think adds an interesting effect.

 Urban 05

3 March 2013

SW Naito Pkwy and SW Morrison St

ISO 400

1/250 sec

f/5.0

I love the composition of this photo. I think the framing is strong as well as the minimal saturation.

 Urban 06

(Close Up)

14 April 2013

SW Taylor Street and SW 3rd Ave

ISO 400

1/125 sec

f/3.5

I thought this was an intriguing fire hydrant for some reason. I liked the orange and red so i kept them but I didn't think the other colours were needed. I think that's something artist should remember in their work. Use what you need. Simplicity is beautiful. More than enough is often is too much.

Urban 07

(Close Up)

3 Macrh 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/20 sec

f/14 

This is one of the photos I'm most proud of! I love the gloomy and dry feeling. Like it's so crisp you can hear the leaves crunching.

 Reflective 08

3 March 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/30 sec

f/14

I love how the water and the pole would be boring and colourless but the sky and the bridge make it very vibrant and alive.

Juxtaposition 09

3 March 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/50 sec

f/14

I think the juxtaposition of these two is so epic. They look like they're old friends. Very different in nature but both standing still, keeping watch over the city, side by side.

 Street 10

3 March 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/25 sec

f/20

I thought this older couple was kinda cute so took a picture. I did a lot of brushing to get only the people saturated as well as brushing on the sky.

 Street 11

3 March 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/8

f/25

I really liked how blurry this photo is for some reason. I think it really captures the speed and rush of the city.

Street 12

3 March 2013

SW Taylor St

ISO 400

1/5 sec

f/9.0

This a portrait of my Mom, Jennifer. I liked the area we were in so I told her to stand there. I loved the colours in her glasses so I decided to bring them out by stripping all the color out of the photo except the sunglasses. It was difficult to only get the lenses saturated. I used the brush tools again which I think will be a useful skill in the future.

Street 13

14 April 2013

SW 5th Ave and SW Pine St

ISO 400

1/250 sec

f/3.5

I was dreading having to ask a stranger for their portrait. It's not that I didn't want too. There was a dozen people that I would've shot that day if I had the courage too. This couple appeared and it was clear they were the ones. I think they're visitors to Portland because of their confused gazes at their map. I asked if they need hop finding something but they said they were fine. I don't think Tim was really excited about me taking his picture but Sheryl was nice and said sure. This is how they posed and I thought it was perfect. One shot. One picture. Two tourists. Two smiles. Some more certain than others.

Choice 14

14 April 2013

Eastbank Esplanade

ISO 400

1/25

f/18

I thought this was a deep, heartbreaking, and almost disturbingly personal thing to write on a wall. I like when graffiti is heartfelt. I wouldn't write something so bitter but having one's dreams crushed is something we can all empathazie.

Dreams and Rage.

People understand.

Architecture 15

3 March 2013

SW Naito Pkwy

ISO 400

1/100 sec

f/4.5

I thought this building's colours and lines were really elegant and classy yet simple which is cool.

 Architecture 16

3 March 2013

SW Taylor St and SW 4th Ave

ISO 400

1/25 sec

f/10

I love how the streetlight and the skycraper juxtapose and compliment each other. I also used perspective to make the lamp post appear as tall as the building.

Architecture 17

14 April 2013

Eastbank Esplanade

ISO 400

1/1600

f/3.5

This the bridge section of the Eastbank Esplanade bike path. I really loved the symmetry of the bridge with the pillars. I really wanted to capture the stark and dramatic style of the scene and I think I succeeded.

Architecture 18

14 April 2013

US Bancorp Tower, SW 6th Ave

ISO 400

1/4000

f/3.5

I really liked how the rose colour goes with the grey. I took a lot of the saturation to exaggerate this colour juxtaposition. I also love the lines and think my viewpoint is interesting.

Architecture 19

14 April 2013

Portland Union Station

ISO 400

1/100

f/3.5

 This room was kind of dark so it was hard to keep the shutter speed up and many of my photos were blurry. I liked this one because of the somewhat vintage Restroom sign as well as the depth of the vaulted ceiling. I think this photo has a very classy feel.

Architecture 20

14 April 2013

The Nines hotel

ISO 400

1/250

f/3.5

I love the style of The Nines so when going downtown for pictures, I naturally wondered through these halls. I think this purple is so great and I like the general mood of the room. I also thought the slanted rotation made it even more intriguing.

Thursday Thoughts- April 11

     This week we're finishing up our Urban and Cityscape projects. I'm very happy with my results. I fell like I created a strong collection. I hope to continue this streak with the next submission. Shooting strangers is something I'm concerned about but It'll be good.
     I'm starting to get excited about the portrait project. I think I'm good at photography because I can think abstractly about everyday things and find beauty in ordinary things. However I think I also have an understanding of people that may also be advantageous in my photography. I haven't done a lot of portraits in the past and I think it could be really awesome.
    In class we took turns with a camera in little groups. I got some great pictures of Kaitlynn and I think we all learned a bit about posing people and practiced using the reflectors.

Architecture and Urban Photography Assignment

 Cityscape 01

3 March 2012

The Rose Quarter

ISO 400

1/400 sec

f/5.6

I love grey and I think that really shows through in this photo and project. I really didn't like this photo before I brought it into Lightroom.

Juxtaposition 09

3 March 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/50 sec

f/14

I think the juxtaposition of these two is so epic. They look like they're old friends. Very different in nature but both standing still, keeping watch over the city, side by side.

 Reflective 08

3 March 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/30 sec

f/14

I love how the water and the pole would be boring and colourless but the sky and the bridge make it very vibrant and alive.

 Urban 04

3 March 2013

SW Naito Pkwy and SW Salmon St

ISO 400

1/250 sec

f/4.5

I love the symmetry of the streets and the fountain. I practiced my editing skills to only keep the red car saturated which I think adds an interesting effect.

 Street 10

3 March 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/25 sec

f/20

I thought this older couple was kinda cute so took a picture. I did a lot of brushing to get only the people saturated as well as brushing on the sky.

 Urban 05

3 March 2013

SW Naito Pkwy and SW Morrison St

ISO 400

1/250 sec

f/5.0

I love the composition of this photo. I think the framing is strong asa well as the minimal saturation.

 Architecture 15

3 March 2013

SW Naito Pkwy

ISO 400

1/100 sec

f/4.5

I thought this building's colours and lines were really elegant and classy yet simple which is cool.

 Urban 05

3 March 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/8

f/25

I really liked how blurry this photo is for some reason. I think it really captures the speed and rush of the city.

Urban 06

3 Macrh 2013

Waterfront Bike Trail

ISO 400

1/20 sec

f/14 

This is one of the photos I'm most proud of! I love the gloomy and dry feeling. Like it's so crisp you can hear the leaves crunching.

 Architecture 16

3 March 2013

SW Taylor St and SW 4th Ave

ISO 400

1/25 sec

f/10

I love how the streetlight and the skycraper juxtapose and compliment each other. I also used perspective to make the lamp post appear as tall as the building.