Critique 1-Enjoying the Sunset: This picture was taken in Half Moon Bay during sunset one evening. In the photo two couples are standing together watching the sunset. The man on the far left with his head turned seemed uninterested and the man on the far right is taking a photo. I think the main element of the photograph is shape. The silhouettes really make the photo and when you take silhouettes you must make sure that the shape is clear and obvious, otherwise someone looking at your photo won’t know what it is. The secondary element would be color. The bright orange sky illuminated by the setting sun is another crucial aspect of the photo. Without this bright color the silhouettes would be non-existent and there really would be no photo. It is pretty clear that the main principle in the photo is contrast. The silhouettes are a dark contrast to the bright sky and this is the most important element in the photo. Without this contrast there wouldn’t be a photo just like color described earlier. I knew right away that there was going to be some potential when I saw small groups of people standing around watching the sunset. I had seen some really great silhouettes before the time of my photo so I kind of had an idea of what would make this situation work. I was shooting like crazy and had to constantly change my settings as the sun got lower and the scene got darker. I started to over compensate and the photos were starting to become way over exposed so I had to play around a lot going back and forth with my ISO, shutter speed, and aperture value. I wanted to keep my aperture high so that everything was in focus. I had to compensate with a lower shutter speed but that was making things blurry to because the people were moving a little bit. My only other option really was to increase the ISO but I didn’t want the picture to get to grainy. In the end I think I struck a good balance and came out with a photo I was happy with. This balance was what really made this photo successful and if I didn’t know how to work with my camera efficiently I never would have been able to get this shot.
Critique 2- In The Eyes: This photo is of a stray cat sitting in a courtyard in front of an ivy background. I think some of the elements of art that are included in this photo are form and shape because I think the form of the cat really stands out from the dark background. I think there is some texture here too because the cat looks so soft and probably reminds people of their own pets. There is some emphasis on the eyes and contrast between the cat's white fur and the dark background. I took a ton of shots of this cat because it wasn't really sacred of me but it was always looking at me as it wandered around the courtyard. When I saw it sit down like this and looked at me I thought there was a great opportunity for a shot so I started snapping away at all different angles. I think what really made this photo successful was the way the cat was posing and the setting that I found the cat in. It was one of my luckier shots butting getting the write angle and framing was still key to this photos success.
Critique 3- California: This photo is of massive ocean side cliffs in Half Moon Bay. I had seen these cliffs before but it was foggy when I first saw them so I knew they would be even more majestic on a rare clear day in Half Moon Bay. It was late afternoon and the shadows on the cliffs were creating a very interesting effect. Ultimately I think the main element of art in this photo is color. Between the golden cliffs and the blue sky the photo becomes very colorful. The sand and the water also match the cliffs and the sky so overall there is some great color in the photo. I can't really say that any one principle of photography really dominates this photo. I think you could say that it has a little bit of a lot of them with no single principle really standing out. Let me know what you think via my 'Contact' page! I had read a little bit about trying to put things in perspective when taking huge landscapes. The tip was basically saying that you should have some object in your photo, whether it is a house or a gym bag (if it applies...), that the audience will know the size of. Then when they see it in the photo they will know relatively how big everything else is. On the beach near the bottom of the frame in the center you will see two people on the beach. This kind of shows you how big everything else is in the photo but I think usually you the object (or person) to be a little bit more involved and viewable. I think this photo turned out really well and is a great addition to my portfolio.
Critique 4- Waiting: This is a photo of a friend of mind who agreed to pose for me for a portrait project I did for school. We were walking around in the Haight district in San Francisco and we found a house with some really cool brick steps. We took a bunch of shots before I had him sit in the center of the staircase and look down like he is in this photo. I think the shape in this photo is a pretty big factor. The was his elbows are out and the way he is sitting in general give this photo an interesting aspect. I think this is emphasized by the contrast that is created from the arms of his sweatshirt and the dark staircase. In color, the photo has a little bit too much going on so I turned into a black and white. I think this also adds a little bit more emotion to the situation because his facial expression already kind of sets that mood.
Critique 5- Outcast: In this photo there are a number of places the eye is drawn to. At first I think people notice the lone, white swan but that leads their eye to the group of ducks swimming up ahead. Then, the eye is lead to the houses and trees on the other side of the lake and the reflection created in the lake. This kind of creates an interesting twist on a standard leading line effect. There is some great color in the photo from the reflection and the trees. It was during fall so all of the trees were very colorful. There is also some great contrast/emphasis created from the white swan on the dark blue lake. I think the framing of this photo really makes it. It would be a lot less interesting if the swan and ducks were centered and if they were than some of the more interesting background would be lost. It was pretty hard balancing my exposure settings so that I could strike a balance between the darker foreground and the lighter background. Also I had the swan and ducks exactly where I wanted them but they were swimming and moving around so I had to get the shot quickly. I think that in the end it turned out really well although I would have like to have more time with the shot to experiment with different angles and apertures.
Critique 2- In The Eyes: This photo is of a stray cat sitting in a courtyard in front of an ivy background. I think some of the elements of art that are included in this photo are form and shape because I think the form of the cat really stands out from the dark background. I think there is some texture here too because the cat looks so soft and probably reminds people of their own pets. There is some emphasis on the eyes and contrast between the cat's white fur and the dark background. I took a ton of shots of this cat because it wasn't really sacred of me but it was always looking at me as it wandered around the courtyard. When I saw it sit down like this and looked at me I thought there was a great opportunity for a shot so I started snapping away at all different angles. I think what really made this photo successful was the way the cat was posing and the setting that I found the cat in. It was one of my luckier shots butting getting the write angle and framing was still key to this photos success.
Critique 3- California: This photo is of massive ocean side cliffs in Half Moon Bay. I had seen these cliffs before but it was foggy when I first saw them so I knew they would be even more majestic on a rare clear day in Half Moon Bay. It was late afternoon and the shadows on the cliffs were creating a very interesting effect. Ultimately I think the main element of art in this photo is color. Between the golden cliffs and the blue sky the photo becomes very colorful. The sand and the water also match the cliffs and the sky so overall there is some great color in the photo. I can't really say that any one principle of photography really dominates this photo. I think you could say that it has a little bit of a lot of them with no single principle really standing out. Let me know what you think via my 'Contact' page! I had read a little bit about trying to put things in perspective when taking huge landscapes. The tip was basically saying that you should have some object in your photo, whether it is a house or a gym bag (if it applies...), that the audience will know the size of. Then when they see it in the photo they will know relatively how big everything else is. On the beach near the bottom of the frame in the center you will see two people on the beach. This kind of shows you how big everything else is in the photo but I think usually you the object (or person) to be a little bit more involved and viewable. I think this photo turned out really well and is a great addition to my portfolio.
Critique 4- Waiting: This is a photo of a friend of mind who agreed to pose for me for a portrait project I did for school. We were walking around in the Haight district in San Francisco and we found a house with some really cool brick steps. We took a bunch of shots before I had him sit in the center of the staircase and look down like he is in this photo. I think the shape in this photo is a pretty big factor. The was his elbows are out and the way he is sitting in general give this photo an interesting aspect. I think this is emphasized by the contrast that is created from the arms of his sweatshirt and the dark staircase. In color, the photo has a little bit too much going on so I turned into a black and white. I think this also adds a little bit more emotion to the situation because his facial expression already kind of sets that mood.
Critique 5- Outcast: In this photo there are a number of places the eye is drawn to. At first I think people notice the lone, white swan but that leads their eye to the group of ducks swimming up ahead. Then, the eye is lead to the houses and trees on the other side of the lake and the reflection created in the lake. This kind of creates an interesting twist on a standard leading line effect. There is some great color in the photo from the reflection and the trees. It was during fall so all of the trees were very colorful. There is also some great contrast/emphasis created from the white swan on the dark blue lake. I think the framing of this photo really makes it. It would be a lot less interesting if the swan and ducks were centered and if they were than some of the more interesting background would be lost. It was pretty hard balancing my exposure settings so that I could strike a balance between the darker foreground and the lighter background. Also I had the swan and ducks exactly where I wanted them but they were swimming and moving around so I had to get the shot quickly. I think that in the end it turned out really well although I would have like to have more time with the shot to experiment with different angles and apertures.