One of my favorite photos from this term was the environmental portrait I took of Andrea Mitev. I thought my composition worked really well and I was able to show a nice depth of field between my subject and the background. This project helped me solidify my knowledge of how to make the background and environment work well with the photo. Even though this assignment was a set-up, posed picture, it allowed me to create a "perfect" back drop which I would then use as a reference to look for good backgrounds in my future candid photos. This was a good assignment to allow the photo to be composed exactly how you wanted and then take what you find to be "good photos" and look for that in other situations. It also showed a very different view of what photojournalism could be rather than just breaking news. It allowed for a more in-depth caption and a story telling aspect.
My Goals-
My goals in this class is to get more agile with my camera skills. I want to be able to know how to take a photo that will turn out well almost every time regarding light, blurriness and saturation.
This goal took longer to accomplish than I would have originally thought. At the start of the term, I thought I was getting really good at working with my camera, however, most of my subjects and environments just so happened to be in perfect conditions for taking photos. Not to try and discredit myself totally, but most of the scenarios were lucky situations where the lighting was perfect and I didn't have to compromise my focus. It wasn't until later in the term when I started taking pictures in difficult environments with very bad lighting and lots of motion shots that I realized I wasn't as good as navigating the settings as I thought. I had to do a lot of trial and error tester shots to figure out the balance of ISO and Shutter speed to salvage a good picture when working indoors with lots of weird shadows.
I also want to learn about what kinds of photos draw people in. What content will do well in the public and what will not.
This knowledge was learned with the help of my classmates and studying The Commuter each week. I looked at other people's photos and chose the photos that drew me in the most and began to analyze why? I then tried to use these techniques on my own photos and to be a little harsher on my editing. I had to learn the difference between artistic photography and photojournalism, as well as how to determine a good photo rather than just my favorite photo. When working with the intent of journalism, I learned how important it is to have people be your subject. People like to see and read about people, connecting with their eyes and their bodies in a picture is what makes it relatable and interesting.
I intend to become more open about taking photos in public because at this time, for me, it is very uncomfortable to get into people's faces with a camera which contradicts my want to have people seeing my art.
To be completely honest, I don't know if I have truly achieved this goal. I have certainly gotten better, but I am still by no means comfortable about getting close up shots of subjects who are strangers to me. Most of the time I just had to keep reminding myself that I had to get the shot because I needed to complete the assignment. My grades were my only motivation to get the pictures I needed. I liked having photographers come in to talk because they expressed the same feelings that I had. Mark Ylen said that sometimes there is really nothing that can be done about that feeling except to ignore and remind yourself that this it is just and job and it needs to get done.
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