Period 1 - Semester Final

1. My favorite photo from this Lens slideshow is photo number 2 out of 9.  Despite not displaying photo composition rules as well as other photos in the slideshow, I loved this photo because of the meaning behind it.  People often say "a picture's worth a thousand words", and I think this photo very accurately reflects that.  This was taken in a periphery country of people who must constantly fear imminent danger or even death.  By filling in the frame, the photographer allows viewers to be completely absorbed into the photo, as if they are at the scene itself.  I can almost feel the despair this family is feeling, with all their belongings packed, children crying, and everyone around them panicking.  This photo also captured a revolver just barely visible at the right edge of the photo almost right next to the toddler boy.  I grew up in the safe bubble of an environment called Fremont, and I can truly understand the perils of others through this photo.

2. I believe the best photo from this Lens slideshow is photo number 6 out of 9.  The first most striking feature about this photo is the excellent representation of the photo composition rule "space to move".  The antique Mercedes is clearly moving from the left to the right, and the photographer left space for the road on the right to demonstrate this rule.  This photo is also a good representation of "avoiding the middle".  Instead of focusing on the car dead center, he veers the subject off to the left so viewers see the photo as a whole, inclusive of the dirt road.  What may be less obvious, but just as important as the other rules, is how the rule "simplify the scene" is shown.  Views immediately pick out the car as the main subject, but also contrast the vehicle with the simple background of textural sand and smooth sky.

3. I think that this photo (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScZeOFPOG2m3-flI4OEPWWZORIH5uITugLNOQRId8rFdUQe3MbqIUdQ1SME2IFfJFNTnI5JF30M5AFyFFoAc9YKEd75rjoGqPlt35hpVocqDfw9Egul1ljEykq3M-olKvCOWna2TSyGBj/s1600/IMG_1742.JPG) is the best photo I took this semester.  I believe so because besides being simply visually appealing, I applied my three rules of photo composition that I chose in the beginning of the year well.  The rule I focused most on was "Aspect Ratio", and I appealed more to that rule by taking many photos of otherwise simple things, but from different perspectives.  I found this plant in my backyard one morning, and realized a photo might turn out well if I first applied aspect ratio.  After a few more takes, I moved my camera upwards, and created a "Leading Lines" effect.  If viewers look at the photo, it's almost like they are drawn downwards where all the lines of the leaf converge at the very bottom.  Last but not least, I applied "Fill the Frame", where I went close up to the plant and essentially enlarged the overall image.  By doing this, the features of the leaf are so much more vivid, as well as the dewdrops that can also be clearly seen.  If I had more time, I would improve this photo by taking more of this plant, in hopes of finding something that could stand out as a subject in my photo, like a bug or a special pattern on the leaf.  Though I enjoy my photo, I believe that it would be a lot more interesting if it had a subject somewhere, rather than just a "background" kind of feel to it.

4. My three rules of composition are: Aspect Ratio, Leading Lines, and Fill the Frame.

5. Twin Trees
                    
-Aspect Ratio (as seen from the varying perspective taken from the base of the tree to the top)
-Leading Lines (as seen slightly from the groove patterns on the tree, as well as the outline of the tree itself extending upwards.)

6. Mr. Bryan Farley's first rule of photo composition is "Getting Close".

7. Benefits of Working in Groups:
    -Better time management by breaking up the whole project into smaller parts that are doable by each individual person.
    -Developing better communication skills between people by working together.
    -Able to swap work and peer edit; provide as well as receive feedback from co-workers and can improve one's own work as well as the overall project.
    -By working together and combining knowledge, one greater idea or project can be created that wouldn't be possible otherwise if it was just one single person working, as well as solving more complex problems that one person wouldn't be able to do themselves.
    -Group members can be great resources, for asking all kinds of questions, which may not necessarily all refer to the project they are working on.  Group members can help with anything, because often these peers are related someway and are going through similar problems with school, life, or anything else.

8. Difficulty of Working in Groups:
   -The amount of time and energy needed to coordinate is often times extremely costly, as opposed to individual work being much more efficient.  By working alone, people get what they want to finish done, while in groups, this quality may be hindered.
   -At times, disagreements or any kinds of argument (outside of project or within) can lead to discouragement, which can be counter-productive instead of increasing productivity.
   -It is virtually impossible to quantify how "hard" or time-consuming a task is because everyone works at different paces, have different intellectual capacities, and knowledge of the specific task at hand.  This being so, certain individuals might do more work than others. Sometimes some people may even think they do more, while others in the group disagree, which causes more confusion and ruckus.
   -At the start of the project, getting to know everyone else involved and being comfortable with them may take a lot of time and even effort.  Different people have different strengths and backgrounds, and some people may have trouble getting along.  Selecting a leader may also be difficult (unless chosen earlier); an agenda would have to be created, basically who does what, (often by the leader), which is very time-consuming.
   -Some people may simply be smarter or work more efficiently than others; people may not be able to work at the pace they would prefer to work at, and might instead have to either slow down which leads to frustration, or speed up which could result in mistakes.

9. My favorite project created by another person in this class is (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXPgfz2RfTqpxLLaOUI1pIkihlAHOwfJbYyDd2-4GLRZ8gJLw0NF0Zj_XdPrUW7kHVNvlbFjeoUJpbmNQ00MciicGnrCMlEcyn0nV2olh6tUTxpYPWNtMZwsHUW_hZ6LbukxCNeFVKIk/s1600/Hsu_b_animal_1.jpg), located on Sharon Hsu's (1st period) blog.

10. The master photographer I studied was Eugene Smith, and I reproduced much of his work.  One very important and significant contribution he made to the photography world was revolutionizing modern photojournalism through photos that showed social injustice everywhere around the world.  An example could be vivid photos of World War II that he took in Japan on one of his three visits there.

11. Dorothea Lange's most popular photo is "Migrant Mother", which was taken Nipomo, California between February and March of 1936.  Dorothea was employed at the agency FSA (Farm Security Administration) when she took the photo.

12. Life Magazine published its first-ever cover story on November 23, 1936.

13. Elvis was born on January 8, 1935.

14. Robert Capa was a founding member of the organization "Magnum", which was started in the year 1947.

Aspect Ratio

Creative Colors

Aspect Ratio

Abbey Road Album Cover

Masters of Photography Project Reflection

1. How do you think your project represents your work as a student?
-This project represents my work as a student through the quality of work that I normally do.  I am the type of person to finish an assignment in the last minute, but putting as much effort as possible into the last minute.  After doing this project, I realized that this habit must change, and that I have to stop procrastinating and space my time out better.

2. How has your understanding of photography changed during this school year?
-After taking this class and actually photographing myself, I have learned how to appreciate photos more, and the long, tiring process photographers have to go through to share their works of art.  I know what to pay attention to in a photo, and I also recognize features of a photo that may make it stand out in comparison to other photos.  Most important of all, I can see the different styles every photographer has, and learn to appreciate their signature feature in their photos.

3. What are some of the benefits of working in a group?
-When working in a group, consulting each other results in significantly less confusion, and by constantly having friendly peers around you, the work environment is also better.  By working together in different groups, one meets many more people and creates numerous new relationships.  Working with other people also teaches students how to work with different people and adapt to fit everyone's needs and preferences.

4. What are some of the disadvantages of working in a group?
-Aside from the many benefits of working in a group, there are also a good number of disadvantages.  Because every individual has their own opinion of what is good and what is bad, it is very hard to please everyone while working together. In this Digital Photography class specifically, each group has around 5-6 people in each group, which leads to conflicts sometimes when group members disagree with each other.  Another disadvantage is that one's grade is dependent on other members of the group.  Even if one student were to try really hard and should get the high grade he/she deserves, another slacking group member may detrimentally affect the harder working student.

5. Now that you have had more time to reflect, is there anything that you would have done differently with your recent project?
-After reflecting almost all of Winter Break, I would put more effort into the Masters of Photography project.  Instead of taking all of the photos in the last couple weeks, my photos would have turned out better if I had spent more time on each photo individually, and spaced out the project through the entire span of time we were allotted.  By planning each separate photo and giving each a set amount of time, the angles and props used in the photos could have been higher quality than it is right now.

6. Is there anything else that you want to include? 
-There is nothing significant that I would want to additionally include.