Assignment # 1: Research on Composition and Aesthetics

Here is a photo by Ruth Bernard. The Rule of Thirds applies here. The trees are at the upper left intersection if you were to divide the picture into thirds.

For assignment #1 I decided to research composition. I found a website called photographytips.com that had a great statement...“FOLLOW THE RULES UNTIL YOU KNOW WHEN TO BREAK THEM.” This quote made a lot of sense to me. The website goes on to explain that sticking to the rules of composition they will become a permanent part of your brain when taking pictures. It will become a part of who you are. The website states once you’ve ingrained the rules of composition into your brain feel free to break a few rules when you feel the picture would benefit from it. At this point you may even start to develop your own style and create some really creative and wonderful photos. To sum it up you need to know the rules in order to know how to break them. http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/6

Ruth Bernard
I really liked these quotes by famous photographer Ruth Bernard. The first quote grabbed my attention right away. It reminded me that being patient may yield me the best photos. And it also made me feel okay that I take 100 pictures just to get one good shot when I could have stopped at 20 to get just a mediocre shot. These quotes were taken from this website:http://www.photoquotes.com/ShowQuotes.aspx?id=159&name=Bernhard,Ruth

There is no such thing as taking too much time, because your soul is in that picture. - Ruth Bernhard

I liked the quote below as well. It makes me realize that the best way to get a great photo is to really observe how I am taking the picture (technique), what I’m taking the picture of (composition), and the lighting of that picture. My goal is to learn technique, composition, and lighting so that I can take some truly breathtaking photos.

My quest, through the magic of light and shadow, is to isolate, to simplify and to give emphasis to form with the greatest clarity. To indicate the ideal proportion, to reveal sculptural mass and the dominating spirit is my goal. - Ruth Bernhard

Morning Picture

I took this picture at about 6:45 in the morning. It was taken right after a night of getting about 15 inches of snow! I like the blue gray of the sky coming through the tree branches. I think it's kind of spooky! This is my favorite picture of all three of the different lighting pictures. I like it because I think it has more character and depth to it than the other two pictures.

Afternoon Picture

I took this picture at about 1:00 in the afternoon. It was cloudy and snowy. I am surprised at how bright the picture was when it was such an overcast day. It is really bright and white!

Night Photo

I took this picture at about 9:00 at night. I had to use the flash since it was cloudy and snowing and there was no natural light. I had to take pictures blindly and then review them after to see if I liked the shot. I have to say it was pretty fun to take pictures in the dark!

Analogous Color Scheme

Here is my example of an analogous color scheme. I choose these ribbons becuase it's three colors next to each other on the color wheel green, green-yellow, and yellow.

Monochrome Color Scheme

Here is my example of a monochrome color scheme. These are my red 2nd place ribbons showcased against a red sheet.

My Macro Pictures

I struggled a bit with the assignment to take pictures of textures and close-ups with the macro setting. At first I took pictures of still objects such as rugs, curtain tassels, woodwork, etc...
But I didn't care for any of the pictures I captured. I couldn't seem to capture the detail that I was looking for. So I deleted them all and tried again. This time I decided to focus on animals. I went outside and took pictures of the barn cats in the hay. I focused on the cats at first and zoomed in to catch their expressions. It was really interesting because I'm cat sitting my sister's cat, Sami. She has only been with my two cats a week and she really doesn't care for them despite Shiloh, the long-haired tiger, being her son. Tanner with his yellow fur and eyes didn't photo well but I really liked the shot of his paws in the hay. He is such a powerful cat that I think he'd be better in action shots. Sami was my best subject. She gave such great expressions as she glared at the Shiloh and Tanner casusally walking around her. Shiloh himself is very photgenic as well with his neat coloring and great expressions. I also captured some nice shots of the hay. Hay is a fun texture to take pictures of. It has so many interesting colors and textures in it as well as the baling twine. I learned that animals are my photographic muse. I find myself more excited about taking their pictures than still objects which I think is reflected in the photos.

Holy Macro Collage!

Comparing photos of the same object

Here is my comparison of two photos I took at about 4:45 this evening. The photos are of a snow sculpture "statue" in Barre City park. I actually took 29 shots and I had a really hard time picking just 2 to compare! I took the majority of photos on the automatic setting just because it used up less memory and I hadn't planned on stopping to take pictures. My husband decided we should check this out on the way home tonight and luckily I had my camera with me!

The first shot I took from the left angle of the sculpture. I stood eye level to the sculpture to take this shot. I like that you can see the two old churches in the background. I didn't like that it was right next to a tree with lights strung on it. I think it distracts from the picture. I bet at night if the lights are on it would be a pretty picture against the statue. I'll have to check it out the next time I drive by when it's dark out. I think in this shot the sculpture looks like he is thinking, possibly even brooding over something. His expression is not as hard at this angle as it is in the second picture. His features appear softer in this photo compared to the second photo. His face appears more like a cherub in the picture on the top picture compared to the more stern look in the picture on the bottom.

The second photo I took by kneeling down and pointing up at the snow sculpture. I was to the front right angle of the sculpture. I like it because it shows the great expression the sculptor carved in. I think it looks like he is the king of all the snow people! He also looks a bit like a snob at this angle. I like the whiteness of the snow against the blue gray of the sky. I think it gives the picture some fluidity broken up only by the barren trees in the background.

My favorite of the two shots is the second photo. I think the angle and zoom of the photo give it more character than in the other shots. I like that the snow sculpture look so "impressive" because the of the angle of the shot. I think the sculpture has more presence in the second photo too. I also like this shot better because it shows the details of the carving better. Compare how much more detailed his right hand looks in the second photo compared to the second photo. I think there is a big difference between the amount of detail shown. In this photo the snow sculpture almost comes to life. His face takes on almost life like quality that gives it this illusion with this shot.

The detail the sculptor was able to carve into snow is incredible! I'm glad I was able to capture some of it.