[Portrait Assignment: FlawlessSkin]

I think this assignment will help me a lot
in the future of photography; we very frequently use
(human)models as our subjects, and people rarely have perfect
skin. It was actually fun to read the directions on the photoshop-
essentials website, follow along, and watch the image change
before my eyes. Carlo was an awesome model that was easy
to shoot; I didn't have to direct him as much, and that made
my life a lot easier. I love the lighting and contrast of this
picture. Overall, I am satisfied. The only thing I wish were
different was that I was able to keep in mind the Rule of Thirds.

[The ELEMENTS of DESIGN]

I learned a lot in doing this assignment; a lot of helpful things to keep in mind when photographing. I also learned the difference between photography and taking regular pictures(a.k.a. snapshots). Photography is done with intention(a goal). I learned that thinking actually goes into photography, which is essentially, the difference. Having the elements of design in mind makes photos more interesting and also makes it easier to portray particular moods, when the photographer knows EXACTLY what their looking for. This assignment in comparison to the others was fairly easy, and I learned a lot from it. Im more than satisfied with the way my "Elements of Design display" turned out. The only thing I wish were different was that I had time t actually research both, the elements AND principles of design; because, now, i'm only aware of one of one of the two.

[Fashion Photography Assignment]

This was probably the most satisfied I've been 

with the outcome of an assignment. It was totally

fun and I acquired some experience with both, the strobe

light:), and more of Photshop. I love that I was able 

to use a good friend of mine[who happens to be a dancer] 

as a model for this particular shoot. It was easier to 

work with him than it most-likely would have been 

to work with any one else. I really wanted to show off

the wrinkles in the sweater, the fitness of the jeans and

the clothes overall. I think the stripes of the sweater

make the picture more interesting and the light spots, 

grainy effect[adding texture], and pose of the model adds 

to the complete ambience of the photo.

[Playing With Photoshop]

In this assignment, I learned a lot more about Photoshop

while expressing myself and who I am through a picture.

In this assignment, we were required to add our favorite

number, a letter of our name, 2 layers, and the watercolor

filter. I decided to go against the norm and actually use 

my very own hands to show the number 3. The water

color effect gave my picture a more dream-like feel, which 

entirely describes the way I think of myself and

see the outside world, and im also an Aquarius. 

I decided to go with a bright letter, the first letter 

of my name, that matches the highlight of my face. 

In this decision, i thought it best to stick with 

Times New Roman font for striking simplicity, and 

I also used at least two layers. In this picture, 

I'm not looking directly into the camera, purposely. 

Its because I'm usually somewhere in my own world 

dreaming into the future; setting goals and imagining things..

Photoshop Assignment

Original photo By: Christian Garland

Photoshopped by: Me

In this image of Barack Obama, I wanted to add my own personal flavor by adding my favorite color, purple and 2nd favorite color, lime green. I put the checkerboard print for a complex feel and the yellow beams of light portraying Obama looking out into the bright future... The red splotches were to make the photo more intersting and i burned in the corners so the observer's eye wouldn't escape the picture through plain green space.

Photo History Assignment

Fireflies(1992) by Keith Carter-

Keith Carter, a Texas native, had a single mother who was a child portrait photographer. However, he had not considered photography as a possible career until college. The lighting in one of his mom's prints inspired him to begin photographing his own pictures. He then assisted his mother's business around the state for 15 years.

Keith Carter had no formal training and learned to make art from a mentor and his own self-discoveries. He now lives with his wife in Beaumont Texas and is a professor at Lamar University.

CRITIQUE
In this picture, there are obviously two young boys in some kind of swampy area holding a transparent jar, but I also see themes of curiosity, interest, and innocence. The lighting made this photo interesting because it emphasizes particular areas, like the trees in the forefront and the boys' figures. The difference in values make this picture interesting because their faces are blurred out and the jar doesn't just look like a random prop. It looks intentional because of how light it is in contrast to the figures' bodies. I would say that the light and dark areas are well balanced; the far background is the only part of the picture, besides the jar, that is light, which gives emphasis to the main subjects in this photograph.
I think that in this picture, Keith Carter was trying to portray his child life in Texas, to an extent. He shows innocence, interest, and curiosity in the expressions of body language of the young boys which leads me to think this way.
His work with this photo is very successful. It does keep me interested and it is also very thought-provoking. I think Keith Carter successfully conveyed his thoughts and ideas with this photograph, Fireflies.

Album Cover Project

Existential Mannequin is the band name that I came up with for this assignment, and "The Artist Goes Invisible" is the name of this particular album. I chose the album title based on the band name and the "feel of music" I was trying to portray, which is kind of Indie/Ska/Rock. The two figures in the background represent mannequins [in relation to the band name] and the figure in the forefront is less noticeable. I made it transparent to make the album cover more interesting, and the figure is a mannequin as well... My theme for this album cover was "Subtle, yet edgy" which was why I chose the more subtle lavendar color as the base, and the edgier lime green color for the font. My choice in font is fairly simple, adding to the subtle effect. Yet, even the lowercase is in all capital letters, adding to the edgy effect. Developing the film was fairly easy; it was the printing that gave me the most difficulty, but i learned from it. I learned to buy the amount of paper that I'm going to use in that one day, and how to test the print properly. I am completely satisfied with the outcome of this assignment:)