Portraits

7. Introduce a Prop

Add a prop of some kind into your shots and you create another point of interest that can enhance your shot.

Yes you might run the risk of taking too much focus away from your main subject but you could also really add a sense of story and place to the image that takes it in a new direction and gives the person you’re photographing an extra layer of depth that they wouldn’t have had without the prop.

2. Play with Eye Contact

It is amazing how much the direction of your subject’s eyes can impact an image. Most portraits have the subject looking down the lens – something that can create a real sense of connection between a subject and those viewing the image. But there are a couple of other things to try:

6. Shoot Candidly

Sometimes posed shots can look somewhat…. posed. Some people don’t look good in a posed environment and so switching to a candid type approach can work.

Photograph your subject at work, with family or doing something that they love. This will put them more at ease and you can end up getting some special shots with them reacting naturally to the situation that they are in. You might even want to grab a longer zoom lens to take you out of their immediate zone and get really paparazzi with them.

Environmental Portraits

I chose the first image because i like to dance so that drew me to the picture. I chose the second one because I like the way the light hitting the girl and the horse's hair.

Self Portraits

I chose the first photo because i like the simplicity of it and i like the angle. I chose the second one because i like the contrast of the red balloons against the green water and trees.

Casual Portraits

I chose the first photo because i like the colors in the background and the way the subject is off center. I chose the second photo because the baby is not posed she is just doing her thing and i also the reflection in the mirror.

Plan

I will be shooting the self portrait in my backyard so i can get the greenery in the background I will also experiment with using my fence as the background. For the self portrait i might experiment inside with taking some photos by a window and use the lighting from the blinds to create a unique picture. For the portrait i will be taking pictures of my mom. i will be taking the pictures during various times of the day when she is doing her daily activities to get a candid shot. For the self portrait i will use a tripod but i will not use a tripod for the portrait.

Abandoned Theme Parks

1. Tell me which amusement park featured in the two articles that you would like to visit and take your camera along and what about that park made you want to go there. Write at least a paragraph.
I would like to visit Lincoln Park in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. I would like to visit that park  because i thought the way the old wooden roller coaster had broken boards sticking out everywhere looked really interesting. I think there would be lots more really cool looking run down buildings. I think the contrast with the muted colors of the surrounding environment and the fading bright colors would look really cool in a picture.

2. Post one photo from that park. You may use the photos from the link, or you can google an entirely new photo. I would prefer to see a photo of the park in disrepair and not a photo of it when it was still operating.

3. Think of at least FIVE other unusual places you think would be of interest to photographers. List them.
* an abandoned shopping mall or store
* junkyard
* landfill
*car lot
*factory

4. Use google or another search engine to research ONE of your five places and see if anyone has already started documenting that place. If you find that someone has already started - post at least one photo of their work.

5. Write a paragraph about why you think that it would be fun to document that location. Tell me what interests you about that place and what kind of photos you could expect to take there.
I think it would be interesting to photograph because there is an endless amount of different shapes, materials, and textures. I would probably take pictures of things that are bent differently from how they are supposed to look.

6. Tell me what it would take for you to go and take photos at your location. What would you need as far as equipment goes, travel plans, expenses you might encounter and what laws you would have to take into consideration to take photos at your spot.
There are plenty of junkyards in the world and they are pretty easy to access and probably not very far. As far as equipment i would bring a camera and a tripod.

Africa

1. On your blog post your reactions to what you read and what you saw. How about 3-4 sentences.
I think the pictures are absolutely beautiful! it is hard to believe they were taken in the wild. I couldn't imagine having to wait for so long to gets picture and i hope his work really makes a difference in animal conservation.
2. Do a google image search for Nick Brandt, find your favorite photo and post it on your blog.

3. Describe it and tell me why its your favorite.
It is a lion and a lioness that are rubbing heads. I just like it because to me it shows that if these two wild animals can feel compassion for each other or at least look like they do than why can't everyone.
4. What rules of photography are evident in the photos you selected, be sure to explain the rule to me?
The rule of simplicity because it is just the two lions in the picture it is also balance because the two lions balance out the photo.
Do a google search for Nick Brandt

5. What kind of camera and lens does he use and why is this important?
Pentax 67II

6. What is his reason for taking these photos?
He wants to shed on the fact that the wildlife in africa is currently dwindling at a rapid pace and he wants them to be remembered when they are gone.
7. What is his hope by taking these type of photos?
That people will see the beauty of these animals and do more to preserve them.
8. Find something he has to say about Africa, and post the quote on your blog.
In 1995 I first drove the main road from Nairobi down through southern Kenya to Arusha in northern Tanzania. Along the way, in completely unprotected areas, I saw giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, wildebeest. A few months ago, just 13 years later, I made the same drive. I didn't see a single wild animal the entire four-hour drive.

Prompt Shoot

Bowie

Happy

Metal

Square

Current Events Quiz #5.2

1. Eight people were killed and two buildings were leveled in a powerful explosion on March 12 in what neighborhood of New York City?
Brooklyn

2. March 17 as St. Patricks's Day, but the annual parades in Boston and New York were boycotted by both mayors, and some beer companies pulled their sponsorships. Why?
Anything that showed support for gay people was not allowed.

3. "First Kiss," a three-and-a-half-minute video shot in black and white, went viral last week. It showed 10 pairs of strangers kissing for the first time. What did it turn out to be?

4. What is the latest theory (s) regarding Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?
Its flight plan was altered in the controls.

5. How many people have died as a result of the tragic car accident during SXSW?
3

6. What game was recently banned by AISD because it is "too violent"?
Senior Assassins

7. What country is trying to separate from Ukraine with the help of Russia?
Crimea

8. How did Mick Jagger's girlfriend L'Wren Scott supposedly die this week?
suicide

9. What major sporting event is about to begin today involving 68 college basketball teams?
NCAA Tournament

REMINDER - Some of you are not writing enough here. A single sentence isn't enough. I expect you to expand upon your writing. If you think you have written enough, you haven't, write more. Be sure to answer WHY you think something.

A. What do you think happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370? Please cite current information coming out about the situation. Make sure to back your theory with facts and explain why you think you are correct.

I think it was a suicide bombing because they still haven't found the plane or anything that would lead to the plane. I mean how can something as large as a plane just go missing without anyone seeing it. That is what some of my family thinks and it sounds possible.

Fixed Photoshoot

Current Events Quiz #5.1

1. What part of Ukraine has been the focus of recent problems with its more powerful neighbor?

Crimea

Extra Credit: Who is that powerful neighbor?

Russia

2. What U.S. diplomat went to Kiev this week to increase the pressure on this neighbor and show support of those in Ukraine?

John Kerry 

3. One more powerful winter storm hit the U.S. last weekend and early this week. What was its name?

4. Twenty-nine people were killed and more than 140 wounded in a train station in China last weekend. What weapons did the attackers use?

bombs

5. What is everyone in almost every state in the U.S. doing Saturday night if they don’t want problems Sunday morning?

voting?

6. What was named best picture at the Academy Awards Sunday night?

12 years a slave

7. Whose selfie at the Oscars now holds the record of the most popular tweet ever?

Ellen Degenres's tweet

8. What celebrations have been going on this week in New Orleans?

Mardi Gras