My Inspiration

The photographer that I chose for the big assignment is Ansel Adams. He died in 1984 at age 82 from heart failure due to cancer. April 22, 1984 to be exact. Which is also the day of my birthday, just 12 years earlier. Scary. Anyways, his photos are mainly in the Southwest and are landscape photos, which is what I love to do. I just need to figure out how to make Massachusetts look like Arizona.

Natural Light

This photo assignment is probably going to be my favorite because I love taking photos of people when the sun is the only light source. They just look great. I'm not sure yet what the people will be doing in the photos. Time to brainstorm!

Scholastic Arts

Recently, I have not been taking many photos. But, one of them I uploaded to the Scholastic Arts Submission and Mrs. Underwood said it was gorgeous and that she may accept it. A little confidence boost for me!

20 photography books

Title: Ansel Adams An Autobiography
Author/Editor: Ansel Adams and Mary Street Alinder
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Photographer: Ansel Adams


Title: Ansel Adams In Color
Author/Editor: Harry M. Callahan
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Photographer: Ansel Adams


Title: This Is The American Earth
Author/Editor: Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall
Publisher: Sierra Club-Ballatine
Photographer: Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall


Title: Scenic Photography 101
Author/Editor: Kerry Drager
Publisher: Amphoto Books, Watson-Guptill Publications
Photographer: multiple


Title: Berenice Abbot
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Berenice Abbot


Title: `Tina Modotti
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Tina Modotti


Title: Men At Work
Author/Editor: Lewis W. Hine
Publisher: Dover Publications
Photographer: multiple


Title: timotion
Author/Editor: Jonathan Shaw, Eadweard Muybridge, Harold Edgerton
Publisher: Dewi Lewis Publishing
Photographer: multiple


Title: Paul Strand
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Paul Strand


Title: Eugene Atget
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Eugene Atget


Title: Alfred Stieglitz
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Alfred Stiglitz


Title: August Sandler
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: August Sandler


Title: Ansel Adams 1902-1984
Author/Editor: James Alinder
Publisher: The Friends of Photography
Photographer: Ansel Adams


Title: Robert Capa Photographs
Author/Editor: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Cornell Capa, Richard Whelan
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Robert Capa


Title: Eikoh Hosoe
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Eikoh Hosoe


Title: Barbara Morgan
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Barbara Morgan


Title: Andre Kertesz
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Andre Kertesz


Title: Ansel Adams, Yosemite and the Range of Light
Author/Editor: Paul Brooks
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Photographer: Ansel Adams

Title: Weegee
Author/Editor:
Publisher: Aperture
Photographer: Weegee


Title: Photography Encyclopedia
Author/Editor: Fred W. McDarrah, Gloria S. McDarrah, Timothy S. McDarrah
Publisher: Schrimer Books
Photographer: multiple

Paul Strand

Post-Assignment Assessment: This assignment was based on the artist Paul Strand. His photographs are abstract shadows and portraits of people. Most of the time the portraits were of people unaware of the camera. For my photographs, I tried to get some cool shadows. Shadows that naturally made odd shapes or patterns. I loved that in one of my photos the shadows of the shades on a window made parallel lines on the wall. I actually had some trouble with this one because I wanted to get my photos like Paul's but I just couldn't. Paul focused on the light in his photos and I just couldn't figure that out. I would definitely improve how I incorporate light into my photos, I feel like the light and shadows are what make a photo great.

Get Close

Oct. 7 - Oct. 11

Pre-Assignment Assessment: The assignment that we're doing this week is Get Close. I plan on using the Aperture Priority to take photos that are focused on the closest thing to the camera. To find inspirations I Google searched "Close Photography" and looked at the images that came up to get ideas of what to photograph. 

Artist of the Week: Imogen Cunningham is the artist that we're focusing on this week. She was born in Portland, Oregon in 1883. Imogen attended The University Of Washington in Seattle. Her professor had told her that she should have a well rounded background in science if she wanted to be a photographer, so she majored in Chemistry.  In 1914, her first one-person exhibition was held at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. Imogen was known for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes. She eventually died June 24 of 1976.

Post-Assignment Assessment: During this assignment I focused on the Aperture Priority setting. I used the manual focus because it just seemed easier for me. This assignment was probably my favorite so far. I like the fact that the photographs were focused really well on one thing. Taking photos up close is great because you can see all the details in what your photographing. The only thing I really had trouble with was keeping my arms steady. Most of the photos came out blurry and I kept having to retake them. If I were to work on anything I'd try to find techniques that keep my hands and arms more steady.

About Paul Strand

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pstd/hd_pstd.htm