Photography Class Assignment 3: Motion

This photo assignment was to capture motion with our camera.  We were to go through a series of shots at different shutter speeds and pick two photos. One must be a panning shot that would keep the subject sharp while the background is blurred by motion while the other photo is with the camera being held still so the subject will be blurred by it's own motion.  Click the photo for a larger view.  This is the artist statement that I typed up.

The two photos that I selected to present both have a central subject—animals in motion.  I chose these two photos because they contrast each other quite nicely and have a lot of opposites.

The first photo is of my dog, Padua, at the dog park.  This was the photo that I panned the camera to keep him relatively sharp and in focus as he runs around.  The primary lines in the background are running horizontally, which provides the viewer a sense that the dog is running along those lines.  The colors of the background also are very similar to the color of the dog—a mixture of brown, white, gray, and black.  The similar color scheme along with the fairly organized background and the linear movement of the dog combine to show a flow and certain comfort level between the dog and his surroundings.  There is a sense of openness and freeness between the dog and his surroundings.

The second photo is of two birds at the zoo.  This was the photo where the camera was held still while the subject was allowed to move.  The background of this photo is very much the opposite of the first background since it is unorganized and includes the man-made fence.  This reflects the hectic nature of the fighting birds.  Similar to the first photo, the colors of the background resemble the colors of the fighting birds—a mixture of green, yellow, brown, and red.  The distinct branch in the foreground resembles the claws of the birds while the green tree leafs in the background resemble the feathers.  The harsh, unorganized background, along with the fighting birds, shows a lack of flow and comfort level between the birds and its surroundings.  The fence further emphasizes a discomfort by representing a sense of encasement—like a prison.

Grade: 4.0

The general consensus was that the first photograph with Padua was very pleasing.  It captured the moment of his motion with the feel that he just jumped from one side of the photo to the other side.  However, the results were mixed for the second photograph.  Some students commented on the unorganized composition with the tree branch being very distracting while others liked how it was more of an organized chaos with the fence providing a stable repetition in the photograph.  The teacher enjoyed that the second photo caused mixed reviews because that was the intended reaction I had expected.