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.

Photography Class Assignment 2: Depth of Field

This photo assignment for our class emphasized on the depth of field of a photograph and what affects it.  The main factors that affect the depth of field are the focal length of the lens, the aperture of the lens, and the distance the camera is from the subject.  You can click on the image for a larger view.  This is my artist statement.

My set of photographs is composed of my guitars.  The particular subject of my photographs is the acoustic guitar while in the background I have the electric guitar with the amplifier.  In the foreground I have the effects effects pedal board.  I arranged the items in this manner to signify the evolution of music.

The first photo is zoomed in on the acoustic guitar with the unfocused amplifier in the background.  This represents that the acoustic guitar was first--before the electric guitars were invented.  The second photo is zoomed out a little bit, showing the electric guitar, amplifier, and the acoustic all in focus while the tops of the effects pedals are out of focus in the foreground.  This shows the introduction of the electric guitar and its rise in popularity while the the development of effects pedals were still in the experimental stage.  And finall, the third photo shows the acoustic guitar, amplifier, electric guitar, and pedal board all in focus--representing the modern day technology of the guitar.

Grade: 3.9

I received a 3.9 because in the first photo, there was originally a little bit of the electric guitar stand in the bottom left corner that was found to be distracting that I did not notice when I turned in this assignment.  I have corrected this distraction by cropping it out of the first photograph.  Also, when I printed out the photographs for this assignment, my printer was not calibrated or aligned correctly due to lack of use in a long time so there was a very yellow-greenish tint.  This made it seem like my white balance was off.  The digital version is free from this white balance error.

Decisions, Decisions

May 22, 2009 is the final day that I can pay my confirmation fee to University of Maryland - College Park.  As of now, I have a choice between Washington State University and Maryland while declining Seattle University.  I have yet to hear back from Case Western, University of Michigan, University of Texas - Austin, University of Washington, and Georgia Tech.  However, I am tired of waiting because there are still a lot of things to take care of after deciding on a school to go to.  I would rather just pick between WSU and UMD now and be prepared for next Fall and have a set Summer schedule instead of having no clear Summer schedule and being rushed to take care of the little details.  The hard part now is to pick between WSU and UMD.

Both schools are decent enough schools that they are fairly well known.  UMD has the upper hand in being the better school academically while also being in a better location at College Park, MD while WSU is in Pullman, WA.  College Park is fairly close to Washington DC and from the looks of it, seems to have a fairly convenient subway/metro line.  Because of these locations, the weather is also much more desireable at UMD.  The only thing going in WSU's favor is the cost of tuition.  There is roughly a $16,000 difference between the two schools per year, which is quite a lot.  Financial aid for me doesn't seem likely either.

Another issue that may or may not be a big deal would be the transportation to and from the two different universities and 'home' (either Seattle or Vancouver, WA).  Due to the obscurely harsh Winter weathers at Pullman, it makes for a very dangerous drive across the pass while coming back from College Park would be a much safer flight in to town.  However, it is much more convenient to transport a lot more things by driving to Pullman than it is to fly to Maryland.  Plane tickets will also be more expensive than driving--though I would save myself the hassle of asking for rides to and from Pullman.

So those are pretty much the main 'physical' attributes that are affecting my decisions.  I guess I mean 'physical' to represent the outside factors differentiating the two schools from each other.  I will explore my internal factors and how I feel about my current situation probably tomorrow.