Junior Palomera
P h o t o g r a p h y
Macro Photography
Finally, we have started working on picture assignments. This year I want to explore deeper into photography so that I can see progress through my pictures. Our first assignment for this year was "Macro Photography." Macro photography is when you take pictures of objects very close to the lens. The class went to the garden to take pictures of plants and insects/bugs. I tried finding different types of flowers, but I noticed that there were some butterflies and bees in the bushes. I didn't really like the shots of the bees, so I kept looking and some of the kids around me found a caterpillar which I went to go take pictures of. I like how the caterpillar is in focus and the background is blurred out completely. My settings for this shot were, f-stop 5, ISO 100, 1/200 shutter speed, and I used the 50mm lens.
Stranger Portraits
The assignment this week was "Stranger Portraits." This is now one of my favorite topics to take pictures of. Last year I was shy and wasn't comfortable with approaching total strangers and asking to take pictures of them. This year I just went up to people and asked if I could take their portrait. Most of the people said no, but to make them more comfortable I complimented them or tried to make them laugh, which worked. After I made them laugh or eased my presence, they let me take pictures. This picture of the custodian Mario, here at Chula Vista High school is my favorite picture from this assignment. I got this shot of him because i remembered seeing a lot of older men being shot in Stanger portraits. I approached him with the camera and he got a little bit nervous. I asked him if I could take some pictures of him for my photography class. He was shy at first, but then he said "Make me look good." i took this shot and didn't pay much attention to it until I got home. I saw that this picture was so in focus and since I though it was so good for me, I put it in Photoshop and tried to go above and beyond and do something in Photoshop that I've never done before.
Reflections
I don't have a class during my seventh period so I went to Mr. Gallegos' room. I came in and graded a couple of the tests for the class and then finally, after getting on my knees and begging for a camera, I was given one. I went out to shoot and as I was walking I thought "Man this school is boring." We have windows with reflections, but I didn't want to take an average window picture three times for this assignment. As I was walking around I saw my friend in one of the benches and me being me, I crept up and startled him. I saw his reflection coming off of his phone, so I told him to turn it off and look into the distance. All of these pictures for reflections were rushed so maybe in the near future I can re shoot these pictures, because I know that this is not my best work.
Studio Portrait
After shooting Studio Portraits, I realized that it is my new favorite subject to shoot. When Mr. Gallegos introduced the class to this subject, he showed us some videos to help us get a general idea on what our settings should be. For the class 'Studio' we had two light boxes and occasionally a third rim light. The Studio Portrait is also preparing us to be able to give the model instructions. Most of the time we were just shooting pictures letting the model do whatever they wanted to do. With these shots of Tara, I actually instructed her a bit more than any of my other subjects that I shot. I love the concept of how turning off just one light can change the mood of a picture. I found that using the 50mm lens for this assignment was more comfortable for me. Every time I shot a picture I made sure to focus on the subjects eyes. Focusing on the eyes helped my shots by making the eyes and face be in focus. When the eyes are the focus, it makes the rest of the face pop out. Since I am in the advanced class, I needed to convert one photo to Black and White, and one to Sepia.
Outdoor Portrait with Flash
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This assignment we were required to go outside and shoot "Portraits with Flash." Mr. Gallegos showed us a couple videos on what our settings should be. After the videos and tips from Gallegos, I went outside and went to the Senior Lawn to see if there was anyone that I could shoot. I saw my friend Austin taking fruits out of the trash cans for community service. I went over to him and he introduced me to the other people in the group. There were 2 girls in the group which I wanted to take pictures of. I took some pictures of the girl on the far right because I saw that she had green eyes. I prefer to take pictures of people with colored eyes because it makes their features pop out more.
Optical Illusions
The "Optical Illusion" assignment was difficult for me. When I first heard about this assignment, I thought it would be easy. When I snapped the first shot, I realized how much harder the assignment was going to be. I decided to work on my "Powder Puff" pictures instead of the assignment for that week. Yesterday I went out to shoot with Louis. I decided to go to the P.E area to see if I could get some models, but I decided that it would be better to shoot Louis because the kids were busy. I wanted to shoot some shots that made it look like he was falling off of the world. I took some shots where he would hold onto a pole and then jump up to give it that effect.
Up Close Objects
The past couple of weeks have been hectic in class for me because I have been shooting a variety of events at the school. This weeks assignment was "Up Close Objects," which at first was a little bit strange because it is kind of like macro but not quite the same. I went around the campus looking for small items that I could get close to and shoot. I walked pass the golf karts and saw the keyhole and tried looking for a key to put in to make it have some depth, but it wasn't there. I like this shot because it is simple, but looks cool.
Up Close Objects
It's that time of year, when we are forced to shoot the worst thing in photography, "Product Shots." I don't know why, but when I first shot this assignment last year I just didn't like it. I prefer to shoot people than objects/products. Louis brought his watch so I set it up in the box it comes in and set it on the Plexiglass. I like how the items reflected off of the black glass because it gave it a cool effect. For the glass box with dolphins on it, Mr. Gallegos shined a flashlight through blue gel so it would make the light and glass shine blue.