JessicaFisher
Materpiece
This last photo is what I consider to be my “masterpiece.” In week 3 I was tasked with taking photos using several different light scenarios. My dog was used as the subject of the photo because his fur is black and white, which creates great contrast in photos. In addition, he is an interesting looking subject, which is what I consider to be a main element of an artistic photograph. The background is inconsequential, as I wanted to give the subject full and center attention in the frame. The reason why he was shot where he was is due to the lighting in that particular space. The dog is lying on the floor, with a window behind him and a bank of windows in the left frame. I used the flash for fill lighting on his face and turned the exposure down on the camera as I knew that the flash and natural light could cause overexposure. I also changed the white balance setting on the camera to direct sunlight so that it would filter any unwanted sunshine. I turned down the aperture and speed settings to blur the background and capture him as a completely still image, as he was moving around quite a bit. This was taken using my 50mm A/F Nikkor lens. This is a wonderful photo because I captured a very intense and interesting expression on his face, which makes me wonder “what was he thinking.” I liked the original image because the lighting is perfect and the highlights on the fur behind his ear and whiskers make him look very special. I chose to edit this photo in order to make it my masterpiece because I felt that the original was not dynamic, which I think is necessary for an artistic piece. Using Photoshop Elements, I made adjustments to the contrast, vibrancy, exposure and saturation of the entire photo with the RAW settings only. I made this into a black and white photo because I think that the colors were not interesting enough to keep intact, whereas the gray tones, lights and shadows now play a bigger role. I then used the “spotlight” tool to highlight behind his face, back and whiskers, where I know that the light was hitting when I took the photo. Then I uploaded the photo. It lacked a spark. I noticed that I missed the fact that his eyes, which are a very vibrant blue, were grayish because of the black and white conversion. I went back and re-edited the photo, again using the spotlight tool to brighten his eyes just a little, as I was not wanting him to be evil looking, I just wanted a spark or fire in his eyes. The completely edited photo is one of the best I have ever taken. For me every element of an artistic photo is present: interesting subject, dynamic elements, light, shadow, contrast and focus. I admit the framing needed to be a little better, however it is a very small issue to me. This photo will be hung as an art canvas in my house, which I wouldn’t do unless I considered it art.
Materpiece
This last photo is what I consider to be my “masterpiece.” In week 3 I was tasked with taking photos using several different light scenarios. My dog was used as the subject of the photo because his fur is black and white, which creates great contrast in photos. In addition, he is an interesting looking subject, which is what I consider to be a main element of an artistic photograph. The background is inconsequential, as I wanted to give the subject full and center attention in the frame. The reason why he was shot where he was is due to the lighting in that particular space. The dog is lying on the floor, with a window behind him and a bank of windows in the left frame. I used the flash for fill lighting on his face and turned the exposure down on the camera as I knew that the flash and natural light could cause overexposure. I also changed the white balance setting on the camera to direct sunlight so that it would filter any unwanted sunshine. I turned down the aperture and speed settings to blur the background and capture him as a completely still image, as he was moving around quite a bit. This was taken using my 50mm A/F Nikkor lens. This is a wonderful photo because I captured a very intense and interesting expression on his face, which makes me wonder “what was he thinking.” I liked the original image because the lighting is perfect and the highlights on the fur behind his ear and whiskers make him look very special. I chose to edit this photo in order to make it my masterpiece because I felt that the original was not dynamic, which I think is necessary for an artistic piece. Using Photoshop Elements, I made adjustments to the contrast, vibrancy, exposure and saturation of the entire photo with the RAW settings only. I made this into a black and white photo because I think that the colors were not interesting enough to keep intact, whereas the gray tones, lights and shadows now play a bigger role. I then used the “spotlight” tool to highlight behind his face, back and whiskers, where I know that the light was hitting when I took the photo. Then I uploaded the photo. It lacked a spark. I noticed that I missed the fact that his eyes, which are a very vibrant blue, were grayish because of the black and white conversion. I went back and re-edited the photo, again using the spotlight tool to brighten his eyes just a little, as I was not wanting him to be evil looking, I just wanted a spark or fire in his eyes. The completely edited photo is one of the best I have ever taken. For me every element of an artistic photo is present: interesting subject, dynamic elements, light, shadow, contrast and focus. I admit the framing needed to be a little better, however it is a very small issue to me. This photo will be hung as an art canvas in my house, which I wouldn’t do unless I considered it art.