My Favorite Photographs

Throughout the semester I feel as though I learned a huge amount. The photograh above was taken during the first assignment, and clearly I had not mastered the ability to photograph in manual mode. I chose this as one of my favorites, however, because I am proud I managed to capture the essence of a friend who constantly plays Ultimte Frisbee.

The landscape assignment was definitely one of my favorites, because nature is what drew me to photography seven years ago, and is what I love to do. This photograph I feel shows the amount I progressed from the beginnig to the end of the semester.

Another landscape; I love the contrast between the road and the trees. I feel I managed to capture enough of both aspects to make this photograph visually appealing.

Lynn Geesaman

I love how this photograph is divided by the life and death of the trees. The left side is full of green life, while the rows on the other side are all dead. The contrast between the two is captured extremely well with the vibrant colors.

My favorite part of this photograph is also the coloring. The changing of the leaves and the trees in the background really pop. I also like how all the trees are identical as they align the painting.

Andreas Gursky

What I really like about this photograph is th symmetry; it can be split perfectly down the middle. Also, the way everything is separated by the colors blue or green, the sky switches to grass, which switches to water, which again switches to grass, etc.

I love how the mountainside has the road swirling up towards the top. At first I did not notice anything besides the mountain until I looked closer at the smaller roads and figures. This photograph captures the entire area beautifully.

I've honestly never seen this many cows in person before. When I drive by a field I only get the road's perception. However by photographing the fields from the sky, the vastness of the cow covered area can be seen.

Edward Burtynsky

I really like this photograph showing the oil spill from a few years back. The black of the oil completely contrasts with the color of the water. The image also shows how large the extent of the spill was, instead of just reading of the damage the viewer can see how far the oil actually spread.

This water image is also very eye catching. I love the different features of this landscape; how so many different water paths flow together. It almost looks like different roads, and the photography takes a minute for me to understand.

I really like this photograph. The water going down the center separates the left side  of developed area and grass from the right side of desert. All the straight lines and squares capture my attention as well. One thing I really like about these three Burtynsky images is the aerial views he uses to document the landscapes. The viewer can see so much more of the area than if he had simply been on the ground.

Semester Update

I feel like so far this semester I've learned a ton. Before starting this class, my camera was basically always on Automatic, and I knew nothing about shutter speed, or aperture, or exposure, or anything like that. Now I think I've gained a whole new perspective towards viewing photography, and I definitely appreciate my camera more. I loved photography before starting this class, and now I love it so much more.

Ansel Adams

I think all Adams' landscapes are gorgeous.What I really enjoy about this image is the way all aspects of nature are included. There is the perfect amount of sky and clouds, and the cliff and trees make the rest of the upper half stand out extremely well. I love the water starting up where the sky ends in the corner. This photograph really displays Adams' talent.

When I look at this photograph I gather a sense of peace. The enormity of the water eclipses the moutnains and the sky, but at the same time works alongside the top of the image since the mountains and clouds are reflected in the water. The black and white also gives the photograph a sense of uniformity and peacefulness.

I am slightly obsessed with this photograph because I think it is absolutely perfect.

Walker Evans

What I like most about this photograph is the way the couple is posed; looking out over the fence instead of facing the camera. There is stuff going on in the background, but nothing too busy so the background does not draw all attention away from the couple. I also like the lack of white space in this photograph; it fits the frame well.