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.

Sylvia Plachy

My favorite part of this photograph is the openess of the room the girl is laying in. It is taken from such a different persepective, almost from the ground level the individual is on. She could be just another object in the room, not standing out, but not blending in either.

Sally Mann

My favorite part of this photograph is the way the little girl is made to look older by holding the cigarette. Her posture and the way her hair is set looks to be that of someone much older than the child. I am unsure of the purpose of the child in the background and the second child in the camera's focus.

Mark Sink

I like how glamour-like this photograph is. It makes me want to start using black and white photography on assignments. Another aspect I like is the way the girl is one with nature, with her crown of leaves and flowers, as well as the boquet she is holding.I also like how the wooded background is blurred.

David Hockney

I like how these photographs come together to show the full face of a woman.What I particularly admire is the way different facial features are emphasized but still come together to create the image.

Annie Leibovitz

I love this portrait of Katie Perry.The pattern of her dress completely flows with the nature scene she is standing in. The location of the photograph is absolutely beautiful. I also like how Perry is standing a little off to the right, instead of front and center.

I love the stormy scene Taylor Swift is standing in. This photograph reminds me of both a portrait, but also a metaphorical portrait since Swift is holding her guitar and has her standard 13 drawn on her hand, as well as being in a country setting since she originally sang country music.

Les Miserables is my favorite musical of all-time, so Leibovitz has now become one of my favorite photographers. She captured the essence of the original poster in her photograph. I love the lighting of this photograph, how one side is bright but slowly fades into shadows along the right side.

John Baldessari

I really like Baldessari's use of the colored dots over people's faces. It leaves a lot for the viewer to interpret. Also, I enjoy how he brings out more color in the picture by adding his own personal touches with the paint on various areas.

In his overlap series, I enjoy how Baldessari makes multiple photographs fit together, even though they have nothing to do with one another. The trees in this photograph make for a pretty shot, but the overlap of the people make the entire artwork pop.

While this is just a photograph of paper Baldessari wrote on, I love his declaration to not create boring art. I hope that I can live by this motto as well.

Class Assignment from Thursday, October 9

Doug and Mike Starn

I am not really sure why I am attracted to this photograph so much, but the tree seems so distorted, almost humanlike. All the tree branches completely fill out the frame of the photograph as well, so white space is limited but it goes well with the branches.

This is probably one of my favorite photographs I have seen all semester. The city line in the background is gorgeous, and it does draw my eye, but the bamboo sculpture is so random.

This picture makes me wonder how terrified the person walking along the bamboo structure was. She seems so far up with the city in the distance. There is so much going on but for some reason the picture fits together.

I love how the Starns' construct for their photographs. The amount of bamboo poles in this picture is insane. The bright sky really illuminates the bamboo, and I wish I could be up there walking along the pathways, as though I was in the sky.

This photograph was in the light manipulation collection. I think that entire concept is fascinating. The leaf completely stands out against the pure white background.

I do not fully understand how they managed this art piece, but I find it really interesting. I like the way the Starns' make trees seem so appealing. It is almost as though they blew up certain sections of the tree to highlight different points.

"Photography helps people see..."             -Berenice Abbott

Ruth Thorne Thomsen

What fascinated me about this photograph is the way the figure is formed by dots. I want to know Thomsen managed this photograph. The dots contrast nicely with all the round rocks the figure is standing on.

Another Thomsen photograph that I wonder how she created. The isolated boat draws me in, as does the figure sitting on top of the column. The black and white makes the image seem almost foggy.

What I like about this photograph is how surprising the image is. A person would not expect a chair to be thrown outdoors.

This is probably my favorite photograph I found by Thomsen. To me, it seems a very relatable photograph; everyone feels completely isolated and alone sometimes. I also like how the figure is reflected on the foggy ground.


Overall, I really enjoyed the black and white images Thomsen produced. Everything I found of hers was extremely created and original; unlike anything I have seen before. I am not sure how she created her photographs, because some of them appear almost fake or digitally created, but  I really like the effect the photographs produce.

Irving Penn, Jan Groover, and Olivia Parker

What I like about this Irving Penn photograph is how everything relates to the view of American baseball;including the hot dog and Coke. All the objects are similar colors and fit together in some way that appeals to me.

In this Jan Groover photograph, I like how she took something as everyday as kitchen utensils and turned them into art. I also like how the forks and spoons reflect the light of the room, and also leave reflections on the table surface.

In Olivia Parker's all white photograph, I really like how the the flowers are photographed against something with a texture. It looks almost as though they are against a towel or carpet. That contrasts greatly with the pure white roses that are against it.

Tamara Lackey

In this photograph, I like how the boy is completely in focus, as are the closest leaves. The background is slightly blurred. During the past photography assignment I had a lot of trouble with aperature, which is how I believe this photograph has the blurred background with only the foreground in focus.

What I like about this photograph is the way the tree branches frame the girl. It is a nice, natural frame. Also, I like the extra branches and the straight lines they create.

In this picture I like the motion captured as the girl jumps on to the curb. Also, its a rainy day instead of sunny and I like that as a background.

Honestly, going in to this assignment, I did not know many photographers so I had to research to find one whose photography I admire. After researching, I chose one of Nikon's Ambassadors, Tamara Lackey. She does a lot of people photography, and I realize I like the way she views her subjects.

More Photographs I Admire

I really like the detail in this photograph, especially that of the clouds. I've also always been interested in photographs of pathways, so the sand leading towards the bridge is also a feature that pulls me in.

What I like about this picture is how the smoke from the boat comes out grey, while the man's silhouette is completely the opposite in black.

I like the angle of this photograph; how the camera is looking up towards the underside of the flower. Also, I like how the big flower is clearly the main focus since the rest of the flowers are more blurry, but still create an interesting background.



I would love to learn how to capture an image's reflection the way the Eiffel Tower appears in the wine glass. Also, while the glass is not the largest entity of the photograph, it shows the clearest image, despite the image being upside down.