Project 4: Basic Photoshop

Project 3: Balance and Contrast Finals

 Contrast in texture 

In this photo I found a red snakeskin wallet and looked for wood, in this photo I used a brown oak table. I tried to center the line between them as well as possible, and then edited it to be more vertical in Lightroom. I used two split tones on the photo so that I could edit the snakeskin and make it more vibrant without it changing the entire photo, and then I used another to make the wood darker to give the photo a more intense contrast.

Contrast in color 

I used this photo because even without editing the contrast in color is clear. The purple versus the light green shows a strong change. I edited the photo by first cropping it a lot, so that the main focus of the image would be the cabbage. I left the radishes on the left so that the two colors of it would show a connection with the cabbages. 

Contrast in color/texture

In this photo I used some vegetables that I found at a market. I turned up the vibrancy of the greens purples, yellows, and blues. I  used the blue background to really show color difference, and then between the color of the vegetables. It is also a contrast in texture, showing change between the texture of the smooth cloth blue underneath the vegetables, and then then between the onions and the cucumber. 

Depth of Field

I used a close up of these baby eggplants to show depth of field in the photo. I cropped in to show the focus on the vegetables. I turned up the saturation of the greens, purples and blues to make the photo more vibrant and interesting. The clarity at the ends of the eggplants and the foggy, vague, out of focus watermelons and background of the photo make a clear depth of field photo.

Movement

In this diptych I show two different kinds of movement. I changed my camera settings to get my friend spinning with the still background, which makes her look blurred, and in the other I changed my settings in manual mode to get all of the movement in one shot, so her moving hair and body in still in focus. I decided to edit the photos after I had made it a diptych to be sure to connect them color wise.

Movement

This is my second diptych showing movement, blurry and then clear. I put a darker split tone on it to make it look more moody and interesting. I had my aperture really low so that I could have my sister's body come out really blurry, which looks really cool with the Christmas lights. I put the settings back on normal to get the lights in focus.

Contrast in scale 

I used this photo to show a contrast in scale by taking a below shot of one of the giant chess pieces downtown. I decided to take it from below to show a more intense contrast in scale. The chess piece looks much smaller than the buildings. I turned up the saturation of the sky, to make it more blue, and I turned down some of the white highlights on the chess piece to make it look more stark against the blue sky. 

Triptych

In this triptych I decided to play upon the colors of light brown, dark brown, and red. In the first photo I thought my snake skin photo worked the best, and then I used a photo of wooden three dimensional cubes in between to separate and unite the photos. I toned down the photos after I had put them into triptych form, to make the red look a little more connected with the whites.

Project 3: Balance and Contrast Pre-work

Change in Shape 

Adrien M and Claire B

Change in Scale

Michael Tess

Symmetry

Seb Janiak

Mimesis

Radial Balance

Barry Rosenthal

Asymmetry

Barry Rosenthal

Change in Texture

David Zimmerman

Change in value

Nicholas Henri

Olga Astratova

Project 2: Color and Grids Finals

In this project we explored the use of color in photography.How it can be used to create a certain mood or feeling, and how it can be used to unify images like in a grid. We looked at how color can emphasize a certain aspect of a photo, and through editing how we can completely change and manipulate images. 

Warm Colors

In this grid I took a photo of red bell peppers, and then cropped in so they filled the entire frame. I decided to uses all three warm colors red, orange, and yellow to make it super warm. I took the original photo of red peppers and by using split tones and changing the saturation of the yellows and oranges in the photo I was able to change the colors from orange, then yellow.

Cool Colors

This photo was originally a green close up of a leaf, and by using several editing techniques I was able to transform the photo into the image that became this grid. I turned up the blue saturation in the photo, and by using split tones I got it to more of a purple. From there, I was able to make it blue by changing the temperature settings on the photo. I turned up the whites in the photo to make the lines in the leaf pop, and give the photo a different, interesting feel. I put a blue preset over the entire grid to unify all the images.

 Color complements

I decided to use the color complements of red and green in this photo, in light of the upcoming holiday season. I used a photo of a canopy and after cropping it to fill the frame with branches only, I turned up the saturation of the greens in the photo. I turned up the saturation of the black in the photo to darken the lines of the branches running through the image, which I think makes it more interesting. I made a copy of that image, and then went to work turning it red. By changing the temperature settings in lightroom I was able to get the photo to yellow, and then to red by using split tones.

Monochromes

I decided to use two monochrome photos not only to give two examples of the shades of a color but also to demonstrate some of the powers of editing. To achieve the look of the photo on the left I wanted it to look lighter, more of a light gray to black monochrome than a dark one. I turned up the white in the photo as well as the highlights, and turned up the exposure a few notches to make it brighter. I turned up the saturation of the reds in the photo to give it a slight pop of color, but nothing overbearing. On the photo on the left I made much more drastic changes. I turned the exposure way down to make it look more dark and moody, but then brought back the whites in the photo by turning up the highlights and whites in the photo. I changed the temperature in the photo, until I got it too a purple-blue, then turned up the purple saturation in lightroom. The purple and blues in the photo give it a hot, neon lights kind of feeling, while also showing a lot of the shades of purple.

Mood

I used this photo of eggplants first because of the interesting play of light in the photo, the lights and shadows. I placed the baby eggplants like this in the sunlight hoping it would catch the light, and I used that to create a very dramatic, moody feel.

Origional

Mood

The editing I did in this photo give it the feel of an old photograph, I like how it made it look serene, and a bit sad. The monochrome in the photo also made it more interesting.

Original

Project 2: Color and Grids!

I think the photographer used color to give this photo a warm, nice mood. Using warm colors, the effect of heat and comfort emanates from the photograph. I think they used a split tone to saturate the oranges in the photo.

 Corey Arnold

Using cool colors and a dark filter, the photo creates a cold and icy feel. The dark blue of the water makes it look freezing and uninviting. It makes me feel nervous being out in the open sea. I think the photographer turned up the green saturation in this photo, and turned down the saturation in the sky.

Michael Kenna

The use of black and white makes the photo feel moody and barren, it looks like a place you wouldn't want to hang out at. I can tell there is really good technique in this photo to make it seem that way, because this is a photo of the Sydney Opera House. The Sydney Opera House has always been made to look exciting and welcoming, but the photographer managed to make it look like a dead zone! 

Project 1: Framing and Composition!

Our very first project in our photography class was a success! We were working on the technique of deliberately manipulating the framing and composition within our work, and how editing can affect it! We had two walking field trips to Downtown Portland in the Pearl district, the first to the area around Pioneer Place and the other to the area around the Portland Farmer's Market. We were given pretty much free range to take photos where ever our creativity lead us, which for me resulted in beautiful and satisfactory photos. Taking pictures and checking how they look and how you can change them is really to me what helped me learn the most the fastest!

Rule of Thirds

I shot this photo from the second story inside Pioneer Place. When we were instructed to make our photography techniques as obvious as possible in our photos, my first thought was verticals! I chose this one as my final rule of thirds photo because while it clearly depicts the technique, it also is interesting because of the change in depth field. The symbols in the image also speak to me because I think it shows something deeper: the multiple cultures found within the US! As a former exchange student, acceptance and the mixing of cultures is something that is important to me. In this photo there is the street sign of an Italian restaurant called Pasitini, and in the background the American flag. This shows to me a blending of the Italian culture in the "American" culture! I decided to give this photo a more "old times" feel by turning up the grain within the photo, and turning down the whites and the highlights to make it more dim. I put a vignette on the photo to further the dark shadow, and cropped the sides of the photo to make it fit perfectly within the thirds of the frame.

Frame Within a Frame

This is by far my favorite frame within a frame of mine! While it is clearly showing the technique, it also is to me a beautiful photo. It has color and depth, and the fact that you are looking straight up and see the buildings reflecting in the sunlight is super pretty to me. This photo is made ten times more interesting with the framing created by the glass roof, which I think makes this photo the perfect example of frame within a frame! I took this when I was just leaving the Pioneer Place Mall, and this glass roof was just outside the front doors. To edit this photo, I changed the saturation of some of the colors in the photo, and I played upon the already present hues of blue and purple within the photo. I turned up those two colors, and to make the framing within the photo as clear as I wanted them to be, I tilted the photo so that the lines were straight up and down.

Close Up

I found this gorgeous flower wandering through the Portland Farmer's Market in Downtown Portland. I took this photo from above the flower, and I just love the colors in this one! Because I really like the colors, I decided that would be my main focus for editing this photo. I turned up the reds and the oranges, and made the greens framing the flower more vibrant. I like the combination of the green, white, and orange in this photo, and the detail shown makes me very drawn to it! I chose this one not only because it shows the close up details of the flower, but also because it is visually dynamic.

Bird's Eye View

This photo was taken on an adventure! I was wondering through the Pioneer Place Mall, when I stumbled upon the cutest little restaurant over-looking the street below. Originally this photo was a bit grayer, and it popped less. I wanted to make it more exciting and eye-catching, so I moved up the saturation of the blues in the background, and the reddish orange of the crosswalk! This photo is interesting to me because it shows everyday human life in the city, in a bird's eye view which to me, makes buildings look big and the people look small. 

Bug's Eye View

I chose this photo as my bug's eye view because I think it clearly captures the idea of the technique. I was walking around inside Pioneer Place mall when I saw some beautifully styled mannequins. I thought of taking some photos from below looking up, to capture the essence of power and beauty that this mannequin seemed to emanate. I got down all the way on the floor in the middle of Nordstroms (embarrassing!) and found the angle. I wanted to get her head in the center of the photo, which to me makes her seem assertive and giantesque! I decided to put this photo in black and white to make it seem as dramatic as the angle and stance, but then brought back the roses on her skirt to add a dramatic pop of color. I added a vignette to the image to draw all the attention to her!

Leading Lines

Leading lines to me is one of the most interesting photography techniques that we've looked at yet! Although I struggle with finding them quickly while on assignment like a walking field trip, with time I'm sure to find one. I was walking around the Pearl District and came upon the busy public square with the fountain. I looked up, and found this beautiful glass roof criss-crossed with running wood and wire lines! I went back to stand and the end of the roof, and looked up to get this shot showing the wood and wire running down vertically through the photo. To make it look richer, I turned up the saturation of the blue sky, and the green trees. I also cropped the photo to make sure the focus would be on the leading lines.

Diagonals

I love the way these escalators both cross diagonally through the photo. When I got on this escalator, the first thing I noticed was the huge mirror wall to my right! This old architectural trick serves not only to make a room look  bigger, but in this case it reflects on a view we would other wise not be able to see! I made this photo black and white to highlight the dark diagonals crossing the frame. I chose this photo because I think it captures the technique clearly and in an interesting way.

Filling the Frame

These beautiful and fresh bell peppers were found and our local Portland Famer's Market here in Downtown Portland. This pepper were pretty and vibrant right off the bat, but I added a little saturation to it and put a slight vignette on the image. The original photo I took didn't quite fill the entire frame, so I cropped in the right side a little. I was first drawn to them because I love bell peppers! I chose use a photo with two different colors of peppers to create a contrast between them, and it also makes the photo more interesting.