Lighting Photo

For this lighting assignment I thought I did pretty well overall. I was kind of confused on diffused and silhouette lighting, and I wasn't even sure the photo I chose was diffused lighting until I asked others' opinions. I just thought it was a cool picture and I knew I wanted to use it, but I didn't know if it reflected one of the lightings we were studying in class. I was very happy then when I was told that I could perfectly use it as an example of diffused lighting. When it was time for critiques, I thought I was given a lot more credit than I deserved. I got back a lot of positive feedback. Half of the things I hadn't even noticed such as the foot prints in the snow and all the lines leading your eyes down the road. There just happened to be no cars in the street also. These elements all really added to my picture, and I think without them my photo would not have been as real or unique. A lot of people found meaning in my photo when I was just snapping pictures. I think this shows how cool and diverse photography can be. After hearing the feedback from my photo, I have grown to like my picture even more. I have definitely learned from hearing the feedback from my photo and others that everyone has their own opinions and everyone can take something different from the same photo. From all the different critiques, I was able to figure out what silhouette, diffused, and direct lighting are really supposed to look like. Everyone's comments really helped me see what they thought was important to them in a picture, and I will try to keep these things in mind next time we have a photography assignment to take pictures. In the future I also want to try to think about the meaning of a photo more before I just start taking random pictures. Some people showed really good examples of the different kinds of lighting, but I thought the best pictures were the ones that had good lighting and had real meaning.

Technical or Emotive?

When I first look at a photo, I think I react to the emotive quality first. In my opinion a photo is "great" if it brings out a strong emotion in the viewer. I'll remember a photo more if it reminds me of a certain experience or feeling which I think most photographers are trying to do. I like photographs that make me feel happy or excited or calm - the emotive qualities. I am not an expert photographer so I don't know all the technical aspects of a good photo. This is why my first reaction if a photo is good would be based on how it makes me feel not if it was technically great.

Andy Goldsworthy

From reading a few of my classmates' blog entries, I have learned how dedicated Andy Goldsworthy is. He put so much effort into creating a scene or object for taking a picture when it will just get destroyed shortly after. His scenes are in nature which I think is really cool because i love nature pictures and just being outside. Overall Andy Goldsworthy seems like a dedicated, hard working artist.

Hearing stories about photographers like Andy Goldsworthy inspires me to be creative. He puts so much time into his photographs, and this makes me want to really spend time on my photos, making sure they are just right. Seeing the outcome of his creative photographs and even other students shows me how all the hard work is worth it because the pictures come out looking awesome. The creativeness makes the picture unique and special, so people will never forget it. That is how i want my photographs to be.

Besides from other people's pictures motivating me to be creative. I also think the idea of always having that memory captured so you never forget is motivational. It encourages me to think more about the picture I am taking and think of new creative ways. I take a picture to capture a moment or feeling, and a photograph is always more interesting to look at if it is done so in a creative way. I want to remember a moment with a picture that looks visually appealing which motivates me to be creative. Also in class, you would get a better grade on projects if your photograph is creative, so this motivates me to do my best.

If creativity and motivation escape me, I think it would be a good idea to look up other artists and see what they have done in the past. This can give me inspiration or new ideas for my photos. I can ask fellow students for assistance and their advice. I also think taking a walk outside through nature would really clear my head and give me fresh ideas. I love nature, so I think this would really motivate me because I would want to capture all the beauty I was seeing. If nothing is working to motivate me or think creatively, I think just taking a break and then coming back to the project could help.