I Heart Photography!!

So, since I do not have any real classes tomorrow, I thought I'd use this post to proclaim my undying and unyielding love for photography!!(Hooray!) I like having proof things happen. Just in case people decide not to believe me... Not really. I love photography because I can really get through to people how exactly I see things. It also shares my experiences with people and conveys messages I wish for others to learn.

A "friend" of mine asked why exactly photography was art if it was just copying something that happened and was not something the person created on their own. Photography, however, is art and is difficult just because it forces people to think outside of the box to become original. It is also not just a copy of something. Every moment is precious and original and is impossible to be recreated exactly. Therefore, if art is something completely original from everything else, each photograph is a unique masterpiece. Also, photographs are not just manufactured things that everyone can do just by clicking a button. As I have learned, there is a lot of skill that needs to be learned when trying to take a good picture. Although, not everyone is great at learning said skills (aka me). The F stop (aperture), shutter speed, and time of day drastically influence the quality of picture. Once you learn how to manipulate the picture correctly, you can manipulate it incorrectly in order to portray your idea. Confusing. My teacher always says that you learn the rules in order to break them.

Not only does taking a picture with the right settings make your photo a piece of art, but so does they way the photographer chooses to develop the picture and the way it is edited or cropped after it being taken. Whether you use a digital camera or not, there are always a cornucopia of ways to alter your picture after it is taken.

Therefore, taking a picture is indeed a difficult piece of artwork that you can master in order to convey a message to the viewer just like any other kind of art form.

In closing, I'll show a picture from my new Design project that requires use of a camera and photoshop to portray the alphabet seen in nature. This project is proving to be a challenge for me because I can not manipulate any piece of nature to make it look more like a letter. I'm finding out that there are a lot of L's in nature but not a lot of R's. People also look at me like I'm crazy when I'm taking pictures of the ground that, in my opinion, look like A's. MLIA

Self-Portrait Project

Self-Esteem

Taken 9/11/09

This is one of my pictures for my self-portrait project in my Introduction to Digital Media class at the University of Delaware.

This picture may look like I am just having a bad hair day, but to me it means something more. My hair represents the struggles and challenges that have faced me personally. That although I have been put through a lot, I look through with perseverance and even though bad things happen, it does not change me as a person. I will always be me no matter what happens and I will not let anything change my outlook on life. My morals and my values will stay with me regardless of how things change around me.

I have always been a fan of photography and admire photos that have a deeper meaning than they first appear. This is really my first week ever attempting to take a serious picture but I really hope to improve throughout this year.