This picture is my self portrait.  Originally, I planned on taking a picture of myself in the mirror, just because I wanted to be able to take the picture myself rather than have someone else take it for me.  But then I got the idea of using more than one mirror, and the idea eventually evolved into several mirrors.  I think this picture captures so many different sides of me because the expression on my face looks so different from every angle, even though it is the same reflection.  I tried to add more of myself by keeping the pictures of me with my friends around the outside edges of a couple of the mirrors.  I am really happy with the way that it turned out and its really different than the approach my classmates took to the assignment.  

My Photographs: The Swing

I took this Photograph on the swing set at Lake Johanna.  The first time I took it, I took the photograph at the same angle on a different swing.  But i realized I needed something to fill in the negative space, so I later chose to photograph this swing with the trees above it.  It adds a completely different feeling to the Photograph.  I really enjoy the angle that it was taken at and the way the chain stays in focus nearly all the way to the top.  This photograph was taken for an assignment where we were told to photograph our first memory.  I thought this photograph captured how looking up on a swing might appear to a child.  It seems so much taller than it actually is at this angle.  

This photograph was for my portraits assignment.  This picture is of my parents, Skip and Joan, walking our dogs, Banjo (the beagle) and Jasmine (the doberman).  I really like this portrait because there is a humorous quality to it in the different sizes of the dogs.  And I think there is also an also a creepy or mysterious quality in the tree in the background and the run-down barn in the background.  It looks like they are in an abandoned place, but they are actually in a residential neighborhood.  

My Photographs: The Wedding

I took this photograph before my brother's wedding.  It was taken at Woodale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  I really like this photograph because it really gets the big picture of a wedding.  The contrast in this photo is great because there are so many different shades.  And although it appears to be very symetrical, the photographer's umbrella  offsets this perfect balance.  This photograph really captures the beautiful space that my brother and his wife got married at, and commemorates this special day.

Ansel Adams

The title of this photograph is Evening, Mcdonald Lake and it was taken in Glacier National Park in 1942.  What I really like about this photograph is the way the water looks so fluid and transparent.  The water accurately reflects the sky perfectly.  The contrast in the mountains in the background is also really beautiful.   My favorite part of the picture is the clouds because the texture is just so great.

Ansel Adams

The Tetons and the Snake River (1942)

Ansel Adams

A very famous photographer whom I admire is Ansel Adams.  His photographs are just so beautiful and memorable.  Adams is an American photographer, born in 1902.  His work is very influential in the photography world.  He wrote many books about photography and his work.  Adams is known primarily for his landscape photographs.  Each photograph has such a captivating quality about it.  In the next few posts I will share some of my favorites of his photographs.

What I really like about Ansel Adams photographs is his ability to find such beautiful spaces to photograph.  I really admire his eye to seek out and find such interesting scenes.  It is obvious that he knew where to take photographs and how to make the space look even more beautiful.  I also usually prefer black and white photographs, although I like color as well.  I really enjoy his work and hope you enjoy these photographs as well.

More on Ansel Adams

My Photographs: Decay of Rural America

This photograph was taken for the space assignment as well.  The category of photograph is that it is to present an ethical or moral issue that is important to the artist.  I thought this presented the issue of the decay or rural America.  A lot of the farmers in the area were forced to sell their land to the development companies.  This photograph was taken of a farm in the town I live in.  The farm looks somewhat run-down, as if it is not used for farming anymore, but rather for storage. I make this assumption by looking at the boat that is being stored next to the barn, and the top of the silo on the far right missing.  The part of the photograph that brings the moral issue of this space together is the development of houses in the distance.  Its as if these houses are slowly creeping toward this farm, ready to soon take over it.  Being that I grew up in this small town, I would prefer to see it continue to keep its small-town feel and heritage.  But the businesses and developments seem to continue to pop up every day.  I think the content of this photograph is great, but the contrast and print also turned out well.  The bright white of the barn, silo, and sky contrast well with the grass, windows, and trees in the distance.  Overall I just really like this picture and think it is a beautiful photograph.

My Photographs: Backyard

This photograph was taken for my assignment titled "space," where we were to photograph various criteria of photographs using only spaces.  This is an example of a Descriptive photograph because it simply gives the viewer the an idea of what this space is like.  This picture was taken of my back yard.  My favorite part about the photograph is the gradation in the tree.  I think the variation of grays turned out beautifully.  I also really like the texture that can be seen in the grass.  It gives the photograph a lot of depth and makes it seem more three dimensional.  I think this photograph has a lot of contrast and turned out to be a very nice print.  I was actually really happy because this print was my first try where usually I end up printing at least 3 copies of a photograph before I get it right.

My Photographs: Guitar Hero

This is one of my favorite photographs I have taken this semester for my Photography I Class.  This photograph went along with my series of "people" photographs, as the assignment required.  It is a picture of two of my friends playing Guitar Hero.  My favorite part about this photograph is the way the lights look like stage lighting.  It gives this illusion that the boys really believe they are playing the guitar in a concert, not just in their living room.  The lights are also reflected in the window on the left, so it appears that they are coming from both sides.  I also really liked how the boys are standing.  One is leaning back and the other has a stance that most real guitar players take.  I was also really happy with the way the tv screen turned out.  I was afraid it would have lines going across, or it would be too light to see.  It took a lot of burning to be able to see the screen as well as the lights on the sides, but the final outcome of the photograph is very nice in my opinion. 

Stephen Shore

U.S. 97 South of Klamath Falls, Oregon

I really like this picture because it is beautiful, yet also funny.  The image on the billboard somewhat mocks the beauty of the space the billboard is placed.  The clouds are really beautiful as well as the pretty color of the sky.  The sky in this photograph almost perfectly matches the color in the billboard.  The field and the fence seem really beautiful as well, although normally most people wouldnt think of a fence along side a freeway to be beautiful.  The way it is photograph brings a new quality to it.  It shows the beauty in every day scenes, that they dont have to be as beautiful as the scenes from the billboard.  It is just an ordinary space, yet this photograph makes it look like something more.  Although I usually prefer black and white photography, I really love Stephen Shore's use of color in his photographs.  In this case I think it really brings the photograph to life and brings a feeling to the photograph that could not be captured with black and white photography.  If this picture had been taken in black and white, the viewer wouldnt be able to see how the color of the sky in the billboard matches the sky of this space.  Color really can make or break a photograph, and in this case, I dont think I would like it as well if it wasnt in color.

Stephen Shore

Presidio, Texas

Stephen Shore

Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California

Stephen Shore

Another Photographer whose work I admire is Stephen Shore.  As a self-taught photographer, Shore received his first 35mm camera at age 9 and has been taking pictures ever since.  Shore is well-known for being an influential photographer in the movement of color photographs acceptance into the art world.  His book Uncommon Places explains his love and appreciation for color photography.  A series of Shore that I am familiar with his The Biographical Landscape series.  This series includes 164 color prints that were taken on a cross-country roadtrip in the 1970's.  I will include a few of these photos in the next few posts.

More about Stephen Shore

More of his photographs

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Stills

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Stills

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Stills

Photographers I Like: Cindy Sherman

One Photographer that I really admire is Cindy Sherman.  Cindy Sherman was born in 1954 in a Glen Ridge, New Jersey.  Growing up, art was not part of her childhood. Sherman’s parents were not involved or interested in the arts, so it is not something she inherited.  She did not become interested in art until she went to college. Sherman attended State University College at Buffalo to study art. Her interest and abilities were discovered in a painting class.  She realized however, that painting was much to limiting for her creativity and style.  She later took a photography class where she discovered her niche in the art world.   In contrast, art has always been something I have enjoyed.  My parents both enjoy the arts, which is very different from Sherman's background.  She seems to have discovered her talent in Photography on her own, which is very interesting.

  Sherman’s creativity was often expressed through interpretive, staged photographs, which depicted her as various personas or characters.  Her most famous works was a series she photographed in the 1970's called the Untitled Film Stills.  These photographs included self-portraits of Sherman in different "movie" scenarios.  This series is my favorite of Cindy Sherman's work so i wanted to include a few of them...

More about Cindy Sherman

Why I chose to create a blog about Photography...

I took two Photography classes in high school and found it to be an entertaining experience. Four years later, I am currently taking my first college Photography class, and have rediscovered my appreciation for this art. As somewhat of a beginner, I have a lot of learning to do. But I really enjoy the whole process of taking pictures, developing the film and printing off photos. In this blog I will talk about and share photos that I have taken for my class, and also for fun. I will also share with you works from Photographers that I admire. Over the course of this blog I hope to discover my strengths and weaknesses as a photographer, and to learn by studying other Photographers pictures.

In case you want more information...

To get more information about Photography, visit these websites...

• www.photgraphy.com
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/photography
• http://photo.net