Final Exam

4. This is my transformative photo.

I took this photo in December as part of my Irving Penn inspired project. I chose this photo because it was the first I took that I felt I began to show creativity in my work. In addition to the reflection of the glass around Aileen's face, you can also see her hands pressed against the glass, creating a really cool effect. After taking this photo, I had a new view on photography. I think photography shows what hasn't been seen, the things that people don't usually notice. It gives a different point of view, as seen especially with photos taken from unconventional angles or portraits that display much more than the person in them.

5. Form is more three-dimensional and solid, while shape is more flat. Shape also has a bigger emphasis on the lines that create the shape. While form focuses on lines as well, the depth of the objects are considered as well.

6. In a pattern, a particular symbol is repeated throughout the image, creating a sequence. In repetition, symbols are also repeated, but may not be evenly spaced. The repetition of symbols usually carries out a deeper purpose about the photo, emphasizing the symbol itself, while a pattern emphasizes the entire sequence.

7. 

Movement guides a viewer's eyes across the photo toward an unknown destination. In this picture, one's eyes tend to look at the bottom of the image, drawn by the wide, deep blue. Then, the eyes sweep up the photo, taking the path of the clear, blue creek towards the hills beyond.

8. Of the last three projects, I believe that the hopscotch photo from my final project was the best. My final project centered around my elementary school, to capture some moments from my childhood. I think this photo best explains how simple it was back then, compared to now. It also brings up good memories from playing around with my friends during recess, stress-free. Composition wise, the photo showed a good use of lines as well as movement. This photo gave me new perspective. When I decided to crouch down to get a good angle of the hopscotch, I realized that I was able to see the hopscotch behind it, as well as the one behind that. It reminded me of the different paths you take in life. Once you finish one path, there is another waiting for you, for you to explore and hopefully enjoy. While the project was intended for me to reflect on my past and reminisce about the good times, this photo left me looking towards the future in a more positive thought that I ever did before.

Final Project

Student Website Review

Period 2: Mustafa Ahmed
I liked his picture of the Deanza Hotel (bottom left). Your eyes are drawn to the intricate sign above the building. In addition, the trees to the left create a balance with the hotel and seem to frame the picture well.

Period 3: Lucas Williams
I decided to look at the photos on my friend's website from Period 3. In Lucas's gallery, he displayed his Spring Expo project, titled "Changing Your Perspective". Going through these five photos, I believe that the last one is his best. His idea of pouring out water from a different angle greatly represents the title of his project.

Period 4: Tulika Mohanti
I liked the second picture in her gallery, of a friend holding up a leaf to cover  one of her eyes. The photo showed a nice use of colors, as the bright colors of the leaf seemed to match the color of the model's hair. With duller colors in the background as well as the jacket, the colors really stand out well.

Final Project - Shot List

1. I plan to take a picture of a slide or a swing.

2. I also to take a picture on top of a playground looking out, because as kids we thought we were almost invincible standing on top of that playground.

3. Another photo would be of one of the many murals around my elementary school.

4. One photo will be of a chalk hopscotch on the concrete.

5. One photo will be of the curved "yellow brick road" path leading up to our library. Many of us liked to walk along this path whenever we went to the library, even though it would have been easier to just walk straight up to the door.

I have not figured out the order of these photos yet. I think it would be best to decide after I have taken these photos.

My three rules of composition are lines, viewpoint, and background.
The pictures of the hopscotch and especially of the "yellow brick road" will show a good use of lines. The picture of the top of the playground, angling down towards the rest of the school, gives a good use of viewpoint. This would also be a picture that focuses on the background. In addition, one would notice the rest of the play structures in the background of the slide/swing photo.  

Presentation Project

These photos are also on my Weebly website

Presentation Project - Shot List

1. My first picture is of a safety guard in bright orange getting ready to blow her whistle. I see her or another safety guard almost every day when I get dropped off to school.
2. My second picture shows the front of my first period classroom, Digital Photography. The teacher is at the back of the picture and in front of him, the project screen is lit up.
3. My third picture is the area where I eat lunch. It includes both the square bench my friends and I leave our backpacks on, the tree with growing flowers, and the heart shaped mark on the tree.
4. My fourth picture is of the creek path, where I walk along after school. The picture shows movement of the winding path downwards, and a small hint of the creek itself.
5. My fifth picture is of my front door, where I end up every day after a tiring day at school. Seeing this door lets me know that I can finally lie down and rest a little or eat a small snack at the end of the school day.

First Commercial Shoot

Taken by me.

Taken by Vina Kong

(photo ready)

Taken by Vina Kong

Taken by Deborah Chen

Taken by Amandi Kwok

Yesterday's Photoshoot

Original

Camera Raw:

Cropped

Exposure: -1.00

Contrast: +12

Finished picture.

Here are some other (unedited) photos I took yesterday.

Best Picture

Photographer Best About Page Links:

Symbol Photography

Nick Onken

Morgan Norman

Brook Pifer

The Wade Brothers

Photo Story - Multicultural Week Assembly

Flags

Tae-Kwon-Doe

Hip Hop

Korean Taiko Drum

Senior Bhangra

Story with a Photo

Today is the last chance of the year to buy food from clubs during Multicultural week. Of course, this means another crowd of students anxious to get their hands on milk tea or spam musubis for the last time while clubs call for them to "Buy this!" and "Buy that!". As a member of the American Red Cross club here at Mission, I am selling for my club today (although I sold for the other days as well, today I am excused to set up and clean up). While it can be a tiny bit stressful when trying to sell out our club's food (Hawaiian barbecue), I sometimes find it amusing to shout at everyone I personally know within an audible distance to get "Hawaiian barbecue! Five tickets!". Fortunately, we have sold out every day this week. I am certain that today will be no exception.

Multicultural Week

Multicultural week is one of the two special week long celebrations here at Mission, the other being Homecoming. For MSJ students, this annual tradition means food, and lots of it. For MSJ clubs, it means money, and lots of it (hopefully). When the lunch bell rings, hoards of hungry students rush out of their fourth period classrooms towards the horseshoe, where the aromas of cultural foods and not so cultural foods beckon them. Basically, the horseshoe is the center of all chaos for an hour a day. This goes on for the first four days. On Friday, the special lunches are replaced by an assembly featuring multiple performances and activities, signaling the end of Multicultural Week.

Shutter Speed and Everything After/ Tuesday with Farley's Kids

Partner: Amandi Kwok

In this New York Times Lens photo,

Shutter speed: Fast- the trucks are moving but the pictures are still clear. They are not blurry.
Rule of composition: Lines- your eyes are instantly drawn to the lines created by the trucks, road, and railroads
Elements of Art: Form- the trucks create a three-dimensional shape of a rectangular prism. They express length, width, and height.
Principles of Design: Movement- the trucks on the right are moving away from the camera. Since there are two cars going in the same direction, the eyes tend to move along with them toward a spot far away. There are even tiny trucks in the distance.

Tuesday with Farley's Kids

Shutter Speed: 1/350 seconds

Cropped

Contrast: -38

Highlights: -100
Blacks: +100

Principles of Design - Unity

Exposure: +0.4

Contrast: +46

Shadows: -26

Principles of Design - Variety

Cropped
Highlights: -34

Principles of Design - Rhythm

Highlights: -100

Shadows: +32

Vibrance: -64

Lens - Best Unity

Out of all the pictures in today's slideshows, I feel that this picture shows the best use of unity.
The bed is placed right in the middle of the picture, showing balance. The frames of the bed show lines, and there is space between those lines where one can see under the bed. Also, the door to the left is slightly open, so that the eyes look to see what is behind that door. Finally, the dark spots on the frames indicate that they are very old and worn out, and that the wood is wearing away. This gives off a rough texture. All together, these elements found in the picture create unity.

Principles of Design - Proportion

Exposure: -1.15

Contrast: +26

Highlights: -58

There are two trash cans in this picture. However, one is significantly larger than the other because it is closer. The smaller trash seems to touch corners with the larger trash can, which creates a sort of unity in this photo.

Principles of Design - Pattern and Repetition

Pattern

Contrast: +36

Vibrance: -100

Each leaf of the plant has a pattern of creased lines.

Repetition

Cropped
Exposure: -0.8

The boxes continue to repeat for each day of the week. The days of the week repeat as well, as Monday follows Saturday & Sunday.

Principles of Design - Movement

This picture showcases movement because your eyes automatically shift to between the two bars and slide across the grate, guided by the increasing amount of scattered, fallen leaves.