Assignment #2: Black & White (Week 2; Post 3)

I was walking around campus with my roommate and camera this afternoon. As we passed the law school, I asked her to go sit down by the benches so that I could photograph her. She took the lotus pose, which I thought was perfectly appropriate given the surrounding nature setting. I love the rich green color of the ivy in the top photograph, but when turned into black and white, I don't really feel as if anything is missing.

When I put these photos into Photoshop, I did a lot of manipulation of color using various techniques I learned in class last week. I have a newfound love for CMYK. I first adjusted the color photograph in RGB mode and then switched and readjusted it in CMYK mode. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I then put it back in RGB before publishing to the web.

For the Black and White image, I played around with a couple of techniques. Ultimately, I decided to use CMYK levels, then change the image back into RGB, and then put it into greyscale. I LOVE the result. The rich black color of the ivy, the whites of the columns and sidewalk, and the grey shadows that the light produced really strike me. It's exciting to learn new things :)

Still Life of a Shelf (Week 2; Post 2)

Here you will see one of the six shelves in my bookcase. While some actually hold books, others serve decorative purposes such as this one. On this shelf, I have a picture of me and four of my girlfriends from high school, a cozie with my initial on it that holds my sports bands, a shot glass from Venice and one from San Fransisco, and a fan my friend brought me back from Spain.

Meet my Roommate! (Week 2; Post 1)

Meet my fabulous roomate, Jeanie! I took this picture of her right before she celebrated Arthur Guinness Day (aka Sept. 24th). In the background of the photo, you will see both the British and Spanish flags. Jeanie LOVES everything about London. In fact, she probably wishes she could have been born there! Last semester, Jeanie (along with a couple of my other friends) spent the semester in Madrid, Spain. While I missed them, I had a ball visiting during Spring Break!

Assignment #1: Regulating Shutter Speed & Aperature (Week 1; Post 3)

I took this picture in front of Lowes Theaters in Georgetown. As a Bentley passed by, I snapped it in motion. My aperture was 20 and my shutter speed was 1/4. The ISO was 400. The slow shutter speed allowed me to capture the car as I saw it, in motion. I like this picture because the car takes up the entire foreground, yet you can still see elements of the roadway underneath it. I also liked how the Theaters building reflected another building.

Since I could not capture the exact same car in "still-mode," I resorted to snapping another car moments after I snapped the Bentley. However, the backdrop stayed the same. I depicted a moving car as a still object by using the following settings: An aperture of 5.6; a shutter speed of 1/100; and an ISO of 400. The faster shutter speed enabled my object to appear still even though it was in motion.

I took this picture in Dupont. I thought the flowers were beautiful and the little insect guy (I have no idea what kind of an insect that is...if you do, please let me know!) on the top-left was adorable. Flowers are usually good to show depth of field, so I thought I would use them for this assignment. Plus, we won't be seeing flowers in DC soon so I wanted to take advantage of "snapping" them up before late fall/early winter strikes!



I focused on the pink flower in the foreground, and as you can see both the stems in the foreground and the flowers towards the top of the picture are out of focus. To do this, I used an aperture of 5.6, a shutter speed of 1/2000, and an ISO of 400.

I also took this picture in Dupont. This picture reflects a greater depth of field. Everything is in focus! To accomplish that, I used an aperture of 18, a a shutter speed of 1/125, and and ISO of 400. Switching to a larger aperture number allowed me to keep all of the flowers and their stems in focus. (Hint: compare the background of this picture to that of the picture above it.)

Laughter (Week 1; Post 2)

I caught these adorable girls in a moment when they were laughing hysterically at a story being told right outside the Pryz. I love their natural, happy expressions, especially in profile view. I decided to turn this image into black & white because of the great textures, the clothing, and the complexions of the girls. Although it looks good in color, I like it better in B&W. What do you think?

Water (Week 1; Post 1)

For me, water is a calming force, a playground for fun, and an arena for exercise. I took both pictures this past Sunday. The first picture--the family on the boat--was taken right by National Airport at sunset. The branches in the foreground along with the great textures of grass and the towers in the background frame the scene/moment beautifully.

I took the second picture on Jack's dock, where people can rent kayaks, in Georgetown. The people in the foreground are sitting in their kayaks, waiting to unload, while those farther back are embarking on their adventure. I really enjoy kayaking in the Potomac, passing the monuments and Kennedy Center, especially in the fall. Both Jack's and Thompson's Boathouse in Georgetown are great places to rent kayaks for about $10 an hour...