This picture was taken during the day in the Crossroads of BYU-I campus. It is a 30 second exposure taken using a 10 stop neutral density filter, to capture the movement of the people in the photograph.
This was a print contest for the BYU-I Visual Society with the theme “Spirit of Ricks.” I chose this contest because I knew I would be able to use my ND filter in creative ways to reflect the “Spirit of Ricks.
I submitted my entry on March 30, 2016.
With this Digital Imaging course, I have had the opportunity to compile and create some of my best work as a photographer. As a final project, to showcase my favorite work, I have organized this photo book using different categories. I have included specifically the best of my landscape, still life, portrait, motion, macro, creative, perspective, fine art, and themed photography.
My process to design and create this book was time consuming and challenging. To begin, I sketched ideas for my layout and design. I wanted something simple that would “match” all of my photographs, so I decided I liked a modern, minimalist look. I carefully chose my fonts to reflect that clean modern look and chose to use black, white, and grey as my colors. I then created the initial layout in Adobe InDesign and printed it to receive critiques. After several critiques from many different people including my instructor, peers, and friends, I decided to add a grey bar throughout my book, to add unity and repetition. I changed that, and edited my final text before publishing it with MyPublisher.
My final response to this project occurred when my final, published book came in the mail. It looked great, and I was very excited to show everyone what I made. This will be useful not only to showcase my photography, but to show to future potential employers as a design project I completed using my own content.
Click on the photo below to view my completed photo book:
When choosing the design for my photo-book, I wanted a style that would compliment all of my photography and be simple and professional looking. I first chose the typography styles, and then decided to go with a white minimalist and modern design style. This choice makes my photography pop and be presented free of distractions.
I created these layouts using Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
When looking at a landscape and how I want to capture it, my approach takes one specific direction. I always consider the colors and composition, but first I consider my personal connection to the landscape. Only after thinking of that, do I look for the “good shot.” In this post I show this technique, first with images from the area surrounding my hometown, Pocatello, Idaho, and then with some images I took on a vacation to Phoenix, Arizona, and last, with some pictures of Rexburg, Idaho, where I attend school now.
All edits on these images were done in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.
For this image, which I will use as a page in my photo book, I used Adobe Photoshop to create a clipping mask to allow the picture to only show through the five squares. I used a scanner to scan in my signature, then made minor adjustments in Adobe Illustrator before placing it with the text in Adobe Photoshop.
At Bannack, I chose to photograph with the theme of things that people use to work; either to clean, produce something, or to drive their faith. I looked up several general authorities talks about the importance of being industrious, hard-working, and laborious, and I felt like several of the items I found at Bannack reflected that theme well.
For the title text in the first two images, I used Trattatello Regular, an almost-decorative Serif font.
For the body text and by-lines I used Raleway Thin, a simple Sans Serif font.
For this picture I wanted to apply the concept of taking something ordinary and portraying it in an unusual way. I went with a minimalist, simple style with a plain white background, which gives it a modernized look. My subject, a fork, cast a unique shadow that makes the simple subject “more” than just a fork. For the backdrop, I used a white poster board bent up the wall, which made the illusion of the curved shadow. I used an Altura Photo Professional Speed-light Flash from the side to light this photo.
In these pictures I wanted to capture the simplicity and beauty of the subject. In the first image, I framed the plant in front of a snow bank so that the background was simple and object free. After printing, I chose to mat it with a black mat because I thought it made the subject stand out as well. The second image I was less concerned about the background because I wanted to give the subject environmental context.
With this picture, I wanted to show the detail and texture in the dead thistle plant. I chose a very small depth of field and was able to blur out the busy background to isolate the subject. The picture, despite being taken in the cold winter, is relatively warm, and I liked how that shows a bit of irony in the photograph. When I printed it, I made sure to bring out the colors and warm tone of the exposure by printing on Museo Silver Rag paper.
I wanted to take something that would be pictured in a traditional still life photograph and shoot it in an nontraditional way. For the backdrop, I used a white poster board bent up the wall. I chose to balance it on the side like I did because I wanted it to appear “quirky” in a manner that it may not have been seen before. I chose to use an Altura Photo Professional Speed-light Flash to cast a shadow to make the photo more interesting.
Besides the portraits of our models, the abandoned town of Bannack provided some unique subject-matter for HDR and fine art photography. The following pictures include two HDR photos, and a grey scale fine art photo.
This is a HDR photograph of a house found on the main street of Bannack. I chose it for one of my HDR images because I liked the red trim around the windows. I used my camera’s automatic bracketing feature to create this image in Adobe Photoshop. The three pictures that combined to make the one above are found as thumbnails below.
This is a HDR image of the school on the main street of Bannack. I chose it for one of my HDR images because I liked the unique style of the building. I used my camera’s automatic bracketing feature to create this image in Adobe Photoshop. The three pictures that combined to make the one above are found as thumbnails below.
Fine Art Photographs
I used the program Adobe Lightroom to convert this image of a tire to grey scale and adjust the contrast. It was taken in natural light.
This photo is a closeup of a ruler found on a type-writer I found in an old building. I used natural light and a 10x macro filter. I used Adobe Lightroom to make adjustments.
I used the program Adobe Lightroom to convert this image to grey scale and adjust the contrast. It was taken in natural light using a 10x macro filter.
A trip to Bannack Ghost Town in Montana on Friday provided for several opportunities to take amazing portraits. We had amazing models and great weather. Each of the following pictures we made with different processes, so I will explain each individually.
This picture was taken in the town’s school house using an Einstein strobe and natural window light. Post production editing was done in Adobe Lightroom.
This portrait, one of my favorite from the shoot, was taken using a gold reflector and natural window light. Post production editing was done in Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.
This picture was taken inside the Saloon using an Einstein strobe. It was converted to back and white, post production in Adobe Lightroom.
This picture was taken outside the Hotel, and only natural light was used. Post production editing was done in Adobe Lightroom.
This photo was taken in a back room in the Hotel using an Einstein Strobe. Post production editing was done in Adobe Lightroom.
This “ghost” picture was taken in one of the kitchens of the old houses using natural light. The exposure on this photo was 4 seconds long, and I had my model, Melannie, move out of the frame after posing in one place for one second.
This “ghost” picture was taken in one of the kitchens of the old houses using natural light. The exposure on this photo was 4 seconds long, and I had my model, Melannie, move to a new place in the frame after posing in one place for one second. This created an effect where she is exposed in two places in the picture, once in the back, and once in the foreground.
For this assignment, I used a 10x Macro lens filter and an LED light that I checked out from the Communication Department Production Office. For the two images with water drops, I used fruit as my subject. First, I loved the surface of the apple, so I placed two water drops on it using my finger. I then had my friend Olivia hold the LED light in a way that the drops had highlights and the apple was illuminated. For the second water drop picture, I balanced an orange straw between two cups and placed an orange, lime, and lemon behind the drop. I was able to capture the colors of all three of the fruits in the drop.
For the two close up pictures with no water drops, I used the LED light and the 10x Macro lens filter as well. In the picture of the eye it took several tries to get in focus, but I was happy for how it turned out. For the picture of the Taco Bell Verde sauce packet, I wanted to capture something I love, and I had fun composing this shot so that the words were the focal point and in focus.
In this depth of field exploration I aimed for a variety of subjects in a variety of light situations. The two shallow depth of field pictures, I took on bright overcast days in the mid morning (around 10:30/11:00 a.m.). The two large depth of field pictures I took on an extremely foggy day right after sunrise (around 8:00 a.m.), which provided an eerie and lonely mood for the photos. Also, although the subjects in the pictures with a large depth of field are in focus as far as the depth of field goes (I shot them at f/22-f/27), the fog provides an illusion that the of depth of field is less. I thought it was interesting that the light quality and time of day impacted this aspect in the photographs. I also took time to ensure that the aperture was set to create the desired depth of field for each image.
Chantal- 01/22/2016, 10:30 a.m., Nature Park, Rexburg- ISO 100- 34 mm- f/6.7- 1/250 sec- reflector
Engagement-01/24/2016, 11:00a.m., Main St., Rexburg- ISO 100- 48 mm- f/5.6- 1/125 sec
Grain Towers- 01/26/2016, 8:20a.m., South of Rexburg off Webster Gate Road- ISO 100- 30 mm- f/27- 1/15 sec- tripod
Irrigation- 01/26/2016, 8:00a.m., South of Rexburg off Poleline Road- ISO 100- 85 mm- f/22- 1/20 sec- tripod
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