Photography 200
Photography 200 taught me how to transform simple phone-shot images into polished creative pieces through digital editing and visual experimentation. By exploring multiple editing apps, I learned how to enhance mood, refine color, and shape narrative. These skills allowed me to craft three distinct projects that each highlight a different approach to storytelling through photography.
Photo Essay 1
In this photo essay, I applied core photographic principles, including illusion of distance, symmetry, vanishing points, rule of thirds, emphasis and contrast, and movement.
The Tunnel
The tunnel creates an illusion of distance, what appears to be a short walk is deceiving, as the light at the end stays just out of reach, and the further you go, the longer it stretches.
Its symmetrical shape enhances the vanishing point, drawing your eyes down the path.
Light from the entrance highlights the tunnel’s curves, casting intricate shadows across the textured walls. It reveals the sharp edges of the rock.
A Trek To Sparta’s Tunnel
This is a vibrant leaf from a tree on the way to the Sparta Tunnel. This uses rule of thirds with the leaf’s position in the photo. It also shows depth with the other blurred leaves and sticks in the back. The vibrancy of the leaves are also a great contrast to the grass and tree limbs in the back of the photo.
The Tunnel Entrance
This shot of the Tunnel door shows the emphasis and stark contrast of the darkness of the cave with the vibrant environment around it. I cropped this image to focus solely on the door and the small environment around it.
Tunnel Falls
Inside the cave water runs down these square blocks. This shows movement. The shot is dramatic because there is light focused only on a part of it and the rest is deep darkness. You can see how harsh the water is running down the rock by how it is splashing up.
Photo Essay 2
I worked to include the photographic principles of segregation, Gestalt's laws of similarity and proximity, natural sunlight, depth of field, color contrast, leading lines, and linear perspectives.
The Garden
Thoughtfully planned out, the designers of this garden draw the viewer's eye to the center of the garden where the fountain lays creating leading lines.
Greenery frames both sides of the garden, making it more pleasant to the eye and aids the linear perspective.
The ground of the garden shows pattern with the way the bricks are laid out and although there are moments of asymmetry, the garden is still pleasing to the eye.
Gnats resting
This is an excellent example of segregation. The gnats stand out from bright flowers and the background.
I cropped this photo so that one of the gnats would be closer to the middle of the photo, drawing your eye first to the one in the middle, then the one perched against the tip of the flower.
This is an example of Gestalt's laws of similarity and proximity. The gnats are parallel and close in proximity, drawing the eye immediately to the 2nd gnat without the viewer having to search the picture.
The Indoor Garden
While pink and brown are not complementary colors, the neutral tone of the brown helps create a warm, vibrant contrast for this pink plant.
This contrast between the two really highlights its’ striking beauty and enhances the brightness of the plant.
Photo Essay 3
I applied the photographic principles of face pareidolia, natural lighting, symmetry, and colors.
The outlet
In the food court an outlet stands out. Its face looks distraught and/or suprised. and I thought it was a great example of Facial Pareidolia.
I cropped this photo to focus more on the face than the rest of the wall.
Oh Sweet Alyssum
The strong sunlight naturally highlights these tiny petals. The leaves provide great leading lines, leading the eye straight towards the small cluster of flowers. The blurred background keeps the other clusters of flowers from overpowering the subject of the photo.
The Tree of wonders
This photo uses many photographic principles like depth of field, natural framing, diagonal composition all while also being simple and minimalistic.