Photography: A New Found Love
A Reflection of Digital Photography and Light
Reflection of Photographic Experience
Learning Photography has been so interesting, fun, and surprisingly challenging. There is more to it than I ever have imagined. Although cameras are tools for taking photographs, the user must know how to work the tool.
I have learned my camera settings such as Aperture, Shutterspeed, and ISO. In short, ISO is how much grain or noise your camera is producing. Aperture and Shutterspeed both deal with light, but Shutterspeed also deals with motion. If it is your environment is too bright you will need a smaller Aperture, faster Shutterspeed, or a combination of both. If it is too dark, you will need an open Aperture, slower Shutterspeed, or a combination of both. I think knowing how to adjust these settings are most important when taking a successful photograph.
I have come to realize in photography, half my time spent is adjusting these settings. I am constantly adjusting my settings until finally I get One good photograph. The worst is just when you think you have the correct settings and an unforeseeable variable rolls in like a cloud making you readjust your settings, possibly missing out on the subject you were trying to capture. I’ve learned sometimes it takes a Hundred photos to get One good one; but that One good one can make it ALL worth it.
Reflection of Abstract
During my Spring Quarter, I was assigned an Abstract Project, where I had to take 100 photos of a 19”x25” green piece of paper. The only thing I could do was manipulate light and the paper. At first this project seemed boring, but over the course of the project became mesmerizing. I got lost taking photographs of a piece of paper. I was lost in a world manipulating paper and light to obtain amazing photographs. Hours went by and instead a hundred photographs, I was at four hundred photographs- of a piece of paper! I learned how manipulating white and black backgrounds can change the appearance of the subject in the photograph as well as the light. Diffusing the light or using direct light also change the subject and lighting of the photograph. Creating shadows with the paper created dimension, making the paper and photograph more interesting. I didn’t realize I could make paper look so good. All in all, I loved the black background more, and creating high contrast with shadows using direct lighting.
Interacting with Light
I have learned that photography is essentially the capturing and manipulation of light. Light is the most important part of photography. As photographers it is our job to successfully capture light. I have learned many techniques over the quarter that helped hone my skills as a photographer. I have started looking at light differently. Different light can produce different results; either direct, diffused, indoors, or outdoors. It is important to take in to account the size of the light source, reflections, angles of light, brightness, color, and contrast when taking photographs (Refer to Light Reading: Article Light-Science and Magic). Interacting with light is to manipulate it to capture the best image possible for what you are trying to accomplish. Knowing how diffused light and direct light works can help you manipulate contrast. Knowing how reflections work can help you highlight key areas in the photograph. There are many techniques on how to manipulate light and it is our job as a photographer to successfully capture said light.
