Composition

Camera Quiz

Lens Exploration

Focal length tells us the angle of view or how much of the scene is captured. It basically captures the scene or the subject based on how you focus it. Someone might choose to use different lenses depending on what they are capturing. For example someone can use the 18mm for landscape, 50mm for portrait, or 250mm for wildlife or sports depending on how close they are able to get close on the subject.

White Balance

White balance is balancing the light within a photo. It’s important to set the white balance in order to make the photo look as natural as possible. Your are basically trying to portrait the colors as accurately as your eyes can see them. To set a white balance, first you would take a picture of a blank white object on manual mode, manual focus, and custom white balance setting. Then, you would go to menu and under the second camera tab select custom white balance then press set twice to set. Then take a picture with the custom white balance and the colors should look as close to how you see it.

ISO

ISO

ISO is the sensitivity of the camera based on the amount of light it is receiving. In the camera pressing the ISO button (up arrow) button takes you to the setting where you select the ISO. The lower the number is the less grainy the picture will be. The more light you have the lower the ISO should be so the picture will be clear. If you have less light like from being indoors, you would use the highest ISO but it would make the picture grainy or loud. If the ISO is shifted, the exposure triangle will either shift left making it underexposed or right making it overexposed. To fix it, you would have to adjust the aperture or shutter speed until it’s balanced out.

Shutter speed

Shutter speed is the amount of time the camera's shutter is open in order to control the camera's exposure to the light. Shutter speed is used for catching something in motion. The shutter speed works by setting the time it takes to take the picture so it can be fast as possible or as long as possible depending on what type of picture is trying to be shown. If you are trying to catch something in motion and freeze it, it can be 1/100 or faster and its measured by fractions of a second. If you're trying to create an artistic blur, you would try to have the shutter 1/60 of a second or slower. Basically, the faster the shutter results in a freeze motion shot but the slower the shutter results in a motion blur. Changing the shutter speed causes the light meter to either be underexposed or overexposed therefore you'd have to change the aperture first then the ISO (if needed) to zero out the light meter.

Aperture

Aperture is a setting in the camera that controls the opening of the lens to determine how much light goes in and controls the depth of field. The bigger the number, the smaller the opening. If the f stop is low then there is more light coming in and it has a shallow depth of field making the background of the subject blurry because it has selective focus. On the other hand, if the f stop is high then there is less light coming in and it has a greater depth of field which makes the background of the subject have more detail and is more clear because it has infinite focus. If the aperture is changed, the exposure triangle shift to one side either being overexposed or underexposed thus making you have to adjust the shutter speed or ISO to zero out the light meter. If the aperture is low then it would need a faster shutter speed but if the aperture is high then the shutter speed would need to be smaller to compensate for the amount of light coming in.

Selfie vs. Portrait

Selfie vs. Portrait

I think the selfie did a better job of showcasing my personality because I was in my comfort zone and I was able to include props and show who I am based on more than just what I look like. I like the black and white shot a bit more because it focuses more on the subject while the color picture is just a bit too loud in my opinion and can distract to different things. Taking a photo of myself was a bit easier for me because I was able to manipulate how I look and the different thing around me. Having someone take a picture for me was a little bit awkward because I didn't really know my partner and I didn't know how to act or what to do. The portrait and selfie are similar in a way that they show my smile and laugh at a lot of things. They're different because the portrait was more candid while the selfie was kind of planned. The selfie also has a bit more stuff around it while the portrait is only focused on one thing and its taken by some else other than myself. The difference technical wise is the portrait is a lot more clearer and the lighting is more controlled than the selfie where pretty much everything was a bit standard. A photographer would choose a portrait over a selfie when they only want to focus on the subject and possibly show little traits subtly through the body language of the subject. Meanwhile, a photographer might choose a selfie over a portrait when it comes to wanting to show the subject's personality using props, their natural environment, and just different variables in their life.

Thematic Identity

This Is Who I Am.

The end result of the whole project looks pretty cool to me. I had no idea where we were going or what the whole point was but having the end result kind of made it worth it for me to do all the work. I love the results even though it took forever for me to piece it together and get the right placements.

Doing the themed shooting assignment was actually pretty fun in my opinion. It really made me think about who I am as a person because I had to think what would represent me in each theme. It was difficult finding some things that would represent the specific word but I think the challenge was what made it interesting. It also motivated me to take more pictures and just see a lot of picture perfect moments that I usually wouldn't see.

This picture represents love for me. This is one of my favorite pictures I took because even though it's simple, the people in the picture mean a lot to me. My family is the most important thing in my life because I wouldn't know what I would do without them. They're literally there for me no matter what I do. I may sometimes act like I don't care much but words truly can't describe how much I love them.

This photo represents compassion for me. My little brother is just full of compassion. I haven't met anyone with a heart like his. Sometimes, he's overly annoying and I push him away but he always finds ways to make my day somehow. He's the type of kid who comforts you when you cry about something dumb or about something that he wouldn't even understand. He tries his best most times to comfort you and just be there for your worst and best days.

This photo represents memories for me. I'm not saying I love going to school but I guess without it, I wouldn't really be who I am. High school has given me so many memories. This is where I met some of my closest friends and I've made some pretty good memories here. There may be some bad ones as well but overall I've created some pretty meaningful memories here and I wouldn't want to change any part of it. 

I think the project reflects my identity by showing how each picture means to me. Each picture has its meaning and it represents who I am. The people in the pictures have importance in my life and the different things show some type of beauty in my eyes. It also shows memories and places I've been to and just some things I have done. It has pieces of me put all together in one picture and It's who I am.

Themes

Theme	Photo	Reason
1.     Anger		There are very few cases where I get infuriated with someone. I believe if you have to get mad at someone, it has to be a valid reason. Having someone make a fool out of you or humiliate you in some way or make you belittle yourself angers me.
2.     Power		I have the power to do whatever I want. I'm not talking about going wild and doing whatever it is that I want. I'm talking about having the power to control who I let into my life, power to control my thoughts, power over what I do and say, and just overall power on who I am. I take control of myself and no one else should be able to control who you are.
3.     Gross		Math in general just grosses me out so much because it's a horrible subject with a lot of homework and boring class time.
4.     Calm		Rain calms me down a lot. I see it as the Earth crying and just letting it all out. It reminds me that everyone gets sad too and that it's okay. Also, the sound of rain just calms me down and the rhythmic noise helps with sleep. I love the air when its raining because it makes you feel like you can finally breathe and you just take that deep inhale and it's like breathing again for the first time.
5.    Compassion		My little brother has the biggest heart in my family. He will always find ways to make you feel better and he's just full of compassion. One day when I was sick, he literally sat next to me while I slept to make sure my fever didn't go up and he'd bring me water and just take care of me.
6.     Authority		At home, we call my mom the general. Why? Because she's mostly dominant in my house hold and we literally have to follow her orders because you never know what she would do and we're all scared of her :P
7.     Pride		As much as most students hate CV, I'm actually proud of my school. I think its a great school and it provides a lot of programs and opportunities that most people aren't able to get and we have achieved so much therefore I have CV pride.
8.     Mysterious		What's mysterious to me are each and every individual anywhere. Everyone has their story and reasons why they do the things they do. For example, the boy in the picture, Mikey, is mysterious to me. We don't talk to each other that much but from what I can read, he doesn't let too many people in. He expresses himself through his tattoos and art he creates and I'm able to kind of figure out that he's gone through a lot. This would only be an inference though and I would never truly know until I figure out the person and to me, everyone is a mystery until I learn about them.
9.     Wisdom		These are my kung fu coaches. They're regular people just like everyone else and they're still trying to figure their way out but I look up to them. My master on the left, always guides everyone to the right path and teaches me so many life lessons just to help me out. My coach on the right, even though he's not much older than me, teaches me the correct way to treat people and just how to be grown up in general.
10.  Love		I love my family so much. We go through pretty rough patches but as time passed by, I realized they're going to be the only permanent thing in my life. No matter what happens, they're the people I can count on to support me through everything. It doesn't matter how annoyed we get of each other or how much we yell at each other, they're the most important people in my life. I wouldn't know where I'd be without them and I can't think of anything else I love more than them.
11.  Lazy		I am the laziest person in my house without a doubt. Every time I go home, my bed just calls for me to lay on it and I end up getting nothing done because my effort plummets downhill.
12. Temptation		Temptation can mean different things for people but just because we are tempted, does not mean we give in to them. A huge temptation at my age would be alcohol and drugs. Everyone wants to feel like they fit in so they partake in activities that involve substance or some people just take them to numb their pain. Either ways, it's a huge temptation with my generation
13.  Happiness		My friends make me so happy. I can't explain how happy I am to have my friends in my life. We go through rough patches but we always get past it and we always make memories that are unforgettable.
14.  Growth		Throughout the years, I believe I've grown so much. People may not notice it but I've changed and have experienced a lot that have allowed me to grow and mature into the person I am now. I may have not grown physically (hah) but I've grown as a person and that's all I can ask for.
15.  Memories		I have made so many memories at the mall with my friends. When it comes to hanging out, the mall was always our go to place. There isn't much to do there but we make the most of it.
16.  Noise		I've learned many instruments throughout my middle school years but I've finally stuck to one and its the piano. To me, it just makes the most mesmerizing noise and it can bring out so many emotions out of a person.
17.  Diversity		It doesn't matter hat your race or skin color is in order to be friends with anyone. I don't think it defines you and I don't think it makes you anymore different from anyone else. I love my friends because none of us focus on those things and we just treat each other equally no matter what race we are. We're a diverse friend group and we all accept each other.
18.  Dangerous		I'm only starting to learn how to drive and I get so scared when I'm behind the wheel. Everyone says it's easy and I understand that but driving is dangerous and sometimes I'm not only responsible for my being but also other people's being therefore I feel as if I have to be super careful cause it would not be my intention to hurt someone. Car accidents are real and its dangerous driving around other people especially in cases where they are under the influence.
19.  Hope		Being able to watch a sunset means having gone through another day. Sunsets give me hope for a better day each day because it reminds me that even if you had a bad day, there are some things you might have overlooked that were actually good. It reminds me that there's always going to be another sunset to watch the next day and that I just have to keep hoping for something good even if it was a bad day.
20.  Truth		It's human nature to lie, I know that. The one person I can count on to tell me the truth though, is him. He gives me his honest opinion and never lies even if it will hurt me.
21.  Patriotic		We celebrate our freedom we attained in America yearly and it's just a great time of the year. It reminds us of our freedom and we celebrate our love for our country.
22.  Sad		As much as I can't wait to get out of this school, I'm actually sad that I'm going to leave this place eventually. So many memories were made here and I've met some of the most important people in my life here and letting go just makes me sad.
23.  Terrifying		Some people think that spiders, snakes, bugs, or etc. are terrifying but to me, the most terrifying thing would probably be being alone. I understand people come and go and I'm okay with that but having everyone leave me and having the most important people turn against me just terrifies me and I wouldn't know what to do if that happens.
24. Abandoned		Walking alone through anywhere in the dark is the scariest thing, so is being abandoned. In a way, they're similar. You never want to be alone and being abandoned means you're alone and it's scary because you have to fight the dangers ahead by yourself.
25.  Courage		My father is one of my greatest role models and inspiration. He not only has the biggest heart but he also has so much courage and strength in him. Throughout his life, he faced his problems head on and joined the marines when he was young. To me, going through what he went through, takes a lot of courage and for that, I truly admire him.