This photo shows the natural soft light created by the sky during golden hour reflected on an electric run car. I edited this photo to have the bright colors of the sunset pop out against the darkness of the car. The inspiration behind this photo was the way our technology seems to mirror the natural environment whenever it can- both directly or indirectly.
This photo was taken up close to a gas-run truck. This was taken using natural light on a sunny day to bring out the exhaust residue stuck to the truck. The inspiration behind this photo was the detrimental effects of exhaust on our planet.
This picture was taken using the leading lines technique. The trunk and the branches of the tree work to carry the eye to the leaves in the foreground, middle ground and background of the photo, giving it a layered feel. My inspiration was the resilient adaptation of nature to the ever changing seasons and weather.
This photo was taken from a close perspective using my camera's flash to illuminate every detail of the bicycle in the night. Inspiration for this photo came from the idea of how simple but useful a bicycle can be. Riding your bike as opposed to driving to work can almost halve your carbon footprint.
This portrait was taken with a narrow depth of field, using strong and direct natural light to illuminate the subject's face. The inspiration behind this photo was the warmth and joyfulness of the sun as it beats down on the subject.
This picture was taken with the rule of thirds in mind. It was taken with a relatively narrow depth of field and was inspired by the complexity of a normal day at the office for a full-time corporate worker and a part-time student. This picture was taken using both artificial light from the indoor lighting and natural light through the window.
This photo was taken with a relatively wide depth of field using artificial light coming from the background of the subject (back light). The inspiration for this photo was the innocent curiosity of children and their motivation to learn, even about the mundane tasks us adults do on a daily basis.
This portrait was taken with a very narrow depth of field, using hard natural light on a sunny day coming from the side of the subject. This photo was inspired by the joy and resilience in the subject's aura despite the fact that she has a very challenging job.
This picture was taken to display the rule of thirds using hard, spotty light that is beaming through the leaves of a tree above the subject. I tried to take this picture to capture the laidback and relaxed mood animals have when being in a safe space. I'm hoping this photo can incite thoughtfulness around the way all animals rely on our planet for safety.
This photo was taken with a narrow depth of field to highlight the contrast between the blurriness of the reflection of the lights and the detailed stitching in the bow located in the foreground of the photo. The inspiration for this photo is the whimsy of the winter season and the various artificial materials used to create said whimsy.
Reflection
I feel proud about my final portfolio. I think I was able to keep the overall theme of the pictures cohesive while displaying a wide range of photographic techniques. My greatest challenge was choosing the right photos to add to my portfolio. I had a lot of random pictures that I took whenever I saw anything that caught my eye during the past few weeks. Between those photos and the photos I have previously turned in for assignments, I had a very wide range of photos to choose from, each of which capturing very different subjects and moods.
My greatest success was using the techniques we learned in class to capture the beauty of my subjects. I used techniques such as layering, leading lines, and the rule of thirds in my portfolio. I also made sure to go through the photos one by one to make sure I cropped out any distractions in the backgrounds of my photos. My favorite technique to use in my portfolio was by far the rule of thirds. I think it is borderline magical how- when a photo is aligned correctly- a person’s eye is immediately drawn to a certain part of the photo. Throughout my portfolio, I used the rule of thirds to try to draw more attention to the parts of my photographs that I wanted to display most.
Another technique I used a lot throughout my portfolio was using a narrow depth of field. Having all the distractions in the background of my photos blurred out let the details in my subjects pop out. I used this technique mainly when taking portraits of my friends as I wanted each and every beautiful detail of their faces to shine.
My goal throughout this portfolio was to draw attention to a cause near and dear to my heart: the climate crisis. I hope that my portfolio causes thoughtfulness around that subject and the way it discreetly shows up in our day to day lives.