Photography With Emotions

Today in photojournalism we learned that capturing emotion in a photo makes quite the difference to the meaning of that photo. Emotion brings out that extra element that can connect to a viewer depending on if the emotion of the photo and the emotion of the viewer match. Emotion can bring out a bland, basic picture, and make it shine with all new meaning. There are many ways to achieve this emotion. For example, one must realize their mood before spontaneously snapping away. By deciding what mood you are in before you start taking pictures, you can see how your photos are going to turn out. If you are in a happy mood, aim for happy subjects that will bring out this emotion. Same goes for all other emotions. Another way to depict emotion is to tighten the shot and focus in on the little things of a big picture. By doing so, one can reveal the emotion of that one area that fills the frame and form a relationship. If one were to take a large, wide shot of a city, one would miss the little things that could bring out the emotion. Another tip to use to reveal emotion in photography is to capture the faces of people in the photograph, for obvious reasons. By focusing in on the main source of emotion, one can obviously feed off of the emotion the person in the picture is portraying. Absorb your surroundings. By doing this you can take in the feel of your surrounds and think through what kind of picture you are going to take. Mindlessly taking pictures without thought are not nearly as meaningful as a few thought through, thorough pictures. Return, if possible, to a subject you shot on a previous day. You might be feeling different on the return and this could reveal a whole new emotion never imagined in your setting.

This picture is an example filled with emotion. The photographer has filled the frame with the girl which is key to emotion.

Vertical Shot, Know Flash Range, Picture Director

The next tips we used included take a vertical shot, know flash range, be a picture director. When taking a vertical shot, we tell our viewers, hey! Why not get creative and change up the angle? Something that is not meant to be confined in a horizontal shot should be revealed in its full force with a vertical shot, as represented in this picture of a vertical pole. Another tip we learned, know the flash range, keeps us aware of how far we can be to still light up the subject we are aiming at taking a photo of. As seen in this picture of the lockers, with out the knowledge of knowing the flash range, the lockers, previously hidden in the dark, would remain dark. The last tip we learned for the day was be a good picture director. This basically means to arrange the subjects of the photo in a nice presentable way. When taking a picture of three people, get creative and arrange them in a new and cool way, as represented in this picture down below.

Best 9

After learning and practicing the top 10 tips for a while, we faced a new project where we had to pick the best out of all of our pictures and make a photoshop document about it. Out of all of the pictures i took I chose these because i thought they best depicted the quality these various techniques are ment to portray. I only have 8 photos in my project because some of the photos in my last folder, the number 9, were not valid for the folder so i could not use them.

Use Flash & Move in Close

Today in class we learned two more techniques in our top ten tips. We learned move in close and use flash outside. Use flash outside brings someone who would normally be blocked out with shadows, into the light of the flash, allowing people to see the picture more clearly. Move in close is basically taking the subject of the picture and filling the whole frame with that one subject. I took a picture of my friend where she was in a shadow and the flash made her face more clear. This picture above is an example of move in close due to the fact that I basically made the lock the whole picture.

Start Snapping Blog!

This is one of the pictures I took for our Start Snapping assignment. I liked this photo because it not only portrayed rule of thirds but also showed the technique fill the frame. This is one of the a many techniques we learned today where you take the subject of what you are trying to capture and fill the entire frame with just that object. I feel like filling the frame is a good technique because it gives you an artsy and close view of what the photographer wants you to see.

This is another picture I took in one of our first assignments, Start Snapping. This one show the technique framing and rule of thirds and maybe even fill the frame. Framing uses natural boarders to frame the subject you are trying to capture in the picture. I liked this picture because it looks really crisp and artsy and every little detail is caught. 

Here is a picture of three acorns that i set together in my backyard! This picture represents the technique of birds eye view due to the fact that the subject is seen from a top angle. The term birds eye view basically speaks for itself, meaning that the person get in on the way a bird from a high level would see the world. I particularly liked this picture because not only did i present a bird's eye view but it also shows a good use of rule of thirds. I just think the focus in the picture was worthy of showing!

Plain Background

In class today we learned the two techniques of get on level and plain background. This picture depicts both of them and I particularly liked it because the background is not busy and simple, which is what you're going for when using the technique plain background

Get on Level

Today in class we learned two techniques in our list of upcoming 10 techniques to learn. We learned to "get on level" and use a plain background to set up your subject. I picked this picture from my summer trip in Ecuador because I really love the detail in this picture and it accurately depicts the technique of getting down with the subject and seeing the world as it does. This demonstrates get on level.

Photowalk Project

1) We learned many ways to change a normal picture to a whole new creation through many techniques today. We learned how to shoot from a birds eye view which is shooting from above onto an object down below. We learned how to shoot also from worms eye view, which is getting down low and shooting on level with the object. Rule of thirds was also another technique we learned which teaches us to put the subject of the picture not straight in the middle but to the one-third of the picture. Framing, which is using natural barriers to frame the subject, was the fourth thing we learned. Fill the frame is basically zooming in to the point where the subject of the picture is filling the frame. Leading lines is using natural lines to lead to the subject. And last but not least repetition is seeing a common subject in the picture, like three chairs. 

2) On this photowalk I took many pictures putting all my new photo techniques to the test. It was nothing new sense ive known those techniques since the summer when I took yall with me to Ecuador, but it was still an experience to talk about. 

3) I picked these three photos because I thought they really represented the techniques i was trying to get out. Also, I thought these were just so artsy so i had to put them on as my top 3. 

First Photo J Blog

Hey fans! Now I know what you're thinking, this is not my first post for the class but since I am just catching up it's going to be posted after my first post. We're still going to call it the first post though! Welcome to my blog! Have fun!

9/11

 I found this impactful photo on a website called free documentaries online and I chose it because it not only catches the prior devastation and the ongoing ruin of the building, but it also foreshadows more to come with the sight of a second plane on its way. I liked this photo because it gives the viewer a broad overview of the occurrences of the day. You catch the demolition of the building and the force that caused, which in this case, would be the terrorist plane.

 This impact of this day on the 11th anniversary hasn't been brought to my attention with the level of intensity and importance as it did last year on the 10th anniversary. I feel like the media does a good job in portraying the seriousness in this event on the various anniversaries of its occurance. On the 10th anniversary, the television was filled with documentaries and untold stories of survivors, which is appropriate for such an anniversary. I feel like media does just what it needs to do to flash back those long lasting feelings of that day only 11 years ago.

I remember vivid scenes of my kindergarten self packing up boxes of teddy bears and toys for the children who lost their parents in the attack. I feel like that was the following day of the attack. I dont specifically remember the actual day it happened and the actual moment it dawned upon the attention of our kindergarten teachers. 

 I believe that all the images already shown on TV today about 9/11 despite the level of graphic intensity accurately provide us with the right image of the event. All the images are necessary to remind us of how serious that day was. I believe that media has the right to report everything as seen to keep the world up to date on what is occurring in their country. There might be those limited few things like the gory remains of all the people that the media should keep to themselves but that is about it. I believe that photojournalists should have the right to shoot anything they want, in addition with editor's overview of the whole process just in case something is not meant for the public eye.

9/11

Never Forget

Conclusion

Today was yet another travel day. We wake up to a delicious breakfast at our wonderful hostal and head out on an hour and a half bus ride. We then hop on a boat which takes us to a unpopulated island where we drive to the airport. The plane ride was a smooth one and we arrived safely into the wonderful Quito. We take about two hours to set up our on assignment which was one of our final exams where we have to surround about 10 photos around a central theme. We all gather in the room, and I am the very first person to present my work, and all the leaders commented on how solid and great my pictures were! It made me feel like quite the accomplished photographer. The best part of the day was about to come up. We go to the last restaurant of the trip and I get a delicious cheese empanada  as an appetizer. Then, before our very eyes, a huge plate of fried guinea pig is placed in front of us. We are all forced to take a bite and I actually thought it was so good! However one bite did it for me, for the thought of simply eating guinea pig was too much. After this nice dinner we grab an ice cream, i personally got a cookie, and head back to the hostal and pack up for our early morning flight! The early morning flight was a rough one, as we all had to force ourselves out of bed. Actually well all woke up to the sound of a woman being mugged and scared us all half to death! We were afraid to go outside and walk to our bus right after this occurrence. The long flight ride finally ended and we reunited with our parents.

Day 18- Final Real Day

The next day was our final real day. We started off the day by visiting the Darwin Center and touring the national park. We saw some wild iguanas sun bathing on the beach and got to take many good pictures. We then traveled along the park and visited the tortoise center where they are bred by the leaders of the organization. We saw baby tortoises and and young tortoises ready for the wild! However, some of them were kept in captivity. We saw many colorful iguanas in some of the exhibits as well. Later that day we walked far and wide, a mile and a half to the destination,  and visited one of the prettiest beaches on the island. We all hung out, took pretty pictures of each other and the landscape, and enjoyed the fun in the sun. It was a pretty relaxing cool down and wrap up to the trip as a whole. Let me just take a moment to break this happiness however, and exclaim a very important piece of news. The last of its kind in that species, lonesome George the tortoise, died today. It was very sad for all of us and impossible to bear. We got to see him earlier that day but we weren’t sure if that was he dead or alive. We felt very privileged to see him on his last hours. This pretty much concludes the trip! Tomorrow and the next day are purely travel days first back to Quito then back home to Houston! It’ll be so great to see everyone again!

Day 17- Santa Cruz, Tortoises

Today is our first day in Santa Cruz! We started off the morning with a choppy boat ride which led us to this new island. We started off with a little town walk and shopping, and then went out to the highlands where we saw many wild tortoises. The tortoises can live up to 200 years and grow bigger by the year!

Day 16- Snorkeling, birds

The first full day of the Galapagos was sure jam-packed and busy! We started off by instantly boating out to a rock called kicker rock where the true snorkeling began. On the way, we captured the many sights of what it means to be in the Galapagos. We took many pictures of the one and only, blue-footed booby. We saw special endemic birds, which means they are only found in the Galapagos. Finally we arrived to the snorkeling sight and were ready to snorkel. We were soon let in to the wonders of the sea world. We saw many sea turtles casually swimming around, many exotic fish, a couple sharks, starfish, and sea lions! Later that day, we continued our snorkeling after a nice lunch break with a stop to the spot where the birds dived and fed on the many fish. We got to see many pelicans and boobies and others dive down in the water, which was great for underwater pictures. We wrapped up the day with a nice little town walk later in that afternoon, shopping on the many local good Galapagos has to offer! 

Day 15- Galapagos, Sealions, Snorkeling

So our first day in the Galapagos was wonderful. We arrived and dropped our bags off at the hostal after a nice lunch, and went to try on our wetsuits and flippers. I was already a step ahead since I already had my own snorkeling gear! We snorkeled that day away for our first time and saw a sea turtle and thousands of sea lions. They were to die for. None of us could get over how cute they were. We planned on smuggling some home, we were joking of course. The excitement ended shortly after that as the day neared to an end. We were sure ready for a full day of fun the next day!

Day 14- Stressful, Rainy travel back to Quito

This next day brought a lot rain, grogginess, and cold. Today was a travel day and we were bound for a 5-hour boat ride back to Coca. Our boat got drenched, or at least the side of my row and we were left cold and shivering! Our boat shut down twice which delayed our day and canceled our plans to visit a local community of the culture. The day started to pick up and we arrived to Quito safely, read for the Galapagos!

Day 13- Piranha Fishing, Sunset of the Amazon

As our final day in the Amazon finally came around, we were all ready for our last and final adventure in the famed jungle. The best part of the whole Amazon was about to come. First up, was piranha fishing. This was like music to our ears and we were ecstatic!  We caught so many fish, probably because Sam, who does fishing for a living, was on our boat. I caught a pretty sparkly white and orange fish and felt so accomplished and proud of myself! Like you’d think that this was the first of many to come, but fishing for piranhas is a lot harder than it sounds. As the day neared toward the late afternoon, things started to slow down and get a little freer. For the rest of the day we were basically left to do whatever we wanted, that was within the rules obviously. Some people went back out to fish, but me and some other friends decided to have a little cool down and go for a risky swim in the Amazon! Clearly I survived that since I am writing this right now, and it was certainly worth it! This was a great wrap up to our Amazon stay and we were sure ready to head out!

Day 12- Whooly Monkeys, Hike

So today was fairly similar. We started off the day with a hike and learned even more about the Amazon. Libio taught us how to juice out the finest aliments from the Amazon, on of which acted as a body cleanser. We all got to try a tiny bit. He took the reeds from a branch, conducted detailed steps, and made us all natural matching bracelets. He also showed us the way to make a backpack out of reed leaves. I got to keep this due to the fact that I had nowhere to put my water bottle. After lunch, we set out to an island about an hour away and were in search for yet another species of monkeys. After careful searching, we came across the perfect spot filled with a whole monkey family. We saw momma, poppa, and even the little baby holding on to the back of the mother! Knowing monkeys, they got a little feisty and started staring us down and throwing anything they could find at us. It wasn’t that bad though! I captured some wonderful pictures yet again today.

Day 11- Deep in the Jungle

Today we started off with an early morning canoe ride seeing many cool birds that was perfect for pictures. We continued the day with a refreshing hike, listening and learning everything there is to know about the jungle by our wonderful guide, Libio. He taught us how to make anything you can name out of a huge reed leaf. He showed us how if one were to take a handful of a piece of a termite hive that you can make fertilizer out of it. He showed us how to climb a tree, energized our day by enacting a classic energizing ritual by the movement of a certain tree branch around our heads, and let us in on all the top things you can do to survive the jungle. When we arrived back to the camp, Ms. Bottoms gave us a little photography lesson on three subjects: framed photo, repeating element, and environmental portrait. After lunch and a glorious siesta, which means nap in Spanish, we all headed out in canoes in search of monkeys. We saw many cool monkeys, but they were sure hard to come by. We had three opportunities to spot the speedy little things, but I missed a lot of them. It actually made me very frustrated! However, my time finally came and I captured some great pictures. On our way back to the cabins the sun was just setting and we got some great photos of the sunset as well. It was a pretty productive day, if you ask me.

Day 10- The Amazon River

First day in the Amazon y’all. What else is there to say? Today was just your typical travel day. Once our flight to Coca finally landed, we took a 5 hour boat ride into the deep depths of the Amazon jungle. We were greeted by a friendly lodge and paired up into twos, which determined our roommates. Our life in the Amazon was just like the life of the locals who live along the river. We lived in log huts with a roof made of reeds, no air conditioner, and just a bed and a net to keep us safe from all those nasty bugs. It was fun to get a little piece of what the locals have to endure everyday.

Toucan!

Toucan time!!!!

Day 9- Back to Quito

So today was a relaxing travel day. Not much interesting going on here! It started off with us waking up in the buggy Mindo, my legs are completely torn apart by the bugs there, and packing. The leaders formed a nifty little scavenger hunt for us where we had to take good pictures of certain things in the town of Mindo. Lunch was the usual, beans, rice and meat. We have had that for the past week and are ready for a change. Now its time for the two hour bus ride back to Quito. We went to a little shopping market and I bought of lot of good things for my family, friends, and I. Dinner was phe-nom-in-al. It was the biggest switch of our lives where we feasted on delicious sandwiches and French fries. Oh and lets not forget, for an appetizer they served us bruschetta bars, fried cheese sticks, and fries. Let me just add that the sandwich had a coat of garlic sauce with cheese, tomatoes lettuce and probably a lot more. After that we had a nice little ice cream outing where for once there was actually normal ice cream! I got oreo. For the past week I tried all kinds of Ecuadorian flavors that were quite different. Still yummy too! Now we are ready to fly to the Amazon and find new adventures that cross our path. See you in the Amazon!

Day 8- Community Service

Today we were back up that mountain to meet with the scientific couple for community service. We cleared that way for a campsite, built some new stairs, and painted some new signs! It was great to help out and make someone’s day just that much better! This was Massimo’s last day, which was very sad because he is just so awesome and knowledgeable and we couldn’t get enough of him! He gave us one last lesson and let us in on his life and this was it and we said our last goodbyes!

Day 7- Hike, Waterfalls

This day our tasks were switched and my group was the group to hike up to a series of beautiful waterfalls for swimming and picture taking. This was so wonderful and refreshing and a great opportunity for us to take many beautiful pictures. Later that day we had another one of Massimo’s critiques on an assignment he gave us. It was in preparation for our big final assignment where we are supposed to formulate a general theme around photos that fit the theme. 

Day 6- Mist Netting

So these next two days were kind of whack! We split up and half of us hiked a mountain to this bird catching place where this awesome couple that lives in a log cabin in the middle of no where, catches and studies birds for biological study for a living. We got to see birds super up close and watch the scientists measure their varying measurements. This was the prime time for picture taking and for us photographers to go wild. I was really excited to get acquainted with the many colorful birds of Ecuador, because I just love birds and think they are so gorgeous. This day was a rough one though for us because not many birds flew into our net due to whatever reason. We still got to see many cool birds however. After a gruesome hike back up to the town, the most scrumptious pizza of the town greeted us. We ate that up like no other and were ready for any big adventure that was to be thrown at us. After this we all got all of our best photos together for one of Massimo’s critiques.

Day 5- Birds, town pictures

Hello readers! Get ready yet another update of the life in Ecuador. To start off this day number 5, June 11^th, I seized a voluntary opportunity to catch a bird watching session early in the morning. Our group as a whole was planning on going to this bird sanctuary later in the afternoon, however, one of our leaders, Sam, is quite the “bird nerd” as he likes to call himself, and took some of us to catch the rare birds in the early morning. The bird shoot was amazing, knowing that I love birds. After we got back, Massimo was ready to fill us on some insightful new photography tips. The bird sanctuary was ready for us yet again as we all went together later that afternoon. From hummingbirds of all colors, to toucans and exotic birds, it was nice to fix my mistakes from the early morning shoot and receive satisfying pictures. After this our leaders gave us the opportunity to walk around town and soak in the culture of the town. We took many pictures of the town as well. My group of 2 and I met this little boy and we kept on calling him funny, but he denied it every time and said, “No!” “Tu, tu, tu!” After a good load of town pictures, the leaders surprised us with a little chocolate making lesson. We learned that the seeds from a fruit called cocoa were used to make the one and only, chocolate. The fruit around the seeds was absolutely scrumptious and made us all sad that they didn’t sell them in America. Maybe they do, we still need to investigate. The seeds were then steamed on a pot over fire to dry out the centers. Peeling the seeds was next. We all fuddled with the steaming seeds working off the shells one by one. The next step was to grind the seeds in the grinder until it reached a nice gooey pulp. The pure chocolate was then mixed with milk and delicious brown sugar to make a fondue in which we dipped fruits of all kinds. So yummy. Dinner was probably the last thing on our minds, but we chowed it down happily and had a nice sleep that night.

Day 4- Outdoor Mindo, Butterflies

So today definitely didn’t fail to surprise and thrill every single one of us. The day started off with a beautiful crisp light filling in the whole of our cabin! Those typical dreadful minutes when you know you have to get out of bed but yet wallowing in bed feels just so much better, were eased with the unique and exotic singing of the Ecuadorian birds. We were then greeted with probably the best breakfast of the trip yet. With a hardy meal sitting in our stomachs were went up to one of the main cabin’s sitting areas and talked in great depth about the photography language. Even though we have all heard the same things over and over, it still refreshes my mind as I reach closer and closer to the top of the photography field. Massimo, our wonderful professional leader, arriving straight from Italy, taught us about light metering and how to expose different lights in different ways, something that was never strong in my mind before. It was such a wonderful feeling to accomplish his lessons with beautiful satisfying pictures, when we ventured out later that morning. After nice lunch out, we all went to a butterfly sanctuary filled with all the butterflies you can get. We were able to put special butterfly food, basically banana, on our fingers which lured the beautiful butterflies our way! Some of us got the idea of putting it on our noses and letting the butterflies sit. This was a great place to seize our ambition for photography and grasp all the practice we could get. Our next stop only added to glory of such a day. We all went to the famous Mindo tubing rides and white water rafted all the way down the river. Mixed feelings definitely aroused from excitement to pure fright. One girl in our group Madeline, was absolutely terrified. I, on the other hand, thought it was so fun! We were all in a big cluster of connected tubes and bumped and bounced like no other. After a relaxing sit in the hot tub at our hostel, we ventured out to have probably the best dinner yet. As a whole, my 8 friends and I, ate at least a total of 40 pieces of pizza. We were hungry, and sure were ready for another round of jam-packed fun the following day.

Day 3- Equator, Mindo Bound

So today was our last day in Quito and we were Mindo bound! So excited! We got to stop at the equator spot and walk the line. Perfect place for pictures. We then went into a little bug museum where we got to hold the most exotic bugs of Ecuador.

Day 4- Outdoors, Butterfly Mindo

So today definitely didn’t fail to surprise and thrill every single one of us. The day started off with a beautiful crisp light filling in the whole of our cabin! Those typical dreadful minutes when you know you have to get out of bed but yet wallowing in bed feels just so much better, were eased with the unique and exotic singing of the Ecuadorian birds. We were then greeted with probably the best breakfast of the trip yet. With a hardy meal sitting in our stomachs were went up to one of the main cabin’s sitting areas and talked in great depth about the photography language. Even though we have all heard the same things over and over, it still refreshes my mind as I reach closer and closer to the top of the photography field. Massimo, our wonderful professional leader, arriving straight from Italy, taught us about light metering and how to expose different lights in different ways, something that was never strong in my mind before. It was such a wonderful feeling to accomplish his lessons with beautiful satisfying pictures, when we ventured out later that morning. After nice lunch out, we all went to a butterfly sanctuary filled with all the butterflies you can get. We were able to put special butterfly food, basically banana, on our fingers which lured the beautiful butterflies our way! Some of us got the idea of putting it on our noses and letting the butterflies sit. This was a great place to seize our ambition for photography and grasp all the practice we could get. Our next stop only added to glory of such a day. We all went to the famous Mindo tubing rides and white water rafted all the way down the river. Mixed feelings definitely aroused from excitement to pure fright. One girl in our group Madeline, was absolutely terrified. I, on the other hand, thought it was so fun! We were all in a big cluster of connected tubes and bumped and bounced like no other. After a relaxing sit in the hot tub at our hostel, we ventured out to have probably the best dinner yet. As a whole, my 8 friends and I, ate at least a total of 40 pieces of pizza. We were hungry, and sure were ready for another round of jam-packed fun the following day.

Landscapin'

Cool little pic with the Quito background!

Little nugget

Just a little snap shot day in the life of our Day 2 Quito experience. Such a little nugget he is!

Day Two- Otovalo

Day two was a little bit of a switch from the jam-packed day one. We started off the day with and early morning two hour bus ride two a slightly impoverished town called Otovalo. This is where we could finally put our photography techniques to the test. We were set in one of the largest markets in the world, where we got to shop and take pictures. Our goal was to find a common theme to take a picture, like bright colors, or kids, or workers, which was mine. Another goal we had was to catch three pictures of the elements of art. These are lines, color, shape, space, value, and texture. Picture taking plus shopping, really made the ideal combo for me since those are probably my two favorite things. The most capturing element of the day however, was the culture and the way of the natives. From little kids, mothers, teenagers, and old citizens, we got an idea of the culture as a whole. From time to time we would come across extremely decrepit old women, begging for money. They were very nice, but we were not supposed to interact sadly. Our journey continued as we passed by the local food market, where things got a little graphic. We would stumble upon fresh bloody animal meat, and animal carcasses. Fruits were impossible to miss and vegetables just the same. I got a unique taste of lychee, this unique little fruit. Now this throws me on the path of the food. I have tried quite the variety of exotic, bizarre foods. Today i tried a little piece of goats blood with one of our leaders, taylor. Yum! We all got to dig in and knock ourselves out with a little organ soup, well thats what we like to call it, and some beef with yuca, most likely a derivative of the potato. The thing about our stay in Quito that really gets me is the way the general people conduct their lives. People crowd the streets walking from store to store as if the whole town were a market. Venders would walk around with their goods and try to persuade people to buy their wares.  At night music would fill the air and horns would sound, since honking is apparently a general popular thing to do.

Day 1- Quito Eterno

Where to start! With apprehensive, yet ecstatic feelings, our group of 9 stumbled into the foreign lands of the wonderful Ecuador, ready for our little adventure. The first thing that we all noticed was the weather patterns and how cold it was! The 60 degree weather completely set the tone for the trip as a whole, making everything so pleasant. In the morning of our first official day, we had a little group meeting, setting the standards of what it truly means to be a National Geographic explorer. Rules and regulations were covered and made us feel influenced to start the day. And we were sure in for the ride of our lives later that day. We started it off by taking a gondola ride up to the top of a chain on the Andes Mountains and hiking even further to the top. The sight was spectacular, let me tell you. I felt like i had the control of Quito at

Galapagos Islands

Can you say gorgeous? Clara life for the next 3 weeks! Go NatGeo photography!

Starbuck Treats!

Just some practice for my upcoming Galapagos photography trip!