Framing Part Three

This is the example of a bad framing of my word. I think it is taken from to far back and you dont really know where to focus.
This is a more successful example of my word. The image fits the frame well and it leads your eye around the picture.

Framing Part Two

This is the unsuccessful atempt at framing an object. I feel like the flower being so low in the frame makes the image very bottom heavy and hard to move around.
I feel this one is more successful because the petals help you to move around the picture and the leaves and vines create a good contrast to the pink/purple of the flower.

Framing Part One

Above is my example of a poor framing job. The bridge seems slanted and the sky takes up to much of the picture.


These two are my successful examples for the framing exercise. I was trying to focus on lines and angles and how they relate to the frame. I feel these are stronger then the first image because they do a better job of leading your eye around the picture and maintaining interest.

Prepare a Photo for Critique

I decided to focus my attention on line and focus. I will arrange the objects (this will be still life photography) in a way that will show my attention to line and take the shots in a way that will focus on certain parts of the scene and not others. Here are the three photos I chose:







Photographs one and three both have very strong usage of line, while photographs two and three show concentration on focus. The third photo of the dagger was not as successful as the other two. I think this was because of the lighting and the way it reflected off the hilt on to the blade. I really like the texture shown in both the velvet that the objects are laying on and the stones in two of the pics. The elliptical mouth of the goblet is a good way of attracting your attention to the image and then helps to lead your eye around it. The cracks and impurities in the stones are also very interesting and the lines made by their outlines help to guide you around the picture plane. The dark background is a good contrast for the light objects and helps them pop.

Annie Leibovitz, Wonderland Celebrity Image Critique

Annie-Lou Leibovitz was born October second 1949 in Waterbury Connecticut. Her father was a military man and she started taking her first photographs as her family moved around for the air force. Now days she is know for her celebrity photographs, as well as her photography of everyday people and family. Her photos are often controversial and attention grabbing. She shoots a number of different types of commercial photography including: expressive, documentary, portrait, and fashion. To date she has produced three books of her work as well as being the chief photographer for Rolling Stone, and doing a large volume of work for Vogue and other clients. 

The photo I chose to critique is one that she shot as an advertisement series for Disney Theme Parks. The subject of the image is a scene from Alice and Wonderland. The photo features Oliver Pratt as the Mad Hatter, Beyonce Knowles as Alice, and Lyle Lovett as the March Hair. The three of them are spinning through wonderland in a teacup.
The photo is quite dynamic and gives an intense since of movement. Oliver Pratt is focused in the foreground. Because of the movement in the picture, the lines that makeup his outline are quite blurry and unfocused. His facial features and the interior of his clothing however are very clear and crisp and give the eye an easy focal point to start with. If it weren’t for the triangular arrangement of the other two figures, it would be very easy to stop on the Hatter and not move around and explore the rest of the shot. Behind the Mad Hatter, Alice sits, blurred and looking almost plastered to the teacup. Her face shows uncertainty with the situation. Her bright blue dress and white apron are a huge contrast to the Hatters dark maroon coat. It helps move your gaze back to her, and around the picture plane. Alice sits in the middle ground of the image, not as far back as the scenery and other teacups, but not as close to you as the Hatter. Next to her is Lyle Lovett as the March Hair. His blue necktie (a very similar shade to Alice’s dress) plus your eye toward him, and his patterned suit invites you to continue to analyze him. The whirling teacup turns his outfit into an optical illusion. Behind the trio the landscape whizzes by, Leibovits has done an excellent job of showing motion with a still photograph. Other teacups spin behind them and the whole background is distorted like a room in a fun house.
I think that a lot of the accomplishment of this shot is due to the amazing vibrant colors Leibovitz captured. In grayscale, or even just using colors that were less saturated, would have greatly decreased the success of the shot. The highlights of Alice’s apron, and the deep velvet of the Hatters coat really attract your attention as well as giving the photo variability and interest. The variety of texture also adds interest. Her dress is a shimmering silk, the teacup appears smooth, the Hairs suit looks like it would almost be scratchy to the touch, while the Hatters over coat is so obviously made of the softest velvet. The spinning background is made up of middle tones, helping you to assign the photos subjects a hierarchy of importance. The lack of clarity and focus also ads to this. The line of teacups converges into the background leading your eye back to quickly scan the insane landscape, and then move back to the fore and middle grounds.
Leibovitez did an excellent job of creating the interest and wonderment in her photo. This image (along with the other shots in this series) is an attempt to renew interest and involvement in Disney’s Theme parks. While I cannot say how successful it was as an advertisement, as a picture I think it is a hit. Curious angles, attention grabbing colors, high contrast, and tangible textures make this my favorite shot of the series. As with most of her photography it grabs my attention, and keeps me involved.

Assingment 2, color adjustment layer pic

In this photo I created a color adjustment layer and then slid the color more towards red then cyan. In doing this it created a better contrast between the gnomes and the wood chips behind them, and helped them to stand out better. It wasn't however so much change that the pic no longer looks realistic.

Assingment 2, contrast adjustment layer pic

With this photo I added a contrast adjustment layer and then increased the contrast. In doing this It made the grass darker (because it was already dark) and lightened the color of the crystal (since it is made up of light colors to begin with). This helps the crystal stand out more, but still looks natural.

Assingment 2, Grayscale pic

With this pic I changed the mode to grayscale. This takes all of the color of the pic and mkes in black and white. I personally like this pic better in color, but there are photos that look really nice in this mode.

Assingment 1 Location 2

This is a geode that was in the backyard that was my second location. It was a really amazing stone, great texture, and very interesting.

Assingment 1, location 2

A flower in the backyard I used for my second location. I dont know what kind of flower it is but its very pretty and I though it would make a good close up pic.

Assingment 1, location 1

This is a pic of some fungus that is growing on a tree on campus. Very cool and gross at the same time huh?