Panorama: Vertical vs. Horizontal

The most common panoramas are horizontal landscapes. While some of these can be very interesting, I would like to challenge myself and shoot a vertical. I am hoping that I can find a unique piece of architecture that I can shoot rather than a landscape/cityscape.

This is an interesting angle of this builing. There are a lot of textures and colors in this shot. It is much more effective as a horizontal shot because of the floor and ceiling.

Example of how this panorama is effective more as a vertical shot. Directional lines throughout this photo draws your eyes to the subject (helmet man) which then begins to tell a story.

Lighting

We discussed in class how lighting can drastically effect the contrast of a photo, particularly when shooting in black and white. When capturing landscape, you must constantly be aware of the position of the sun. Front lighting is where the sun is behind the photographer, causing direct sunlight on the front of an object. Then there is back lighting, where the sun is in front of the photographer. This direct sunlight can make it hard for the photographer to see the composition and could cause the subject to have a silhouette. Below is a few landscape photography that I feel is strong BECAUSE of the direct sunlight.

Project 1: Anachronism

This photo was chosen over my other anachronism because of its humor. It does not scream anachronism although it definitely works.

Corrections: I definitely need to crop this image. I was unsure at how long the chicken was going to stay put so I did not focus on composition as much as quality/sharpness. I will need to work with cropping in order to create a more interesting shot while still keeping the key information entact (logo, chicken, building, etc.). I will also work with levels to take this overall grey image and make it pop. The chicken blends into the photo which undermines the entire purpose of the image.

Project 1: Object

This photo was chosen out of all my object photography because of the interest in the hand. I like how I captured the texture in the sculpture of the broken off hand, while the face is blurred slightly. This makes a much more interesting composition then just simply take a detailed photo of the entire sculpture.

Corrections: I need to work on the levels (once again!) in this photo. The background is completely black, which is good, although the face comes off a little grey. If I go in and make the face have stronger shadows and highlights, then the photo will come off as much more interesting. I also may crop this photo, focusing in on the detail of the sculpture just a little more.

Project 1: Portrait

This portrait stood out more than the rest of my portrait photography because of the story it tells. I also shot my one year old nephew, although it can be very hard to capture an emotion and tell a story with that emotion because of his age. I chose to have Juliana (the model) stand more to my right for two reasons. First, I was thinking about the "Rule of Thirds" and how boring the composition would be if she stood in the dead center of the road. I also knew that if she stood to the left of the road I would not be able to capture her shadows as well.

Corrections: I need to work on the levels in this photo...a lot. Because I shot her around noon, the sun was very intense. The shadows are very dark (especially around her face) and the highlights could be a little brighter. I do not need to crop this photo, although I do have some issues with pixelation (because the photo is so dark). I may need to work with a blur in order to correct this problem.

Project 1: Landscape

This picture stands out more than the rest of my landscape thumbnails because of its movement. There is good diagonal lines throughout this photo to keep you drawn into the page. I did not take this photo straight on, but rather I walked to one side of the bridge so I could capture a more interesting view of the bridge. I think this photo works well in black and white because of the texture of the metal on the bridge.

Corrections: I need to work with my levels in this photo (make highlights a little brighter and shadows a little darker) because overall it is a little gray. I may work with cropping a little but overall I am satisfied with the composition of it.

Philip Hyde

Philip Hyde is considered a master of landscape photography. He shoots in both black and white and in color, although his most powerful work is color photography. I struggled with landscape more than the rest of the subjects. I think this is because I wanted to capture more than just farm houses and rolling hills (most of Carroll County). What draws my eye into Hyde's photography is his incredible talent to capture depth. None of his photos are boring because the subject matter is perfectly placed in his compositions.