Masters of Photography Project Reflection

1. I believe that my Masters of Photography project shows how I like to learn and interact with my learning. I took each picture while keeping in mind both my own principles as well as the guidelines that Julia Margaret Cameron had set for herself. Therefore, each picture represents my attempt to integrate myself into the curriculum.
2. I now understand that photography is not only about taking pictures, but also understanding them.
3. Some benefits of working in a group are that it is possible to delegate responsibilities, so that one person does not have to do everything. Also, each individual in the group has a different opinion and perspective from the next, and so the overall result is more multidimensional and diverse.
4. Some drawbacks from working in a group include trying to adjust in order to include everyone's opinions, especially if some are more different from the others.
5. Now that I have seen the other projects, I wish that I had the opportunity to also do research for some of the other photographers as well, as all of them were very fascinating.

Masters of Photography - Julia Margaret Cameron

Before:

After:

About the Photographer:

Julia Margaret Cameron was born in Calcutta, India, in June 1815. She was known for creating “fancy portraits”, which is the art historical term for an imaginary portrait of a real or literary character. Cameron was inspired by the poets of the 19th century, such as Lord Alfred Tennyson and Lord Byron the 6th. She also alluded to mythological and biblical themes. Some examples of this include her portraits of Circe (1865), Cassiopeia (1866), King Lear Allotting Kingdom to Three Daughters (1872), and the Parting of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere (1874). Sometimes, she purposely softened the focus, or allowed the subject to move slightly, in order to create a blurred effect that would demonstrate the life of the subject.

We chose Julia Margaret Cameron because I, as an avid reader and aspiring author, really love to understand the story behind the pictures. Thus, Cameron's style of recreating characters of history or literature with her portraits really appealed to me. I realized while making the project that, as much as I would like to put solely my own influence and ideas into the photography and my writing, I must also leave room for the observer and reader to interpret my work for themselves. Thus, selected ambiguity is important.

Second Portrait

For this assignment, I took a picture of a person in my group, Isaac. I heightened the color of his sweatshirt to make it more vibrant.

Composition Review - 3 Rules

Rule of colors, rule of thirds, rule of background.
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/04/12/10-rules-of-photo-composition-and-why-they-work/

First Portrait

Mission Bell Tower Quad 

Melissa C.

I added temperature and cropped it to focus on her face.

Self-Portrait

I added more color using Camera Raw.

Shallow Depth of Field

I heightened the colors, saturation, and contrast on Camera Raw.