Portrait Photography
By Alyssa Nash
Out of all of the photo assignments so far I feel that I enjoyed the actual process of this one the most. Over the course of these photos I also got the opportunity to venture outside of my comfort zone with editing. By playing with some pretty extreme temperatures and general colors I created more diverse moods than I have in previous assignments. However, some of my peers did not like the more abstract take on the editing process.
The above image was a last minute effort and were it not for Ashley’s willing cooperation I would likely have been unable to turn in the requested amount of photos. Something that I didn’t like about the photo was the lighting. The harsh light of the outside against the dim lighting inside sort of created a silhouette effect. I think that I wouldn’t mind it as much had I brought up the shadows and blacks while bringing down the whites a tad. Overall, it worked for what I needed.
This edited piece is actually one of my favorites from this project. The green, almost eerie lighting adds an effect unique to this photo, unique from my previous work at least. However the lack of even lighting created a grainy rendering on the walls in the hall’s background and around her upper body. This was also a consequence of dramatically increasing the clarity. I now know about decreasing the noise using the luminance and wish I had known then, I think it could have really helped with this issue. If I had the time I’d go back and edit it but I don’t see that happening. Like I mentioned in the introductory paragraph, the difference in my take on things this time around allowed me to enjoy the project more than ever.
In order to capture this picture Emma Cash and I ended up walking to Mill Pond after school. I’m grateful that we’re allowed to borrow cameras for this purpose, it has enabled me to get some shots that I would never have been able to otherwise and has enhanced my newfound interest in photography. I went for colder tones in all of my outside photos. I feel it fits both the mood and the weather better. My favorite part about this image, besides Emma’s lovely face, of course, would be the mist shrouded woods. I love the way that the trees reflect on the water, which looks almost like ice with the scene and the temperature I adjusted in photoshop.
My original thought upon viewing the finished product was that it bore a strong resemblance to an album cover. The drained color and the contrast of the moisture on the concrete creates a very sober mood. I think it fits my intentions going into this particular endeavor. I definitely intend to take advantage of the skate park again. I’m actually planning to do so on the panorama assignment, which I will be completing this weekend.
For this image I, once again, wish I had known about the noise reduction feature. As for the subject herself, I think she did wondrous and I love her blank, bored expression in the photo. I’d had the pose in mind for a while and felt that it fit better with an emptiness of sorts rather than a smiling face. All done for this blog!