6 Best Photos
Week of March 3rd
6 Best Photos
Week of March 3rd
Photo 1:
The main subject of the photo is a steel structure of a sleeping person atop the roof of a city building. The photograph is landscape and in pale blue, white, and grey colors.
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Visual Elements
Light and Shadow: The light seems to be natural and is soft, rather than harsh. this suggests a rising or setting sun slanting between city buildings. The light is shining slightly sideways but into the face of the sculpture. The shadows are not very noticeable but they help create contrast and a dream like feeling around the sculpture.
Space: Although the sculpture is clearly the main focus of the photograph, the overlapping buildings in the back create an interesting background. There are several leading lines and different colors and layers which let the sculpture stand out in it's solid color.
Shape: There are a great variety of shapes in this photo, most of which are inorganic. There are interesting and rigid block patterns in the building in the foreground and in the windows in the buildings in the background. There are also criss cross shapes in the sculpture. and interesting angled shape in the back, and some round leaves in the corner.
Lines: There are many straight lines, but they are nicely offset by a couple more soft lines. For example, in the background the strict lines of the buildings are broken up by the wavy reflections in the windows.
Design
Angle: The photo looks to be taken from below the subject of the photo, or from the sidewalk or street. The angle is upward, and the sculpture is on top of a building which suggests it had to be taken from a lower vantage point.
Framing: The framing includes some leaves from a tree and trolley car cables overhead. This creates a sort of surrounding of the main subject of the sculpture to which the eyes are drawn.
Balance: The balance of the video is about the same on each side. The shapes and tones work together to not make one side of the photo too light or dark, which helps the photo balance out softly on each side.
Method
I used my Sony DSLR camera for this shot. I shot it free hand on the cityscape setting.
Feelings/Mood
The photo communicates a kind of sleepy and somber mood. The slanting lines of the sun suggest a tired time of day, and the sculpture itself is laying down to sleep.
Photo 2:
The main subject of the photo is a rainbow colored shell held between pink fingers with a soft and hazy background. The colors are darker but the shell stands out brightly in it's dark hues.
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Visual Elements
Light and Shadow: The light seems natural, it is pretty dim suggesting that no artificial light was used. The light is soft and works to gently bring out the colors in the shell.
Focus: The focus of the photo is clearly the shell in the foreground. Although there are shades in the background, it is not clear what it is, because it was blurred out. This helps create a contrast and brings the shell clearer to the viewer's eye.
Shape: The shape of the shell is very unique and amplifies the soft feeling of the photo. The soft curving of it's shape and the roundness of the fingers pairs well with the soft blurs in the background.
Colors: although the colors are not very vibrant, they stand out very well. The pink of the fingernails pairs well with the slight shades of pink and purple that stand out in places in the shell and background. Darker colors like blue and green match well with the hues in the background as well.
Texture: The shell has a clearly smooth texture, and including the fingers in the photo brings to mind the sensation of feeling the shell.
Design
Angle: The photo is taken head on from the subject, held up to the lens of the camera so as to achieve a certain focus against the background.
Contrast: The contrast of the object in the foreground and the blurry background works well to create a clear separation between the two. Yet the colors bring both together in a solid and natural way.
Method
I used my Sony DSLR camera for this shot. I shot it free hand on the autofocus setting.
Feelings/Mood
The photo communicates a feeling of softness and makes the viewer feel as if they are by the beach. The dim colors evoke the sense of a sunset and a little cover from the clouds above help the photo feel less harsh and bright, and more soft and gentle.
Photo 3:
The photo is a portrait of a bison grazing by a riverbed set against a mountain side.
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Visual Elements
Light and Shadow: The light seems natural, it is pretty dim suggesting that no artificial light was used. The light is dappled and creates interesting points of darkness and lightness along the mountainside.
Focus: The focus of the photo is clearly the shell in the foreground. Although there are shades in the background, it is not clear what it is, because it was blurred out. This helps create a contrast and brings the shell clearer to the viewer's eye.
Value: The darkest color in the photo is the deep brown and green of the bison and the forest. The lightest value is the white of the sky and the light brown on the mountainside.
Lines: The contrast of the curving and sweeping lines the river works well against the jagged lines of the mountaintop and the rough lines of the trees.
Colors: The colors are a really beautiful range. They are all very natural and create a very calming tone.
Design
Angle: The photo is taken head on from the subject and from across the river pictured in the photo. Having this angle lets the different layers of the photograph form interesting contrasts.
Framing: The photo works to frame the overall setting by allowing the natural lines in the picture to make their way across the picture. Rather than surrounding the picture with elements, the picture is a slice of the scene.
Repetition: There is a lot of repetition in the natural parts of the photo, the trees. They are littered across the background but feel as if they are standing out against the lighter colors in the back and help bring the background forward.
Method
I used my Sony DSLR camera for this shot. I shot it free hand on the autofocus setting.
Feelings/Mood
The photo communicates strong feelings of nature and tranquility. The bison is caught in the middle of grazing and there is a sense of peace in the clouds floating overhead and the natural setting.
Photo 4:
The photo is a landscape of a small white boat on a lake, taken through the frame of a window.​
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Visual Elements
Value: The darkest color in the photo is the black of the window frame and the dark green bushes, and the lightest colors are the white boats in the distant.
Focus: The focus of the photo is clearly the white boat on the water. The window frame in the foreground is blurred and the other plants are darker, which leads the eye to the boat automatically, even though it is small.
Value: The darkest color in the photo is the deep brown and green of the bison and the forest. The lightest value is the white of the sky and the light brown on the mountainside.
Shapes: The straight lines of the window frame and the straight line of the shoreline in the distant work well to contrast against the more jagged lines of the plants and the soft hills in the distance.
Design
Angle: The photo is taken head on from the subject and from quote a distance. Having this angle and stance creates the sensation of looking through a window and out onto the bay and the boat in the distance.
Framing: The photo works to frame the overall setting by allowing the lines of the picture frame to lead the eye to the boat in the distance.
Variety: There is a lot of variety between the darker plants in the foreground and the lightness of the boats and water in the background. There are manmade objects, natural greens from the plants, the ocean, homes and buildings in the background, and soft hills and sky in the background.
Method
I used my Sony DSLR camera for this shot. I shot it free hand on the landscape setting.
Feelings/Mood
The photo communicates strong feelings of calmness and being in a slow moment. The boat is suspended in the middle of the window frame and there is a softness and interesting story feeling about the photo.
Photo 5:
The photo is a landscape of a mural of an own on the side of a city building.
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Visual Elements
Value: The darkest color in the photo is the black of the window frame and the door, the lightest colors are the white of the fire hydrant and the white in the own sculpture.
Shape: The shapes in this photo are very interesting. There is the blocky shapes making up the image of the owl, and there is the curves of the window above its head and the upward lines of the door and slanting concrete.
Lines: Most of the lines in this photo are straight, which creates a sort of rigid feeling. This is interrupted only by the softness of the window and the slight disruption in the concrete.
Textures: The sculpture on the wall looks very smooth, as well as the door handle and the window. The whole photo looks very straight and smooth.
Design
Angle: The photo is taken head on from the subject and from across the street on the opposing sidewalk. This lets the viewer feel head on from the subject of the photo, and the eyes of the owl looks straight on.
Dominance: The photo is dominated by the eyes of the owl, which are piercing. They are the first thing the eyes are drawn to in the photo and hold the gaze very well.
Contrast: The contrast of the black and white in this photo work very well. I was pleased the black of the door and the white fire hydrant were present, as they create an interesting color splash with the mural.
Method
I used my Sony DSLR camera for this shot. I shot it free hand on the cityscape setting.
Feelings/Mood
The photo communicates the feeling of being stared at, obviously by the owl. It's interesting to see a piece of modern nature within the city.
Photo 6:
The photo is a portrait of ​a waterfall in the background with a branch of pin in the foreground.
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Visual Elements
Value: The darkest color in the photo is the black surrounding the waterfall and the lightest color is the white froth of the waterfall.
Focus: The pine branch in the foreground is the focus of the photo, but the waterfall is clearly included in the background.
Shapes: The shapes in this photo are very natural and organic. The motion of the waterfall can almost be felt and the sweep of the pine branch helps this mood.
Textures: The pine needles look very sharp against the softness of the waterfall in the background.
Design
Angle: The photo is taken head on from the subject and from across the canyon where the waterfall is falling into.
Contrast: The contrast of white waterfall against the dark pine branch helps create a contrast within the photo
Balance: There is a nice balance achieved between the pine branch and the light waterfall in the background. If the waterfall were darker, the contrast would not work, but the foreground and background work in harmony to achieve the same attention of the viewer.
Method
I used my Sony DSLR camera for this shot. I shot it free hand on the nature scenes setting.
Feelings/Mood
The photo communicates a strong mood of action but also calm nature. The roaring waterfall in the back is full of action and weight, but the pine needles create a calm scene away from the harsh water.