Over the course of the year, I found myself to be most engaged with projects that combined photography with other elements, including dark room developing as well as photoshop. I found that synthesizing photography with various other mediums and techniques allowed me to gain a new appreciation for the capabilities of both digital and film photography, as both are so much more than simply taking photographs. I have learned through projects such as the House of My Mind and the dark room portrait exploration that photography can in fact capture a moment rather than just an image of a moment. The freedom offered to me during these projects has allowed me to express my artistic visions in new ways, and I have learned that deliberate portrayal of a subject and thoughtful composition can entirely change the message of the photo. I felt that by the final project in which we could choose our own assignment, I truly owned my artistic process. I knew the moment that I heard that project's guidelines that I would want to combine my love of drawing and of portrait photography using photoshop, and I allowed myself to get lost in the creation of my compositions and to use colors and lines that felt appropriate to each image in order to convey the message of the photographs and of the individuals in the photographs, rather than just relying on the photo to do this on its own. I thoroughly enjoyed the freedom and large period of time allotted to the final project, and I appreciated the opportunity that I was given to find an artistic path that I am passionate about.
I believe that I have grown most in my willingness to explore and to experiment. At the start of this year, I tended to stay within guidelines that I was given and I found it difficult to push the envelope when it came to taking photographs. I wasn't entirely accustomed to photography as a medium, and I did not feel that it gave me as much artistic freedom as drawing and painting may have. However, as I was introduced to new methods, techniques, and mediums, I found that photography could become whatever I wished it to be. I could manipulate my photographs using techniques in the moment, such as off camera flash, or digitally after they had been taken, using photoshop and lightroom. After I became comfortable exploring new kinds of photography, I was able to experiment and think outside of the box. I saw this first in the House of My Mind Project as I incorporated photography with drawing and collaging, something that I would have never thought to do in a photography course. I now am accustomed to taking risks, as shown in my recent abstract photography project when I looked for photographic opportunities in the most unexpected of places and used lightroom as a tool to push my photos even further into the realm of abstraction. Most recently, I have shown my willingness to push the envelope in my final project through incorporating several mediums that I was equally passionate about and playing with them until I found a way for both drawing and photography to work together harmoniously with the aid of photoshop.
I have definitely gained a better understanding of portrait, abstract, and darkroom photography during these past 9 months. I have come to appreciate the messages that deliberately taken portraits can express and the beauty of capturing moments of human connection and human emotion. I understand now that portraits can truly tell a story, whether it be about the subject themselves or about another issue entirely. I have also come to appreciate that abstract photography is far more than just zooming in on objects or taking photos from a new angle. I appreciate the complexity of abstract photography and the freedom that it gives the photographer to explore the world in new and intriguing ways. I have also learned the key role that digital editing can play to enhance or change the message of an abstract photograph. Finally, I have also come to appreciate the process of darkroom photography. I've learned that being with your photo from the moment it is captured and processing it for days until you can finally appreciate its physical form is a very rewarding experience. Dark room photographs also have a very different feeling than digital photographs, and I think that the quirks of developing film make the final compositions more special and nuanced. The hard work that goes into the darkroom developing process truly does become apparent in the final product, which I have come to appreciate.
I felt that this course was a very appropriate and informative introduction to the complex world of photography. With projects like House of my Mind, Dark room Portraits, and Off Camera Flash, we learned many new techniques and became comfortable using new mediums, an experience that I found to be very valuable. I also think that the final project was a great opportunity for us to exercise the creative thinking skills as well as technical photographic skills that we have gained throughout the course. We were forced to think outside the box, and I think the amazing and diverse projects that everyone in the class came up with were a true testament to the success of the project. After giving us the tools to express ourselves, it was very nice to get an opportunity to do so without restrictions. However, I found the project where we incorporated unusual objects into photographs (such as tinfoil and plastic forks) to be somewhat frustrating and I felt that "light as a character" could have been a shorter or more specialized project, because the theme itself was broad and overwhelming at times. However, I do think that Ms. Seal has done a good job with making us become comfortable thinking outside the box and getting us acquainted with new mediums and techniques. One important thing that I would say regarding the course is that although time for new skill development is necessary, the amount of time that we spend learning and experimenting with new techniques should not compromise the amount of time we are given to freely explore and create.
I believe that I have grown most in my willingness to explore and to experiment. At the start of this year, I tended to stay within guidelines that I was given and I found it difficult to push the envelope when it came to taking photographs. I wasn't entirely accustomed to photography as a medium, and I did not feel that it gave me as much artistic freedom as drawing and painting may have. However, as I was introduced to new methods, techniques, and mediums, I found that photography could become whatever I wished it to be. I could manipulate my photographs using techniques in the moment, such as off camera flash, or digitally after they had been taken, using photoshop and lightroom. After I became comfortable exploring new kinds of photography, I was able to experiment and think outside of the box. I saw this first in the House of My Mind Project as I incorporated photography with drawing and collaging, something that I would have never thought to do in a photography course. I now am accustomed to taking risks, as shown in my recent abstract photography project when I looked for photographic opportunities in the most unexpected of places and used lightroom as a tool to push my photos even further into the realm of abstraction. Most recently, I have shown my willingness to push the envelope in my final project through incorporating several mediums that I was equally passionate about and playing with them until I found a way for both drawing and photography to work together harmoniously with the aid of photoshop.
I have definitely gained a better understanding of portrait, abstract, and darkroom photography during these past 9 months. I have come to appreciate the messages that deliberately taken portraits can express and the beauty of capturing moments of human connection and human emotion. I understand now that portraits can truly tell a story, whether it be about the subject themselves or about another issue entirely. I have also come to appreciate that abstract photography is far more than just zooming in on objects or taking photos from a new angle. I appreciate the complexity of abstract photography and the freedom that it gives the photographer to explore the world in new and intriguing ways. I have also learned the key role that digital editing can play to enhance or change the message of an abstract photograph. Finally, I have also come to appreciate the process of darkroom photography. I've learned that being with your photo from the moment it is captured and processing it for days until you can finally appreciate its physical form is a very rewarding experience. Dark room photographs also have a very different feeling than digital photographs, and I think that the quirks of developing film make the final compositions more special and nuanced. The hard work that goes into the darkroom developing process truly does become apparent in the final product, which I have come to appreciate.
I felt that this course was a very appropriate and informative introduction to the complex world of photography. With projects like House of my Mind, Dark room Portraits, and Off Camera Flash, we learned many new techniques and became comfortable using new mediums, an experience that I found to be very valuable. I also think that the final project was a great opportunity for us to exercise the creative thinking skills as well as technical photographic skills that we have gained throughout the course. We were forced to think outside the box, and I think the amazing and diverse projects that everyone in the class came up with were a true testament to the success of the project. After giving us the tools to express ourselves, it was very nice to get an opportunity to do so without restrictions. However, I found the project where we incorporated unusual objects into photographs (such as tinfoil and plastic forks) to be somewhat frustrating and I felt that "light as a character" could have been a shorter or more specialized project, because the theme itself was broad and overwhelming at times. However, I do think that Ms. Seal has done a good job with making us become comfortable thinking outside the box and getting us acquainted with new mediums and techniques. One important thing that I would say regarding the course is that although time for new skill development is necessary, the amount of time that we spend learning and experimenting with new techniques should not compromise the amount of time we are given to freely explore and create.
- Natalie Turner
