Photography Project #3: Elements of Composition

Photography project three was the incorporation of depth of field, shutter speed, and elements of composition. For project three I focused primarily on the elements of composition within photography. I chose to take photographs that primarily demonstrated texture and pattern.
After choosing to focus my photographs on texture and pattern for project three, I wondered what a good location would be to capture these elements of composition. I decided that a park would provide an abundance of opportunity to photograph texture and pattern. San Pedro park, in particular, has a ton of natural elements throughout it.
Although San Pedro park did provide numerous opportunities to capture texture and pattern, I do not think I was successful with my shooting. I realized after examining my photos that I need to focus more on the framing of my shots. I think a lot of my ideas and the material I was choosing to shoot were good, but my execution was not. In the future I am going to pay more attention to the angles and framing of my compositions. Also, I realized I need to pay more attention to the lighting of my photographs as well.
I also chose to shoot some of my photographs as a music store. The music store provided opportunities to capture pattern and texture as well. I was able to get a few good shots of the instruments, but I was not pleased with the lighting in my photos.

Project 3: Pattern & Texture

I chose to venture into a music shop for project three. I thought that a music shop would provide an opportunity to photograph texture, pattern, line, and shape. I was much less successful in the music shop then I would have liked to be. I like the pattern, shape, and coloring of the violins. I do not like the lighting, especially the bright reflection on the ceiling of this photograph. In the future, I will pay more attention to framing and lighting issues to insure a higher quality photo.

I saw a string of lights in the quarry, and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to utilize and manipulate shutter speed. I set my shutter speed low and twirled my camera around to capture the lights dancing.

This photograph was captured through a low shutter speed and a slow horizontal movement.

To capture this image I used an urban traffic scene. I focused my camera a set of green lights used to direct traffic. In this photography I used a very low shutter speed and moved my camera around in circles. The movement and shutter speed allowed me to blur the traffic lights.

To utilize shutter speed I decided to shoot night time traffic. Night time traffic provided adequate light and movement needed to practice shutter speed. With a very low shutter speed I was able to blur the lights and movement of the traffic. I feel that I could have used a slightly higher shutter speed to capture a bit more of the shape of the traffic.

This photograph was taken around this quarry area. This ravens often swarm around the quarry, especially around sunset. I believe that this photograph does a good job at showing the movement of the birds through use of a proper shutter speed.

Project 2: Shutter Speed

This photograph was taken from the Emily Morgan hotel located on the River Walk. The Texas flag was utilized in this photo to capture motion. I feel that this photo could have been framed better. I like how the movement of the flag is captured in this photograph.

Project 1: Depth of Field Photographs

This photograph demonstrates a shallow depth of field. This photo was taken of the ducks at Brackenridge park. I think this photo would have been stronger if I had paid more attention to the its framing. I am not pleased with the large amount of asphalt that it present in the photograph. I do like how well the ducks turned out though.

Project 1: Depth of Field Photographs

I love this photograph. I think that this is a fun photograph that captures a childlike joy. The color contrast or the purple balloon, the gold stones, and the sunlight create a beautiful piece. This photograph demonstrates a deep depth of field. In its simplicity, this photo holds a strong artistic quality.

Project 1: Depth of Field Photographs

I do not believe that this photograph captures depth of field, but I thought it was a fun piece. I really enjoy the subtle contrast between the green and purple balloons and the tree. I believe that this photo is possesses an eerie and mysterious quality that makes it unique.

Project 1: Depth of Field Photographs

This is a photograph of the train tracks at the San Antonio zoo. This photograph represents a shallow depth of field. I think that the composition and line of this photograph are unique and eye-catching. I believe that I could have captured the shallow depth of field more effectively, but overall this photograph is artistically successful.

Project 1: Depth of Field Photographs

This photograph was taken in a garden at Brackenridge park. This image demonstrates a very shallow depth of field. I really enjoy this photograph because it captures a moment in time. This photograph is a window into nature in the early morning hours. The dew on the flower subtly captures the essence of morning time.

Project 1: Depth of Field Photographs

This image was taken at Brackenridge Park for the Depth of Field project. I chose this photograph because I believe that it is a good demonstration of deep depth of field. I also chose this shot because I enjoyed the variety of ducks presented. I felt that the waterfall was also good subject matter.

Project #2

I really enjoyed utilizing shutter speed for the second project. For the second project I traveled to downtown San Antonio. I figured that the riverwalk area would be bustling, and have a lot of movement and action for me to capture. At first, I had no idea how to manipulate the shutter speed in order to capture movement and light. Therefore, upon arriving downtown I played around with a wide range of shutter speeds and subjects. I witnessed a vast range of effects with each shutter speed and with they varying subjects I shot. First, I shot traffic and people who were walking to practice shooting motion. It was a cold and windy day so I also utilized the American and Texas flag of the Emily Morgan hotel. Since the flags were flapping rapidly in the wind, I was able to practice capturing still and blurred motion. After shooting downtown, I decided to go to the quarry area. A beautiful sunset was occurring as I arrived at the quarry. Also, as night falls, enormous flocks of birds swarm around this area. Therefore, I was able to practice shutter speed with vary levels of light as the sun set. Also, the birds were would frequently fly in packs so I was able to capture high levels of movement as the light levels were changing.
For the most part my, I think my photos were successful. I wish I had been more successful on capturing blurred motion. I feel that I was a bit confused on how to accomplish a successful blurred motion image.Since the quarry is next to a major highway, a lot of traffic occurs. Therefore, I wanted to blur the lights of the oncoming traffic, but these photos did not turn out well. I am going to keep attempting to capture blurred motion throughout the semester.