Final Exam

4. 

I define this photo as the one that really changed my scope of photography. Not only do I consider this my best picture, I realized that the more work and thought that I put into my photo, the better the outcome. Since then, I have developed clear definitions and visions for my works before going out and shooting them. I was transformed as a photographer as from then on I began to plan out and think deeply about what I wanted to capture and how I wanted to do it. In this photo, for example, I wanted to use leading lines to form an imagery of highlights spreading out from a point of convergence. I realized the power of the camera as well as camera editing tools, essentially how little details such as angle, contrast, composition can induce such a significant effect on the outcome.

5. Whereas shape and form both use aspects of geometric figures, in the world of photography in the Elements of Art, there is an important difference between the two. Shapes define the use of two-dimensional objects, as if represented on a plane system, while form defines the use of three-dimensional objects in with width, length, and height. Squares and circles fall under the shape element while cubes and spheres fit under form.

Element of SHAPE           vs           Element of FORM

6. Repetition consists of a single object, symbol, or entity being repeated through a photo often for an intended purpose. Pattern, on the other hand, consists of an arrangement of objects or elements used in a recurring and regular pattern.

Repetition            vs            Pattern

7. Here is my About Me page on Weebly. I was inspired by Piotr Kulczycki. His about me page can be found on his website under the drop-down menu at the top left. 

8. 1) First Commercial Shoot

    2) Spring Expo Presentation

    3) Final Project

I would consider my Spring Expo project to be the best. Relay for Life truly inspired me to take pictures of an event that had a lasting impression on me. My goal was to capture the emotions and atmosphere of such a beneficial event that benefits millions every year. Each photo I took had a purpose as I wanted my viewer to actually learn something important and new. This was my third RFL, but this time, with photography, I paid more close attention to the people here and utilized the ability to share my work to possibly inspire and teach others something that I was passionate about. What I really saw differently with doing this project was the merging of photography and basically life. 

Final Project Photos

http://jluophotography.weebly.com/blog/final-project

Student Website Reviews

Period 1: Rudy Estrada's  best photo is in his garden section. This photo includes five well placed and balanced logs with a blue bolded streak down the middle. The photo looks balanced and the tilt of the camera along with a close bush on the left adds a nice sense of naturalism to the picture.

Period 2: Rashi Ambashta's best photo is the one of Chris Kwok's with heavy emotion on his face. This is the photo on the bottom left of the five photos listed under "My Five Photos." The contrast between the subject's entire head and shoulders is very clear and defined, especially in front of the smart use of a completely white background. It also takes skill to express such an extreme emotion for a photo.

Period 3: Jasmit Tamber's second to last photo is done quite well. Although the story was flawed and some details inaccurate, the gist of it is close enough. The photo is clear, and matches the mood of the story.

Presentation Projects (Spring Expo)

Relay For Life has inspired me as I participated in this international movement for a cancer cure. I shot and created a photo story to capture the activities and positivity of such an amazing and beneficial event.

Relay For Life is an overnight 24-hour event to raise money for cancer research. Cancer is something that makes many feel helpless, especially young students. Many believe they lack the ability to make a difference. My pictures aim to show what goes on at these events and how young students such as those at Mission really contribute to impact millions of lives by raising tens of thousands of dollars to support American Cancer Society. I show a first-hand primary account of what goes on at these events.
 www.relayforlife.org

http://jluophotography.weebly.com/blog/presentation-projects-spring-expo

Students arrive early in the morning to begin registering for the event and setting up campsites and booths. Throughout the day, camps and their booths will be selling items and running activities to raise funds for American Cancer Society. These funds are only a portion of the months of preparation and fundraising that went into supporting this program.

Two students are discussing and honing their MC skills in preparation for a rap battle later in the night against a formidable and skillful opponent. These musical and lyrical competitions are just one of the many activities that students engage in throughout the 24 hours of the event to pass the time and enjoy each others' friendship and company.

While many are here to enjoy a community-wide event of fun and games, they do not forget why they are committed to such an event: to support cancer research and those affected by cancer, directly or indirectly. The theme of the event is like many others, Walk for a Cure. Students take shifts to support the true meaning of the event by walking laps around the MSJ track. Through thick and thin, warm or blistering cold, students walked. In fact, in the 24-hour span of the event, an abundance of walkers was a constant presence on the track.

When the shift is over, students return to a field full of various activities and endless fun. From sports to board games and from homework to catching up on sleep, there was more than enough to do when participants were not walking. Here, students line up in an organized fashion to play catch with a football. Students have the opportunity to spend time with friends and make new ones.

By the following morning, with less than 2 hours left on the clock, students began packing up and preparing for the closing ceremony. Some students are still walking, others are throwing frisbees and footballs, and still many others, such as this student, are packing up their tents, tables, and canopies.There is a strong feeling of accomplishment within many of the relayers, and they will seek to strive for even higher goals next year.

First Commercial Shoot

Group: Jonathan Luo, Jason Yu, Isaac Hong

By Jason Yu

By Jonathan Luo

By Isaac Hong

By Isaac Hong

by Jason Yu






Bonus:

by Jonathan Luo

Triptych

 

 Photoshop: Blending effects, Decreased opacity, Liquification

Camera Raw: Increased contrast, vibrance, saturation

Decreased clarity, brightness, temperature

Best Picture

Five photographers:

1. http://www.worldinmylens.com/ (information found under the "About Me" tab)
2. http://www.ryanedy.com/about
3. http://davehillphoto.com/contact/ (contains "about" information about Dave Hill)
4. http://mareenfischinger.com/info/
5. http://www.caitlinworthington.com/contact (contact + about the photographer)

Students from PE class often find their ways out to lunch earlier than others.

Soon after, students are rushing for meal tickets and food.

Freshmen are buying meal tickets near the N-wing.

L2 oversees the entire event, monitoring trash, checklists, booth locations, and music.

Upperclassmen buy much cheaper food at Safeway.

Story With a Photo - Chicken

This booth prepared various types of chicken from Wingstop, which they sold for about three tickets per plate. The various chicken wings ranged from fried and mild to hot and spicy, fitting the taste and preferences of many customers. This picture, which was taken on Monday, shows the club quickly and efficiently preparing plates for the moderately long line of customers hungry for wings. To attract customers, the booth set up sample plates of chicken in front of their respective flavors. By the end of lunch that day, most flavors of chicken had been sold out, and the club considered that day's sales to be an overall success. 

You can find this booth between the hot dog stand and Vietnamese pho booth on the exit side of the horseshoe. 

MSJMCW Story

Story. Partner - Jason Yu

'Twas the night before Mission San Jose High School's multicultural week (thus the acronym MSJMCW). All the young freshmen noobies who knew nothing about multicultural week eagerly logged onto their computers to order meal tickets, salivating at the thought of mindlessly consuming the most random confections that came to their minds. Throughout the week of spring break before multicultural week, upperclassmen club members and council members had been posting the same semi-stimulating pictures of food with the same exact formats and and overused flyer layouts that have been repeatedly used for years, but the trick nevertheless still works on the noobies we call freshmen. The organizers of multicultural week grin their evil grins as they think about the hundreds of freshmen that will rush to purchase their far overpriced and overrated food products. Their grin becomes an evil sneer as they think about the hundreds of freshmen who will run out of time to refund their unused meal tickets at the end of lunch. They clap for the genius that came up with the idea of meal tickets. Then they go to sleep that night with smiles, knowing that it is going to be a good week.

On the other hand, the freshmeat..ahem freshmen, cannot sleep at night, hyperactive at the thought of a week of overindulgence and whimsical money spending. That morning, 98% percent of freshmen forget to eat breakfast, do their homework, and study for that upcoming geometry test. Snapchat stories are reaching the 30-minute mark as the kids just cannot contain their explosive excitement. Only hours later, the freshmen are lined up at their 4th period classrooms with only minutes before the bell marking the start of lunch.... The bell rings, freshmen charge like animals toward the horseshoe parking lot. Many are trampled as they stampede across campus. Fights break out. Teachers run for cover. The faculty and upperclassmen look at disgust at these mindless neanderthals, but the booth-organizers begin to smirk because now they know: it is going to be a good week.

The Photo

(Neha Kumar - partner)

1. The picture was taken with moderately fast shutter speed. Highways with little traffic often consist of very fast moving vehicles. Of course, we can imagine that in the current wind and weather conditions, the trucks may be slowing down on the right, all the while observing the flipped truck on the opposite road. The fast shutter speed allows the moving trucks to appear sharp.
2. My rule of composition shown in this photo is the depth. The guard rails with roads on both sides meet at a small point in the horizon, thinning down the line. This shows a sense of depth.
3. The element of art I see in this photo is lines. The road and its lanes as well as the guardrail in the center between the roads is a continuous line that visually stretches for miles.
4. The principle of design I can explain in this photo is pattern. The guard rail has a repeating rung-like pattern unit that repeats itself down the horizon. The repeating unit describes a pattern. Also, the fallen truck has striped blue and white lines that show pattern.

The shutter speed is 1/100

Motion

Increased warmth to increase the aesthetic appeal of the photo. Decreased clarity to decrease pixelization and enhance sense of motion.

Principles of Design

Photo with most variety from this blog.

Variety describes a photo that uses various elements throughout the frame that guides the viewer's eyes through the image from subject to subject. This picture does just that, allowing the audience to focus on an initial object, such as the man or pot, and move along the details to the smoke or the man's emotion and gaze. As the viewer is guided through the wide range of subjects and details placed throughout, he or she takes in the various visual elements in the photo.

Rhythm

Decreased brightness and temperature slightly to increase to presence of shadow, which is the main element of the rhythm presented in this photograph.

Unity

Increased warmth and brightness. Everything in the picture leads to viewer to a central focus, the tree. The shaded tree trunk and the lighter bushy leaves constitute unity.

Balance

Cropped the photo so that the image shows a balance between three conjoined structures. The similarity produces basic balance in the photo.

Repetition

Increased brightness and contrast to produce distinctiveness between shadows and lights. This forms a basic repetition that is often overlooked.

Proportion

Increased clarity a very slight amount. Increased warmth and contrast to produce clear and distinct shapes that can be compared for proportion. 

Texture

Increased the lighting and clarity to accentuate how a dark shade and lighter background increases the attention to detail not only on the pinecone but also on the twigs and rocks in front of it.

Movie Monday - Half Past Autumn

1. It must be secure. It involves family, friends, good health, and something to enjoy doing.

2. I will give up free time to achieve good grades and excel in athletics. I will give up bad foods and a sedentary lifestyle to stay healthy.

3. Parks spent much time in his career, working diligently to excel in his field. As a result, he allotted very little time for his kids and ended many failed marriages. 

4. Genevieve Young's father was V.K. Wellington Koo, an Ambassador for France, Great Britain , and the United States in the United Nations. He was also a Chinese diplomat from the Republic of China.

5. He was reportedly advanced hundreds of thousands.

6. A fortune was offered. 

7. His ultimate goal was not  money but education and awareness.

8. It would be written and directed by a black director, and would portray an African American protagonist. 

9. Despite being African American, his willpower and the content of his character made him powerful and successful.

10. Gordon Parks choice of weapon was a 35 millimeter camera.

11. Genevieve Young was sick and tired of changing her own lifestyle and sacrificing so much of her individuality for Parks."You would never know what you would be doing in the next second, that's how fast things changed."- Genevieve Young

12. 12 Years a Slave told a very similar story.

13. Gordon Parks Jr. was Gordon Park's son, who sought to  follow in his father's path to becoming a great director. Unfortunately, a plane crash killed him. Gordon Parks Jr.showed promise and never got to finish the project he was working on.

14. My favorite Gordon Parks photo is American Gothic featuring Ella Watson.

15. I will remember how Gordon Parks was so determined and successful in crossing not only racial barriers but also photography-field barriers to achieve such renown and respect today.

Pattern

Decreased clarity once again to show the importance of depth. Depth gives purpose and context to a continuing and ongoing pattern.

Movement

Slight increase of the lighting while decreasing the contrast in an attempt to show a hint of motion. A fast shutter speed kind of defeated the purpose though. Will attempt with a slower shutter speed in the future.

Emphasis

Altered the lighting in this picture so that there is an emphasis on the dark rather than the light. It is a unique technique that I wanted to attempt, a dark object in front of a light background.

Structure

Decreased vibrance changes the photo from a two-dimensional basic shape to a three dimensional structure with depth and increased dimension. I used the blur to make it clear that this was a 3D structure.

Color

Increased vibrance to truly bring out the bright liveliness and green-ness of the living botany.

Space

Made brighter and cropped to show space in depth. The use of depth perception is what truly produces a feeling of space in this photograph.

Form

Increased vibrance and focus produces a clear and brighter image that otherwise would have lacked details.

Gordon Parks Questions

1. The doctor dunked him in a tub of ice water to save his life.
2. He was born in Kansas.
3. She told him that he would be wasting his time and money, as "[Negroes] aren't college material."
4. Gordon was fifteen years old.
5. He moved to Minnesota, moving in with his sister.
6. No, he did not even finish high school.
7. The wife of the owner of Frank Murphy gave him the opportunity to photograph fashion models, and his work impressed her, allowing him to rise to higher end stores and businesses.
8. Double exposure consists of repeated exposure of film to light, leading to ghost images.
9. He gave Parks a job opportunity when Louis's wife was impressed by Parks' work.
10. Gordon Parks played the piano for much of his life.
11. The Farm Security Administration was intended to support farmers suffering from the economic issues of the Great Depression.
12. The assignment was for Gordon Parks to get new clothes, eat at a white only restaurant, and experience movie theaters as a segregated man.
13. Ella Watson was the famous subject of Gordon Parks' photo, American Gothic.
14. The inspiration came from the American Gothic House.
15. He learned to use it as a weapon against racism and poverty. The field of photography was about what was being photographed and how it was being used as well as the message it gave.

Shapes

Increased clarity and contrast defines the edges of the plants, forming shapes.

Plant Pictures - Lines

Both pictures with increased vibrance and contrast. The lines in both photos are accentuated, especially those in the leaves of the first. Vibrance gives the photo a warm feeling.

Top 5 Photos

1. Photo 15
2. Photo 2
3. Photo 12
4. Photo 9
5. Photo 3

Poster Assignment

Movie Monday - The Photo League

1. "Struggle against and expose reactionary film" was the credo.

2. Separated from Frontier Films.

3. A gathering of photographers and a photo exhibit 

4. Kanaga taught.

5. Focus on the life and culture of Harlem throughout its many years of quick and unique development.

 

6.Important photo collection of Harlem during the Great Depression 

7. Aaron Siskind 

8. Picasso 

9. They had a surreal appearance 

10. A child labor photographer that brought much attention and photographed the Empire State Building Sky Boys.

11. A street photographer of crime scenes 

12.They began to focus on the details of war life 

13. Their focus changed due to the aftermath of the war 

14. He began looking for the positive aspects of life 

15. A magazine that chronicled American history 

16. A photographer of modern dancers 

17. Accused as a communist organization 

18. The accusations of communism 

19. Louis Steffrer 

20. It stopped recruiting and slowly died out when it was testified against and accused of ties with communism.

Multimedia Fest 2015

Poster Assignment - Pentatonix

Final Exam Period 4

Part 1

1. My favorite photo from this slideshow is photo number 7. The first reason is what caught my attention and that is the colorful and bright patterns in the image among a dark and nightly setting. Another reason for choosing this photo is the sense of motion occurring in the image as the woman throws the bright glowing green into the air as she looks to catch it as it comes back down. The last reason is the sense of depth. There is a blurred blue ball at the right of the photo and many balls in the background blurred out of focus but at the same time the woman and her pins in the middle are focused and much clearer in contrast. This makes the subject of the photo stand out in an aesthetically appealing way.

2. The best photo among this slideshow would have to be photo number 8, as it demonstrates important rules being used properly. One aspect of the photo done really well is the rule of thirds; by placing the car not at the center of the photo, but rather toward the left, the still photo gives a sense of animation and motion as the viewer can actually picture the car moving from left to right along the path ahead of it. The second aspect done well is the horizon. Like the car, the horizon is not placed directly at the centerline of the photo, but angled so that there is a visible depth to the ground and the sky. Viewers can the the ground getting further away as they look toward the horizon. The last extraordinary aspect is the photographer's ability to blur the image of the ground but keep the car in focus. It's clear that the photo is focused on the car and the blur of the ground adds motion and speed to the image.

3. http://digital-photography-p4-msjhs.blogspot.com/2014/10/blog-post.html
I choose this as my best work this semester. First, I took the photo with the subject offset to one side of the photo while capturing the vibrant background that she is looking towards. I basically used rule of thirds to capture an interesting background while keeping the subject focused. Second, I experimented with many settings involving color, saturation, clarity, blur, vibrancy, and contrast to achieve the perfect mix of a focused subject and moderately blurred background. Third and lastly, I was able to take a relatively bland image and edit it to make the subjects hair bright and reflective and convert the faded dark color of the trees to a lively green color.

4. First, rule of thirds. Second, rule of depth. Third, rule of balance.

5.

The rule of compositions used here are rule of thirds and rule of depth. 

6. Communication. Get closer. 

7. Benefits of working in groups are plentiful. Groups make each person confident that there is someone to back up their ideas and works. Many people contribute and take responsibility so that work is done quicker and faster. Group members can correct each other's mistakes and add their own input to make work better. In photography, group members pose for each other's pictures as subject and props etc. Groups make it possible to make up for an individual's inabilities and mistakes.

8. Sometimes, working in groups can cause diffusion of responsibility. Some group members simply may not like one another and refuse to work together. Some group members may have completely opposing ideas. Sometimes, group members distract each other from working efficiently. Group members may also disagree with distribution of responsibilities.

9. http://hongover.blogspot.com/2015/01/album-cover-recreation.html

This album cover recreation was photoshopped the best out of all of our group members. There is little flaw and it is clear that a lot of time and effort was put into editing the photo. 

A Little History

10. The photographer was Julia Margaret Cameron. What she contributed to the world of photography was her ability to capture deep and thoughtful emotions in close-ups of her subjects. The soft expressions in her pictures were accompanied by the intentionally softening of her images (to prevent the appearance of stillness). Her subjects did not look idea or perfect, but rather human and alive. That is how she evoked a sense of deep thought and emotion in her subjects, by depicting them as moving humans.

11. Dorothea Lange's most well known photo was "Migrant Mother." It was a picture taken of Florence Owens Thompson in Nipomo, California, spring 1936. At the time, Lange was employed by the FSA, or Farm Security Administration, and the RA, Resettlement Administration.

12. Life magazine was originally started up in 1883 by Harvard alumni, but was not photojournalism until it was bought by Henry Luce in 1936 (published Nov23). He bought it simply to acquire the rights to the name, and began publishing photojournalism under it. 

13. Robert Capa was the founder of Magnum Photos in 1947.

14. The photo was taken at the battle site Cerro Muriano, on Sept 5, 1936.

Album Cover Recreation

http://www.amazon.com/Parallel-Lines-Blondie/dp/B00005MNP8

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81o7UuETMmL._SL1300_.jpg

Parallel Lines

Masters of Photography Project Reflection

   This photography really brought out the best of our group in this whole school year so far. As an individual and student, I think my five pictures represent what I believe Juliet Margaret Cameron, a master photographer, saw as realistic depictions of still and stationary life. Though my pictures do not really come close to matching the professionalism of Cameron, the strong message of real emotion in a picture was expressed the way I imagined it would. This was inspired by some of Cameron's pictures that I had seen; and in this way, I was the student.

    My understanding of photography has expanded greatly these past few months. The most significant change in my thinking is my realization of all these great photographers and how they made a living doing what they did. I learned that photographers come from all walks of life but become successful simply by having an innate talent of bringing out emotions, actions, stories, and entertainment in their photos. Before this class, I knew nothing about photography and knew nothing about a career in this field. In our modern day, however, photography covers many careers and fields and brings students many opportunities in their future.

   The benefit of working in a group is the teamwork involved. Responsibilities are split so that we can get things done faster. In addition, we inspire each other as we work together to get to a common goal. Not only can we see each other's Julia Margaret Cameron-inspired pictures, we use one another as our subjects in our photos. The disadvantage of working in a group may be disagreements about how to take and edit a photo to obtain the best result but our group did not encounter any such issues working together.

   If there was a chance to do this project again, I believe I would likely take more time looking through the master photographers to find different styles and inspirations.