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.