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Art in the Everyday
Each day we encounter art in the most extraordinary of places. I am a beginning photography student, and I am learning new techniques each week to make me a better photographer with my ordinary point and shoot camera.
What is comfort to you?
My final project is having a giant creative roadblock. I need to capture the visual aspects of comfort, and I need your help. What is comforting to you?
Here’s some quotes to get you in the right mindset..
Comfort is…
- a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain; “he is a man who enjoys his comfort”; “she longed for the comfortableness of her armchair
- a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment
- consolation: the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction; “his presence was a consolation to her”
- ease: a freedom from financial difficulty that promotes a comfortable state; “a life of luxury and ease”; “he had all the material comforts of this world”
- satisfaction or physical well-being provided by a person or thing; “his friendship was a comfort”; “a padded chair was one of the room’s few comforts”
- give moral or emotional strength to
- quilt: bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together
- lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate; “ease the pain in your legs”
- assistance, such as that provided to an enemy or to a known criminal; “it gave comfort to the enemy”
Send me a message! I would love to have your input included.
What is it about black and white photos that always make a statement? Is it simply a classic staple? Or is it because even if the image was taken a few years ago or last night, a black and white photo always looks timeless.
A Cat in Holland
For photography class I will be completing a final project. We have absolutely no limits. My favorite pictures that I have taken this semester express an emotion. Whenever I look at this picture of a cat in Holland, I just feel comfortable. That is why I have decided to focus my final project on capturing comfort. For the next three weeks, I will be centering the focus of my photographs around the theme of comfort.
Comfort to me is being in the kitchen with a hot cup of coffee and listening to warm music or cuddling up in my grandmother’s quilt. Everyone has different perspectives on what comfort is and I would like to capture different perspectives on everyone’s comfort zone.
I would love to hear from you. So tell me, What is it that makes you feel most comfortable?
Photo Collage! This week in photo class, I learned about how to make a photo collage in photoshop! My inspiration was David Hockney. I took 12 photos of my Ford escape with the morning dew still on the back windshield. I tried to scale the image so that different zoomed in views gives the spectator a completely different perspective. My favorite part is the tires. The left one looks like it is turning. I also like how the tires are small compared to the body of the car. Extra emphasis is on details like the windshield wiper and the license plate. This was such a fun project, and I will be creating a second collage for next week. This time, I will have a better idea of what I am doing!
The Halloween Spirit in a Photo Essay
“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.”
~ Walt Disney
Sometimes the best way to tell a story is through pictures. This week, I needed to make a photo essay that illustrated what I did over Fall Break. I chose to illustrate my pumpkin carving experience with my family. It definitely showcased a good time!
My favorite picture is the ooey gooey inside of the pumpkin pic. We did a classic jack-o-lantern smile.
A pumpkin is definitely a piece of art. Check out these cool pumpking decorating ideas here.
Next week’s assignment: Photo Collage!
Capturing the faces and places of D.C. This week as I visited D.C., I had the unique opportunity to capture the patriotic landmarks. I tried not to just be a tourist, but capture the deeper meaning in a picture that I was taking. After studying portraiture this week in photography class, I tried to consider how the subject in each picture was lighted. This was tricky, as we saw many of the landmarks just before sunset. Each of the images that I have selected showcase how the light hits the subject but still accents the landmark that the picture is trying to make memories of. I also had a moving opportunity to make a self-portrait of myself observing the Vietnam War Memorial.
“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. ”
- Imogen Cunningham
My assignment this week was to research a master of photography. I chose Imogen Cunningham, one of the first women to make a living from photography. Her start in photography began in the 1920s when she became famous for her fresh perspective of close up plant forms and unique shots of architecture. When she opened up her own studio, she began to make a name in portraiture.
Cunningham was interested in abstract forms, sharp focus, and use of light. During my camera shoots this week, I attempted to look through the camera lens with an Imogen edge. I especially studied reflection and shadows!
The first picture is of my coat and leopard print scarf sitting in the passenger seat of my car. This shot reminds me of Imogen’s Unmade Bed. It made me think of a rushed simplicity. An unmade bed seems so inviting, and I love the shadows in the covers. My coat is also a comfort to me, and while I was sitting in my car the sunrays seemed to hit it in the same way as Imogen’s original work.
While soaring over the Michigan Lake, I was also stunned by the shadows reflecting off of the the water from the sky. Picture two is sharply in focus like most of Imogen’s work, and shows the sky from a unique perspective like her work with architecture.
In the last picture, I was also trying to capture the reflection of the sky. This time I had a different ground angle view. This picture was inspired by a work of Imogen’s that I found in a library book. She took her own self-portrait in the the reflection of a street mirror.
I find Imogen Cunningham’s creative use of reflection and light to be awe-inspiring, and I will continue to explore taking images that show it.
Next week, I will be focusing on portrait shots. I’ve been spending the weekend in D.C. As a student of photography, I have had so much fun photographing my friends in the city and adjusting my camera to focus in with the landmarks.
This past week my focus was on fall colors. I wanted to capture the brilliant orange, red, and yellow shades surrounding me in my neighborhood. The warm autumn tones make me want to cuddle up in a quilt and drink some apple cider. In this photo, I was trying to capture the intensity of the color as the sun was shining through the fall leaves. This tree happened to be right outside of my house.
