shadows

The past week has been pretty cloudy and gray outside that I did not get the chance to execute my shadow project plan. Originally, I had a plan to shoot a series titled "Flight of the Birthday Balloon." I was inspired by the film "Flight of the Red Balloon"--a foreign film directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien. I wanted to take pictures on a field of green grass or flowers and have my friend hold a big balloon in the first picture. She would be wearing a full skirt so that there are defined silhouettes. In the 2nd image, the balloon would take flight. In the third image, the subject would chase after the balloon.

However, a couple days ago I did manage to shoot some pictures. I went to the park near Trinity (Breckenridge Park) and walked around, hoping to be inspired by the tall trees and woodsy scenery. I did not find much because all the trees were blocking the sun, considering it was almost four in the afternoon. Soon enough, I noticed a bridge that casted a subtle shadow on the concrete ground. After taking a few pictures, my friend drove me around the park because I wanted to head towards the Japanese Tea Garden. On our way there, I saw a wooden bridge that reminded me of something that would be illustrated in a Flintstones cartoon-->shown in second image. In the third image, my friend is holding onto a flower, which coincidentally the petals shape a heart. I like this image a lot because of the cracks and duotone with sepia undertones.

ISO 100, 1/400, f/3.5

ISO 100, 1/640, f/5.0

- ISO100, 1/160, f/5.6

Retouching photos

This is a photo that I chose to fix for our retouching project. The photo has light leaks and dust marks. I used the eraser tool to remove the dust marks and have been using the clone stamp to remove the light streaks.

Original:
Process so far:

"shoot from the hip..."

Shoot from the hip is the motto for lomography. Earlier today I had a conversation with another photography enthusiast and he told me about his Holga camera. I've wanted to purchase one since I was twelve years old. Back then, I was scared of the results considering Holga's are cheap plastic cameras with not much control over aperture, shutter, light, etc. And, the only place I knew that sold them, besides online, was Urban Outfitters--which, of course, inflated the prices. I think I am ready to buy one now. Hearing about the Holga camera and all the fascinating, creative things you can do with it makes me excited about getting one. It'd be a great change from my Canon digital. I am in love with the dreamlike effects of Holga cameras give images. The optical distortion, light leaks, oversaturated colors, and exaggerated vignettes (bent corners of image), and unpredictable outcomes are all results of the Holga cameras.

take only what you need from it

The sequence, or collective in my case, project was a successful one. At first, I couldn't think of what to do. I jot down some ideas and thought about capturing my sunglasses "traveling"...placing them on different surfaces at distinct locations. But I wanted to do something more meaningful and deep. So, I decided to capture what people do to their bodies. I've always had a fascination with tattoos. I think they are beautiful (the colored ones) and love hearing the stories behind them. Of course, I didn't ask my subject to get a tattoo for the sake of a photo project. So, my friend used a blue ink pen and drew a spade with designs on his hand--of which didn't wash off til a couple days later even with arduous scrubbing. In another image, I have my suitemate applying a high-shine and pigmented lipgloss. I wanted it to convey a message of painting a face or masking the real, like applying all cosmetic products. I wanted to bring out the colors of the lips and leave the rest to black and white, making the color stand out and be the focal point of my collage. The other image is of my friend piercing her ear with a needle. Of course, her ear was already pierced...I used my room as the "studio"--turned off all lights and closed the blinds. I used my halogen/fluorescent lamp to focus on her ear and the needle. The 4th image is of another friend shaving his facial hair. I wanted to capture the razor because the connotations of a pressing a razor to skin has so many meanings.

I ended up taking about 50 or so images, chose 38 of them to photoshop. And from that batch, 9 to arrange in a collage. I put in my heart and soul of this project and am extremely proud of the outcome. Not only did I slave over 5 hours in the computer/photo studio editing each picture, but I paid attention to every detail of this entire process. Everything...from editing the pictures, carefully mounting the pics, choosing how to arrange the pictures...was all carefully thought over.

where the heart is

I am home for spring break. The weather has been beautiful, except for one rainy day, so I've been using all natural lighting for my pictures. I went to Corona del Mar beach a couple days ago and took exactly 185 pictures. Most of my pictures came out well, some however were overexposed due to the brightness of the sun/time of day. Here are my favorite pictures from that day (click image for bigger size):

hardworkin' woman

Today I spend almost four hours in the photography studio...and only printed out three decent pictures. Printing is a long, complicated process. Much more complicated than I ever thought it would be! I bought Inkpress luster paper and designated my printing job on the Epson R1800 that is specific for luster and glossy paper. The first image I printed was this beautiful orchid:
I originally wanted to have this picture printed on fine art paper (Rives), but when printed I was appalled by the result. Because the paper is a creamish color (but it was labeled 'bright white'), the white in the image came out to be a ghastly off-white color. Not only that horror, but the image overall had a gray cast...it was a disaster. So back to Camera Exchange I go to buy luster paper. I ran a few test samples of this image and am pretty happy with the result. Although the picture came out a tad bright for my taste, it is still beautiful nonetheless!

Second image to print was the Vietnamese colorful fan (shutter). I crossed my fingers and anxiously waited for the paper to flow out the feeder. Ick! The print job was horrendous. There was a green and gray cast and too much noise in the image. I did a few test strips, and yet the printed image didn't do justice for the actual image. I gave up and proceeded to print out another image. The next photo is of the antique butterfly bracelet (depth of field). The picture came out much lighter than what it was portrayed on the monitor. So, I upped the contrast and darkened the image for the next printing job. The image had a green and blue cast. For the final picture I changed the red color on curves, which resulted in a much better photo. The bracelet had a more golden tint--more accurate.

I decided to try out the Epson 1200 for the fan picture. And let's just say that the result is MUCH BETTER than the image printed from Epson 1800. I think I will stick with the 1200 from now on.

within you

My current assignment for class is 'image within an image.' After reading over (and over again) the assignment prompt, I had no idea what I'd photograph. Of course, I can take pictures in front of windows, mirrors, water....but I don't want to do what everyone would probably be doing. I recently bought a new bag, and decided to take a picture of it to show to my friends not at Trinity. And then, I noticed that this piece hanging from my bag zipper is reflective. From where I placed the bag, I could see the posters taped on my dorm wall. So, I experimented with it. Some of the pictures came out pretty well. I set the aperture to 4.0 so the focal point would only be at the reflective part, and the rest of the bag blurred. Afterward, I looked around my room for other objects that have reflective qualities. I remembered about my big 'bug-eye' sunglasses. So, then I took pictures of me wearing them, concentrating on the composition and what would be reflecting off the lenses.The rest of the project will be completed when I go home for spring break. I will probably go to the beach as sun is setting and head up to downtown LA to scour the streets with cool storefronts!

in the sun

Thursday afternoon was so beautiful outside that my roommate and I did a mini photoshoot on our balcony. Although, a bit too bright outside, the sun hit at all the right places! I love the brick wall in the background. Wish we had a brick wall in our room (as some McLean dorms do).

This picture looks like a senior (high school) portrait haha. The background is a tad overexposed, though.

If it weren't for that big sun spot, I'd like this picture a lot more :/

And, here is an orchid that my friend and I gave to Teresa (roommate) for her birthday over the weekend. I love orchids...they are my favorite flowers--in fact, the only flowers I actually like.

ways and means

I never really realized that San Antonio has some cool places to take pictures at. Of course, there are always antique shops and those quirky stores around, but I didn't expect to see "hip" places here. Over the weekend, my friend and I drove around San Antonio. We stopped by Josephine St., the Pearl Brewery district. This place reminds me a lot of Portland. There is an Aveda Institute (cheap haircuts!), a restaurant that offers locally grown food--Farm to Table, a yoga studio, and a few abandoned buildings that are apparently going to be transformed into lofts and other 'green' businesses.Afterwards, I had plans of going to an antique store. However, I forgot to print out antique shops near school so I just texted Google (convenient!). The robot, or computer whatever, immediately texted back with three antique stores. One in Olmos Park, which we were headed to. It was closed :/ So, we started to drive towards Broadway to another shop, but there was an antique store right when we turned onto Broadway. Next door to Main Place for Antiques is a bead store that sells ethnic goods as well. There were beautiful Indian/Hindu sculptures of gods, African masks, Oceanic figurines, and of course a diverse collection of colorful beads.
I have an affinity for old things...well as long as they aren't too dusty and have a musky smell. I always love browsing through Good Will/thrift stores and antique/vintage shops. Main Place for Antiques on Broadway sells antique goods from all over the world. There are Japanese porcelain plates, Tiffany lamps, beautiful gold bracelets, first edition books...

I am in love with this bracelet. I didn't dare to look at the price tag, otherwise I probably would have bought it!

while my guitar gently weeps

新年快乐!

Earlier today there was a Lunar Year Festival held at the Fiesta room on campus. This festival was organized to celebrate 9th day of Chinese New Year/Year of the Ox. There were all sorts of Asian condiments (chow mein, fried rice, egg rolls [the best food there--not made by Aramark!], steamed buns, Korean pancake). Some of Trinity's cultural clubs had performances, including a traditional Vietnamese fan dance, hula dance, an instrumental and vocal group singing a Chinese pop song titled "Will You Marry Me?" (yes, awwww)....and the San Antonio Lion Dance association came to the celebration. The whole time I was awaiting the lion dance. As a little girl, whenever my mother took me to see Chinese New Year parades in LA, the lion dance was always my favorite and the one that caught my short-span attention. I took a few pictures and wanted to capture the beautiful, vibrant colors of the lion costumes and the movement of the lions. Here are some of my favorites [click to zoom]:I don't like the harsh lighting in the Fiesta room. It casted a yellowish tint in my images :(

streetcorner symphony

In all honesty, I find it a bit difficult to find "cool" places in San Antonio to photograph. San Antonio is a vast city, but it has a small town feel. In California--where there are a million places to go to take pictures...downtown LA for cityscape, Laguna Beach for the gorgeous ocean views, Melrose and La Brea for the artsy district, and so on--I suppose I never have to "find" things or places to take pictures of. Here, it's a different story. However, yesterday afternoonish, I went to the King William district, where there are stunningly beautiful (yet old) houses and colorful restaurant buildings. Our third project focuses on using the aperture and shutter speed settings~landscape, cityscape, and events. Since it was pretty sunny outside, I mainly used fast shutter speeds (1/2500-1/500 seconds) and low f/stop numbers.

Here are some pictures from my adventure:

After wandering around King William district, my friend and I drove down Broadway and the Witte Museum caught my eye. On the museum's side is this intricate iron gate that has Roman-influenced details. Behind the gate is a castle-looking tower.

In this picture, I wanted to point the focus towards the building..
I played with the saturation of this image because it came out a tad bit overexposed. I like the yellow juxtaposed against the pretty blue sky.

ashes and snow

One of my favorite photographers is Gregory Colbert. His photographs are so powerful and evoke such emotional senses. I was lucky enough to see his traveling exhibition (which has made it to four continents and attracted 10 million visitors!) in Santa Monica a couple years ago. The building that housed his pictures was made of train cargo, nomadic museum, and was steps away from the pier. I remember walking in, and the lights were dim. There was a soft, instrumental melody playing throughout the exhibit. The interior was set up according to Feng Shui design to give the atmosphere an "air of tranquility."

Gregory Colbert explores the peaceful relationship between indigenous peoples and wild animals, to portray what he calls the "common language" shared among all living creatures. In a decade, Colbert traveled to Sri Lanka, Kenya, India, Burma, Namibia, Antarctica, and Borneo to capture these rich images. His photographs are set in sepia tone. They illustrate wisdom, beauty, and innocence. Ah, his photographs are incredibly breathtaking and inspiring.

Colbert's Ashes and Snow ticket sales support a wonderful organization called Flying Elephants. This foundation awards fellowships to artists around the world who seek to work towards a better environment for us all to live in.

http://www.ashesandsnow.org/

time after time

THE SHUTTER SPEED.
I know how a fast or slow shutter speed affects an image. This is something that was always in the back of my mind. Before this class, I took pictures only in the program mode. I figured...my camera is smart, it will adjust everything for me, all I have to do is adjust the ISO. Yes, I am lazy--lazy enough to not read my camera instructional manual and too lazy to use the manual setting. I was just too excited that I got my DSLR for Christmas that I threw the manual aside and took pictures with no structure, all spontaneity.

Using a fast shutter speed, 1/4000 of a second to 1 second, freezes the motion of a fast-moving subject. It will capture every droplet of a waterfall. A slow shutter speed, while using a steady hand or tripod, will blur the subject to give the impression of motion. It is best to use a slow shutter speed on moving cars at night. Some of my favorite pictures that pertained to long exposures are of cars on a highway in metro Shanghai and, of course, New York bustling streets. In fact, when I was in NYC last summer I tried to capture cars on 34th, but my pictures didn't turn out as well as I had hoped (well, okay because I never read my manual and didn't quite know how to control my camera).

Here are my images for this project regarding shutter speed and motion:This image was taken from a moving car. I stuck my hands out of the window and snapped. It was also very windy outside, so the tree swayed a bit. I love the colors in the image. However, I don't like the two bright lights in the lower corners of the image.

This photo is *okay* in my eyes. It was very windy and cold outside that made it hard to focus just on the pinata. Professor Morales noted that the background is too distracting and could have been blurrier, which I can always manipulate via photoshop.

I really, really like this picture. The composition is eye-catching. I took the image from below. But Professor Morales noted that the colors, like the previous image, in the background are too distracting. Now that I look at this image more, I do agree. I just wish it weren't so windy that my camera could focus on the pinata only.

This image was taken via 1/125 second shutter speed. All the long exposure images were extremely blurry. I thought the colors looked too neutral (aka boring!), therefore, this picture looks 10x's better in black & white. I like the composition--although yes it's not perfect, I like how my friend is in mid-air and her legs are cropped off.

I am very happy with the way this picture came out. The colors are vibrant and beautiful. Her hands are in focus. No distractions in the background. "An 'A' image!"

change

I must say that being in this photography class brings a new perspective. It is very different for me because I have to follow certain guidelines and restrictions in my photography... I have my own style and like to stick with it. I don't like to plan what I'll be taking pictures of. When I see something interesting or beautiful (or ugly, whatever floats your boat) I want to capture it. However, this class will help me build my portfolio if I ever decide to go into creative advertising. And, I am forced to learn about my camera! Ever since getting my Canon Rebel DSLR, I've taken thousands of pictures--all of which I took randomly and did not follow a certain shutter speed or aperture opening. I never really read through the manual either. Yea, not a good idea.

a good start

My name is Lin, and I am taking a beginner's digital photography class. This blog will be a compilation for my mid/end-semester portfolio. It will consist of my random thoughts about photography, anecdotes of what I learned on a particular day, conversations I had with my professor and friends regarding my images or photography in general, and my photos taken for class.