Self Portrait vs. Selfie

1) A selfie is a self portrait taken by a smartphone.

2) A self portrait is a portrait that an artist produces of themselves.

3) The difference between them is that a selfie is easily taken and discarded if disliked, with minimal thought put into it, while the self portrait requires planning and effort.

4) I prefer selfies, just because I've been exposed to them more and I'm more used to seeing them in my everyday life.

5) I think that a self portrait may be considered more valuable, because it is often printed and thought about with care.




The website I chose to look into was The Golden Hour Calculator. The website's intent is to accurately show photographers what time of the day is best for taking photographs. The website writes about the time in any location that the best lighting and photo quality will be achieved, often referred to as "Golden Hour." An average viewer would be able to enter in their location and be given an estimated time to take the best photo possible. I would add this website to my bookmarks, because it's often difficult to determine when the optimum photo should be taken. Also, I would recommend this website, because it could save people time and research.

I would rate this website a four, because the overall visuals and technology could be improved, but the message is communicated and the site is very user friendly.

I learned that based on what region you live in, the "Golden hour" can vary. The website makes it easy to access this information. I also learned that Golden hour can be described as the time when photos come out especially beautiful, sometimes featuring a sunset or sun rise.

Phobia Project

A) A phobia is an irrational fear or aversion to something.

B) Blennophobia- fear of slime
     Gamophobia- fear of marriage
     Gynephobia- fear of women
     Hyelophobia- fear of glass
     Hormephobia- fear of shock

C) Brainstorm:

1) possible fear of plants?? take pics of someone laying in plants (botanophobia)
2) hold up lighter for fear of fire (pyrophobia)
3) fear of children, pic of sister (pedophobia)

First Pic- I plan to take a picture of Isabella laying in area with plants. The plants should somewhat cover her, giving the illusion of them trapping her. I'll have her appear scared, displaying the fear of plants, called botanophobia.

Second Pic- I plan to take a picture of Isabella with a clear background holding up a lighter. I will take the photo close up, keeping the flame as the focal point of the image. The flame will be near her eye, modeling the fear of fire, pyrophobia.

Third Pic- I'm going to take a picture of my younger sister standing next to Isabella, visibly scaring her. Isabella should appear scared and frozen while my sister scares her. This photo will show the fear of children, which is called pedophobia.


D) Photographic Techniques

1st) I could possibly use the framing technique to highlight the plants in the photo.
2nd) I plan to use the rule of simplicity to allow the flame to be the focus in the picture.
3rd)  I want to use the avoiding mergers technique to highlight the fear of kids that should be communicated in the picture.

Final Extra Credit

1) The man was killed by the subway, due to the pushing of a panhandler who was harassing pedestrians. The man killed, Ki Suk Han, had attempted to approach the handler, only to be pushed onto active subway tracks. R. Umar Abbassi, a photographer, happened to be at the scene, which allowed him the opportunity to take the photo.

2) Abbassi was reportedly unable to help Han, but attempted to alert the subway drivers through the camera flashes. He gave this as his reason for the photograph.

3) Personally, I don't think the photographer should have taken the photo.

4) I don't think the photographer did the best thing in his position, because it seems like there would be a multitude of other options to alert the subway. These options could have included telling workers, or screaming to alert others to help him in lifting the man off the tracks.

5) I actually do agree with the decision to run the photograph on the cover of New York Times, because it helps raise awareness for malfunctions in the subway system and for a heads up on people like the panhandler.

6) To a photojournalist, it seems that capturing a photo would be more important than stopping bad things from happening, simply because it's their job. However, one would hope that in a situation such as this, an innocent life would be more important than a photograph depicting their death.

7) I think that in some cases it is ethic for photographers to involve themselves in a photo, possibly in an instance where the photograph has some sort of personal meaning for them. However, in a situation like this, the photographer shouldn't even have been thinking about taking a picture.

8) Photographers should mostly avoid influencing events in their photos, because it makes the accuracy of the photo unreliable. However, for a funny or joking shoot, events could possibly be influenced if viewers are told.

9) Wow! enough time to take a few pictures. Why didn’t the person help? How many pictures did they take? 3-4 pictures. And nobody tried to help. Not one person. The pictures sure shows that much. What an age we live in when getting the picture is more important! I am appalled.

This response seems to be the most appropriate, because it explains the wrong in taking a photo instead of helping save a life. It also points out how sad of an age we live in that the digital world is more important than a real life. 

Magazine Covers

Final Exam Review

Award winning triathlete, Martin Lel, kisses the ground in light of his victory in the New York City Triathlon. Lel was filled with elation after his win and soon alerted his family back in Kenya of the joyous news.


Republican Ron Paul takes a prompt break following his lengthy debate. Paul advocated strongly for the second amendment, determined for it to undergo no change.

1) Rule of Thirds- Demonstrated when the subject o the photo is in a grid depicting thirds.
2) Balancing Elements- When certain components of a photo appear balanced or symmetrical.
3) Leading Lines- Lines in a photo that lead to the subject.
4) Symmetry and Patterns- Patterns or symmetry depicted within the photo.
5) Viewpoint- The point of view in which the photo is from.
6) Background- The scene or object behind the subject, not entirely in focus.
7) Create Depth- Depth is created by taking photos at different distances or perspectives.
8) Framing- When 2 or more sides of the picture are enclosed by certain objects (framed).
9) Cropping- Minimizing the picture to get certain elements or highlight the subject.
10) Mergers and Avoiding them- Unintentional mergers occur when the subject collides with something in the background.

Aperture- an opening in which light travels through, affecting the lighting of your photograph
Shutter Speed- amount of time the shutter is open, affecting exposure
ISO- measures the sensitivity in the picture, affects grain and exposure

Photo Manipulation Ethics

Ethical= color correcting, cropping, enhancing color
Unethical= body manipulation, changes to appearance

Environmental Portrait- Portrait taken where the environment plays a role in the photo.
Self Portrait- Portrait taken of yourself.
Casual Portrait- Can be a candid portrait that is not necessarily formal.

Exposure- amount of light in a photo
Depth of Field- distance where subject appears clear
Focal Length- distance between where the lens and the image sensor are (zoom in)

Early-
Poster-
Married to Type-
Forest of Words

Magazine Cover Images

Portraits and Self Portraits