Bracketing Test

For this assignment, we had to practice bracketing. Bracketing is when you change one setting: ISO, aperture, or shutter speed while leaving the other 2 the same. We had to take 7 pictures of same object but apply to the bracket method. So, we had to change one of the aspects of the triangle of exposure up and down and then returning to the auto setting and trying with another set.

Influential Photographs

The first photo that I picked is by Vivian Maier. This photo contains 2 pairs of legs and a dog, well that at least what it looks like from first glance. If you look again you will realize that the legs on the left belong to a dog. This photo spoke to me because it almost is insinuating that dogs are human and my dogs definitely are. Dogs are a human’s best friend and this photo really captures how similar we are. The way this photo is framed we only see the full body of the tinier dog who is wearing a hat, also like a human, and it is captured in black and white giving it an older feel.

The second photo I picked is captured by Annie Leibovitz. This photo spoke to me because a lot of the time I will stay up all night drinking coffee and while trying to find a deeper meaning to things that don’t have one. You can see in the photo that the person captured looks like they have had little to no sleep and the coffee in the back just further proves that. There is also a book with a magnifying glass as if they were trying to figure something out or take a closer look. While this person is dressed ruggedly you can tell that they have money because there is a Louis Vuitton trunk under the coffee cup and vintage paintings in the background.

The last photo I chose was taken by Roberto Valenzuela. This photo stood out to me and is meaningful because it captures what seems to be a picture-perfect wedding. The bride and groom look as if they were just dancing in the rain as the groom lifts his new bride. In the left corner, a vintage Rolls Royce with a just married sign sits waiting for the bride and groom to wish them to their honeymoon. Valenzuela decided to make the photo black and white, in my opinion, this was to create some simplicity so that the main focus is the bride and groom.

Tavon Tanner by E. Jason Wambsgans

Tavon Tanner, 11, before undergoing surgery at Lurie Children’s Hospital to remove the bullet he was shot with on his West Polk Street porch in August with his mother Mellanie Washington next to him. October 17, 2016. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

In Chicago 2016, Tavon Tanner was shot at his home, leaving a bullet lodged in his body for months. It had only been 2 months since Tavon had been shot when he met Chicago Tribune photographer E. Jason Wambsgans. Wambsgans at the time been working on a series of portraits containing children who had been shot in 2016. When the year came to an end there were 24 reported shooting where the target was under 12 years of age. The photo that first caught my attention was of Tavon lifting his shirt. In lifting his shirt Tavon reveals a large scar that goes from below the pant line to his sternum. This scar is from Tavon’s surgery to remove the bullet, which wasn’t taken out until more than 2 months after the shooting. The photo is in black and white creating a dark and eerie atmosphere, there is nothing in the background, and his forehead is cut off the photo. The beauty of this, in my opinion, is without a caption or knowing what happened you can still infer a lot about this photo. When Tavon goes to have the bullet removed E. Jason Wambsgans captures Tavon with a tear running down his face at the hospital as he is prepped to go into the operating room. This photo is also captured in black and white. Tavon is clearly the main focus but, we are able to see in the background a nurse a little bit blurred, no one is smiling, and Tavon looks scared. Tavon was even brave enough and asked to see the bullet that had been lodged inside him. Captured is a photo of the bullet being held in an evidence bag by an officer since the police needed it for evidence. Mary Schumich covered some of the writing for this story in the hope that people could see what happens to a family when a child is shot. Tavon and his mom Mellanie were one of the only people Schumich could get to talk but, gang affiliations kept many from talking. Mellanie stated that “Before, everything was in order. Since Tavon was shot, I’m completely lost.” She described how she felt at that moment in time saying how she remembered the bullets “seemed to come from nowhere, like the crack of thunder.” Wambsgans and Schumich being able to capture not only photographs of the aftermath and the pain that the family affected suffered but, they were able to talk to them one on one and then express on their behalf to others. This is a largely known problem in the US but, many while knowing it is going on do not see the months of recovery and the mental and physical trauma it put the whole family through. From capturing the scar going all the way down his stomach to the photo of him going in for surgery. The fear and sadness in his face are something a child that young should never have to experience and thanks to Tavon we all now are aware not only of the issue but, the outcome and recovery that this problem creates.

https://nppa.org/magazine/e-jason-wambsgans-pulitzer-photography

Picture Upload Test

Car

This photograph is captured by Burhan Ozbilici Istanbul-based photographer for The Associated Press. This image is of Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş the assassin of the Russain ambassador. I thought this was a good photograph considering the color and quality of the photo. Nothing is washed out everything is lighted in a way to highlight the color in each element. The message of the photo is portrayed as dark and sad as we see this dark black smoke. A blue trailer adds a pop of color breaking up all the dirt since there is no grass or growth. We see the kids in the back of the car and the smoke rising to pollute the sky yet behind everything, the sun is still shining golden behind.

My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.