Final+Exam!!

Overall, I enjoyed my journey as a photographer, however the results of my journey did not turn out as well as I would have liked them to. I loved the first project we did, the thematic, because that enabled me to choose absolutely anything I wanted to shoot as a photographer. This is the project that had the most meaning to me as a photographer. I came to realize that I had a strong interest in reflection and creating new reflections that others may not be able to think of. Within my thematic, I decided to combine reflection and shadow into one general thematic because I assumed that shadows and reflections are very similar to one another as they show things that aren't as they seem. However, when my thematic was critiqued I was able to learn how truly different they really are. I realized that I should have created two separate thematics, one for shadow and one for reflection, since those two themes are what interest me the most as a photographer. I feel that my strongest photograph from this thematic was my image of a reflection through a window, as seen below. What I love about this image is that I was able to capture my own reflection in the window, as well as the table and chairs on my patio through the window. It is almost as if the photograph was double exposed. I am very proud of this image because I was able to accomplish something this unique without using any sort of double exposures. I am very happy with the results of my thematic because of the way I edited them. The blacks, whites, and grays create much contrast amongst one another, and the softer tone to the images give them more of a unrealistic or supernatural feel that I was trying to accomplish. Also within my reflection thematic, I shot an image reflecting a pair of glasses through two mirrors in attempt to recreate a trick that many photographers use to reflect mirror after mirror. To accomplish this famous photography technique, you need to have two mirrors back to back. However, one of the mirrors I used in order to attempt this technique was too small to be able to capture the mirrors more than twice. I am happy with how this image turned out, however I would love to be able to try shooting this again with larger mirrors. I got the idea of shooting this type of image from researching ideas for different types of reflection. Below are some of the images I came across that inspired me to shoot more of reflection. These images were shot by everyday people who also seemed inspired by the concept of the infinite loop created by the mirrors. I figured that if these everyday people were able to capture these images, then so can I! Throughout this course, I learned the importance for a photographer to develop their own theme, style, and consistency. Every well-known photographer is not well-known for nothing. They all have something unique about their images. For example, one of the most famous photographers, David LaChapelle, is known for his ability and way of mixing fashion and glamour with fantasy. The majority of his images are very bright and vibrant. His work is the most recognizable of most photographers. Some of his images are of a prehistoric theme with the models amongst dinosaurs. Others of his images are of peoples' heads looking inside small dollhouses. These photographs were taken from the view of the inside of the dollhouses.

It is the images like these that make David LaChapelle such a recognizable and well-known artist. His style is very unique, and he is very consistent with what he shoots. You would not find a normal portrait taken by LaChapelle. All of his images contain some sort of fantasy element to them. When you come in contact with a piece of David LaChapelle's work, you will know it is his work as soon as you see it. This is so important for a photographer to be well-known in order to develop a stronger career as a photographer and to build clientele. At this point in my visual development, I do not think people would be able to recognize my work. Every set of images that I have shot this year are much different from one another in terms of how they were shot, as well as the way they were edited. My thematic was black and white and had a more surreal look to it, while my documentary contained many bright colors and the images were crystal clear. For me personally, it depends on what I am shooting to determine how it will be shot. I do not believe that I am strong enough as a photographer to be recognized by others yet. Someday I hope to be able to have my own style, however I have not had enough shoots to develop what works best for me. With respect to my work, if I were to move forward as a photographer, I would love to continue shooting images of reflection. Even though I believe my documentary was probably my strongest work throughout the course of this class, my thematic of shooting reflection was the most enjoyable for me. Being able to use my creativity and create my own, unique images is what I found myself most interested in. While shooting my thematic, I did not think of it as taking pictures because I had to for a grade, but because I was having fun doing it. The majority of the photos I took this year, I'll admit was only for the grade, but with my thematic that was not the case. It was something that I really found that I had a passion for. Growing as an artist is developing your own themes and styles. It is becoming stronger with every shoot. Seeing your images look better and better as you shoot and edit them is a way to tell that you have grown as an artist. I do believe that I have grown some as an artist, however I do not think I have grown as much as I would have liked to. My documentary came out much better than my thematic in terms of the way the photographs were shot. The thematic required much editing to make them look the way they did. However, I did almost no editing for my documentary because I was happy with how the images came out from the beginning. All I had to do was brighten a few of the images. I am happy with how the majority of my work turned out. I have realized over the time in this class that photography probably isn't for me, however I am glad to have the work I created, because I am proud of myself to see my improvements as an artist.