Memories

All of these photographers are original work, taken on the campus of the Princeton Waldorf School in Princeton New Jersey. The campus is over 100 acres of converted farmland, and it would be an understatement to say that it was a magical environment to grow in. These photos are meant to be documentary, but with an artistic approach. What I mean by that is, in each image, I see memories, reflections of the walks we took, experiences and connection I had in nature. Though time has moved on, and nearly 6 years have passed since my time there, the terrain has remained locked in timeless beauty. The artistic elements come into play in the way framing, and angles of the images. To simply document would be too simple, I strove in my shooting to maintain a sophisticated approach to photographic representation. 

More Sunsets

The top image is one I took from a blog of sunset photos by a man named Philip Nystedt, the one below it is one I took while laying on the banks of the Delaware river. Sunset photography is hardly a technically challenging style, and almost anyone can take a snapshot of the setting sun. The success and beauty of the image has little to do with technical ability however, and much more to do with timing and setting. In both of these images, the beauty of the sun is complemented by the reflection of the water and intricacy of the cloud structure. All together, sunset photography is not as much a testament to the skill of the photography, but rather to the beauty of the world we inhabit... their is never a redundant moment. 

Homeless

The top image is one I took during our trip to Reading Terminal in center city Philadelphia, the image on the bottom is a photo taken from the blog of Chuck Ferris. capturing the homeless or impoverished people of urban America is an old and stylistic theme in photography. I am drawn to this niche for two specific reasons, the first is that the images almost always have a documentary element too them as if they were a visual analogy of what is truly wrong with the country and the suffering we have all around us. The second, is that despite their limited resources, every portrait is profoundly unique. This is the artistic element to the style, as if every homeless man or woman was a moving collage of struggle, resourcefulness, and grit, all prefaced with a mysterious air of substance... as if they were inviting us to ask them, "how did you end up here"?

Natural Geometry

I took the photo on the top while the one on the bottom came from http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/patterns-rocks-lava/vermillion-cliffs/. 

Both of these photos show natural geometries found in nature.  In mine, the branches of the trees fit together, so that little open sky is visible, and in the rock one, the swirls of the rocks fits together as well.  Both photos are clear and colorful.

Portrait

I took the photo on the left and compared it to Tina Ramsey's (tinaramsey.blogspot.com) photo (right).  In both cases, the image is a portrait of the half eaten fruit.  However, my image is more portrait like, as the sun is coming from the right side of the iamge at an angle, which hels to bring out the different colors in the fruit, from light to dark.  Also, the apple looks as if though it was almost intentionally placed on the rocks, almost like it is reclining on them for the photograph.  The colors are also more vibrant in my picture, and the soft lighting from an angle plays a large role in showing the texture of the concrete and the variation in the color, whereas in Tina's photo, the background is relatively uninteresting. 

Clarity

 I took this bottom photo in Germany over the summer.  I focused the center and blurred the top with one of the settings on my camera.  Above it, you can see the photo without the effect.  I was immitating the type of photography seen in the photograph at the very top, of the train.  The train literally appears to be popping out of the photograph because of its clarity compared to its surroundings.  A similar effect occurs when looking at my photograph.  The eye naturally focuses on the houses in the town, something that might have normally been overlooked by looking at the hills or the closest tree.  Because the tree blurs out at the top and the bottom, it is more natural to look at the other parts of the photograph that are perfectly clear.

the top photo was found at: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/22/the-ultimate-photography-round-up/

Playing Cards

The photograph above was taken by Becky Lai and can be found here, whereas I took the photograph to the right in response to the first photograph. Both photographs depict playing cards and utilize the macro function of the camera; in both photographs, one can see the texture of the individual cards and the small square indentations in the card. Macro photography allows us a different perspective on the world that we often do not take the time to notice; one would likely never notice these small marks on otherwise smooth playing cards.

I found the image on the left, taken by David Hurn of Magnum Photos, while looking through Magnum Photo's website.  I then saw a Safety Officer talking to a student.  Both pictures are similar in that it is a male officer on a bike speaking with a female who is sitting.  The lighting in both pictures is also similar in that it is coming from overhead, but at an angle, which illuminates part of the Officer but very little of the student. 

"Simply" Amazing

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/winery-bike-tours-sonoma-california-57943.html

Both of these images are similar due to their simplicity. Not only are they simplistic, but they contain the same background pattern. Both of these photos reminded me to be thankful for the simple subtleties of life. When treating these two images as a linear story from left to right, to me, it symbolizes how no matter what mankind does to Earth, nature will continue to flourish with or without us. It is almost as if the clarity of the photo is polluted due to the presence of man while in the absence of man (as shown in the photo on the right), blue skies, lush vegetation, and photo clarity are more prevalent.

Detailing the Tightrope

http://melaniesrandomness.blogspot.com/2010/04/tight-rope-walker.html

The fine details that are portrayed in the photo on the left are the works of an artist who obtains the ability to be innovative. The photographer had to take into account how far they would hold their drawn image away from the camera so that the animated drawing looked abstract while also looking realistic. I compare this photo with the photo on the right because of the fact that the photo shows the detailed aspects of such a skilled hobby.

Binary Suns

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biskitboy/4052938106/#/photos/biskitboy/4052938106/in/set-72157622454865956/

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/rosemania/3449748286/

I chose to compare these two photos due to their similar characteristics. I originally found the photo on the left appealing because it reminded me of Star Wars and the famous binary star scene. The symmetry within the photo such as the reflection of the glowing orbs in the shallow shore water attracts the viewer’s eye causing them to look at the full picture. Instead of comparing the glowing orbs to a picture of the Star Wars binary star, I found a digitally altered sun set (photo on right) where the time of day seems to be only a few hours away from the time seen within the image on the left. The colors in both images are vibrant and captivating as they truly transport me into a state of tranquility.

Patterns

http://digiphotomag.com/category/camera-review/compact-cameras/pentax-optio-i-10/

When comparing these two photos, it is clear that the one with natural light seems more visually appealing than the florescent light. Unfortunately, the photo that uses florescent lighting is the photo that I took (picture on right). I took this picture during our trip to the Reading Terminal and the reasoning behind taking it had been that I was attracted to the color arrangment. The picture I found on the internet (photo on left) also displays colorful patterns but uses natural light instead of florescent. The shadows that are casts from the natural light provides demention to the 2D image making for an overall better quality photo.