Deep-sea fish

This first picture is a picture I took during spring break when my dad and I went deep-sea fishing. He is showing the lingcod that he caught. It was one of the biggest that the captain had ever seen. Below is a picture from mytoursuae.com's website. It is showing a man holding a marlin with two of the deckhands on the boat. Deep-sea fishing might seem hard but it is really easy to pick up even for beginners.

Ax

The classic ax in a stump picture. It represents a simpler time when men lived off the land and used firewood to keep their homes warm. I took the top picture in my backyard after splitting some wood. The bottom picture is an ax in a tree stump in Jasper National Park in Canada.

Chinatown

On the top is a picture I took of the entrance of Chinatown in Philadelphia. On the bottom is a picture from San Francisco's Chinatown during the new year in 1999. This picture was taken by Kathy Gursky. I like how these pictures mesh because you see the entrance into the main section and excitement that Chinatown has to offer

Tanks

These two pictures are very much related because it shows how animals are captured and used for the needs of humans. The first picture was taken by myself in a seafood restaurant and the second picture was taken by an unknown photographer. Obviously these animals have very different fates but either way these animals are not in their natural habitat.

Trout Season

This first picture is of me trout fishing. Trout season opened a couple weeks ago and is a tradition handed down from generation to generation. It is a very calming experience while at the same time it can be very exciting when you catch a fish.

This second picture is taken by an unknown photographer and depicts a couple of fisherman out trout fishing. It appears as though it might be a father and two sons who are sharing a bonding experience. As you can see these fisherman are decked out in some professional looking gear. But, you don't have to wear expensive things to enjoy yourself.

Stare Down

I took the photo of the squirrel a few weeks ago on campus in front of Pfahler.  I thought it was a fascinating photo to capture the animal staring right at me.  It was somewhat difficult to capture because I couldn't get too close.  Eventually, the squirrel ran up the tree.  I found the photo of the tiger at http://www.blirk.net/tiger-stare/1/1280x960/.  This photo is more intense, but I wanted to use the theme of an animal stare down.  The colors in this photo are more bright and eye-catching. 

Bugs

I took the photo on the top a few weeks ago when I was shooting for our final project.  It was a difficult shot to take because I didn't want to scare the insect.  I had to hold the camera very close to capture the detail of the bug.  The photo on the bottom is from http://www.cirrusimage.com/fly_syrphid_Temnostoma.htm and is a also a photograph of a close-up shot of an insect.  I couldn't get as close to take my photograph, but I did manage to capture the insect. 

Everyday Distractions

The photo below taken by Sara Condo has a very similar theme as the picture above taken by myself.  I really like how both photos are pretty candid.  Also, both photos show people in a very comfortable and natural setting; both environments are relatively unorganized and cluttered.  Although the age difference is substantial the two photos compliment each other very nicely.

The Creep

The picture on the top is from Sebastian Salgado's Workers collection.  This picture loosely reminded me of a picture that I took while photographing the workers at the Reading Terminal Market.  In the front there is something going on, but in the back there is a women looking at the camera.  In the top picture there is the dispute but in the background some of the men are looking straight at the photographer which reminded me of my photo. 

Metal Macros

I have always been interested in macro photography because it shows you fine details that are not always noticed when just viewing an object. I found this close-up of a gun on Flickr. I liked seeing the interesting contours of the metal so I took a picture of my doorknob to respond to it.

Deadpan

Source: http://www.christies.com/lotfinderimages/d43825/d4382546r.jpg

My photograph (bottom) was taken in response to Jeff Wall's "Diagonal Composition" (top). Wall's image fits into the deadpan category of photography and tries to establish a relationship between the objects within the frame. I tried to re-create the effect of "Diagonal Composition" in my photograph of the bathroom of my dorm.

B&W Portrait

Source: http://www.stevestober.com/images/splash_photo.jpg

The top image was found in response to the bottom image (the photo that I took). The photographs have obvious similarities: both are portraits of infants and in black and white. What really stands out to me about both photos is the power of the eyes.

Shape and Texture

Source: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2373/1655980033_967ecd8ecb.jpg

The first image is one that I found online. It focuses on shape and texture. I found it in response to the photograph that I took (the second image) based on shared themes of shape (circles) and contrasting textures (smooth vs. rough).

Jellybeans

I took the first picture during my gathering of potential photos for the response to the creative writing assignment. The second photograph is "Jelly Beans" by Diana Schwartz and can be found here.

Clearly, both of these photographs focus on jellybeans. Whereas my photograph is taken slightly away from the primary subject, Ms. Schwartz takes a photograph very near to her subject. Furthermore, whereas the focus of my picture is on color (specifically the color red), Ms. Schwartz's photograph, helped in part by the closeness of her photograph, focuses less on the colors of a select few jellybeans and rather emphasizes the texture of them (this is particularly noticeable in the orange jellybean in the top left corner of her photograph.

The picture at the top was taken by me, and I was inspired to find a similar picture. The one at the bottom was untitled and did not have an artist's name, but the title was available (Brick Alleyway) and was found on fotoblography.com. I think that both pictures share a mutual sense of sudden disappearance, as both alleys are narrowing. They share a discomfort about what might be lying ahead. Light interplay in both pictures is also very similar, given that there is an abundance of light in the foreground, but very limited light in the background.

The untitled picture at the top is by Jim Zuckerman, and was found on betterphoto.com. The picture on the bottom was taken by me, and I was inspired to find a similar picture by someone else after taking the one on the bottom. I think in both pictures, an allusion of transition is hinted at. With the picture on top, the yogi in front of the door seems to hint at an seemingly unobtainable inner peace that this man is striving for (judging by its closed position). My picture has a sort of eerie feeling that expresses discomfort with what might be beyond these closed doors. Though both pictures are of course different, I believe there are some similar underlying elements connecting the two.

windows

I feel as though my picture of an old shed on the Ursinus College campus mimics the picture below taken by John Houck.  The white frame of the window and the border resemble one another.  Also, the various colors and folds in the Houck photo resemble the multiple reflections and frames on the window.

 

Sight, taste, smell, feel .. all through one photograph

I took the photograph on the top when I recognized the clear difference between the welcoming outdoors, and the dark stuffy interior of my room. I could just feel the blooming tree reaching out to me, asking me to come outside.  I can taste the outdoor air in this photograph, I can feel the breeze...

In the bottom photo I experience a similar feeling.  The door is open, inviting you to step outside into spring.  The tree is just budding, and I get the feeling that it is one of those cooler days of early spring. It seems brisk, and memorable.  It was from http://www.vibrantnation.com/family-relationships/theres-no-place-like-home/attachment/077-1855-front-door-open-031029-p1010160_jpg-2/.

Experimenting with framing

When taking photos for my book, Self Expression,  wanted to practice using framing.  In both of these settings I was practicing with framing.  In the one, the Ursinus U makes you look directly at the U, and tells you that he is centered around running for Ursinus college.  The one on the track likewise uses framing, and has the same message.

The top photo is one which I thought used framing and was found online at http://littleboxofdesign.com/?p=926.  Like my photographs, the kid has an expression that tells you how she feels about being there and is framed by her surroundings.

The Doors

The first photo belongs to Tony Cox. I picked my second image to go along with the first because I think that both settings have a creepy and private feel. I think that in both images, there is a hesitation to let an outsider in.

Theaters

I saw this Stephen Shore picture of a movie theater, and it reminded me of the one in my hometown. I took my picture on the right using a tripod and an ISO of 6400, to capture as much of the light from the neon as I could.

Roses and Raindrops

The top photograph was taken by me in response to the bottom photograph which was taken by dleany on flickr. Both photographs explore the same subject - a rose with raindrops. However, mine was taken in black and white while the other has saturated yellows and greens. Both of them could be considered macro shots, but my photograph is closer to a part of the open rose while dleany's captures the entire bud.

abandoned houses

The photo at the top was taken by me at an abandoned house near campus and reminded me of the photo on the bottom. It was taken by  pfiss on flickr. The top photo has the subject sitting on a tire while the bottom photo has a chair as the subject. I really love the reds and the greens in the bottom photo. They contrast the blues and grays in the top photograph/.

perspective

I took the picture on the top. When I took the image, I wanted it to be something almost unidentifiable. The perspective makes it so the viewer has to think about what the image is of. I think it is interesting how changing the way you look at something can make it seem different. To me, the image almost looks like a big empty room in which the black is the floor and there's a large window. The window is actually the ceiling of a room in a campus building. The camera was pointing up.

The second image I thought was similar because the object appears to be something different than it is.Any viewer can see something different because of the perspective. I can't even tell what the actual object is from this perspective.

At work

I took the image on top. After seeing the presentation of Salgado's images of people at work, I became interested in this type of photography. I took the picture in Reading Terminal of a man invested in his work. The picture on the bottom is another man who is working, in a different manner obviously. I figured both workers didn't know the picture was being taken, though this is just speculation.