Warm Up: Photographic Narrative

What is a photographic Narrative, and how would you go about creating one?

A photographic narrative is a collection of photos which tells a story. The term was coined by Allen Feldman. Feldman stated that "an event is not what happened. The event is that which can be narrated." I find telling stories and creating narratives to be very interesting to me. I will likely create my own story and have my friends serve as the "actors" in this story.

Warm Ups

Warm Up 20
This is a deep, introspective photo. It is emotional, and gives an interesting picture of human connection. Focusing on the hands brings our attention away from the baby and towards the relationship between the baby and the parent here. Generally, black and white has the potential to make an image more emotional, with the increased contrast. Just look at films like Schindler's List or American History X.

Warm Up 21
While both these pictures depict similar subject matter, they are quite different. The image featuring the golden retriever is quite calm and subdued, however the one featuring the German shepherd is much more dynamic and aggressive. In the second image, the dog is in motion and is very close to the camera, making it seem much closer and more imposing to us. In the first image, the dog is in a relaxed position, and does not take up much of the frame, being less aggressive. This difference in framing and motion makes all the difference.

Warm Up 22
This photo does appear to be captured during a quiet moment. In reality, it could be quite loud. What makes an image appear quiet is stillness. The water is still, no boats or tides are visible. The large mountains in the background are still. Fog is suspended around the image. The empty dock in the foreground is motionless and unoccupied.

Warm Up 23
Most of the time I find myself outdoors, I am swimming. I've been swimming seriously for about ten years now, and casually for longer. Whether I am training for competition, or relaxing with my friends, I feel very natural in the water. I love open water swimming, hot tubbing, and pool training. Maybe I don't necessarily love the crazy sets in the pool, but the rewards of improved performance and being in great physical shape make up for the hardship.

Warm Up 24
Sunrise and sunset are ideal for capturing silhouettes naturally. Because the sun is low in the sky, it shines against more grounded forms. This gives a much greater photo opportunity than at any other time of day. I've tried taking silhouette photos in the middle of the day and it simply doesn't work as well as I'd like it to. I will revisit silhouettes in the future and try to capture them at a more ideal time.

Warm Up 25
A shadow is cast by an object. A silhouette is the darkened shape of an object as it is blocking light. An object which is silhouetted likely casts a shadow, however the shadow is not the object of the picture. Shadows and silhouettes are connected, but not interchangeable. I personally prefer photographing shadows.

Warm Up 26
I've completed my winter break, and it has been eventful. I committed to swim and study at Occidental College this fall. I am very excited to be living in LA and being a part of a competitive, NCAA team. Some friends from Ann Arbor visited, and I enjoyed showing them around San Diego and showing them what California life is like. I went to go see the Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm, with Washington State and Michigan State. Michigan State won by a large margin, which while I am not a huge fan of MSU, I was still happy for them.

(P12) Best Photos

 (Lifelines)

I increased the vibrancy and saturation to bring attention to the lights in the center here. I darkened the surrounding city scenery to focus the viewer towards the subject.

 (Speed)

I adjusted the temperature here to make the picture look less yellow. I brightened up some of the darker areas as well.

 (Rock Face and Gulls)

I increased vibrancy and saturation to improve color composition in this photo.

 (Father)

This photo was slightly blurred, so I boosted the clarity to correct this.

 (Griff)

I adjusted the temperature of this image to give it a warmer feel. I also adjusted contrast.

 (Maize Flower)

I adjusted vibrancy and saturation to make the color of the flowers stand out more.

 (Flag Bearer)

I brightened the image to make fine detail in the statue more visible. I increased contrast to make it stand out more as well.

 (Carol)

I increased the contrast of this image, and the vibrancy and saturation.

 (Lightplay)

The image was a bit washed out at first, so I darkened it.

 (The Branch)

I increased the contrast and saturation here.

 (Lifelines: The Second)

I adjusted color to make the taillights of the cars stand out more.

 (The Great Divide)

I brightened this image a bit to give it some glow to emulate excessive sunlight.

 (Peak Performance)

I brightened this photo very much, as it was hard to photograph the players with a high enough shutter speed to avoid motion blur.

 (Light at the End of the Tunnel)

I darkened the foreground to make the image in the center more "heavenly."

 (Freedom)

I adjusted the contrast of this photo in order to be able to see detail in the bird.

(Wings)

I brightened this photo slightly and also adjusted vibrancy and saturation in order to bring out the bird's colors.

Reflection:

     My favorite project has been our outdoor portrait project, because I value collaboration and enjoy photographing my friends. My least favorite project has been framing, as I do not view framing as a maker or break-er of photos. I have been using Photoshop to edit my photos as it allows me to simultaneously edit photos and convert them from raw format to other, more accessible formats. I would like to keep editing photos this way as it is very convenient to me and offers me the same editing tools as Lightroom. I would like to try more sports and nature photography next semester. 

(P11) Silhouettes

Reflection:

     I found photographing silhouettes to be one of the more difficult endeavors of our semester in photography. The subjects generally must be shot against very bright light, which can often be hard to find. The ideal time to snap silhouettes is at sunrise or sunset, however my schedule often does not allow me to be out taking pictures at these times. This is a struggle, because I missed out on some good photo opportunities by not shooting at sunset. It was also an advantage in that it required me to be creative in finding properly lit subjects.