5 Favorites

I had many other favorites taken from campus that have already been posted for another assignment, and I did not want to repeat them again. So a few of these new ones were taken on campus and the others portray the natural face of Eastern Montana.



I liked this one because it was in perfect focus and center. The solitude of one leaf in a myriad of bare trees is emphasized I think by the Sepia coloring. It is almost boring, but then it has just enough uniqueness to bring your attention back. I am not sure if I like that or not. I am not sure if I would frame it on my wall, but as a photograph using different settings and keeping placement in mind I am pleased with it.

I love playing with lighting, and I love the rock formations in this area, so I love this effect of using extra lighting to bring out the melted look of the rock. This shot was taken on a bitter cold snowy day in Phips park, so I wasn't taking long amounts of time to stand around taking shots and seeing what I had gotten, so I was very pleased to go over my shots later and see how well this had turned out. If there's anything I don't like its that the lighting is a bit too bright. I changed my ISO up as high as it would go, 1600, and turned the exposure up to 2+. In the future playing with this I think I will turn it down a little.

Once again, this was taken in Phips park. It is a close up on a huge wall of rock, and I like the affect of being almost abstract, like you wouldn't be quite sure what it was. With the different coloring and sea star shape I would almost think something to do with the ocean. Nope, eastern montana. I'm from Idaho so I might be a little obsessive about the rocks, because we don't see anything like that at home. I didn't change the lighting or apeture, so this color is just how is really was, with just enough hints of orange and red and blues to be intriguing.

This was one of those times where the shot didn't look so good on my camera, but when I pulled it up on the computer I decided I really liked it. This was taken at the Rims at sunset. The sunset was actually very red, but my digital camera didn't have what it takes to capture that, which in this picture works to an advantage I think. The way the rock comes down from the corner gives a very solid black backdrop for that lonely scrubby little desert bush, bringing your attention straight to it. The intense blue behind with a streak of pale yellow is perfect. It is so simple it is perfect.

Like I said I love playing with lighting, so I love this backlit branch. It takes something ordinary and makes it extraordinary. The repeated pattern of almost identical leaves, all dull and withered that are now practically glowing from a blinding light in the back. I think I did tweak up the ISO here, but not so much as I had in other light pictures, so in this you still see the full outline of all the leaves. Brilliant, if I do say so myself.

Carmyn Joy

I saw Carmyn Joy's pictures on facebook and was struck by her style of color. She does weddings also but I focused mainly on her portraits since they are all taken outside really engaging the scenery. I portrait photography is not exactly wildlife but one of the biggest elements in her pictures is the outdoors that she uses as backdrop. It is not even a backdrop really, but an integral part of the photograph as she has the subject interact with it. She uses nature, or rather, farmland, to put her subjects in an almost surreal environment. It is very simplistic and yet striking at the same time. From the coloring and lighting I would guess that many of the editing tricks we learned in class have been used here. How just a few vibrant colors stick out against such bright lighting is done perfectly. Carmyn has started out as an amatuer getting spread by word of mouth but I really think she'll go big with her style of photography.

Student Art Exhibit

I was impressed with the student art show for Monica Geary, Krista Hoyes, and Cassie Sheidecker. Monica's work focused mainly on fashion, since she is going into design. She used different mediums but most of her pieces showed people modeling clothes or shoes. I was impressed with the detail and the style of her drawing, sort of like pencil sketches, very free and yet detailed and professional.
Krista Hoyes used mainly oil painting, and all hers were of female dancers in flamenco style. Next to each piece she gave a short summary of the type of dance she had painted, and the history behind it. I loved the bright colors she used against a dark background, and how well she blended the colors in the twirling dance dresses. Each painting was vibrant, something to be the center of attention, in clear cut lines and fun expression.
Cassie Sheidecker created her own room for her art exhibit, something I had never seen done before. The room itself was the exhibit, not only the art pieces displayed on the wall. It was done to tell a story collectively, not individual stories of each piece. She used art to tell about living with rheumatoid arthritis, leaving pill bottles hanging from the ceiling and nails sticking out of shoes on the floor. All her painting were different takes on the same portrait of her. It was very innovative and effective.
I think all three have done a good job of creating their own world and using their art to share that world with the rest of us.