Assignment One: Reflection- WEA #1

This first week, I was shooting, initially with my point and shoot, and thenI used the school's DSLR. Looking back, using my camera was a mistake. While by no means a bad camera, it lacked the shot quality and versatility of focus that the DSLR had.

But, since it had been so long since Photo 1 for me, I focused solely on learnging to use the camera a first. As I took more images, I began to focus on composition and fine tuning the focus. My pictures soon became based on my online research (aperture and lens settings). I also tried to take photos of people's personalities. Their moods and energy were a big part of what I tried to photograph.

However, after learning about the Principles and Elements of Design, I realize I have a lot more to learn. For instance, my subjects often asked were to pose, and I said that anywhere was fine. Now I realize that I have to properly arrange my shots in order to create balance and unity of effect.

My main difficulty was my inexperience and the technical limitations of my point and shoot. After using the DSLR with the lens (thanks Ms. Smolonsky), my images grew in sharpness and quality. However, I still struggled with the proper focus, but Janessa helped me learn where to do that (focus on the eyes with center focus).

Before, my images were a little too busy, out of focus, or colored oddly. Now, with some experience, I plan to practice more and hone my skills. I'll be focusing on the Principles and Elements and I'll begin asking a wider variety of people for their stories. I'll try to capture the most meaningful parts of who they are in a fashion like Humans of New York and HODN. It will be the same as before, but better.