This was the final of my charcoal paper bags. Overall I'm happy with the outcome of this piece-I feel like I certainly put enough time into it! As I continued to work into this piece it became more and more fun&soothing :) Although there are some parts that need to be fixed I started to understand how to depict shapes and shades to show the delineation of line. I'm happy to say that i understand this process better-I'm SURE this will help me a lot in my work down the line.

Despite the observation being tedious it still remains therapeutic for me...this is really important for me because I felt like I lost that for a little through out the semester because I was so weighed down with work I couldn't enjoy anything or do any artwork for myself.

PS. I really like Merium's most recent upload. The color and culture is so outstanding and striking !

This is a picture of the notable author, Greg Mortenson and his adventures in Afghanistan...his book, Three Cups of Tea, I found very inspirational. After reading this book, and listening to to Greg Mortenson speak at our school I feel as though I better understand the merit of this photograph.

The photographer was able to capture a strong narrative as well as to properly depict the personalities of the three subjects. I always try to portray the personalities and innate nature of my subjects but I often find this difficult...especially because once people see you have a camera in your hand they begin to act instead of just live in front of the lense.

I hope I can recreate the lives and personalities of those closest to me one day. I would really love to capture my grandparents and their relationship-which is disgustingly adorable !!! After 57 years of marriage my grandpa still opens my grandma's car door :) I think this will be a little assignment I'll do over winter break

I took this picture while I was in The Ohio State Library.
I found the architect's obsession with glass very interesting.
It was used in a very elegant and impressive way-it highlighted the massiveness of the building in a more modern way.
In this photograph I captured the glass of the stairs going up and down, the glass wall in the main part of the library and also the glass used as the ceiling in the main entrance of the building. The reflective elements are truly impressive in person!
This made it appear more "homey" and inviting for the viewer. I could tell the architect was concerned with this because there was a very strong element of comfortablity. There were fun couches and places to study all over !

I this one day when I was just messing around with my camera...I went on this little spree of shooting normal things around me to attempt to abstract them. So I shot things on my desk and all around me. This is a candle that I happen to have lit. It means a lot to me because it was my first attempt of abstraction at the time. I just really like the reflective qualities of the glass. When looking through everyone else's blogs I really like Lauren Foreman's fall folliage picture...it has so many elements so it's interesting.

So I am having trouble my original solution but I'll get it promise !

Kristen's piece is the piece that ultimately motivated me to abandon my original piece...her's seems so raw and emotionally stimulating and I wanted to reach the same level or conceptual stregnth. I am very happy I changed my idea because it really was coming out forced. But I am also greatful because it allowed me to explore different aspects of Photoshop that I probably would never have learned such as distortion and perspective [which PS it's rediculously cool !!!]

I am comfident I will play around with this is the future as well...so pretty much everything I learned during this project I know will be useful at later dates.

I really enjoyed doing this project for mulitple reasons. I found it easier to work with a subject that I know so well because it is so personal to me. I loved this project because every single person in the class really put themselves out there and opened up about tramatic experiences that have occured and influced them. I think this was a great assignment because it allowed people to express themself in a healthy way and also allowed our class to connect on a more personal level. I know look at every individual in the class in a different way...& stronger.

Okay so I tried to upload other scans I have but for some reason they are not working =/ I'll try again later...I really enjoyed using the scanner because it added the new element of a source lighting as well as a more detailed texture than I've never worked with before. I think this will really come in handy for future photo compilations I do as well as better understanding and emulating textures for paintings !

I really like the paper bag's texture and the way in underlayed on the skin is absolutely awesome when zoomed in...it looks like a desert.

I can't wait to do further experimentation with this ! I want to scan cloth and celephane

So I just found this photograph on flickr and for some reason it just made me stop and stare for a while. I think that's how you know it's a good shot- of you can't just look past it. The texture is what I really love about it. I reminds me of the older villas in Mexico that just have so much life imprinted upon them you can't help but appreciate it, even its cracks. I also think it's cool to have the juxtaposition of the old looking wall with the technology of today...Hope you agreeee !

I love when I take photographs of people with wet hair ! The reflective quality of the light from the hair. It always seems to add so much texture to the photograph.

This also has the inimate closeness and sorta abides by the 1/3rds rule too ! My eye falls on one of the intersections and my lips/shiney hair fall on the other one :) Once I crop out the black part at the bottom the main line of my face will fall adjacent to the horizontal line...maybee?

I like learning about these rules so I can hopefully apply them while I take the photos to help !!

Sooo I took this photograph to show our society's reliance on technology...and reflect on my own personal experience with it. Although technology, has many benefits there are many dangerous aspects of it. For example, the internet is an incredible opportuniy for our generation but has also contributed to hurting many people's lives...like I said, I have personally had diffuculty with this in my past (cough cough facebook). I tried to capture this feeling by the intimate closeness of the shot. I also chose to portray the figure as nude because it shows her vulnerability.

Both of these were part of my photoshoot that I really liked but didn't think were my best...but sometimes I like them better ha

Hii guys ! Okay so this is my favorite self-portrait. It deals with the constant struggle of teenage girls our age to reach for perfection in our imperfect world. It's a pressure that is seen all around us especially through various forms of media. This is something that I definitely have battled with in the past-therefore this is a very personal and heavy work for me...but I am relieved and pleased that I have been able to express my pain through this piece.

Teacher Crit: "This is your best one" "Abides by the one third, one third, one third composition rule" "intellectually, creatively, and visually stimulates me" "Love the hand grip and grit of the piece"

This is my second favorite self-portrait. It may seem like just a pretty and cliche photo-there is actually a lot of thought behind the idea...I do wish I was able to better portray this.

I was trying to capture my bubbly and ambulant personality with a twist. Because I am also in a seemingly good mood and am probably one of the most optimistic people you will meet in your life people find it very easy to open up to me. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love listening and helping others but there are two sides. Sometimes it is just too much for me-I'm too attached and feel held back and caught up...which is what the umbrella is supposed to resemble. My stretched figure is supposed to show the beauty of helping individuals but to also allow the viewer to see and almost experience the strain it may cause on me.

Teacher Crit: "Love idea...very strong" "Want to see you explore this more [maybe black umbrella]" "Beautiful body language" "You are definitely a dancer"

I think this was my least successful photo. As Priscilla brought out I played it safe with a very daring object. So I want to explore this even more...I have about a million Caution Tape ideas I've been writing down which I want to shoot at some point :) I can't wait to find the time !!

Teacher Crit: "Played safe after daring idea" "Held back" "Love to see full potential"

Comments: I really enjoyed being able to see everyone's self-portaits and getting to know everyone a little more ! Kristen's [peering up at the light with the shadows emerging from the bottom] really sticks in my mind. It seems to be an emotional experience that is beautifully captured

Hii everyone ! Soo I didn't realize that this was actually going to be public so please excuse my last blog...kinda makes me seem like a creep. My B !

I took this picture last year for AP and I think It's still the best one I've taken. It's actually a four inch boiler guage in my basement...kinda fun. I tried to make it into a primary color study with the red and green I brought out in the side and the blue reflection.

Hope you enjoy !

PS. I took the same exact picture as Stephanie in Montauk...It's right next to Gozman's! (haha that's our family picture spot every year) Great minds think alikeee

Natural Born Beauty

This is the epitome of unntainted natural beauty. The innate love and loyalty

represented in this photo depicts the most pure of relationships-the bond of Mother and Child.

This photograph I think is fittingly in black & white. It not only allows the serenity and inner peace to show through but also helps hide the actual identity of the woman. Her face is cropped out for the same reason, the identity of the "Mother" is actually that of all Mothers. It is a universal love that can be connected to such individuals throughout the world.

What initially attracted me to this photograph is its beautiful lines. The shadows on the figure are phenominal as the highlights accentuate the smooth supple skin of the human body. This is what inspired me to recreate this piece in a color pencil gloss on matte board. I added soft hints on purples and pinks to further dramatize the scene.

I am excited to learn about how I can learn to capture something so beautiful :) PS. how do I get rid of the OVR for this text?