Manjari Sharma

The Manjari Sharma article helped me to understand the difference between a snapshot and a portrait. A snap shot is very posed and positioned and has no meaning behind it. A snapshot is pretty much staged and fake. For example, a picture of a group of people smiling into the camera is considered a snapshot because the people are posing with no feeling behind it. A portrait is, in a way, similar to a snapshot by how is can be staged or posed, but a portrait must have some type of emotionor feeling behind it. As long at the picture has meaning, then it can be categorized as a portrait.

I enjoyed looking at Manjari Sharma's pictures because they conveyed vulnerability. It was amazing how comfortable the people were in such an intimate setting. They portrayed such deep thought and feeling through the expression on their faces. Looking at these pictures definitely helped me realize the difference between a portrait and a snapshot. The idea that everyone has feelings and everyone is human really comes accross through her photographs. I enjoyed the feeling of being let in to peoples thoughts and emotions. Her photography really inspires me to do better with my portraits.

This image is a portrait of my cousin Alexis Harris. There is a doorway and a curtain. She is wearing a dark grey tank top and a light grey cardigan. I placed here in the doorway where the light was to enhance the drama in the picture. The image is very much in focus purposely because I wanted to capture her facial expression. I told her to think about something she could connect with. I Photoshoped this photo to change some of the color tones and so soften her face a bit. I was trying to communicate a sense of connection between humans and their emotions. Her face portrays a sort of vulnerability. It was taken indoors with light coming through the door to enhance her beauty. I am truly proud of this picture and i think it really fulfilled the assignment. It was clear what i was trying to express through my model. I think that the picture was really successful and I enjoyed shooting her.

Photoshop Assignment 1-2

For this photoshop assignment, we were told to use brushes to make the photo come to life with contrasty colors. I used many different brush tools and bright, pretty colors to compliment my outfit. First, i have to create a new layer so that the brushes would not be permanently placed on the background. I experimented with different brushes that look like flowers and leaves and swirly-like figures i like the way they look. i used colors that were opposite from what i was wearing on the color whele and then some to match, also. My pose was very pretty and girly so i decided to feed off of that by making the picture bright and vibrant. I added an orange sunbeam around my face to make it seem as if i was shining bright. I think this picture was a great success and if i had to do it again i would, with little difficulties.

Studio Lighting Assignment

The studio lighting assignment was kind of difficult. I shot studio lighting a long time ago but something went wrong in the developing process so i had to wait until everyone that hadn't shot studio had the chance to shoot. I shot studio lighting very last minute. The picture could have been of better quality and i wish i had the time to photoshop all of the errors and flaws. I still like the picture but it could have been better. I put Janay in front of a black background and placed a fake flower in her hands. I took four shots of her and of the four, the one i chose was the best. I could have taken more of the light off of her face because she has really light skin in general. I do wish i had more time to focus on the picture instead of having to rush. If i were to do it again i would have done better.

Photoshop Assignment Reflection

For the photoshop assignment, I had to take four different pictures with four different expressions portraying four different personalities. After taking all of the pictures and choosing which four photos were the strongest, I had to open photoshop with a new blank page. I dragged all four photos into photoshop and cropped and copied them all onto the blank photoshop page. We were assigned to make a four by four which is sixteen photos, all of them being multiplied by four. The photos were kind of dark so i flattened them to brighten them up a bit. Using the flattening tool really made a positive difference. The process was fairly easy but very complex and I had to remember a lot. I was very happy with the end product. If i were to do this again, I'm sure i could complete wit with no problems.I enjoyed the assignment and I might do it again just for fun :)