DGMD-E9 Reflections

This semester we focused on the fundamentals of photography. I had the opportunity to work on technical and compositional skills. Below are some thoughts about my development, triumphs, weaknesses and future plans.

My goals and did I achieve them?

I decided to take this class to fill in the many technical gaps in my photography skills and to continue to develop as a photographer.

The Dorthea Lange quote “Photography takes an instant out of time altering life by holding it still” captured for me the essence of why I am drawn to learning about photography. Pictures can capture what I see, feel, experience in a way that words are not able to.

I began taking pictures about three years ago. Each course that I took introduced the basics but we often moved quickly to a photo story and I never felt that I had the time to learn how my camera actually worked. To be honest, part of the problem was that I was overwhelmed by the technical skills. I was overthinking everything and thus compositionally my images suffered (with the exception of the occasional lucky shot). This past summer I was fortunate to enroll in a street photography workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Here too, I was often frustrated by how long it took me to figure out the best settings for a shot. I felt like I was “all thumbs” and I often missed opportunities because of that gap in my skills.

This coursework also comes after having had the privilege to work for many years as a managing editor of a magazine. In this role I’ve had the opportunity to work with exceptional photographers here and abroad. I live and breathe photography every day--from coordinating photo shoots to making selections for a story to making sure that all the image metadata is captured in a photo archive. But until recently I had never been behind the lens. It is hard not to compare where I am now with where I hope to be as a photographer given this background. But, I find at times that I am able to build on my experiences in the field. I am hopeful that hard work and lots of practice will eventually serve me well.

Despite the steep learning curve with all of this, I just keep plugging away at this pursuit. I used every exercise in this course to really challenge myself. (My husband will be so happy the semester is over as I have spent so much time on assignments that little else got done around the house this fall). For example, I loved having an excuse to spend days in the basement figuring out how to light sea shells and other interesting objects. I think after seeing the results he agrees that it was all worth it. What I learned in one exercise prepared me for the next one. If I hadn’t completely failed at my first attempt at lighting objects for example (after several hours of photographing and thinking I nailed the assignment, I discovered that nothing was in focus when I imported the images into my computer), I would never have been able to figure out how to get good lighting and focus in my still life. In the redo of the lighting objects exercise, I came up with a way to get good focus. I also learned the importance of regularly checking my image files on my computer. That knowledge set me up well for the still life. See the gallery below “Test Drives for Lighting/Still Life Assignments”. (click on images for caption information). There will be no more relying only on what I see in the back of the camera for me.

Test drives for Lighting Assignment

At times during the exercises I was so focused on the skills involved that I feel that the composition, although very much on my mind, might have suffered a bit. For the portrait exercise I felt like I could have used more time to work on the assignment. But I also recognize that there is nothing like a deadline to get things done. I also would have liked to try a different location for the journey exercise, but looking back Walden was the perfect place to complete the last assignment. The walk around the pond dual benefit of being both a good challenge (mid-day light) technically and therapeutic.

In addition to camera skills, I also learned a great deal about Lightroom. Even though I should know better, my own photo archives are a bit of a mess. I appreciated having to work in Lightroom for all the assignments and the emphasis on backing up and managing files. I feel like I have a much more solid understanding of the software. I also forced myself to occasionally work in Photoshop to correct images etc. Here too, I felt like I have developed a solid base. But, the more I learned about both pieces of software, the more I realized how much more I should learn.

I found the website development part of the course very challenging, but in the end I am glad for the incentive to work on a it. On some weekends I spent just as much time on preparing a website post, as I did on an assignment. (You will also note that the non-PLP part of the site is very much under development). I want to thank my colleagues Liz Bright and Kim Wright for helping me navigate several website issues. My learning portfolio is quite simple but, I proud to have gotten it to this state.  I love the way that a website can showcase a semester’s work in such a visually appealing way.

All in all, I feel I met my goals for the course but, I also learned much more. Thank you for such a great course.

Triumphs and areas for growth

( A list of what went well and where I want to improve)

Triumphs

• Figuring out how to light objects (from a variety of angles) and how to get them in focus.

• Creating my first still life by applying my knowledge of lighting/focus from a previous exercise using filtered natural light. I enjoyed the both the creative and technical challenge of this exercise.

• Setting up my first website and successfully posting assignments, creating navigation and a personal learning portfolio.

• Photographing and creating a photo essay on a “Day in the Life” and feeling much more comfortable with my camera settings while shooting.

• Utilizing Lightroom/Photoshop more skillfully.

• Creating a self portrait that I liked after much trial and error. I also enjoyed trying lots of other self portrait ideas prior to getting to this one.

• Getting through all the assignments and getting them in on time…even if the finish time was 2 a.m.

Areas for Growth

• Editing. I find it much easier to edit someone else’s shoot than my own. I sometimes overthink my edits. I will continue to take courses with peer review and critique in order to overcome this challenge.

• Portraits. I would like to get to a point where I feel like I can take a good portrait in whatever situation I am thrown into. I need to be able to think on my feet a bit more. I will continue to practice with willing subjects for a while until I feel more confident.

• Lighting. I struggle with low lighting/contrasty lighting and backlighting. Again will continue to practice and study in those areas.

• Website development. Although not directly related photography, a professional looking website is very important to have in place. I may move to another platform, but my goal is to develop a photography website within a year that focuses on my photo projects and various explorations in photography.

• Organization/Archiving of photoshoots. I need to go through my hard drives , organize past shoots and back them up.

Gallery review

I selected the six images in my final portfolio to capture my development in aspects of lighting and composition and to highlight my favorite images.

1. I love the way that the light painting image is able to create a mood in the scene by the areas that are and aren’t highlighted.  I discovered here how much more powerful an image is when lit selectively. I will definitely explore light painting some more.

2. The second image of a couple taking a walk on a rainy day is from a my “Day in the Life” shoot. It is similar to an image included in the photo essay. I chose this one because I like the way that the fencing draws you towards the subjects and their reflection in the pool of water in the foreground. I felt that I learned to slow down and take more time to observe the scene this semester.. I might not have noticed the reflection otherwise.

3. The “Still Life” was one of my favorite assignments. I was struck by how hard it was to compose a collection of objects and to light them in a way that worked. This was the first time during the semester that I used filtered natural light. I loved the trial and error required, the creative process of making a scene and the challenge of also telling a story with only the collected objects.

4. This photo was from my “Day in the Life of a Bride-to-Be”. Using a documentary style, I followed my daughter and her fiancé throughout Thanksgiving weekend as they worked on wedding planning activities and she shopped for her dress. I was so happy when I saw this wonderful candid moment in the back of my camera as she was coming out of the dressing room and her friend was looking at her in the mirror.

5. This backlit clamshell was part of the lighting exercise. I liked how the lighting enhanced the features of this simple shell. It almost gave the shell personality. It was challenging to figure out how to backlight the object without showing the light that was used. I tried shining the light from a number of different angles until this one worked.

6. Lastly, this portrait is an outtake from the portrait assignment. It took me a while to find the best location in the room for the subject, the use of the natural light from the window to light her face worked the best. I chose this horizontal picture to work with the other horizontals on the PLP page but looking back I agree that the original vertical is stronger. So hard when layout gets in the way of image choice!

Inspiration and what’s next?

Lately one of my favorite places for inspiration is on Instagram. I like the quick daily dose of imagery. Among my favorites are streetphotographyinternational, worldpressphoto, alan_schaller and lensculture. I’ve also been interested in the work of other photographers. Among the photographers that I want to study more: Vivan Maier, Sam Abell, Alex Webb, David Alan Harvey.I also take part in “photo meetups” in the Boston area. Each time I go out I learn something new. Members are always willing to share their knowledge and their work. After the “meetups” we post about 5 of our favorite images and members give supportive online feedback. Each meetup is different and so are the challenges. We recently did a sunrise shoot of a twin lighthouses in Rockport, Massachusetts from a rocky ledge. I wasn’t prepared for the lack of light on the rocks until the sun came up and the slippery surface. (Yes, I fell but my camera survived the impact). Next time I will bring a lamp and better foot gear. Another time we photographed a Chinese festival in the rain. My plastic bag over the camera was not quite enough protection. I’ll continue attending these. I will also continue to take photography courses at the extension school and elsewhere. I find that the structure of a class helps me to get out and shoot and I really appreciate all the feedback.

My future goals are to continue to work on developing my skills and to start to figure who I am as a photographer. Last summer I would have said that street photography was the direction. I liked the combination of making connections with people, capturing moments and the uncertainty of what a day on the street was like. But, I also find that I also like portrait work in more controlled setting and landscapes. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed doing a non-people assignment like the still life so much. Through all this work there is a creative pursuit, which sometimes takes me too far off the trail, but is for me is part of the fun of all of this. For now if I find something interesting I will go with it...and then who knows where that will lead me.

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