Items Critical for My Current Survival...

 

Whomever said senior year was easy was lying through their teeth. 

National Book Festival

Decided to experiment with shutter speed and blurring motion... Didn't get quite the picture I wanted before the carousel stopped. 

Waiting for Ken Follett was a bit boring, so I started playing around with black and white. 

The "Magic" Time of Day

Photos from Mary's Garden at the "Magic" time of day

Shutter Speed Assignment

Slow Shutter Speed

Faster Shutter Speed- Couldn't get the lighting right though

Aperture Assignment

Large Aperture

Small Aperture

                                                    

National Botanical Gardens

After attempting to take photos in the relatively dim "rain forest" section of the National Botanical Gardens, I fooled around with the shutter speed in order to illuminate the flowers enough to obtain a crisp and detailed photo.

Fiddling with Focus

These are a few of the photos from messing around with the aperture on my camera.

"Search for Inspiration"

Wilferd Peterson aptly explained my pursuit for 3 photos that inspire me. Prior to my searching the internet to find a few photos to depict what inspires me photographically, I went through my photo library and came across my favorite photo from my spring break in Italy. One afternoon in Florence has been absolutely gorgeous and unseasonably warm until my friends and I walked to the Piazelle Michelangelo and a sudden storm began to roll in over the Italian hills. I managed to capture the sky as the last bright lays of sun lit up a small section of the city below. The second inspirational photo is of a couple dancing their first dance as husband and wife. I have always had a love for weddings and have dreamed of becoming a wedding planner since I was a little girl. As convinced by many that this is not exactly a safe or smart career plan, I simply enjoy looking at wedding photos and found this photo to be one of my favorites. I love the way in which the couple seems to have forgotten everyone else at the reception and the way that their bodies are intertwined, demonstrating their feelings for each other. The final picture that inspires me is from the National Association of Professional Child Photographers. I have always loved photographs of children and their glee that you can capture. The picture of these two young girls seemed to capture the dynamic between the sisters in addition to providing an interesting background of a field in contrast to a high-backed chair.

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

 Admittedly, I was not thinking of C.S. Lewis' quote when I decided to enroll in ART 329 last March. Rather, I sat in Barcelona with a fancy digital SLR camera and a very vague idea about how to use it. Despite my best attempts at "artism", as one of my friends from high school phrased it, I never quite managed to get the effects I so desired in the vast majority of the photos I took in my 4 months abroad. So, here I sit, attempting to figure out how a psychology major with a minor in philosophy is going to succeed in a much more creative class than I have been required to take in my undergraduate career. I have always loved photography, yet have never had the opportunity to take a class in my single-mindedness to graduate in 4 years and continue straight on to obtain my doctorate in child clinical psychology. Upon realizing that my college career was coming to an end, I decided to take a chance and have a bit of fun with my class selection for once. Well, here goes my attempt to achieve another goal I've set...