Place: WB Assignment

Technique
I took this picture with the face in the lower left being the focus. To get that, I had to expose it in a way that washed out the sky in the picture. I used the selection tool in photoshop to select the wall that the face is on and turn that black and white while keeping the rest of the photo in color. I adjusted exposure and contrast to further wash out the sky, and turned the vibrance down so that the color didn't take away from the subject.

Reflection
I really like how this photo turned out. If I were to go back and redo anything, I think I would've liked to get more of the sign directly above the face that says "smooth" in the picture, because I think that that really fits the expression on the face. I was surprised that this became one of my favorites from this shoot, mostly because I just kind of stumbled upon it and didn't put nearly as much effort into the shot as some of my other ones.

Simplicity: ISO Assignment

Technique
I took this picture with my ISO turned up to 5000, which gave it a really grainy look. I didn't like how it looked in color, so I tried switching it to black and white. The black and white gave it an old fashioned film look that I really liked. I also boosted the exposure and contrast in an attempt to make Mac pop out ot the picture more.

Reflection
I think that the composition is very strong in this picture, I used rule of thirds and a relatively clear background along with editing to achieve this. Had I not changed the picture into a black and white, I think that the grain would really have taken away from the overall quality of the picture, but I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out so well.

Artist Statement

My Ideas
I create take photos to share how I view the world, through a camera lens. Photography for me is a fun outlet in life that lets me express myself and show what I am doing in life. I am inspired by everything around me, especially the outdoors, friends and sports. My inspirations are all that my work is. I rarely take photos of subjects that don't inspire me. I have made works almost wherever I go. On every trip I take or event I attend, I will take lots of pictures each time. I hope to increase the overall quality and viewer experience through taking Digital Photography this semester.


Artist Analysis
Ryan Kirk

Ryan Kirk is mostly an action photographer, whose works encompass mostly skiing, biking and snowboarding, but also has works in other categories. Ryan uses a Canon 5D Mark II and "luck" to take his photos along with flashes, a MacBook Pro and Adobe Photoshop CS4 are used in post production. I feel like the materials he uses are very standard in the current industry, along with the process he uses. I do think most photographers might not be so quick to admit that there is a lot of luck involved with capturing their images as Ryan is on his site. Here is an example of one of his pictures:

The rest of Ryan's photos are protected on his website, and can be found here: http://www.ryankirkphotography.com/