Photography Class ( FID)

4/4/2014 (week 1)
Imani Najwa Nordin (0319405)
Introduction to Photography 


Lecture :
This  morning was the first day of Photography class. Mr.Vinod gave us a lecture on the outline of  our 1st semester course programme and what exercises we would be doing for this first week and of our entire semester.He also thought us the basics from teaching objectives to learning outcomes to creating our own ePortfolio.

Teaching Objectives :
1.To learn how to take pictures using the manual mode of the cameras.
2.To be able to achieve good composition and exposure.

Learning Outcomes :
1.Us exposure settings (Aperture,shutter speed and ISO)
2.Use Zone System exposure technique to achieve desired results.
3.Distinguish a bad exposure from a good exposure.
4.Apply the rule of 2/3 for composition .
5.Use Adobe Photoshop to edit pictures at a basic level.

Taylor's Graduate Capabilities :

1.Discipline specific knowledge.
2.Lifelong learning
3.Thinking and problem solving skills.
4.Communication skills.
5.Interpersonal skills.
6. Citizenship and global perspectives.
7.Digital Literacy.


An ePortfolio basically consist of 2 parts :

1st part: :

• Lectures 
• Instructions / Tutorial 

2nd part :

• Feedback
• Reflection
• a) Experience 
• b) Observations
• c) Findings 

Mr Vinod also  gave us a lecture about the Aperture mechanism which is located in the camera lens .An Aperture is a hole or an opening in which light travels through.The aperture determines how collimate the admitted rays are, which is of great importance for the appearance at the image plane.

From what I understood: 
The narrower the Aperture the greater the photo quality ( sharper focus)
The wider the Aperture there will be  a drop in the photo quality ( image becomes sharp only where the lens are focusing on and  blurred the rest of the background)

Mr Vinod also talked about the differences between a Mirror-less Camera and an average DSLR Camera

From what I understood :
A Mirror-less Camera has no mirror are are relatively smaller in size.They have larger sensors .
An average DSLR camera uses mirrors



Instructions for exercise 1:
1. Presentation of 10 of our  best-liked pictures
2. Explain the reasons why we chose the pictures,what we found interesting when taking/choosing the pictures .
3.Student will present 5 pictures of their own and 5 pictures of 5 different photographers provided with credit.

My own pictures :

Location : Dubai Marina Bay Resort 
This was the view that I had during my stay at the Marina Bay Resort in Dubai.When i fist saw my balcony view I immediately grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots.The reason why I choose this particular shot was because of how simply breath taking the picture looks. I loved how the buildings were lit with colourful neon lights all the way from top to bottom.The different colour of lights illuminated the building making the city looks very lively.I love how I also captured the waters casting rainbow shadows in the lake,the yachts by the dock also adds a bit more to the photo,as if it was the city that never sleeps.

Location : China Fireworks Pullman Hotel,Putrajaya

The reason I choose this photo out of the rest was because of the colour pallet.There are mixtures of pinks and blues,and hints of gold. This picture looks almost unrealistic. I was standing at the tower tops when I captured this shot ,thats how I manage to capture another tower in the picture.I like how there is only the outline of the tower it helps add a bit more into the photo. The camera did its justice, I like how you can see the outburst of the fireworks itself such as the golden strands.

Location :Dubai

I opt for a daylight picture since the two previous photos were during night time.This was taken when I had took a boat ride to cross the rivers.I took a couple of pictures but I settled for this one because of how much I liked how wide and spacious the view looks.I like how I got an even balance of water and sky.You could see how smooth the water texture is .My personal favourite are the boats,different sizes and colours.I love how the boats look as if they are the separation between the waters and sky.

Location : Pullman Hotell,Putrajaya

This picture was taken by the poolside.I was took it while I was dipping my foot in the pool.I liked how the waters look crystal clear you can even see the tile floors.The wooden floors look even more genuine as it was wet. This picture looks very pure and minimalistic. You can see how the texture of the water is shown,it is calm and soothing,the water feels very inviting.I like how there is sort of a light refraction caused by the waters giving the picture an extra gloss.Overall this picture gives you a sense of relaxation as if your are on vacation.

Location : Sheikh Zayed's Mosque

This photo was taken during my visit to one of the most pretties mosque around the world,Sheikh Zayed's Mosque.This photo was one of my favourite photos that I took of the place. I still find it beautiful even if it is not brightly lit .You can see the details of the walls,they are decorated with tiled flowers adding a bit of colour.In this photo you can see that the place is very well spacious.The white coulour of the mosque looks marvellous,theres something about white take makes a building look timeless.Not forgetting how you can see the water reflection of the beautiful building.


Exercise 1. a) :

Photos taken by different photographers

Source : weheartit.com

I found this picture off of weheartit.com I chose it because I've always been fond of the forest and everything that lies beyond it. However this picture in particular attracted me because I felt as if it has its own story.The way there is a path leading into the darkness of the forest feels sort of mysterious and intriguing. I feel like im being lured into the forest not knowing what i may encounter.I also like the way the sun ray shines through the opening of the forest it is even more beautifully.I love the tall looking trees ,lush and green.I love how peaceful this picture makes me feel.

Source : weheartit.com

I assume this little girl is no more than 12 years of age but the reason I choose this photo was because of how raw and natural the photo looks. The freckles on the girls face is the main point of the picture,it is where the image is most sharp and focused on.To me it is far beyond beautiful he face looks so angelic .Her vibrant blue eyes portray a look of innocence and clarity,it is as if her soul is straying right back at us.The sharpness of the photo can be seen through her features .Her lips are nicely captured as well,the cracks and lines on her lips just as clear as any other persons lips.I like how the background (her hair and ears ) are being slightly out of focus and blurred out giving full attention to the girls face.This is what I call natural beauty .

Source :earthquake 1755  photograph by : pierluigi.ricci 

Convento do Carmo, Lisbon, Portugal 

I have a fascination with ruins whether it be building or any other.I find each and every ruin interesting each with their own story.This particular photo is a Gothic church that was found in the late 13th century.It was destroyed by the Great Earthquake of Lisbon in 1755.I love how the photographer captured the angles of the buildings.How he managed to capture the roofless building so that all you can see are bright blue skies.I also like the way he captured the buildings structure,making it look tall and lean almost haunting looking.I like how you can see the shadows casting down over the building,it gives the picture an extra feel.The building looks remarkable even throughout the centuries.When I see this picture it gives me chills.

Source : Tumblr - neverending-fairytales 

Books,theres something about them that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.Old books are the best,the leather cover detailed,torn and wore out.Thats exactly how the photographer had captured this image.I like how he/she emphasise and focused on the books details.You could see the middle book is simply torn apart with no book cover and a few rough edges.I like this picture because the photographer clearly captured how these books have been used up and how old they look by the rough leather detailed.Also the book covers are amazingly beautiful.I even like how the background is blurred out to give the books a sharper look.

Source : Tumblr "Tiger" by Peter Hausner Hansen

I have a thing for animals especially tigers so when I saw this photo I immediately fell in love.The photo of the innocent looking tiger looks so pure and beautiful. I love how the photographer captured that moment.The colours in the photo also attracted me, I love how the colour of the water looks almost black which to me brings something mysterious to the picture.The photo quality also helped bring out the tigers orange stripes making it look even more appealing.Another reason why I love this photo is because of how the tiger looks so calmly in the waters.

Screenshot of my hard copy (exercise 1) :

                                         

Link to my video :

Feedback :
General feedback :
Mr.Vinod talked about our ePortfolio.He asked us to rewrite our reflection part.We were asked to also to copy the marking rubric from his own page ,not forgetting to screen shot the hardcopy work and store it in a black folder.Mr.Vinod also told us to be careful of what we write in our reflection as it is the most important section in the ePortfolio.It is best to write  around 125-135 words per paragraph.As for lecture sections two paragraphs would do the trick.


Specific feedback :
Mr.Vinod said I did a good job on my exercise 1.However he did mention that it would have been best if I had divided my reflection into three (experience,observation and findings) for better differentiation.He also asked me to follow his general comments and explanation with regards to the reflections mentioned in the beginning of class.

Reflection :
From this exercise that I've done,I found out how important it is to take a good photo .How to do so is by taking things such as angles,the aperture settings,shutter speed ,lighting,focus and others into account.I can now see how other photographers have better quality photos compared to mine and how they use different approach when taking a certain picture.It is important to know how to handle the camera to produce quality photos.

I hope that Mr.Vinod can help show the class how to use the camera functions properly before we carry any other future exercises so that we can all produce great quality photos .Before this i would always play it safe by using the Auto Mode because that was much easier to use.I also would like to thank Mr.Vinod for giving us a brief explanation on our module outline for photography class and for properly guiding us on how to start our very own ePortfolio,Thank you :) Lastly it was nice to meet all my fellow classmates and hope that in the near future we can all work as a team.


My Test result :