Artist Statement

Our portfolio for Digital Photography is where we keep a record of all the work we have done in the class. All the photographs we take, all the projects we do, and any photos that we mess with on Photoshop we post on our portfolios. Along with posting each picture, we also have to write about it. We have to state what it is, what our ideas were, and any difficulties we may have experienced throughout the way. For this semester we posted several projects such as self-portraits, haunted Chavez, social issue, and lyrics. Other photos we posted were compositional tricks such as rule of thirds, leadings lines, macro, and extreme angles. Apart from this, we also posted photographs that we adjusted or messed around with in Photoshop.

I feel that my portfolio is neat and organized. It doesn’t look crowded, or like there is too much on it. As for the content I think I did an okay job on the actual pictures, but a better job on the writing. Although the pictures may not be excellent, I did feel that I learned many new skills that I did not have. For example, I learned more about the features cameras have such as macro. I also learned how to take more interesting pictures, and have a bigger effect on the people who see them. Besides this, I also learned how to fix the levels of pictures, how to make people appear to be ghosts, how to use the lasso tools to cut out parts of a picture and include them in other pictures, how to add text, and how to make a paintbrush out of anything you want. All these skills which I have gained will help me during next semester to make my pictures more effective.

I think what I was most successful in was interpreting art and art criticism. I think this was mostly because it had to do with our own opinions, and there was really no wrong or right. It was just what we saw, what we thought, and if we liked or disliked it. What I struggled most with was coming up with ideas of what to take pictures of. For example, for my self-portraits and haunted Chavez it was hard coming up with good, creative ideas.

Being creative and having better ideas is something I hope to improve in the next semester. I know it’s possible, but it’s just a matter of thinking deeply for a while. However, an area where I did see improvement was in my Photoshop skills. I came into the class knowing only one or two things about Photoshop, but now I have learned many more and will learn even more in the future. I learned many new things not only about Photoshop, but also how to take better pictures, and I know all this will help me in the next semester.

Lyrics

The lyrics I chose for this project are "Older" by Colbie Caillat.

“Waited all my life for this day to come Feel like letting go, life goes on Wasting no more time, so much to be done Everything works out, so they say Seems that nothing is black and white anymore Shades of gray and I feel the weight over my shoulder It's tough getting older I always thought that I knew where I'd wanna goBut now I'm here and I find that I'm still getting colder It's kinda tough getting older Here before my eyes, many roads ahead Time for me to choose one way now If I take a chance, what lies down the road? Feeling so confused, turned around Seems that nothing is black and white anymore Shades of gray and I feel the weight over my shoulder It's tough getting older I always thought that I knew where I'd wanna go But now I'm here and I find that I'm still getting colder It's kinda tough getting older Waited all my life for this day to come”

I chose these lyrics because I think they are great for anyone who is getting older. It emphasizes on how getting older brings about more responsibilities, choices, decisions, and less time to focus on yourself. It's a huge, and different step to make in life. They relate to me because at the moment it is how my life is. I have more responsibilities, and more decisions to make not only about the present, but also that will affect my future. Now I have to worry about looking for a job, and college, where as when I was younger I didn't even think about that. There is a lot of pressure, and stress because there is more to be done, but it's all just part of getting older.

Social Issue

My social issue is on age. Most adults, or at least parents, think that since their children are young and naive they have never had to suffer, or go through any adversities in life. Some of these experiences may not be terrible, but if in someway it has affected a person, then it makes a difference in their life. It affects me because since I am a teenager, when most people see me and others my age they think we know nothing, and that we have lived through very easy lives. But the truth is that we haven't. No matter how old we are, we have all experienced something that has changed our way of thought or personalities.

I chose the statement "We have seen more you believe" because it is straightforward and easy to understand. "We" referes to us, the teenagers, while the "you" refers to adults or parents. Teenagers have seen or experienced way more than what adults tend to give them credit for. I chose an eye for my picture because well with our eyes is what we see all those situations that affect us, and because a person's eye can tell a lot about that person. The eye in my picture is dark which just emphasizes the terrible moments one has experienced.