Olivia Breting- Emotion

Guess what?!? I did my shoot at Urban Chestnut again. The truth is that I live there.

I came into work early on Friday, determined to get my “emotion” photo. I was begging my coworkers to sneak up on someone or something because I thought shock might be a good emotion. I finally found someone willing to risk being mischievous, but the person with ice down his shirt got angry and turned from the shot.

Sam showed up during the pre-shift meeting and I hadn’t yet given up and put my camera away. Sam kept wiping sweat from his forehead and I thought, “Exhaustion is an emotion, right?” So it ended up working out.

Olivia Breting- People at Work

I did my assignment at Urban Chestnut (again), but I tried to mix it up by shooting in the kitchen of the new location. The lighting at the new location was much easier to work with. I had fun with this assignment. The new tasting room is a pretty interesting environment to take pictures. Even at work with people I kind of know, people seemed a bit uncomfortable having their picture taken, however most people were understanding and interested in participating.

Olivia Breting- Sports

I really liked doing this shoot, however I was completely clueless as to how to get their names before the shoot. I was speaking to a photographer later and discussed how I suppose I could have tried to beat the start of the race and get as many names with consent as possible. However, this seems like quite a feat with so many people participating. The photographer discussed his frustration, telling me that he has had some amazing shots that are essentially “trash” because he did not get a name or consent. That is so awful!

Also, I kind of felt like I was advertizing headphones in this shoot. I love the blue, though!

Olivia Breting- General News

I found myself racking my brain for ideas of events I could cover. I finally realized I was required to go to my sorority event last weekend. I went and took a bunch of photos, but I felt rude taking pictures unannounced. I only really took photos from my seat and from the merchandise table. Therefore, I did not get very good photos.

In an attempt to take better photos, I went to an Atlas event to try and improve. I think I learned a lot at this shoot, but I’m afraid it didn’t translate into my photos. There were people running from shots because they didn’t want to be pictured. There were nervous kids speaking, and I felt horrible that I was adding to that pressure. There were also other photographers, which made me feel a bit self-conscious.

I chose this photo because there was some good interaction going on. Mary makes another appearance! I thought her face here was pretty funny. I chose the panel photo because the kids were so sweet and I felt that it came through in the photo. I chose the photo of Richard because the camera loved him and seemed more willing to shoot during his speech. For some reason, there were times that the camera took forever to adjust and would not take a photo.

Olivia Breting- Slice of Life

I really enjoyed this shoot. My friend, Bryana, her sister, and I went to Laumeier Sculpture Park since Professor Lunsford suggested it. There were tons of kids running around, and I got more comfortable asking permission to take photos (although I seemed to scare a group of ladies that signed with relief when I finished, “for an assignment in a photojournalism class,” after giving each other stern looks). My issue there was trying to explain to kids that they didn’t need to smile. They all seemed conditioned to smile in the presence of a camera. I told one kid (that was very excited to be a part of the photos) to just check out the art, so he grabbed a map of the park and stood away from the art, facing me. I also still felt uncomfortable getting in close enough for the close-up.

By the time we got to this piece of art, Bry and Gracie had somewhat forgotten the camera was there and I managed to get some great photos. I was amazed by the expression on Gracie’s face in this photo, because I could tell she was nervous about getting her picture taken. Bry has explained to me that she is so shy, she automatically separates herself from crowds. For example, she would not stand by the street at the St. Patrick’s Day parade; she stood at a distance waiting for the parade to be over. I imagined it would be much more difficult to get a good candid of her.

Olivia Breting- Portrait

I chose Bry to help me with this assignment because she a good friend that has recently gotten into modelling. I felt weird asking just anyone to help me with the assignment, but I knew Bry would benefit from taking photos and would also be used to having her picture taken.

My biggest issue with this assignment was lighting. Bryana and I could only get together mid-day on Friday. It was a beautiful day but the sun was too bright. Not only did this make for photos with harsh lighting, but it also made it difficult for Bryana to keep her eyes open and express emotion.

In order to get both assignments done during my only free time this week, I went to Laumeier Sculpture Park with Bry and her little sister. I started taking photos while her and her sister were climbing a tree together. I figured that was as good a time as any to start shooting. I couldn’t shoot as many portrait shots as I would have liked because her eyes started to hurt from looking toward the sun so I could avoid shadows. I think I like this photo the most of the three because it’s a cute pose, she isn’t blending into the background at all, and it isn’t too light or dark.

Olivia Breting- Color, Light, Mood and Texture

I think my biggest issue with this assignment was capturing all four of these elements. It seems that I could always get two out of four of them, and encompassing all four was a challenge. I am also still having trouble including people in my shots. I had some with students in my shoot of the Center for Global Citizenship, but I ended up not liking them as much as the one I used. It seems my favorite places are light on human subjects; two of my photos are in an alleyway and one is in my comfort zone bar at a time of day with more lighting and less people.

Although this photo is one of my least favorites of my submissions, there is something I really like about it. I both like and dislike how simple it is; it makes it a bit boring but the emptiness adds to the mood I think. I mostly like the lighting, except the light on the bottom part of the seat. I like the small splashes of color and the matching red. There isn’t a large amount of texture, but the seats pop out pretty well, as well as the outlets.

Olivia Breting- Point of View

I decided to shoot this assignment on a busy night so there would be more subjects to work with, however this compromised my lighting. While shooting on ‘P,’ I could not get a photo light enough, so I switched to manual. This was the first time I had worked in manual, so it took a while to figure out.

The biggest problem I had was the shutter speed. The photos were either too dark or too blurry. For this photo, I was steadying the camera on a shelf so it would be less blurry and light enough. Hopefully I can keep working on this, and improve for the next assignment. In the future I will also make sure to work in a place and/or during a time that is more conducive to good lighting.

Olivia Breting- Photo Safari

I am often to shy to shoot pictures. I have never been much of a photographer, but I often see things that I wish I could capture well. I usually decide not to for fear that I will embarrass myself and not even walk away with a good shot. When I first checked out a camera, I decided to go ahead and take photos of all of the things I had not in the past. However, it was still somewhat a source of anxiety, so I headed to a place I was comfortable. Shooting photos at work was very beneficial. There are bright, beautiful colors and willing models. With my new confidence I was able to focus more on the photos without being embarrassed.

I like this photo because of the color and the focus. I like the reflection coming off of the metal part of the tap. I wish I had aimed the camera slightly farther down so there would be more of the tap. It may be slightly confusing what the subject matter is for some, and I think that could be remedied with a bit more content. Also, I’m not sure If I like the tiny bit of window showing at the top. If the camera had been slightly lower, both issues would be addressed. In the future, I will take many consecutive photos each time to make sure this does not happen.