Monday, July 16, 2012

Photo Composition Class #3: Lines & Circles/Light & Shadow


My Photo Composition class last Wednesday had two assignments due, since the week before, class fell on the 4th of July.  So we had to take 5 photos using lines and circles and 5 using light and shadow.

I didn't do too badly looking for places and objects that had lines and circles to them.  The photo above was taken of a metal sculpture called "The Calling", or The Sunburst to those of us who live in Wisconsin.  It is located in downtown Milwaukee in front of the Art Museum.  My teacher brought up the fact that it is a popular place for people taking wedding photos, and in fact, I did see about 5 wedding parties around the Art Museum and The Sunburst that day.

The two photos below of the flags and the fence were taken on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin while I was attending an art fair the week after the 4th.  I didn't buy anything at the fair, but I did see some great artists and craftspeople.



Another photograph I took for the Lines & Circles assignment was this old Post Office window on display at the Waukesha County Museum.  It would have also worked as a light/shadow photo.  Right now, the museum has an exhibit of donated objects from throughout Waukesha's history including vintage hats and jewelry, furniture, and sports equipment.  My favorite part of this exhibit was seeing the old crates and lighted advertisement signs featuring Waukesha Springs Water.


I had more trouble coming up with photos for the Light & Shadow exhibit.  I even went down to the Waukesha Riverwalk to try and capture some shots of the river near sundown, but they didn't turn out the best.  I had better luck during the day and capturing photos indoors.

The first one, below, was taken inside a salon/yoga studio that my friend and I tried to go into on a Saturday down on Brady Street in Milwaukee.  The salon and studio were closed, but this lone chandelier with the burned out light bulb was on.


Two of the other pictures I used were taken at Holy Hill, about 30 minutes west of Milwaukee.  I wasn't sure that the one of the stairs would qualify since the teacher kept talking about capturing photos at night or near dusk, but he did like my interpretation.



The other photo from Holy Hill was taken inside the chapel.  When I presented this photo in class, both the teacher and myself noticed that it came out too yellow due to the fact it was taken using candlelight.  So he put a blue filter on it to show me how it brought out more of the gray.  I did the same thing when I came home, and added a little more contrast.  That's how it's shown below and I like it a lot more.


Next week's assignment is a Photographic Study.  I have seen these presented online before, so I kind of know what I'm expected to present.  My teacher wants something studied that is older and has character.  I already took the photos of my subject yesterday, and I will post those after I'm critiqued on Wednesday.

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