Week 1, 19.01.2017
10_FAVOURITE_SHOTS
Sir Martin gave us a task in which we were required to pick 5 of our favourite personal shots and another 5 by professional photographers. I must admit, it took me quite a while to browse through my photo album but I decided to use my latest images taken in 2016.
MINE.
This was taken back in Brunei a couple of weeks ago. Initially, the main aim was to capture the jet flying through the clouds (that white line at the centre). However, my friend happened to be standing on the rocks in front of me so I though it would be nice to set a contrast between the luminescent sky and his dark silhoutte. By doing so, I stepped down to create an elevation so that the background is entirely the sky, and to let the light dominate my friend’s physique.
This was when I got to explore my DSLR for the first time. I’m quite fond of this picture, really. Instead of a person, I used my friend’s dog as my subject. Its’ facial expression was intriguing to look at and I like how the neutral colours of the fur, the chair and the wall blended well together. Overtime, I realised how sad this looks because of the facial expression and the mood of this picture. However, I wish I took the composition into consideration (following the rule of thirds).
My family and I were in Hong Kong 3 years ago and this was taken from the Victoria Peak. From that perspective, the clearer buildings were the ones closer to me and I like how you could see civilisation dissipating through the fog, giving it some sort of depth. The nearer buildings have a darker contrast of tone when compared to those further at the back.
I took this in Berlin last year when I was strolling down the streets of Klingelhöferstraße with my school mates. As we were walking, the colours of the buildings just kept becoming duller and duller… until I stumbled upon an entrance to a supposedly hidden park filled with vibrant, autumnal trees. I was also pleased by the composition and the geometrical shapes of the windows, the doors, the pillars and the entrance to the park. I thought it was pretty captivating which was why I took this shot.
STRANGER
This is a picture of a stranger looking into my camera while I was waiting for the tram in Berlin. Despite the gloomy and irritably cold weather indicated by the black-and-white mood, he managed to crack a smile and it actually made my day. Besides him being my subject, I like that the tram tracks appeared like it was vanishing into one point as well as the buildings.
THEIRS.
Christopher Markisz took this photograph utilising the long exposure to show a neighbourhood being engulfed by the fog which assembles the appearance of waves. I like this image because it looks surreal as if it came straight out of a sci-fi film. I also like the range in values created by the trees and fog.
Your Shot photographer, Julius Y., captured a moment of a crowd of elderly people looking at a famous painting. I find this picture amusing as if the past is looking into the future through a window and vice versa. I really like that the painting has only men and a majority of the elderly crowd are men as well, which makes it extra hilarious. Moreover, I love how this image is underexposed and you could identify 2 different temperatures in here (the painting is warm and the crowd is cool).
This is a portrait of an 87 year-old man standing on the banks of the Ganges River. What kept me engaged were the markings on his face and body, and the contrast in colour as the man and the red cloth stood out the most when compared to the background. I also like the usage of natural lighting. All in all, I love the fact that he is the most prominent here.
This was taken by lifestyle photographer, Anson Smart. I love how the cake stands out because of the contrast of the bold colour when compared to the white setting. Also, food photography piques my interest.
This portrait of a woman was captured in 1950 by French photographer, Robert Doisneau. I am fond of the composition where the woman does not stand directly in the middle and her face shows a double vision, almost treating it like it is abnormal but in a pleasing way. I am also fascinated by the two values portrayed on her face when she was facing towards and away from the light.
“After looking through my photos, I realised that most of them were unintentional as in they were captured on the spur of the moment. I am not saying that it is a bad thing but what I hope is that I will be able to take photos of the way I want them to appear and gain knowledge on what makes a photo beautiful… or even ugly.”
Here’s the video version:
What. 