Holiday Photography

The Holidays

These are the christmas lights hanging up in my bedroom.  I never take them down but I usually add to them around new years, except this year I can't.  I think pictures of lights look better with a blur effect so I edited it and made the photo a little brighter to show the lights better and their shape.  If I would take this photo again, I would do it with a better camera and at a different angle. 

This is a dog I got for valentine's day last year and it always reminds me of different holidays.  I was given it to me by a close friend who thinks it's only right to have a stuff animal or two in your bedroom, so here it is.  The Valentine's Day Holiday dog. 

This used to be what my grandmother called her "Holiday Sweater".  She had two of them; she would wear them on Christmas and New Year's when she stayed over and every year, that's what she wore.  I have a lot of memories attached to this sweater and I think it's a proper way to represent what the holidays mean to me.

Ice Photography

Ice Theme

Each one of these photos were taken on different days for the theme ice.  As time went by, I noticed more and more ice piling up on the window and I didn't think it would get this thick (bottom picture), but it did.  I think these are three of my favorite photos I've ever taken.  If I were to retake these photos, I would try and get a different angle to see what parts of the picture turn out sharper, which parts have more of a shadow, which parts reflect more of the background, etc.

Portrait Examples

http://photo.net/learn/portraits/

http://photo.net/learn/portraits/

http://www.cuded.com/2013/01/portrait-photography-by-nikola-borissov/

http://designsidea.com/portrait-photography/

http://www.shalimarbphotography.com/gallery/portrait-photography/

These are all photos without backgrounds, which sort of gives the portrait a sad feeling.  It makes me see them as nothing but alone and despite all the character in some of them, they all sort of give off a depressed sort of feeling.  The fact that they're black and white / lack much color also gives them a sad feeling. 

http://tamaralackeyblog.com/thanks-giving/tamaralackey/

http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-take-senior-portraits

http://tamaralackeyblog.com/tag/kids-portraits/page/2/

http://blog.yuestudio.com/2012/07/lets-play-childrens-photography-with.html

These photos all have backgrounds that give off a different feel than a blank background portrait.  Also, smiling or frowning or having no expression at all in a picture can bring out the character in someone.

Shadows

Shadow Photography

Shadows can be easily seen in this photo.  First, there's the light that shines onto each ledge, casting a short shadow onto the one below it.  Eventually, all those shadows pile up and there's the darkness on the edge of the ledges, hiding the flooring and only showing a select portion of the object being photographed.

You can easily see the shadow of the dog's ear and the darkness in the background, due to the tall figure she offers up in the picture.  There's also a shadow from the bottom of the bed, casting over the floor and shadows below her jawline, making this a prime example of shadow photography. 

This is the final photo for this post.  The shadows aren't as easily seen in this picture, but the shadow from the top of the bed casts over the dog and the ground, hiding everything slightly.  Another reason this is a good example of photography is the way it's set up; where the bed casts over everything else in the picture, giving the photo a feeling of coldness and depression, which I associate with shadows. 

Patterns

Pattern Photography

This photo isn't very clear but it's a good example of patterns, as it has many different kinds.  First, there's the squares / diamonds.  Second, there's the color pattern; from green to light green to white and such.  Finally, there's the patterns in the lines.  The crosshatch is a good example all on it's own. 

There's much more pattern in wood than anyone really realizes.  Even though the picture is hard to see, one can tell there's patterns in the smooth and rough divots in the wood work on my record player.

I love ugly sweaters; especially ones that have patterns on them.  First, there's the red fish.  Second, there's the green lines and then there's the diamonds.

Multi-View Image

Multi-View Image

I don't like it. It's too cluttered. There are too many pictures combined into one but this was the assignment. I really.. really don't like it. 

Decay Examples

Decay Examples

http://thefabweb.com/69058/surreal-beauty-of-earth-urban-decay-photography/ 

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/100-captivating-examples-of-urban-decay-photography/ 

http://exposureindevelopment.com/2013/08/26/photography-of-food-decay/ 

http://www.ebsqart.com/Artist/Jefferson-C-Hunt/737/Art-Portfolio/Currents-of-Decay/583099/

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/18/the-beauty-of-urban-decay/ 

http://www.inspiration.scottphotographics.com/urban-decay-photography/ 

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/30-incredible-examples-of-urban-decay-photography 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/murphyzmike/5503344518/ 

http://www.photographytuts.com/the-evocative-appeal-of-urban-decay-photography/ 

http://artcompetitionslist.blogspot.com/2012/10/matthias-haker-decay-photography.html

These are all good examples of decaying photography in the sense that in every one of them, things look old, abandoned and gloomy.  The structures in the photos seem to be falling apart; the dust litters each item and there are signs of aging.  It's like dying and going to a place you didn't want to meet again, only to find you're not the only dead thing there.