Weekly Reflection

My first week of senior project.

This week I refreshed my photography skills. The themes I accomplished this week were nature and abstract. While I was photographing nature I practiced my photography skills of using the correct aperture to let in the perfect amount of light, focusing correctly to bring out the subject of the photo, and using the correct film and shutter speed on the camera. Knowing how to use these skills is important because they are what makes the picture. If there is too much light the picture is too dark and if you have too little light the picture is too light. If the subject of the picture is out of focus its not as strong. If the film used is too fast for the subject the picture will come out grainy, and if the film used is too slow for the subject the picture will come out blurry. The film I use has a speed range of 100-3200, 100 is the slowest and 3200 is the fastest. Shutter speed also affects the sharpness of the photo. If the shutter speed is very fast the subject in the photo will be sharper because it has less time to move, but if it is slower the subject has more time to move so the photo can be more blurry. I also got to practice my film developing skills, which really only entail rolling the film onto a reel. In the past I have had trouble with this particular skill but has improved with practice and that proved true this week when I put two roles of film on reels with out any trouble. Finally, I practiced my printing skills. To print a photo it is necessary to understand focus, aperture, contrast (tonal range), cleanliness of the negatives, and time. The focus of the print is important because with out it the subject of the photo is not as clear. The aperture ranges from 2.4-16. 2.4 is the most open and 16 is the least open. The more open the aperture the more light hits the photo paper and the print comes out darker and the less open the aperture the less light hits the photo paper and the print comes out lighter. Using filters while printing helps the contrast of the picture. Filters range from 1-5.5. 1 is the least and will create the least contrast on the print and 5.5. is the most and will really bring out the most contrast in the print. However, if the tonal range is too drastic the photo can loose it’s detail and can be compromised. The cleanliness of the negative is also important because if there is dust, scratches, or smudges on the negative it shows up on the print and the photo is changed. Finally, if you leave the light on the photo paper too long the print gets darker and if you leave it on for not long enough the print is too light. I took these photos and practice my shooting, developing, and printing skills because I need them too be successful at photography; moreover, I need to be good at photography to make a decent photography book. All of my actions during the week were routine and expected with not much surprise.