Weekly Comments

• Evan
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• Nicole

Blog 5: A Reflection

        After seeing everyone's TED Talks, I am amazed at how far everyone has come. We all had something amazing to show for our efforts, and that really goes to show how intrinsic motivation pushes us the most. While I'm sad that this project is over, I'm also excited. This may seem strange - why am I am excited when the fun part is over? The way I see it, this project was just an introduction into the world of photography that lies ahead of me. I've always liked pictures, but I've never set aside time to actually learn about the camera and focus of perfecting my craft. Now that I have, there's nothing that can stop me from following my passion. 

        

        I can definitely say that I will be continuing to pursue photography. I have already researching different cameras to buy for myself. I liked the camera I used for this project, but I'm looking for something a little more compact, but with a good quality lens. Basically in between a DSLR camera and small portable camera. I want to be practical, but I also feel like I have more advanced photography skills than the average person (I would hope so - I just spent 6 weeks learning about it). These types of cameras are still pretty expensive, but I think it is a good investment for me because it is a hobby I really enjoy.

        So, in terms of my TED Talk, I am happy with my presentation. I was really excited to share my pictures with the class, and I hope everyone liked them. The message I tried to portray, which was to get a strong foundation, really applied to my whole experience with photography. In the beginning, I attempted to take pictures without learning anything about my camera or photography in general. I went in completely blind, and that was a big mistake. I'm not the type of person who likes to read directions - I usually like to try to figure things out on my own. But this project taught me the importance of foundation. I learned that I would get so much more out of my experience if I just learned how to work my camera. 

        I think my TED Talk went well, but there is always room for improvement. I could be criticizing myself for how quietly I spoke or how much I looked at my notecards, but I think this project was really about finding your passion, and being able to display your passion to the audience. So, while I didn't give the best presentation I've ever given, I'm just happy that I could share my work. 

        I am really glad that I chose photography for my genius project. I don't know if I've said it enough, but I'm really not an artsy person. When we measured our right/left brain-ness, I was one of the people on the far right. With photography, I was really stepping outside of my comfort zone. But I'm glad I did. I discovered a whole new side of me that I never knew existed. Maybe I am a little artsy after all. 

 As an ode to this project, please enjoy this picture of me striking a pose in front of this door. 

Good luck to anyone who decides to continue to pursue their topic. Who knows - maybe I will continue to post my photos....

Blog 4: Ted Talk Tomorrow!

        So, I'm doing my Ted Talk tomorrow. I'm not sure what possessed me to go on Friday, so I hope my impulsiveness will pay off. I'm really excited, but also really nervous, to share my pictures with the class. I think I have a really strong message that can apply to many people.

        To get back on track....
        I combined my portrait and action shot unit and worked on that for the past week and a half. I was struggling with portraits, but I didn't want that to hold me back, so I took a break and moved on to action shots.

        I'll start with portraits. I had no idea how to begin to take pictures of people, since all of my subjects this far have been objects (and plants). So, I started by reading articles with tips and examples of portraits. I read some pretty interesting things, like how you should place the light and angle the camera above your subject's face, and if your subject is sitting, have them sit at the edge of their seat for the appearance of slimmer legs. I didn't really have any of my subjects sitting, but I did use the tip about the light. I didn't have many subjects, so my portraits are either of me or my sister.

        Here is another one of my FAB selfies (yes, this is a selfie). I have this huge window in my kitchen, so I stood right in front of it to get as much light as I could. The camera is blocking some of the light from reaching the right side of my face, which gives it a cool affect. The left side is brighter with softer edges and the right side is still bright, but not as much.

        I took a lot of selfies (a lot) but this was probably the best one.

        This portrait gives off a "classy" vibe. It's simple but still says a lot. I liked the texture of this wall, so I had Caroline stand in front of it. Everything else is simple, and I wanted to add a pop of something (besides her red dress). I read somewhere to angle your subject's shoulders - it looks better than having them squared at the camera. I also told her to look slightly over my shoulder.




        The portraits unit was probably the most difficult one. It takes me a while to figure out how I want my shot, so I found it easier to work with objects than people. But, I have to say it was fun taking all those selfies.


        Now for action shots. This unit was really fun! Even though I took pictures of less subjects, all together I had the most pictures for this unit. With action shots, you can take 20 pictures of seemingly the same thing, but only one of them has what you are looking for. Also, if you are trying to catch something fast, you may take 20 pictures, and find out that they are of nothing! It is all about the shutter speed. I had to adjust the shutter speed so that it was fast enough to catch the action, but not too fast so that not enough light could get in. If I set it at 1/400, which is really fast, the picture would turn out black. This is because it snaps the picture so fast, that light doesn't have enough time to enter. It was pretty hard to find that balance.

        But, I found it, and here are some of my favorites:

pardon my mom's hand

         I don't know if you can tell, but for some reason I like taking pictures of water...

So those are the highlights from my last two units of photography! I'm sad that this project is coming to an end, but I think my future in photography is just beginning!!

See you tomorrow at my Ted Talk!

Weekly Comments

Vlog Comments

• Dani
• Catelyn 
• Avery

Vlog!!

So I know everyone is complaining about having to listen to themselves over and over again on their vlog... but can you blame us? It is pure torture. Now I am aware of all the weird things I do when I talk... great. But hopefully my pain is your gain.

Enjoy!



Photography Vlog from Ellie Alberti on Vimeo.

Stay tuned - next week I'll be sharing my experiences with portraits and action shots!

Blog 3.5: Life in the Studio

      Quick Update!

        I just completed an amazing unit of still life photography! I'll be honest - this type of photography was much more difficult than nature pictures. Outside, the light comes naturally, so all I had to do was adjust my settings to best capture the light. When working inside, I had to seek out the best lighting options for my photos. In addition to that, I had to create my own composition. In nature, everything is just there. But with still life, the photographer has to seek out and create their own scene. So while it required much more thinking on my part, that's what made me enjoy it even more. With still life, I have so much more power over my pictures. I control the lighting and how everything looks. Nature is just there, but still life is your own.
        Still life is also more time consuming. I could set up my picture in a way that I thought was good, take the picture, and see that it was too dark. I would adjust the settings, but then it's too bright. So then I adjust it so it's just right, but then it's out of focus, so I had to move around the items in the picture. I would go on like this until I had 50 pictures of the same apple. But in the end, it was definitely worth it, because a lot of the pictures turned out to be really cool. Here are some of my favorites.

        Speaking of apples, these ones were an amazingly vibrant red, and I just had to take a picture. I set them up right in front of a big window, so that the light would really show off their color. I put a white cloth underneath them to reflect the light, but also so that the background wasn't distracting.

        These next two are some of my favorites. I really wanted to take a picture with the flame, but every shot I took was too blurry or had a weird lighting. So, I took a step back, and focused on the matches. It was definitely a struggle to get my camera to focus on the matches wince I got really close to them. But, I was patient, and snapped these two:

        I like the first one because the matches are front and center, but I also like the second one because you can see the candle and all of its layers. 

        I really like the lighting on this next one. I put these nesting dolls in front of a window, which I think makes the picture nice and bright. I also like the reflection they create on the wood table. I wanted to get the picture from the side to capture the sizes of the dolls, but when I did that, my entire kitchen was in the background. My kitchen table has extensions to make it longer, So I stood one up on the table to create a wooden background. It was like a little studio. the wood also created a dark side of the photo, which contrasts nicely with the side that's facing the window

My own studio

        I had a really good time photographing these vases. I love the texture and the reflecty-ness. The only problem I have with the picture is the background. It's not super distracting, but I'm not crazy about it. Who knows, artists seem to find beauty in everything, so maybe somehow it "tells a story". (Bonus points if you can find me in the reflection). 

Remember how I said I liked the reflecty-ness? Well... here's a (fab) selfie. 

So this was supposed to be a quick little update... but whatever. I can't believe there's less than two weeks left for this project. I'm glad to say that I feel like I have made some major improvements. On to portraits!

P.S. @efaphotography... you know what to do

Weekly Comments

• Sarah
• Margo
• Lili

Blog 3: Say Cheese!

        Welcome back! Its been about a week since my last post, but it was an extremely eventful week, so get ready.

     


        First, everyone go follow my instagram! This is my "portfolio". I choose a couple pictures from each unit and post them to display my work. I've already posted a bunch from my nature unit. Check it out! @efaphotography
(As you can see I don't have very many followers... also I follow back;))







        So, as you can probably tell, my first unit was nature, and I had a lot of fun with it. I chose it for my first unit because I am pretty comfortable with it. The history of my photography skills consists of me taking pictures when I am on vacation, so I thought it would be good to take pictures of things I was familiar with, but mess with the camera settings to apply what I have been researching.
        I know I said I had a lot of fun, and I did, but it was still really hard. I don't know if you've noticed, but when it's winter, (which it is right now) everything is dead. I walked around my yard and my neighborhood, but I couldn't find anything alive or that had color. I've been reading a lot of photography tips from Phoblographer and Digital Photography School who both say to get close to your subject. So, sure enough, I found myself crouching and crawling through trees and around my yard in order to get the perfect shot. Most of my pictures from this unit are close-ups, which is where I found the most success. Here are some of my favorites:

To get this picture, I had to climb through the branches of this tree. But, it was the last leaf on the tree, so it was definitely worth it. I was playing with the exposure on this one - the brightness of the snow in the background made it difficult to get a good exposure. This is considered to be over-exposed, but I like emphasis on the brightness of the snow. I also used a low aperture or f/stop, so the lens was wider which gives it a shallow depth of field. That's what makes the background blurry.


I really liked taking pictures of this bush. It has a beautiful green, and it was hard to find other plants that retained their colors. I tried focusing on the leaves and the ice, while making the background blurry. In the second one, the foreground is a bit blurry, the middle is in focus, and the background is blurry, but I like how it adds more dimension to the picture. I really like the brightness in the first one. Like I said, in winter everything is dead, so I tried to brighten up the mood by increasing the ISO, making it more sensitive to light.

        Here is another example of a low aperture setting. The focus is in the front, and the background is blurry. This tree was fun to photograph, since I could get it at so many angles. This angle was my favorite. 

        I know my nature unit was over last week, but when it started snowing today, I had to go out and take more pictures. Winter can feel dead, but when it snows it comes alive. Here are some pictures from today

       The falling  snowflakes were pretty big, so I tried to set my shutter speed really high to capture the flakes. I put my hand in the frame so the camera could focus on the foreground, and then moved it away before I snapped the pic. Here two of the many pictures I took:

        I didn't get the focus I was hoping for, but you can still see some of those flakes in the foreground. I still have a lot to learn before my action shot unit!

        All in all, the nature unit was a success. I think I made a lot of improvements and I feel much more comfortable with the settings on my camera. My next unit it still life. I've already started, and it is soooo much harder than nature. But, I'll save it for my next post! Talk to you later!

Weekly Comments

This week's comments:

• Nicole
• Sarah
• Zoe

Blog 2: Lights, Camera, Exposure

This is my camera.

   

        It is the Canon EOS Rebel XSi. Nothing too fancy, but much better than an iPhone 4, I have to say. This camera is a couple years old (and is my dad's). These next couple of weeks will let me know if I am actually interested in photography. If it turns out I become really invested in it and I really enjoy it, then I might consider investing in a camera of my own. If photography becomes a hobby of mine, I think it would be a good purchase to make.

        I'll be honest... I'm really not an "instruction manual" kind of person - I usually like to figure things out on my own. But considering I usually take pictures by turning the setting to the little green box (automatic), I thought I should do some reading to figure out what really controls the camera. It seemed silly to learn about the mechanics of a camera, since I am not learning out to build one, so I jumped right into the things that will actually affect my photos and how to control them.

Exposure
One of the most important things you can control in your camera is the amount of light that you let in. This is called exposure. If too much light is let in, the photo will be overexposed, and if not enough light is let in, the photo will be underexposed.

There are 3 main things the influence exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
(Disclaimer: I didn't take these photos)

Shutter Speed (movement)
Shutter speed is how long the lens remains open before it snaps the picture. 1/4 shutter speed is longer, so more light is let in. 1/400 is very quick, and less light can enter. Shutter speed can also affect moving things. 1/400 shutter speed will allow something to freeze in time, because it is very quick. 1/4 will make the moving object a blur. Other settings, like aperture and ISO can be played around with, so that you can take a quick snap that still lets enough light in.

Aperture (focus)

Aperture controls how open or closed the lens is. It is like the pupil of your eye - in a really bright setting, it will close up, and in a dark room, it will open to let in as much light as possible. Aperture controls the amount of blur in your photo. Opening the aperture gives a shallow depth of field (blur the background), and closing the aperture gives a wide depth of field (entire picture in focus). 

                                 Blurred                                       Focused

ISO (sensitivity)

ISO is the camera's sensitivity to light. Its almost like putting sunglasses on your camera. On a very bright day, you want to put sunglasses on to you camera to decrease the sensitivity to the sun (low ISO). When you're indoors where there is less light, you take off the sunglasses so your camera is more sensitive (high ISO). My camera has an ISO range of 100-1600, but a lot of cameras can go well over 1600. 

                                           Less sensitive                 More sensitive

I honestly thought researching this stuff would be boring, but it was actually really fun to read about it. I never knew what was really going on behind the lens. 

        I read a photography book called Read This if You Want to Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll (awesome title, right?). This book solidified my newly found knowledge on exposure, but taught me more about what the settings on that little dial on the camera mean.
        To summarize: the automatic and all of the "scene" settings (portrait, landscape, night, action) are bad. The camera adjusts all of the exposure setting to what it thinks is right. The Av (aperture priority), Tv/S (shutter speed priority) and P (ISO priority) are the best settings. In each, you can adjust whatever the priority is, and the camera will figure out the rest. This way, you can focus on one aspect of the picture (movement, focus, or brightness).


        I apologize that none of the photos in this post are mine. I really wanted to learn everything I could about my camera before I started shooting. I think it's important for me to understand what I am doing. The camera has a lot of cool features, and I want to utilize them all.

        Here is what my next few weeks will consist of:

• Nature/Landscape (outdoors, bright/hard light)
• Still life (indoors, low/soft light)
• Portraits
• Action shots (shutter speed)

       Great News! I have created an instagram where I will be displaying my work. Follow me at @efaphotography (I follow back) I will be posting soon!!

Weekly Comments:

• Catelyn
• Avery
• Dani

Blog 1: A New Lens

Getting Started
        First off, let me just say that choosing a Genius Project topic was very difficult for me. I wanted something that was simple yet complex, something that I would enjoy doing for six weeks and not get sick of, and finally, I wanted something that I would continue to pursue after the project is completed. I think that photography fits all of the criteria. It is a simple concept, yet I can take it in so many different directions that cater to my interests. I feel like my life is consumed by school and sports, so I'm really hoping that this project will allow me to take a step back and a deep breath, and look at things in a different perspective.

Motivation

        I took this pic during Spring break one year with my iPhone 4, but I wasn't really sure what I was doing – I saw a flower so I took a picture of it.

 My grandmother, who has been practicing art her entire life, took my picture, and turned it into a painting as a birthday present. 

        See the resemblance? I thought it was such a cool and personalized gift. My photography had inspired such a cool piece of art.

        This really opened my eyes to the greater impact photography has on us. It inspires many things such as memories, social interactions, and even art. We are able to share experiences with each other in a meaningful way. I have always been inspired by the finer moments in life, and I want to be able to bring back these moments with my photos. I don’t consider myself the artsy type, so I want to push myself to go outside my comfort zone and try something completely new. So, instead of just taking a simple picture with my phone, I want to be able to take it to the next level – and understand what I am doing and why I am doing it.

        To do this, I have set up a schedule for myself. This first week, I will do some research, and maybe play around with the setting on my camera. Mr. Perlman gave me some amazing sources to help me get started. The Phoblographer and Digital Photography School are great sources with amazing tips and tricks. 

        Next week, I will begin taking nature/landscape pictures. I think this is a good starting point for me, because these are the types of pictures I am drawn to. I have never really looked into photography techniques, but if you were to look through the pictures on my phone, you will come across a lot of pictures of the places that I go. If I ever go somewhere cool, I like to take a picture. But, I just whip out my phone and take the shot, I don't really pay attention to lighting, lines, or any other things photographers look at. Here are some examples of pictures from my phone from my trip to Italy.

     They aren't terrible (considering they were taken on an iPhone 4), but I don't think they are that good. I really hope that I will see improvements by the end of 6 weeks. 

Goals

        I will be creating an instagram to showcase my (hopefully) amazing artwork. I have already started following other successful photography instagrams for inspiration. Here are some of them:

 


I'll catch up with you later once I do some more research and take a few pics!


Side note: @worthathousandwords is already taken on instagram, so comment if you have any other suggestions!