Emulating a Professional Photographer

Lee Friedlander (top)

Isabella Leite (bottom)

Overall, I think I have definitely achieved my course goals that I set out for myself at the beginning of the semester. When looking at my photographs from the first assignment to now, I have been able to improve aspects like lighting, composition, perspective, focus, as well as photo editing. I have also been able to analyze and look at others' photographs in a different light, and can pinpoint different features used to capture the image. In this assignment in particular, I used a disposable film camera to capture 2/3 photographs, which allowed me to expand beyond the capabilities of my iPhone & think about the different aspects learned in this course more meaningfully.

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My Best Photo

I think this was my most successful image as I was able to emulate Lee Friedlander's simplistic style of photography. Additionally, I believe that using a film camera aided in the similar grain of the photo. I also think the perspective from the side lighting that I utilized in the photo, creating the shadows are also reminiscent of Friedlander's photograph. I think the most challenging aspect of this assignment was firstly picking a photographer whose images I resonated with and found interesting. Secondly, the other challenging part of this assignment was being original to myself while emulating the photographer's style, and not trying to completely reproduce an already existing image. In the future to create stronger images, I will continue to push myself to photograph different objects, landscapes, scenes, and people that I might not typically think to take a picture of. I also want to try incorporating even more photographic techniques like composition and lighting, as I think this can elevate my photos further, and it is something I need to keep more in the forefront of my mind while I am trying to capture a photo.

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Comment on Another Student's Blog:

My comment: "Hi Nikki! I think you did a great job at emulating Meyerowitz's work. I really like how you were able to capture students sitting together, watching the dog walk by. I think the depth of field you used compliments the scene very well. Additionally, I really liked the choice you made with the lighting, as the shadows from the trees onto the ground are similar to that of Meyerowitz's photo. If I were to make this image more appealing and more similar to that of the photographer, I would look into possibly adjusting the color saturation. Great job!"

Student's Blog Post Link: https://nselberg.wixsite.com/my-site-1/post/emulating-a-professional-photographer