Mod 5 Digital Photography, Albertus Magnus College

Surrealist aesthetic

2007-07-21T10:34:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed creating these masterpieces! Well, perhaps they're not masterpieces, but putting them together really made me appreciate all the work that goes into an artist's painting. With so many possibilities to choose from it was challenging. I liked creating a plan and tailoring and tweeking the individual components to fit the image in my mind. My two favorite works are the following:

I like this one whic I entitled Educate because to me it represents the continuous drive to learn and aquire knowledge. With knowledge anything is possible.

I entitled this one Finality and while I found some of my other ones more aesthetically pleasing, I liked what I was able to create in this one. It represented to me how all things come to an end (through the clock and the faiding images) but that there is so much to be gained within each experience. This can be seen by the images of the birds that I was able to create in the negative space between the fading vertical rusty cloudshapes.

Digital portrait

2007-07-21T10:18:00.000-04:00

I used my son as the subject of my portrait, and as game as he was in the begining he really didn't like staying still for so long! He is a very expressive child so when I asked him to be calm and expressionless he was a bit confused. He was also confused at my use of a reflector...but he was very interested in how it worked! But I think that he finally got it and I was able to get some great pictures for the photo album!

My two favorites are of him with the brick background of the fireplace. I really liked how the light from the window bounces off his face. I chose to make the photos black and white because I think it helps to bring out the open and honest expression and feel that I was going for. I feel that the pictures below definately captured that in his expressions.

Macro Project

2007-07-21T10:02:00.000-04:00

It was so hard to pick from my macro selection. I shot some beautiful and delacate flowers. My favorites are below.

When my son cupped his hands around the delecate flowers I just fell in love with it. He did it so tenderly that it really created an image and a moment instead of just a picture. I thought the flowers were lovely in their simplicity and vivacity of color. The hot pink contrasted with the white and green is just striking. I loved playing with the focal black and white on this one, as well as several other macro pictures. I really think it helps to highlight the color of the flowers.

This was of a rosebud in my father's garden. I just enjoyed the classical simplicity of this picture. The red rose fading out into a black and white background touched me as romantic and I love how you can really see all the delecate folds of the petals.

Shadow and light

2007-07-21T09:31:00.000-04:00

When I visited the Met in June I was walking on the upper level over the dining area when I was suddenly blinded by the warmest and most brilliant ray of light coming in through the window. I love this picture because it really showcases exactly how bright and tangeable the rays actually were.

This was taken at the New England Aquarium in Boston in June as well. I really love how the figures frame the window of the tank. It was a quiet moment between my son and his father as they were talking about the sea creatures. The large fish in the corner really fills the left side and makes the picture interesting.

The Power of Editing

2007-07-21T09:09:00.000-04:00

Michelle, I found this lovely portrait on your fotothing space and found that with a little editing, I could reveal so much more than just a straight shot. I pumped up the blacks and added more contrast to the face.

Here is the "before" on the bottom and "after" on the top.

Portrait

2007-07-18T22:55:00.000-04:00

I have the worst luck ever when I try to complete the assignments. I finnally get my daughter dressed early enough to take her portrait before she goes to camp, and there is no sun shining in because it is cloudy. I will certainly try again. Sorry about her hair! I said I got her dressed for the picture, I did her hair onthe way to camp. Again, the class has been a blast and I am glad I had the chance to meet all of you inthe class. I believe if you put your mind to it you can create something, and we all have a little creativity in us somewhere!!!!!

Second Portrait

2007-07-18T18:35:00.000-04:00

This is the second portrait. I did some work with Picasa to change things around slightly. I think I'm going to master that utility yet...

Surrealism

2007-07-18T16:46:00.000-04:00

This assignment was tough for me. I don't real understand what drives an artist to create surrealism, so it was difficult for me to create pictures that others would look at. So here they are.

Thanks for all your kind comments on Fotothing and this blog, good luck to you all.

Matt

Surrealism

2007-07-18T12:19:00.001-04:00

These were fun but I admit I had to get my mind into it as it is VERY different than what we have been doing up to this point. It's interesting what we can come up and how different the results are considering we are all using the same tools.

Portrait

2007-07-18T12:12:00.001-04:00

Here are two shots from the digital portrait assignment. (More on fotothing as always!) These were a great deal of fun to take and tricky too. I still have much to learn but this assignment definitely helped me gain some perspective on capturing a good portrait.

2007-07-17T22:20:00.000-04:00

I had so much fun in this class. I learned so much about myself in addition to my new camera and digital photography. This was my first online only course and I think that I handled it good for my first time. I enjoyed viewing, commenting, and learning from everyones pictures. They were all very creative and well done. I would like to thank Jerry Nevins for putting up with me emailing all of my questions and for answering them. I hope we all comtinue to use our cameras as artist. It was a blast!!!!

The Surrealist Aesthetic

2007-07-16T22:32:00.000-04:00

Remaining images will be posted on Tuesday

One for the Road

2007-07-16T22:08:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, I just want to wish everyone luck. I learned a lot from this course and have seen tremendous improvement with my picture taking and my cropping and editing. it is a real good start to what i wanted to take away from this class. I am one course away from my Bachelor degree. Yes. I hope to find another interesting on line class that is fun since I met all my requirements. It was great viewing your photos and thanks for all the comments. Julie

Surrealistic Pillow

2007-07-16T21:38:00.001-04:00

The assignment turned out to be a great deal of fun! The Wadsworth Atheneum site had a pretty cool group of images to play with and manipulate. I tried to make this picture suggest an emotion...we'll see if that works as well as I'd have liked.
Dali Salvador:
Diary Of A Genius is a great read. Looks like we are down to the wire on this class & I hope you all have a great (remainder of the) summer.

2007-07-16T20:50:00.000-04:00

So much to do and no clue where the manuel is.

I brought a new camera durring this class session,

and I finally figured out where and how to use the

macro button. Once I found that, I found other

great features on my camera. Like there is some

intensified zoom that can zoom in item far away

like a boat in the water while you aare on shore.

It was funny because once I was ready to use

macro I had to put effort in finding worthy

flowers.

2007-07-16T20:40:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

I finally had the chance to take a nice walk

on long wharf. I was hoping for low tide but

what I got was all right. It was a beautiful

morning to have a reason to go out and walk

on the beach. All the pictures of water I tried

to take were a lot of fun. I was trying to time

the waves coing in so there would be some

kind of ripple effect. I had fun getting my feet

wet for the sake of photography. I hope you

all like my pics!!!!

Week Seven (7) The Surrealist Aesthetic: Composited & Constructed realities.

2007-07-15T23:55:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,

WOW, week seven has arrived!!

I want to thank all of you for sharing your photos with me; I had a BLAST learning all this stuff. I wish I could say my other classes were as fun. This class provided me with a jolt of creativity which I plan to continue to implement in my life.

The Surrealist Assignment's that have been submitted so far are fantastic - I will post my results within the next day or two.

Peace, and remember it is all about the light... :)

Susan

Portraits

2007-07-13T23:31:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, I am working on portraits. This is harder than I thought because of focus and natural light. Sometimes you control the image and sometimes you dont. So I am going to wrap this class up with this project and continue to upload portraits. Here are some that I took and edited to BW. See my fotothing for more and more to come. Julie

Surrealism - Clarity

2007-07-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

Finally, it's me one more time "Bridget Franklin." This is my last piece on Surrealism called Clarity. Again, don't ask me why I named it Clarity. It just felt good. With all of the stuff going on in the world today, I thought I needed a little Clarity.

All during the four years of school my cup was running over, my plate was full and my stomach could take another spoon full. So there you have. MY FINAL CLASS AND MY FINAL PIECE CALL "CLARITY"

I am no longer BLUE about all of the WORK it took to get here. There is a light at the end if this BLUE TUNNEL because it took som BLUE BALLS to get here.

Peace!!

Surrealism - Whirlwind

2007-07-13T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, it's me "Bridget Franklin." Well I guess I'll start by saying this class has been very interesting and definitely enlighting. I will never look through the lens of a camera the same way.

According to the syllabus, I believe this is the last blogging assignment and by far the most intriguing one yet. Surrealism is definitely about making nothing out of something or you could say the other way around which to me is what I call ART. Whenever you can take objects of any sort and put them in together based on an person imagination is definitely what I call ART.

I especially enjoyed this project because it made me put thought into my creation. I hope you enjoy the selections I chosen to share with the class. This is one of my favorite pieces I designed on the Surrealism website and I call it Surrealism - Whirlwind. Don't ask me why, I just felt the urge to name it that.

Sorry about posting two separate blogs, I still haven't quite figured out how to get two pictures on the same blog. That has only happened once during the 8 weeks we've been blogging as a class. Thanks to Mr. Nevins for all the help you've given me and for teaching us all of the neat tricks on using a digital camera.

Peace!

Macro!

2007-07-12T19:28:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed the macro assignment especially. In the first photograph this pepper looks huge, but in reality it is only a baby pepper---still growing and barely larger than the size of the leaf next to it. I liked the lighting in the second photograph. The garden turned out to be a good location for this assignment.

Shadows and Light

2007-07-10T13:36:00.000-04:00

Just another day walking around with my

camera waiting ti find the right image to

capture. I loved how the light was shining

through the tree limbs onto the gress. I

like taking pictures of tall buildings. This

one has the sun light behind them making

the shadow appear. My shadow taking a

picture of the light shining of the water

fountain.

2007-07-10T13:22:00.000-04:00

It all started with me looking around for shadows. Then I saw somw flowers on the ground. I tried putting my camera on the ground to see how the picture would come out. The first few were coming out blurry, so I tilted the camera up. I liked it so here it is. I call it an ant's view of Down Town New Haven.

I always wanted to get a camera good enough to take a clean picture of moving water. This is of a multiple streaming fountain, where I zoomed in on one jet.

My Two Nieces

2007-07-09T21:20:00.000-04:00

When I first read about this assignment in our syllabus, I knew the subject of it would be these two girls. It was the first time I actually thought about the light on a persons face. I started with just taking single portraits of each girl, but after I uploaded them to my computer, I found the pictures of the two of them came out fairly good. I was surprised how I could manipulate the light to hit their faces just by posing them. This was a fun assignment and I know I'll be practicing the techniques I learned here in the future.

Shadows & Light

2007-07-09T20:32:00.000-04:00

These shots were taken a few weeks apart.

The fireworks are from July 3. There were tons of people with bonfires on the beach who were celebrating and blowing things up. This shot felt as if it were part of a documentary. Somehow this came out other-worldly.

The shadowy buildings are seen from the NEST artist space in Bridgeport and were taken during a bit of rain and during a musical show that was taking place. I don't know why I like this one. It suggests a picture more so than is overtly a picture.

Nearing the End......

2007-07-09T14:12:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone...

Just a heads up that the end of class is fast approaching.... Some of you still need to post more images to your fotothing portfolio. The minimum that I have asked for is 6 - 10 for each assignment. As you know, foththing only allows 10 images per day to be uploaded on the free account. The cutoff for submitting work will be Wednesday, July 18th. As a general rule, 65 pictures posted would be a nice median number to shoot for. More are always welcome. Do try to submit your best, edited work and work that fulfills the assignment for each week.

This has been a great group. Keep up the good work!

-Jerry

Abstracts!!!!

2007-07-08T19:54:00.001-04:00

I had fun playing with the Athenaeum site! Once I figured out how to work it, the options were endless! The first image is my vision of our class. I took each assignment and tried to portray them in my work. For the second image (this was the first one I made.) I named it success because I had finally found a vision and went with it.

What a pleasure to have worked with all of you for these 8 weeks. I truly appreciate the work that everyone has put into this class because it has helped me to open my mind to photography. Best of luck to everyone!! Jess!

Truthful Expression

2007-07-08T19:05:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, its me "Bridget Franklin." Once again I had a great time taking photo's this week. I choose my youngest daughter Ashley whose very photogenic as you can see from the my selections this week. Our topic for this week was to take "Watch the light on the face, wait for an open, truthful expression and create a simple but beautiful portrait."

Portrait number one was taken at the front door of my living room, late in the afternoon while the sun was beaming on the front of my house. Portrait number two was taken from a different angel in my living room during the same time of day only the sun was facing her.

I hope you enjoy my choices for this week and my beautiful daughter. She wants to be an actress, so consider this her debut.

Peace, Truthful Expression's

2007-07-08T11:18:00.000-04:00

Week Six (6) Digital Portrait
Mona 9 years old

Models can be tempermental
and the ones in this shoot were no different. They demanded chocolate fish kibbles and background music of Diana Krall...

Abstracts from Athanaeum site

2007-07-06T21:52:00.000-04:00

Here are two of my abtracts from the athanaeum site. I call the first one tree of tranquility and the 2nd one land of the pink glass. I thought this assignment was fun and will do a couple more to post on my fotothing. I am going a little out of order as I still have my portrait series to finish. My daughter model never seems to think she looks good enough today!! Hopefully this weekend. Learning a lot!! Julie

Matt's Macro

2007-07-06T16:25:00.000-04:00

I've always enjoy taking pictures of flowers, everywhere I travel I tend to come home with at least six pictures of flowers from there. It wasn't until I took this class and read my cameras manual, that I realized there was a macro setting. I now wish I read the directions when I got the camera, I guess that's me being as man!

I will definitely be using the macro option again and again.

Digital Portrait (Week 6)

2007-07-02T22:09:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Here are my two picks for the digital portrait assignment. At first I wasn't going to take pictures of my son Ryan. This is the week he had a very bad fever and was not feeling well. During the day he kept going into the formal room and hanging out by the window, so I figured I would take a few shots. I am very glad I did! I feel this is my best work so far. I could not have asked for a more precious moment of my little man! The other shots on my fotothing page really tell the story of him looking out the window waiting for my husband. As soon as daddy pulls in the driveway, we are all smiles again!

Flowers

2007-07-01T18:35:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, this is my second choice for this week. What a great close of shot of a red lilly. Check out the black spots on the pedals of this flower. You really can't see the black from a distant. You need to be really close to actually see the black in this flower. Another great shot of another great flower from my garden. Like I said earlier, don't forget to smell the roses!!

Peace & Flowers
Bridget franklin

Flowers

2007-07-01T18:28:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone it's "Bridget Franklin." I hope things are well with everyone. I found this weeks assignment to be the most interesting seeing that I love flowers. Both of my photos are from my own gardens around my house.

This is a close up photo of a daisy. Isn't it wonderful. I had so many choices to make from the photo's I took and this by far is one of my favorites. During this time of year in particular, the flowers are in full blossom and in full color. I hope you enjoy the vibrant colors found in this photo.

Please remember to view my fotothing pictures. I had a hard time selecting the tow photo's for this weeks assignment. To me, all of them are great.

Don't forget to smell the Roses!!!! (smile)
Bridget

Seashore

2007-07-01T13:13:00.000-04:00

On June 15 I went to Boston's north shore and took some shots of the rocky coast. The shot to the left was very enjoyable to take. The light off the rocks was interesting to capture and the white crests of the waves really complemented the texture of the rocks. I love how the ocean water pooled and reflected the sunlight in the crevices on the rocks.

The picture below really captured the stark coloring of the landscape and the feel of the area. I love the color of the grasses and their windblown appearence.
I also took a road trip out to one of my favorite towns on the cape and captured some lovely shots of dunes, coves and sunsets. Those are posted on my blog along with some other pictures of the north shore. I love the shot below with the sea foam and child's footprint in the sand. I used the soft focus effect in picasa to emphasize the footprint.

View Down Town

2007-06-30T23:48:00.000-04:00

I had the chance to walk around the center of New Haven. The way the buildings cross eachother when looking through them at the sky. One picture was taken in between (courtyard) the Federal post office and all of the city hall buildings. I had fun walking aroud down town for homework and being able to get some things done off my to do list!!

The other picture is an allie way between a building and a bank on Church st. I was actually on my way to the bank when the frame of the building caught my eye. Then I saw the arrow on the ground and I decided to take the picture.

portraits

2007-06-29T23:59:00.001-04:00

Begnning my work on portrait in natural light. This is my grandaughter Camryn. I have a commitment from my daughter Jaime to work with me and pose for a few. (not the mom) and she said yes. She is an art student. Stay tuned. Julie

Deep shadows, brilliant highlights

2007-06-29T19:07:00.000-04:00

I like the lighting in the first photo. Something about the light and shadow makes it somewhat somber. This second photo happened by accident. It's a shot of a roof window taken during the day in natural light in my living room, and the ceiling is in fact painted white. I think it's neat. I altered it a little bit more in Photoshop, and this image can be seen on Fotothing.

Macro

2007-06-29T08:41:00.001-04:00

Here are my two favorite macros. The tomato is almost ready for picking. The flower looks like it is dancing! I am going to continue working on macros. I think they turn out very interesting and give you another perspective on plant and animal life from the closest point of view!

Shadows and Light Week 4

2007-06-26T23:22:00.001-04:00

These are my shadow and light entries to our blog. I was able to borrow my friends camera for the moon shot. With his camera (a Nikon D50, real nice! Thanks Ross) I was able to attach it to my telescope to get the moon photos. I took it with the intention of getting the shadow line of the moon in better detail, but after 50 or so pictures, I was not able to get the results that I wanted. I felt this photo was the best of the bunch I took. The shadows on the moon are awesome and very dimensional when viewed through the telescope and that is what I was hoping to capture that during this shoot. The cloud photo was taken while I was at a car show and a storm rolled in. The definite line of the storm cloud and the blue sky was amazing.

Shadows and Light

2007-06-25T20:28:00.000-04:00

Here are my shadows and light photos. I will continue to experiment with this assignment. I had some late afternoon light coming through my skylights and I thought I would take advantage of the moment. At the same time it was time to relax after a hard Monday at work so I took advantage of that too!!! You can guess from the photo! The sunny photo is above my umbrella on my deck. Julie

Sunlight - Palm Tree

2007-06-24T22:51:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, it's me again with photo #2 for this weeks assignment. I told you guys that I took a trip to Manning, SC. Well this is my second choice for this week. I zoomed in onto the top of a beautiful Palm Tree and I was just lucky enough to capture some of the beautiful blue sky and clouds above the Palm that day. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Until next week. (Boy was it hot in South Carolina)

Peace, Bridget Franklin

Shadows

2007-06-24T22:42:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, It's me "Bridget Franklin". I Hope all is well with everyone. I just got back from a trip to Manning, SC. It was definitely hot there. If you check out some of the photo's I posted on Fotothing, you'll see a picture of the top of a beautiful Palm Tree I took. The picture on this Blog is a Self Shadow of myself in my back yard. It's amazing what you can do with a camera when you put a little effort into it. I could decide on which of the photo's I liked best, so I decided to go with this since this weeks assigment was on shadows and light. I hope you like it

Beaches

2007-06-23T20:05:00.001-04:00

HI everyone, I am a little behind. Had a business trip and a prior rainy weekend. I just got to the beach today. It was a perfect day. I took my mom on the photo shoot and also shared with her tips from this class for her since she just purchased a new digital camera. See my other photos on my fotothing. I like these pictures because they are tranquil and sparkling on such a clear day.

Macros! Macros! Macros!

2007-06-23T11:02:00.000-04:00

Here are my two best photos for Macro week. First shot is the strawberries we picked from Bishops Orchard. I had to find the perfect light in the backyard for this one. It took awhile but well worth it. Strawberries anyone???

The second shot was taken early in the morning in my garden. When I went outside that morning, my first thought was not to take pictures of the wet leaves. But as I was walking around I noticed how pretty the morning dew looked on the plants and then voilà...some pretty cool macro shots when you didn't plan on finding any!

Week Five (5) God is in the Details

2007-06-21T23:42:00.000-04:00

Perrotti's Nursery
New Haven, CT

No sooner did I reach for my camera, the sun departed and I was left with an overcast of clouds, and yet the flowers continued to shine...
For more see Susan's portfolio

2007-06-21T11:37:00.000-04:00

I had to wait a few days to get these because we had a trip planned to the New Haven's Lighthouse Park and Carousel. The pictures were taken around dusk 7:30pm. I still have to learn how to take picture were the sun is beaming straight at me. This picture above is from inside the Carousel house facing out to Long Island Sound.

this picture below is of the Lighthouse itself which also has a house built below it. Were almost were able to go uptop but the staff wanted to go home for the night.

Wildemere Beach

2007-06-20T21:53:00.001-04:00

The beach across the street from our house is seeing a bit of renewed interest and while more and more houses go up for sale, there are still a few reminders that this was (very recently) a rough and tumble working class neighborhood moreso than a weekend getaway for the neuveau riche. The shape of the outlet of the stormpipe always draws my attention for some reason.

2007-06-20T18:13:00.000-04:00

I like this photograph because it captures the edge of a pond in great detail---the "little details" of pond life are the focus. I am trying to concentrate on the fine points as opposed to the bigger picture. I also like how the light is reflected here.

Step into (or out of) the liiiiight!

2007-06-18T20:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, I had a blast this week with these shots. I found myself looking at the lights and shadows of EVERYTHING! The first one with the window was taken at my father's new house. As he was giving the tour...I was taking pictures. We went at around 7pm and I was lucky I got the shot when I did, because there is a big hill that was just about to steal my sun.

The last shot is the chandelier from below. I like this one because I got creative with iPhoto and made it look like a the burning sun!

The middle shot is my favorite for this week. It was taken early in the morning at my home. The sun shines perfectly on the front of the house. I am lovin' the sunny days!! Awesome assignment this week!

Shadows and Light

2007-06-18T11:50:00.000-04:00

Taken from my back deck

This flash of light is the sun beaming through a skylight

Entrance: light reflecting through the windows, and doors on the floor

These photos were taken early this morning in, out, and around my house.

Minor Martin White

2007-06-18T11:10:00.000-04:00

He started studying plant biology (Botany) with a minor in English, to poetry to photographer, to studying aesthetics and art history; he was an editor, curator, and co-founded the magazine Aperture, he taught at Rochester Institute of Technology and MIT...I wonder what he did in his spare time?

When I see a photograph that I connect with either spiritually, emotionally, or mentally, and then the photo lingers in my mind after it is no longer in my sight, I'm glad to know it has a name - "Equivalence" - reading the suggested articles help me identify with what I am trying to convey, and builds my "photo lingo".

Thanks!
Susan
skim

Rocks & Sand - Week 3

2007-06-17T21:05:00.000-04:00

Good evening everyone it's me, "Bridget Franklin" giving you a taste of one Milford, Connecticut's beautiful beach shores. Both photo's where taken at low tide. The photo on the top is of a wall of rocks that protects one of Milford's local neighbor from the high tides. The distance from the street level down takes about twenty steps to walk in order to get to the sand area. This is where I am stood to take this picture.

The second photo is a close up shoot of the sand. As you can see, the ripple effects low tide has on the sand. So if you look at the top of picture two, the ocean is just beyond the horizon. I hope you like the two picture I choose as my best for this week. I upload several others on fotothing. Please feel free to check them out. Until next week, stay cool.

On the Beach

2007-06-16T18:55:00.000-04:00

These were taken in Milford at Silver Sands beach about an hour before sunset. I tried to concentrate on the light and the textures. I find it amazing, when I'm struggling to find the right shot and it just appears. For instance, I've never thought the lifeguard tower on the beach would make for a good shot, but the way the clouds were that evening, it just wanted to capture that view.

Ansel Adams Photographer - Biography

2007-06-15T21:46:00.000-04:00

All his photos are magnificent because he captures the pure, raw, beauty of the outdoors. I was about five years old when I saw my first Ansel Adams photograph - it hung in my parents reading room - even today I still find it as hauntingly beautiful as I did than. - Moonrise Hernandez -

By the Sea

2007-06-14T23:46:00.000-04:00

Branford Point
A place where I go to exhale...

This reminded me of the surface of the moon...

The Sun

2007-06-14T17:11:00.000-04:00

Hello,

I am looking forward to take pictures along the shore...but where is the sun?

Susan
skim

dark stairway.

2007-06-14T13:37:00.000-04:00

These 2 shots were taken inside of Heindre Hall at Yale University. I tried really hard in these shots to keep things really even on all sides. The building is 6 floors with 20' high ceilings and no elevator, so this staircase is huge, the windows have a slight glaze on them so you can't see out but its just enough to light up the staircase. I tried to tie in the darkness of the staircase to the contrast in the always lit up windows to give a feel for the age of the building. The detail in the windows and the railings is something you rarely see anymore, the latice under the railings is all stone the whole way up the staircase that has more detailing not shown here. A lot of people that work in this building will be sad to see it go even though it can be difficult to get around sometimes because of its age and wear that is present everywhere.

I'm not sure that I set up my fotothing correct, so here's the url: http://www.fotothing.com/bm222/

West Haven

2007-06-13T07:10:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!!!! I took these shots in West Haven last week. After taking the pictures, I do wish I had better sun that day. It was full sun around noon...I am learning!! This was an interesting task for me. I am still looking at things, rather than looking to find the beauty and depth in my work.

From all my pictures, I think these two are my best. The first for the poles that seem to be in line with the horizon. And the second because it is a great close-up of one of the nicer shells I found. Until Next week!!!

Downtown New Haven

2007-06-12T20:02:00.000-04:00

Here are two photographs I snapped this past Sunday when in New Haven. It was raining on Sunday as you might recall, which resulted in me jumping in and out of the car to get my pictures. In the midst of this, I noticed the shadow of my reflection in the still puddles on the side of the city street and decided to take this:

For this second one, I was immediately drawn to this archway because I love when sculpture meets architecture. I was able to climb onto the base of the arch to get a closer shot and a more interesting angle.

Arch's of Yale.

2007-06-12T13:04:00.000-04:00

So I guess that I have an for arches, Yale University has some incredible architecture new and old. I've worked here for years and still find new and cool places to see. The picture above was taken outside Heindre Hall at the Yale School of Music and leads out to the New Haven Green. The Ivy goes up over 6 stories high but can only been seen from this ally way that most people never see. The building is set to be torn down in 2008 so its nice to have these types of photos before the new building goes up.

Below is another arch gateway at Yale leading through to a garden and then eventually another street behind it. I walk this way everyday and have never noticed this spot until I went looking. I really wanted to move the hose but the gardens weren't to sympathetic to me asking. I'm not sure why but I really like the arch ways i've seen, most like this one have the mid-evil style door that leads to stone gardens and walkways.

Several sides of Boston

2007-06-12T10:30:00.001-04:00

I went to Boston this past weekend and got many wonderful shots. Unfortunately, I had planned to take pictures on Saturday and since it was overcast, I had some difficulty catching good lighting. I played around with the effects in Picasa and I think it really helped to compensate. Working with the muted tones gave the pictures an aged feel which lent itself well to one of the oldest cities in this country. The church to the left was a magnificent piece of architecture dating back to 1670. The texture and detail was very rich and I enjoyed playing with the coloring to bring out the earthy tones. I will be posting more of the church on Fotothing.

The shot below was irresistible. I have several without the fence in the foreground, but I liked how the fence gave the feeling that this particular area was somehow separated from the rest of
the city. I thought it added to the run down, abandoned, industrial feel of the photo.

Yea! Light! I captured this one after my excursion to the Museum of Fine Arts on Sunday. Located just behind the museum, I spotted this building on the way back to the car and felt it had a similar feel to some of my shots from the previous day.

READING MATERIAL FOR CLASS

2007-06-10T19:49:00.000-04:00

Greetings to all on this Sunday Evening,

Along with taking the photos for each assignment, I find the reading material for class very helpful: simple, direct, and to the point. And if you implement the suggestions that are in the articles, they work!!

I found the article Photography - Not Pictorial, written by Edward Weston most interesting because the article he wrote is about photography but it can also be applied to life...

Have a good one.

S Kim

Wallingford Wishing Well

2007-06-10T15:34:00.001-04:00

Here is a wishing well in Wallingford. What do you think the last person that sat there was wishing for. Do you think it had something to do with another beer? This is quite an interesting structure. Next time you are on Main St. in Wallingford, stop by and make a wish!!

2007-06-10T14:36:00.000-04:00

Here is the close up of the wind thing in front of their sign. (see photo below) They were closed today!

Cheshire Cafe

2007-06-10T14:35:00.000-04:00

I took this photo across from the Cheshire Watch Factory. It looked lonely. Notice the wind thing hanging in the window. I took a close up of it. It is pretty cool looking. See my other downtown photos in my fotothing. I had a good time walking around Cheshire and Wallingford. People are very interested in photographers.

Yale University - New Haven

2007-06-09T18:21:00.000-04:00

Wow, this just keeps getting better and better. This is Picture #1 and my second attempt at blogging this one. I blogged and saved this picture but I can't seem to locate it. I wasn't sure how to add a second picture. Oh well here goes another beauty. Can you believe it came from the same camera. Wow again!! (smile) I did this you guys. (smile) One of my favorite places in New Haven is the Yale University Campus. A lot of sweat went into building that campus, if you get my drift. I hope your enjoying this class as much as I am.

Until Next week.
Bridget Franklin

2007-06-09T18:05:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, here's Picture # 2 of the beautiful Downtown Yale campus building. It's amazing what a little thought can produce. In all of my years of using a camera, I don't think I've ever capture anything more beautiful. Just take a look at the shadows on the buildings from the trees and the natural light sunlight. Wow. I hope you enjoy these two photos as much as I did. Please view my fotothing. I had several others I could have choosen from. I almost feel light a professional. (smile) Your suppose to laugh at that.

Thanks
Bridget Franklin

Downtown Branford

2007-06-08T23:33:00.001-04:00

An explosion of
colors and light - reflections and images.

New Haven - Audubon Street

2007-06-08T23:00:00.000-04:00

The various designs and colors along with the reflection of the light on the brick columns and the images in the windows inspired me to take this photo - hope you like it too!

You Can Even Post From the Mall

2007-06-08T18:22:00.000-04:00

Debbie, my wife came home from work today earlier than usual and asked me to join her at the Danbury Mall... So where do I head?... The Apple Store, of course. I'm working on a very cool G5 Mac Pro and a 30" wide screen monitor... all with the latest version of Photoshop CS3 loaded... good to go!

Here is an abstraction I just created (didn't bring my camera this time... so I just illustrated it in PS)... So by all means travel! That is the point of an online class!

PS... to see it larger, just click on the image....

PPS..... Remember to refresh your browser to see new new posts.....

What "NOT" To Do

2007-06-08T11:57:00.000-04:00

This week I am asking you to walk in a town setting and look for interesting reflections, light, shadows, angles, points of view. Beginners think that you take pictures "of things"... That is "There is a building, sculpture, whatever" and just press the shutter button.... That's not good enough! You need to take a walk... slowly and look for new angles, light and design. Fill the frame, make an abstraction... find details.. be observant. There is nothing more boring than a picture of a whole building (That belongs in the real estate for sale classifieds) or a whole car... (ditto, car for sale).

Here are dome interesting images illustrating some possibilities, culled randomly from flickr.com...

1. Reflections in a window somewhere in Texas

2. Just a handle casting a shadow... Green is good...

3. What about a stroll on a warm night?

4. There are glass buildings in both New Haven and Hartford.... It's about the reflection and the design that relates the visual weight of the sky against the building... in balance....

The possibilities are endless... don't be lazy now... :-)

Milford's iconic bridge

2007-06-06T20:44:00.001-04:00

These are two pictures of the same structure. The tower is the "Icon" of Milford and the arch is the actual bridge know as the stonebridge. Today this bridge is located on New Haven Ave. and the water leads to Milford Harbor. This was a harder assignment then I originally thought. I had all these ideas of what to shoot and when I got to the sites the light wasn't right or it didn't feel right. I took some other shots of downtown Milford that you can see on Fotothing.

DownTown Windows

2007-06-06T11:44:00.000-04:00

Hello!!!!!

My name is Michelle Barnes. This is a reflection of myself through a window at a down town office on Church Street. I was waiting for my siseter to come out of the bank and I saw a window and I had a camera. I have always enjoyed taking pictures as an art. Other arts like poetry, dancing, and music also interests me and brings out my creative side. I am excited to what I will learn in taking this class. I am hoping that it will give me more confidence with both taking pictures and using programs on the computer. With this class I will be an Albertus Magnus Graduate!

The Bowery

2007-06-05T21:43:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to tag along to the Bowery to an event this past Sunday and took a few pictures in and around the area. It is very interesting how different the Lower East Side looks each time that one travels down there. Here are two pictures that I felt strongest about. I have long had a soft spot for graffiti. I believe that it is quite interesting to make reclaim something and make art where there has been none. Marion's Continental is one of those throwback cocktail bars where they still make a mean highball and the clientele is as idiosyncratic as it is literate.

Week Two: New Haven!

2007-06-05T07:14:00.001-04:00

Hi All!!

Here are my two Downtown shots! For the first one, I was on the top level of the Temple Street Parking Garage. I took several pictures of the city from above but this was my favorite. When I look at it, it takes me to some place other than downtown New Haven, somewhere quiet and peaceful.

The other picture was taken from one of the luxury apartments on the corner. I was too afraid to go on the building's rooftop, but I thought this was a very cool shot...when do you ever get to see a street sign that close?

solo photo shoot

2007-06-05T01:10:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,
After some slight technical difficulties and a long weekend i finally made my way to the class blog. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's shots throughout the class...I already checked out a bunch of them and they look fantastic. I had a lot of fun playing with my 3 way mirror...got some fun (and some very interesting !) shots. I can't wait to learn how to get the most out of my camera and get better at taking photos. My fotothing site is: http://www.fotothing.com/nelladonna

Bridget's Self Portrait

2007-06-03T21:47:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! Introducing the woman who knows absolutely nothing about blogging. After several failed tries and a call to our professor, I finally got it. I do believe this was a mountain worthwhile climbing.

My name is Bridget Franklin and I am glad to be apart of this course. After 4 years and 3 credits to go, I finally made it. Luckily for me, Albertus let me march down the isle's on May 20th to make this mission in my life complete. As you can tell, I am very new at this photo-graphy thing. I brought my Canon digital camera years ago, but its been way under utilized.

Well I've enjoy everyone's photo thus far and look forward to seeing the ones to come. My fotothing account is: http://www.fotothing.com/bfranklin

Yeppie, I did it! (smile)

Self-portrait

2007-06-03T21:28:00.000-04:00

Hey, everyone. I am Rachael, a sophomore at Albertus. Here's my stab at the self-portrait. Snapped in natural morning light with slight lighting modification using Photoshop. I suppose I like it because it is "neat" with the background blacked out. You can view some others; I'm rmleary on Fotothing. :)

2007-06-03T17:11:00.000-04:00

Welcome Julie,

Seeing your face on the coffee pot put a smile on my face, the photo is bright, and cheerful!

Susan

Morning Coffee

2007-06-03T16:53:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, my name is Julie.

I couldn't think of anything creative for my self portrait until this morning when I was making coffee. There I was in the pot. I took a stab at it. I also took another using my self-timer for the first time as well. I am so excited about this class because it is forcing me to learn what I need to know since I purchased my camera and I am too lazy to read manuals. My user name on this site is Juliebcole.. Good luck everyone, I look forward to seeing everyones creativity.

Is this thing on?

2007-06-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

Hello,
This is my self-portrait. Taken in the afternoon, flushed with fever, I think that it conveys my weariness. The only thing worse than a spring cold is a summer cold. I am looking forward to contributing to this class and getting a chance to peruse the work of everyone else. Too, I am in my first year at Albertus and find that I am enjoying the sense of community in this program.

2007-06-02T02:10:00.000-04:00

If you want to see my IKEA photos check out www.fotothing.com/Susan33/

2007-06-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

Matt Pietrowski

2007-05-31T22:41:00.000-04:00

Hello all,
I'm in the end of my first year at AMC, and I'm real excited about this class. I'm always messing around with my camera. I've tried to combine my interest in astronomy with photos, but I just can't seem to get it right yet. Every thing I know about photography has come to me via trial and error, so I'm hoping to fine tune my novice skills with this class.

My Id on Fotothing is mepietrowski

Hello

2007-05-30T22:07:00.001-04:00

Hi,
This picture was taken over Memorial day at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. The disk in the picture is an exact copy of the one on the Voyager exploration satellite that is currently at the end of our solar system, the farthest any man built object has ever traveled. The Voyager has exceeded anyone's expectations by still relaying messages back to earth.

If you look closely you can see the inscriptions that are an attempt to possibly communicate our language, math, music and culture to another species.
You can find my photo blog for the class at;
http://bmangler.blogspot.com/

Bryon

Jessica Sandler

2007-05-30T11:51:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!

This is my first post and my first class here at AMC. Here goes!

My name is Jessica Sandler and I live in Hamden. I love taking pictures but I am terrified of the lens when it is pointed at me! So I figured I would get creative and "hide" in a reflection of a balloon I found around in the house.

My user name on Fotothing is JSandle. My home email address is JessSandler@comcast.net

Break Out of the Box!

2007-05-29T22:17:00.000-04:00

Two themes you will be hearing a lot about from me will be.... 1. Turn off your flash and 2. Get in closer! Although you will become proficient tecnically at posting to the blog, creating a portfolio, editing your digital pictures and so much more, this class at its heart is still an art class. I am most interested in encouraging you to break out of your "normal" way of taking pictures and want to get you to "think outside the box" As I was putting away the frying pan, I saw this reflection of myself and thought that would make a good self portrait in the spirit of this first assignment.

Find new ways to look at the world around you. Discover light. Fill the frame with dynamic design!

What Do I Need To Do This Week?

2007-05-29T22:04:00.000-04:00

It is very important that you join the blog right away and start posting soon. The first assignment is to put a brief biography of yourself here on the blog and post a picture of yourself... not to worry though if you are the shy type... you can post your shadow, a distorted reflection or a just plain reflection... try to be a bit creative! The main issue you will constantly hear me harping on is to turn off your flash! I want each and every image you post for this class to be shot with natural, available light. Here are a couple of self portraits from the last time I taught this class online in Mod 3....I like Nikkenia's use of the fog on her shower door... she drew lines in it... Notice her flash is turned off! Mary just used a mirror in her hall.. notice that she forgot to turn off the date stamp on the camera and that she too turned off her flash! You'll be hearing me tell you almost daily to remember to keep your flash off.

In order to post to the blog, you need to join the blog. To do that you have to click on the link blogger sends you in an email to your Campus Cruiser email account. You will be prompted to create a log in with a password... the process takes all of 15 seconds. Don't worry about creating your own blog.... just join this one!

View the video I created on how to use and post to the blog at http://jnevins.blip.tv

See you here soon!

Welcome!

2007-05-27T15:06:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone and welcome to the blog for the Mod 5 online digital photography class!

This class may be unlike any other class you have ever taken. You success is entirely driven by your shooting and creative activity. Weekly assignments are designed you get you to see and think more "photographically". There are no tests or papers due in this class.... rather, you will be creating an online portfolio of your work as you move from week to week. Quality AND quantity count. Keeping up with your work on a week to week basis also counts. Everything you need to complete this class successfully can be found in the class syllabus linked from the list of links on the right. Tuesday I'll post a step by step "What do I have to do this week"? list of things to do. Not to worry though! This class is designed with the beginner in mind and it IS supposed to fun and enriching... I am here to help you succeed.

This photo of me was just published in the lower Fairfield County newspapers... Here is a link to the article

Summer is a great time to be taking this class as the weather is great and you can definitely work your travels into your class work. You can post to the blog and your portfolio from any computer on the Internet from any where in the world. Looking forward to getting started with you...

-Jerry