semester 1 reflection

Part One: Throughout last semester, I completed all of my assignments to the fullest and attempted to photograph interesting subjects, though some may have appeared more bland than others (compare gecko statue to lightswitch). Additionally, rarely did I actually take the elements of composition into account while taking pictures of said subjects. At least, not consciously, though perhaps some subconscious incorporation may have taken place. Furthermore, for the majority of the projects, I created a brainstorm document where I wrote down all of my ideas and considered them for a while. At times, I would even do multiple images purely due to indecisiveness, but sometimes that's the only way to really know if a concept works or not. In terms of effort, I actively took many photos, though most of them were convenient in terms of location and organization (I don't leave my house), though I did get somewhat creative at times and used this to my advantage (usage of video game screenshots that I actively sought out and angled). If a shot is difficult to get or just isn't working out, I have a tendency to give up and move on to another concept. Additionally, I try to have a positive mental attitude when viewing the work of my peers and attempt to provide the most constructive criticism as I can while still pointing out their successes. I'm often a bit less positive in terms of my actual camerawork, though I can say I have some confidence with my editing skills (though, there's always room to improve), but hopefully I'll get better at that. When it comes to participation, I try my best to be constantly working on projects or related projects, and plan out days that I'll go out to shoot. Pictures, that is. As a photographer, I tend to focus on nonliving objects (or screenshots of video games I'm passionate about) and use a lot of warm, red-purple colors in my images, though cooler ones do appear every now and again. I also try to integrate my more recent interests into a piece if possible (see: esports jersey) and project my essence in my work. Within the second semester, I hope to improve more my skills in the actual act of photography rather than solely working on furthering my editing skills. Moreover, I could spend more time on a single piece than less time on many concepts, as I find myself doing often (it's really easy to get bored or unmotivated when focusing on a singular piece for too long, and sometimes I just wanna get it over with). 

Part Two: I think an interesting assignment would be possibly attempting to make a photographic piece look like a painting? Of course this is more, uh, editing based but I think the results would be pleasing to look at! ^__^ Or, though simple, a project in which the subject of an image is the only one in color (often a singular color) while the rest is in black and white. Basic, but looks nice to the eye.