I’m beginning to reflect on the year by remembering where we started it. Sunrise overlooking Los Angeles at Griffith Observatory.
2017 From the Start
Author: lessalibrarian
Terranea
A cloudy, overcast day (March 2017)
Photography 101: Photographic Image in Context & Contrast Control Printing
Photography 101: Photographic Image in Context & Contrast Control Printing
Students shoot a roll of black and white film or digital images: 24 images of two subjects. The film will be processed in the lab and the student will select one image to print using the contrast control printing filters. The intent of the assignment is to learn to produce three different print variations of one image using the correct exposure time, selection of contrast filter, print size and cropping, text, hand-painting and image context.
Subject: Stellar Axis by Lita Albuquerque at Peninsula Center Library in Rolling Hills Estates, CA
Photos taken on Canon EOS Rebel GII 35mm Camera | ISO 400 | f/8 | 1/2000
Film developed by hand at El Camino College lab; individual print information below in captions
(Scanning of photographs created pixelation of image not seen in physical print; white flecks part of physical print)
That’s So Pedro
Photos from the Angel’s Gate Cultural Center Walking Tour led by Romee of That’s So Pedro (April 2017)
Downtown LA
The Roots Exhibit at the Chinese American Museum, Lunch at Lao Tao, Siqueiros -America Tropical Mural (April 2017)
iPhone SE back camera | ISO 100 | f/2.2 | 1/30
iPhone SE back camera | ISO 25 | f/2.2 | 1/827
iPhone SE back camera | ISO 25 | f/2.2 | 1/342
iPhone SE back camera | ISO 25 | f/2.2 | 1/1570
Photography 101: Photogram
Assignment: Objects are placed on light-sensitive photographic paper, exposed to light, and processed in photographic chemicals to produce shadow images on the photo paper. The intent of the assignment is to introduce the student to the basic photographic process of making images with light and light-sensitive materials. The student will produce one photogram.
The class saw an overdose/possible suicide scene. My intention was a comment on the prevalence of medicating ourselves more and more as we grow older, whether for medical conditions or increased ailments.
Photography in 2017
Two years is a long time away. It’s not that I haven’t been taking photos. It’s that I felt I needed to move beyond shooting in automatic and was an imposter until I did so. So, in August, I started taking Photography 101 at El Camino College to move from imposter to photographer. The online classes and tutorials I’d taken before didn’t give me the information I needed to feel confident in knowing how to really use my camera, I still relied a lot on auto modes. I learn best in a real classroom, where I can ask questions and feel supported. It’s strange sitting in classrooms I haven’t been in since I was 18, but I also feel right at home and ready to absorb all the information I can.
This semester, I decided that I wanted to do most of my work in 35mm film, so I’ll be scanning my original prints and posting them, with descriptions of the assignment. I also want to start documenting my favorite shots from 2017, mostly taken using Superior Auto Mode on my camera and slightly altered in iPhoto (I couldn’t commit to Photoshop yet since I was still a poser), but full of heart. Now I’m learning to trust myself, experiment, and not be afraid of failure, so while most of the digital photos I’ll be posting lately will have been shot in Superior Auto Mode, I’m making the transition to full Manual on both cameras. Working with 35mm film has forced me to slow down, appreciate the process more, and take extra pride in my photography. Shooting solely in manual on my film camera has given me a new confidence in my photography and where I want to take it. I look forward to sharing a new vulnerability, photos that I’ve neglected over the last year or more, and to seeing where my photography journey takes me.
The Volunteer State
After the rain
Lessa's Lens 