Week 6
I guess I had a pretty good week. I finished my 1000 words thing, processed and developed my photo. My photo didn't come out to be amazing but it was OK. I would like to redo it if possible...hopefully on glass this time. I helped a few of my friends with Photoshop and proofread a few of their 1000 words pieces.
Chemistry: In chemistry we painted Emulsion and developed a few pictures. This week, I learned how photos were made (quite ingenious actually). Producing photos has to do with producing a sliver precipitate - which when exposed to UV light, it breaks silver's bond with chloride. After the silver obtains its electrons (from the Developer), it turns black, when many silver atoms in varying quantities (due to the amount of light the negative lets through) at different places turn black, it produces the picture. To keep the picture crisp and clear, it has to go through the stopper, which prevents more silver ions from obtaining an electron. Then the picture is placed in the fixer, which washes away extra sliver ions. In the end, the picture is washed off with plain water.
Project: For the landscape phase of the project, I would like to take a panoramic photo and produce it on glass. I am inspired by that one image from the Photo Mueseam in Balboa Park. It looked really cool and natural due to the brush stroke-like effect. I think I might have to go to as cliff, mountain sort of an area. I'm not sure where exactly I want to go yet.
A long term project idea is to make my own emulsion that makes a color photo. I would like to take a picture of a flower and develop it onto a canvas in color. I think this would look really cool. Maybe I might want to develop it onto glass, but that's a later problem. I have to first, figure out how to make the Emulsions.
Humanities:
I finished my 1000 word piece about my picture:
Personal:
This week we went to Balboa Park to capture a photo that represented humanity. During my time there, I really started to miss my childhood. In fact, all of my friends recalled different moments associated with different parts of the park. Although, we got some judgmental looks, we've all tried to connect and conquer childhood memories and fears such as climbing up on a once unconquerable play structures. Although I've captured many different pictures, my favorite one is this one with a little boy trying to pop a bubble. It reminds me how brave I was when I was a child and how I was able to do whatever I wanted to do without being afraid of other people’s opinions.There were many high schoolers and parents there just staring and amazed, but everyone was too shy to just go in and have fun popping bubbles. Many were even offered the chance to make their own big bubbles, but no one wanted to be in the center of attention (it was quite funny really).
Composition:
The boy’s eyes are on the rule of thirds. He is biggest subject along with the bubble. The exaggerated split lighting draws the audience’s attention to the boy’s face. You can see his smile really well. When I processed the picture, I cropped it and messed with the curves until the bubble really popped out. The coolest part about the black and white photo is that the colorful glare/reflection from the bubble disappears and the reflection became more apparent.
History:
Balboa park has always had many street performers and people that sell interesting things. It has always been a place that celebrate San Diego’s cultural diversity. From Museums about every discipline/area to its beautiful landscape and play structures, Balboa park becomes the perfect place to relax and learn for both adults and children alike. Balboa park in fact has recently been listed as one of the best parks in the World by the Project for public spaces. Its diverse and historical significance made it an ideal location for us to capture humanity in a photo.
Emotional:
The kid is super excited. He is curious, but he is also having a great time playing with bubbles. That is the only thing this little boy cares about. He doesn’t think about the many stares he getting, or of the “invisible audience” adults/older children make up. He is just having a great time studying and enjoying the unique, amazing bubbles. He is having a good time learning and having fun regardless of his environment.
Symbolism:
To me the bubble symbolizes the child’s perception of the world. Everything is round, shiny and perfect. Eventually the bubble pops for many different reasons, it could be because of the curb, the child or time, but eventually and quickly, the bubble pops. In the picture the bubble is just about to pop, if the kid doesn’t touch it, it will bump into the curb. This represents innocence and how no matter what everyone loses it and starts to question things and suspect things, which eventually leads to a less enjoyment of life.
