Homework #1 Part C Twelve Questions

January 21st, 2015

Homework #1 

Part C:

Twelve Questions

1. Who are you? 

I am a woman and feminist.

2. What did you look like as a child?

This picture was entered into a "Cutest Baby of the Month" contest in a newspaper; I did not win. 

3. What is your main character trait?

I like to have fun and I am very impulsive.

4. What inspires you most?

My friends inspire me the most!

5. What do you normally take pictures of?

I like to take pictures of lights and I like to take pictures of drinks. If it looks like I spend a lot of time at bars it is because I do spend a lot of time at bars. I blame the mood lighting.

6. What do you love about photography?

Long exposure and too slow of a shutter speed. There is nothing that is exactly on point about these photos but I still think they look cool.

7. If you weren't a photographer what would you be?

I would be watching movies, making movies, writing movies, or analyzing movies. Contrary to the photo above, I am not a puzzle expert. 

8. What is the first thing you touch in the morning?

No one ever texts me in the middle of the night but, I still check anyway. 

9. What is your favorite photograph?

Brooklyn, New York. January 18th, 2015

10. My secret.

I secretly strongly disliked this gin martini but I drank it all anyway because I did not want to offend the bar tender. 

11. What is a photo cliche?

A foot look book.

12. What is the meaning of life?

The meaning of life is that details are important, no matter how small!

Homework #1 Part B

January 21st, 2015
Homework #1

Part B
1. The one moment I wish I had captured on film is when I received chopsticks from my parents for my sixth birthday while we had a layover in Seoul, South Korea. The image I imagine is two long hands with the palms facing up and the fingers pointing towards my point of view. In the hands is a long rectangular box with a clear plastic front. In the box is a pair of chopsticks with an ornate design on each chopstick.

2. This moment is important to me because as a young child I traveled a lot to many different places around the world. Since I was so young, I do not have many vivid memories from the places I visited or all the airports I went to. Despite my lack of memories, there are many moments of my familial travels that have been captured on film because my father takes a lot of pictures wherever he goes. When I was turning six years old, I had the privilege of being able to spend my sixth birthday in a different country I have never been to before ever in my life. Granted, my birthday was not as glamorous as it sounds because my family and I were enduring a layover at the Seoul International Airport in South Korea. I am not sure if I was aware of this traveling privilege that I was given as a small child. During my layover, being my birthday, I was given a gift from my parents. For my sixth birthday I was given chopsticks. At the age of six years old, despite having been a seasoned world traveler, I had no idea how to use chopsticks. I remember looking up at a pair of hands pleasantly displaying long chopsticks with  decadent oriental designs on them pointing right at me. I do not remember being sad, upset, or frustrated but I do remember being confused. This moment does not exist on film because my parents were taking time out of their busy traveling lives to give a thoughtful gift to me--a picture was simply not taken. This memory resonates with me after so many years because, at the time it might have been the most useless gift to give a six-year old Shema Rubdi, but now I see it as a gift that was supposed to teach me how to take care of myself, in some retrospect. I find this moment in my life as a representation of my parents hope for me. I think they have always been trying to prepare me to take care of myself, no matter where I am in the world they knew that I would be able to handle whatever is thrown at me. Although, at six years old I was not successful in using chopsticks, now I understand the important of patient investments that can last me a lifetime.

I always want a dog for a gift. It is the present I always ask for and never receive. 

Homework #1 Part A

January 21st, 2015
Homework #1

Part A:

1. I first realized I liked photography when I realized I could capture moments that I might not remember later on in my life. One of my earliest memories I have of using a film camera is, rather foolishly taking a picture of the cartoon I was watching on tv. I apparently thought it would be so important for me to remember what was happening before my eyes. Since then, I have been hooked on being able to not only capture memories that are important to me but also to capture aesthetically pleasing views that I may not be able to see again. Throughout my life photography has become a relaxing hobby to me. Photography allows me to go on adventures to places I have never been before or go back to some of my favorite places that I like to visit. Photography allows me to go back to certain moments in time that I forgot exist. Recently I have noticed that digital photography can be used to make more than just memories, but it can be used to make a statement. Like all art, digital photography has the ability to show people a point that the photographer or artist trying to make. A single picture can hold rhetorical value and via digital photography, the rhetor can shoot their message to their audience.

I am taking Arts 552 because I want to learn how to express my opinions on society not only in a different way, other than writing, but also in a way that I have never attempted to do so. I think digital photography as a medium can be useful in storytelling. I think storytelling is important because it allows personal experiences to be conveyed which shed light on what it might be like in a particular setting from a point of view different than our own. Digital photography will allow others to see what I see through my lens and how I react to the world around me.

I hope to learn how take thoughtful and provoking images that reveal certain messages while at the same time concealing other messages. I hope to be able to photograph outside of the box and take pictures that will make not only myself but also others feel, think, or question what is in front of our eyes.

2. Chapter One "The Camera Here" from A Short Course in Digital Photography reveals the basic yet pertinent aspects of learning how to efficiently use the camera and all the features that are equipped with a single reflex lens camera. The best way to know how to take aesthetically pleasing photos in any environment is to learn how to manipulate a camera's settings one step at a time. The habit of getting used to figuring out what settings work best in any scenario will eventually become easier and more natural to do. Among the settings that will help a beginning photographer learn how to use their digital camera are, the ISO, shutter speed, aperture, manual or automatic focus, white balance, and exposure readout. The settings on a camera is not only the one part a photographer must care about, but also a photographer should look to shoot from different point of views and also look as to what is happening in the background. Diversifying the setting for a photograph may help enhance the aesthetic of a photo. In addition to photographing with different point of views in mind, the settings on a camera can also help improve the creativity in a photo. Many of the settings can be manipulated on a camera to show what the photographer is trying to show or even what they are trying to ignore in a snapshot. For example, since the aperture controls the amount of exposure that is let in to a camera, a smaller aperture shows more depth of field and a larger aperture shows less depth of field. A good photo does not have to be laced with perfect lighting, perfect shutter speed, or perfect white balance. It is important to try different settings in different environments; even if the outcome is not a perfectly still photograph with abundant lighting, a picture still has the opportunity to tell the photographer's story in just one shot.

This is a picture of a ceiling fan. It is not a metaphor. I just like the way it looks.