I believe I know how to operate and adjust its settings and controls fairly well. In the beginning of the class, I wasn’t very comfortable with the settings and how to adjust them, but as the class went on, I learned how to. Now, I hardly ever put the camera settings on auto, however I do leave the lens part on auto at times. I can now adjust the settings and controls manually based on where I am and my surroundings, such as if it’s light or dark outside, and also based on what I’m taking a picture of. To have a better control of the camera something I think I could improve on would be trying to get the perfect exposure and aperture more easily that I already do. I usually have to check every aperture setting until I find the right one, which I find really tiring. I would like to work on having an idea, based on where I am, of what aperture setting to put it on and work around that number.
In my work, I usually see more elements of art and composition after I take the picture and am editing them. When I take a picture I don’t necessarily look for the elements but take the image and a look for them after. Some elements of art and design I do look for in my photos however are color, movement, space, and unity. There are many photographs that I took in this class which I found better than others but there are a couple photos that I am particularly proud, most of which are plants. I have grown creatively in the past semester because before this class, I looked at a picture and would just think that it was a really nice photo. But, now when I look at photo that I think is nice I know why because of the elements of art and composition. I hope that in the future I can grow as a photographer and an artist.
I think the work I've done in this class reflects my skills because I have done my best and have put in a lot of effort into taking the best photos that I can. I also have put in a lot of work into my final project, trying to get enough good images to put onto my website. To become a better photographer, something I could improve on is being a little more patient. You have to work pretty hard to take a picture of something just like the way you’ve imagined it in your mind. You can’t expect the first, or even the tenth, photo you take of something is the one you like and are happy with.
The parts of the instruction in this class that were most beneficial to me where the lessons we had in the beginning of the class that taught how to use the controls and settings of the camera. I didn’t know how to work SLR cameras before this class and now, I can adjust the settings of the camera. The assignment that has helped me become better as a photographer would have to be Still-Life because it gave me a chance to play around with the settings and controls and become comfortable with using them. I am interested in moving onto Advanced Photography, but for next year I have no room in my schedule, but I believe my work and my grades have prepared me for that class. As an advanced student, I would like to focus on and learn more about motion capture photography.