Dozen Photo Challenge
The photograph I chose to be labeled as the best image I took for this assignment is this image of my younger sister and her friends I shot in black & white. I took this photo as a favor to my little sister as a graduation gift from her to her friends. I feel that the hydrangeas and the school in the background add a sense of meaning to represent their time together in high school.
What I love most about this image is how their playful energy and bond come through so clearly. You can really feel their excitement and joy just from the way they’re moving and smiling together. Shooting in black & white gave the image a timeless feel, which felt perfect for this moment. To me, it is more than just a candid photo, it tells a story of their friendship and a memory being made.
The most challenging part of this assignment was actually organizing my final photo selections rather than taking the photos. Since the introduction of this assignment, I decided to take a different approach and take as many photos as I could over time given for the assignment. With this, I was sure to experiment with different lighting, angles, and composition techniques when taking photos wherever I went. Once I sat down to categorize and choose which images best represented each technique, I realized that many of my photos fit into more than one category. It was a bit challenging to narrow them down and pick just one technique to highlight for each image. It challenged me to think critically about what technique I really wanted to showcase in each of my photos.
Moving forward, I want to be more intentional during my photo-taking process so I am thinking ahead about which specific techniques I want to use rather than applying them after shooting throughout the week. This assignment helped me realize how planning for lighting, composition, and color in advance can truly make or break an image. I also hope to keep building my skills in capturing natural, emotional moments like the one of my sister and her friends, while also being mindful of things like background control, focus, and symmetry.
I left a comment on Mia Goldstein’s Blog post!
Hi Mia! I absolutely love these two images. I feel as though the images really capture your creative eye. Fir the first image, I think the way you can see the peace sign through the reflection is so creative and almost adds a layer of meaning, and I love how the earthy tones of the rocks and water create that monochromatic color palette. Along with the colors, theres such strong composition and the focus on the texture and contrast of the rock surface is so appealing to the eye. For the second image, I can't help but immediately get drawn to the sense of warmth from the sunlight. Your choice of lighting adds great dimension to the image and the soft contrast between the sky and the rocks showcases the emotion within the image. I also love how the exposure and color palette compliment each other so well. If I were to suggest anything, it would be to maybe try having a bull's eye or focal point of some sort to your future images that are similar to your second image! But honestly, these images are so beautiful and captured so well!
