Ansel Adams: who is considered to be the grandfather of landscape photography, is known for focusing his photography on Landscapes and the “Wild Wild West”.  He also liked to take architect pictures. As far as anyone knows, all of Adams photographs are in Black and White.

Adams also published 24 books, including a best seller called Illustrated “Guide to Yosemite Valley.”

Elliot Porter: In contrast with Ansel Adams’ big Landscape style photography, Porter’s photos are considered to be more quite and focused more on Animals and Nature scenes. Most of his photos remind you of Postcard scenes from fall. Porter has influenced many other photographers, including Charlie Cramer and William Neill. Porter also wrote the book “Eliot Porter's southwest.”
In Comparison, both Artists love to take black and white photos. 

                                           

                                                 

                          

Maurice Johnson

Maurice Johnson(also know as my godfather) is married to LaKeitha Feemster. He is a graduate of The Art Institute in Charlotte North Carolina in 2002. He graduated with an Associate Degree in Digital Imaging and Digital Design. He also attended University of Charlotte before attending Art Institute.  I have always admired his ability for capturing for photography and his artistic creativity, so I decided to interview him.

Interview:

Me: What is your knowledge in this area?

Maurice: My knowledge in this area is Digital Imagining and Digital Design.

Me:Where did you study photography?

Maurice:I took my first class of Photography in High School.  After that I also took a few classes at the Art Institute of Charlotte, NC.

Me:What did you do to gain so much knowledge in this area?

Maurice: I did a lot of reading and research.  Plus took classes on things that I would be interested in to help me become better at what I do.

Me:When did you become interested in this field of study?

Maurice:I became interested in my study when I started creating my own line of greeting cards.  I would actually go out, take pictures and write poems to produce the greeting card.

Me:When did your career start?

Maurice:I tell everyone it started in 98, when I started doing those greeting cards.  But I actually started branching out more in 2002 with not just doing greeting cards but taking my projects a little further.

Me:Why is Photography important to you? 

Maurice:I like to capture the moments.  Some moments may not be caught again or the reaction that you get the first time.  It’s priceless.

Me:Who or what influenced you to become a photographer?

Maurice:I would always look through magazine and wonder how those pictures were shot.  So I guess you can say different magazines inspired me.  Especially the motion pictures in sports magazines. 

Me:Do you believe in the expression “A picture is worth 1,000 words”?

Maurice:I do, but I don’t really know how accurate the expression.  I like to describe my work with one word.  Plus I don’t think I know 1,000 words.

Me:If yes, why do you believe this is true?

Maurice:You can get a lot of emotion and feelings out of a single picture.  Plus everyone is going to feel different about the picture itself.

Me:Do you think that a person must possess talent to capture emotion and expression in a picture?

Maurice:Not really!  Capturing is the easy.  Choosing the right setting, angle and lighting is the hard part.  Also using the camera settings helps a lot as far as the aperture setting and shutter speed.

Me:Does the price of a camera matter in ways that it affects the quality of the picture?

Maurice:Unfortunately it does.  The expensive camera gives you better setting and more control.  Plus you can take as many shots as you want and do not have to develop and waste money and time on pictures you don’t want.  Just hit the delete button as you view it on your camera.

Me:What motivates you to do what you do?

Maurice:With any hobby you have to love what you do.  Now that I have kids, I like to capture them in their moments now so they can see themselves twenty to thirty years down the line.  They are my motivation!  
  

Mr. Johnson also has a website that you guys should check out! He has also created the brochures, logos, and much more that you may be familiar with!  

(If your schools server will not allow you to see this video try the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyCzxl_we0Q

Nikon D3S digital SLR camera

Have you ever wondered why your pictures were blurry? Why the lighting of your photo seemed very gloomy? Well Maybe it’s the type if camera you use. According to Nikon ,  one of the best cameras to use for photography pictures is the Nikon D3S digital SLR camera. It was a recipient of the EISA European Professional Camera 2010–2011 award. The EISA European Award , also known as the European Imaging and Sound Association, was started in 1982 as a way of acknowledging Camera's and there greatness. This is a great honor. Some of the reasons that this camera is considered one of the best is the fact that it’s a very sensitive camera. Its focus ability is astounding! With this focus, it has the ability to capture pictures that the human eye cannot see.

                Also, this camera is capable of taking pictures without flash. Most cameras use the flash for better lighting, but the Nikon D3S doesn’t need flash. It produces it’s on light that is built into the camera.  This makes it easier to take pictures quick and easy.

                The camera is quite expensive. It costs anywhere from $4,340 - $$5,200. But in the end it is all worth it !   

Photos Below Courtesy of: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D3S/D3SA.HTM, May9, 2012 

How to Take Better Photography

How many times have you taking a picture or just looking at a picture in general and you realize that the picture is dull or really bland? There are lots of amazing artists who’s pictures seem this way too me.                 For example the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. Leonardo Da Vinci is an extraordinary painter to me. He is known as one of the greatest painters of his time and profoundly the best talented person to ever have lived. But in the case of the Mona Lisa, I don’t think so. The picture is face on and it seems like something you would see on Facebook as someone’s profile picture. It lacks so much. Here are some tips to make sure your picture isn’t like this!



Photo Courtesy of: pregnancy-baby.savvy-cafe.com . April 30, 2012 

Tips to better Photography:

 1) Move in close to your object: Having too much background in a photo takes away from the object. Make sure your object is seen clearly and the focus is on your object.
 2) Check your lighting: It’s always great to check your lighting. A great lighting produces a great photograph!
 3) Keep it simple: Sometimes just having a simple object and simple background makes a terrific photograph. By lighting I mean picture visibility, or resolution. Great Light = Great Pictures!
 4) Use different angles: Don’t always point the camera straight. Turn it upside down, point it low, Get up high, move your camera around
! 5) Practice makes Perfect: Before actually taking a actual photo, practice taking shots so you’ll have a good feel of your camera and the way it works.

Informational Post

In my recent post, I told you guys that a picture speaks a thousand words. They also can tell stories. The girl in the picture above was planning her death because she had been bullied to the point of wanting to take her own life. Could you imagine being bullied to the point of death? This is an ongoing problem, but more and more people are standing up for it; including celebrities such as: Pixie Lott, Justin Bieber, Alesha Dixon, Jim Carrey, and Twiggy. Celebrities’ standing up against bullying is drawing more and more attention to the problem. Many people look up to Celebrities, and to see them taking a stand for something that is wrong, often encourages them to take a stand also. “When people hurt you over and over, think of them like sand paper. They may scratch and hurt you a bit, but in the end, you end up polished and they end up useless.” ― Chris Colfer This quotes by Colfer is true. You may mistreat people and hurt them, and while your doing it you may think its alright and funny, but in the end it does nothing but make you feel bad about yourself. Who knows, you might be working for that person in the future.

And this is why we should pay attention in class you guys! (:

My First Post

I chose Life and Photography because I love life and I am absolutely fascinated with photography. I find it amazing the way a photographer can take one shot, and it can tell millions of stories. I’ve always been told that a picture is worth a thousand words. I never really understood it until I “broadened my horizons.”

This picture takes my breath away.  “I am Free” doesn’t just tell one story, it tells millions. Anyone could be free from an addiction, an abusive relationship, or anything else that could have a hold on a person.  To be able to say those words can take a big load off of a person.

What I want viewers to get from this is the thought that there is more to a picture than what meets the eye.  I want them to look at photos as if they were the photographer themselves.  For example instead of a box just being an ordinary box, I want them to look at it and the ways it can be used.I also want to just show the creative side of photography. Photos can touch you in so many ways! Hope you guys enjoy! 
Photo Courtesy of : http://www.iamfreeministries.com/testimonies, April 2, 2012