Contour Animal

This project was a little tough for me to figure out. I needed to focus on lighting and figure out how to capture a moving object successfully. I ended up using my dog and putting her on a dark blanket. I used a desk light to shine behind her to show her outline. Since the light reflected on other parts of the area, I used Photoshop to complete the photo. I took the photo and colored the background in black. I colored in close enough to the dog so that you could still see the light behind her, but not the rest of the area.

Landscape

This was my first landscape. When I brought it in for critiquing, my class thought I had too much of the mountian and too little of the tree. Also some thought that my tree was too dark, and that I needed to brighten it up in Photoshop. My teacher said she liked the concept of it but agreed with the students. So when I went back and redid my photo, this is what it turned out like.

Altered Book: Family Traditions

My family traditions page was based on Thanksgiving. It was hard to choose a specific tradition, but I decided to go with one that was most familiar.

The Process:
To begin, I  decided to gesso the pages so that the words them were not seen as well and also so that the page was easier to create. Next I found photos of my traditions and printed them off of the computer. I put Scrabble stickers on the page to spell out "Family Traditions" because we always play a game during Thanksgiving.

Next, I found some puzzle pieces and glued them on the page because we always have a puzzle going during the holidays. 

To finish, I wrote about the family tradition on both pages so that the page would look more "full". 

Altered Book: Family History

The family history I chose to put in my book was about how most of my family has or is attending Brigham Young University. My grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and siblings have all gone there. And one day, I hope to attend there as well. 

The Process:
To start off, I put gesso on the pages so that it would be easier to work around the words on the page. Next, I found the pictures to be put on the page, and printed them off. I also found the BYU logo and put it on the page. Since the logo is large, and the rest of the pictures look alike, I wanted to make the logo look different. So I cut it out and sanded it so that it would look old and have a different texture.

Next, I glued the pictures in place. I then wrote about my family tradition about attending BYU. After I wrote about the tradition, I put stickers on the page spelling out "BYU Fans" and "Family History".

 

 Lastly, I put brads on the pages to make the page look more like it was finished.

Altered Book: The Cover

My altered book is based on my identity. Each page describes something either about myself or my family. The cover has my family tree on it and my hand print. The tree is split up into the four seasons. Each season represents a different part of my families life. I am in the "spring" part of my life, my siblings are in the "summer" part of their lives, my parents are in the "fall" part of their lives, and my grandparents are in the "winter" part of their lives.

The Process:

To make the cover look the way I did, first I put ink on my hand and "stamped" the cover. Then I made the edges a little darker by going over them with a Q-tip and outlined my hand. I also had my hand come off of the edge so that it would look like I was trying to "open" the book.

Then for the tree, I painted the trunk and glued the pictures on the book. I then took a nail and carved "BNP" on the trunk to make it more personalized. 

 Next, I took a leaf stamp and stamped it on a piece of paper, cut it out, and pasted it onto the cover. I painted the inside of the leaves with either green or autumn colors to represent the different seasons. 

 Then for the flowers and the snowflakes, I took a stamp, stamped the book, then painted it either white for the snowflakes or pink for the flowers.

 Then for my name, I put it on using Rub-on letters. To finish the cover, I mod-podged it so everything would stay put and not end up getting ruined. 

Artist Statement

           Photography has become a new love of mine. Even though I am not the best photographer in the world, I am still proud of my work. My goal is to become a good enough photographer to either major or minor in photography. Recently I was able to shadow a photographer and help take pictures at two different weddings. Doing this, I was able to see that I am a good photographer when I can experiment with different photographs and not worry about what the final piece is supposed to look like. I was also able to use a nice camera at the weddings. Using this, I noticed that I am able to take better photographs when I have the tools necessary to fulfill it. With having different experiences with photography, I am able to see that I am stronger in different styles of photographs.      
          When I first decide to take a photo, I look at what the weather is like outdoors. I look at that first because I have noticed that I capture better pictures if I am focusing on something in nature. To make the image a little more interesting, I usually focus on the Rule of Thirds technique. I use this technique because I feel like it gives the picture a different look and style.
           Lately, I have been experimenting with Photoshop. Using Photoshop has been a little difficult for me to do though. I am not familiar with all of the tools, and I am not the best at knowing what to fix or add to a picture that has already been taken. I am trying to challenge myself with using Photoshop so that my images can have a more "finished look".

Memory

Being the youngest of four children, I have never been able to experience little kids in our home and have the responsibility of taking care of them. Then I became an aunt and had my oldest sister's family stay with us for a few months. With them in our home, I was able to witness what a "little sister" might have been like.

I was able to take care of my niece, Calissa, by giving her baths, changing her diapers, putting her to bed, feeding her, and playing with her. I also had the opportunity to see her take her first steps, see her swim in the pool for the first time, celebrate her first birthday, and I was able to see her develop a cute little personality.

Even though they do not live with us anymore, I am glad I was able to witness what it may have been like to have a younger sibling and create those memories that I will never forget.

The Process:
When put the project together, I used a picture that I took of Calissa at the park that also had my sister in the background, because I knew I could split the picture into two separate photos. Over both of the photos, I wrote my memory of Calissa. I did it over both so that even though there were two separate pictures, they are still connected because the words go from one picture to the next. When matting the photos, I raised the picture of Calissa so that it would show that my sister was standing behind her and also so that the finished product could have more "depth".