I took this photo from a worm’s-eye view by getting on the ground and tilting the camera upwards.
I’m fascinated by how seemingly short objects to us, like plants, are the size of trees to bugs. When looking at most plants, like the one shown in the frame, we usually see them from the top. Looking at things from an unconventional perspective allow you to see a new side of everyday objects.
I see this as the subject matter walking away from the dark into the light. While the upper left corner is one of the brightest points, the opposite, the lower right corner, is in the shadows. This could represent the subject walking toward something better.
I initially chose to shoot this at floor level with a tilt to make the composition more interesting, but I also think it could be interpreted in different ways. One way I saw it was the camera represents someone’s perspective and the subject is walking away from them. The lower perspective illustrating how the person walking away has the upper hand and the tilted angle representing the disarray or imbalance felt by the person on the ground.
My most recent job was at a local voting center for the 2020 Presidential election. This opportunity combined two of my core values: helping people and doing what I can to support causes I stand by. This election meant a lot to me as I’m sure it did to others. Even though I was unable to vote due to age, I wanted to do what I could to help other people vote.
I was also able to meet and get know fellow aides who got assigned to the same voting station. I was able to talk to a variety of people of different ages from various backgrounds, but what tied us together was the desire to help out with with the election and the cause behind it.
Before I edited this photo, it had more of a yellow tinge to it from the above lighting. I then experimented with how it would look with a a blue hue. After the edit there is still a faint, yellow glow from the lighting, but there is more contrast between the banana and its nearby surroundings. The indigo hue surrounding the yellow banana gives a sense of complementary colors. Additionally, if the banana were to be removed from the composition, the color palette would be composed of primarily cooler, darker tones. Although the banana creates a contrast and draws the eye with the inky background.
Feel bored by the same, plain fruit? Simple cubes no longer cutting it for you? If you want to geometrically enhance your everyday life, try using the melon baller!
They say we eat with our eyes. With the melon baller you can make aesthetically appealing, bite size pieces of melon for any occasion! Whether it’s for a special event, a casual lunch, or you just want some melon, the melon baller will always be there! But why stop there? Despite the name, melon ballers can be used on wide range of produce ranging from watermelon to apples, your imagination is the only limit!
Whatever you are going through in life, the melon baller will always be sphere for you!
Photo Credits: Leaves (Getty Images), OXO Melon Baller (Duluth Kitchen Co), Fruit spheres (Lively Table)
An aspect of our world that I find myself continuously being drawn to is nature. In this photo you have Earth, although I could argue that this also includes Water and Spirit depending on how you look at it.
Earth sustains life and enables growth. Here we have a field of green grass and a dandelion growing from dirt. Without the dirt their roots would have nothing to latch onto and would be unable to thrive.
I think it is possible to include Water in this because in order for the grass and the dandelion to live, water or moisture to some degree is required. In this photo no water is visible, but we can assume the plants are getting water from nearby sprinklers or morning dew. Without the presence of water this photo would be remarkably different.
I include Spirit in this as well because everything that is alive may have a spirit of some sort. Through their will to live and produce, the dandelion and the grass have a spirit to an extent.
At first I had difficulty grasping the rule of odds because it seemed so similar to the rule thirds, but after analyzing various examples I was able to discern differences and differentiate the two. One could say I was stumped in terms of photographing an urban landscape or architecture. As I walked around our neighborhood, the only prominent structures were other people’s hoses which were out of the question to photograph. So instead of treating my afternoon walk as all or nothing, I scaled down my definition of “architecture” and looked for inspiration on a smaller level. I was able to find some at a nearby park.
In this photo the stumps take up the right third of the composition, their shadows elongating into the empty left side. I also used a shallow depth of field, only leaving the front log in focus. Leading lines is also come into play with the lines of wood guiding the viewer’s eye deeper into the composition.
Fall and winter are my favorite seasons because during those times you can see the trees change the most. And from a photographer’s point of view, unique colors and compositions can be created using the warm colors of fall or the bare branches of winter.
In our backyard we have a medley of plant life growing in every corner. I know very little on trees species so I will not try and pretend I know what’s in this photo besides a lemon tree. Although, with our variety of plants we still get shades of green amongst the onslaught of yellow and orange from the larger trees, creating a diverse color palette.
There are so many things, opportunities and people that I am thankful for. Although an aspect of my life that I have not properly expressed gratitude for are my high school basketball teammates. Playing basketball with them almost year round, I find I don’t take the time to realize how lucky I am to be on a team full of hardworking, respectful, supportive, and overall compassionate individuals. I sometimes forget that it’s not a given to get to play with such people and not all teams are able to foster the community we have. The players are one of the main reasons I’ve continued basketball through high school since I knew I wouldn’t come across another team like them.
The discarded stuffed animal is our dog’s toy. He enjoys looking out the window with the bear in his mouth and leaves the toy when he’s no longer interested in it.
The placement of the bear in addition to the contrast in lighting reminded me of when kids grow up, they tend to get rid of or ignore stuffed animals they used to play with. The background through the window is supposed to represent the world we enter and explore upon growing up, in the process leaving behind childhood.
The emotion I was intending to portray is not exactly sadness, but an extension of it. Not that I know of this personally, but I can assume the process of letting a child go to be their own self and move into the real world can leave a hollow feeling. Their old belongings being a reminder of what used to be but is no longer.