Intro

The Zenith unit was all about doing whatever you wanted. Throughout the past two years at Freestyle, we learned so many things and for the final project, we were tasked with a self-directed project to show off what we’ve learned. As I am an avid photographer, my project would be creating a photo book with all new photos being taken for it. This was a challenge for me as I’ve never had a time constraint on taking photos, and have never planned out so many photos.

Process

Planning

The first step for my photo book was to plan out my shots. I spent hours on Google Earth to find unique compositions and interesting photos that I could use for my book. After finding a location and composition for each photo, I would screenshot it on Google Earth and upload it to a Google document where I could check off each one. Some of my locations included Santa Cruz, Pigeon Point, and San Francisco.

Taking The Photos

The first photo I took was at Natural Bridges beach in Santa Cruz where I was able to capture the rock arch during sunset. The next photo I took was on the top of a mountain in Marin that looked over the Golden Gate Bridge. I went at sunrise to get a golden sky over the bridge and the city. My next two photos were taken in San Francisco at blue hour, one of a road that perfectly framed the skyline, and the second showing my friend looking up at a light sculpture in the Embarcadero. I then went to Pigeon Point and got a photo of myself being framed by the famous lighthouse. My next photo also came from The Marin Headlands, and it overlooked the ocean with a good sunset. After Marin, I got a photo of a car driving down a road that overlooked the Silicon Valley lights with a sky full of stars. The last photo I took for my book came from the roof of a parking garage in downtown San Francisco. Below I featured some behind the scenes, unedited photos I took on my phone.

Editing The Photos

After each day I took photos, I would edit every photo in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I would spend anywhere from ten minutes to over an hour editing a single photo making sure it was good enough to be featured in my photo book.

The Final Product

Reflection

For my Zenith project, I decided to create my own photo book. Being an avid photographer, I thought it would be a unique way to showcase the photos I have taken. I was inspired by looking through other photographers’ Instagram accounts and saving my favorite photos. To further research for this project, I spent lots of time on Google Earth to find cool places to take photos of. If I could do the project over again, I would extend the length of time to allow for more time to travel and for different weather. One learning experience I experienced was time management. Most of my photos needed to have a good looking sunset or a pretty sky, which are mostly found in the late Fall through early spring because of the increased number of clouds. I waited too long to start taking photos, and with less clouds because of warmer weather in California, I had less opportunities to take good photos. I feel like I definitely completed my most successful Freestyle project because of my passion for the project. With me being able to create whatever I wanted, it sparked a different level of passion for the project that just doesn’t happen when I have to do something I don’t want to. I really enjoyed the Zenith project and my final product is definitely something that I am proud of.