Playing with Light

I took this photo by setting a camera up on a tripod with the lights off in the dark room. Then I set the shutter speed to 15 seconds and took a picture. Using a different camera, I set the flash off a couple of times to expose Justin's hands in different positions on the bass' neck. I like this photo because it is fun and interesting, but has an actual meaning. It's almost as if Justin is playing so quickly that your eyes can't keep up. The blue glow around his hands and bass strap looks is very bright, and is indicative of his passion for playing bass because he is literally lighting it up. I also like that this photo can convey that kind of emotion without showing his facial expression at all, because I rely heavily on them in most of my photos.

Mixed Lighting

My goal in this picture was to use two very different types of light: yellow tungsten light to highlight one side of the face and allow natural blue sunlight to fill in some of the shadows on the other side. My F- stop was 5.6 and shutter speed was 1/60. I love the way the different kinds of light play with the eyes of my subject. One looks hazel and the other dark blue. I also liked how the blue from the sunlight adds contrast to his freckles. I took so many photos in this mixed lighting setup so it was extremely hard to choose one. This photo was the one with the most defined lighting and that and exhibits the clear 2:1 ratio that I was striving for.  Mainly though, I selected this one because I liked Colin’s expression and I really liked the way the blue light settled in his dimples to add contrast to the photo.  In most of the pictures I couldn't get him smiling because he was camera shy and felt a bit vulnerable under all the lights, but since he found the whole ordeal amusing he got the giggles when I took close ups. Though this picture captures Colin’s typical cheerfulness, it also has a touch of something personal and pensive.

Perfect Portrait Lighting

Daniel

This picture was taken with an f stop of 5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/60. I used two lights in front of Daniel, one on either side with the right one being a bit further away. I also used a light shining at the back wall from the bottom to eliminate shadows. The photos that I took in this shoot were my favourites by far and choosing one was really difficult for me. Most of the photos I took had Daniel looking contemplative, looking up through his eyelashes and were in black and white. Though these pictures may have been more elegant and deeper than this one, but this one had significance to me. His carefree expression reminded me of when he was much younger boy, and took me back to the summers we spent running around outside as kids. There’s all the time in the world to take substantial, implicit photos, but fleeting moments like this are a bit rarer.

Essma

I complained in my previous explanations about never being able to decide which photo to use, but this one was different. Right when I took it, I knew that it was the one that I wanted to use of Essma. Of course, I wasted another period trying to top it but it didn’t work and I have to say I’m pleased with this one even after a few weeks of different shooting. I love the elegant 2:1 lighting in this photo and the high contrast. It adds a bit of drama to a rather ordinary pose. Essma and I were chatting while I was taking these. I had just said something ludicrous to her and this was her reaction. This is such a distinctive Essma expression; a bit of a smirk on her face but the lowered lashes is her thinking about how to respond to what I said. My F stop was 5.6 and shutter speed 1/60. 

Izabela

This picture was an accident, but I was delighted when I saw how it turned out. Izabela was a fabulous model; very natural in front of the camera and composed. This was a bit of a problem for me, because I love Richard Avedon and wanted to copy the spontaneity of his photos. Mid pose, Izi blinked and I got this photo. The lighting is dramatic in contrast to her peaceful expression. Rather than looking vulnerable with her eyes closed, she looks content and comfortable. I love this photo because it shows a side of my best friend that is sometimes overlooked. She’s known for her boisterous laugh and enthusiastic personality, but there is always an underlying sense of calm and stability within her. I took this photo with an F stop of 5.6 and a shutter speed on 1/80. I had two lights set up at a 2:1 ratio on each side, but I turned one off for this photo and left the other one pointed at her from the side. This lighting works well with her position, as if she’s stretching towards the light. 

Renaissance

**This is a fresco that is in the Sistine Chapel**

The Renaissance period was a period of rejuvenation for art. Artists at this time looked to their predecessors for classic techniques, but also integrated greater sources of light and colour into the traditional styles. Renaissance art showed distinct light sources that made paintings more realistic. It added the appropriate shading to objects and profiles that was much more realistic and deeper than previous art. It also saw the innovation of perspective and a clear, powerful sense of space. Atmospheric perspective became popular, and paintings were brought to life Art evolved into its own greatness rather than its previous use to testify biblical greatness. Renaissance gave art its own identity and developed into something other than reproduction.

Michelangelo was one of the most influential renaissance artists.  He created works of art that demonstrate accurate proportions of the human figure. An example of this is the statue of David and The Pietà. He also used a lot of nudity in his artwork. This was shocking at the time, because everyone was much more conservative compared to society today. Putting something as intimate as a naked body on frescos and areas seen by the public was rather bold, but it brought a sense of honesty and simplicity to his art that is widely emulated today. It demonstrates the unadorned beauty of the human body. In addition, Michelangelo mastered the chiaroscuro effect that added a new level of realism to sculptures. This effect is the manipulation of light to achieve a sense of volume in exhibiting three dimensional things. Conclusively, Michelangelo’s masterpieces were essential to the renaissance art movement and remain inspirational to modern artists.

One of Michelangelo’s most famous works is his fresco in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Pope Julius II commissioned him to do this, and he was hesitant to do it because he considered himself more of a sculptor. He was also uneasy about it because of the sheer size of the project. .Eventually, he gave in and completed the task and painted well over 5,000 square feet of frescos. He painted the top of the ceiling by creating a scaffolding and lying on it, facing the ceiling to paint. The finished work contains more than 300 figures that depict the Creation, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the Great Flood. Some of the frescos from the chapel, most notably Creation of Adam, are main icons of renaissance painting. Still today, frescos from the Sistine chapel serve as a major influence to art and have been imitated countless times through history.

Royal Winter Fair

The royal winter fair is a great place to explore agriculture, especially for city- dwellers. Giant squashes, million year old cheeses and horses groomed within an inch of their lives are all common sights there.  But for the kids, the best part is usually the petting zoo. Or maybe not.

Arriving at the fair, this is where I was headed to get away from the crowd and meet some farm animals, but what I found was a little disturbing. Hoards of kids were hanging off the fence of a tiny pen, sticking their fingers through with fistfuls of pellets. At 3 dollars a Dixie cup, the pellets had mixed reactions from the animals. Some were completely disinterested, but most of the goats fought for them or hung back, their greedy square pupils fixated on the food. One small boy began to cry because the animals were swarming him through the fence. One father in the crowd tells me that his little girl Alicia, (age 7 from Toronto) was nipped by the greedy animals.

Fighting through the petting zoo seemed daunting, so I moved on in search of a less competitive scene. In the back section of the fair I found what I was looking for. There was a nearly empty room with rows of animal cages, mainly sheep and goats. I made my way through all of them, petting all the animals that were remarkably willing to be mauled. My favourite by far would have to be this very woolly sheep, called a Romney sheep. (I kid you not.) “Originally bred in England, they prefer cooler climates because they have a lot thicker wool than other sheep, “An animal caretaker explained. With a twinkle in his eye he opened the cage and allowed us to get up close to this scruffy looking creature. A 9 year old boy, Kevin, later joined us to look at the sheep. He was fascinated with it, but refused to touch it because it was “kind of disgusting”. Though a little unkempt, the Romney sheep is a refreshing sight after all of the perfectly groomed animals at the petting zoo and in the shows.  Next time you’re at the Royal Winter Fair I urge you to check out the “real” animals in the back to get a feel for the way they are in their natural habitat.