Assignment #5-Get on Your Belly/Back

Before I did this assignment, I had heard a lot of people saying this is their favorite assignment. I didn't understand why. It seemed to me just rolling on the ground and taking pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't "wake up" from the last assignment in time--I forgot to bring my camera home during weekend. So I could only do all the shooting on Monday. Apparently it's not a good idea to rush, but I had to. The result was that I didn't have a lot of fun shooting or try anything risky, funny or creative. So I'll remember: TAKE YOUR TIME! It's very important.

Alright. Here're my photos. They are not amazing. But they're not bad.


This is an Easter Bunny. Honestly I don't know the story about it. I only know Easter is a religious festival. So it's actually my story in this photo: What does Easter Bunny do? What's the story of the festival? I really like this photo, and it didn't take me a long time to edit it. Good contrast. And I put it next to the window on purpose so there's nice light on it. The bunny is shot from an "arrogant" view. It's holding its chin up. Anyway I think this pose matches its heroic image. One thing I'm not satisfied about is that it's not low enough. It's actually on the ground and I'm on the ground.


A drain and a broken wire box with its lid on the ground. This one is definitely low enough. It's sharp, but I would prefer a little bit more contrast. The broken wire box is the story. There's not a whole lot to say about this photo, but it looks good.


Haha this one actually means something to me. It's the stairs upstairs. But what I wanna show is not just the stairs. I wanna show the sense of mystery formed by dark stairs and strong daylight from throught the windows. It's interesting to me because when I looked at the scene, I thought of something about religion. Like I said, I'm not religious at all. But when I looked at the strong light through the window contrasting the stairs, I suddenly thought of "a road to the heaven". I know little about religions, but this picture can show that the awareness of religions is growing in my mind.

This is Jack Nilsen, the youngest child of the Nilsens, reaching for the branch. Shooting toward sky is hard, which is what I learned when editing this photo on my computer screen. It's hard to balance the pure white of the sky and the darkness over Jack. This photo wasted several pieces of photo paper. As for the composition, I like this pose because Jack looks heroic. He seems to be eager to achieve something. It's like: A little boy with a big dream.


My bed at the Nilsens. I know the contrast might be too strong but I like how the natural light lightened the wall, the top of bed and the ceiling. The story in this photo is that the Nilsens gave me a bedroom where the boys used to stay. So the bedroom is SO NOT MY STYLE. I don't like a high bed away from the ground which I need to climb on every night. I don't like the bed to have a top because I feel like I'm in a cage. And I don't like the motorcyclist's poster on the wall. It's apparently a boy thing. Haha. Anyway the bedroom is not my style.

This is a series of posters of great mathematicians on the wall. It's easy to tell that I was at a low position when shooting it. And I think this skill is very suitable for a photo like this. These mathematicians were all world-famous, so they were heroic. Getting on my belly to shoot it definitely helped show their great images. And I like how all the postes are lined up.


The Nilsens use the word "nerd" a lot. It can mean a lot of things. This photo shows Jack's "nerdiness". He's a naughty 9-year-old boy but he wants to be a hero. However, if you pay attention to his feet, you'll find the shoe lace needs to be tied. It's funny. And it's very Jack. Again, shooting toward sky is hard. It's too hard to edit so I give up printing this one.


I saved my favorite photo of the assignment to the last. This photo of suitcases under the bed has good contrast and it's sharp. Also it's a story-teller. I can tell you three stories from it: 1. My bed is high so I can put my suitcases under it; 2. I'm a traveller; 3. I accidentally found there's a pillow down here. Apparently someone lost it a long time ago.

Overall I think this assignment is so-so, according to the criteria of a perfectionist. Things I learned:

1. Take my time!

2. Be careful with the sky.

3. Trust the computer screen and print few pictures. (Environmentally, save the paper.)

4. To be a good photographer, I need to sacrifice myself, like rolling on the ground when it's raining. I'm glad I was in uniform though. :p

5. Try different views and angles of the same object. Things can be completely changed.

6. I'm kinda good at story-telling, which makes photo shooting more interesting.

I'm so ready to move on to the next assignment!