semester I reflection

Over the last semester, I learned that there are many "rules" or guidelines, such as the rule of thirds, or including all intermediate values in a black-and-white photo, that form a basis of photography. Learning the fundamentals is important because, even when you don't follow them, it makes artistic choices more deliberate and the photos more complex and interesting. Learning the accepted and widely recognized types of lighting and composition is an easy way to take better photos, before being more consciously creative and experimenting beyond those rules. Anyway, I learned the different types of lighting in portraiture, how to adjust exposure settings for different effects and scenes, camera effects like white balance, and lots more. Knowing the "correct" way to take photos is like walking before running in photography; just like in drawing, it's obvious when someone doesn't know the basics but is covering it up with creativity. 

I also learned that I sometimes lack a definite subject, instead taking wallpapery background-like photography, which is not very original or interesting. By following the basics I learned of composition, I have rules to fall back on to level up my photos instead of them being meaningless and lost. The texture and line-focused assignments were predisposed to have a wallpaper vibe, but I'm sure the better photos managed to make a real subject out of a repetitive attribute like bark or grass, making sure there is a focal point of the photo, giving it a purpose and more artistic value. 

In general, taking photos with a specific focus and idea to portray in mind lent better results, which I guess was the basis of having very specific elements in each assignment. 

This semester I learned some of the fundamentals, which will guide me when taking more creative photos with the basics in mind.