Blog Post #5

Required Exercise:

Reading the directions for this week's required blog really got me excited. I love cropping photos to make them more interesting and I was looking forward to trying this out!

Picture #1:  Standing in line for the Harry Potter ride at Universal Orlando. I like this picture because of all of the lines in the greenhouse and the angles that are created.

My first crop with this picture was to merely crop all of the people out in order to focus on the lines in the ceiling. I think this crop just really made the lines pop more and it makes the picture more artistic and less of a quick snapshot.

My next crop was an extreme crop of just one of the hanging plants. I like that by taking this plant out of context, you can no longer tell that it is a hanging plant. It could easily be a potted plant sitting on the floor somewhere. The lines are still interesting in the background, but the focus is clearly now the plant.

Picture #2: This picture was taken in Epcot - in that weird little part of world showcase that is not really part of any particular country. I took the picture because I like all of the cool items in the picture, but I think it can be more interesting if I crop it according to some of the rules that we have been discussing in this class.

My first cropping was done just of the drums. I am not sure how much I like this picture now. I think the drums are beautiful and the colors are bright and vivid, but I don't think the cropping makes the picture more interesting.

The second crop was much more successful because I think it looks more like an advertisement for Coca-Cola. In the original picture, I don't feel like the logo for Coca-Cola pops out but by cropping the picture to include the logos and make it look more like an ad.

Picture #3:  This picture was taken of all the debris and fallen electric lines in the storm that hit the year before Sandy did. We were actually hit worse during this storm than we were during Sandy. We were out of power for 4 days!

By making the first crop that I did, it makes the greenery look lush and almost romantic because it is all covered in snow. You can't tell that it is a fallen tree lying across my driveway!

For the second crop, I chose to focus more on the downed wire and the house across the street. By cropping out just this section, I feel like there is more of a focus on the disaster element. I also really like the way the line brings your eye into the picture. (I was really affected by the reading of the lines in pictures!)

Picture #4: This picture was taken at the NJ Balloon Festival last summer. I like the juxtaposition of the smallness of the people against the largeness of the balloons, but without cropping, I don't think this photo really stands out. 

This first crop I just think makes the picture look a little more in proportion and a little more interesting. It gives the photo more of a focus.

This final crop is pretty interesting because it isn't very clear that they are all hot air balloons. The balloon in the upper left corner is obviously a traditional hot air balloon, but it makes the other balloons look even bigger!

Picture #5: This is a picture taken down in Atlantic City looking out at the beach from Caesar's. I think it is an interesting photograph because of the red umbrellas which are so bright against the overcast, gray day.

I love this first crop because I took a closer look at my favorite part of the picture - the umbrellas. In the first picture, I never really noticed that there was a yellow umbrella. That one umbrella really stands out and tells it's own story. (I also love that they are both primary colors!)

My second crop was to take out the commercial aspect and just try to create a beach shot. I like it because it is not obvious that it is Atlantic City from this shot - the building could be any building near the ocean. I also like the angle that the building is at compared to the ocean.

Picture #6: This picture is of a fountain at the mall near my house. I chose it because I am interested in seeing if it is more interesting once I crop it.

This first edit is from the bottom of the ball and partial fountain. I feel like I was playing more with shapes. Once again, I am reminded of the readings we did with lines and it is interesting to see the softness of the curve of the ball compared to the straight line in the back. I also like the soft waves in the water.

My final crop of the girl who was in the side of the picture. I wanted to remove the fountain completely and zoom in on the girl. Again, I don't think the crop is all that interesting. 

Second Exercise:

For this exercise, I chose to take one of my pictures (of a pink rose) and try out different borders to see how it changed the picture.

I don't like the first picture with the thick black border. It is too harsh of a contrast. My favorite is the pink fuzzy border in the bottom left hand corner. I think the light pink is very complimentary and makes the picture look soft and romantic. I also really like the bottom right hand corner where it looks like a page from a scrapbook. I think the black looks better with the white so it is not so harsh. I am also not fond of the brown border. I don't think the color really brings out the brightness of the pink.

Third Exercise: Design a book cover for a story entitled "Flirting with the Bully".  My first cover is for a short story that is fun and a little silly - definitely a romantic comedy. The tag line reads "Even though she is a bitch, he still loves her". I chose to create the cover in mostly pink colors to convey a sense of flirty and fun. I also decided to go with cartoons to help carry this theme throughout. 

The second time I designed the story cover, I wanted it to have a completely different feel. I wanted it to take a more serious turn and have a darker tone. I chose more somber colors (black, red, and white) and I used a strong central picture as the main image. The tag line reads "One girl's true story of high school romance gone wrong..."