8/26/2010

This picture was taken from a friends house before 8 in the morning. (That's early for me!) It was taken by a golf course as the sun was starting to peek through and start another hot summer day. I don't know why the clouds appeared to be crooked, this confused me so I took a picture. I also took the picture because the details in the clouds is amazing! In a way the clouds remind me of the ocean. I took this picture on my cell phone, but I still like it.

8/25/2010

My grandma loves sunsets; it's a good thing we can catch views like this from our backyard.  I took this picture because I know how much my grandma loves sunsets. It as a clear night and the sun lite-up the night sky. I love the detail in the leaves on the trees, the addition of the hot-air-balloon and the transition in color from the white of the sun to the blue-gray of the night sky. The only down-side is the telephone wires. I took this picture manually and actually like the addition of the reflected sun ray.

8/24/2010

 

 Dogs are so cute! I went to the dog beach with my two dogs and they got to run around and play for hours, they loved it. I took this picture of my dog Roxie because the wind and sun made her look so pretty. I love the colors and the lines of the bridge. My dog had posed for me perfectly, but i had to be quick to snap this picture.

8/23/2010

I was walking around Bed, Bath and Beyond looking for school stuff and hoping to find something to take a picture of. I know i like repetition picture so I thought I would be able to find one at a store. I took this picture manually. I like the odd shape of the hangers and the different shades of the hangers.

8/22/2010

I love ice cream! The ice cream cup and the tip jar are my favorite parts of this picture. I wish i had made the label on the cup show...that would have been better. This was taken at Maggie Moo's. The ice cream is already melting! It was hot!

8/21/2010

I went to Disneyland with my friends. We sat down in the shade to rest and I realized I still needed to take a picture for my photo assignment. I turned around (while still sitting) and took this picture. It was almost too easy! I love it when pictures come together that easily and still look great. I love how huge the Ferris Wheel looks. The color in the wheel and the color of the sky are also beautiful.

8/20/2010

I went to the Del Mar Beach with my camera and just took some picture of whatever I saw. This was the second to last picture I took. The pictures of people I took previous to this were good, but there was no connection because they were strangers. I like this picture because of the texture of the sand and the color and lines of the surf boards. This picture is very simple, but appealing. The trash can in the back round gives the picture a sense of place. It says "City of Del Mar" on it. I did not alter this picture after it was taken.

8/19/2010

When something tragic happens to someone you love it is very easy to make yourself ignore the signs and focus on the good. It was made even easier this week because my grandma was having a great couple of days. She was starting to drive herself places and go through the entire day without a nap. My grandma has helped me to appreciate my health, something I take for granted. Realizing how fortunate I am and the little things in life is an important message I've learned from my grandma. My grandma has been amazing through this entire process. I don't know how she's managed to stay so positive, it's easier for me to look on the bright side. This picture put a little dim on my bright side. This angle makes my grandma look so fragile and weak. This picture honestly scares me. Her arms and legs do not look healthy. This picture was an unwelcome wake-up call. I hate looking at it, but it makes me marvel about the power of photography. This photo evokes so much emotion and if I hadn't taken this picture the emotions I'm feeling would not have been as strong.

8/18/2010

I went to Six Flags with a friend and it was burning hot! I really wanted to take a cell phone picture while on one of the rides, but I was too afraid. (If you haven't been: the rides are crazyyy! I had to use my hands to hold on and having to worry about taking a good picture while going over 60 mph is not an option.) Unfortunately, I had to improvise. I like the silhouette of the roller coaster and the color in the sun rays. This picture represents how hot it was. I felt like the sun was following me! In order to make this cell phone picture better I cropped it and increased the contrast. (This made the silhouette and the blue stronger and more appealing.)  

8/17/2010

I left my bagel on the island of my kitchen because my dogs were tormenting my cat and I had to save him. Once my cat was safe (a task that took less than 2 minutes), I was going to return to making my breakfast. In the hustle and bustle of quickly saving my cat I had set my bagel on the edge of the island, but it was no longer there. Then I heard my grandma outside yelling, "Drop it!" My dog had completed the perfect scheme. The distraction, attacking my cat, gave my dog the window of opportunity to steal my bagel. I applaud his ingenuity. I knew there was no chance of retrieving my bagel (and trust me I didn't want to). Instead I grabbed my camera and took a quick picture. The picture shown is a cropped picture of the original with a little more contrast as well. I like the detail in the fur and whiskers. The glimpse of my dog's tongue also adds to the picture by making git more of an action shot. If I could change one thing I would make my dog's eyes a little more open and devious. My dog's collar and wet nose also add a touch of texture.

8/16/2010

During sunset there are a lot of hot air balloons that float over my house. I took this picture of one of the hot air balloons. It was at the beginning of the sunset so it is still light out. I like the clouds in the picture and the detail and color of the balloon. I like how it reminds me of "Wizard of Oz." I think the clouds made this picture. The addition of texture was needed. The varying colors of blue also enhance the picture. I did not digitally enhance this picture on my computer at all. After the flash nothing was changed. I took some other pictures later on in the night, but I didn't like them as much because the balloons were farther away and only their silhouette can be seen. It was a tough choice! I will post some of my other favorites on my flickr account.

8/15/2010

At eight o'clock I walked into my back yard with my dogs and almost ran straight into this HUGE spider. It was bigger than a quarter! I used a flash to take the picture and I like how clear the picture came out.  The detail in the legs is amazing! In order to make it look even better I cropped the picture, added contrast, and increased saturation. I also like the way the camera flash hit the web. This picture scares me, but I like it! I was very scared when I was taking the picture. The spider kept moving and I was afraid the flash would scare it and make it fall on me. I'm VERY glad it did not!

8/14/2010

I took this picture while walking into the movie theater to go see "Eat, Pray, Love" (very good by the way). There was a little arcade and this game caught my eye. It is the game where a claw is used to pick-up stuffed toys. I was aways bad at these games, but I kept trying them because I loved stuffed animals and all the bright colors. This particular game looks a little sad, especially because of the Betty Boop Doll and the little brown puppy in the front. I like this picture because the more you look at it the more you see. At first glance it looked like a fun and happy kids game, but after analyzing the toys' faces I'm questioning the happiness. (For example, I just realized there is a Grim Reaper in the bottom right corner.) This entire picture is even more depressing if you think the toys have thoughts and feelings like in "Toy Story." (By the way "Toy Story 3" was also very good. It is very creative! It is probably one of the reasons I took this picture in the first place!) I also like how you can see my hands holding my camera in the back round. It is kind of creepy.

8/13/2010

My grandma's ovarian cancer has returned after 14 months and after two rounds of chemo today was the day to go bald! (As she says it.) My grandma is a tough woman! She chose to shave her head instead of waiting and having it seem like cancer had control of her. She's beautiful with or without hair. The hair dresser is laughing because throughout this entire experience my grandma was cracking jokes. This is the way my grandma deals with these tough situations brought by having cancer. I like this picture because it is candid and even though she is trying to hide it my grandma's eyes slightly show her sadness and fear. But she continues with the laughs and poses for me with a mohawk haircut before all her hair is shaved. I admire her strength. I respect her.