2nd Genre Photoshoot

For my second genre photoshoot, I photographed my second genre option for my magazine, "Science and Nature," in hopes of displaying the natural beauty of plants and animals in their environment. With this in mind, my initial goal was to portray a wide variety of different organisms; yet, I later simplified this plan and, instead, only focused on flowers with the exception of a few other living things. To achieve this goal, I simply walked around my neighborhood and photographed any nature that stood out the most to me.

Below are the top eight images from my photoshoot that I thought were the most visually appealing, scenic, and stunning.

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One of the first struggles I encountered during this photoshoot was not discovering a variety of nature as expected. In other words, because of the relatively bland location that I took my pictures in, I originally found it difficult to diversify some of the pictures that were often repeatedly portraying similar organisms. Thankfully, this allowed me to learn how important it is to choose a location wisely, especially since it can significantly build the narrative of a photo. In other words, I am now aware that locations can make or break the overall quality of an image! As a matter of fact, I will now select settings more carefully for any future photoshoots, which would allow me to photograph more compelling images.

However, considering the lack of photography resources I had (besides an iPhone camera), I believe that my pictures still turned out aesthetic-looking and of high quality. Since I took most of the photos outside in direct exposure to the sun, most of them had good natural lighting and were perfectly bright enough to observe all the necessary details. However, other photos contained noticeable shadows, hence why I found it relatively challenging to position my camera properly to eliminate them. Regarding camera position, I think I could have taken pictures with a greater variety of shots and angles rather than the overused close-up. Yet, the pictures still contained appropriate backgrounds mainly since I attempted to clear out any distractions by either zooming in or using portrait mode. In particular, in the first two pictures, the use of portrait mode was evident, which allowed for blurred backgrounds that created a sharp focus on the subject.

Regarding the photo to the left, some class critique I received was to minimize some of the elements in the background by angling the camera differently: the background contradicts the bright color of the flower and doesn't add any meaning to the overall photo. With this in mind, I will incorporate this feedback moving forward by ensuring that there's not a large distance between the camera and the subject. Consequently, the audience would be able to properly focus on the subjects in my photos without being distracted by anything in the background. Or, I could simply find another location to photograph if possible!

On the more positive side, some of my classmates acknowledged that there were no shadows on the flower. Others also said that the use of portrait mode allowed the bright red flower to properly stand out with the help of the blurred background. They also mentioned that these factors established a sense of comfort and made the picture appealing. I will incorporate this moving forward by continuing to pay attention to light exposure, camera angles, and elements in the backgrounds of photos.

The photo to the left was the hardest picture to photograph as the subject was not only located in a dark setting but also was constantly moving. More specifically, this picture was taken in a marina that didn't have high-quality natural lighting, making the fish difficult to see. The fish was also rapidly moving, so I struggled to take the photo at the right moment. Therefore, after this process, I ended up with several photos that either made the fish look blurry or made the fish not even visible at all. To ensure that the fish was clearly visible, I positioned my camera as close as possible to the water and zoomed in.

Overall, photographing nature scenes was a new, unique experience that produced pleasant photos that I can definitely consider for my magazine if I pick the "Science and Nature" genre! As this process got easier with ever photo I took, I am sure it will get even easier and that my future photoshoots will run even smoother!