Here is a series of photographs of the organ at the Basilica of the National Shrine. The first photo is unaltered while the second in black and white was altered using Photoshop. The third is desaturated and the fourth is desaturated with levels of red, green, and blue added. The last photo is in grayscale. I like how the camera was able to split the picture into thirds, with the relief in the bottom third, the organ in the middle third, and the rose window and ceiling in the top third of the photograph. The photograph is successful in showing a lot of detail, particularly in the relief, which makes the black and white photos engaging to look at.

Creating Light

Here is a series of pictures of some candles in the Basilica of the National Shrine. The first photo is unaltered while the second is black and white has been altered using Photoshop. The third is desaturated and the fourth is desaturated with levels of red, blue, and green. The last photo is in grayscale. The shadows cast by the light in the fourth photo appear to be more obvious than in the others, showing that it is important to be able to exercise control when altering images to enhance certain features of the photos.

Majesty in Architecture

Here is a series of photographs of the dome of the Basilica of the National Shrine in D.C. The first is the unaltered original. The second in black and white was altered using Photoshop. The third was desaturated while the fourth photo was desaturated and the levels of red, blue, and green were altered. The last photo is in grayscale. I like the fourth photo the best because it captures the most detail in the dome and in the flowers on the trees in the foreground.

Assignment 2: Black and White Photos

Here is a series of pictures of archways in the Basilica of the National Shrine in D.C.

The first picture is the unaltered original. The pictures below it were altered using different functions in Photoshop. The second is in black and white while the third one was desaturated. The fourth was desaturated but then the levels of red, green, and blue were altered. The last picture is in grayscale. I like the dimension and depth that this photograph captures. It highlights the success of mathematics in geometry, of architecture, and of engineering in one photo. I like the fourth the most because it seems more successful in capturing the different tones the light cast on the marble.

Early Fall

I really like the concept of these photos in that the presence of both the leaves and the Capitol Building add interest. The Capitol and nature are beautiful in themselves, but they add a visual appeal when they're together. I took this picture using an aperture of f/36 and a shutter speed of 1/80. This allows the detail of the leaves in the foreground to be crisp and clear.

This photo was taken using an aperture of f/5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/3200. This setting blurrs the leaves in the foreground so that the focus is more on the Capitol dome than it is on the leaves in the previous picture.

Overshadowed

I really like this photo as it shows a lot of dimension in size. The building is quite imposing as it is so tall, but the flag and flagpole are what catch my eye the first time I see the photo. Then looking down at the bottom of the Washington Monument is this one person overshadowed by both the flag and the building. I suppose one could look at the metaphorical elements about who stands greater in the photo. Man enabled a building of that size to be constructed while man also implemented the democratic republic in the U.S. Yet, in the photo, it is somewhat difficult to admit that man can build such wondrous things. To me, this photo serves as an example of mind over matter and shows the power of man's intellect.

A Nature Admirer

This photo was taken in downtown D.C. not far from the Treasury Building. I was focusing on the waterfall when the young boy attracted by the ducks swimming in the water came over to look at them. I decided to incorporate him and make him the subject of the photo. It also worked out well having him in the photo as he was standing still while the water was moving, providing a still anchor to focus on. This photo was taken with a shutter speed of 1/25 and an aperture of f/36. This setting causes the water to become blurred in the picture. If I were to change anything in the photo I would have liked the perspective to show him closer to the water, which would eliminate all the empty space in between the waterfall and the boy.

This photo taken from the same perspective used a shutter speed of 1/640 and an aperture of f/5.6. This setting freezes the waterfall in time so that the individual water droplets can be seen.

Assignment 1 (cont) Aperture

Here are a couple of photos taken of flowers near the U.S. Capitol in D.C. This photo was taken with an aperture of f/36 with a shutter speed of 1/80. Here the background is more in focus (the leaves on the trees in the background have much sharper detail than in the bottom photo) while the foreground is less in focus.

From the same vantage point, the same picture was taken with an aperture of f/5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/3200. This setting brings the foreground into focus and brings the background out of focus (the detail on the trees in the background is less noticable).

Assignment 1: Shutter Speed

These two photographs were taken at the WWII Memorial in D.C. The photograph to the left was taken using a fast shutter speed (1/2000). Its aperture was f/5.6. Notice how the splashes of water from the fountain are noticable as individual droplets due to the fast shutter speed. When I took the picture I was focusing only on the water and didn't even notice the two women in the foreground who were having their picture taken. Not only does it add character to a photo in terms of the stories that you can associate with it later, but since the women are standing still, it gives an anchor to the moving water in the photo.

This photo was taken using a much slower shutter speed of 1/60 with an aperture of f/36 as evidenced by the blurred water droplets from the fountain.