PhotoJ - Prompt Shoot #3

 The End

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PhotoJ - Best of 2014

My three favorite pictures in 2014

First of all I have to say, that I liked a lot of pictures shown for the year of 2014, but this one really stuck in my head and it's one of my favorites. Because the moment it was shot is for a picture I think the perfect moment every photographer is searching for. But it is also really sad, that this really good picture developed from the suffering of a person and her harm.

I also really, really like this picture. It shows the brazilian trainer during the semi-final of the soccer world cup, as he pointed a player from Brazil that Germany, brazilians rival in the shown match, already scored 7 goals and Brazil none. Of course I think it is funny because I am german and we won the world cup and that was the biggest event of the year in Germany. That is why I really like this picture. Maybe it is not the best pictures of 2014 but for me the background story is really important for 2014

I saw more really good pictures in the slideshows and I wasn't sure which one I should take to my three favorites. So I just randomly chose this one. I like that picture because everything is harmonic in it. It shows a girl swimming with tunas. I think it looks really good how she swims and how the tunes swim around her. But also the moment in which the photo was taken, was really nice.

The best song

Happy

It was really hard to find the ''best'' song of 2014, because I liked so many during the year. But I decided I want to take ''Happy'' by Pharrell Williams, because like the title of the song, it always made me and the rest of the world happy. I think it was an almost unbelievable phenomen how this song boomed. I mean when you hear it, it just makes something with you, that you have to smile and feel the desire to dance and move. But that did other songs too. Anyways, that song was something ''special''.

The best movie

Unbroken

In this category, I didn't need so much time to decide which movie I liked the best, because there weren't that many movies I watched or even liked. But ''Unbroken'' really touched me. Usually I don't like movies about war and people fighting, killing and violating each other but that was not only about how an olympic star fought torturing and trying to escape. It was really emotional and touching And how a person can do everything if he believes, even forgiving, that totally got me.

The most important news story

Ebola

I'd definitely say, that ebola was the most important news story this year, because it killed so many people and spread so rapidly, that most of the people could just watch and couldn't do anything. In my opinion, the people who helped in Africa fighting against the disease and taking care of the infected and dead ones were the bravest people this year. Because they weren't afraid to get infected or even die from Ebola. They have my full respect!

The most important person

Malala Yousafzai

I really think Malala was the most important person in 2014, because with just 16 years old, she influenced I'd say the whole world with fighting so hard for women's and children's rights. I think she is so brave and strong. And I was really glad that she got the nobel prize for peace! With her fighting she really changed something and will change more and this goal, most of the people never reach. I mean she is just 16 years old! For me it is unbelievable.

The biggest sports story

FIFA Soccer World Cup

I think there is no question why I chose the Soccer World Cup as THE sports story 2014?! First of all Germany is a Soccer-nation like America is with Football and second of all, we won!! This ''fairytail'' was just unbelievable and amazing. We really won again after 20 years! 

My holidays

1. I will definitely remember our trip to Dallas on the first weekend of the holidays. We went to Dallas to visit friends of my host family. It was such a nice trip, because it was only my host mom, her daughter and granddaughter and me. We had such a nice time with all of my mom's friends and rest of the family in Dallas on that ''girl's trip''

2. I don't really have resolutions for 2015, because I think it is stupid to say you just start with the beginning of a new year and you can't start like a week before or something like that. Of course I try to do things better but these are not really so called resolutions. But if you really want to hear one I'd say I really try to enjoy the rest of my exchange year and when I'll come home I'll try to get better grades for my graduation in Germany.

3. I really look forward to see my friends and family back home in Germany again but I also look forward to meet more people here and just enjoy the rest of my ''american'' life.

PhotoJ - Final Exam - Extra Credit

1. The killed man wanted to calm down an angry passenger waiting on his train but he pushed him onto the tracks. After tries of getting off the track, he failed because he wasn't strong enough to lift himself. R. Umar Abbasi, the photographer who was there is a freelance photographer so he works for his own.

2. The photographer said he just took a photo to warn the incoming subway with the flash.

3. I'm actually not sure if it was ethically not so good that he took a photo instead of helping the man off the track. But I bet that I would've probably done the same thing because what if the man was so much heavier and I couldn't have lifted him. For sure everyone says they would have helped the man but I doubt that. I mean the flash was probably more help than bringing his self in danger or simply doing nothing.

4. It is hard to say if it was the best because we don't know the circumstances of the man on the track and how far or close the subway was. So I would say it was the best because he really tried to stop the subway as he tells and like I said it was more help than nothing.

5. I would agree with printing the photo on a front cover because it is a shocking picture and it stops people by and lead them to read the paper and of course it shows people more to be safe around subways and avoid to get in fights, etc. but I totally disagree with the head line ''doomed''. It is provocating and usually I like provocating headlines but I think this one is not appropriate because the man is dead and he probably had family and it is a real picture and not posed or something like that.

6. I think that is really difficult to answer because I think it depends on which situation you're talking about and what circumstances are given. But in general I would more likely say it you have to help the people in first line, if there's a chance to help them. If there's none than I probably would choose to take a picture. But I can't say it enough it always depends on the circumstances!!

7. Yes it is in my opinion. For example in the Subway case, he tried to help with taking a picture. And I think if there's a chance of helping the people WITH taking a picture, it is definitely ethically acceptable. BUT if the photographer just takes pictures to make money because a person is in life danger, then it is totally not acceptable.

8. No they shouldn't because it is their job to take pictures to capture events. But like I said if the people are in danger, they shouldn't choose their job, they should choose to help the people.

9. I would say ''How tasteless of the NY Post to publish such a grusome picture for this mans family to see. No one helped this man there were numerous videos and pictures being snapped, yet not one person tried to help save him. Disgusting. '' would be the most appropriate and understandable response because it is inappropriate of the NY Post. Also this photographer doesn't offend his ''fellow''.

PhotoJ - Review - unfinished

Captions

The Lipizzan horse Jonny panics during the show of ''The Spirit of America'' on December 3rd in Harrisburg, PA. He's part of the show since years so he slowly became anxious and crazy, that Eric Thompson and Micheal Smith, his trainers, had big problems to control him.

After a long journey from the Kongo to South Africa, Mala tries to sleep for a few hours in her new home. She just got brought to South Africa to get better medical treatment because she got infected with HIV by her mother.

Rules of Photography

1. Rule of Thirds: Your picture is divided into 9 equal sections, by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines, and your main element should be placed on these lines
2. Balancing Elements: If you just have one main object in your picture and it's more on the border of the picture, you should include another object so that the picture is ''balanced'' with the objects
3. Leading Lines: Lines in you picture make it more attractive and it's nicer to look at. You can use diagonal, zigzag, curvy, straight, etc.
4. Symmetry & Patterns: Symmetry and Patterns are eye-catching, if they occur in you picture, but also breaking those symmetries with a little thing, can be very attractive
5. Viewpoint: A different viewpoint or a unusual viewpoint can be change the composition of your photo and has a massive affect on the message of your photo
6. Background: For a great picture, you should look for a plain, not distracting background, so the main focus is on the object you'll take a photo of
7. Create Depth: For creating a more 3-dimensional picture you should include a background, middle ground and foreground, so the picture has depth in it
8. Framing: For isolating your main subject you can ''frame'' it with natural things, like trees, archways and holes. You should place them around the edge of your main object
9. Cropping: Sometimes the main subject in your photo is to small to have enough impact, then you should crop it so that you clearly see, what you main subject is
10. Mergers and avoiding them: You should avoid having a big object in your background, that could interfere with you main subject

Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO

• Aperture - a hole in your camera, through which the light travels (the larger the hole, the more light passes through, the smaller the hole, the less light passes through). It also controls the depths of field, which makes the picture more or less sharp (if the aperture is large, the depth of field is small, if the aperture is small, the depth of field is large). These are the f-numbers on the camera.
• Shutter Speed - the length of time, the camera shutter is opened (slow shutter speed lets more light into the camera, fast shutter speed lets less light into the camera). It is measured in fractions of seconds (shutter speed=1/15 -> one fifteenth of a second)
• ISO - the level of sensitivity of your camera to light (higher ISO, higher sensitivity, lower ISO, less sensitivity). It is measured in numbers (100, 200, 400, 800, 1600,…). But a higher ISO also increases the chance of getting grain/noise in you image

Photoshop

PhotoJ - Magazine Cover #2

PhotoJ - Magazine Cover #1

PhotoJ - Portrait and Self Portrait