Final Reflection

When I started this class, I was uncertain of how it would go. I liked photography, but I've struggled with it in the past. My problem was my high standards. Back in darkroom photography, I was never satisfied. I always needed more time; I always needed one more try to improve each picture. And even then, they were never perfect. Spending so much time on something, and still ending up disappointed, was extremely stressful for me. And I was worried that this class would go similarly.

During the first few weeks of class, I thought my fears were confirmed. The camera I was assigned felt cheap and old and nothing like the digital camera my sister had used. Taking pictures around the school only discouraged me further. Everything was dull or blurry. The lighting was never right. Each image was full of distracting elements. My photos, like the faux flowers below, made me feel hopeless. I was taking bland pictures and it felt awful.

One of my worst photos

But I am nothing if not persistent, especially when grades are on the line. So I pulled myself together, checked out a nicer camera, and took some pictures of the familiar, friendly plants around my house (take that faux flowers). I switched off auto mode and relied instead on my vague memory of how shutter speed and aperture had worked on my film camera. And that's when I took the photo, the featured below. 

My first decent photo

It's not an amazing picture, but I stand by it. It has nice colors and lighting, plus a shallow depth of field. What's not to love? A lot of things, actually, but that's not important. What's important is that I took a decent photo. And just like that, my confidence was (partially) restored. It motivated me to start trying new things, taking more photos, and most importantly, experimenting with photoshop.

My photos were still imperfect, and I was still unsatisfied, but now I could actually do something about it. If I couldn't get the right lighting, that was fine, I would fix it in photoshop. That program really is a perfectionist's dream, and it lifted the burden of stress off my shoulders. With my combination of digital and artistic skills, I could fix any number of things in photoshop. It completely changed my mindset. I was never going get a perfect photo, but I could make a perfect photo. Take, for example, one of my best photos, shown below.

                                                                 

One of my best photos

I love this photo. There are very few art pieces that I've made that I actually love, and this is one of them. It is a major improvement from my first photos. It uses specialized camera techniques, a tripod, and controlled lighting. Those are the things that made it good. But by using photoshop, I made it great. I corrected the brightness and the coloration, I fixed all those pesky flaws, and I am finally satisfied. It meets my high standards.

And I have similar feelings about this other photo (shown below), which is arguably my best, and also uses photoshop to bring out the best in the image. 

Another one of my best photos

Overall, I think I've really grown as a photographer in this class. Not only have my technical skills improved, but so has my mindset and understanding of photography. I no longer insist that my photos need to be perfect. I am no longer disappointed by each and every one. By using the techniques I learned in this class, I can now make my photos look professional and high quality, even when they start out being flawed. Sure, I still do obsessively fix everything in photoshop, but at least I'm satisfied when I'm done. I can end this class secure in the knowledge that I am, at least somewhat, an accomplished photographer.