Alaska Photos

On my trip to Juneau, Alaska over spring break, I got to see some amazing things and learn about the extensive history of the town. Apparently, bald eagles are a common sight in for the locals, while I was FREAKING OUT. I got to see about five eagles flying around the beach and perching on the old salt house. The salt house was one of many artifacts from the old mining town that was lost to a fire on Douglas Island. We took a lot of walks down Sandy Beach, which was full of remains from the mine.  

Juvenile bald eagle

Sandy Beach, Douglas

Remains of the dock and the salt house

The Treadwell cave-in where the gold mine flooded and collapsed in 1917. 

An old weathered down boat, now covered in clams and mollusks that appeared on a low-tide day.

Shooting to Illustrate

I struggled all week to come up with a topic that I could illustrate through my photography. I wanted it to be something that could be clearly conveyed, but at the same time, not too obviously. 

I decided to illustrate the topic of relationship abuse. So many people are trapped in abusive relationships and they feel like they can't speak out about it. I thought about exploring the physical side of the abuse, but instead I decided to focus more on the emotional aspect. I chose to use the Barbie doll to represent the abused person in the relationship. She lays immobile in the bed that she and her abuser share. The tape over her mouth conveys the idea that she is silenced, unable to cry out for help.  

ISO 800, f/8, 1/20

Context of the photo:

Physical- the bed she is "trapped" in, being the bed that she shares with her partner, her abuser.

Psychological- The brightness in Barbie's eyes would usually be complimented by a smile, however, her mouth is taped. Without her smile, to me, her eyes become wide and afraid. 

Cultural- We see Barbies as child's toys, which is what the abused woman has become to her partner-- a toy. 

Social- Barbies are usually depicted as "the perfect woman." She is the model of American beauty. 

Temporal- I felt that the image of her laying stiff and immobile in the bed conveyed that she has been in this relationship for a while and has gone into a numb state of acceptance. 

ISO 800, f/4.8, 1/20

I also included this close up landscape oriented photo, closing her in more, in comparison to the next photo, which has more negative space. I felt that the empty space around her portrayed that she feels very alone.  

ISO 800, f/4.8, 1/20

In-Class Natural Light Shoot

I didn't bring my camera to class today so I just shot on my iPhone. The photos actually came out pretty nice and clear, which was lent to by the great lighting outside the Holland. 

Natural Light Portraits

ISO 320, 22mm, f/4, 1/60

This is my friend Kelly, whom I recently reconnected with. We hadn't spent much time together recently, and I figured this photo shoot was a good excuse to hang out with her. She just got her first tattoo, the one on her left shoulder of the adoption symbol. She was adopted from a rough situation when she was a child, so the symbol has deep meaning for her. 

ISO 320, 28mm, f/4.2, 1/60

She and I were chatting about her day and I made her laugh, which I captured in this photo. I think she has a beautiful laugh.

ISO 400, 22mm, f/5.6, 1/60

We relocated to a place more in the shade and I didn't have a fill source, so I had to increase the ISO and aperture. For this photo I just asked her to stare directly at me. I released the shutter right as her eyes met the camera. 

B&W Portraits

Glamour shots

ISO 500, 48mm, f/8, 1/125

I like this one of Maria. Her slight smile kind of draws me in.

ISO 500, 55mm, f/8, 1/180

ISO 500, 55mm, f/8, 1/30

Rembrandt shots

ISO 500, 38mm, f/8, 1/30

ISO 500, 55mm, f/8, 1/60

I really notice the catch light in Hunter's eyes in this photo. 

Shoot Tight

ISO 400, 38mm, f/11, 1/500

ISO 100, 38mm, f/4.8, 1/400

I went to Zion this past weekend and on our last hike of the day, I did a short photo essay with my zoom lens at 38mm. I captured this first shot of the mountains, and then after we walked a little switchback, I shot the second one. I utilized shooting tight to try make it appear like Braiden was hanging off the cliff. I probably should've gotten it from another angle to help make it more convincing, but my tight angle worked well enough for me to be pleased. 

ISO 100, 55mm, f/5.6, 1/500

Here's another photo of Braiden from earlier in the day that I liked. 

Shoot Wide

ISO 500, f/3.8, 1/100

I shot this at 18mm to capture my friend Trystin standing alone at the old St. George airport. 

ISO 500, f/33.5, 1/100

This is her taking a photo of the sunset on her Sony camera. 

ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/100