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Everyones an Artist
Jacob Smith
ERWC / Period 3
10/14/16
Table of Contents
Coming into high school, it really wasnt ostensible as to what I wanted to do with my
life. I experimented in almost every academy until I found my love for photography, which I
havent digressed from since. Before I found photography, my life felt very morose, but
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finding this passion has been my renaissance, my genesis. For my project, I wanted to focus
in on the photography aspect of my interest. The goal for me to to create a portfolio or gallery
of everyday objects in my life from interesting or abstract perspectives rather than the typical
urbane, because peoples ideas of photography are very aloof and I want to bring people to
realize that photography can be interesting no matter what the subject may be. I want to
emphasize the importance of the shot itself, not just how well you can edit a picture. Also,
when adding constraints to a project it forces you to be creative in ways you normally
wouldnt be, which really warrants the use of unconventional editing. Coming away from my
inviolable methods and pushing myself out of my comfort zone will help me in the long run.
Everyday objects can be pretty lackluster so finding interesting shots will be a fun challenge
for me. With that being said, I will research what appeals to people in photographs and how
artists capitalize on this. I might also research how a raw photo differs from a edited picture
in the eyes of the viewer and what appeals to us visually as consumers of the media.
For example, the SFX designers for Destiny, a video game made by Bungie, wanted
the levels to feel open for exploration yet have a sense of direction so they used ambient light
within an inherently dark and wry area to attract the players eye. It is my creed as well as
theirs that our goal is to leave the viewer pleased with what they saw. The goal is not to make
tawdry work, but make art that is inspiring. This research is going to be done before I shoot
my photos in order to gain an understanding of what appeals to people which will aid in me
choosing a theme that people will enjoy. This project is going to provide a great artistic
challenge because I will have to find cohesive scenes to shoot and/or create these scenes to fit
my needs. I expect there to be down points in the process, because finding inspiration is like
catching lightning in a bottle for some (myself included). As I shoot these photos, Ill put
them each into one folder in Google Drive or on my computer, hopefully coming out with a
yield of 25 or so pictures that I like the best out of them all to print for a portfolio or gallery.
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If we decide to do a gallery, I would have to find a classroom to set up the pictures in for
people to view.
This will be a test of my skills as an artist in certain ways that wouldnt normally
come as an arduous task with editing. This might include having a keen eye for inspiring and
creative subjects to photograph as well as determining what settings to use on the camera
itself to turn these pictures into something truly fascinating. This will help prepare me for the
future because in a job, you dont always get to do what youd like to do but you still have to
make it work and do a good job with it, however uninspiring. Rather than being peevish, just
doing a great job can make you feel good about yourself and make the project more tolerable.
It also helps being able to find inspiration in the most minor things you might find in the
world around you. This project for me really represents a test of my creativity, determination,
and passion to prosper in this field and possibly even be a vanguard for the community given
that I am personable enough. My passion for photography and graphic design has been cast
into shadow for a decent amount of time, so I want this project to be a spark for the flames
and rekindle my passion that I simply havent been following. I want to set myself right and
happy, knowing that I aspired to do something I have a real passion for. This I am adamant
about, because finding something you truly love that can also be a career is often sporadic.
First off, the topic I wanted to look into was how we can get people who arent
artists to feel or see our art in a way that we want them to. This goes into the subject
matter of the piece as well as the composition. I want to focus specifically on photography for
this, because I feel that photography is really something that deserves this challenge, in order
to test how powerful a photograph can really be. One thing that comes up with this
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would tell you what makes a good photograph in artistic terms, like balance and shape and
composition. These do, in theory, make a good photo, but what about from the viewers
standpoint? Say youre someone with no artistic knowledge whatsoever, and you go to an
photo gallery. What evokes emotion, and what catches your eye? Thats what I want to find
out through this. I want to know what goes through the viewers minds when they see an
image, and what kind of imagery gets their gears turning rather than being resolute about
The whole purpose of art and photography is to portray something. The subject can be
capricious depending on the artist. What I want to know is; if were all different as artists and
we all have our own style, then what is it that people look for in all pieces of art. From a
survey I made, the majority of people look for color in art. I did this survey because it is
supposition. This, along with my research sources, will help me shoot to my best ability in
order to draw in an audience and peak peoples interest in interesting ways. Knowing what
your audience is looking for is a good guide to shooting good photos, because if you can
capture their interests then you can capture their attention as well. The goal is to be appealing
with their interests and not be so blatant with the colors and to get to that goal without being
arbitrary. Approaching this project with a prudent mindset will help me in the long run
question: What makes a good photograph? While this might be biased, its exactly the
knowledge I need in order to shoot good photos, and it was saturated with great insight. I
need to know what grabs people, as well as what makes a photo good based on composition
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and technique. The answers varied widely from things like its ability to evoke emotion
to light (lAnson, Top Photographers Answer, What Makes a Good Photograph?). This
information gives me a good route to take but is still commodious enough for me to do my
own thing.
My second source talks about why people even bother to look at or retain interest in
the whole purpose of shooting photos is. Its not just about shooting a photo because it looks
nice, theres the whole other side as well where your photos tell a story. I really wanted to
understand the thought and emotion that others feel when they see art or photography.
ONeill states that photographs can be small pieces of a jigsaw that complete the larger
picture of our lives (6 Reasons Why Photography Matters), which I find very poignant. The
fact that photographs will outlive any of us and that some person nowhere near my proximity,
decades or even centuries from now will see it and wonder what our lives were like compared
to theirs.
My third source kind of does what both of my other sources do, in the sense that the
author talks about composition as well as emotion. She covers pretty much all of the
information that I need to drive me through with the project. The hallmarks for my project are
creativity, focus, and story which she nails down pretty clearly and in depth. The information
she covers answers several questions including; Is there a clear center of interest? Is the
image composed well? Is the focus tack sharp and is the exposure appropriate? Does the
photo tell a story? Does the lighting enhance the subject and message? Is the approach
creative? (Lowrie, What Makes a Photo Good?: A Quick Checklist for Evaluating Image
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Quality) The actual bias in this source is negligible, and she uses all of the typical
photography jargon.
I expect this project to turn out nicely, given that I have a nice variety of data from a
survey I made. Theres definitely a trend that I can work into my photos, which Im happy
about, although I may tweak what they want slightly. Not being artists, most of them
probably dont know what they actually like due to their precociousness in the subject, but I
dont want to lacerate their ideals either. I dont want the viewers to feel belittled or
subjugated but I also dont want them to feel omnipotent either. If I were to be flippant or
cantankerous as an artist, people wont want to look at my work which is not good
whatsoever. I think my projects strengths will be that its unique in the subject matter. I dont
think a lot of artists really stop to ask themselves what the viewer actually sees in their work.
Mr. Torti, he seemed to be excited about my idea and wanted to see it come to fruition. I think
more than anything, what I want to achieve with this is to get people to see things in new and
interesting ways, even though the subject matter may be boring. The fun part about the
project, however, is the fact that its difficult to make monotonous subjects interesting. If you
can make an uncanny photo out of an everyday object, then you can safely assume that youll
As far as problems are concerned, I think art block is gonna be a big one. Art block is
just a naturally occurring thing for me and I just get stuck for a while. The gallery could also
not work out well. I can solve these problems by potentially going to my mentor for help and
quick thinking will help me a lot. That is one thing that you need to have as an artist, is the
ability to think pragmatically in case you encounter an issue. I also have my dad that I can
talk to, who also has an amazing knack for solving problems. Even if I have an issue that he
doesnt understand, I can paraphrase it in a way that makes sense to him and then hell be
able to help me come up with a solution. I think that having someone congenial to consult
for help on a day to day basis who is also very candor is a great advantage for something like
this, because its hard to be motivated and think on your feet when youre alone, obstinate,
I feel comfortable with the project, and Im excited for all of this to unfold as well as
create my legacy. I feel well versed in photography now so Im excited to use my newfound
skills to shoot for this project and put together a really neat gallery. I think also having a
professional photographer as my mentor will help a lot because he has the experience in the
field to help me along and complete this with a really strong portfolio. Having a fellow
photographer that I can concur with also helps leaps and bounds. Im really excited to work
on this because by the end Ill have a lot of pictures to use for my portfolio for college
admissions, and if its a really good portfolio then that will be the advantage that might put
Lowrie, By Charlotte. "What Makes a Photo Good." What Makes a Photo Good. N.p., n.d.
Web. 09 Sept. 2016.
<http://wordsandphotos.org/Commentary/WhatMakesAPhotoGood.htm>
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@digitalps. "6 Reasons Why Photography Matters." Digital Photography School Comments.
N.p., 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2016. <http://digital-photography-school.com/6-reasons-
why-photography-matters/>.
good photograph? While the information is very biased, given that its 100% opinion, it
contains a lot of good insight on the subject because its coming from 13 different people
with different perspectives. A majority of the people who were presented the question
responded with something regarding emotion. The information also feels thought over by the
Lowrie, By Charlotte. "What Makes a Photo Good." What Makes a Photo Good. N.p., n.d.
Web. 09 Sept. 2016.
<http://wordsandphotos.org/Commentary/WhatMakesAPhotoGood.htm>
The source presents information on what makes a good photograph good and why.
The author focuses on the artistic aspects of the photo such as composition and exposure. The
article isnt biased which is a good aspect. I personally dont see any negative factors to this
way that products are presented to the public. It does cover some good information, but it
@digitalps. "6 Reasons Why Photography Matters." Digital Photography School Comments.
N.p., 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2016. <http://digital-photography-school.com/6-reasons-
why-photography-matters/>.
This source is written by a professional photographer in New Zealand. He talks about
the impact that photographs have on peoples lives and how photographs outlive them. He
also talks about how photography helps us to share and communicate, and is very powerful.
Hall, Jeffrey L. Elements That Influence Visual Appeal in Photographs. Thesis. Bowling
Green State University, 2007. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
This college thesis covers what appeals to people in photographs, and covered some
good information. The information presented was rather technical, which I didnt really want
to use because it would be hard to present to people that arent artists in a way that they could