Blog 1: Composition

Introduction

Hello all! My name is Hailey and this is my blog for COM-1113, graphic software packages. Here I will be posting my blog assignments and content related to the class. 

This first assignment is all about composition, working the shot, and thoroughly understanding how to create a beautiful image that checks all the boxes. Taking a beautiful photograph is both extremely technical as well as creative. 

My Theme

For our first assignment, we were asked to find a theme for our photographs. I thought a fun subject would be something that everyone knows, a fried egg. I not only wanted to play around with color but also with texture. Given that an egg is easy to manage while cooking, I could handle and control it a lot with playing with the yoke. Therefore, I decided to call my theme, Playing With Food.

First Attempts

As I began to take photos what I found to be the most difficult was working with distractions. Working on a stove was quite tricky since I was dealing with lots of bright spots, glares, and reflections acting as intrusions. I found that getting the picture perfectly like I wanted was hard, however the deep contrast in color was both appealing and fun.

Reworking The Shot

Through taking more pictures, I realized the strength of the picture would lie in the angles I took them at. Playing around with the yoke, the shell, and the pan helped me achieve balancing, the rule of thirds, and depth. One of the main reasons I chose a fried egg as my subject was the texture in the bubbles that are created when cooking. I found that this as well as the circular yoke created shapes and patterns throughout my photos. While my photos are lacking harsh straight lines, I think the curve of the pan creates a "leading line" that draws your eye naturally to the picture. 

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

Throughout this project I realized that it is difficult to achieve exactly what your vision is sometimes. Although difficult, I found taking these was fun, especially since I got to do what every child gets yelled at for doing, playing with my food. I found that my subject did need a lot of experimentation and working to create what I wanted the final look to be. With more practice and editing beyond just a crop, I think these photos have a lot of potential!