Wildlife Photography

Hi everyone! In my previous post, I broke down aperture, shutter and ISO settings so that proper exposure can be easier to attain. In this blog post, I will be talking about some steps that are necessary for amazing wildlife photographs.

In The Magic of Digital Nature Photography by Rob Sheppard, there are some ideas for where you will most likely encounter some sort of wildlife. Sheppard states that Parks and Zoos are helpful for beginners for getting good shots, because "many wild birds coexist with people at a certain locations and become acclimated to that contact" (Sheppard, 137). National Parks also have wildlife which are accustomed to crowds, because "these animals know they are safe, graze, go through mating calls, and other behavior not far from the main roads" (Sheppard, 137). Here, it's especially important to treat the animals with respect and know where it is safe to take photographs. If you don't want to go outside for very long, "set up a bird feeder outside of your home to meet and photograph the resident and small mammals of your area. You can place feeders near windows so you can photograph from inside" (Sheppard, 137). Nature centers are also good places to go because they have blinds, boardwalks, trails, and more for taking photographs.

Within the places listed in the previous paragraph, you can look for food, water, edges, regular paths and perches. Where there is food, you may be able to find some animals feeding, or if you wait a little, then you may find an animal approaching the food to eat. "In areas where water is scarce, a water hole is an animal magnet" (Sheppard, 138). Even in water abundant places, animals most likely be by the water source. Scientists have seen that most wildlife is found along the edges of habitats, because they use edges for movement, safety and feeding, Animals are also habitual, so they take the same paths over and over again. If you follow animals on a certain path at a certain time of day, then you can most likely encounter them in the same place at the same time the next day. The same concept applies to birds and perches. Birds visit and use the same perches over and over again, similarly to animals using the same paths.

It's important to know the behavior of your subject when you are taking photographs of wildlife, because within context of certain factors, each animal behaves a certain way. Animals have an "invisible circle of attention around them. If you are outside of that circle, they are relaxed and go about their normal business. If you get near that circle ... they become more alert and stop doing whatever they were doing" (Sheppard, 140). Animals also use their best senses differently to stay alert for danger. A mammal has poor eyesight, but have amazing hearing and smell, so they pay attention to different sounds and smells. Birds have amazing eyesight, so they are more visually aware of their surroundings.

When taking the photograph, it's important to know how to approach the animal, so it's best to know some stalking techniques. Make sure to be prepared by having the appropriate lens, proper focal length, etc. so that you can instantly take the photograph when you are in position to take a photograph. It's best to move slowly without sudden movements. "Your movement needs to be like that of a non-predatory animal, like a deer or a cow" (Sheppard, 142). Also, predators move in a straight line, so when you are approaching the animal, don't move in a straight line. Don't stare at your subject or point your lens directly toward the animal, because only a predator will do so. Observe the animal's attention as you are moving towards it, because if it looks down or away, you can move closer and quickly. Watching your silhouette is also important because the human silhouette is easily recognizable. Blending into the surroundings will help. Since all animals are sensitive to sound, it's best to keep noise to a minimum.

These pictures were taken at Coulon, a lake near The Landing. Here, the most prevalent animals are birds. Knowing that birds are more visually aware, it was important that I didn't point my lense to the bird, or that I stared at it. In the first photograph, the bird was aware that I had already been taking photos of it, so I had to lower my lens to not seem like a predator. In the second photograph, the bird looked forward, so it was easier to get closer to it and take photographs of it. The part that made taking these photographs easier was that this bird, and many others living at Coulon, are already accustomed to human activity in their habitat.

Overall, what wildlife subject has been easiest for you to take? What has made it the easiest?

Bibliography: Sheppard, Rob. The Magic of Digital Nature Photography. New York: Lark, 2007. Print.

Volley and No I Am Not Talking About Volleyball

               With a volley, I found that it is a lot simpler and easier to get down versus the rest of the techniques. The volley is very repetitive shot and personally, I was able to get the shot down after a couple practices. Therefore, you will most likely get it down within that same time as well. In the beginning, I would always want to swing at the ball, but with a volley, it is different from the other shots because you should not swing with it and you have to hit the ball in the air before it touches the ground. Typically, this is a shot used up at the net because it is a quick shot that can be very aggressive if you hit it correctly.  

The first thing you need to understand with this shot is that you should always watch the ball when you are trying to make this shot or just with any shot; however I found this to be crucial with this move in particular. As well as, you need to meet your body to the ball when you want to do a volley. The book “The Top 100 Best Things That You Can Do to Greatly Improve Your Tennis Game” said, “Controlling volleys is a lot easier if you meet the ball before it has reached your body. It is very difficult to control a volley if he ball has begun to go past you” (McCloud 32). When you are trying to make this shot aggressive and powerful, you need to fight against the power of the ball coming at you. If you hit the ball when it is still in front you, then you don’t need to reach for the ball, but you can push the ball, which gives you that aggressiveness and power that you need. If you try to hit the ball going past you, then you will have to reach for the ball and make a weak shot back to your opponent making them have the advantage.

Another thing that you need to know in order to master your volley is that you have to make sure you turn your body for the volley. Ace McCloud says, “It is important not to take the ball square on, so be prepared move rapidly to one side” (McCloud 32). With this shot, it is very quick so you have very little time to make a decision on what you want to do, so always be ready to think quickly. You want to move to one side because you have more control on how you angle the ball and you can have a better push motion. If you are hitting the ball straight on you will have no control and it probably won’t go where you would like the ball to go, which could make your shot very weak and help your opponent win the game.

Before, I mentioned how you shouldn’t swing on a volley because with a volley it is a shot made up close, so you have no room to swing, but that’s not the main reason. When you hit a volley, you need to act like your racquet is a “wall”, because you want the racquet to be hard and sturdy like a wall. The reason why you don’t want to swing is because you lose the momentum of the ball when you add a swing to the ball coming at you. If you hit the ball with a simple push of your racquet, you will just push the momentum of the ball going back to your opponent’s court. Therefore, with the push you get the fast and aggressive hit, with just a simple hit.

Anyways, with a volley just remember to act as if the racquet is a wall, always be prepared to shift to one side and have your body face sideways. I really do hope my tips have helped you, if you want to pursue in the sport of tennis. I love tennis and I found that these tips have helped me prepare for the season coming up. Thank you for reading my post!

 

Question: What do you find is the hardest thing for you to understand or actually do when you do a volley? Like what challenges you when doing this shot?

 

McCloud, Ace. The Top 100 Best Things That You Can Do to Greatly Improve Your Tennis Game. San Bernardino: n.p., 2016. Print.

 Back- At You

 

               Some people find that the backhand can be difficult to master because it is hard to learn how to gain control and have accuracy with this shot. In the beginning I struggled with this technique as well because I felt like I never had control. This shot can be hard to master if you don’t know the best tips and techniques for getting the shot down.

 

               One thing, I learned on how to make a backhand shot easier to control and how to create more force is the way you position/ place your hands on the racquet. Most people will place their hands apart on the racquet which makes the racquet go against itself, so when you do hit the ball with this shot, your swing won’t be controlled since one hand is trying to hit the ball one way and the other hand is trying to hit the ball in a different direction. So in other words, they are going against each other when your hands are apart on the racquet like the image on the left.

 

 

 

 

               I learned that when you are doing a backhand shot is that you should either interlock your hands together or have them right on top of each other. This will cause more control and force when you hit a ball coming at you. When you have your hands together this will have them work together as “one”. They will hit the ball from the same direction and not go against each other like they would if you were to have your hands spread apart on a racquet. This will create stronger support when the racquet comes into contact with the ball, as well as give you an easier shot. Once, I began using this technique more I found it to be more successful and easier to gain control on where I want my balls to return. Some people found that with this technique of interlocking your hands with this shot, it may seem a little more difficult for you to be ready for the next shot after the backhand, when you may need a different position, but with time and practice you will soon get used to the transition of your placement with your hands.

  

Another thing that you should do when you are coming into contact with the ball on your backhand shot, is that you need your arms to be extended/straight and not crammed against your body. If your arms are straight, it allows more room for your swinging motion and to be able to do your follow-through. When your arms are close against your body you won’t get the full swing, which can cause a weak shot or end up going out.

 

               An additional tip, I found useful when reading the book was that, “If you have a rotation right, you will rotate through the stroke so that your follow-through takes you back to facing the net” (McCloud 24). When you do your backhand you want to be in a stance that allows you to feel balanced, as well as powerful. So, what he is saying is that when you rotate, you want to have that stance and your arms swinging all the way through in order for it to be powerful and a successful shot. When they say follow-through, that typically means that you will start your swing down by your side with the racquet facing its strings down and when you are about to hit the ball you will gradually raise your racquet up and have the racquet string’s face to the side to carry the shot upward as the ball comes into contact, then you will come up with the swing and even after the ball has been shot over the net you are going to continue with that swing. The racquet should end up by your ear for an effective shot.

 

 

 

 

               For me, that was something I struggled with because I kept forgetting to follow-through with my swing, which led to a weak shot. Once, you continually practice with the follow-through it will become more natural and you will notice your shots becoming more successful and they will glide over the net, which will give you an advantage. With the backhand you will also need to get your timing down as well because you need to prepare for when the ball comes. If you aren’t prepared and don’t have your racquet facing down and ready to carry the ball up, then it will either pass you or you will swing randomly, which I bet will be an easy shot for your opponent or the ball will go out making you lose the point.

 

               I know I have repeatedly mentioned timing with each post, but that is very crucial in the game of tennis, whether it’s preparing for a shot or serving. Also, don’t get frustrated right away, when your backhands don’t make it over or they aren’t controlled, it takes time to get your backhand shot down. That is something I struggled with in the beginning, but with time and consistent practicing I began to feel better with my shots. I hope these tips are helpful for you, like they have been for me.

 

Question: When you do a backhand shot, which do you prefer, your hands apart or close together on the racquet’s handle and why one over the other?

Reality of time lapse similarities

Personality wise, I believe we can improve to be a better version of ourselves. I don't believe that we can change because we always have habits and reflexes when it comes to certain actions or thoughts we make.  From my perspective, I feel I used to be a selfish, rude, and cynical person as a kid. After going through so many life experiences, I "turned over a new leaf" and now I am more selfless, kind and thoughtful towards others. For this post, I decided to not only show some techniques and the process of my paintings, but to also incorporate meaningful interpretations, and other elements that create and bring emotion or lessons to a painting.

For the next 3 paintings I created, I used similar a similar outline of incorporating nature into all my paintings. The connection I am planning to make from the nature paintings are not exactly realistic pictures of how earth truly looks but the figurative way of how I will soon explain through the interpretations.

For the picture below, I decided to do a quartet of miniature paintings to come together as a meaningful piece of art.

"Four Seasons of  Reflection"

Now to be honest, this is not my own original idea behind the Four Seasons. Although I am not exactly sure who created the graphic I was inspired by, I used the picture to help me look at for an outline. This painting I originally did not have any meaning for why I was painting it, I wanted to simply do something relaxing and fun while I had the free time. As I painted these four pictures, I eventually began to break the pieces apart to find what important message I could think of interpreting to relate to humans. If one were to see this painting at a gallery, they probably would have tried to find a connection to the song "Four Seasons" Composed and written by Vivaldi. My intention was not trying to connect those two examples. Figuratively thinking, I found the meaning of change over time, or also known as a time lapse. Everyone believes they change after periods of time, or they change their personality or clothing styles to fit in. This painting I interpreted as although we all believe we change, we are actually growing into different parts of ourselves "phases" we go through as teenagers to try and find who we truly are. In the painting I did not remember to make the tree branches similar but I wanted to show that trees change seasonally and so do we. We all improve and go through many cycles of trying to find who we are as a person and look for our personality and reflect about morals.

Colors play a big role in the complete quartet of paintings I created above. We all think of Happiness when it's the summer time. Some of us are connect sadness and gloomy days to the fall or winter time. Spring is seen as a chance of renewal (crops and flowers).  The "Four Seasons of Reflection" can be interpreted in many ways. In the book, "The Painter's Eye Learning to Look at Contemporary American Art" By Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, explains a lot about the influence meaning behind color from any piece of artwork. "Artists use intensity of color to convey mood. Value refers to light or dark aspects of color. The lighter the color, the closer it is to white, the darker the color, the closer to black." (Greenberg and Jordan 32). The color of the seasons show how the weather affects mood as well and incorporate multiple impressions of happiness, relaxation, sadness, etc.

Graphic Inspiration photo 

The photo pictured on the left was an inspiration I found while just randomly searching on google what to paint. The seasons as I mentioned before meant the different phases of change we go through to reflect over our inner-selves. I personally really believed this painting connected to me well because I have multiple personalities with different people and I believed that I have changed and matured. Leaves change color and fall representing death is to me giving up a dream that was not fulfilled to create a new adventure of finding what life is to us. Although my painting skills are not at standard yet, I will be explaining the materials and how I use them to create different visual effects on my painting.

Tree Trunk Process

First, to create the tree trunk, I used dark brown paint and painted the bottom first to create a general outline of what shape tree I wanted. Eventually I added branches to show more whimsical affect. 

Brush definition 

When I painted the winter themed tree, I used a very dry and stiff haired brush. If the brush was smooth and had flexible hairs, the snowflakes would not show definition or precise lines. This effect made it easier for me to learn and go through a simple process of using a soft hand grip. 

Resourceful Painting

For the green tree representing summer, I used only the curve of the eraser to create leaves on the tree. Using things around my house besides brushes makes it easier to craft different shapes. The eraser technique I used as a stippling effect in my previous painting.

Art Connection 

For Fall seasons, I used a brush to emphasize the multiple colors of leaves. Since they fall down to the ground I painted the photo by using a brush to mix three to four colors. Seeing nail art videos made me relate the mixing of colors at the bottom of the painting as a marbled look. 








After finishing the final product, I realized and reflected back on how much I have changed over time. Since I'm a very emotional person I began to bawl my eyes out for multiple reasons and the experiences that have changed me. 

The next painting, I created was more of a scenery and time lapse effect.

Blending Colors 

Before I began painting, I looked up pictures of nature in general and tried to find graphics that I could take ideas from to incorporate in my paintings to make meaningful interpretations. I came to a picture of a moon and instantly remembered my eighth grade science class. The phases of the moon gave me an idea to connect back to my first painting of the different seasons.


The process of painting the background is quite simple. I chose similar colors and shades of blue, green and shades of purple to show contrast in the beauty of night skies. To create the soft blend of colors, I made sure to mix multiple colors from gradient levels to show transitions from different colors easily. To do this, I used a wide and thick brush to make it faster while creating full strokes. Doing full straight lines across the canvas will make it easier for no mistakes to come along the road while doing short motions of the brush will create a more curved mark when viewing the painting as the brush lifts up. The movement and marks a brush leaves on a canvas can indicate various interpretations of feelings. For my Quarter 2 IRP project, I have been reading the book, "The Painter's Eye Learning to Look at Contemporary American Art" By Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. Every mark made on the canvas has a symbolic meaning behind it. The language of art takes a lot of analyzing and patience.

According to the book, "Each of these lines conveys its own mood to the viewer. Vertical lines can be seen as strong, rigid, formal or even religious. Horizontal lines can be interpreted as peaceful depressed, or serene. Jagged lines may indicate excitement, anger, or energy. Curved lines often are sensuous, organic, and rhythmic." (Greenberg and Jordan 21).

Every mark made has a meaning, some could just be for detail and fillers. Art is a language that is made from the heart to analyze every mark, stroke, color, and alliteration that pieces together into a puzzle of imagination.

"Same Moon, Same Person"

The final product of my painting, I wanted the picture to capture a time lapse of the moon's movements and phases over a month. The background is the sky and the details added in the bottom left corner are stilts with features of rocks to add detail on a beach. The whole takeaway I want viewers to see from this piece of art is the change over time. The moon changes its position, color, times of presence, and overall the moon is constantly changing. Technology, fashion trends, and our own personalities are constantly changing to fit into societal norms. I have seen this trend when teenagers move from grade school, secondary, and finally high school. Many try to be something they are not and constantly change fashion looks and flaunt what they have to grab other's attentions and make friends. The moon is the same, and so is everyone around us. We all put up an act to get through the day and so does the moon. Each day, different and new. We will always still have parts of our past reflect in our daily actions no matter how hard we try to mask them in disguise.

This painting was originally made because I had excess paint from my last painting "Same Moon, Same Person". I have made similar paintings like this during the summer when I had the lack of knowledge for finding meaningful interpretations of artwork. Now that I have been reading and teaching myself to think in a critical and new perspective, I was able to create an interpretation of nature and the effects of human actions that threaten our environment.


Now this painting I created is not that creative or one of a kind. I'm sure many painters or freelancers have done the majestic look of skies before as well. I used the same technique of combining similar shades of blue, green, and purple to give a nice contrast. The black is simply just mountain scenery and the nude dots are stars.


In this painting I used the technique called " A matter of space". In the book it states that, "But whether their art is abstract or realistic, they still make use of many of the same techniques to create perspective or the illusion of depth." (Greenberg and Jordan 70). The overlapping colors shows the depth of converging lines and colors while I didn't make the mountain too big to take away the beauty of the sky.


Now my question for you is have you ever seen anything like this in your own bare eyes with nature? I'm sure many of us would say no, but I would love to experience that beautiful night sky. After finishing this painting, I realized how much technology and industries have sucked in and taken over our natural beauty of a city that once was clear and not full of pollution. We don't see as many stars as we should because of the clouds of gas and industrial works that have harmed our environment. While thinking about this after, I changed my views on many things I normally do. Not only are vehicles harmful but electricity as well. My hope for the future is to find a way to get rid of many harmful pollutants in the atmosphere and go back to the clear skies before the Industrial Revolution.

Greenberg, Jan, and Sandra Jordan. The Painter's Eye: Learning to Look at Contemporary American Art. New York: Delacorte, 1991. Print

Overall, this book has helped broaden my thinking skills by thinking deeper about every small detail that is present in an image. This post I moved away from finding inspiration from the book but connecting it to nature and finding ways to connect them with human actions, emotions, and development.

If my clue was "Humans" for all the paintings I created above, how would you have interpreted either one of them? Do you think it would have been difficult and confusing?

Besides the connection of Nature and Humans, what ideas did you have in mind for me to work on next?

Leave a comment down below :)

Techniques to Remember With a Forehand Shot 

 

               There is a lot more to a forehand then just picking up a racquet and hitting a tennis ball. You have to think about your swing, foundation and how you step into it. Many people think it’s easy to master a forehand shot, for some it can be, depending on if you can get the technique down right away, but for others it takes time. Personally, it’s still taking me time to master a certain technique, which is hitting the ball low to high (I will explain that in a little bit). So like I said for some this might be an easy thing to master, but for others like me this isn’t as simple as it seems. I found that the hardest part is remembering how you get the technique down, like how your arm is supposed positioned, your foot work and just how you hit the ball with that technique. However, after a while it becomes easier to remember with practice.

               The first thing you need to remember with a great stroke is your stance. In order to have a strong hit you need to have an excellent foundation. In the book, The Top 100 Best Things That You Can Do to Greatly Improve Your Tennis Game, Ace McCloud says, “The most important element of creating a forehand stroke you can rely on is ensuring that you are playing the shot from a solid base. This means establishing the correct stance that gives you the best foundation to enable you to play your forehand shots with confidence and power” (McCloud 17). It’s important to have a reliable base because then you start off strong and will still be able to move to your next position/ shot needed to be successful. If you didn’t have a reliable base, then it will be harder to follow through with your next shot. When I learned the strong stance people use in tennis, it helped my shots be more successful and a lot easier. Since, before I just stood there waiting on a shot and then when the ball came to me I didn’t have the correct foot work to follow through with the shot making it either too powerful of a swing, which means it goes out or not powerful enough, which is when I hit the net. Basically, your starting stance is very important in tennis if you want to have a powerful and accurate shot with your forehand or just any shot you use.

               Ace McCloud also discusses what is a solid base you have when you play tennis. In the book it says, “Feet should be positioned shoulder-width apart. Do not plant your feet squarely down on the court, but keep them relaxed so you can bounce on the balls of your feet. Your knees should be a little bent so that you can feel the flex in the muscles at the front of your highs, calf muscles and lower back” (McCloud 17). With this stance you shouldn’t have your feet flat on the ground, your heels shouldn’t be touching the ground, so you can be ready to move because if they are on the ground that means that you aren’t ready to move and can’t maneuver to a new position. As well as it makes it harder for you to move to a shot or just be ready for it. In the picture to the side you will notice that my feet are flat on the ground, which means I am not prepared yet for any shot coming at me. With my feet like this I will not be able to move or shift my body as quickly to a new shot as I would be with my heels in the air. Also my knees are slightly bent so I can be ready for any low balls shot towards my area. Having this stance can make your game play more effective than without starting with this foundation.

               A technique I find difficult for me to perfect is the low to high aspect of a forehand. This is when you hit the ball coming from a low angle and carrying it up with your racquet to a higher angle. Sounds a lot easier than when you actually do it. For most people when they hit a ball they automatically want to hit the ball with the racquet strings facing to the sides and having the racquet be vertical. However, with this shot you need it slightly at angle in order for it to be a more effective shot. Also so it can barely go over the net making it difficult for your opponent to return the ball back to you. During the game I find it hard to remember this when the ball is coming straight at me because it’s so sudden and it’s hard to think of what to do rather than just hitting the ball. With this technique the position of your arm and racquet is very important, as well as the timing of the hit, so like I said there’s a lot to think about in those very few seconds when your opponent hits the ball in your direction.

                One thing that is easier to remember when playing tennis and also benefits your tennis game greatly is how you position your body when you hit the ball. When a ball comes at you, your body should be parallel to the net. This means that your body is sideways and your foot should be pointed towards the net while the other is facing straight off the court. This allows you to have more power when you follow through with your hit. Since, you give enough power off of your front leg to release your swing on the ball. Also, this allows you to move around the ball and not have an awkward hand position and tight swing space, like you would if you stood facing the net when the ball comes at you. With this movement of your body it also allows arm extension, which I will discuss in the following paragraph. I suggest using this technique because it is a small movement that helps your game profoundly. As well as it’s much easier to remember and doesn’t take very long to understand how to do.

               It is also very important to have an outstretched arm when hitting the ball because then you have more room to swing, which can give you a more power hit on your return to your opponent. If your arm is cramped close to your body, then that doesn’t leave you enough room to swing on the ball. This was something that I struggled with in the beginning because when you run to go get the ball your arm becomes closer to you and all I could think about was hitting the ball rather than the position and extension of my arm. After some practice, I began to have a natural reaction of having my arm extended when I hit the ball. Another thing that is important in tennis is timing. This is obvious, but is also another thing hard to master because everyone hits the ball at different speeds, so learning your opponents timing of when they hit a ball will always be new. You just always have to consider how you will apply how they play to your game as well. With all of these techniques and steps on perfecting your forehand shot will take time, so don’t get frustrated when you can’t get it down right away. I hope these steps are very helpful when you are learning a more effective forehand shot in tennis.

 

Question: What do you struggle the most with on your forehand shot and how will you apply these steps in order to make your forehand shot more effective?

 

McCloud, Ace. The Top 100 Best Things That You Can Do to Greatly Improve Your Tennis Game. San Bernardino: n.p., 2016. Print.

Digging deeper into Art

A piece of art can be interpreted in various ways. The less details shown, the harder one must think to make an understanding of what the artist was trying to show through the use of shapes, color, point of view, and how it could connect to either one's life or the community.

In these two paintings, I wanted to design a look that connected to the novel "The Bean Trees" By Barbara Kingsolver. One of my paintings was inspired by a painting from the book "The Painter's Eye Learning to Look at Contemporary American Art" By Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. The other painting was a moral I understood from reading one of the chapters of The Bean Trees.

Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Can, 1964 silk screen canvas

My third painting I created to connect to The Bean Trees is a can of Dole Mixed Fruits. I was inspired by a simple painting of Campbell's Tomato Soup I found in The Painter's Eye Learning to Look at Contemporary American Art. 








When I first came across this painting, my first thought was "WHY?" Before reading the meaning behind why Andy Warhol painted this, I tried think of a reason of why a can of soup was important. My first intention of this painting was connected with hunger or poverty. The access to a can of tomato soup in a grocery store is highly obtainable, considering most are at most $1.00 each. Yet this wasn't how he interpreted his painting.

Why is this image so famous?
Warhol wanted people to be drawn to the fact that a big can of soup is displayed on a museum wall. As people analyze the painting, not much would come to our minds thinking of how this is significant. His reasoning for this was that, "...the shape of the can, solid and compact, pleasingly proportioned, the color of the label, the crisp contrast of red and white." (Greenberg and Jordan 81) all these attributes would change the point of view of someone walking down the soup aisle of a grocery store. He believed that the precise painting of a can and the use of basic details depicted how "our daily life are glorified by art." (Greenberg and Jordan 81). His last line of this paragraph I feel really ties in the whole understanding of why I painted.

After reading his interpretation of Tomato soup, I set my mind to find a meaningful representation of an issue in society to connect with a can of perishable foods. While I tried to think of connecting food to The Bean Trees, I didn't want the representation to be simple and straightforward like vegetables to relate with Turtle. I thought of the book as a whole of how the government is unreasonable towards immigrants like Estevan and Esperanza. After a hard 2 minutes of thinking, I came up with the idea of canned Dole Mixed Fruits. Warhol's last line was, "And that, in the end, is what it's all about." (Greenberg and Jordan 81) helped me realize that the idea of painting a can of fruit wasn't crazy. Having people realize that art is surrounding us helps them analyze objects more in depth to try and answer questions of how to solve problems in our society.

The DOLE reality

Why fruits you ask?

Fruits, so many different types grown in various ways. All of them taste different, some sweet some sour. I saw a can of mixed fruits important because everyone of the fruits no matter what flavor is sealed in a can. I saw this as a government full of diverse personalities and ethnic backgrounds. The topic of stereotypes and prejudice against certain racial groups are very crucial and important to me. I painted a can of Dole Mixed Fruits because I saw this as an opportunity to show that the government in the 1980s was unfair. The government not accepting "illegals" in the country made me very angry as I read the novel. The reason for Estevan and Esperanza being in the US is to find a safe hiding place to stay away from interrogations in the Guatemalan government. Having the government kick people out when they are in danger shows how cruel white people are towards people of color. The painting I created I wanted to show people that this is how our government, schools, communities, and neighborhoods should be like in order for there to be no harm towards one another. Art shows the DOLE reality of how our society is like.

For the color choices of this painting, I did not put much thought into the color of the fruits because many of the fruits on the main label are fairly similar in color; I mainly painted, red, yellow, orange, and a blackberry to show somewhat of a diverse community. My painting skill have not perfected much yet but some techniques I believe I could have done to make the can look more compact and slick would be adding tapes on the sides to have a smoother and straighter line to express the cylinder shape.

Process of Stippling definition 

Night Blooming Cereus 

The painting on the left is a part of my process of making the night blooming cereus.

For the stippling effect, I used the back of a new pencil to assure that the stamp of the flat rounded eraser would be noticeable to show texture and depth in the flower.

The shape of the flower doesn't have sharp edges because I wanted to show the soft and fragile appearance of how special it was to show the moral of appreciating what you have at the moment it’s there. 

I used the colors lavender, magenta, vibrant orange, red, forest green, light green, yellow, and jade green. I mixed these colors together to create a vibrant flower to capture the beauty of a night blooming cereus. After painting the flower, I didn’t want to leave the background blank so I used 3 different shades of green to represent the types of vegetables and importance of wisteria vines brought up in the novel. The choice of colors I used to create the painting are very vibrant because I wanted to show depth and the flow of emotions that was going on when Edna had shown everyone the flower. How I interpreted this scene was since the flower only blooms one night a year and the fragrance disappears when you cut the flower petals, the meaning behind this was to cherish what you have now even if there’s a possibility of you losing it. This applied to Taylor and Turtle’s relationship if Taylor had lost Turtle to the state orphanage for custody. 

*I originally made this painting for the art project of making a new cover for the novel, but I figured making a painting would show much more detail and meaning when one is analyzing my art.*

Although the book did not say anything about stippling effect for acrylic paint, the idea of stippling is simply shown in the front cover and in one of the paintings of visual effects. The stippling is not as clearly represented in this photo but, the dots are gradually darker as they go from left to right. The effect shows by giving off more detail and provides a strong structure of a realistic photo of a subject. 

Greenberg, Jan, and Sandra Jordan. The Painter's Eye: Learning to Look at Contemporary American Art. New York: Delacorte, 1991. Print. 

Overall, I feel like the interpretations I am making from my art are quite confusing but understandable after reading the text and taking apart each piece to analyze how I'm truly thinking. For my next paintings I will try to incorporate a part of modern society to assure that others can relate to the art or comment to help me improve my artistic view. 

Do you have any suggestions of what painting techniques I should try to improve the visual effects of my artwork?  

If the only clue I gave about my paintings were "The Bean Trees", how would you have interpreted the artwork? Especially my painting of the canned fruits! 

Leave a comment down below! (:

Photography - close ups on flowers

Photography was always something that fascinated me; with all the different aspects, like lighting, angles, exposure, and background, just to create the perfect picture. In this first blog post, I will focus on some techniques with taking close up pictures on flowers.

This picture was taken on my trip to Spain over the summer, when I was at La Alhambra in Granada. I took a close up picture on this pink rose with the landscape of part of La Alhambra in the background. The background is blurred, which enhances the flower and shows that the flower is the central focus of the picture. However, according to Robert Sheppard in The Magic of Digital Nature Photography, "Where a flower lives can be an important thing to include in a photograph. A close-up of a delphinium flower, for example, could be done in a garden or at its native sight in the mountains. While both shots could be great, the close-up won't define the location." From this, I can learn to not use the close-up setting so that I can show the location of the flower. However, this will take away the focus on the flower in the photograph. When wanting to isolate a flower, doing a sharpness contrast can help, which is making the subject sharp and the background unsharp (blurred). Using the close-up or program feature may make the camera choose an f/stop that "creates too much depth of field, resulting in a lack of sharpness contrast." (Sheppard, 124). The best way to use a sharpness contrast is using the widest aperture to create a fast shutter speed that then maintains proper exposure.

The picture was taken at eye level, which helps elevate images. According to Sheppard, "An effective way of photographing a person is to put your camera right at their eye level. The same thing is true about flowers. The most common angle of flower photography is from above looking down, which can make it dull. While that is the way we see flowers, it is not the most effective view of them. Getting down low to blossom level will often elevate your images." (Sheppard, 121). This tells us that flower photographing flowers is somewhat similar to photographing people because of some of the angles at which you photograph the subject.

Lastly, the background setting is important for the photograph. As I said before, this picture was taken at La Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The flower was located on a ledge in the garden in La Alhambra. Having a part of the tourist attraction helps give context of where it is located. From the photograph, you may infer that the flower is on a ledge because of the landscape behind it and its relation to the flower. Some other plants are seen in the landscape, as well as the other parts of this famous historical tourist attraction. In addition, the photograph tells us that it is outdoors and that the flower could be near some buildings.

To finish this off, did blurring the background affect what you think the location was? Was blurring the background through the close-up feature a good artistic decision or should I have not used the close-up feature at all? What suggestions may you have for showing the location and using sharpness contrast?

Citation: Sheppard, Rob. The Magic of Digital Nature Photography. Second ed. New York: Lark, 2007. Print.