Taking Photography 1 this semester was my first experience with film photography, and I have to say I absolutely loved it! What makes it different than digital is that you can't see the pictures you take right as you take them, and personally, I admired how every picture was a "surprise". Unlike digital, I had to put in more work and effort to make a quality print, thus I had more appreciation for my prints.

      I like to take pictures because in general, it's fun, but also because I like to capture something that no other person has captured. I like the excitement I get when I take a good picture because I feel very proud of myself. When given a theme to shoot, it requires me to go out and explore different ways to fulfill that theme. My favorite themes are those of shape and line. I like to incorporate geometric qualities more as well as texture because it adds a defined quality to the print. Some of my pictures were taken in the moment and I admire those types of pictures more because it makes them more lively and they capture real emotions instead of posed ones. In my pictures, I always try to have strong contrast between the lights darks and make them very sharp and focused. I prefer to take pictures not of people but rather architecture such as stairways or tunnels where I can get a cool angle. Over the semester, I've learned so many tips and ideas to incorporate in my pictures, so my visual language has definitely developed and improved. My teacher showed us examples of pictures that conveyed strong emotions and that helped me while taking pictures because I would think about what emotions I'm trying to give the audience instead of just snapping the picture and hoping for the best.

      My goal in my photography is to fascinate the audience and make them inspect all the aspects of the picture. I want them to look at it for a long time and use it as inspiration for their work. Grace Cote inspires me because she always has good ideas for her shoots and her pictures aren't basic. Seeing the techniques she uses makes me want to make a bigger effort in my work.