This assignment was both challenging and loads of fun. We had to take pictures of ten different kinds of composition and practice focusing, exposing, and composing. I was initially frustrated in class because, as I had only briefly handled a fancy DSLR a few times beforehand, I was trying to figure out this contraption while trying to remember the exposure triangle that I was just lectured on. Thank goodness for technologically fluent, helpful classmates, am I right? Not only that, but golden hour quickly ended just as I was getting the hang of which buttons to press and I had to switch to figuring out exposure for low-lit spaces. I also practiced focusing on subjects and paying attention to composition and horizon lines. When I went shooting in my neighborhood the next day (oh glorious golden hour), I was pleasantly surprised at how I enjoyed taking multiple pictures of the same subject or composition (which I quickly realized was imperative..) while fiddling with the settings. Also, I am eternally grateful for every previous visual art class that taught composition. I used to be awful at composition. Well, maybe I still am, but hooray for practice. Minus the part where I almost got hit by a car as I was lying in the street to take a picture of those stupid flowers (a terrible idea, I guess), I thoroughly enjoyed wandering outside and finding new ways of seeing things I often take for granted.
Kaitlen Boe 