MIAD: On My Own

I absolutely love street art. I think it is amazingly courageous to put your work out there for everyone to see and openly criticize. It's also extremely difficult to attempt to decipher what the anonymous artist is trying to say - their message, so to speak. For example, this particular piece of art was slapped onto a random billboard on the streets of Milwaukee, and I have absolutely no idea what it's supposed to mean. However, whenever I look at this, it just puts the biggest smile on my face. I love cats - because, honestly, who doesn't? - and as simply as this seemingly is, there's something about it that intrigues me. Like I said in my previous post, simplicity is kind of what I look for in terms of inspiration. And street art, from a graphic arts point of view is very cool to me.

I feel like the detailing and intricacy of this statue is absolutely beautiful. Again, as I said in my previous post, I love artists that pay extra attention to detail in order to make sure their art is as realistic as possible. The beading and facial features are especially impressive in terms of detail work, along with the rest of the clothing. I love the rustic gold texture overall, as well. As a whole, this statue intrigued me based on its overall complexity and contouring in terms of 3D sculpture.

This photo makes me smile as well as I know exactly what was going on during the time that it was taken, and exactly how happy Kate really was. ;) Anyways, I think this photograph actually turned out better than expected. I love the way the natural lighting hits her face and accentuates her facial expression. I also like the shadowing behind her against the texture of the brick wall. The slight diagonal that the lines of the brick wall creates a interesting contrast to the vertical orientation of the photo as well.

Latest Additions to My Flickr

Here are a few photographs that I have taken over the past couple of weeks that I feel deserve to be shared and discussed.

I really like the expression on Kate's face in this photo. In reality, she was just reviewing a photograph she had just taken, but when looking at this photo, it appears as if there's much more going on. It gives the viewer something to think about. They can interact and fill in the blanks for themselves, which is one of the things I love most about art.

For this photograph, I used my 55mm-250mm lens which was a good choice as I was able to capture the raw detail and beauty of this dragonfly. I love the different tones and textures that you can find and how that in the dragonfly contrasts with the rock it sits on. Capturing detail is one of my favorite aspects of photography.

Rule of thirds is absolutely my favorite compositional technique to use. I feel like when I use rule of thirds, it just alters the entire photograph. It adds a unique touch that I feel is not as well achieved with other types of compositional techniques. It adds life.

Another one of my favorite things about photography is the spontaneity of capturing a photo that you weren't even expecting. This was one of those photos. Sun pictures are usually hard to capture because of the overly harsh lighting in one particular area. However, this photography turned out absolutely beautiful, in my opinion. The light from the sun is gathered at one point off-center - rule of thirds - and darkened everything else around it, which adds the perfect density of contrast.

The textures in this photography are so interesting. The rough concrete surface, the sharp cracks, and the smooth but rustic metal all come together to create a contrasted group of textures. I like how the cracks, although crooked, create leading lines that spews out in all directions. The effect is definitely positive.

This photograph reminds me of how an element as simple as angles can change a whole photograph. By taking this photo from underneath the basketball hoop, it gives a whole new perspective on what you think you might be looking at. You may have to look twice. Angles are definitely an aspect of photography that I would really love to improve upon.

And now some lyrics just because I can.

I'll let you fly around in my head

Every thought is yours so let it be said

We can paint our love outside of the lines

Be original for once in our lives