Week #1 - Portrait in Ugly Bliss

Please join me in my 8 week photography study. Each week I will post photographs and a new study.

I can not afford to take classes so this is based on my research and love of a simple photograph. I'll also share techniques and experiences. My goal is to broaden my skills as an amateur photographer and maybe pick up a few helpful hints from all of you along the way. If you have nay questions, please ask and if I don't know we'll discover along the way!

Week 1:Portrait in Ugly Bliss – The goal today is to capture that ugly place you may drive by on your way to work or home from school or maybe a rundown park near your house, anywhere that appears just plain ugly. I want you to visualize a specific spot there that has a nice beautiful quality. There are 3 photographs in this study:

One will be a panoramic of as much of the junk as you can fit in your view. Feel free to experiment with different angles, lighting and areas so you can really capture how the world might view this place.

The second is to find the place that is beautiful, it may be a patch of flowers or some tall trees or some cool graffiti on the side of a dumpster. Place your subject in the midst of the beauty and take a full body shot. Don’t be too far away because you’ll capture too much of the ugly. The key is getting close to the area so the ugly just sort of fades out, but not so close you can’t see any of the background – that will defeat the purpose.

The third photograph is the same as the one before but instead of focusing on the subject, focus on the background. To do this set your focal point on a flower or some graffiti and have your subject stand slightly to the left of the photograph or be doing something in the background.

Go crazy and be artistic with these, try multiple locations until you are happy with the result.

Be sure to post your photos! J