For my first photo diary shot I captured a nice portrait of my partner in our most recent snow storm that just hit Ottawa January 9th 2024. I used a good depth of field to capture a dramatic moment while he gazed into the light. I also played with the exposure and light flares. As you see it created a "moon like" effect. My partner being close to the light also gave me the ability to manipulate shadows and create a "moth" where he is standing. Moths typically symbolize finding light in the darkest of times and spaces. The irony behind it being the dark times of winter and a moth surfacing while photographing him was particularly beautiful to me. Basic rule of thirds was also portrayed here, easily seen as eyes gravitate towards my partner and the light which are the main centre points. The reason I chose to capture this moment was simply to capture the beauty of nature in this current time frame. I know in a few years time when climate changes begin to hit substantially it'll be interesting to look at the differences in the environment and nature around us from now until then. I would say the only challenges faced we're how incredibly cold it was to capture this! But over all, the photo was worth freezing my fingers for! Managed to capture an over all great shot to remember this night by.

For my second photo diary shot, I decided to pick up my camera, fiddle with objects around my house and simply get creative. I utilized my plant light, the chalice off of my altar at home as well as I used a colourful backdrop from a photo on a puzzle box . It was funny to see what objects brought this cool photo to life. My main struggle was I spent way too many hours of torture just trying to get the number 5 in this cup, but it was worth it. I had fiddled with many angles, camera settings and utilized many of the basic elements of what we learned in the first semester and this was the outcome. Basic rule of thirds can be seen in this photo. Horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines can all be found in this image as well as golden mean was used. I created a deep setting which gives an over all moody vibe for this photograph, I felt this was fitting to the number 5 retro vibe I had going on. I also used bright magenta as the colour for the number 5 to draw the eyes in directly towards the cup. The moody yet still colour harmony background works with the bright magenta number 5, it stands out substantially with it being so deep in tone everywhere else.

For my third photo diary shot, I decided to go high fashion. The style I truly love to portray. I contacted a really great friend of mine who models and we put our heads together and got creative. I took my model Persephone, to hogs back falls where we got to show off her incredibly beautiful black gown. Persephone had mentioned wanting to be able to channel the energy from a song she recently was listening too by Ghost atlas called "seeker" so I took that challenge on. We went for an over all moody high fashion fantasy vibe. The winter setting of everything being iced over, the dead trees and over all natural nature look I felt worked wonderfully for this dark whimsical setting. Many leading lines can be seen in this photograph. Vertical and horizontal lines make for a more appealing flow to the photo as well. Basic rule of thirds can also be seen. When doing this set I didn't come across many challenges other than it being incredibly cold, the cloudy sky forecast was great for photographing but it was definitely a stay home and snuggle with hot cocoa kind of day. This model absolutely killed this set and took on the cold with me like a champ (don't worry though, I had warm jackets!).

For my fourth diary shot I decided to go high fashion portraits! I called another friend who models and we got together for some creative fun! I let the model choose whatever outfit they preferred as I was simply trying to go for an over all basic portrait look, things like rule of thirds, horizontal and vertical lines can be seen which makes the photo more eye catching. I tend to be very extravagant with my work so this time around I decided to try something a little more subtle. I kept the setting in a library like location and kept things very formal. To add that little flare we got him to wear sunglasses inside which I found gave this photograph over all a more high fashion look. Used warm tones to create and over all warm and inviting setting. The purpose behind these shots were honestly all for practice and good fun. I didn't face many challenges other than the lighting. I only had one studio light to work with in a very dark setting which made it a bit complicating light wise in order to get the over all look I wanted out of this. Over all though I would say we channeled what we we're going for well.

For my fifth photo diary shot, I decided to use the egg shot from Capture 2's class! We had been given eggs and a various amount of ways to portray different moods genres and words that simply spoke to us. We had to create a setting for each egg shot and my favourite one that I photographed was warmth. I used basic rule of thirds and placed the two eggs in a position that looked as if they were hugging or leaning in for some affection. I also used a nice bright warm orange back drop and placed my lights to the left in a very direct position to illuminate everything and bring that bright warm setting I was trying to portray to life. 

For my sixth photo diary shot I went high fashion again, however this time I focused on face portraits. I got another one of my model friends to slay in front of the camera for me again! My model Athro, was asked to do his makeup extra extravagant and to match the colours of some lemons and limes. This set was about focusing on glamour and colour matching with fruits! I really likes the idea of bringing food into my photographs and getting creative with it! Most people photograph food in a way that I would portray as "boring" or "dull" I wanted to spice things up and bring life to the lemon and limes! There's some lovely leading lines in this shot with the fruits as well as his arm positioning creates a great flow and curve where jawline and face are. Basic rule of thirds and golden mean can be also seen in these captures. I truly didn't face many challenges in this set, the forecast was perfect this day just the right amount of brightness came through my open windows in my apartment, the setting ended up being put together beautifully and my model was very easy going to work with. When life gives you lemons and limes, you show them exactly what kind of flavour they're made of!

For my final shot of my photo diary I decided to capture natures beauty. I am very much a plant mom and lover. My entire home is practically a jungle and covered in plants. One of my special swirly bamboos being one of the many, I wanted to capture it's beauty and essence. Nature and the cycle of life has always fascinated me. I watched this little stick grow into a ginormous tree. It started with one and as you can see inside the vase, a second sprouted strongly beside it. The roots are happy and thriving and have been really interesting to watch develop and change over time. The reason I captured this was to simply look back in a few months to a year from now to see just how much more it's sprouted with all the nurturing I have given it. I placed my sunlight in the background to illuminate the branches and roots to get a vivid view of it all. I also used depth of field and shot from a lower angle to get a solid shot of it's growth. There are some nice horizontal and vertical lines and golden mean was used to draw the attention to the vase/plant. I didn't have many challenges capturing this as it was already fairly dark out and the bright light setting was perfect for what I was focusing on. It created an over all moody and mysterious look which I liked as I find nature can be very mysterious in it's ways.