Video Assignment: "Teeny Zucchini"

An extraordinary backyard film masterpiece!

Produced by: Michele Sakamoto, Narrated by:
Tiffany Sakamoto, Performed by: Alex Sakamoto.
View the video on YouTube here.

Black and White Portrait Assignment

I was amazed at the variety of options available to convert color images to black and white images. I especially like utilizing the curve or adding a hint of color, in effort to achieve a subtle change in the grey scale. For my personal use, I like to use this process to capture a soft, "innocent" look in my finished portraits.

Color

I couldn't think of a better place to do my Color assignment than Soulard Market. The market was a rainbow of color, with the fruits, vegatables, and flowers just coming in season. The only difficulty I had was in the indoor section of the market, because the vendors had strong lights hanging directly over the produce. My best pictures were taken outside, in the natural sunlight.

Photography Assignments

Macro
I have always loved macro photography. I love to capture the things I enjoy the most, in a single photograph. I had difficulty with not being in control of the flash. My Russian nesting dolls are coated with a high gloss sheen, which created a reflection in most of the pictures. They are one of my favorite things, as well as a gift from my kids, so I kept shooting pictures until I captured the look I was after.


Portrait
My daughter was more excited about doing the portrait assignment than I was! I set out to do it in the afternoon, with a black sheet over my front window as a back drop. Unfortunately, the sheet was too thin and the sun filtered through.....A LOT of sun! So, we did it after sundown. It was a challenge to get the lighting the way I wanted it. Even after a trip to Lowe's, to buy a clamp-on light, I just couldn't master it. Proper lighting is definitely an area I need to work on.

Photography Assignments

ISO
For our first assignment, I hopped in my car and took pictures of places I am familiar with. I love the pictures of Ted Drewes, because anyone who is from St. Louis knows it is one of the hottest spots in town. It was a ghost town, on this extremely cold winter day. An unusual and humorous picture I took was of a guy holding a sign saying "Going Out Of Business". It wasn't his sign that was funny, it was the "Grand Auto" sign in the background that made me laugh. The guy was wearing a ski mask, which made me think of grand theft auto. I finished the assignment with some fun shots of my kids, around our house, and of our last name drawn in snow.

Fill Flash/Stop Action
I was amazed at the difference, in the finished product, while using fill flash. The pictures were obviously enhanced and showed fine details in the subjects. For the stop action photos, my daughter had a blast jumping in the pool, as I tried to capture the perfect shot. I must say, there were dozens of unsuccessful attempts, compared to the handful of mediocre shots I did get. My luck changed with the splattered milk and the plate. This is actually the first shot I took, while my son poured milk on the blue plate. Check out the shadow on the wall. I love it!

Photo Journalism
The photo journalism assignment started out as a HUGE challenge! I didn't realize when you take a Brownie meeting, ten little girls, and add one camera, a lot of energy is generated! The girls were so eager to be in the pictures, it was difficult to capture the candid shots I was looking for. Luckily, after about 45 minutes, the girls went about their business and forgot I was there. I was pleased with the final product. The fact that it was pajama day added an extra flair to the assignment. In the end, I was able to get the shots I needed to complete the shoot. I took 167 pictures, documenting the meeting from beginning to end.

Landscape/Exposure Compensation
I shot my landscape assignment at Carondolet Park. I didn't take any long distance shots, due to limitations of my point and shoot camera. I especially like the picture of the stone bridge reflecting in the lake. The pictures of the boat house were taken at 0 and +1.3 exposure compensation, which shows a notable difference. When I took the eggs out of my fridge, I shot them at seven different exposure compensation settings. I started at 0 and worked my way up to +2.0. The ideal shot was set at +1.3, resulting in a clear photograph with proper coloring.

Architecture
I really enjoyed this assignment! I stumbled on this location by accident. I am happy I had my camera with me. When I saw the rustic features of the exterior of the building, I knew it was the perfect spot . The interior was breath taking. It was filled with beautiful sculptures by Marinast Brother Mel. The spiral staircase, detailed features on the handrails, and the stained glass windows enhanced my assignment. The outside workshop was filled with odds and ends that, I am sure, will be turned into beautiful art some day.