I particularly love to photograph the elaborate jumps, spins, and lifts of the in figure skating, my favorite sport. This was the foundation for my portfolio concentration, with the goal of capturing a paradox of beauty through artistic body movements. Although sports photography was unheard of in the realm of AP Art, I was adamant that my eagerness would be enough of a platform to work off of.
However, my teacher opposed, arguing that I hardly stood a chance against the AP panel. She unwillingly gave me the option of photoshopping strange backgrounds and coloration onto the figure skaters. This seemed like a drastic change in direction of the concept that I had: a simplistic, yet telling portrayal of motion photography. I believe that photoshop takes away from an artist's true value; otherwise, anyone toying around with this tool can claim to be a so-called photographer. I crave the learning process of struggling and experiment with varying levels of exposure, shutter speed, and angles. It is the satisfaction of accomplishment that justifies all the time and effort needed to succeed independent of photoshop.
The overbearing teacher attempted to restrict my unorthodox ways by giving assignments that counted toward my grade. I refused to be discouraged by projects of photographing garlic and bicycle tires, trying to convert to these topics. Unfortunately, all that could be produced was boredom, as I lacked connections to these subjects. In the end, the crucial decision to photograph as I pleased, regardless of how it affected my grade, did damage my marks; however, expressing myself was more important to me because art represents the simplest outlet of my voice, and for that freedom to be dictated seemed to hinder personal imagination. Without disrespecting the teacher, I used the courage that stemmed from the confined artist within to take a firm stance against her narrow-scoped perspective and defended my artistic independence.
Photographs are accurate snapshots of a scene, using nature's beauty to evoke emotions, while photoshopped pictures are digitally manipulated to alter the true perception of the image. I realize that computer-altered art can be done tastefully and inspire new forms of media; however, it discredits the fundamental process of photography. I am aware of my passionate personality, often choosing to trust my guts and taking leaps of faith. Even if that means that I pursue my own successes and failures, I take pleasure and pride in knowing that I'm following my heart and learning from my mistakes.
However, my teacher opposed, arguing that I hardly stood a chance against the AP panel. She unwillingly gave me the option of photoshopping strange backgrounds and coloration onto the figure skaters. This seemed like a drastic change in direction of the concept that I had: a simplistic, yet telling portrayal of motion photography. I believe that photoshop takes away from an artist's true value; otherwise, anyone toying around with this tool can claim to be a so-called photographer. I crave the learning process of struggling and experiment with varying levels of exposure, shutter speed, and angles. It is the satisfaction of accomplishment that justifies all the time and effort needed to succeed independent of photoshop.
The overbearing teacher attempted to restrict my unorthodox ways by giving assignments that counted toward my grade. I refused to be discouraged by projects of photographing garlic and bicycle tires, trying to convert to these topics. Unfortunately, all that could be produced was boredom, as I lacked connections to these subjects. In the end, the crucial decision to photograph as I pleased, regardless of how it affected my grade, did damage my marks; however, expressing myself was more important to me because art represents the simplest outlet of my voice, and for that freedom to be dictated seemed to hinder personal imagination. Without disrespecting the teacher, I used the courage that stemmed from the confined artist within to take a firm stance against her narrow-scoped perspective and defended my artistic independence.
Photographs are accurate snapshots of a scene, using nature's beauty to evoke emotions, while photoshopped pictures are digitally manipulated to alter the true perception of the image. I realize that computer-altered art can be done tastefully and inspire new forms of media; however, it discredits the fundamental process of photography. I am aware of my passionate personality, often choosing to trust my guts and taking leaps of faith. Even if that means that I pursue my own successes and failures, I take pleasure and pride in knowing that I'm following my heart and learning from my mistakes.