This is Remi Signing Out

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Ugly Beautiful

I shot this image of my mom at Red Stick Social during mothers day. After we finish the game (and I won), I realized that this would a good opportunity to take pictures for this project. I would consider this a boring location because I no one would have thought of having a photoshoot between two couches and in front of a pole. I also noticed a red rope behind my mom and I asked her to put it in front of her and pose. Then I asked her to wrap it around her neck like a scarf and this is how the photo turned out! I edited the photo to make it brighter and more colorful. She really took control of the environment in this photo and stands out against the dirty floor and boring scene.

Additional Lighting

I took this photo in the hallway at school, as you can see the lockers. To be honest, I didn’t know this photo would turn out so good! All I did was ask her to lean against them and continue to look at me and away. In this image I used Mrs. Lee’s flash and the lamp that was connected to the flash. Using the flash really made Elizabeth stand out against the background which I love. When I saw this image I was shocked and excited at the same time!

Magazine Ad

Finally, I made my little brother from my backdrop photoshoot my magazine cover. For the backdrop image we had to make I wanted to make a backdrop out of all sticky notes and have my little brother model to make a childish-playful vibe. I thought this image would be great to use for a kid’s fashion magazine and I wasn’t wrong! It turned out just the way I like it!

This project was the last one of the year and I’m sad to say that. I had a lot of fun doing labs and creating my own artistic photographs. I really pushed my boundaries this year and want to continue to thrive in photography! This is Remi Quibodeaux signing out!

Blind Photography

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This project was about using your senses to create unique pictures without using our sight. In this project we were supposed to blind ourselves and use touch, sound, smell, and taste to guide our creativity. I took many images that represented all these senses at home. The inspiration I got from these images were the images from past students. I guided myself throughout my house like Pete Eckert by using my other senses as my eyes.

My image of a flower represents feel. While I was outside it was very windy and cold. Before I began taking pictures, I looked at everything around me and I noticed this flower. I decided to take pictures of it hoping it would be blowing in the wind. I also thought of taking pictures of leaves as well, but I like the flower better. Without looking, I took as many angles as I could and surprisingly it came out good. I like this photo better because you can see the petals are blown off by the wind. To edit this image I just made the colors more vibrant to make the whole image stand out better. I think this image would be good for the sense feel because of the wind aspect put into this image.

The last image I took was an image of a candle that represents smell. While I was walking around my house I could smell the candle in our kitchen as soon as I stepped out of my room. I took many different angles of the candle including the inside and outside of the candle. I like the image of the inside of the candle better because you can see how the wax is starting to be melted by the flames. I also like how the picture gives a sense of a dark void being lightened by two small flames. In editing I made the individual flames brighter and the whole image darker. I wanted to make the flames dramatic and stand out. Knowing that this is a candle, I think this image represents smell very well.  

Then in class we also did labs were we played with our shutter speed in many different ways. I used cards, beads, body motions, and water balloons to show my understanding of shutter speed and exposure. My favorite lab was with the balloons. For me this lab was fun and I was able to use different angles to change up my images. This lab helped me understand the settings and creativity with photography. When I would bring up my shutter speed the image would get darker, so I would have to bring up my ISO as well. I also made my f-stop low to make the water the focal point of the image.

This image of a water balloon was my favorite. Because the shutter speed was set at it’s highest point, the camera was able to capture every droplet and even capture the shape the water balloon was in before it popped. And I made my aperture low so that the water would be in focus of the picture compared to the background. I also like the angle I took with image better than my other images. I believe this image came out very well!

When I learned how to change the shutter speed to freeze motion in the balloon lab, I also learned how to use shutter speed to blur motion. Later in lab I was allowed to create photos with slow shutter speed to draw with light and to create motion kind of like Pete Eckert. He is known to photograph paintings of light because he is blind and can only see shades of light rather than detail. So he would use light to represent his senses like sound and touch to create images in the dark.

I created something like Pete Eckert but a little different. He normally uses people but I used a stick person (at first I used a person but then I created another image that I liked better). I found an image like this in Pinterest and I wanted to recreate it but with my own twist. I made it pink! This image was not very easy for me to make but I did it! First drew a pink stick man on paper. Then I made the computer screen pink and wrapped my flash light with pink paper. Next I stood the camera on a tripod and angled it how I wanted. Finally I snapped as many pictures while drawing the person with the pink flashlight. In editing I made the background darker and the pinkness brighter to create a vibe. I also cleaned up some of the light that I drew with my flashlight. I was very proud of myself when I created this image because it took a lot of effort and storage lol.

#BookFace

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In this project we were assigned to create a challenging photo. We were told to use a book of our choice from the library that had a body part on the cover. Then we had to create a portrait that aligned the body part of the cover with our own matching body part. I created two photos that represent the idea of #BookFace. This project was very interesting to be apart of and I enjoyed it. It helped me be able to pay attention to what is in my photos and how to make the viewers feel a certain way.

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

With Remi Quibodeaux

When I looked at the cover of the book “Exposed” it had a sort of vulnerable vibe to it and the name did too. I decided I wanted to match this in my photo as well. To do this I set up my camera towards the side of me and I leaned against the wall to create a melancholy scene. It took a lot of photos to figure out the right positioning and angle that would get my point across. I figured this photo had the perfect background, positioning, and angles so I decided to use this photo. In editing I made the image black and white to make my “vulnerable” vibe even stronger. I am very happy with the end results and I would say this image is my favorite in this project.

The Secret Circle by L. J. Smith & Aubrey Clark

With Remi Quibodeaux

In this photo, I decided to make a normal portrait. The girl seemed vey pretty and naturally beautiful so I didn’t do my makeup and I just took my hair down and let my natural waves take place. I tried my best to align her face with mine but the image was a bit bigger than my head. To edit this photo I just smoothed my face to match hers and made the lighting whiter.

ABC Photography

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In this assignment, we were supposed to take pictures of letters found in the real world and then create the alphabet and a word with them. The most accessible letters for me to find were A, E, H, I, L, O, T, U, V, W, and X. I noticed these letters everywhere during our first lab. The most complicated letters I found were B, G, J, K, N, R, S, Y, and Z. Finding these letters in real life took a lot of processing and brainstorming. Toward the end of the project, the hardest letter I had to find was Q, but I realized that I could use my Junior Class Ring as a Q at home. This project was challenging, but I liked challenges and thought it was fun. This project caused me to train myself to photograph anything in my environment. With the letters I found, I chose to create the word REMINGTON. I decided to use my name because I like how my name is unique to other people’s, and I knew no one else would be using this word for their project.

Created Word
Favorite Image (I)

Constructed Landscapes Project

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What was this project about?

For this project, we were supposed to construct our landscapes using natural objects found. This project’s purpose was to use different things around our house to build something creative. I chose to use natural objects, food, and toys in this project. I believe my photos connect with the project very well and are creative.

What inspired me to make these photos?

Most of my inspiration was from Pinterest and PowerPoint in teams. I found good examples of how to make my constructed landscapes come to life. These two inspirations helped me create something I had never thought about before.

My photos:

Let it Snow

This was the first image I took for this project. This photo is the macro and food-required picture. To make my photo, I put the leafy top of celery on a plate and sprinkled regular sugar and powdered sugar on top. I like how, in the picture, the celery looks like grass and leaves, and the sugar looks like snow. Because I used my macro lens, you can see the detail in the speckles of sugar, where it seems crystally. In editing, I made the “snow” whiter and the “grass” greener to make the image appear bolder. I like how, when you first look at my photo, it looks like snow and grass when it is celery and sugar.

Living on the Mountain Tops

I liked a photo in the PowerPoint in teams, so I decided to do something similar, but instead, I wanted to make the picture seem colder. To do this, I used a white blanket that I sat on top of my lava lamp, a glass pineapple, and a trophy I got last year to make a mountain range. I also used my white curtains in my room as the background. I like how those curtains have silver speckles on them, so it looks like it’s snowing in the photo’s background. I have four toothpicks that I taped together for my tent and a black cloth on top. I set the tent on top of a sticky notepad under the blanket to make the tent more balanced. I liked making this scene, and it was easy for me to put the photo together. To shoot this, I used portrait mode to focus on the tent rather than the “mountains.” After shooting this image, I had a lot of photos to choose from, and I chose this one because I like how the top of the mountain range can lead your eye to the tent. In editing, I made the scene whiter and brighter to make the scene feel colder.

Birds Taking Flight

Finally, I called this photo “Birds Taking Flight” because the flowers blowing in the wind could symbolize birds flying in the sky. I took this photo during a lab. When I walked outside toward the agriculture building, I noticed the big trees with bright pink flowers. I decided to take a picture of the side of the tree, where you can still see the sky and clouds. I also wanted to take a picture of a single branch, but I chose this photo instead because it is more robust and connects with the project better. I like the spring vibe from this photo, even though I took it in winter. And I also like the pastel-ish colors in the clouds from the sun.

How was this project for me? What did I discover while creating this?

I liked this project. I usually want to take portraits, but I’m glad I could go outside that. This project has made me more creative and think more about the shots I take. I’ve noticed that angle matters and that every element in your photo can persuade your art.

The Start of a New Year

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The End of 2022

This year I learned that I love to photograph with color. I feel like my photos with color are the photos that stand out to me the most. Some other photos that I photographed without color are great as well, but I can see myself better in my colorful photos.

Most Successful Self-Portrait

For my Self Portrait Project, I had to make a Fantasy Selfie as one of my photos. I took this photo during one of our lab days inside the classroom. In this photo, I wanted to show people that I have a wild imagination and that I’m always in “La La Land” (as my parents call it, lol). To do this, I took the photo in a class room (hence the book in my hands) and drew a fairy-tale scene behind me to demonstrate how I should be paying attention but I’m thinking of other unnecessary things. I also decided to use a blurry lens and blur out my face to show how I’m not mentally present in the classroom. I love the concept I tried to create in this photo, and I think it played out very well. It took me about 40 different tries, and this is what came out at the end. Compared to my other photos in this project, I would say this photo is my favorite. 

17th Century Portrait Recreation
17th Century Portrait Original

In this project, I decided to use a pillowcase as my household item to hold my hair up. The girl in the original photo had a cloth in her hair as well. I also wore a black sweater and used gray curtains as my background to recreate the clothing and background in the original photo. I also wanted to spice things up in this photo, so I added a red rose and a red lip to show more beauty and color. I really like the way this portrait turned out toward the end. 

Photoshop Assignment

Finally, this is my favorite photo that I’ve photoshopped. I love the color and how it looks so simple when it was a struggle to put together. I think it looks beautiful and modern at the same time. I’m very proud of myself for making this as my first project in photoshop.

The Beginning of 2023

For this new year, I hope to learn more about myself as a photographer. I want to know what other kinds of photographs I like taking. I know I like to make colorful photos and that I like taking action shots and portraits, but I want to learn more about photography that I might like as well. I think exploring more in this class will help me. I also want to learn how to use photoshop more. I really enjoyed the photoshop skills that we learned at the end of the semester. I thought it was kind of fun, and I hope I can learn more about it this semester. 

Goals:

  • Short Term- I want to shoot a deer during this hunting season soon
  • Long Term – I want to get a job
  • Personal – I want to grow as a person and make more friends
  • As a Photographer – I want make a photo that I’m really proud of.
  • As a Student – I hope to continue making good grades.

Self Expression

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Its Definition

As the article says, self-expression is “the action of expressing yourself.” There are many different ways to express yourself (like what you wear, the way you talk, the expressions on your face, the way you do things, and your actions) as long as you stay true to who you really are. This may seem simple to some, but it’s really not. People express themselves in ways they believe they should to fit in with other people’s expectations. Doing the opposite of this, which is following your own expectations, is what self-expression truly is.

Its Importance To Me

Self expression is very important because it gives me a sense of fulfillment in life, it leads me to the people who care about me, and it helps me love myself. If I can’t be myself then it would feel like I’m missing something in my life. Being different from other people is what makes me who I am. Those differences can help me travel far in life and without them I would feel useless. Albert Einstein was always viewed as weird and disrespectful when he was a child, but he grew up to be someone very important for our knowledge we have today. (I’m not comparing myself to him lol. Just making a point.) Furthermore, I should not care about what other people think because they do not know who I really am. It will just lead me to pain and disappointment. The atmosphere of people I put myself in affects my life. If they truly love me, they will support me and not discourage me. A true friend will love the way I am even with my flaws. Finally, self expression effects our self love. I have to be honest with myself and love myself, so I won’t be afraid to show my true colors. Trying to be someone else, only stresses me out and makes me frustrated with myself. The true way to be happy is to be happy as I am. Happiness is everyone’s goal in life. Sooner or later, my life will end and I don’t want to live it as someone I know I am not.

My Personal Experiences

In the 7th grade I moved to Zachary from Lafayette. When I came here, everyone knew people and everything was different than where I came from. It still is. People were very judgmental and I never felt like I fitted in. I had different friends that came and went but none of them really matched my personality. I absolutely hated my middle school years. I always felt like I had to meet everyone’s expectations or else they would think I’m weird and that they would not want to be my friend. I felt like this for a really long time and begged my mom for us to move back to my family and friends in Lafayette. I basically had to start all over and it was really scary. Now, I’ve lived in Zachary for almost 5 years. Over time, I realized that I can’t change myself for other people just to fit in. It’s like I was erasing who I am. Eventually I found caring friends that love me for who I am inside and out. I showed them who I was without insecurities and I know that they would never want to change me. Although I still miss my family and friends in Lafayette, over time I’ve begun to accept that I’m here now and I’m actually glad that I am.

This realization helped me value the one’s I really care about. I would never want to make people feel the way I felt when I moved here because I know how painful it can feel. That’s why many people view me as nice and caring because I hate being mean to someone when I know how it feels to be left out or misunderstood. At the same time, I will always stand up for someone I love if someone treats them with disrespect.

Song

“Titanium” by David Guetta featuring Sia

Quote

“The journey of self-discovery is the most important journey we can take”

De la Huerta

My Fall Break

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Over the fall break, I did a lot, besides go on a vacation lol. On Monday, I had to take three shots at the doctor’s office, and then I went to Waffle House to eat and hang out with my friends. Then they came to my house, and we hung out for a while until they left. That night I got bored and couldn’t fall asleep, so I started to experiment with different ways to take pictures on my phone and edit them. The images I took are above. I absolutely loved the outcome! On Tuesday, I had volleyball practice and I cleaned the entire house so I could get some MONEYYY. I’m currently running very low on that right now lol. On Wednesday, I came to school to catch up on some yearbook work because I’m the photographer editor for the yearbook staff. I also had a volleyball game at SJA. Even though we didn’t win, we still fought hard. So I had a very long fall break lol. Although I wish I could have gone to visit my grandma in Lafayette, I still got a lot done over the break. I can’t wait for our next break for Thanksgiving. It’s going to be my BIRTHDAYYY!😆 I can’t believe this semester is already half over. Time really does go by too fast.

First of all, I didn’t know that there were two different holidays for the same event and they meant different things lol. Columbus Day vs. Indigenous People’s Day. Columbus Day was made to celebrate Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas. Indigenous Peoples’ Day, on the other hand, was created to raise awareness of indigenous peoples’ rights worldwide and to oppose Columbus and his ideals and accomplishments. I do see and agree with why people celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, but I also see why we have Columbus Day. This day was made to mark the start of new beginnings. Yes, Christopher Columbus didn’t “discover” the Americas, but he brought new beginnings to people in Europe and Asia who had no idea that this existed. People would start moving from all over just to start their new lives in the Americas. Not everyone was born with the same advantages as everyone else in Europe and Asia, but now they could move to the Americas and start all over and become who they wanted to be. The land was free, there were no formal laws that could stop them from becoming who they wanted to be, and they could encounter many new things they had never heard of. They had many new opportunities that they wouldn’t have had back home. He even confirmed to people that the Earth is round and not flat. Before he went on his adventure, people thought he would never come back because they believed he would fall off the edge of the Earth. He proved them wrong and created a new ideal. On the contrary, he can be blamed for the mistreatment of the natives. He brought them diseases, made them slaves, changed their religions, killed them, etc. Even though he committed this cruelty toward the natives, he wasn’t the only one. In fact, the American government is actually the one who forced the natives to assimilate, stole their land, and used them to their own advantage. Christopher Columbus is just one example of the mistreatment of indigenous people. It is very sad what happened to these people. I believe we should remember this example so we don’t repeat history, and we should remember the start of the Americas as well. This is why I believe we should keep both days for people to celebrate the good and bad of Columbus’s expedition to the Americas. The world is not black and white, so we should acknowledge both sides and learn from them both. 

My Elements of Photography

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In this assignment, I had to make photos with certain elements like line, color, shape, contrast, emphasis, texture, and space.

My favorite image I took would be interest in color. For this photo, I was baking with my mom and saw the sprinkles on the table. I decided to take a picture of them to create a vibrant and colorful photo for this project. It came out very well. I love the way the colors pop out and how there are also overlapping shapes.

My teacher’s favorite image is contrast with lighting. I took this during a football game because I loved the way the clouds covered the moon. Also, the lighting from the moon emphasizes itself, and it highlights the clouds around it.

According to my peers, my most successful photo was emphasis through focus. To take this photo, I used the stuffed animal as my subject, and I used the red lockers as my background. Both the difference in colors between the subject and background and the blurred-out background make the subject pop out more.

I was also given some suggestions and improvements in my photos. I was told…

  1. My hand, in my emphasis through focus photo, was too distracting.
  2. Crop my photos, to focus the middle point of my photos better.
  3. Some of my photos weren’t as interesting, and they needed to be stronger.
  4. Some of my photos had glare, were a little blurry, or seemed rushed.

Vision Board

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As you can see in my vision board, I love riding my side by side, playing volleyball, camping out, riding my boat, eating fruit, especially pineapples, getting my nails done, and hanging out with my friends. I also have many goals for this year. I want to start babysitting, get good grades, work out more, read and write more, and hunt a big buck this year. Furthermore, over the years, I want to become a photographer, go to college like LSU or UL, travel to many different places, swim with dolphins in Hawaii, go hiking, and when I get older, I want to get a miniature pig. There are many things I like to do and want to do, but my journey’s just beginning.