Photography Final

“Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man,” said Edward Steichen, a well-known American photographer. To those who discover it, photography is a life enhancing and fulfilling profession and hobby. It is a creative outlet with low barriers of entry and accessible to all, at anytime and anywhere. It provides the photographer with an opportunity to present his ideas, opinions, and beliefs in the most descriptive way without having to utter a word. That allows people who do not have the ability to communicate, due to language or geographic barriers, to connect with each other in ways they would not otherwise be able to relate. It is the creativity, accessibility, and the beauty of photography that I find captivating.
Photography, in addition to providing me with new skills, has essentially altered the way I view the world on a daily basis. The more engrossed I become in photography, the more aware I am of the subtleties of nature. As I dislike posed-portrait and landscape photography, the challenge of finding interesting subjects to photograph has led me to learn to use techniques such as macro, symmetry, repetition, pattern, texture, and contrast. These striking elements of photography provide me with the ability to transform something that would normally be overlooked into something that is visually stimulating. It is also an introspective activity, as I come to understand more about myself by learning why I enjoy capturing particular images. I recently took AP Studio Art which required me to submit twenty-four photographs. Twelve of them were breadth pieces and twelve were focused on my concentration, contrasting textures. My work was met with much admiration, and I received the highest possible grade. While that success is fulfilling, the knowledge that through my photographs I am able to