FINAL REFLECTION

I’ve learned a lot over the semester and I feel like I’ve grown as a photographer in a couple of key ways. On the technical side, I am much more confident in navigating the settings of my camera and shooting in manual mode. I’d previously always relied on automatic/P mode and didn’t put much thought into exposure, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  I know now how adjusting these will affect images and I even enjoy exploiting them purposely to create different effects.

I’ve also developed a lot in my aesthetic skills – I have a greater appreciation for capturing interesting images in the seemingly banal. My early photography relied on finding interesting scenes during my exotic travels and so I never picked up my camera to shoot when I was at home going about my normal routine. But through our assignments, I’ve learned that you can in fact capture beautiful and remarkable images in any setting. This attitude was very challenging at the beginning of the course - I tended to overthink photo shoots and wouldn't get the images I imagined, but over time I've learned that it's better to not overthink it and just go with the flow, shoot as much as possible, and get creative. This is the mentality I plan to take forward after this class.