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Personal Reflection

The last 7 weeks have definitely been a learning experience for me. I have been doing photography for a couple years now, but this year was the busiest and I would say the year of my greatest progression. I was kinda nervous when I first started this as I was not all that familiar with taking really good photos. I wanted to really prove to Tony that I could understand what it takes to take a well crafted photo. I wanted to choose what people are most passionate about because in a world filled with bland and boring things; having something you’re passionate about gives life some excitement and by the end of your journey you can achieve becoming a master at your passion. Ever since I was a kid I was always admired by filmmaking, and when I went into high school I met my good friend David who was also passionate of filmmaking. So as the years went on I found that my passion was being a filmmaker, and taking photos really helps me better understand that craft. I have recently been debating on looking into being a cinematographer in the future, and this class opened my eye into understanding visual images. I thank you Tony for giving me the opportunity to show my passion within your class, and for helping me further develop myself.

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For my 7th and final shoot I chose one of my good friends Michael DeLuca to be my subject. I wanted to capture the setup of the editor as Michael is very skilled in this area of film making. He spends most of his time editing wedding photos, and marketing videos for Lululemon which is also his place of employment.

I found this shoot to be a different experience as i was not using my normal camera to shoot. I was using Michaels Sony camera with a variety of lens, and it was something I am not used too. I found this camera to be a lot more compact and crisper when it came to quality, but overall I find Canon products to be more organic when it comes to imaging. Again for this shoot i was aiming for the lighting, and it was stellar to see. Michael has a set colour changing bulbs so the that's why I thought it would be interesting to achieve a bluish tinge throughout the photos. I found the 85mm lens to shine within this shoot because of its image quality; I could not believe the sharpness and definition of behind the image. My final shoot was successful and I am quite happy that I got to use Michael as my final subject as his talent is absolutely astounding and deserves to be recognized within our world.

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For my 6th week I decided to pick someone who is not only passionate about what they do, but someone who does it with a smile everyday. This man is named Sinar Markus and he operates  Ferocious Barbershop with his brother. Sinar has always had a passion for cutting hair since he was a kid, and it makes him happy that he can make somebody's appearance look good by cutting their hair to perfection.

For this shoot I modeled it after my mentor Matthew Bendos’ photos he had taken a few years prior, but with some added details. I wanted to show off the shop and the tools Sinar uses to cut people's hair. I focused on specific elements every great barber needs, a perfect chair, scissors, and a well maintained brush. I also made sure to gather the Tiger painted on the wall to show off what being “ ferocious” means. I had minimal lens for this session so I had to use my 50mm the whole shoot. In terms of lighting I had to use all natural lighting from either the window or the lights that were provided in the shop and it was quite difficult to get the certain depth of field that I wanted, but in the end it turned out well. I would like to thank Sinar for allowing me to use his shop, and i'm glad I got to show off such a wonderful place.

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For my fourth week I picked my old highschool friend Jaheed Caesar. Jaheed has been asking for photos, and I figured there wouldn't be a better time than now. He wanted me to show off his passion for basketball, as he has been an avid fan of the game since he was a young kid.

So I decided that shooting outside was to be too cold while shooting on a regular indoor court would be uninteresting. I then took a look at pictures that were taken by a fourth year student named Eben Odonkor. I acquired inspiration from these photos, and decided to recreate these images to an extent. This was another shoot where I got to manipulate lighting to create a better atmosphere. I used a set of Arri lights and just moved them around the whole shoot to see what kind of images I could create. My main goal for the shoot was to show off what basketball is all about. I found that all the skill is within the player so that's what I needed to show off so I payed special attention to my actual model. During the shoot I had Eben come out to teach me more about what he did while taking those photos, and he gave me some advice as a photographer. He told me that you gotta just set up the lights and then just start working focusing on your end goals. This was another great week, and i'm glad I got to learn further information on lighting.

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For my 4th week I decided to choose someone who means alot to me, and that is Dante Marra.

Dante and I went to highschool together for 4 years and have remained close even after graduating. Him and I always shared a strong bond, and have many of the same similarities. Dante has always had a passion for music and he was one of the first models I ever used for my photos.

This week is by far my favourite week because I had another fellow photographer come out to help me learn lighting. Jesse Herbert took the time to come out and show me how to use strobe lighting, and I have to say it was an experience. For this shoot I wanted to really focus on artificial lighting and to show off Dante and his passion for music especially his Guitar. From using various lens such as a Macro lens and a 24-105mm. Jesse taught me how to properly light for perfect portraits, and he also showed me to get creative and take risks while taking photos. Dantes’ photos are all about the music, and his dreams to one day become a famous musician. These photos tell the story of someone who wants nothing more than to just do what he loves, and i'm proud I got to choose someone I call my brother for this assignment.

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For my third shoot I decided to use my good friend Cristian Agostini as my third subject. Cristian all his life has had a passion for cars, and ever since he was a child he decided to achieve a career that specializes in cars.

Now for this shoot I decided to get creative, and I chose to switch between a 28mm, and a 50mm lens. This is also the first shoot where I used artificial lighting which was rather a unique route for me. I selected only 1 soft box and placed it behind the camera at a 45 degree angle so only one half of my subjects face would be lit. I find artificial lighting to be extremely important, and I cannot wait to start using it more often within my shoots. During this shoot I wanted to show the aspects of the cars, and Cristians very place he is employed at

“Formula First.” This is a place where Cristian calls home, and this place allows him to work and enjoy every minute of it. I am very glad I got to choose Cristian as one of my subjects. Cristian is very passionate about what he does and I’m honoured I got to capture it. This man is one my best friends and I wish him nothing but success in the future.

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For my second shoot, I decided to use Nico Fazio as my second subject. Nico is quite the business man. He has always carried a strong passion for how he presents himself in front of others. Nico loves to look classy and presentable towards his peers and will never turn down the opportunity to show off one of his suits.

 During this outing, I decided to use the Engineering building, and I stuck with natural lighting for the most part with just a bit of artificial to brighten it up. The main goal for this shoot was to show off how Nico was dressed. I also had the chance to use a 28mm lens with its amazing depth of field, and for my first time I thoroughly enjoyed using it. Nico really wanted me to emphasize how he was dressed, and this is the reason for the close-up shots on the watch and chicken tie. Now the main reason why I picked Nico was because I have never seen anybody as passionate as he is in the world of business. It was important that I caught his passion for being a business man. I knew he would be an amazing subject for my project and I’m honored I got the chance to work with him.

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For my first shoot, I decided to use Clive Osenda as my first subject. Clive doesn’t find many things that interest him, but football has always been one of his passions since childhood. He loves the feeling of being out on the field with the people he can call his family.

 So throughout taking photos I found that using natural sunlight would be quite interesting. I figured there isn’t a better place to capture these photos then a football field during sunset. The main goal the whole time was to see what I could do with the light I was being provided, and also observe what type of shadows I could manipulate to make the photo even better. I was also focused on lens flares as well while taking these as I have never experimented with them and I thought they could provide some effect. Clive wanted me to capture what it’s like to be a Lancer, as we attend this school then we should be proud of what we are. The main reason why I chose Clive as my first subject is because I’ve known him for a number of years now, and I’ve never seen somebody that loves playing on the field as much as he does. He was more than excited to be a part of this project and is always glad to help out in anyway. I knew he was a great candidate for my project and I'm glad I took the time to take these photos of him.