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My photos cover a wide array of subjects and focus on many different areas of photography. What really interests me are the details of everyday life. Photographing something that people see everyday and interpreting it and photographing it in a new and unique way is something I feel to be very powerful and exciting.

Digital Photograph

December 2008

Courtney Mellinger

I am a sophomore at Stephens College, studying Graphic Design

White Board Assignment

Back Light Assignment

Diffused Light Assignment

These are the photos I shot from the Citizen Jane Film Festival. I took these at the reception in the Columbia Foyer.

For the documentary photography assignment, I chose to shoot a shopping night my sorority had at Britches downtown. It was only us shopping, so I thought it would be a good way to get some good interaction between the girls, along with great colors from all the clothing.

For the group photography assignment, we to Kayotea downtown, and took photos of two men playing guitars and singing for the customers. As a group, we played around with the settings of the camera, along with the different angles and shots we could get.

Group assignment for using  a manuel camera:

Our group is only available to meet at night, so we are either going to set up a photo shoot in our apartment, or are going to go somewhere downtown, like a coffee shop. 

My question for Denise McGill was if she edited her photos before sending them to art directors to be published. She said that is typically the job of the art director, and that her job is to take the photos and capture what is really going on. She wants her photos to demonstrate what is really going on, in a "what you see is what you get" approach. 

These are photos of downtown Columbia, taken after it has gotten dark. I really like the colors in this photo, and the angles that the buildings create as they appear to come together in the background. I also really like the shadow that runs across from one building to the other, almost connecting the two. In the photo of the street light, I chose to take it at an angle to give it an interesting feel. I really like the contrast in this photo between the dark sky and the bright lights.

These photos were shot based on the word I chose out of the dictionary. I landed on passion, so I chose to photograph one of my friends doing something she is very passionate about. Although only the top of her body is shown, it is clear that she is running on a treadmill. I like how her hair is so dominant in this photo, creating the sense of movement for the photo. I also like the simplicity of this photo, along with the one of her legs in motion, because they are very direct and to the point.

These photos were taken for the body part assignment. I chose to photograph fingers, especially focusing on the ring finger. I think the engagement ring on the finger really helps to add beauty to the photo, making it more meaningful than just a picture of a bare hand. It symbolizes love and is a subtle way of adding interest to a very simple photo.

With these photos I really focused on the railing and the walls, following the ideas of the photographer I chose, Richard Sexton. I really like the lines and the angles in the photos I took, and I think they help create movement for the eye throughout the photo. Just like the textured walls in Sexton's photo help to create an interesting element on something other than the main subject, the brightness of the red walls help to contrast against the staircase. 

I also think the repetition of the stairs and of the bars on the railing help to create a uniformness in the photo, and give it a feeling of structure. Along with the repetition, I think that all of the geometric shapes throughout the photo help to make it a very strong picture.  

Pre Shooting: I want to focus on a staircase, and really focus on the railing and the walls around it. I would like for the walls to stand out and for the lines of the railing to be a main part of the photo. I would also like for there to be light coming from above and below the stairs, but I know this might be somewhat difficult to accomplish. 

This photo, titled the Staircase, was taken by Richard Sexton. He was born in 1954 in Atlanta, GA and resides in New Orleans, LA.  He mainly photographs architecture and landscapes, and is known for his direct approach photography. When he goes out and looks for places or things to shoot, he will find something, then plan to come back during a certain time of day and year when he can truly capture what it feels like to be in the space he is shooting. This dedication and attention to detail is something that is a necessity to be a great photographer.

This photo of a staircase is one that is very simple, yet still manages to evoke emotion within the viewer. It looks very lonely, and as if it was once a very elegant place, but has been deserted for quite some time.

The lighting in this photo is coming from above and below the staircase, which gives it a glowing feeling, It is as if the light from two different places are coming together at this exact place. It helps to create movement for the eye, because instead of focusing on the stairs, it draws attention to the walls and how unique and textured they have become. The light appears to be natural, maybe coming from windows within the building, and creates a very soft appearance for the photo.

There are many lines that flow throughout the photo, the main being the railing of the staircase. It is a very curvy line that takes your eye from the top to the bottom of the photo. The vertical bars on the railing also create lines in the photo that help to give it an elegant look. Contrasting with the rugged and beat up walls, the delicateness of those lines creates an appeal to the photo that draws in the viewer.

This photo also has many repetitious elements including the stairs themselves. They lead the eye up, creating a curiosity for the viewer and makes them wonder to what or where the stairs lead. Also, the posts on the rail create a repeating pattern in the photo. These are also examples of geometric shapes. The photo is predominantly made up of these types of shapes, which help make the railing, an organic shaped line, really stand out.

Texture in this photo is a key element for making it so stunning. The walls and ceiling are battered and rough, and gives the photo a very rugged look. The paint is peeling off the walls and parts of the ceiling are missing, but all of this ruggedness helps to contrast against the beauty of the smooth, curving railing.

Although the main color of the photo is brown, there is still a large range of values. The staircase is very dark, along with the wood flooring, which helps to create contrast against the walls, which are very well lit. The light, coming from both above and below, helps to illuminate the walls and all of their intricate texture. The photo almost looks monochromatic, but the varieties of values throughout the entire photo make that unnoticeable. 

The composition of this photo is unique in that there is only one subject in the entire photo. The staircase, which takes up only a small portion of the photo, is the main focus. If the walls were bare and it was an average staircase, this photo would not be nearly as interesting as it is with the tremendous texture and flowing lines that run from the top to the bottom of the photo. The fact that the walls themselves are so interesting, and that the light seems to be coming from everywhere, even though this photo is inside, makes up for the fact that there is only a small portion of the photo where the subject actually is.

The angle that Richard Sexton used for this photo was dead on. It appears as if he was standing on the wooden floor and shot what was directly in front of him. It is a very simple way to take the photo, but if it had been shot from anywhere else, the photo would not seem so serene, and peaceful. If there were unique or awkward angles used to take a photo of this subject, it might seem uncomfortable and would not evoke the same emotion from the viewer. 

I changed the contrast and brightness on this photo, I thought it was interesting to take everyday items and make them look a little different than usual.

For this photo, I changed the color balances, and also adjusted the curves to create this color. I then created more contrast so that the whites in the water would stand out against the rocks behind it.

I changed this photo to grayscale, and adjusted the layers a little bit, to create a little more distinction between the blacks and the whites in the photo.

I like the contrast in this photo between the light from the sun and the dark spots in the clouds. I think it gives the photo sort of a mysterious look to it and makes the clouds appear in a different way than we normally see.