Photography Class

I'm taking a documentary photography class and the first assignment is to post my three favorite portraits on a blog.  Here they are:

I took this picture of Adam and his mom at an art museum in Brisbane.  There is something really striking about their skin against the white wall and their (mostly) white clothes.  I had asked them to pose for a picture where they both looked serious.  Then once I had taken that picture I snapped this one in the moment after where they were laughing at themselves.  I found it hard to know how to best develop this photo.  Right now the contrast is a little high such that you cant see their eyes.  However, I found that if I developed with less contrast then they looked washed out due to the harsh lights in the room.  I hope my photography class will teach me more about how to develop this photo properly.

I took this photo of friend and comedian Moshe Kasher at a concert several years ago.  I just came up to him and snapped the photo and it captured his both surprise and annoyance at me taking the picture.  However I feel like the colors are just so striking in this photo.  The blue of his eyes and his shirt are so in sync.  The black of his hair and the background.  It is almost like he is popping out of a sea of black. If you know Moshe, this expression is just so him.  A cooler than you look with a little bit of shyness and a little bit of self-deprecation.

I'm not sure if portraits of animals count for this assignment, but I simply love this photo of Cleo.  Cats are hard to photograph because they usually come off looking angry or annoyed.  Here Cleo is looking calm yet alert and focused on the photographer.  The colors are so striking and her face is perfectly in focus.  She leans into Adam who is petting her and there is a subtle affection between them.  I love the contrast of her brown fur with the lighter background of the pillow she is on and then blending to the darkness of Adam's jeans.

In case the cat photo wasn't acceptable I thought I'd also include this photo of Kevin and Michelle on their wedding day.  I feel a little like cheating for putting this up here because I snapped this photo over the shoulder of their professional photographer who set up the shot.  The colors work really well in this photo -- his suit matching the wall and her dress matching the window frames.  I like how it seems like I am capturing a moment between them.  Kevin looking deliriously happy, like he can barely keep himself away from Michelle.  Michelle looking flirtatious and relaxed.  I only wish she was more centered under the window... perhaps I can photoshop that?