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Question

Im 16 and live in Ireland for most of the year but right now i am in North Carolina in Wilmington. I have just bought a Canon xti and want a project. i am looking for tips on a portfolio of pictures i can compile while over here any tips or ideas are useful and nothing goes unappreciated, thanks in advance

Answer 1

I'm unsure what your project parameters are. Out of the blue, might I suggest this for a project:

1. Google "mandalas" and gorge on every mandala that you can find. If possible, print out ten or fifteen of them and scatter them out on the floor so that you can see them all at once. Start arranging and re-arranging them until you begin to see some patterns. All cultures in the world from all times constructed mandalas in symbolic representation of what they had discovered about the world around them. Notice that there is typically a centerpoint in all of them. That represented the "origin" or beginning of the Universe. Next, primitive humans noticed the Sun, hence the typically circular shape of the mandala and frequently a circle shape of some kind around the centerpoint. Next, early humans discovered the four directions (East / west / north / south) and depicted that new knowledge in their mandalas in a four sided or pointed shape of some kind around the circle which is around the centerpoint. As humans explored and ranged out and learned more about Nature, they added symbols to their mandalas about whatever they had come to be more aware of. Early man perceived four "forces" of Nature (earth, wind, fire and water) and added them in another superimposed square or pointed shape over the four directions. As you will notice, most of our geometric shapes begin to appear on the mandala constructions. Our first compasses were merely stones in a circle on the ground with the four directions marked also in stones based on where the sun rose. Mandala constructions continued to grow. Some ancient Chinese and Indian mandalas became extraordinarily ornate, complex and fanciful. They included hierarchies of human social constructs and arranged the symbolic shapes of Nature's ways in "orders" of importance and such, revealing much about how those people in those cultures thought. Some Buddhist mandalas are even three dimensional.
2. Now, after you have familiarized yourself with these iconic shapes found in the mandalas on the floor about you, consider a photographic project in which you construct a portfolio of photographs of images with elements and compositions beginning with centerpoint to circle to four sided figure and so on. Observe in nature and amongst man-trappings the combinations of these shapes and see if you cannot assemble a portfolio of images whose elements follow similar compositions.
3. Perhaps, you might include corresponding mandalas from a wide range of cultures to compliment your collection of images appropriately.
4. One way to sharpen you eye for composition in photography is to use the printouts of a subject, such as the mandalas in this case, and begin arranging them in PAIRS. Just pick up one and place it next to whichever other printout that it somehow "goes" with. When all printouts have a partner, place them side by side and line up all the pairs under each other in a long line. Then, muse upon those pairs in context of all the printouts in one view and begin to re-arrange the PAIRS from most simple to most complex. That exercise sharpens your eye and is carried with you permanently into your photographic art.

Answer 2

I personally like pictures of landscape type things, if you are walking (or riding) down the road and see an old store that just sticks out from all of the rest, take a photo (or 4 or 5 different ones) any OLD things, or walking thru the park, seeing somone sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper, dont let them know you are taking a picture, but snap shots without them knowing are always the best ones, even changing the image to a black and white, I think it is awesome. I am personally making a portfolio at the moment, I have a 3 year old son though, so I have alot of pics of him, and a turtle was on the side of the road, so I stopped, got down on the ground and got a pic of the turtle, I have caught an OLD run down shed but it had the most beautiful grass and flowers around it, it was awesome. Just look around you, you will find something that catches your eye. Greatest luck to you and remember, just have fun while you snap shots.

Answer 3

Wilmington and the NC coast are beautiful, you should have no shortage of beach landscapes and seascapes. South of Wilmington are Southport, Bald Head Island, Oak Island, Fort Fisher, and the NC Aquarium. There are several lighthouses in the area, Baldy and the Oak Island light are close, and there are several more on up the coast. North is the Outer Banks. Wright Memorial. Wild ponies.

Carolina Beach State Park is photo worthy, for its animal and unusual plant life. Also a pretty marina. Take bug spray.

Wilmington itself is full of nice older neighborhoods and grave yards. Also the NC Battleship Memorial.

If you can travel to the western part of the state, there are mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Very scenic and bucolic.

I hope you enjoy your stay in NC!

Answer 4

welcome to the states.

north carolina is a beautiful state. try studying what makes north carolina famous, and go for those photos first. look around, and you may see unique architecture, plants/flowers or other things that are not common to your homeland, that would make an interesting project. do they have a botanical garden there? if so, you may find some very interesting and beautiful things there to capture. is there a zoo near there? if so, you are quite likely to see some animals close up that you may never have seen close up before. even the roads or streets may be of interest; are there lots of hills or is it mostly flat land? just consider things that you are seeing, that are so unlike what you have in ireland (another beautiful place).

Answer 5

This is a very personal choice, I think you need to pick the general type (animals, people, plants, buildings, etc) then ask more specific questions. There are some great forums you can join that may inspire you.

www.photocamel.com
strobist.blogspot.com
photo.net

Answer 6

Try the next directry...they do swimwear for larger women but it is also great for pregnant women as it offers support and dosn't make you look frumpy. My advice would be to look on the net as there are many webpages out there that specialise in maternity wear that actually looks nice!