Looking Through the Lens of My First Visual Essay

By Ella Harrison

Imagine a dazzling sunset fading into the mountainside or friends laughing around a campfire on a warm evening in late June. Times like this make me wish I

could press a button in my eyes and capture a picture of the moment exactly as it is happening. The way I see instances through my own eyes is how I wish my camera captured these memories.

I am always disappointed when I can imagine in my head what I want a photograph to look like but then it does not look half as good in my camera roll. However, through doing this visual essay, I have learned that using different framing compositions and accepting a helpful hand from Photoshop, my pictures can be everything I dream of and more.

MY PHONE'S EYE

I chose to photograph the Furman Women’s Basketball game on February 4 against Wofford. Before the game, kids were able to get signatures from Furman women athletes in honor of 50 years of Title IX. I captured the players, cheerleaders, and women’s basketball coaches in action.

I am glad I took close to 600 pictures. I tried to photograph anything and everything that might be useful. This gave me plenty of options to work with when it came down to choosing pictures for my storyboard. The storyboard was useful in deciding the order in which I wanted to present my photos to curate a story.

Another thing I learned through taking the pictures was the importance of the rule of thirds. Normally, I put the subject in the center of the frame. Before this project, I had no clue how important this framing technique is. I wish I had paid more attention to the rule of thirds on a few pictures because it would have saved me some time during the editing process.

This was my first-time using Photoshop, and I had no clue how handy it can be. The power of the program is incredible. I used the lasso tool to remove a person, and although it was not perfect, I could not believe how well it worked. I also found the clone stamp useful in touching up areas after removing an object.

PHOTOGRAPHY IN PROFESSION

The knowledge I gained through the visual essay can be applied in a number of ways in my future career. For example, the ability to use composition techniques to make photos more pleasing to the eye can be useful in providing content for a sports team’s social media page. Knowing how to use Photoshop and all its versatile tools is a good skill in any employee. For sports reporting specifically, I can use Photoshop to make graphics for upcoming games or game recaps.

Doing the visual essay reminded me the importance of going the extra mile in your work. You should always do a little more than you think is required to finish with the best results.