Missing Q Press shopowner Jason McDaniel prepares his Vandercook Number 4 Proof press machine while working on a project for Sewell in Dallas, Texas on Monday Feb. 13, 2023. (Arden Eiland/ SMU)
Lining up the plates at his store, Missing Q Press, in Dallas, Texas Jason McDaniel prepares the Vandercook Number 4 press machine to produce notecards on Feb. 13, 2023. (Arden Eiland/ SMU)
In preparation for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League thirty-seventh annual Presentation Ball, Ann Kalaber gets her makeup done on Feb. 11, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Arden Eiland/ SMU)
While working on this assignment I tried my best to try out and test differing situations and sets. I took pictures in two different locations, one getting ready for a debutante ball that I was apart of and my moms friend who owns a letterpress shop. I like to take pictures with not a lot of extra space, like I like to take tight shots and so trying to fit my subject in the boxes as described on the canvas. I really liked the picture I took of my best friends grandmother, Ann Kalaber, while getting her makeup done for me and her granddaughter, Brittie, debutante presentation ball for Dallas Symphony Orchestra League. I had trouble with fitting my images into the rule of thirds strict guidelines. The picture in the middle I do not believe actually fulfills the rule fo thirds rules however, I really like it so I wanted to include it. I think it could be stretched on it working but it in all honesty is not exactly what this assignment is. I think these pictures work much more successfully than my ones in the past. I feel like the lighting and clearness, clarity is much more crisp and perfect in these than my past assignments. I really like these images that I took for this assignment. I am not sure the one of Ann is rule of thirds because of the unidentified second subjects hands being there but I feel like it does have one third unused considering the subject is just Ann.
I want to figure out and test out more of the rule of thirds when it comes to horizontal photography. I like vertical photography much better but I want to figure out how to do it successfully with a horizontal image. I really loved the image you included from your work of the two men from Moby Dick at Dallas Opera. I love the way the seats lined the frame and made it so much more interesting. I also really liked the image you created of the woman in the doorway and how you showed us a way to do the project without explicitly showing us the subject like the last one of the mans shadow. I really enjoyed getting to take a look at your work.
In ways of which I struggled, I had a hard time making sure the subjects were fit in properly to fit the rule of thirds quota. Looking through the lens it helped me a lot to have the grid up when capturing my images to get kind of a layout. I think what is hardest for me was trying to make sure that the subject was in a third of it or two thirds of the frame instead of creating these super tight and focused image like I particularly favor. I think next time I need more of a set kind of work space than the busyness of my images that I have captured. However, I still think I could argue that this rule is present. These images are special to me because I had such an amazing time getting to attend and be apart of my Dallas Symphony Orchestra League deb presentation ball this past weekend. The woman I captured is my best friends grandmother whom I am very close to. Her daughter, my best friends mom, was a debutante at this exact ball in 1992. I admire this woman greatly and she is truly one in a million. The man I captured is Jason McDaniel who has been a close family friend of mine since 2010. He has opened his own pressmaking letter making shop here in Dallas called Missing Q Press. He has also impacted my interest in fashion greatly as I have come and taken classes from him or helped him on projects and been able to be creative in design and formatting and framing different pieces of letter making.
