Best of Portrait Assignment

I think my most successful portrait is the top one of Ava. I used rule of thirds to make sure I wasn't putting her right in the center of the photo, and I think having it a little off center makes it easier to look at. I shot at about her level, but standing a little above her so it would be a flattering angle. I think the red background works well because its simple but vibrant, so it makes her stand out from the background while still keeping her the main subject. I edited the saturation and blacks in Lightroom to bring out the red in the background and make the shadows on her and her hair stand out more.  

Best of Light, Shadow, Reflection

This is my best example of backlighting - silhouette. I think the way the lighting made all the foreground black really adds a 'nighttime' feel to the picture and also really emphasizes the shapes of the trees and house.

This is my best example of backlighting - subject lit up. The light of the lamp frames the shape of the earrings really well and the light also draws more attention to the details in the earrings (like the yarn). It works like a halo around the subject.

 This is my best example of chiaroscuro. The way the lighting is really intense on his face and background and only lit up underneath the basketball makes the photo very dramatic and much more interesting than it otherwise would be.

This is my best example of shadows as subject. I really like how the horizontal lines and the vertical lines of the shadows contrast with each other.

This is my best example of reflections as subject. The way the light hits the water well really draws your eyes line, and i like how it looks like silhouettes in the water.