Nature Photography Project

This school year, I had the chance to spend more time working with my surrounding environment by taking a photography class at school and choosing to take nature photos. With all the environmental work I do with this non profit organization, I wanted to find more ways to connect with nature and this was a fun and creative way to do it while also knocking out some of my school work. For some context, these photos were taken in January so the options I had for plants were pretty limited but I am still happy with the photos I got. All three of these photos came from the Japanese garden located behind the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Through this project, the importance of keeping nature safe was further emphasized for me, and I am even more motivated to promote and advocate for wellness for Earth's environment.

Frosted Ember

For this photo, I really like how it looks like a forest of red leaved plants when in reality, the macro shot is what gives it that affect as this was just a small bush. I also like how the background blurs but you can still see the plants in the back. In terms of editing on Photoshop, the original photo looks a lot darker and the red does not pop as much so the added light reflecting on the plants and the more vibrant red color really adds to the photo which I like a lot. I have never seen a plant like this before, and the red leaves differ from usual green leaf plant stereotypes.

Emerald Awakening

Similar to the last photo, this is also a macro shot of a plant where I put the camera lens right next to the leaves of the plant. Also like the last photo, we took these photos when the sun was not super bright anymore so for editing again, I had to add some extra light and I made the green color of the leaves a lot more vibrant to make all the colors pop more. The background is also blurred for this one which I like because it drives the focus to the plants in front and gets rid of the distractions in the background which are less relevant to the photo.

Winter Veins Against the Sky

On the contrary to the previous photos, I made this one darker then it was before to emphasize a night vibe. I think this was interesting and a good way to take advantage of the winter time without leaves on the trees because if it had been summer, the branches of the tree would not be exposed and this photo would not have been possible. I really like how it feels like the branches of the tree just keep extending further and further but I don't really like how the small bush is on the bottom right of the photo so if I were to re edit or retake the photo I would try to find a way to get rid of it. It's not a macro shot like the other two, but it really shows the variety of nature photos one can get.