La Donna Velata

This painting (the original that is) is called La Donna Velata. It was painted by the immensely famous italian painter Raphael in 1516.  The painting is oil on canvas and it is of an un-identified woman named "La Fornarina". Raphael's mistresses, she was believed to be Raphaels ideal of beauty and was in many of his paintings. This painting pays more attention to the colours and texture of the skin and fabric of her dress than his other portraits. This painting uses a lot of white and gold tones, which widens his range from paintings past. This portrait led up to greater masterpieces by Raphael that would later be historical landmarks.
Raphael was born in 1483 and was a painter and architect during the high renaissance. He lived his early life in Italy and later moved to Rome for his career. Raphael grew up in Urbino, which was a small town but very relevant to the world of art. His father painted for the Duke of Urbino; art was prominent in Raphael's life from the start. Growing up in this small court taught Raphael excellent manners and social skills, although it is unclear how easily he read latin. He was orphaned at eleven and lived with his stepmother when he wasn't under an apprenticeship. It was clear the Raphael had talent from the beginning. His paintings are known for their amazing form, composition, and their ability to demonstrate human greatness, which was an important ideal at the time. He went on to created some of the world's most historic masterpeices including the Stanza della Segnatura, which is a fresco he created in the library of Julius II. It is considered one of his best pieces, competing against other painters at the time such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Together these three painters created some of the biggest masterpieces of the period, which are still admired today as pivotal pieces in the world of art. During the High Renaissance, art showed the idea of human greatness and often depicted scenes from the bible. Painters were considered "good" when they were able to make the painting look extremely realistic, which is why these men were commissioned to paint by people of high status/royalty.
The Renaissance was one of the most influential, important periods of art. It was a turning point in many fields in the arts and sciences. Painting before this era was not terribly accurate and lacked a lot of detail. They didn't have the correct shapes and details. Also, only religious work was considered worth anything. During the Renaissance people became fascinated by the beauty and anatomy of the human body, as well as the world as a whole. They studied important factors like light, shadow, and perspective. Painters wanted to depict the beauty of nature, not solely religion. They studied their subjects and thus created much more accurate and beautiful paintings.
Like any student in photo class, the world's painters needed to learn the rules before they could break them.

sources of info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/r/raphael/5roma/3/03velata.html
http://www.raphaelsanzio.org/slideshow.html
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/art/renaissance.asp

Mixed Lighting

This photo has a flash of 1/250 seconds, and aperture of f6.3, and a film speed of ISO400. I used a regular white light combined with the blue-ish light from the windows. This was the perfect spot to take the photo because there is light coming from the window in front of her and behind her. This way, you not only have the cold and warm light contrasting on her face but also with the background. To me this picture kind of looks like summer leaving and winter coming, because the warm-orangey light is weakening and it looks cold outside behind her.

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

Last Friday I paid a visit to the Royal Agricultural Fair, where I met this little guy. His name is Crunch, and he wont be little for long. Crunch is only one year old and he will grow to be bewteen 150-200 pounds! He's a Salcata Tortoise from Africa who travels with AnimalPak, a company that does animal outreach programes. They visit schools and senior homes to show off their fantastic animals and bring joy with them, just like they brought to Toronto last weekend.
But Crunch wasn't the only fantastic animal I saw at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, there were also many animals who are native to places a little closer to home; goats, cows, pigs, and chickens. Along with lots of fun family activities like face-painting, animal shows, shopping, and lots and lots of eating. I tried a deep-fried Mars bar that was to die for and I'll probably attend next year in order to try some apple-dumplings or home-made fudge! So check it out next year and maybe you will meet a friend like Crunch!

"Perfect" Portraits

M 1/15 F10 ISO 400

In this photo I used two lights of equal brightness so that there is little to no shadows on Justin's face. The picture is very strait-forward and simple, like a headshot. I made it black and white because it feels more simple and professional.

M 1/100 F5.6 ISO 400
I really like this picture of ellen because it's just really cute. I used a large diffused light and another regular light which are mainly coming from above, as well as a backlight. Her face is nicely illuminated and I liked the colouring of the photo too much to change it.

M 1/50 F5.6 ISO 400
This picture of Jon is different from the others in that the light is coming from the side. I used the large white light along with a dimmer light from the other side. It gives the picture a sadder feeling because he's looking out in the distance and the lighting is more dark in general.