Abstract 1

Abstract 2

Landscape 1

Landscape 2

Portrait 1

Portrait 2

Portrait 3

Texture 1

Texture 2

Texture 3

These photos are under the sole ownership of Reina Soumokil and cannot be reused or retransmitted without due credit. Derivative art is only permissible with written agreement of owner Reina Soumokil. All works (both derivative and origina) must be labeled with "Original photograph by Reina Soumokil". Under no circumstance are any photographs, artworks, or other creations of Reina Soumokil to be used for commercial use

Ansel Adams

Vernal Falls by Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams was born on February 20, 1902 to Charles Hitchcock Adams and Olive Adams nee Bray. Ansel Adams came from a affluent family, as his grandfather was a wealthy timber baron, but one without much money, as the family lost most of their fortune in the financial scare of 1907.
When Adams was four, an aftershock of the great earthquake of 1906 threw him to the ground. This resulted in a badly broken nose, which was to mark him for the rest of his life. This broken nose, couple with a certain natural shyness and probably learning disabilities, lead to Adams having a difficult time fitting in to a normal classroom setting. Adams' parents sent him to several schools in an attempt to find a place that would work for him. Unfortunately, Ansel Adams was unsuccessful at all of these schools. Eventually, he was pulled from school and was tutored by his father and aunt. He went on to earn a "legalized diploma", which is the equivalent of an eighth grade education.
Several positive, and lifelong, results came of Adams' solitary childhood. One very important one was the love of nature. Often, Adams would take long walks in the still-wild reaches of the Golden Gate. Nearly every day found him hiking the dunes or meandering along Lobos Creek, down to Baker Beach, or out to the very edge of the American continent. This love for nature eventually lead Adams to his final career. 
Another result of Adams' unique childhood was the joy of music. When Adams was twelve he taught himself to play the piano and read music. Soon he was taking lessons, and the ardent pursuit of music became his substitute for formal schooling. For the next dozen years the piano was Adams' primary occupation and, by 1920, his intended profession.
In 1916, Adams first visited Yosemite. The park transfixed him. After his first visit, Adams spent considerable time there, until his death in 1984. It was here that Adams first started using the Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie his parents had given him. With his Kodak in hand, Adams hiked, climbed and explored this extraordinary place, gaining self-confidence and self-esteem with every visit. Adams even met his wife, Virginia Best, in Yosemite.
Perhaps the most important year to Adams was 1927. It was this year that he made his first fully visualized photograph, Monolith, the Face of Half Dome and came under the influence of Albert M. Bender, a San Francisco insurance magnate and patron of arts and artists. Literally the day after they met, Bender set in motion the preparation and publication of Adams' first portfolio, Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras. It was also during this year that Adams fully switched careers from pianist to photographer.
Throughout his life, Adams took thousands of black and white photographs. Now, after his death, Adams' photos can fetch thousands of dollars. 
Vernal Falls, the Yosemite Park photograph pictured above, is one of my favorite shots by Ansel Adams. I love the contrast between the rushing white falls and the dark rocks and trees. The spray from the waterfall also adds an interesting effect to the photo. It almost reminds me of a watercolor picture of fog covered mountains. 

Camera Settings

Aperture Shot 1

 

Aperture Shot 2

High Shutter Speed 1

High Shutter Speed 2

Low Shutter Speed 1

Low Shutter Speed 2

These photos are under the sole ownership of Reina Soumokil and cannot be reused or retransmitted without due credit. Derivative art is only permissible with written agreement of owner Reina Soumokil. All works (both derivative and origina) must be labeled with "Original photograph by Reina Soumokil". Under no circumstance are any photographs, artworks, or other creations of Reina Soumokil to be used for commercial use

Panoramas

Creative Panorama

Inside Panorama

Outside Panorama

Portrait Panorama

These photos are under the sole ownership of Reina Soumokil and cannot be reused or retransmitted without due credit. Derivative art is only permissible with written agreement of owner Reina Soumokil. All works (both derivative and origina) must be labeled with "Original photograph by Reina Soumokil". Under no circumstance are any photographs, artworks, or other creations of Reina Soumokil to be used for commercial use

Found Face Story

Josephina

My dearest diary,

My brother was at it again today. I swear, he must be adopted because there is no way that I am related to Aaron, pest extraordinaire. I suppose it was partly my fault; I forgot to lock my door before I turned on my music. If I had remembered to lock it, he wouldn't have come in on me practicing my ballet routine. The rest of the day Aaron went around, calling me "Josephina, ballerina." And it was just my luck that my parents heard. I am in sooo much trouble now. I had sworn that I had quit--they don't approve of dance. I can't tell you how many times I've heard my father say, "Dance is a waste of time. Dancers are leeches on society. Find yourself a man and settle down. Make a productive life for yourself." They were so proud when I told them I stopped taking dance lessons and started working at the local daycare center. What they didn't realize was the owner of the daycare was giving me lesson instead of bonuses. Since I was living at home, I didn't need the extra money. Not anymore, though. They kicked me out faster than I could say, "Swan Lake". I should be okay for awhile; I have a few paintings I can sell. They should fetch a couple hundred for me. At least my parents saw painting as a useful pastime, they encouraged it even. It would just burn them to know I was using my paintings to fund my "dangerously lazy lifestyle". Speaking of which, I have an audition today for the Nutcracker. I'm trying out for the Sugar Plum Fairy in an hour. Oh my. It's coming up fast. I have to get ready. 

Wish me luck,

Josephina Martinez

Found Faces

These photos are under the sole ownership of Reina Soumokil and cannot be reused or retransmitted without due credit. Derivative art is only permissible with written agreement of owner Reina Soumokil. All works (both derivative and origina) must be labeled with "Original photograph by Reina Soumokil". Under no circumstance are any photographs, artworks, or other creations of Reina Soumokil to be used for commercial use

Found Panoramas

Grand Tetons in Yellowstone

I absolutely love this shot. I chose this shot because it reminds me of a family trip I took a few years ago. We went to Yellowstone and this shot captures all of the emotion and beauty that I remember of Yellowstone.

Stanford University Quad

I chose this shot because I love the Stanford campus. I was able to spend three weeks at Stanford University, and the quad was one of my favorite places to hang. Not only that, I really like the distortion due to the differences in distances.

Composition Project

Converging Lines

Diagonal Lines

Different Angle

Filling the Frame

Framing

Horizontal Lines

Rule of Thirds

Vertical Lines

These photos are under the sole ownership of Reina Soumokil and cannot be reused or retransmitted without due credit. Derivative art is only permissible with written agreement of owner Reina Soumokil. All works (both derivative and origina) must be labeled with "Original photograph by Reina Soumokil". Under no circumstance are any photographs, artworks, or other creations of Reina Soumokil to be used for commercial use

Found composition

Filling the Frame*

Vertical Lines

Diagonal Lines

Horizontal Lines

Converging Lines*

A picture from a different angle*

Framing the subject*

Rule of thirds*

*These photos are under the sole ownership of Reina Soumokil and cannot be reused or retransmitted without due credit. Derivative art is only permissible with written agreement of owner Reina Soumokil. All works (both derivative and origina) must be labeled with "Original photograph by Reina Soumokil". Under no circumstance are any photographs, artworks, or other creations of Reina Soumokil to be used for commercial use

Powerful Pictures

A man cools his feet in Victoria Falls in Zambia.

So I was scrolling through the "Simply Beautiful Photographs, moments" gallery of National Geographic's website, and this photo captured my attention. There is just something about this picture that made my heart rate rocket. There is something to be said about the dichotomy of the danger of the frothing water rushing over the edge of Africa's highest water fall and the calmness of the man standing in the river. The best way, I think, to describe this picture is exhilarating. This photo evokes in me feelings akin to those I feel just before a roller coaster, just before I jump down a zip line, just before I enter a "haunted" house--in other words, feelings normally evoked only in an artificial environment (well only in America, I guess). All in all, this is an absolutely striking photograph.