Emily Hannak - Final Project Proposal

For my final Photo 100 project, I propose to photograph the details of the State College forests. I want to photograph perspectives and potentially small details that many people may glance over without realizing the enjoyment value in them. Things such as landscapes, trees, undergrowth, streams, or little creatures like salamanders and beetles really interest me as to me they have a degree of significance and can be photographed from several unique perspectives. I was born and raised in the Alleghany National Forest and have always loved and appreciated the woods, its creatures, and its resources. I was taught how to fish by age 4, and how to hunt at age 12. Every fond memory I have revolves around the forest one way or another, from camping with friends, learning how to drive on back roads, and learning to wakeboard on the reservoir. I want to photograph something I love because I’ll be willing to spend plenty of time and effort on making great photos, and I feel like I can really capture some unique and nice images for the project at the locations I have in mind. This is my favorite option available here at college, and there are several places within driving distance that I love, like Fisherman’s Paradise, Mount Nittany, Bald Eagle State Park, and Poe Paddy State Park. To get the images I have in mind, I definitely have to set aside some time to drive out to my chosen locations over several days in order to get the same lighting and tone in all of my photos. I will likely also need something to reflect light if I am going to be photographing in the shady undergrowth of the forest. I also really want a chance to experiment further with manual settings on the camera with the skills I have learned so far in class, and I feel like the subjects I have in mind will be good to play around with in terms of camera settings, lens length, and lighting. I hope to make a cohesive photo set that others can find beautiful and enjoyable as well as myself.