Kodie Smith Photo Essay AEE 440

 My name is Kodie Smith and I am a senior in Wildlife and Fisheries Science, Wildlife Option. I grew up in a small town in Northwestern Pennsylvania that’s about and hour south of Lake Erie called Harmonsburg. I went to elementary and high school in Linesville, PA which is know as the place where the ducks walk on the fishes back. As can be seen as you go through these pictures I enjoy spending most of my time outside.

 This is one of many photographs that shows my love of the outdoors. Ever since I was little I have always found beauty in nature and sunsets are one of the things that I have been able to share with my grandparents over the years. When looking at the photograph the rule of thirds can be seen with the grasses in shadow the pond in the middle and the sky up top. You can also identify reflection with the colors in the sky reflecting off of the pond.

 The main purpose of this photograph was also to demonstrate my love of the outdoors. I took this photograph this past weekend while in NJ for work. While it’s not an amazing sunset or some other amazing feat of nature to me it demonstrates the simplicity of nature and shows differences between the light in the sky and the light in the forest. One photocomposition element that can be seen in this photograph is angle and perspective with the picture looking up at the sky from the ground. Light is another photocomposition element that can be seen because it was taken less than an hour before sunset and most of the trees are falling into shadow at this point.

 Another aspect of my life is that I have always enjoyed hunting and just getting out in the woods. Even though I enjoy going muzzleloader hunting for deer the best it was still really cool to see this turkey walking me no more than 10 yards away. I go hunting not just for food but also because it is amazing the things that you can see while out in the woods. Rule of thirds can be seen with this photograph with the turkey in the middle, the top is the brush and trees and the bottom third is the closest portion of grass. You can also see human interest with this photograph because if you show it to avid outdoorsmen they would be very interested.

 As can be noted I have a strong love of the outdoors but I also enjoy reading. While this picture only shows a part of my to read list and the book I am reading now I actually own and have read hundreds of books over the years. Besides passing the time while growing up reading is also a handy way for me to pass the time at work during the summer when I have nothing to do between net checks at night, hence the need for a book light. The photocomposition element of lines and shape can be seen because each book draws your eyes along the picture. Repetition and patterns can also be seen because it is a series of five books.

 This photograph shows off the upper body of the Eastern Red Bat. Up until two summers ago I never thought that I would be handling bats but since that time I have come to realize that they are actually pretty cool, little mammals because of my job in aiding with presence absence surveys for them. This little guy was rather happy to be let go but he was one of the more photogenic bats I have seen. A photocomposition element that can be seen is human interest because it is a bat which is a unique mammal. Furthermore, you can identify light as a photocomposition because the bottom half of the picture is in shadow and the light that brightens up the bat.

 As has been demonstrated with almost all of my pictures I love to be outdoors and I love nature. This cool little guy landed on my door frame of my car while out camping and I could not pass up the opportunity to get a picture before it flew away. I do have to say that it does amaze me at the wide range of colors that can be produced naturally. The main photocomposition element that can be seen is color because the butterfly has very contrasting colors with the orange, light blue and a black/gray. In addition you can identify is lines because my door draws your eyes along the frame.

 Besides spending time outside, whether for work or fun, and doing all my school work, the rest of my time is taken up doing this or that and just hanging out at Delta Theta Sigma (DTS). DTS is the fraternity that I have been a little sister at for almost three years. The main photocomposition element that can be seen is framing of the house by the trees that are on either side and are almost closing off the top of the frame. Besides framing you can also see repetition with the fence posts.

 Besides going out and mist netting for bats during the summer I have also gone out and Harp Trapped for them in the fall. This was a quick picture that I took this weekend before I removed these angry, little guys from the trap. The two Indiana Bats in the picture are in a V shaped bag that they were captured in so that they could be processed and released. The little bits of silver that you can see on each bat is a tiny band that the NJ Department of Fish and Wildlife has us put on certain species that will uniquely identify each individual captured. With this photograph the first photocomposition element that can be identified is motion because these little bats did not want to stay still to be photographed. You can also see framing in this photograph because the harp trap bag is enclosing all sides of the bats.

 This last picture was another that I took this past weekend while working in NJ as well. It is actually of a gully that is present in the small patch of woods where we were working. I used this as my where I am going picture because I do not honestly know what I want to do yet but right now I think that I may stick with the bat work. Side note, this picture actually shows a decent site for a net because of the fly way that is created by the gully. With this photograph one of the main photocomposition elements that you can pick out is the repetition of all the trees that are present. Rule of thirds can also be seen in the photograph with each of the gully sides representing the outside thirds and the center of the gully is the middle third.