Blog #8, #9, #10

Blog #8 “My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.” ~Richard Avedon.

Sometimes photographs make the viewer wonder about the subject. Sometimes photographs make the viewer wonder about the photographer. Sometimes, the most important way to understand a photograph is to understand who is standing behind the camera, and the ideas that person has in their mind. Sometimes, that is the only way to truly understand the photograph completely. When you look at the photograph and see a glimmer of the person behind the camera in the eyes of the portrait subject, that is a beautiful thing.

Blog #9 “You don't take a photograph, you make it.” ~Ansel Adams

'Take' means to seize or capture. 'Make' means to bring into existence by shaping or changing material. By definition, by saying that one takes a picture, it seems forced and aggressive. On the contrary, making a photograph is more of an art form. It takes creative energy to make a photograph and taking a photograph makes photography seem like more of a passive action.

Blog #10 “All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. In this - as in other ways - they are the opposite of paintings. Paintings record what the painter remembers. Because each one of us forgets different things, a photo more than a painting may change its meaning according to who is looking at it.” ~John Berger

Paintings usually encapsulate the emotions of the painter. Photographs encapsulate the scene and all the subjects within that scene. Along those lines, photographs require the emotions of the subjects and those involved and not just the painters emotions.

Assignment 1: Final Images

Focus- Chaos

For this image, I really wanted to capture the amazing things you can do with auto-focus in a "chaotic" way. I placed the ball in the corner of the frame with a spotlight next to it so that the light radiated through the ball and unto my subject. I responded to the theme "chaos" after being inspired by the sticker section in Michael's; the stickers were childish, fun, but really... chaotic. My goal was to remain focused on the chaotic aspect of the image, the subjects face, while having a serene, radiant light which the subject is laying on top of.


Large Aperture- Animated

While posing my model in all sorts of positions around the room, I totally neglected the beautiful chandelier that was dangling in the center of the room. This chandelier is elegant, gaudy, and so very sparkly, so I wanted it to be my main focus with the subject slightly lit in the background. My goal was to create a fun, "animated", and girly photograph simply with a tangle of diamonds and a happy girl in the back. The subject is slightly covered up by the chandelier which is unusual but eye-catching. Also, I feel the contrast is nicely balanced; the chandelier is so bright, the subject is illuminated, and the background is black.


Large Aperture- Illusion

This photograph does exactly what the title says; creates an illusion. This photograph happened accidentally. I was taking pictures standing in front of the television when I turned around and saw her reflection in the television. This inspired me to capture her "alter-ego," blurred and distant. You almost have to do a double-take to fully understand this photograph which is my favorite part about it. The lighting is subtle and I feel that the perspective is very original.


Fast Shutter Speed- Unpredictable

This photograph sums up innocence, playfulness, and unpredictable into one snowy and tangled photograph. I chose this image as my final out of all the images taken in this scene because I love how I captured her hair covering her face. That aspect of the photograph makes the subject look even more "unpredictable." I really like the layers of the scarf and the patterns they create, and I also like how the tree frames her perfectly. I chose to take the picture while she was on top of the dark, reflective pavement and shoot the white snow in the background to create an environmental contrast that attracts the eye towards the floating scarfs.


High Contrast Lighting- Superhero

Again, Michael's inspired me on this photograph. While walking down the aisles I spotted this mask and it just reeked of "superhero-ness." I balanced this photograph by creating two images; the superhero and her dark shadow. I set up a spotlight on the left side of her face which shadowed beautifully on the dark curtain backdrop. I positioned her so that her boned stuck out by her neck and created a deeper shadow. I feel like this photograph is elegantly simple.

Blog #5, #6, #7:

#5 Give your thoughts on one or both of the following quotes.
“Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man.” ~Edward Steichen




“I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul.” ~Mary Ellen Mark



Both of the quotes are accurate, in my opinion, in defining why photography is so important, special, breathtaking, and beautiful. Steichen explains how photography allows us to take the world and everything in it (whether beautiful or ugly) and package it up into one, visual representation of mother earth and human nature. I agree with Mark in saying that you must be careful when taking photographs because they can easily be distorted, misrepresented, and misinterpreted to making a viewer think they are the actual reality.

#6 In your opinion, when is it beneficial, ethical, or appropriate to digitally alter photographic portraits? When do you think it is inappropriate or ethically wrong?

I believe that pure, untouched photography is the most genuine and appealing photography, I also believe that digital alteration is appropriate in cases. When photography is a form of artwork (this is, not made to be posted on the cover of Pop Culture magazines), digital alteration can improve the picture in a way that is not humanly possible (or, if possible, extremely difficult to manufacture). However, making someone appear skinnier, prettier, younger in photographs is completely rejecting the beauty of human nature and what makes us US.

#7 Pay close attention to the types and number of photographic portraits you see in one day. Where did you see them? How do you think that the content of the portrait changes based on the context in which you see the image (news, facebook, magazine, advertisement, television, youtube, etc)? In other words, what is the difference between the portraits you see on facebook vs. those on the news? What is the difference between the “viewpoint” of the photographer in each situation? What is the difference between their “intents”?

I see hundreds and hundreds of portraits everyday, whether it be on a website, on facebook, in advertisements, in the newspaper, or in a textbook. News portraits are made to appear serious, or really capture the environment that the article is talking about. On facebook, the portraits are usually only flattering pictures (or else they are untagged/flagged!). Advertisements are made to be unnaturally flattering. Take for example, the loreal magazine ad's. The hair literally looks like a wig, which I'm not sure is a good thing or not! The viewpoint in news portraits verses facebook portraits is that news photography usually wants to show the readers that the photographer WAS there and EXPERIENCED that situation alongside the one being photographed. On the other hand, facebook photography or advertisements attempts to remove the photographer in order to beautify the "model."

Blogs #3 & #4

Blog #3:“Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.”~Duane Michals. Write a brief reaction to this quote. Is this quote applicable to your experience with photography? What does it mean to you? Do you agree with the idea presented or disagree?

In some ways, the statement is true, but it is also false. Photographs capture life as we see it through the lens, what is really going on in front of our ways and takes a snapshot of the moment. Since photographs cannot capture the whole scene, we only get to see what the small rectangular area allows. This lack of space can lead to distortion and may not appear realistically.

Blog #4 “If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.” ~Lewis Hine.

Write a brief reaction to this quote. Is this quote applicable to your experience with photography? What does it mean to you? Do you agree with the idea presented or disagree? Describe situations when photographic images reveal “the story” (as compared to words). Describe situations when words reveal “the story” (as compared to images).

Photographs can describe a scene in vivid, perfect detail, and words can only get the "storyteller" so far. Photographs help justify, explain and orient the viewer so they can fully experience the moment. In newspapers, it is always nice to have a photograph accompanying a story so the reader can reference the photograph for evidence. With more artistic forms of artwork, words help to explain the reason and thoughts behind taking the photograph.

Blog #2

Blog 2: What does the word photograph mean to you?

The word photograph, to me, signifies the physical representation of memories. The word describes a from of artwork. Simply saying the word makes me think of a specific scene in my mind. The word photograph is powerful, beautiful, and informative word.

Assignment #1: Recreation

Recreation: Ree-kree-ey-shuhn- noun: something created anew

Original Image:

Alfred Stieglitz, Icy Night, 1893

Recreation:

The photographer of the original photograph, Alfred Stieglitz, was born into a large family in Hoboken, New Jersey on January 1, 1864. His family moved to Germany in 1881 and Stieglitz began studying medical engineering in Berlin. After taking a photochemistry course with Dr. Hermann Wilhelm Vogel (who quite possibly is related to me), Stieglitz switched his focus to photography and it became his passion. His photographic work emphasis the role of light, shadows and reinterpreting urban settings. The photography created by Stieglitz paved the way for photography to be considered as an art form. He married the famous painter Georgia O'Keeffe in 1924. He died in New York on July 13,1946.

In 1893, Stieglitz captured the photograph (above) which he entitled Icy Night. This photograph refines a simple picture of a winter setting and captures an eerie art form by contrasting the dark tips of the trees, the shockingly bright faces of the trees, and the distant fog of life and light. I believe he is standing under a light post when he took this picture, so the light is shed on the face of the trees and emphases the darkness of the night. When I first looked at the image, I didn't understand the photograph. It looked like someone walked outside and took a picture of some trees near a road. It took me about a day to really appreciate the picture when I started attempting to recreate the photograph. After a while, I started to appreciate the photograph as art and not just as a picture of the night. The photograph does an amazing job of showing the beauty of contrast, light amidst the dark, mother nature (snow) and the presence of human life (the lights in the distance) amongst the dying trees.

My idea behind the recreation was to flip the photograph Stieglitz had created. Instead of working with the darkness of night, I wanted to try to capture yet reinterpret his photograph in the brightness of day. Instead of trying to reveal light during the night, I wanted to capture the darkness of daylight. The photograph shows deep contrast between the trees and the white snow on top of the river. Sunlight reflects off of the tiny sliver of water visible on the pond and creates an abstract reflection of the trees. I tried to express the eerie presence of life by capturing the water visible through the winter ice, similar to Stieglitz's photograph which shows the optimistic light in the distance contrasting to the haunting trees. The perspective of the photograph is from above on a bridge and not at eye level, like the original. It was a cloudy day, so there is not as much light as I hoped to reflect off the water, but the clouds created a foggy relection, which I feel recreates Stieglitz's foggy lights in the distance.

Blog #1

Blog #1: Imagine a world without photographs. Describe what this world would be like?

My friends house started on fire last week. It was just a chimney fire so don't worry, no one was injured and the damage was minimal. However, one of his statements during his story really got me to think. He told me that his father requested that each member of the family go back inside one last time (just in case the house did burn to ashes) so that they could grab a few things out of the house that were really important to them. While my friends sister ran inside and grabbed the most idealistic and financially invested objects (ie the computer and TV) my friend grabbed as many photo albums as he could fit in his arms.

Why photo albums? Why didn't he grab his iPod or laptop?

Because photographs are physical memories and without them history is visually forgotten (unless someone has photographic memory). If there were no such things as photographs, we wouldn't know what we looked like as a child, we may not remember our wedding or birthdays or Christmas's. Without photographs, there would be no such thing as Facebook, textbooks would be excruciating, and yearbooks-nonexistent. Photographs, however simplistic they may seem and how ancient the invention, serve as chronological organizers for our lives, for our ancestors lives (if they lived in a time of photographs) and can evoke deep emotions that no other piece of paper can compare to.

A world without photographs would be one dull world. I couldn't imagine a more boring world. Thankfully, photographs DO exist.