Blog Prompt #19 and #20

#19. Can you think of anything that:
1) should not be photographed? Why?
In my opinion, photographs of nudity that is vulgar and not an art form (pornographic) should not be photographed. Nude portraits can be made beautiful, but when the photograph is taken in an inappropriate way, maybe when it involves two people or when the nude subject is implying obscene gestures. I think photographs like that are meant to be kept out of the public eye.

2) cannot be photographed? Why?
Well, obviously picture from North Korea are pretty difficult to capture, but I believe that any picture is capable of being captured. Anything that is naturally occurring and humanly possible (unlike pigs flying) can be photographed.

3) you do not want to photograph? Why?
I would not want to photograph grotesque moments, such as an animal slaughter or a death, because I am a pretty sensitive person and death frightens me. Seeing blood would probably make me faint and I've been a vegetarian for four years, so the killing of animals would upset me.

#20 Describe at least one photograph that you could take for each of the following “place” prompts.
An image of a synthetic “place” such as Disney World, Las Vegas, a Hollywood set, a diorama, etc.
I could take a picture of a child's playhouse with all the small furniture and appliances. The small-scale nature of those tiny little houses are so cute because they attempt to recreate an actual house in a child's mind.

An image of a fantasy/fictitious environment concocted from your imagination.

When I was younger, I had this fairly scary dream where it was raining coins and I had no umbrella to protect my head. I could recreate this memory by taking a picture of an umbrella with coins bouncing off the top.

An image of a placeless space such as the Internet, cell phones, e-mail, e-bank, surveillance, etc.
I think mirrors are very interesting in the fact that they can create an entire space that is life-size but 2-dimensional. I could take a picture of mirrors lined up in a room so that they create a line of reflections.

An image of a public space.

Capturing a photograph inside a church would be interesting. Some people who attend church seem to be very involved and sometimes spiritually connected. I could capture a picture of a group of attendees praying or singing; I think the participation in church is beautiful and powerful.

An image of a private space.

The dust and clutter that collects in peoples bedrooms tells a lot about their lives and personalities (hence MTV's show Room Raiders). I could take a picture of someone's room and all their personal collection of items.

An in-between space that brings to mind one of the following ideas: nomadic lifestyles, displacement, rootlessness, out-of-placeness, boundaries, movement, expansion, etc.

I could take a picture of train tracks. Trains are an incredible space of travel that revolutionized the way we think about time and space. I could capture a picture of a graffitied cart, or an abandoned cart on a train track.

Contemporary Photographer

Kristan Horton

Kristan Horton was born in Canada in 1971. He studied at Guelph University and the Ontario College of Art and Design. He considers himself an artist and his best known as a mixed-media artist, but when he won the Grange Prize for Photography (a hefty $50,000 prize) he had to rethink his talents. He is working more with layering and manipulating photographs and also photographs his abstract visual art.





“in fact, I’ve never even considered myself a photographer. But having said that, I seem to have come closer to photography, very close, as a medium [that] I’m using every single day...”

His prize was for his humorous series called Dr. Strangelove Dr. Strangelove, which is based off the movie, and shapes what we think of reality, shapes, and cultural artifacts. He takes basic objects in a comfortable room and transforms them into distant places and scenes. He used black and white to capture the essence of the film and at first glance you can't tell them apart. This use of recreating the scene shows us the capacity photography has in being able to recreate reality. It makes you rethink and redefine what exactly "real scenes" are.

Photography, he observed, “is a tool that helps me answer philosophic itches . . . about perception, representation and self-representation . . . questions about being in the world.”

Historical Photographer

George N. Barnard

George N. Barnard was born in 1819 in Coventry, Connecticut. He opened his first daguerreotype studio in Oswego, New York, in 1847 and in 1859 Barnard joined Edward Anthony's firm in New York City as a stereoscopic photographer (which were the first mass-produced form of entertainment photography). He was employed by Matthew Brady later on in his life as a news photographer. When the American civil war, the Brady photography studio gained a lot of business by soldiers who wanted to get pictures taken with them in their uniform, so Barnard was sent to Virginia to take pictures while Brady kept taking credit for all the pictures. Since the equipment was so large, he couldn't actually take battle scenes, so instead he would take pictures of the ruins of war and other important elements such as bridges, buildings and train tracks. In 1863, Barnard got fed up with the lack of credit and he quit working for Brady. Later in his life, Barnard started working out a studio in Chicago which was later destroyed by the historic fire of 1871. Barnard died on February 4, 1902, in Syracuse, New York.




This set of photos, burning mills, emphasizes the ability for daguerreotypes to capture spontaneous occurrences, such as fires. His photograph of the burning mill is the first of it's kind. His photography is important because it was a form of glamorizing the war from posing, critiquing the war by showing the ruins of battlefields, and also showing the spontaneity of life by photographing natural disasters. Since he did his work at a point in history when the technology of photography was not that advanced, all his work is black and white and grainy-looking. They capture a period in time which seems light-years away, and visualizes the essence of that period in time

Recreation 3: Memory

The idea behind this recreation was that I wanted to take a childhood memory of learning how to ride a bike, and compare it to my biking skills today. That is just simply put. There is a deeper meaning though. When I was five years old, my oldest brother Eric spend the entire day with me teaching me how to ride a bike. The excitement I had when I finally figured out how to stay balanced was so intense I felt like I had to show the world! As a child, my enthusiasm to try new things and experiment in life was beautiful. I had so much creative determination to succeed or continue until I succeeded. As I grew up, I lost that childhood inhibition and perseverance. I find myself opting for the easy way out and sometimes disregarding goals in life.

The top picture represents my childhood; a carefree, warm and fuzzy lifestyle. I chose to make the first image blurry partly because I wanted to express energy and partly because I faintly remember my childhood. I wanted to shoot just the moving wheels and the reflection to show the simplicity yet projection of my childhood. In the second photograph, I captured a much larger picture. I chose to add the garbage in the background to show how I can "throw away" my goals in life. That is also why I chose to throw my bike in the snow as though I had forgotten about it.

Blog Prompts 16, 17, 18

Respond to the following quotes:

I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways.” Duane Michals

I believe deeply in the concept Michals states. When you take photographs, it is not simply just a square cut-out of the scene and involves bits and pieces of the photographer while the emotion, history, and personality of the subject shines through as well. Photographs have so many layers and meanings, and viewers would be bored if they viewed things that they see everyday in the same exact way... that takes the meaning out of actually "viewing" photography.

“I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.” Duane Michals

Photography allows us to go beyond our visual capacity. We can create scenes and sights that impossible to see in everyday life. The most compelling photography is that in which we are detached from reality and placed into a whole new world. Good photography doesn't just capture a moment in time, it captures the imagination that is possible in this world and the imagination that is brewing inside photographers minds.

“Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.” Berenice Abbott

I disagree with this quote. Photographs don't get grow dust and get lost in time, they live on forever which makes photography so beautiful. When you forget something in the past you can look at a photograph and relive it in an instant, remembering memories and details that you otherwise would have forgotten. The past is completely wrapped up in the present and cannot be a separate entity. The faces in pictures and the scenes may have aged but they can never be erased.

(a memory from one of the best day of my life), 2010

Final Images: Portraits (written statement 1 and 2 combined)

Fast Shutter Speed/ Morning Light

This portrait was taken in my bedroom during the early morning hours. I placed my subject in an almost reflective-looking dress to make her presence pop out. I chose this particular picture because I love the way she is looking down as if she is happily unsure of where she will land. The cropping of the eye was accident and if I could go back and reshoot the picture I would definitely include more of her eyes. The background is obscure; its hard to tell where she is, all you know is that she is inside. This makes it seem as though she is floating in space. I captured the side corner of the wall to position in the frame and used no artificial lighting. My perspective is more aimed at foot-length but with her feet cropped out. I chose to do that so it enhanced the floating feeling. I could use this picture as a jumping off point to create a series of photos experimenting with lighting and motion, such as slow-shutter speed with glow-sticks in the dark.

Large Depth of Field/ Midday Light

This portrait was taken right outside the entrance to my apartment. I was captivated by the snow that magically settled by my door and really wanted to capture a picture with a subject in the middle. I love the way the subject is framed perfectly within the nook and I really like the contrast of the bright white snow and dark clothing. I chose to put my subject in a leather jacket so that the light reflected off more effectively. I had her look at the light peeking in through the stairwell and I really like how the light hit her face. The shadows that the light creates is subtle and flatters the subject well. I read this photograph as the subject being content, confident, yet at the same time, unsure. She appears almost stuck against the wall and is peering out at a crazy world outside. The snow is her base momentarily but eventually it will melt. She wants to leave to explore the world and she knows she can, but is hesitant to do so. If I could change something about this photograph, I would make the lighting on the right side appear brighter so her left hand doesn't disappear into the wall. I could use this as a jumping-off point to create a series of "framed portraits" where I artificially frame them in nature using the surroundings.

Large Depth of Field/ Midday Light

In my opinion, this picture looks badass- like it should be featured in a motorcycle commercial or something... yet at the same time, the hair sweeping across her face makes it appear soft and innocent. She looks like a child in women's clothing, as if she is pretending to be someone she is not and hoping no one notices. I positioned the subject next to a brick post outside my apartment and I really like how that post frames the photograph. I also really like the reflection of the sun on her coat which creates the intricate details which pop out in this picture. The squinting was a natural response to the intense sunlight, but I really like how the bags and shadows around her eyes turned out. I could use this portrait as a jumping-off point to create a series of commercial photographs.

Small Depth of Field/ Props

This portrait is taken of my friend Diane who is a very unique individual. I let her create her own scene with items from her room and of course, she chose the strangest knick-knack, her "cup." I really have no idea WHERE she got that from, but it definitely encapsulates her personality; offbeat. I wanted to use a small depth of field so that the cup popped out yet the subject was still visible. The concept behind this photo is that she is pushing this simple ideology of "choosing your own poison" in life. It resembles glamorized peer-pressure. If I could change something about this picture, I would have made the background a little lighter because it takes away from the subjects silhouette. I could use this picture as an inspiration for other social commentary photographs.

Self-Portrait

This photograph really captures the essence of me, or at least from my prospective. I can be shy at times, but at the same time I want to announce to the world yet I exist- that is why I chose to place a clear lamination in front of my face; it represents the blurriness of my personality, the shyness, the obscurity, but at the same time it represents how I project myself on to others and usually view myself through others opinions of me. I chose to write "when words fail music speaks" for two reasons; 1, my friend said this out loud the other day when discussing potential tattoo quotes and it got stuck in my head, 2, this quote really embodies my opinion on life. My two enjoyments in life are writing and music, which is why I am pursuing music journalism. I feel that words can be used to convey a lot of emotion, but sometimes it fails to; music, on the other hand, can convey any emotion possible and even emotions that are not real. I wanted to capture the picture in my bedroom because it has items in it that are very reflective of Kate. Painting is a passion of mine and I actually painted the blurry painting in the background last summer. If I could change something about this picture, I would have made the lettering pop out more by positioning it in the light better. I could use this picture as an inspiration for other self-portraits.

Recreating Lucas Samaras Photograph

Photography by Lucas Samaras: Original Photo in Photo-Transformations series, 1976

my recreation

Blog Prompts

Blog #11: Memory of a Place: Try to imagine a place from your past. Do you have pictures of this place? Describe this place as you remember it. What might a photograph look like of this place if you were to go back and photograph it? What would it look like in the past? What would it look like to you today? Where are you standing in this place? What other items are in this place? What colors do you see? Are there other people or are you alone? Make a “written photograph” of this place using words/description.

One of the most important places that was involved in my childhood is the big, white house which I grew up in. It was the only house I ever lived in until the age of 15. From the front, you could see a huge front yard, a basketball hoop, a big green door and blue shingles. I'm sure that if I were to go back and photograph the house, it would look the same. I always picture my house in the fall because the trees that surrounded my house were huge, and magnificently colorful. I imagine myself with my neighborhood friends playing out in the yard. There are leaved on the ground, bright green grass, the windows are slightly opened, and the garage door is open with my mother white BMW inside.

Blog #12: Memory of a Photograph: Which photograph from your past do you remember most? Describe this photograph. Describe how it makes you feel when you remember/think about this photograph. How have you changed? How has the place in this photograph changed? What would a reenactment of this photograph look like? Would you act or look differently if you reenacted this scene today?

The photograph takes place in the middle of Lake Powell on a houseboat when I was about 7 years old. I was wearing a tie-die bathing suit and my hair was wet, curly, super blond, and I had the standard straight-cut bangs. The water was bright blue and there were mountains in the background. It was a beautiful, sunny day and our house-boat was in such a beautiful location. When I look at this picture, it reminds me of the carefree lifestyle I used to live. My life has changed so much since this picture was taken; I am so much busier and have less and less time for leisure. A reenactment of this photograph would involve a much bigger me, minus the bangs, in almost the exact same setting.

Blog #13: Human-Made Space: In the past, photographers who were interested in how humans impacted the natural landscape grouped together to form the New Topographics. “"New Topographics" signaled the emergence of a new photographic approach to landscape: romanticization gave way to cooler appraisal, focused on the everyday built environment and more attuned to conceptual concerns of the broader art field.”http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibTopo.aspx. In addition, at the same time in history artists created (and still do create) “land art” in which they use materials found in the landscape to make sculptures that remain in the landscape. Many of these works now only exist as video recordings and photographic documents. Pay attention to the number of ways in which you encounter humans’ interaction with nature and the physical land. Write these down. Using these as inspiration, describe an idea for a piece of “land art” that you might create that would be documented by a photograph. Describe an idea for a piece of “land art” that you might make in a man-made landscape that would be documented by a photograph.

There are several ways which humans interact with the physical land- for leisure (going to the beach and swimming in the ocean), housing, and research (scientific research), pollution, along with many other ways. My idea for a piece of "land art" would be to rearrange rocks, leaves, sticks, flowers, and other natural items to create a "landscape painting."

Blog #14: Unknown vs. Familiar Space: When photography was invented, it became a way to document and reveal the specific aspects of both familiar and faraway places. Imagine a familiar place. Imagine a faraway place. How would you use photographs to convey the difference? Can you imagine any places that have been “touched” very little by humans? How might you photograph them?

Photographs used to convey familiar places usually have objects, people, tokens which make the viewer realize that that place has a particular importance. Photographs of faraway places maybe looked "untouched" by humans, such as the jungle or very nature-dense areas. In these photographs, you could use a wide shot to get the whole picture so it's easier to explain to viewer, while more familiar places can be taken using closer up, intimate shots.

Blog #15: In-Camera Collage: Collage brings together two or more items that were previously separate. The resulting piece usually visually references the fact that they were once separate entities. Imagine an important place in your past. Imagine an important place in your present. Imagine who you were in both of these past and present places. Describe how you might use a slow shutter speed and/or double exposure to capture two moments in one image that tell a new narrative about these important places and how they relate to who you are and were.

As a child, I was a very independent yet hyper girl. I always had my face stuck in a book no matter where I was. Now that I have grown up, I am very social (especially since I'm at college) and am constantly surrounded by people and friends and professors and employers... I could combine the two by have a picture of me reading a book in a corner, and then rotate the camera to encapsulate a party scene with a room full of people.

Lucas Samaras: Digital Portrait Photographer

Photo-transformations, 1976

Lucas Samaras, born September 14, 1936 was born in Kastoria, Greece. He immigrated to the United State with his family when he was 11 years old. He attended Rutgers University on a scholarship. Before he started working with photography, he painted, sculpted and was a performance artist. After graduating Rutgers, he attended Columbia's graduate department for art and in 1959 he had his first exhibit. Two years later, one of his pieces was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art.

Photo-transformations, 1976

He manipulates his photographs by using razor blades, wire, beads, and gold to move the dyes around in what he calls "photo-transformations." What makes him unique as a photographer is that he usually uses himself as the main subject. He sculpts himself, photographs himself, and has even interviewed himself. He tends to do his own thing and not base his work off what others are doing. He somehow discovered that he could transform the dye on his photographs before they dried and create a new, novel, original piece of art.
In his photographs, he usually creates distorted portraits, and he is usually the subject. His lighting is usually eerie and dark and usually indoor light. It is hard to tell what his original photographs look like since they are so highly manipulated, but there is usually a portion of the photograph that you can tell is almost untouched; sometimes his hand, sometimes his face. The pictures sometimes look very psychedelic.

Photo-transformations, 1976

The concept in his photographs is that the self is complicated, distorted, yet he is obsessed with it. His photographs are physical copies of his ego, more like his super-ego. He has stated that he creates these types of photographs to "deconstruct and then reconstruct the self to auto-analyze the ego." It is as though he attempts to transform himself in ways that are physically impossible but digitally possible.
In my opinion, his work is very unique and original. It's eye-captivating. You look at his photographs and want to believe what you see, but you know it's in some form manipulated (whether that be with a blade or digitally). His photographs look like dream-scenes; distorted, colorful, unreal. They are shocking, sometimes scary, and are like his personality threw-up on a Polaroid. I think they are surrealistically stunning.

Photo-transformations, 1976

Signs

Assignment 1 Final Written Statement

My interpretation on this photograph is that the subject represents chaos while the ball represents serenity. The two are juxtaposed next to each other. When I showed it to the class, the class thought it was an ironic picture, because the subject looks so content with being dressed up with stickers, maybe even exhausted. They thought it was somewhat humorous. Based on my critique, they thought the lighting would have been better if it was positioned better and I feel that the color pictures turned out better than black and white. I could use this picture as a jumping off point to create a project based solely on props and



This photo encapsulates glamour. The subject is posing, blurred, in the background, while the gaudy chandelier takes her spotlight. When others critiqued the photo, they liked how the photo made them wonder what was taking place in the background of this photo, they thought it was mysterious. Based on my critique, I think the soft lighting of the chandelier is working well, reflecting off the subjects face. I could use this picture as a jumping off point by placing objects in front of subjects and making them seem blurred, while the objects take center



My interpretation of this picture is one cannot fully "see" themselves, and others can only see them from behind. People keep things hidden from others, yet cannot even understand themselves clearly. When others critiqued this photo, they thought liked how clear the hair is and how messy it is, while the reflection is blurred yet perfect. I think the lighting is working well for this picture; I like how crisp her hair looks like. I could use this picture as a jumping off point by doing a portrait series where I take pictures from behind and let their personality shine though without even seeing the face.



With this photograph I wanted to portray a carefree attitude. The subject has her hair down and doesn't care how the elements whip it back and forth and tousle her scarfs. I think the patterns in the scarf are working well for this picture and when we had a critique others liked how the trees in the background framed the subject well. If I could use this as a launching point, I could take portraits of other subjects with patterns



The dramatic lighting and contrast, along with the deep shadows in her neck, make this photo partially eerie yet dramatic and show her split personality. I think the dark shadow and the bright facial lighting make this photo work well. If I could light her right eye better I feel that would greatly improve this photograph. I could use this photo as a launching point for a larger project involving dramatic shadows.

Recreation Assignment 2

Original Photograph:

MARGRETHE MATHER. Billy Justema in Man's Summer Kimono, c. 1923.

Margrethe Mather, born as Emma Caroline Youngren, was born March 4, 1886. It is unsure as to where she grew up. Her fame was often intertwined with the fame of American photographer Edward Weston. The two collaborated on many photographs. Mather was a prostitute as a child, and was bisexual. Her work in photography helped shift photography to be considered more as modern art. Her work is often considered experimental with her use of light and form.
She did a lot of work with taking real-life images and making them into patterns.

For this particular photograph, Billy Justema in Man's Summer Kimono, she took a male figure and feminized his body. She made the human body appear very geometric; the hands a shaped circularly similar to the patterns in the fabric, while the skin appears in triangular patterns. It seems that her intent is to feminize the masculine and show to expose the body. The subject is dressed in an over-sized yet appears bare. The composition is emphasizes the belly-button as the center of the body. The belly button appears serene in the middle of chaos.

I really enjoy this photograph. The pattern in the fabric adds a twist to the common body-form and I love how the body is concealed, yet completely exposed.

Recreation:

In my twist on the original photograph, I switched the gender of the subject. Instead of feminizing the male, I wanted to masculine-ize the female. In the original, it appears as thought the subject is willing to bare his skin. In my twist, I wanted my subject to appear uneasy and violated. The feminism streams throughout my photo (the rings and bracelets) yet her grip on the cloth is firmly masculine. I did almost the exact composition, but changed the attitude of the photograph by changing the body structure of the subjects hands. My subjects stomach is barely exposed, yet you can still see the belly-button peaking through, which adds the centering aspect to the photograph.