Historical Photographer

"It has never been my object to record my dreams, just the determination to realize them."

-Man Ray

Born as Emmanuel Radnitzky on August 27, 1980, in Pennsylvania, was an American photographer who contributed to the surrealist and Dada movements (a movement which commented on the what makes art have meaning). Most of his childhood went unrecorded but we do know that the Radnitzky family changed their name to Ray in order to avoid racial discrimination. Man Ray's mother was a great influence on his artistic abilities; during his childhood, his mother would create collage-like clothing designs using pieces of scrap material. His enrollment at the Ferrer School in 1912 was what propelled his artistic endeavors and developed his skills. He moved to Paris and worked with Cubism and began to develop his personal sense of style. During World War II He was forced to leave Europe and move back to New York. He died on November 18, 1976 due to a lung infection.

He worked with a lot of media art forms but he considered himself a painter. His speciality was working with photograms, an image made by exposing an object to light on top photo sensitive paper without the use of a camera, which he later coined "rayographs."He worked with fashion and portrait photography using avante-garde principles and also explore the film industry and written word.

His most famous works were using the famous performer Kiki of Montparnasse as his model, creating objects out her body.

Semi-Contemporary Photographer

"I think I am most fond of the unseen part. I mean that the various cultural experiences that I go through, and the behavioral aspects of getting the work done, are just as important as the installation and the photograph. So, for me, the relationship between the two is more about hybridism and the search for an ideal form that I'm never going to arrive at. The installation and the photograph are mere approximations of this ideal."

-Sandy Skoglund

Sandy Skoglund was born in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1946.
She attended Smith College and the University of Iowa and now teaches at Rutgers University

Skoglund began teaching herself photography in the 70's and started working as a "conceptual artist" in New York. She would take pictures to document her experiences and started working a lot with the art of repetition.

She is now recognized with her work with highly constructed scenes, which usually take months to create, that have the elements of repetition present. She will bring in her models the day of her shoot and then dismantle the set. She uses bright colors and exaggerated surreal environments. Her installations are used to "poke fun at suburban reality."

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Recreation: Constructed Reality

Original Photograph: Teun Hocks, 187. Untitled, 2000

At first glance, this photograph is visually intriguing. Why in the world is this guy sticking his head through a painting? and more importantly, how? After reading some information on the photographer, this "photograph" was created by taking a picture and then painting over it to create this surreal-like image. It got me thinking... is this a commentary on how people interpret things? Do we try to dig so deeply into things, like art, literature, ideas, and try to grasp a meaning? Can anything have meaning? Can we make something out of any little speck of idea?

In my recreation, I wanted to capture the eye of the man. I want to see what he is looking at and how he is interpreting this painting which he is sticking his head inside. More importantly, how do we interpret this photograph which Hocks has created? In my recreation, I capture the iris, plain and simply, containing all the human flaws and details. I then splattered the photograph with diamonds and sparkles. Why? Because there is this form of visually aesthetic discomfort. Eyes should not look like this. Eyes should not be covered in sparkles and diamonds. I wanted to leave my picture up for interpretation. The eye is the source for what he visually understand and I wanted to distort this idea. We, as thinking human beings, attempt to grasp interpretation and meaning from almost every aspect of our lives. Our eyes hold all these ideas inside our pupils and brains. The second photograph I posted represents the explosion of collected meaning within our vision. I created a series of these photographs just to show how a simple and quick change in camera setting can so drastically change the meaning of the photograph, opening new doors to new ideas. Interpret these photographs however you like.

Assignment #4: Part 2 Written Statement

"Passion for the Sea" The commercialism of the photographs in my "Sperry" shoe advertisements is simple. There is little room for interpretation. The shoes are photographed in a visually appealing setting in attempts to persuade viewers to buy the shoes. During the class critique, many said that they liked the tones and colors in the shoes photographs. My favorite aspect of this series is the sense of casual simplicity while maintaining a fun and colorful essence. Changes I would make to this series would be to take pictures of the shoes actually on a foot, instead of lying around. That would make the shoe appear more wearable. I could use this series of commercial photographs by creating a series that shows the details and colors which are so vital to the advertisement and fashion industry. "Pure Michigan Story" Many classmates interpreted this photograph exactly as a hoped; as an ironic yet blatantly true capture of the current state of Michigan. During the critique, some classmates said they liked the iron of the postcard but adding text to the bottom would have balanced the postcard better. Another classmate stated that it would improve the photograph by using colorful text instead of black to further stress the irony and sad truth of the postcard. If I were to go back and retake this picture, I would definitely try to create a more aesthetic picture instead of simply capturing a building from the side of the road. I could use this postcard a series of postcards which represent the sometimes sad and sometimes optimistic state of Michigan. "Expose on the Exposed" Interpretations of these photographs included the presence of insecurity in young women forced on by the media. Others included the crude exposure of models in fashion. Both are exactly what I was aiming for. Suggestions for my photographs included increasing the contrast in each photograph and emphasis the "over-exposure" of the subject. Another classmate suggested toning down the white background in some of the pictures and instead exposing her body more. Some classmates said they liked how the posed was highlighted instead of exposed in one of the photographs, and another student liked the organization of the set. Another student said they would like to see more facial expression in the subject. If I could change these photographs, I would have taken more pictures from more angles, instead of just her body and face. I could use this series as an inspiration to create other photographs which incorporate text on the body.

Assignment #4: Final Written Statement

"A Passion For The Sea"





Concept: These two pictures are used together as an advertisement for Sperry Top-Sider shoes. My idea behind this photograph, besides the fact that my apartment is overflowing with this brand of shoe, was to create an ad that wreaks of summer. These shoes are made for boats and docks, which to me, IS my summer. I wanted to capture the essence of the brand in these pictures Composition: In the top photograph, I wanted to capture the whole shoe by putting emphasis on the back heel which reads "Sperry Top-Sider." I think my focusing on the text, it attracts the eye to the image and makes it clear what this photo is for. In the second photograph, I wanted to capture the fun designs on the inside of the shoe and highlight the differences each shoe has. In this photograph, I adjusted the frame so that the shoe was located on the right, emphasising the inside on the shoe. Method: Originally I had taken photos while the shoes were on my living room carpet. After I started to edit some of them, I realized the carpet was a not doing justice for the shoes and so I switched my backdrop by using the wooden planks instead. I took the pictures in mid-day light so the shoes were fully illuminated with sunlight.


"Pure Michigan Story" Concept: I hope it is clear what this picture is trying to represent... The death of Michigan's once-leading industry, the auto industry. I wanted to make an ironic representation of the state of Michigan. Composition: I chose to take the picture from this angle because it shows the emptiness of the building, as though it was deserted or abandoned. I altered it to make it black and white to make it look stark, lonely, sad yet old-fashioned. I felt that the "Story" on the building was ironic, as though it tells the "story" of Michigan, so I decided not to edit it out. Context: This is supposed to be a "postcard" or "poster child" which ironically but truthfully captures the state of Michigan right now. Unlike the advertisements which optimistically advertise "Pure Michigan," I feel that this picture better represents the state. Optimism may be warm and fuzzy but not always truthful.


"Expose on the Exposed"






Concept: I feel sometimes that I may be media's biggest critic. Whenever I see a photograph in an advertisement I somehow always tend to look at it negatively, as though it's trying to expose, degrade, objectify the models. I feel advertisements, especially fashion advertisements, tend to "expose" women in a sexual way, by making the models wear minimal clothes and placing them in suggestive positions. I feel that these ad's also "expose" the insecurities, doubts, and self-consciousness which viewers of these ad's feel. I needed to make a blunt commentary on this. Composition: All the photos are black and white. She is located to either side of the frame so that the emphasis was placed on her contours, her face, and not simply her body. I used heavy contrast on all the photos to make them appear over-exposed. Method: I used my friend Lisa as my model. She was perfect for this photo shoot. She has an innocent face and a large tattoo which Sarah said looks like a branding. I used intense lighting to over-expose places on her body and to tie into the "expose theme." I painted her with black paint and used a mini spotlight as my light source. In some of the photo's I had to photoshop a door out of them, and to my surprise, they look like the door was never there!

Blog Prompt #23

1. In what ways do you “construct” your identity?

In what ways do you “perform” in your daily life? We all, as humans, construct our identity through what we wear, how we talk, what we say, and what we do. We try to, sometimes unnaturally, create this persona that we must maintain in order to have our own individual identity. I, personally, tend to construct my identity though what I have to say and my actions towards others. I try to stay true to myself and my own formulated identity. We all should think before we talk and in a way that means we are performing; we are structuring our sentences and thoughts around those surrounding us. We may have multiple "personalities" which we swap out depending on who we are with (our family, friends, teachers, employers).

2. Describe some ways in which your personal culture and social environments are “constructed”

The culture which I live in is a highly commercialized and Americanized culture. The things I look at usually are forced in front of me (advertisements) and I have a narrow area for choice in what I take in with my senses. My social environments are constructed using these commercialized elements of mainstream culture, and then I create my own personal culture by reinterpreting the meaning of the popular culture.

3. Describe some ways in which your physical environment/space is “constructed”.

My physical environment is constructed by placing elements that I feel "scream Kate," such as the pillows I chose to put on my bed, and the posters I chose to hang on my wall. Little tokens of my life and my story are places in my personal spaces, especially my room, to remind myself of who exactly I am and where I came from. My room, both at home and at school, is flooded with pictures of my family and friends. In more public spaces, I don't have to control of the construction, so I am forced to find myself within the constructed space.

4. In your daily life, what would you consider to be “real” and what would you consider to be “constructed/fabricated”?

With my environment, I consider the rawnesss of nature to be real and man-made construction to be "fabricated". Emotions, such as happiness, fear and anxiety are real. Exaggerated expressions are fabricated in order to draw attention to ones self. Things constructed by men can be beautiful and dangerous; pollution is constructed but the education system is also constructed. Television is constructed, even those TV shows that claim to be "reality." Dreams are a creative form of reality.

5. Describe a narrative tableaux that you might create to be captured by a photograph. A narrative tableaux can be defined as “Several human actors play out scenes from everyday life, history, myth or the fantasy of the direction artist” ( Constructed Realities: The Art of Staged Photography Edited by Michael Kohler , 34).

I would create a narrative tableaux of a dream. Whenever I wake up from dreams they feel so real that I cannot differentiate reality from surreality. I would create a scene that comes directly from my mind so that I can visually explain the emotions, ideas, and scenes that occurred in my dream-world.

6. Describe an idea for a photograph that includes a miniature stage or still life. A description of such an image is “The tableaux reconstructs events as in the narrative tableaux, but in miniaturized format, using dolls and other toy objects” (Kohler, 34).

The picture below really inspires me. In a way, this photograph represents where I am in my life. To me, this photograph represents the strings that hold us down, attached to our limbs, but eventually are freed, flying to boundless heights. I would use this photograph as an inspiration by using a human subject, wrapping ropes or chains around their wrists, much like the picture below, and then using sticker/paper birds to represent the eventual freedom.

Blog Prompt 22

The extensive process it took to create this one series of photographs is unbelievable! I give the photographer so much create for envisioning, designing, preparing, and fulfilling this huge task of creating his idea. When you first look at his work, one may think that the photograph is most likely photoshopped. To think that the photographs are actually constructed on the computer is amazing. I love how the models can be contorted and disfigured yet still look so beautifully surreal. Jim Fiscus is ahead of his time in the photography field and his work is amazing.

Recreation: Got Milk?

Original Image:

Recreation:



Is the Got Milk? Campaign a form of sexist attempts to sell sex? Does it use a sexy model to sell it's product, or is it simply trying to promote healthy nutrition?

This idea behind this photo was to take the glamour out of the Got Milk? advertisements. Personally, I think the Got Milk? ad's are disgusting. A milk mustache is NOT appealing in anyway and DEFINITELY does not make me want to drink a glass of milk. Mustaches should be saved for the faces of men. My idea behind this photo was to put on a grotesque face. Danica Patrick attempts to make milk look sexy. I strayed from this idea.
My general statement on the concept of this photograph is that advertisements usually use sex to sell and if you take a step back and really look at whats going on (milk being stuck to a woman's upper lip) it really de-glamourizes the whole advertisement campaign.

Final Images: Place

Altered Places

This photograph was taken on the same day at two separate locations; the railroad tracks and in a parking lot by the MSU coal plant. I decided to edit it the way that I did, slicing it into strips and rearranging their order, because I think the lines fit beautifully together. The theme of this photograph is transportation, a historic mode of transportation and a newer commercialized and consumer means of transportation. I wanted to mesh the two together to compress the two eras into one while still maintaining their personal space. The lighting in both of the photographs is diffused lighting. I feel that the spacing of the separate pieces in the photograph are geometric and pleasing to the eye. I could use this photograph to create more "sliced" photographs.


Hidden Places

I stumbled upon this hidden shack while I was walking to class. It was just the right time of day when the shadow of the trees was reflecting on the door. It was stunning and I had to capture it. I love the color of the wood and the dark shadows that the tree branches cast. I did very little editing and I love how you can just barely notice the shape of the tree. I also really like how the door knobs are located directly in the center of the photograph and how they direct your attention to the middle. I would use this photograph as a jumping off point for a series of photographs involving hidden places.



Following up on the "hidden theme," I accidentally found this location while driving in my car. The raw placement of the tangled wood seems like a romantic disaster to me. I love the way that the snow still lay on some pieces of the fragmented wood, while the sun is shining from the right. I chose to put this photograph in black and white because I feel that adding that element makes the picture looks more stark and haunting. I want to go back to this location and photograph more angles of the scene because I feel like this is a beautiful and unique place.



This is my favorite photograph from this project and this is also the most edited picture. I created this by taking a simple picture of a puddle that reflected a tree. I then took a picture of the tree that was being reflected. I changed the saturation in the pictures and "sliced" each photograph, much like the train track photograph. The concept behind this photograph is that things are not always as they appear; the tree shown in the puddle is not actually the tree but rather a skewed and upside-down reflection. I chose to edit the photograph the way I did, flipping the photograph of the tree vertically and spacing them the way I did to provide clarity yet confusion in the photograph. It takes a minute to realize what you are looking at. When I printed this picture I did not make it as large as I wanted to so I would go back and make it twice as large (probably an 8X10)


Constructed Places

This photograph is of a constructed reality. I placed tree stickers on my outdoor mailbox in order to transform the 2-dimensional stickers into a 3-dimensional location. I really like the way the colors turned out in the brick background and I like how the roots of the trees appear to belong in the cement. Originally, I planned to use the stickers to make a statement about winter weather and how I was longing for spring, but I ended up completely changing my concept. Rather, this photograph represents the simple yet unrealistic beauty of nature. The trees obviously do not belong here, but somehow they work. I could use this idea to create more constructed places and memories.



I used the same idea of a constructed reality for this photograph. These are actually kite stickers and clouds which I cut out of white paper and placed on my slider door. The sun is real and the sky is real but everything else is constructed. This picture radiates playfulness and innocence. I deeply saturated the photograph and added brightness to better define the kites. If I could change something about this photograph I could try to get the circular dots out from the kites in order to make the picture appear more natural.

Semi-Contemporary Photographer: Martin Parr

"With photography, I like to create fiction out of reality. I try and do this by taking society's natural prejudice and giving this a twist."
-Martin Parr


Martin Parr was born in Epsom, Surrey, UK in 1952. His grandfather was a photography sparking his interest in photography at an early age. Parr studied photography at Manchester Polytonic in the 70's and since then has been working on numerous photographic projects in social documentary.

Parr provides his viewers with thought-provoking entertaining photographs that comment on the workings of society that focus on consumption, communication and leisure. He attempts to shed light on globalization, tourism, and vanity. His photographs showcase the practice of sun tanning, address human overconsumption, capture quirky fashion statements, and make a statement on the obnoxious behavior of consumerism.

In 1994, Parr became a member of the Magnum Photographic Corporation. Recently, Parr had begun working with film, fashion and advertising. In 2004 he became a photography professor at The University of Wales.

Historical Photographer: Weegee

The man known as "Weegee" was born as Usher Fellig on June 12, 1899 in Austria (now Ukraine). In 1910, his family moved to the United States, moved to New York, and Usher adopted the name Arthur. After arriving in American, the family faced financial struggles and Fellig left school in order to assist his family. His first job was as a tintype photographer and subsequently taught himself how to work a camera. He then became a street photographer, taking pictures of Lower East Side Manhatten.

In 1924, Fellig was offered a job at Acme Newspaper and filled in as a news photographer. This is the moment in Fellig's career where he coined the title "Weegee" based off the work Ouija because he could magically get to breaking news scenes minutes after occuring. In 1935, Fellig left Acme to persue a career in freelance photography centered around Manhattan police headquarters and in 1938, "Weegee" became the first photographer in history to be allowed a police radio in his car.

For the remainder of his life, Weegee became notorious for his photojournalistic black and white photography of crime scenes, New York society, and paparazzi-like photographs. He placed his photography in numerous art exhibits and also started work in Hollywood as a filmmaker, performer, and technical consultant. His book Naked City was tranformed into the 1947 film The Naked City and the 1992 film The Public Eye was based on his life. Arthur Fellig died in New York on December 26, 1968.

Blog Prompt #21

A. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of “news”-related photographs.News-related photographs are usually simple, candid photographs of the moment. They try not to be biased but sometimes are photographed in a manner that makes them thought-provoking. The photographs are usually include a human subject and are never digitally altered.

B. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of “snapshots”, including family photographs, cell-phone shots, photos posted to facebook,
Snapshots usually have a purpose behind them. If something is funny or breath-taking one might whip out their phone to take a picture quickly. These snapshots are usually candid, not usually planned and usually involve a human subject (like the facebook pictures where there is a whole album of a girls face).

C. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of advertisement photographs, including fashion photography, product photography, etc
Advertisements usually always include good-looking models; abnormally skinny, usually Caucasian, with perfect hair and perfect teeth. The models are usually posed in a suggestive manner (because of the saying "sex sells") and with sometimes objectify the subject. The products are placed in easy-to-read places. The photographs can be digitally manipulated and usually are.

D. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of film/movie and television stills.
Stills usually provide the climatic elements of the film. They usually include a romantic scene, an action scene, or a thrilling/horror scene. The stills usually provide an essence of the characters in the film. They are usually like "snapshots" of the moment and do not look planned.

E. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of yearbook photos, senior pictures, and team/club/sports group shots.
These type of photographs are always planned. They usually require timely preparations, such as choosing a location, choosing clothing, and arranging the subjects properly. The photographs are made to aesthetically represent the subject[s]. Yearbook pictures use colorful backdrops, while senior pictures (in more recent years) use natural landscape backgrounds. The subject is usually placed in the center of the photograph and may sometimes use props, like a basketball or flowers. Yearbook pictures are usually not digitally manipulated, but senior pictures commonly are.

F. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of stock images.
Stock photographs are simply pleasing to the eye. They carry no connotation and do not intend any sort of meaning. They will showcase all types of subjects; from food, to humans, to animals, and sometimes just use nature as the subject. They can be placed in a variety of areas and markets.

G. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of fashion photography.
Fashion photography, much like advertisements, feature a beautiful and skinny model. Most fashion models are female and unusally thin, bordering on annorexic. High-end couture fashion will feature avant-garde fashion with models in sometimes unattractive postitions (crouched back, arms bent in awkward angles) and usually extreme hair and makeup application. Commercial fashion will feature more "girl-next-door" models with more common hairstyle and average clothing. Fashion photography can objectify models but usually always try to showcase the clothing.

H. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of paparazzi shots or celebrity photographs.
Paparazzi shots are usually creepy and unflattering. The subject may or may not know that the picture is being taken and will sometimes show an embarressing moment (picking the nose or gaining weight). Celebrity photographs can be flattering if used for suplements to interviews or publicity. Paparazzi shots usually are biased and try to make the viewer think something about the celebrity even if it's not the truth.