Blog 2

#5

“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 think this quote explains what photography can do to a T. This is how I feel about everything I do with photography and how much you can do with a camera. You can do so much with a camera in hand. You can take the feelings written on the human face to so many levels and ideas and concepts it could never end. As well as all the earth, the skies and wealth and confusion man has created.

#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 if you are altering something that would better exemplify or better explains the person you are portraying then it is ethical. But once you cross the boundary where what you altered changed the meaning of the person and isn't the truth about that person then is is inappropriate. The only time that altering is ok is if the concept is not the person itself but the concept of the change, then I think it is alright but I normally do not agree.

#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”?

Between facebook, magazines, the internet and flickr I see hundreds of portraits everyday. Each context changes the meaning. The portraits of people I have seen in Joplin where they are in what little is left of the town I believe is a raw portrait. The subject did not dress up, or choose which image to put up. That image is the raw emotion and life of that person. The photographer was capturing the raw emotion of the moment and that person in that moment of their life. Compared to images on facebook and even some of celebrity type magazines, those images are a lot of the times alters and the subject, especially on facebook, has a huge say in which images they want the public to be seen. Although these portraits can hold some truth, they are not raw images of that person. They are chosen images. They are posed shots and do not always reflect the real emotion or personality of the person. It is what they want to portray to the world.

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

I understand this quote. To me, I interpret it as Avedon talking about how the portraits portray his relationship with the people. The images reflect what they mean to him and how he thinks of them so it becomes more about the photographer and what they see.

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



Photograph is an art and you make that art. You create concepts, you create the art with the light and the technicality of the camera, you create the photograph with various subjects and backgrounds. What you put into a photograph and the perspective you have is how you make it. Anyone can just take a picture but not everyone can make a photograph.

#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


This quote provides a good insight as to what photography can do and mean to people. For example, when you miss someone or don't want to forget what someone looks like, you can pull out a photograph of them to help remember. To each person that looks at that photograph of that person, it will mean different things. A photograph of my sister will mean something completely different to a random person. As for any photograph, a photograph of a location and of a landscape can evoke different memories for each person and hold different meanings. That is the glory of photography, everyone has a different view and every photograph evokes a different emotion for each person.

Recreation 2

I utilized the same composition where the eyes are on the rules of third and the same perspective of head on to the subject. I tried to utilize same lighting, although since her since is lighter and has no wrinkles the lighting and contrast is not the same. I think the concept is similar, this is my roommate and she is an actress which is a form of art. Although she seems serious, you can see a touch of play in her eyes which exemplifies her playful personality.

David Douglas Duncan

American journalist David Douglas Duncan was born in Kansas City on January 23, 1916 and now lives in Mougins, France. Duncan studied archaeology at University of Arizona for a while and finished his education in zoology and Spanish at University of Miami.

Duncan is most well-known for his combat photographs and his multiple series of Pablo Picasso.

The photograph of Picasso is framed so that his eyes and face fill almost the entire frame. The contrast of Picasso's skin and eyes and wrinkles is prominent. From the catch light of his eyes, there seems to be one big light that Duncan is standing in front of. The balance of the eyes being on the rule of thirds is fabulous.

In this image, I believe the concept was to capture Picasso's personality within his physicality. I love this photograph because even though it is just his eyes and part of his face, you can see emotion in his eyes. One eyebrow slightly raised and a seriousness yet playful feeling from his eyes. It captures Picasso himself in every sense.

Duncan's photographs of Picasso capture his personality, life and just captures a physical memory of Picasso. Duncan used the method of film for his process. He also utilized the method of being with Picasso and becoming friends him to be able to capture him in a comfortable setting.

Arnold Newman

American photographer, Arnold Newman was born in NYC March 3, 1918 and died on June 6, 2006. Newman is profound for his environmental portraits of artists and politicians, as well as his abstract still life work.

Newman attended University of Miami where he studied painting and drawing but soon he couldn't afford to pay for school. He then moved to Philly and make 49 cent portraits at a studio and is where he learned how to work with subjects and where he began his interest in portraits.

Newman managed and own portraits studios and soon was a freelancer for Fortune, Life and Newsweek. He has photographs John F. Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, Pablo Picasso, Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn and more. Despite his work with famous personalities, he kept with the idea of photographing subjects that would excite and be of interest to the viewer even if the subject was not known.



Newman is most well-known for his concept of environmental portraiture. He placed subjects in a controlled setting to showcase the personality and heart of subjects' life and work. He put the subjects in surroundings that were familiar to the subject and that had good visuals for a photography to exemplify the subject's life. This method helped put his subjects as ease so they felt they were in their "space." He framed his photos in various ways depending on his subjects and the environment he created for them.

His work is fascinating. I think it is remarkable that he is one of the photographers the idea of environmental portraits. He is really able to capture the life of his subjects as well as being able to make his subjects feel comfortable and capture part of their personality and emotions.

Side note he was one of the few photographers allowed to photograph Henri Cartier-Bresson!!!

Scanned portrait

A1 Final Images

1. Composition

a. I kept the entire frame in focus because the entire photograph is the subject. Every piece of the pantry is what I felt was the subject and I wanted to be in focus. It puts the entire image as the subject.

b. For lighting, I kept it as normal indoor lighting because to me, this area is the normal, everyday pantry that I go into morning, day and night to eat.

c. I chose the portrait orientation to exemplify the idea that although the pantry is chaotic and tall and looks like everything is about to fall over, the shelves keep everything balanced and together.

2. In creating this image, I hope to showcase not only the chaotic yet balanced pantry that my roommates and I keep our food in but also how it represents my life. I lead a very chaotic and busy life but at the same time it is all in place and at balance. I love everything I do and wouldn't trade the chaotic aspect.

3. This image portrays the idea of a chaotic life that is still balanced which is a kind of life that many lead especially students. Students balance class, work and student groups which can create a lot of stress and chaos in our lives but many of us see that all of the work creates a balance in itself.

4. The class depicted it as a view into the life of who ever's pantry it was. They also enjoyed all of the peanut butter.

5. They thought that the idea of the shelves balancing was portrayed and they like how chaotic and full each shelf was. Some thought it would be interesting to put the PB all on one shelf. I think that the idea of balance through chaos and seeing into someone's life was depicted and that it was successful.

6. I think it would be interesting to extend this series with the idea of insight into someone else's life, similar to the series that a photographer did about people's fridges.





1. Composition

a. The lighting is one of the most important aspects to this photograph I feel. I wanted to capture the idea of dream and the morning light that creates a bit of a haze to the photographs creates that sense of waking up from a dream and not knowing what is real.

b. For the background, I wanted part of the window in there so that it is blown out but you can still see that it is a window. To me, it represents the window to that is waking you up from your dream to come back to reality.

c. The main subject, the flower, is close to the camera so that it represents part of the dream you are waking up from. It is so close to the camera but that is what you think about/see when you first wake up. When I wake up, sometimes I think what I dreamt was really reality and the flower represents what you bring back from the dream when you wake up. You think that this flower is reality but really when you realize it was all a dream it will soon disappear.

2. In creating this image, I hope to showcase the idea of the juxtaposition of dreaming and reality. We all have dreams and wake up thinking that some of them are true but when we fully come back to it we realize that none of it was real.

3. This photograph deals with what we want and what we have or sometimes what we don't want and what we do have. Dreams are things that at some point we believe is reality. I hope to convey the idea that when we first wake from dreams, we are stuck in two worlds, the world of our dream and reality.

4. The class interpreted this image as a sense that this person just woke up and someone they loved left them flowers next to them. They thought there was a story behind this image.

5. They light the lighting on the bed and how the flower was the closest and in focus. I think that my idea of waking up and seeing this went well but I want to create a more dream like sense from it. Maybe I can do that more with lighting so that it looks a bit more hazy.

6. I really liked working on this photo, I would be interested in extending a series about trying to capture dreams and its juxtaposition with reality.



1. Composition
a. In this photograph I wanted a shallow depth of field to show to emphasize the idea of play and have it seem that a scene is set up. The bluryness of the toy in the background give you a bit of mystery as to what the toy is and the scene.
b. For the focus, I wanted to have an object that was not in the middle so to add another element to the photograph. I wanted a figure that was closer to the camera be in focus so that the depth of field was shallow in the background so that the other toys seem distant.
c. I decided to crop out the toy in the background so that it adds more mystery to the toy. I also thought about what level a child would be at when they play. A lot of the times they are laying on their stomach playing and in their direct view, when they are focusing on the smaller legos, the face of the big toy would be cut out.

2. In this image, I wanted to display play which is why I chose the prompt. I feel it tells a personal story about myself too, although I can be mature and I am serious about my life and work at times I am also still very much a child at heart. I have a goofy personality and am a die hard nerd, these legos reflect that part of my life and how even though I work, I find time to play.

3. I think this image displays the idea that as we grow up, we leave are toys behind but then some of us are able to keep that inner child (while still being able to be grown up when you should). I have been inspired by many photographs that I have found on Flickr and their work with legos. Many of the photographs are ironic, contrasting real life with the life of our past toys.

4. The class again saw a story behind this photograph, thought it was in a house and had a toy story feel to it. They thought maybe the toys had been playing or in a "War."

5. They liked the cropping of how the big toy's head was cut off and the placement of the toys. I believe that my idea of the toys was conveyed but I think that I could possibly have a couple of photographs of other toys to depict my idea a bit better.

6. I love working with toys and putting them in real situations. I have done some photographs before and would enjoy keeping it going.

Blog 1

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

A world without photographs would be boring. We would forget people, memories and our past a lot easier without photographs. Without photography, we wouldn't able to capture moments that create history and to create art through light. A world without photography is not a world I want to be a part of. A lot would be missing and I would be lost without the ability to express my emotions, ideas and beliefs.

#2: What does the word "photograph" mean to you?

Photograph means an artistic expression through light. The light captures emotions, memories, history and information. It is my ability to express myself and is an art that I respect.

#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?

I can agree and disagree with this quote. There are so many various areas and types of photography that some utilize playing with appearance and using editing to change what you think it really is. But at the same time, there is photography where what you see is the raw truth, nothing is changed and that is how it is. Personally, I have not enjoyed editing photographs as much as creating the art right in the moment that you press the release and from there you keep that raw image. I love the idea that the moment that you found and captured is the art not what you change of it.

#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).

I can agree and disagree with this quote. For me personally, photography is how I express my emotions, my thoughts and how I capture memories that create stories. My photography has a lot of my beliefs expressed in the art such as one project that I did to express my idea of equal rights for the LGBT community. In the project I captured the story of my beliefs and the stories of the LGBT community that I talked to. Another project that expressed a story was when I photographed members of the UAW to express the stories of their lives. For others, this may not be true. I know many that find their way of expression and ability to tell stories is through writing especially creative writing such as poems which is just as much art in my eyes as photography. I think photography has the ability to capture the emotions of stories and expresses the visual aspects of the stories perfectly. For words, you can still express visual aspects but I don't think it is as strong, personally. Other times for words is when you have stories that are very fact based and not much of an emotional base.

Recreation I

Original

Alexander Gardner was born in Paisley, Scotland on October 17, 1821. He moved to the US in 1856. He never attended a school but was a apprentice silversmith jeweler. In 1851 he visited the Great Exhibition in London and saw Mathew Brady’s work which sparked his interest in photography.

Gardner worked with Brady during the civil war and much of the work of Brady is said that it should have been recognized as Gardner’s work. The photograph of Samuel Arnold was created in 1865 and was part his project to photograph the conspirators to Lincoln’s murder.

Gardern’s work defined documentary photography. While working with Brady during the civil war, they were there in the action taking photographs of the glory and horror of war. They documented our history and gave us something to view as art and to remember our past as a country. Gardner documented Lincoln’s funeral and the conspirators, as well as their execution. He was able to photograph what others were not able to see and experience. He took the chance to enter the battle of war and captured the emotions of war enabling others to experience what the soldiers had gone through. He captured the conspirators who did a horrible deed. He photographed those that people despised and the men who betrayed their president. Gardner enabled others to see the faces of the conspirators and for the memory of Lincolns rein the historic day of his death to never be forgotten. This is what made his work well-known.

Gardner’s photograph of Samuel Arnold, which was part of the series of the Lincoln conspirators, defies many of the normal portraits that were created in his time. Most portraits then were taking head on with the subject in the middle. Gardner balanced the photograph so that Arnold was on the left side of the rule of thirds. The plain background makes you focus on Arnold while he looks out of the frame in a contemplative state. The light creates a well-contrasted photograph and is placed higher so there is a shadow on the bottom of Arnold’s face. The shadows create a dark feeling to the photograph and the subject.

Gardner’s idea of photographing the conspirators before their death was brilliant. The concept of taking portraits of these men that were about to be executed was historical. The simplistic set up enforced the concept of capturing the physicality and the dark emotions of the men. It simplicity and emptiness of the frame enforced the idea of what was left of the lives for these men…nothing. They were not on their own and about to die for what they have done.

Gardner utilized the collodion process, which was an early photography process. In the process salts of silver are dissolved in collodion. The mixture is poured on a glass plate and sits for a bit. The plate is then put in a silver nitrate solution. Once the silver nitrate solution process is complete it is removed and exposed in a camera while still wet and then developed.

Gradner’s goal of the series was to take portraits of the Lincoln murder conspirators in their moments before death. Gardner perfected this idea with the simplicity of the portraits, which exemplified what was left of their life and the dark emotions of the subject as they look off the frame. This series of portraits inspire me and historic to our country. I love the set up for these portraits, the lighting that creates the shadows on the face and the placement/emotions of the subjects. Gardner’s series was a success.

Recreation

I utilized the same composition as Gardner did in his photograph of Arnold. I placed the subject in front of a plain and simple wall and was located on the left side of the frame. The lighting is from the top left of the frame creating a shadow on the bottom of his fame and had him looking out of the frame like in Gardner’s work.

I believe this is a recreation of the original not only because I utilized all of the same elements in the photograph but because of the subject and the idea behind it. The subject is my boyfriend Joe. Although he has never conspired anything even close to as terrible as a murder, he is still a conspirator. He has played many jokes on me and has conspired even with my sisters to carry out what he likes to think as jokes. To me, he is my conspirator in my life and sometimes his conspiring gets him into trouble yet I will always love him.