Blog Prompt #7

#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”?

 

The photographic portraits I saw in one day basically came from two sources: facebook and sorority composites. I check facebook daily, so I saw friends' profile pictures. I also live in a sorority house, and there are past composites hanging on the walls, so I saw those. These two types of portraits are very different. On facebook, most portraits are fun and aren't usually serious. They describe the person, but their intent is to do so in a casual way. The sorority composites, on the other hand, are taken for more of a purpose. While pictures on facebook are taken for fun, composite pictures are taken for composites. Their intent is to record everyone that was in the house a certain year. These two sources are very different, especially in their intent.

Blog Prompt #6

#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 think it is appropriate to digitally alter photographic portraits when it is done for an artistic reason. If you're doing a portrait, and you want the subject to look more like a doll, for example, then I don't see why there would be a problem altering them. However, if you are trying to pass the photograph as realistic, then I think it is wrong to digitally alter it. A portrait should describe a person as who they are, not who they want to be.

Blog Prompt #5

#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 like this quote a lot because I think it is a good explanation of photography. Photography does record all the things said in this quote and when you see those things recorded you understand them more. You can also learn from the things you see in photography. When we hear about conditions in Africa, people want to help; but when we see the images of the poverty Africa, people are motivated to help and they actually do help. Photography also captures things that we may see everyday, but never notice. The smallest details of something can be captured and shared with the world. Photograph is absolutely one of the best ways to learn about things in life.  

Assignment 1 - Part 1

First Image (girl at piano)
Composition: I choose to place the girl off to the side, so you could see the piano and the background so it felt like home.
Concept/Aboutness/Idea: This reminds me of the holidays when all your family is home and you can relax and enjoy yourself by doing things like playing the piano.
Method: This is a scene in the house I live in at State that has always given me a feeling of home. I turned on the lamps to give it some glow and warmth, but other than that I didn't change much.
Motivation: Because I see this scene daily, I have always imagined someone playing the piano there, just like I do with my family, so I wanted to recreate that.

Second Image (Basketball Hoop)
Composition:Ultimately, I chose this photograph because I liked that you couldn't see the whole basketball hoop, in particular the top of the backing. I think it gives it more interest, especially because of the negative space created.
Concept/Aboutness/Idea: This basketball hoop is located behind my house and I've always loved the way it looked. It's old and doesn't get much use and I find that very interesting.
Method: Again, I see this scene a lot and when I saw that the sky was so light it almost matched the backing, I thought it could create a really cool image.
Motivation: I like things that are old and used, and I wanted to capture that.

Third Image (Statues and Trees)
Composition: I wanted these three figures to be off center and not completely in the photograph and I liked the texture the trees gave in the back.
Concept/Aboutness/Idea: I like how fun and playful these images are. They really capture a child's spirit, which I love to bring out.
Method: I took many photos at all angles to finally find one I really liked.
Motivation: Again, I like that these statues are so playful and fun. I don't take life very seriously and I don't think others should either.

Assignment 1

Blog Prompt #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 completely agree with Lewis Hine. I think you can describe every detail of something and still have so much missing from it. When you see a photograph you understand it; you feel it. If you describe how beautiful a sunset is, someone can picture it in there head and have an idea of what you saw, but if you show them a photograph, they understand it. They can see the colors and the true beauty of it themselves. It's like when you read a book, and you can picture a character or scene looking a certain way, and then the book is turned into a movie and it's nothing like you pictured in your head. However, sometimes words can be more descriptive than pictures. When you see a photograph of something simple, like a young boy standing in a street, you may not truly understand what the photograph is, but if sometimes writes about it or tells you what it is, you can feel the photograph more and understand it's story. Nevertheless, I believe it is when photography and words come together that is the most powerful.  

Blog Prompt #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 agree with the idea that Duane Michals presented. Photography does have to deal with the appearance of things and without an explanation or at least some deeper thought, you only know the image that you see. You don't know if there is a significance to it or a deeper meaning or if it is an illusion all together. For the most part, a photograph tells a story, it's not simply just an image. I suppose you can just take a picture of a piece of fruit on a table and have it be just that, but then you have to think why you choose that piece of fruit and why you choose to put it in the spot you did. Taking a photograph can be quick and seem mindless, but there is always meaning to what we do, even if we do it without thinking. I personally don't have a lot of experience with photography, so this makes me think of the Sex and the City episode with the photographer who used females dressed as males as his subjects. They appeared merely as men, dressed up differently (as businessmen, construction workers, etc.) and photographed. You would have never known that they were women. A photograph can look as simple or complicated as you make it, but if you really think about all the aspects of it, it will be more than it appears to be.

Blog Prompt #2

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

A photograph to me is a memory or a feeling. When I see a photograph I took, it reminds me of the moment I captured. Whatever it is of, it brings me back to that time. Photographs can also convey feelings. I can see a picture that someone took and just get a feeling from it. Whether or not I took the photograph, it should make me think about something.

Blog Prompt #1

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

A world without photography would be nothing like our world today. Photographs are used for so many things. We learn through photographs, about places that we can't visit and things we can't see. We know so much about animals, plants, people and places around the world because of photographs. Photographs also give us knowledge of current and past events that have happened. Personally, I rely on photographs to see what is going on in the fashion industry. I can see Fashion Week shows from around the world that I cannot attend and see what is going on in the business in general. Furthermore, we get enjoyment out of photographs. They are artwork and memories. Professionals take them to inspire and move us and share with us things we may not see. Everyone takes photographs for our enjoyment and for memories. If we didn't have photographs people would be less educated and informed about both current and past events. So much of the art world would be missing. The creation of photography is an advancement that is hard to image not having.

Recreation

Original

Biography: This photograph was taken by Alexander Gardner in April of 1865 in Washington D.C. Gardner was born in Scotland, but moved to the United States in the 1850s. When he moved to the U.S., he found work as a photographer for Matthew Brady, which is where he first started getting into photography.
Significance: Alexander Gardner's work, along with Matthew Brady's, is widely recognized because they did a lot of work on the American Civil War. They photographed many soldiers and officers before they left for war. They also went to battles of the war to document it in photography. Alexander Gardner is also known for photographing seven men that were arrested and convicted for conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, along with many other criminals. 
Composition: This photograph looks very simple to me. Samuel Arnold is standing against what appears to be some sort of a metal door or wall. It is a basic background, yet it is still interesting. He is placed slightly off center which drags the focus to him. The other part that draws attention is the reflecting light in the upper left corner.
Concept/Aboutness/Idea: Upon first looking at the photograph, you just think that it is a man against a somewhat plain background. Most likely, you don't know who he is or anything about him, but this image was captured to remember one of the men accused with conspiring to assassinate President Lincoln. Essentially, it wasn't meant to be a great piece of art, but rather to record something in history.
Method: I think the lighting they used was significant in this piece. The dark and light balance the image and put concentration on the subject in the photograph.
Motivations: I believe the reason Gardner created this image is to record part of history. Lincoln's assassination was obviously an important part of the U.S.'s history and Samuel Arnold played a part in that.
My Opinion: I like how the image appears to be very simple, but has a complex meaning behind it. When I first saw the image. I didn't think much about who the man was in the photograph. Now that I know who it is, I think that is the most important part of the photograph. It plays on the idea that when you see a person, you really have no idea of who they are or what they've done in their lives. I also think it is very interesting because of the reason this photograph was taken. He was a criminal and they were recording that.

Recreation

Composition: I wanting to try and use lighting similarly to how Gardner did. The background has both light and dark spots, but the focus is still on the person in the photograph. Both the background and the person have detailed elements to them, but aren't over complex. The framing is similar to Gardner's, but is not the same. His is more vertical, while mine is more horizontal.

Concept/Aboutness/Idea: I wanted my composition to be similar to Gardner's as well. I wanted it to be very simple, yet interesting and I wanted the focus to be on the subject in the photograph. Again, the subject is a person that most viewers don't know anything about, so it is interesting to think about who she is.