Blog Prompt #20

#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'd like to do an image of a child's play room. It would be interesting to see how they play and what they interact with. Certain toys make believe of chores and activities normally reserved for adults which is ironic since most adults want to be children again.
• An image of a fantasy/fictitious environment concocted from your imagination.
• As for a dream, I think I'd like to shoot a picture of a person sleeping, but surrounding them would be certain sheets with patterns they personally picked, as well as pictures, signs, and posters surrounding the walls to show things that they are interested in and maybe dream to achieve.
• An image of a placeless space such as the Internet, cell phones, e-mail, e-bank, surveillance, etc.
• To make an image of something like the internet, I would probably draw upon an unusual sign that promotes an internet cafe, or shoot a photo of one and play close attention to the computer screens within them.
• An image of a public space.
• I'm drawn to photographing a library or a gym, or some other place where you need a membership. It's interesting analysis of what should be free and what should not. 
• An image of a private space.
• As far a a private space goes, I think that the bedroom or even the inside of someone's car or trunk is very intimate. You can see into their personal living habits. A bathroom counter would also be an interesting shot.
• An in-between space that brings to mind one of the following ideas: nomadic lifestyles, displacement, rootlessness, out-of-placeness, boundaries, movement, expansion, etc. 
• My first thought is to show someone who is hitchhiking, but I am not sure if that can really apply anymore. People seldom do it anymore because of all of the crazies, so it is not really the best interpretation of the nomadic lifestyle. A more appropriate shot for today's nomad would probably be of one of those traveled cars you see on the expressway. It is probably caked with dirt, and if not, you can see many bumper stickers of places they have traveled or bands that they listen to (probably jam bands). There is usually a kayak or bicycles strapped to it, and the guy driving more than likely has a beard and is wearing a bandana.

Blog Prompt #19

Can you think of anything that:


1) should not be photographed? Why?
2) cannot be photographed? Why?
3) you do not want to photograph? Why?


Answering the first question, I certainly do believe there are things that should not be photographed. If the person who is photographed does not give permission, then it should be up to them what the fate of their photo is. I think that things that are being exploited for personal gain or profit should NOT be photographed as well. That goes into a darker matter, and I'm sure I'm not alone on that stance.
I'm sure there are limitations of photography in instances of natural occurrences, such as inside of a volcano during eruption or at the bottom of the Mariana trench, but with time, I'm sure developments can be made. There are certain things that are conceptual that cannot necessary be directly photographed, and those may go into scientific concepts or even spiritual beings.
I personally do not want to photograph things that disgust me. I do not want to even have to find things that do, so I would much rather photograph something else. I am a big chicken when it comes to gory, scary movies. I'd hate to photograph spiders again. I hate them, and would rather not be in close enough proximity with them to photograph. I had an issue with very large ones over the summer, and I am trying to move on from remembering them.

Blog Prompts #16, 17, 18

Please respond to the following quotes.

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

I think what he is trying to say is that the imagination plays an important role in the interpretation of what we see. This dives into background experiences and connections that the mind may make subconsciously, which is very important to the thought process behind visual communication.

“Photography, as we all know, is not real at all. It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world.” -Arnold Newman

I don't necessarily agree with this quote, but I can understand its merit. There is selectiveness in that the photographer chooses everything about the sight within the frame. But at the same time, there are photographers who shoot real world incidents and capture exact moments in time. There are emotions that are faked for film, but there are still those real moments that are captured and are not created.

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

This is an interesting quote. I suppose it is true, but it has an almost depressing feel to it. I feel like it almost limits the possibilities of photography. It is something as a photographer you must succumb to, but it is either the challenge to work with or against the instant aging process.

Recreation #3: Memory

For this photo, I wanted to give the sensation of falling. I wanted to gather interest in the middle of the frame, since that is what you would actually be going towards if you were to fall, so I played on the sloping lines to point right to it. I also made that area the lightest so that the eye is immediately drawn to it.

As far as the concept goes, it is obviously about stairs. When I was in the seventh grade, my family set up a room for me in the basement so that my sister didn't have to share a room anymore. Which was fine by me (she was a HORRIBLE roommate) except for the fact that I was terrified of the dark. Either way, I was a klutz then, and while rushing up and down the stairs I would often slip and slide down them. It kind of became the norm, and I guess I got better at catching myself as I would slip. I wanted to recreate that rushed, panicked feeling since it still happens to me today. These are the stairs leading up to my room and I have almost fallen down them many times. I am still klutzy and run up down stairs everyday, but I am much better at keeping myself from getting hurt in the process.

Simone Nieweg

 

Simone Nieweg was born in 1962 in Bielefeld, Germany. She was educated at the Dusseldorf Art Academy Düsseldorf for six years, and then recieved her masters in 1989.


Nieweg's work is significant in that she shoots more unconventional nature shots, instead of going into wild, unspoiled nature.

Nieweg emphasizes on the smallest of details throughout the photograph. She uses natural lighting, and I have noticed her tendency to shoot on overcast days. The composition is carefully laid out and line plays a major role.

   

Nieweg plays with the role between man and the environment. She shoots a lot of her work in the English and French farmland instead of searching for the wild, uncultivated countryside. She has the ability to capture its subtle beauties. In one of her sets of photos, Nieweg focused on French farmland, which has a lot of emphasis on homegrown vegetables.

Background information is key to Nieweg's work, as she carefully researches her subjects before shooting. This may be the local customs, environment, or even history.

Part of her motivation is to show the beauty in unremarkable farm plots. She sees them as cultural development, and it gives a different perspective on the matter by contrasting human made items like tools and sheds with the cultivated plots.

I think that her photos are beautiful. They have a calm sensibility about them, and it is almost eery to look at. 


It was hard digging up information on her, but these were the most helpful sites:
http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=26446
http://www.galerierupertpfab.de/UNIQ129792755707831/SES62416567/lang1/doc46A-page2.html

Historical Photograph Research

Biography: 

John Adams Whipple was born on September 10th, 1822 in Grafton, Massachusetts. He studied chemistry, and made major strides into the daguerreotype process. This particular photo was made in 1851.

Significance: 

Whipple was well known for his teamwork with the director of the Harvard College Observatory, William Cranch Bond. They teamed up and used Harvard's telescope to take highly detailed photographs of the moon. The pictures are extremely striking, and were a major accomplishment in photography at the time. Whipple was also the first photographer to shoot a successful picture of a star (other than the sun).

Techniques: 

Whipple was the first American to create the chemicals needed for processing daguerreotype images. He pioneered their use in shooting celestial beings, and also made progress in night photography.

Motivations: 

Whipple turned to photography after he turned ill. It was a step away from his passion for chemistry, but he worked that into his pictures. He and his partner, James Wallace Black, developed crystallotypes. Whipple also invented crayon daguerreotype.

Assignment #2 Final Four

 

gender roles

I used a natural lighting in order to capture this shot. The concept behind it was bending the norms of masculinity, as the subject (Kiyo) styles his hair. The angle I shot him at makes him look androgynous, since it is the longer side of his hair, and that there is no clothes to dictate an opinion. He has natural, lean muscle, and fights the stereotype of the big, burly male. As soon as I read the prompt, I immediately thought of Kiyo since he is one of my more metro sexual friends. I wanted to show a softer side to masculinity, or even a modernistic take on a man in this day and age. I instructed him to style his hair (slowly) as I shot him at different angles.

 Richard Avedon recreation

I wanted to make the shot as similar to the original as I could, so I played with the contrast between the subject and the background. The original is of a young Marlon Brando smoking while shaving his face. It is a natural, humanistic approach to seeing a celebrity. I chose this one particularly because of of his masculine reputation, so I thought it would be interesting to contrast that with a less masculine appearing subject. I showed the model (Kiyo, once again) the original photograph and had him try to pose the same way to the best of his abilities. I posed him against a white door so that I could try to blast out the background like in the original. I was directly influenced by Richard Avedon for this shot, and I wanted to try to take one of his and reshoot it with a modern take.

 flash basement

 self portrait

I decided to do a close up with an emphasis on the cuts, grooves, and imperfections of my hands. I also wanted to show contrast between the light and dark spots on them. As an artist (or even a human being) I am dependent on my hands to perfect my craft. I have a nervous habit that involves me tearing up my fingers and nails, which is strange since they are so important to me. In order to get the shot, I focused before and set the self timer so that I had time to get my hands in position. I wanted to make a personal piece relating to myself and my own habits. I've noticed many photographers who use themselves as subjects, so I thought that I would give it my own take.

Blog Prompt #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.


I think one of the biggest, most important changes I have made was probably through my advancement of my own education. I have said before that it would be interesting to recreate an old image from myself in elementary school, but I think the contrast between how much I have changed since high school has been major. When I was in middle school, I still had the dream of studying art and becoming an artist. Once I hit high school, I dropped my dream because I was scared of pursuing it. I even started out at MSU with a science major, but after a year, I went back to art because I missed it so much. I am still unsure of my future, but I am much more confident in it than from what I was then. I think it would be nice to shoot myself in front of my high school, dressed in the clothes I wore then, and then shoot me again in front of Kresge, but wearing the things that I normally do. I am much more sure of myself and my abilities than the past, and I am happy for that.

Blog Prompt #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?


I think it would be an interesting piece to contrast between my own home and a home that I have never been to. There is nothing more familiar than your own home (hopefully) and the contrast between that and another home would be interesting. To do a house close to your own would be fascinating, as I'm sure there would be similarities and differences that you may not have realized. But If I were to contrast my own home between a different location than my own would be a much more engaging project. I have seen pictures of homes of celebritites that seem to be almost unused, which is something that can be hard to grasp, since the homes are sometimes worth millions and millions of dollars. The way they are touched by humans is much different than that of the normal home owner, since the rich have teams of interior decorators and architects to design every last detail of their homes. I would photograph different parts of the interior, and it would be a series of different shots throughout the homes. I guess it could be considered more of a contrast between a house and a home. Looking more into it, I suppose it would also be interesting to contrast between the wealth of other people, besides Americans, and look at homes throughout the world.

Blog Prompt #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.

At first, I really had no ideas for this prompt. I initially thought of buildings, but there is no way I am going to build one just to photograph it. Way too much work for my lazy bones. With further thought, I got to thinking about snow. People make snowmen, snowhouses, snowwalls; just about anything can be made from snow. I also remembered an artist who makes large scale drawings in sand, so I think it would be interesting to try to do one in snow. It would be difficult to photograph, since I do not have access to a helicopter or anything that would get me high enough to see it all. But for art's sake, I think it would be a nice idea. To execute it, I would wait for a large snowfall, and then draw in it either towards the end of the storm, or early enough before people would be around. I would photograph the initial design, and then come back later and see how people have interacted with it. I'm sure not everyone would notice, or even care, so there would be the sense of destruction and impermanence within it.

Blog Prompt #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?

One photo that stands out to me is a picture of me on my first day of school. I can't remember which grade, but I think I was about 9 or 10 years old in it. I went to a Catholic elementary school, so I am in uniform (a plaid jumper). It's a shot of me standing against a cinder block wall, and I had a small smile on my face. Back then, I was quite shy and quiet, and this was right around the start of my 'awkward' stage. I look pretty meek in the photo, but its partially due to my lack of enthusiasm for starting a new school year. Comparing it to now, I am still shy, and very quiet, but I have more self confidence than from what I had then. I have moved on from the Catholic school girl outfit, and I have developed a personal style. If I were to recreate it, I would probably shoot it here at MSU. I think it would be interesting to have an updated version of myself, and see the similarities and also changes in myself from ten years ago.

I am going to try to find the photo and post it on here so that there can be a better understanding of what I am talking about.

Blog Prompt #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.

Thinking to my past, I naturally go to my childhood. One spot that I visited often was the creek down the street from my Nana's home. My cousin Sammie and I would go down and play along its banks, around the surrounding fields, but never actually in the creek's water. We always thought it was toxic, so we never dared to actually go in it. Thinking back, it was probably pretty difficult for us to even get close to it. The creek has high banks and is surrounded by thick brush from trees, vines, and bushes. Little sunlight got through because of the thick vegetation, but when it did, the light reflected on the surface of the water like gold. It was very serene to sit under the trees around the creek, and we spent many summer afternoons there. 

Sometimes, trash would drift its way down the creek. I've seen lots of tires, the occasional toilet seat, and even a small tv set. The garbage wouldn't stay long and would get washed down the creek after a big storm. My grandpa would come down and see us when he got home from work, and we played a game that involved aiming rocks at the trash. Sam and I would often times go exploring along the creek's banks, and once we saw a bridge made from shopping carts going across the water. We never saw any animals, aside from squirrels, that would go around the creek, but we could see raccoon tracks in the mud closer to the water.

Blog Prompts #8, 9, 10

Respond to the three quotes.

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

This is an interesting quote. I really like that he puts thought and his own personality into his own work. I think that is something that photographers should utilize, as it makes their work more personal and adds care.

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



I like this quote. It helps to keep in mind the work that photographers have to do in order to make a successful photograph. Not all photographs are shot on the fly, and I think that a lot of people forget that.

#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 quotes appeals to the fact that photography is more exact than painting. I also like that it brings up that one photo may bring about different meanings to its viewers. One person may look at it and have it remind them of their childhood, for example, and another may see it and remember their pet dog. The possibilities are endless.



Blog Prompt #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”?

It is interesting to see the difference between the types of portraits from different sources. Magazine covers are geared towards making the cover model look attractive, so that they can get more people to buy their magazine. The eye is better drawn to the aesthetic appeal, which makes for more sales. Portraits online try to do the same thing. However, they are more often than not are not nearly as successful at doing so. The people online do not have the lighting, makeup, and photography team that the magazines can employ. They make for a more natural look, but do not stack up to the professionals. As far as seeing portraits in the news, they generally go for pictures that show the desired person as clearly as possible. They aren't in fancy posed, and are usually kept simple. That way, their image won't distract too much from the news story and won't sway images.

Blog Prompt #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 that in certain instances, it can be highly beneficial to digitally alter a photographic portrait. The alterations can be a great tool for adjusting undesirable effects in a photo, such as unwanted shadows or an overall bright composition. Used appropriately, it can be a very useful tool to have. Used inappropriately, digital alterations can bring about slander and trick people. Sure, some may be for humor, which can be good. But there is always someone who can take a lighthearted joke too far, and people may get hurt in the process. There can be unethical cases, and there can also good instances for digital revamping in photography.

Blog Prompt #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




I really liked the Mary Ellen Mark quote. It stuck out to me mostly because of its humor, which is something I can appreciate. Not only is it funny, but it is also true. I think that it is best to keep the subjects informed, if only partially. Full disclosure is not always necessary, but I think the subjects should have at least a good idea of what they are participating in. There are the occurrences where the element of surprise or something similar may be the desired effect, so naturally full disclosure would not be necessary upfront. 

Judith Joy Ross

Ross was born in 1946 in Pennsylvania. She has her MS from the Institute of Design at the Institute of Technology, Chicago.


Ross is known for capturing the emotions of her subjects, and has been described as portraying humanity and vulnerability. One of her most popular pieces was of schoolchildren in her hometown of Hazeltown, Pennsylvania.


She has a very unassuming approach to photography, and at first glance you may not notice any real artistic value to them.


As far as her depiction of the school aged children, she really wanted to capture the sense of growing up, and all of the social pressures it may bring. She is good at evoking a sense of understanding from her viewers.


Ross brings about conventional portrait poses, but focuses on more underlying tones in her work. She has a great capacity of capturing the emotion of her subjects. Ross shoots in black and white and is known for using traditional equipment. Her work also has the look of antiquity.


Part of her motivation for her work comes from trying to show a range of emotions to the viewer, all the while keeping them almost relatable and understandable.


I think her work is beautiful. It is seemingly simple, but brings about complex emotions. You can find her work on here.

Class Portraits

Recreation #2

Unknown Photographer (American). Dead Child, c. 1850

Dead Dan Recreation