Assignment 3 Critique Part 2

Image 1:

Interpretation:  The class really liked this picture in showing the background over the people by choosing to not show the faces of the girls.

Evaluation: Everyone said that they liked the contrast but that there was too much lighting on the legs (which I did lighten) and it looked unnatural so I overdid it.

Extension:  I could use this image in showing more images with more faces missing in order to prove that faces do not show everything about a person: a lot of times it's more about body language.


Image 2:

Interpretation: The class liked this image as part of a series with all of my photographs.  They thought the angle was creative.

Evaluation: They said that I could have messed with the cropping or the contrast to emphasize different elements of the image.

Extension: I could use this image as a point of taking more images at interesting angles.  Angles that you usually do not look at images with.

Image 3:

Interpretation: The class thought this image showed a unique and very unusual angle compared to what someone would usually photograph.

Evaluation: They thought it did not really go with the series and I agree; the other three were much more cohesive and this image was kind of by itself.  They also said it had too much contrast which I definitely agree with.

Extension: I could take images of buildings from below like this and see how the distortion effects the image.

Image 4:

Interpretation: The class interpreted this image as the difference between a completed building and a building under construction; almost as though the reflection showed how the building under construction wanted to be like the other building or would eventually be like the other.

Evaluation: They liked this image as part of the series and thought that the building reflected was very clear and looked like it was duplicated in an unusual way.  

Extension: I like the idea of using reflections to show contradictions between the reflected image and the thing that the reflection is being reflected on. 

Blog Entry #20

Describe some common aesthetic aspects of “news”-related photographs.

• News related photographs tend to be kind of overly dramatic, whether it be intentional or not, mostly because we like to look at things that are unusual or interesting, and not just every day images. 

Describe some common aesthetic aspects of “snapshots”. 

•  Snapshots can only be taken once, whereas digital images can be taken several times.  Therefore, snapshots are usually very posed and unnatural.  Snapshots are rarely candid because you never know how they are going to turn out.

Describe some common aesthetic aspects of advertisement photographs. Fashion photography? Product photography?

•  Advertisement photographs tend to have very intense lighting and everything in the image (or the part the photographer wants you to focus on) is very clear.  The lighting and sharpness has to be turned up so that the image can be projected largely and so that a person can easily see what is happening otherwise the product will not look appealing.  Fashion photography tends to be set against a solid background in order to illuminate the clothing and model.  The lighting is always very intense and direct to show detail in clothing.  The contrast is also usually high to show detail.

Describe some common aesthetic aspects of film or movie stills.

•  Film still are very emotional usually because the film still need to be interesting.  Sometimes they are very picturesque. Usually though they are exciting and have a lot of motion. 

Describe some common aesthetic aspects of yearbook photos and/or senior pictures.

• I never had a senior pictures but I have seen a ton.  They are VERY posed, VERY unnatural, and personally I think people look very silly in the pictures.  They really do not show much about the person.  They have a nice natural lighting in order to make skin, hair and clothing look very clean and perfect.  The poses are usually around nature and awkward, or in studios in weird poses. 

Assignment 3 Photo Critique

 Image 1:
Cropping: I chose to crop this image as it is because I wanted the image to be about the background instead of being about the two girls.  I think with cutting out the face (or most of it) my mission was achieved.  I left the smile though because I liked the happiness in the picture.  I wanted it to feel bright.


Background elements: The background is the most important part of this image.  I chose to sharpen the background so that the focus was really on the background with the girls being the second most important thing. I also chose a high contrast for the background to illuminate the whites on the building and I whitened the back of the buildings to look like the background goes on forever.


Amount of subject to show in frame: The original shot had more of the legs and almost all of the face but I chose to crop it to reemphasize the background elements.  I also wanted to show more detail in the clothing. 


Aboutness/methods/motivation: For this picture I was really trying to show how an image can not be about people even if people are in the foreground.  I think this was effective because I cropped the faces off.  This picture was candid and shot in the day light.  


Context: I was hoping to show the humans place in landscape photography.

Image 2: 

Framing: I decided to crop out a larger part of the set and a large portion of the sky because I felt the buildings were more interesting than the bleached out sky.  I also chose to use an interesting angle in order to move away from the unoriginal picture of a landscape.  

Contrast: For this photo I tried to keep a medium contrast because when the contrast was too high it looks as if all the buildings were the same and all the sky was the same.  It was impossible to get more detail in the sky so I lowered the contrast.  I also dodged and burned certain areas in order to get more contrast because I did not want the image to look too gray.  

Lighting: The lighting is a very important part of this image.  I whited out the background to give the illusion that the buildings never end and for a smooth transition to the sky.  It was a morning light and it was very intense and I like how the light reflects off the buildings. 

Aboutness/methods/motivation: I wanted to show a different angle than the typical image of a landscape by taking the photograph at an angle.  I burned and dodged certain things to illuminate them.  

Context: This image is a normal landscape picture but I wanted to show the effect of morning light on a landscape. 

Image 3:

Visual design elements:  I really wanted to show an angel of a building that no one else would choose to photograph.  I am still not sure if the angle is interesting or awkward but I liked it and thought it was unusual.  The shapes created by the shadows and by the angle I took the photograph are interesting.  

Contrast:  There is a lot of contrast in this photograph, maybe even too much.  But I wanted to really show the shadows contradicting to the column and the building.  I wish there was more contrast on the column because it had an very unique texture on it.  

Orientation: The orientation of this image is portrait to show the whole column.  the image would be much different if I had taken it landscape.  It would have shown more of the building and would have created a much different overall feel.  

Aboutness/methods/motivation: I found and exciting building and took many pictures of it.  Interestingly, I took several images of it and thought this was was the most unusual.  

Context: I wanted to show an angle of this building that people see but would never choose to photograph.

Image 4:

Cropping:  I chose to crop out the top part of the building the image was reflecting into because I wanted to show more of the reflection and less of the white building.  I like how the cropping turned out and I like how it emphasizes the building and how the reflection almost makes the building look like it is duplicated.

Background elements:  The background elements inside the actual building are a bit distracting.  I tried to  burn and dodge parts of the building inside out but it was difficult because I still wanted to show that there it was a reflection.  Now that I look though, I do not find the elements too distracting but I would like to see how it would look with none.  

Focus:  The building is very in focus and the reflected image actually is not in focus but it appears to be.  I think this creates the duplication look and it is interesting and effective in showing the difference between the finished product and the product in process.

Aboutness/methods/motivation: I wanted to show the constructed building on the finished building to show the contradiction.  I took this image at an interesting angle.

Context: I wanted to show the contradiction between modernity and construction.  

Image 4:0 Recreation Popular Media

I chose to recreate a coca cola add.  I was just thinking of different drink adds and googling images and I saw one that really caught my attention.  I found the advertisement very fun and exciting to look at.  I wanted to recreate the cartoonish image in more of a realistic way, so I just took a small shaken can of diet coke and recreated the image to the best of my ability with trying something new.  It turned out interesting but I wish the can had sprayed more than it did.  I also wish I had chosen a faster shutter speed to capture the water droplets better.  I actually ended up liking the hand in the photo.

Blog Entry #19

Can you think of anything that:

1) should not be photographed? Why?


I think that all images should be photographed because no matter what photos are an interesting way to represent emotions.  Although some things are uncomfortable to take pictures of, I do not think there should be a limit on what can be taken.  The only time I think things should not be photographed is if the subject wants to be photographed.  

2) cannot be photographed? Why?

It is difficult to properly photograph movement.  Certain emotions also cannot be photographed, or photographs can distort the emotion that the photographer intended.   It is also difficult to photograph a change in time.

and

3) you do not want to photograph? Why?

I would be very uncomfortable photographing things like starvation, sick or hurt people in hospitals, natural disasters, and wars.  I would not enjoy these events because although it would show extremely raw emotion, I would never be able to remove myself completely in order to feel comfortable photographing people in such real and intense pain.

Photographer Research Assignment

http://www.whitecube.com/artists/taylorwood/

The image I chose really stood out to me when looking through the artists.  This photograph in particular was so interesting, but all three of them are exciting.  They all have some kind of amazing motion in them that makes you want to examine them fully.  The pictures also make you wonder exactly what is going on and how this was possible.  

Wood was trying to examine the difference between the actual appearance and self, signified by the person and shadow.  The photograph is trying to show the difference between being interior and exterior self.

This image is extremely effective because of the lighting and the space. You are able to see the shadow but not the shadow of the chair, really emphasizing the artist's intent.  The shadow has a very fluid smooth appearance whereas the figure looks comfortable but yet her position we know would not be comfortable.

Blog Prompts #16, #17, & #18

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

I really like this quote.  Everything is what you make of it.  If not for the imagination, everyone would be boring and the exact same.  Imagination is somewhat what makes for good art and photography.  Imagination drives creativity and it is what makes one interpret something the way one does.  What you cannot see is far more important because that is what drives us to do almost everything.

“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 do not agree with the quote.  I think photography is very real.  It is a way in which people are able to see beyond their own worlds in order to expand their knowledge.  Sure, the photographer does choose what they wish to portray because a photograph cannot be a movie, but it represents something that is real.  No matter what, the raw photograph taken in the moment is real, and I it is interesting to argue otherwise.  

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

This is an interesting way to look at photography.  It really is a basic, true statement.  Once something happens, it is in the past.  What I just wrote is now in the past.  However, photographs are a place where the past comes alive in a sense.  It is a snapshot taken of an exact moment that can never be replicated which is what makes it so intriguing and individualistic. I think one can relive the past as if it were the present through looking at a photograph.

Project 2 Part 2 of Critique.

Image 1: 
Interpretation: Others interpreted my image to be interesting because of the background and the viewers could not decipher what the background was but they liked it.  They thought it was a very intimate pose.


Evaluation: They did not really give any suggestions, they like it as it was.  They really liked the position of the subject, and the contrast and background in relation to one another.


Extension: They said that all my images were kind of a series, and that it would be interesting to do more intimate poses without showing the whole face.


Image 2:
Interpretation: They thought of the hand as having blood but the figure being kind of excited that they were being photographed, they thought the subject looked kind of crazy.

Evaluation: They said to mess with the cropping, and to increase the contrast a lot more in order to highlight the hand more so either by darkening or lighting the back wall which I agree with.

Extension: Most pictures with blood, and different expressions of people with blood on their hands.

Image 3:

Interpretation: Others interpreted this image as being a very glamorous shot with just the lips and said the image had very unusual interesting cropping.

Evaluation: They liked how the image was zoomed in a very detailed but said to increase the contrast a bit more but to still be able to see the detail and to highlight the details, especially in the lips, more.

Extension: More makeup shots, maybe doing all different kind of makeup shots.

Image 4:
Interpretation: They liked the position of the figure and said it had personality without the face having to be shown, which is the goal I was going for.  They said the position was unusual but interesting.

Evaluation: Either more contrast, or whiter whites.  Which I agree with, I think the background could really be lightened a lot and maybe more detail could be shown on the shirt.

Extension: Seeing how fabric reacts to different light sources.  Using fabrics as a way of showing personality.

Blog Entries #11, #12, #13, #14 and #15

#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.


The photograph that stands out in my mind most is a picture of when I was little of my mom and I when I was a flower girl for my cousin's wedding.  I was about four and extremely shy at the time.  I didn't want to be a flower girl and I went very slowly down the isle and never looked up.  I remember the picture because I have such a terrified expression on my face while my mom is happy as ever to be taking the picture with me.  I was wearing an ugly bright purple dress with poofy sleeves.  If I were to go back to that church I don't think I would remember that, and if I were a flower girl now (obviously this would not happen) I would be so happy to do it, but still shy.

#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?


Another photograph that I remember is one when I was little and in gymnastics.  I just had bought a new leotard and was SO excited about it.  It's just be standing, very proudly with my hands on my hips.  I was about six and look so small.  It makes me laugh to think about it,  because looking back I now know that I really wasn't very good at gymnastics and just thought I was.  I have changed a lot since then.  I was always so happy/excited when I was little, and I still am somewhat, but not as much because if you always look happy when you are older you look crazy.  I don't even know if a reenactment of this photo is possible but it would probably be of me in a swimsuit because I was in swimming through middle and high school.  I would be happy but you would be able to tell that it wasn't completely as genuinely happy as me in my leotard.

#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.

#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?

When I think of places that have not been touched by humans I would want to show the space on a large scale to show what unalteration looks like on a large scale but also what it looks like on a small scale in order to show the detail.  However, few places like this exist.  My photographs of familiar places would be more much more posed than pictures of faraway places. 

#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.


You could have the subject move from being the person they were to the person they are not, emotionally or even physically.  There could be a double exposure to show the subject in 2 different settings in order to show movement as well.