On Track - 2011

On Track - 2011

Composition:  The distraction of one of the lights being disconnected  tells a story of struggle to stay on track. The contrasting shadows of the lights help the light of the single lit light stand out. I cropped this photograph to only include the track lighting and not the surrounding wall and ceiling to put a focus on the lights. By cropping this image I am letting the viewer use their imagination to create their own setting of where this is. The brightest and sharpest subject is the front light, defining the light to keep one on track.

Concept: On track is simply about staying on track in life and the darkness and deterrents that may lead one astray.

Method and Motivation: I wanted to keep my theme of personal struggles going and thought that this was appropriate. I brained storm about struggles that everyone goes through and came to the solution of my "on track" lighting.

Context: All of these photographs can correlate to artists portraying their own personal struggles and that of society in general to display issues at hand. 

Interpretation:  People interpreted this as being in the spot light, and what it takes. A few did interpret it as staying on track towards something you are shooting for.

Evaluation: In this image the shadows and other contrasting elements help make this image what it is. The ceiling was not accepted well because it was so much brighter than everything else, and I wish I would have darkened that to take away from that attraction.

Extension: I might use this as a jumping-off point for a series on light fixtures. Different types of lights with various contrasts.I think it would be interesting to also play with light painting in the same series.

Ambition - 2011

Ambition - 2011

Composition: I displayed only a partial piece of my dried up zen garden to show that the path is not always so easy. Using a portrait orientation here I attempted to show this path. In focus is the rake. Out of focus are the rocks. obstacles. Using a little bit and a flash allowed for me to create a great contrast to distinguish elements from one another.

Concept: Ambition is about my desire for personal achievements. The process is done through me, the rake, while avoiding the blurred, unknown, obstacles that stand in my way.

Method and Motivation: I came about this photograph by experimentation. I used a fast shutter speed and a flash to capture the contrast I was aiming for.

Context: Ambition is about the psychological struggles and issues that everyday people go through. Ambition is important in all aspects of life and I chose to try and capture that.

Interpretation:  Students in class interpreted this as a calm high contrast piece that resembled work ethic. 

Evaluation: The high contrast of this image went over well, and again so did the focus. However, the framing was not received well and now I wish I would have framed this in a different way. Another thing I would change is the coarseness of the sand. I think more smooth sand would have created a more tranquil effect.

Extension:  I could see myself starting a series of calm, peaceful, or tranquil scenes that portray depth within people.

Competition - 2011

 Competition - 2011

 Composition: The contrast between the sharp distant figure and blurry close figure creates a spatial relationship. The focus is set on the subject of competition. The out of focus subject, process by how one deals with competition, is seen close to the viewer. Using a perspective and point of view over the shoulder of one of the figures gives the sense of competition. Another way I could have portrayed this is by shooting a first person view of one of the figures to give an impression of being in the game.

Concept: My image is about the competition that I have always had growing up, whether it's with family or friends through academics, friendships, and sports.

Method and Motivation: For this image I had a friend crank this ping-pong modeled toy and began snapping photos creating a competitive scene in which evoked past competitions. The intention for creating this image was to establish a feeling of competitiveness.

Context: Competition extends past just my personal experience and exemplifies social, psychological, and cultural differences that lead to the spirit of competition.

Interpretation: Students in class and other viewers saw this image in a competitive nature, but also reminded them of their favorite childhood toy.

Evaluation: The perspective was the most successful aspect of this image. Also the focus of the distant figure while blurring the close figure seemed to be enjoyed as well. There were comments of not having enough contrast, and possibly changing the backdrop of the toy from carpet. I wish I would have had a greater contrast on the shadows to create a greater sense of emotion.

Extension: I could see myself using this to create a series of images where I find competition to be important, while also portraying when competition is unnecessary.

Blog Prompt 3 and 4

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?'

My first initial reaction to this quote is that all photography has some sort of abstraction to it. However I do not believe this to be true. My experience with photography is more about the true behind materials and mediums. I may be interpreting this quote wrong, but this is my way of thinking when it comes to Michals' quote. So here I do disagree with his statement.

 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 believe that this quote is a perfect description of what photography is about. As cliche as it sounds the quote "a picture tells a thousand words" is true in my mind. With my experience in photography I have realized how I can tell extravagant stories with one simply picture. I definitely agree with the presented idea. 

A situation that an image would reveal a story better than words would be that of a crime scene. In an image you can see all the details of the broken glass, spilled blood, thrown about furniture, and so on. With words this would be a lengthy process to reveal and would be done easier with a single image. In my mind seeing images have a greater impact especially with news around the world.

Words can do the same thing to tell a story as an image in news as mentioned about, but I would much rather have that visual experience that you get from viewing a photograph,

Photography is a writing and form of communication all in itself.

Blog Prompt 1 and 2

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

Honestly I do not think that I could imagine a world without photographs. But if I were to I would feel that people would forget a lot of moments in their life. They would not be able to recall certain details about these moments. There would be no documentation of special events in your life and you would have to rely on word of mouth and memory to recall such events.

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

The word photograph to me means capturing a specific moment in time. Also a photograph can be a memory or simply a display artist emotion or feeling. 

Assignment R01: Recreation

Wendy Watriss:


Wendy Watriss was born in San Francisco and later moved to the East Coast of the U.S. and Europe, where she spent much of her childhood. After graduating with honors from New York University, she became a newspaper reporter for political affairs in Florida and then worked for public television in New York. In 1970, she began freelancing as a photographer and writer. In 1982, she won World Press and Oskar Barnack awards for her work on Agent Orange. She co-founded FotoFest with Fred Baldwin in 1983 and began work as FotoFest senior curator and Artistic Director in 1990.

Original:

Agent Orange was a herbicide used during the Vietnam wars in the forest to defoliate the land. She was involved in showing the veterans situations to the government to help them get answers.

She frames just the feel of an unknown individual which allows people to relate to the image. The perspective seems to be from ground level looking slightly down on the figure possibly depicting a sense of sadness. The original image has a good contrast of lighting, which helps balance the entire composition.

Her goal for pictures like this one and many others were to inform the government about Vietnam veteran's situations with the after affects of Agent Orange.

I enjoy this image due to the fact that anyone is capable of relating to this because of the anonymity that it allows. While one views this image it is hard to determine the gender and or age of the individual which I think is highly effective.

Recreation:   

I wish I would have used a different source of lighting, which I think would have made this a more successful piece. I chose to use natural lighting from a nearby window.

When I was thinking about Recreating this piece I decided to take away the anonymity of the piece and give it a gender. I found the original to be of a child's foot so I chose a gender and depicted their future. During the time of the original image, women did not have nearly as many opportunities as they did in the near future and that they have now. So I chose to try to depict a working business woman with 'work' boots or heels. This was my interpretation of this child's future and resembles the furthering of independence of women throughout this time. All of these things inspired me to make this Recreation.