Monday, September 24, 2012
Round two!
"Frame"
"Vantage Point"
"Detail"
"Fast Shutter Speed"
"Slow Shutter Speed"
"Hand Held Night Photography"
"Night Photography with Tripod"
"Flash"
"The Thing Itself"
I thought this picture twisted reality. When shooting, I decided to keep the details such as the street sign and the black background to make the picture feel more real. However, with this long exposure time, the lights are all on at the same time. How can this be real when the street lights are red, yellow, and green? This is why I know pictures are not reality themselves, there is always an idea or a photographer behind it.
"Depth of Field" (f8.0)
(f5.6)
What I learned from Assignment two:
Sometimes you just have to look at things in a different angle!
If it rains take the picture anyway!
Sometimes people will honk their horn and yell, just smile and wave.... then take a candid picture of them when they leave. :)
Monday, September 17, 2012
The eerily vast amount of space on the front of your fridge.
Imagine a world without photography. There would be no pictures illustrating ideas in our books, planning travel destinations would be difficult, don't even mention retakes, you would have an eerily vast amount of space on the front of your fridge, and forget about driver license photos. I am so glad that we don't say, "I am going to get my school painting done. I will be back in a few hours." Scary thought, huh? Well lucky for us, we live in a place where photography is praised and very common. However, just like any art form, it was perfected and mastered.
Photography was not always like it was today. Pictures were often blurry, posed people without great meaning. Photography first had to develop (no pun intended) as an art. In the beginning, photography was thought as a mechanical process rather than a creative process. Thus began the determination to use the camera to produce wonderful things. Because the camera was cheap and popular, many people became fascinated with the idea of presenting all aspects of life to anyone who would look. This came about when a dry plate came along. Photography was now convenient, more mobile, and less difficult. This event led new photographers to experiment with their cameras. No longer was the camera just a mechanical device, the photographer had to think. Through his images, the world was shown in many various ways and things that were viewed as less important were given new life. The photographers learned from each other and their artistic vision grew. Photography evolved from depicting the truth, to embedding symbolism, to showing a story, manipulating the size, cropping and rotating, freezing time and motion.
The most amazing thing that I learned from this reading was that although photography has changed over the years. We still use many of these techniques. We learn from other photographers and by experimenting. Once the building blocks of photography were formed, it kept growing until it became a pyramid. I find it fascinating that photographers had to prove themselves worthy as artist. Thinking back to a couple weeks ago, in class we saw a daguerreotype photo. In that class I found myself thinking about how different photography is now. After reading this article, I now believe that photography has just changed because of creativity and versatility. It was not just mechanical advancements that created changes. Also, society's outlook on photography has changed. Overall, I cannot wait to see what the future holds for photography. What new technology or artistic idea will effect photography next?
On a side note......
Currently, my curiosity is getting the best of me and I decided to do some of my own investigating. I really want to see the trends of photography over the years. The link below relates to much of the things we have learned in class already. My favorites were the first color picture and the first picture of the sun. http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/image-collection/
Photography was not always like it was today. Pictures were often blurry, posed people without great meaning. Photography first had to develop (no pun intended) as an art. In the beginning, photography was thought as a mechanical process rather than a creative process. Thus began the determination to use the camera to produce wonderful things. Because the camera was cheap and popular, many people became fascinated with the idea of presenting all aspects of life to anyone who would look. This came about when a dry plate came along. Photography was now convenient, more mobile, and less difficult. This event led new photographers to experiment with their cameras. No longer was the camera just a mechanical device, the photographer had to think. Through his images, the world was shown in many various ways and things that were viewed as less important were given new life. The photographers learned from each other and their artistic vision grew. Photography evolved from depicting the truth, to embedding symbolism, to showing a story, manipulating the size, cropping and rotating, freezing time and motion.
The most amazing thing that I learned from this reading was that although photography has changed over the years. We still use many of these techniques. We learn from other photographers and by experimenting. Once the building blocks of photography were formed, it kept growing until it became a pyramid. I find it fascinating that photographers had to prove themselves worthy as artist. Thinking back to a couple weeks ago, in class we saw a daguerreotype photo. In that class I found myself thinking about how different photography is now. After reading this article, I now believe that photography has just changed because of creativity and versatility. It was not just mechanical advancements that created changes. Also, society's outlook on photography has changed. Overall, I cannot wait to see what the future holds for photography. What new technology or artistic idea will effect photography next?
On a side note......
Currently, my curiosity is getting the best of me and I decided to do some of my own investigating. I really want to see the trends of photography over the years. The link below relates to much of the things we have learned in class already. My favorites were the first color picture and the first picture of the sun. http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/image-collection/
Trying to find my artistic edge..... fingers crossed! :)
What I learned when I create these photos:
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| "The most beloved books are the ones with broken binds" |
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| "Even Steak Dinner can become Interesting" |
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| "Sometimes things are beautiful even when they are rusty, dirty, and old" |
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
This interesting thing call, "art"
My eyes are wide and my mouth is agape, but no sounds are coming out. My mind is blown. Interest and curiosity exude from my body. I am standing in the middle of the art gallery. I am surrounded by paintings. I see birds, contraptions made up in the minds of artists, bricks, and parts. Nothing seems to make sense, but at the same time everything makes sense. But first, Let me stop, rewind, and explain myself.
When listening and watching the lecture, I felt a little shell shocked. Standing in front of me were two artist speaking a different language entirely. I didn't know what I was looking at and I felt that I wouldn't be able to give any significant meaning to the pictures. But that was only temporary until I heard the artists, Kelly Urquhart and Jaime Kennedy, speak. They described themselves so well, that I found that none of my questions were left unanswered. Kelly's picture reminded me of little thumbprints dancing on a stage. Little did I know that the scene was packed full of symbols, themes, and metaphors. Jaime's pictures reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe. I couldn't see past the dark birds and the black and white scenes.I was blind to the commentaries about society. I was only looking through my misguided, untrained eyes. My interpretations were shallow. Later on, I found myself relating ideas to their photos. I learned something important from this extremely talented power couple. There are more to pictures than being interesting or beautiful. There are meanings, stories, and warnings ingrained in the work. I looked with my eyes, but I didn't see with my heart or head. Moral of the Story: It is okay to be confused about art, because it means that you are searching for the hidden meaning.After I disregarded these feelings, I found myself immediately entranced by the ideas and concepts of their art.
I feel that Kelly and Jaime's art encompassed overall ideas in society that cannot be answered verbally. I felt that they answered those question in their work by showing the viewers the cause and effect of these controversial questions. What happens when you release new technology into the world? It gets used for other purposes than what it was first meant to be. Like the instructions to bird suits being shredded into a new home. I find their art both interesting and thought-provoking. I couldn't keep my eyes off of the Nesting pictures and I found myself coming back to them often. The details were flawless and there was a hidden challenge of seeing everything pieced together. The New York Stock Exchange project aroused much interest in my mind. I was drawn to the use of digital bricks and real bricks. Also, I was drawn to the fact that Jaime monitored it every fifteen minutes. Overall, it was fascinating to see many types of art in one photo. I caught myself thinking about which object was ink or a photo.
Everything hit me all at once when I stepped into that gallery. The pictures on the monitor were not the same pictures that were hanging on the white walls. They were amazing and I could almost feel Kelly and Jamie's touches on their pictures. To meet the artists, hear the background on the pictures, and then see the works for yourself made it more special and meaningful to me. So once again I find myself thinking of this art show and I feel my mind wander back to the day that kindled a passion to want to see more of this interesting thing call, "art".
When listening and watching the lecture, I felt a little shell shocked. Standing in front of me were two artist speaking a different language entirely. I didn't know what I was looking at and I felt that I wouldn't be able to give any significant meaning to the pictures. But that was only temporary until I heard the artists, Kelly Urquhart and Jaime Kennedy, speak. They described themselves so well, that I found that none of my questions were left unanswered. Kelly's picture reminded me of little thumbprints dancing on a stage. Little did I know that the scene was packed full of symbols, themes, and metaphors. Jaime's pictures reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe. I couldn't see past the dark birds and the black and white scenes.I was blind to the commentaries about society. I was only looking through my misguided, untrained eyes. My interpretations were shallow. Later on, I found myself relating ideas to their photos. I learned something important from this extremely talented power couple. There are more to pictures than being interesting or beautiful. There are meanings, stories, and warnings ingrained in the work. I looked with my eyes, but I didn't see with my heart or head. Moral of the Story: It is okay to be confused about art, because it means that you are searching for the hidden meaning.After I disregarded these feelings, I found myself immediately entranced by the ideas and concepts of their art.
I feel that Kelly and Jaime's art encompassed overall ideas in society that cannot be answered verbally. I felt that they answered those question in their work by showing the viewers the cause and effect of these controversial questions. What happens when you release new technology into the world? It gets used for other purposes than what it was first meant to be. Like the instructions to bird suits being shredded into a new home. I find their art both interesting and thought-provoking. I couldn't keep my eyes off of the Nesting pictures and I found myself coming back to them often. The details were flawless and there was a hidden challenge of seeing everything pieced together. The New York Stock Exchange project aroused much interest in my mind. I was drawn to the use of digital bricks and real bricks. Also, I was drawn to the fact that Jaime monitored it every fifteen minutes. Overall, it was fascinating to see many types of art in one photo. I caught myself thinking about which object was ink or a photo.
Everything hit me all at once when I stepped into that gallery. The pictures on the monitor were not the same pictures that were hanging on the white walls. They were amazing and I could almost feel Kelly and Jamie's touches on their pictures. To meet the artists, hear the background on the pictures, and then see the works for yourself made it more special and meaningful to me. So once again I find myself thinking of this art show and I feel my mind wander back to the day that kindled a passion to want to see more of this interesting thing call, "art".
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Imperfection of Happines
Whether it is at a party, family outing, or just a special
moment, a camera is expected to turn up. We are expected to say, “Cheese” and
flash our teeth to the lens. We play the part of happy guests beautifully. We
pay too much attention to who is smiling or who looks happy. We do not pay
attention to the person behind the smile. What are they thinking? Did they
actually enjoy the day? In Martin Parr’s Photo, I think that he makes a statement about real
happiness through his technique and emphasis of particular elements.
BAM! You open the link to the picture and you see it. With a
bold, cherry red lipstick the person smiles confidently to the camera. It is a smile
that captures attention, in fact, that confident smile is the focus. The viewer
knows very little about the picture. They know that the artist is Martin Parr
and it was taken in 1999. They can see that it is a close up of a face. They
can see the smile and the bits of red lipstick remnants on the teeth. However,
they cannot see what is in the background or see the person’s eyes. The viewer
cannot pick out any details that would explain the setting or the time period.
Because of the lack of details there is a hint of mystery. Why is this person’s
mouth emphasized? What are they thinking? Are they attractive? Red lipstick
usually implies sex or the idea of glamor. However, this person just looks like
a smiling, mature female turned slightly to the camera. The background is not
important, because the photographer chose not to show the setting. Apparently,
the smile is the significant idea. The intentional lack of elements and
emphasis of the mouth makes the viewer think of happiness. And somehow, the viewer almost feels happy too,
because the focus is on that large smile.
I feel that this photo makes a statement about the
traditional smiling photos. Those smiles that we love to see, what happens
when we literally focus the lens on it? We see imperfection. We see an overbite and teeth splattered with
lipstick. We see a flawed human being, not a perfect super human. But she does
look happy. To me, I believe that the photographer was trying to say that
happiness isn’t perfect. Nothing is as significant as happiness. No make-up,
beauty, or background can be as important as capturing a person’s joy. It is okay to smile big and bold, because when we are truly happy we do not care what the world will see. This photo makes me think that although we can fake smiles, we cannot fake the
imperfection of happiness.
Happy Labor Day! :)
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