Conceptual Project

                                                                     Index Prints

Photo Challenge

                                                              Balance

                                                             Texture

                                                                        Pattern

                                                                     Contrast

                                                         
                                                                Symmetry

 

                                                                      Depth

Triptych Project

Critique Assignment

 Critique: Photo #1

http://lightbox.time.com/2013/12/02/time-picks-the-top-10-photos-of-2013/#1

*The photograph was taken during or following the bombing at the Boston marathon. The photographer is most-likely an onlooker, or a news reporter. This photograph is taken under dangerous circumstances, after a serious bombing scare in America. The photograph reveals pure chaos, with cops running frantically, a dumbfounded elderly runner laying on the ground, and the remaining runners fearfully running in the background. The thing I dislike about the photo is the appearance that the cop is not concerned with helping the elderly runner on the ground in front of him; he is looking off to the left. Another cop is running towards the right with her gun in hand. I believe it correctly captures the chaos and fear of this occurrence that day. The figures in focus are the cops and the runner laying on the ground, while the runners and onlookers in the background are out of focus, making the depth of focus moderate. Distractions are the following: smoke from explosions, pieces of clothing or items scattered across the street, the brightly colored cop vests, the runner's shirt, and the many bright colored flags flapping in the wind. It has moderate contrast, due to the vivid colors of the cops in the foreground, but the way the fog/ smoke dulls the other objects and people in the background. The emotional impression captured from this photo is pure fear and shock. The cops are struggling to continue their duties, while trying to help control this terrifying situation. 

Critique: Photo #2

          http://nypost.com/2013/12/31/best-photos-of-2013/#1

*The photo is taken during the beginning of a military funeral ceremony. The photographer captures fellow troops carrying the casket of a fallen soldier away from the military aircraft they embarked on. There are two soldiers saluting the men carrying their fellow brother. The one thing I somewhat dislike about the photo is the area and span the photographer decided to capture. From this perspective, you are unable to see the place they are heading, where I am sure there are more men and women waiting to say their goodbyes. Though I feel this way, I believe the aircraft is captured because it possibly symbolizes the soldier's attachment to the military, possibly by the U.S. Navy or Air Force. The color withholds deep contrast throughout the blues of the sky, which may also add to my interpretation that this fallen soldier was part of the Air Force. The aircraft is in focus, while the soldiers are out of focus in the background. I really like the color and placement of the back end of the aircraft. This photo has a sad, but honorable emotional impression, with the fellow soldiers and the two whom are saluting in the background. 

Parts of Critique

Class Critique Details & Requirements 

Examine the photograph. Note your first impression upon visually taking in the entire photo, then study all of the details of the photo, being sure to view every component both singularly and in relation to the overall composition.

Discern the facts of its taking.  Who is the photographer? Where and when was it taken? What was the purpose or circumstance of the photograph being taken?

Describe the image in detail.  Use precise language to identify all of the visual elements you can perceive. Ex. "The boy in the corner" would be "The young, frightened boy, huddled in the corner".

Decipher what you like and dislike about the photograph. A photo critique generally begins with a basic impression of what you feel works for the photo and doesn't work for the photo. You don't have to share these perceptions; they are, rather starting points for further analysis.

Address the technical components. Try to be as objective as possible when covering the technical elements of a photograph.

Focus-Determine whether the photo is properly focused, or if it is unintentionally blurred by way of technical error. Note the use of depth of focus (depth of field) if it is in evidence.

Dust and other technical distractions-Did the photographer capture unwanted dust or glare in the photo? 

Color-Not all photos need to represent colors as they would appear to the unaided eye, but the photograph's use of color should be intentional and relevant to the photo. Faded, dull or ruddy color tones may be the product of technical error.

Lighting-Too much or too little lighting may result in a number of technically sub-par photography results. Where is the light coming from? Does it flatter and enhance the subject?

Exposure-This pertains to the length of time the camera was enabled to take in the image and affects the lighting and contrast. A higher exposure allows more light to filter in, and may result in too-white highlights, while a lower exposure may result in a too-dark photo with muddled contrast lines.

Tonal Contrast-This describes the separation between the lightest parts of a photo and the darkest parts. The greater the separation the greater the contrast.
        A. High contrast, mainly pure blacks and pure whites with little gray tones.
        B. Normal contrast, equal amounts of pure blacks, pure whites and gray tones.
        C. Low contrast, more gray tones with little pure blacks or pure whites.

Address the subjective elements.

Emotional Appeal-What emotion do you feel when you look at the photo? 

Did the photographer connect with his subjects or do they look tense, posed or stilted?

Does the photograph tell a story, or part of one?  (It could be as simple as, “here are my kids who I adore” or “here’s my dog catching a frisbee.” Or a very deep one such as, “this is what poverty looks like, right in my hometown.”)

Describe the photograph in terms of your general feeling or impression. This is a subjective part of critiquing photography, and is necessary to relaying the aesthetic impact of the photo to the photographer. For example, a gritty black and white headshot may prompt this sort of description: "This portrait evokes a raw and intimate feeling, and gives a sense of the subject's humility and strength."

Adapted from: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Photography-Critique

Motion Photography Project

                           Motion in Photography 

                                                          Index Prints

Blogspot Response

                          Picture Interpretation

               The face appears to have a powdery overlay and looks like it may be the face of a young boy or girl. I believe a picture is made up of layers with two different images, one being the close up of the face, and the other being a picture of a person rock climbing. The person rock climbing was then copied and added to the face. This gives the impression that the person is rock climbing up the girl or boys face. I also have another hypothesis that the rope the person is using to climb is possibly a loose strand of hair. This picture puts an emphasis on the small surfaces and curves of the face by making them seem big with a small person climbing across them. This is relative to my interpretation of the scale difference with the face and the man; they are drastically skewed to make the face appear to be like a cliff. 

ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPH 

Something From Nothing Project

Garden Light

Reflections Project

Reflections 

Projects to Grade

I would like to have my two best projects graded:
1. Forced Perspective
2. Reflections

Photograph Manipulation Response

Manipulation Response

Do you agree with the idea that a (journalist) photographer should protect the truth and represent it as accurately as possible"? Is there any room for expression or creative license in journalistic photography?

I personally believe the usage of the same photo by more than one magazine company is somewhat unprofessional, and devalues both articles. Journalist photographers should complete the fundamental editing steps for their photos. But, too many alterations can sway viewers' opinions, such as the magazines displaying the OJ Simpson case. Therefore, it's unethical to use biased photographs. I believe the creativity of the photographer lies within the photo itself, therefore should not be completely skewed, or the same as other's photos.

HISTORY

History Questions

question1
who is louis daguerre and why is he special? how did he become independently wealthy?

-He discovered how to develop exposed pictures chemically. Louis Daguerre invented the daguerreotype process; this immense improvement in the world of photography helped gain his wealth.

question 2
what type of photos did people take when photography was first invented? what were some of the difficulties they had to endure?

-The type of photos taken when photography was first invented were portraits like family murals. The difficulties of taking these photos was the long exposure time; people often used props to stay still and didn't smile because of the difficulty of holding smiles for such a long period of time.

question 3
Name the three different types of early photographs. what did they look like? why/ how did they get their nicknames?

-Daguerrotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes. All contain black and white color characteristics, and their images are murky, although ambrotypes contain a bit more contrast than daguerrotypes. Daguerrotypes get their nickname from its inventor, louis Daguerre. Ambrotypes get their nickname from James Ambrose whom patented the process of positive images. Tintypes get their nickname from the tin material used for the surface area of this photo. 

question 4
what is a Kodak brownie? how does it work? what made it so popular? can you buy one today? 

-Kodak brownie is the name of a popular series of simple and inexpensive cameras made by Eastman Kodak. The brownie popularized low-cost photography and introduced the concept of the snapshot. It is possible to buy this type of camera if you happen to find a seller. 

question 5
who were the dadaists? what was their photographic work like? why are they considered "important" in the history of photography?

-Dadaists practiced styles of unconventional typographic design, frequently mixing fonts employing unorthodox punctuation, printing both horizontally and vetically on a single sheet, and sprinkling texts with randomly chosen printers' symbols. This nickname trails back to the style of typography known as dadaism. They are considered important because they were one of the most influential people for art movements and branched out for the invention of new artistic styles. 

             Ambrotypes 

Daguerrotypes

 

Tintype

dadaism typography