Five Self Portraits:
Harsh Light Portrait
Blue Wall Portrait
Silhouette Portrait
Red Stairwell Portrait
White Hallway Portrait
Shaded Area Portrait
Environmental Portrait
Bird's Eye View
It's A Bird
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Scavenger Hunt In Kingsbury
Photos from our photographic scavenger hunt in Kingsbury.
Five Self Portraits:
Harsh Light Portrait
Blue Wall Portrait
Silhouette Portrait
Red Stairwell Portrait
White Hallway Portrait
Shaded Area Portrait
Environmental Portrait
Bird's Eye View
It's A Bird
Five Self Portraits:
Harsh Light Portrait
Blue Wall Portrait
Silhouette Portrait
Red Stairwell Portrait
White Hallway Portrait
Shaded Area Portrait
Environmental Portrait
Bird's Eye View
It's A Bird
Monday, March 19, 2012
Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes
Camera Lucida book was pretty hard to get through. I think mostly it was because it was translated from another language? But also, because it seemed as though Barthes was trying to have a conversation with me (the reader) but not giving me a change to respond to what he said. So, that was a little frustrating.
I enjoyed how in the beginning of the book, Barthes referenced how a photograph turns a subject into an object, something to be looked at and studied for a length of time. I enjoyed how around this same place in the book, he talked about how being the subject of a photograph, knowing that the lens is pointed at you, changes how you feel and act. He suggests that most people pose a certain way they know someone is taking a picture of them. A quote of page 13 gives more detail on this idea of his:
"The portrait-photograph is a close field of forces. Four image-repertoires intersect here, oppose and distort each other. In front from the lens, I am at the same time: the one I think I am, the one I want others to think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am and the one he makes use of to exhibit his work. In other words, a strange action: I do not stop imitating myself, and because of this, each time I am (or let myself be) photographed, I invariably suffer from a sensation of inauthenticity, sometimes imposture.”
A little later in the book, he talks about what attracts him to certain photographs or what intrigues him to make him sit longer and look. He defines the Latin word "stadium" as a 'general enthusiastic commitment.' This is a quote from page 26, in which he describes his attraction to photographs:
"It is by stadium that I am interested in so many photographs, whether I receive them as political testimony or enjoy them as good historical scenes: for it is culturally (this connotation is present in stadium) that I participate in the figures, the faces, the gestures, the settings, the actions.”
I believe that anyone can enjoy and appreciate photographs with which they have something in common. Whether it's a thread of a memory of which the photograph reminds them, a familiar place, or a person in a photograph.
I think what Barthes wants photographers to do is to challenge what we know as boundaries. He wants photographers to think outside the box and do things that seem weird or crazy. Go beyond what we know about photography and push the limits of the medium and of our selves. However, I think that personally it's kind of hard for me to challenge the boundaries of photography because with the increased focus on digital photography, you can manipulate images so they are totally unrecognizable which I don't really enjoy. I'm much more of a purist photographer and like to look for the interesting things that are in the world we live in, rather than create interesting things.
"Such are the two ways of the Photograph. The choice is mine: to subject its spectacle to the civilized code of perfect illusions, or to confront in it the wakening of intractable reality.” (page 119)
I enjoyed how in the beginning of the book, Barthes referenced how a photograph turns a subject into an object, something to be looked at and studied for a length of time. I enjoyed how around this same place in the book, he talked about how being the subject of a photograph, knowing that the lens is pointed at you, changes how you feel and act. He suggests that most people pose a certain way they know someone is taking a picture of them. A quote of page 13 gives more detail on this idea of his:
"The portrait-photograph is a close field of forces. Four image-repertoires intersect here, oppose and distort each other. In front from the lens, I am at the same time: the one I think I am, the one I want others to think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am and the one he makes use of to exhibit his work. In other words, a strange action: I do not stop imitating myself, and because of this, each time I am (or let myself be) photographed, I invariably suffer from a sensation of inauthenticity, sometimes imposture.”
A little later in the book, he talks about what attracts him to certain photographs or what intrigues him to make him sit longer and look. He defines the Latin word "stadium" as a 'general enthusiastic commitment.' This is a quote from page 26, in which he describes his attraction to photographs:
"It is by stadium that I am interested in so many photographs, whether I receive them as political testimony or enjoy them as good historical scenes: for it is culturally (this connotation is present in stadium) that I participate in the figures, the faces, the gestures, the settings, the actions.”
I believe that anyone can enjoy and appreciate photographs with which they have something in common. Whether it's a thread of a memory of which the photograph reminds them, a familiar place, or a person in a photograph.
I think what Barthes wants photographers to do is to challenge what we know as boundaries. He wants photographers to think outside the box and do things that seem weird or crazy. Go beyond what we know about photography and push the limits of the medium and of our selves. However, I think that personally it's kind of hard for me to challenge the boundaries of photography because with the increased focus on digital photography, you can manipulate images so they are totally unrecognizable which I don't really enjoy. I'm much more of a purist photographer and like to look for the interesting things that are in the world we live in, rather than create interesting things.
"Such are the two ways of the Photograph. The choice is mine: to subject its spectacle to the civilized code of perfect illusions, or to confront in it the wakening of intractable reality.” (page 119)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Lighting: Rim Lighting & High Key Lighting
Rim Lighting is a light placed behind the subject to create a subtle contrast between the setting and the subject the camera is focused upon. The rim light produces a three-dimensional look. You can use another light set to fill the subject from the front for an evening lit subject. Rim Lighting is often used to create drama within a photograph.
Example:
Diagram:
High Key Lighting is a bright light used to blow out most or all harsh shadows in an image. It uses multiple lights from different angles to achieve this effect. High Key Lighting is typically used to convey an upbeat or happy subject.
Example:
Diagram:
I found these images by searching 'Rim Lighting' and 'High Key Lighting' through the Google Images search engine.
Example:
Diagram:
High Key Lighting is a bright light used to blow out most or all harsh shadows in an image. It uses multiple lights from different angles to achieve this effect. High Key Lighting is typically used to convey an upbeat or happy subject.
Example:
Diagram:
I found these images by searching 'Rim Lighting' and 'High Key Lighting' through the Google Images search engine.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Contact Sheets: Holga
I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for this project. I really like landscapes but I also love old stuff. So, these negatives are kind of a mixture of both. I've got a roll of film to develop and another roll still to shoot, so hopefully between those two I'll be able to get a project put together.
Tierney Gearon "A Mother's Project"
I absolutely loved this documentary. I love when artists make a documentary that is very truthful and honest. The ones where they don't try to hide their struggles, frustrations, successes, etc. I think that Gearon went through some similar issues that photographers go through when photographing children. I think that Gearon's work is beautiful and compelling. I liked seeing her interact with her mother in many different situations. I can only imagine how difficult it can be to deal with someone who has some type of social disorder but I think that Gearon worked well with her mother and was able to capture so many different aspects of her personality. I liked how raw the documentary was and how it didn't seem like they were making the family do something just for the sake of making a good film. I especially liked that Gearon wasn't afraid to show her vulnerability, snippets of her childhood and her true working environment to the viewer.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Emulation Project
So, Julee told me to check out Michael Henna because he does a lot of landscape photography that is similar to some of the landscapes that I've done in the past. I read up on him and viewed his website. What I really like about him is that his images are in black and white, he uses the Hasselblad medium format and the Holga for almost all of his work. His images are really in focus and are so clear. He's traveled all over the world and photographed lots of well known places but also some not so well known areas. I'm looking forward to investigating Michael Henna's work and perhaps emulating him.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Contact Sheets for Slide Presentation
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