On April 12th, the seacoast community of New Hampshire, the entire state, and beyond lost a police officer. Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney was killed in the line of duty while serving a warrant in the town of Greenland. He was killed while saving the lives of injured officers during the shootout. He was a huge part of this community, an incredible officer, and someone who truly cared for his people and the town he served. He was only 8 days from retirement and unlike most people, wasn't going to take the easy road to his retirement date. The wake for Chief Michael Maloney was on Wednesday April 18th and the funeral and memorial service for the public was Thursday 19th. There was a walk down Route 1 in Hampton to Winnacunnent High School where the memorial service was held. Thousands of law enforcement officers from around the country were in attendance as well as thousands of community members. This is a link to the blog of the photographer who was hired by the New Hampshire Chief of Police Association to photograph the events for Mike Maloney's services.
Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Final Project
So, I haven't taken any shots yet for the final but I'm thinking about continuing with my Emulation project because I really liked the way the images came out and I really enjoyed trekking through the woods to find interesting compositions. I'm debating between shooting with the Bronica again or shooting this project with my 4x5 because the images with the 4x5 are much more focused and with my intention of going 16x20 for the final images, the photos won't be so grainy.
Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get out into the wild and investigate exactly what I'm looking for for this project.
Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get out into the wild and investigate exactly what I'm looking for for this project.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Currier Museum Visit
On Thursday we visited the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester to see the exhibit: A New Vision: Modernist Photography. Although, our visit was interrupted by a fire alarm, I was able to have enough time in the museum to study the photographs in the new exhibit. There were plenty of photographers that I recognized however there were a few that I enjoyed more than others.
The two photographs that I'm choosing to compare and contrast are:
Alfred G. Buckham's "Edinburgh"
and Berenice Abbott's "Theoline"
I think that both these photographs have great compositions which move the viewer's eye throughout the entirety of the photographs. I think that even though these are digital copies of the originals, from what I remember the print quality of both images was pretty good, especially for the age. I was amazed with how in focus the images are. It seems like both of them are in focus from foreground to background. Both images have a geometric quality to them. "Edinburgh" has the buildings and such in the foreground which are very angular and "Theoline" has lots of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines from the ship and also the cityscape in the background. Both images have a good tonal range between the shadows and the highlights. I especially enjoy the shadows cast by the ship parts in "Theoline." Clearly, the subjects are different between the two images. I think that "Edinburgh" is more of a landscape and perhaps even an advertisement type photograph for air travel but I think that "Theoline" was a photograph created with an artistic intent. I think that Abbott noticed the shadows, lines, and the somewhat chaotic scene in front of her and decided to capture it.
I can't think of the names but there were pieces of artwork in the exhibit that were not photos. They were pen and ink drawings, etchings, and some paintings. I felt like those pieces didn't fit well in this photography exhibit. I also think that some of the Edward Weston photos were the best ones they could have included. There were a few that would've been more successful if Weston had included more of the tree or excluded something things in a few of the other pictures. Like I said, I don't have the exact names or descriptions of the images because I clearly didn't read the blog requirements prior to visiting the museum.
If I could have an image hanging on my wall in my house it would probably be a Gelatin-silver print made by Ralston Crawford. It's untitled but the description includes 'wharf objects.' It's a photo of a wharf with a building on the left side, a dock going into the background with what looks like a mooring ball and some other things similar to that sitting on the pier. I'm drawn to this image because of it's tonal quality and because I'm partial to some of the more pictorial images. Even though this image isn't technically a landscape, I still feel like that this would fall into the category of Pictorialism.
Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the museum. I'm glad that this exhibit was worth the time it took to drive down to Manchester because I've had experiences traveling to the Currier where the exhibit wasn't really worth my time and left disappointed. I was happy to see an exhibit at this museum that was different and more interesting than the more permanent exhibits that are on display.
The two photographs that I'm choosing to compare and contrast are:
Alfred G. Buckham's "Edinburgh"
and Berenice Abbott's "Theoline"
I think that both these photographs have great compositions which move the viewer's eye throughout the entirety of the photographs. I think that even though these are digital copies of the originals, from what I remember the print quality of both images was pretty good, especially for the age. I was amazed with how in focus the images are. It seems like both of them are in focus from foreground to background. Both images have a geometric quality to them. "Edinburgh" has the buildings and such in the foreground which are very angular and "Theoline" has lots of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines from the ship and also the cityscape in the background. Both images have a good tonal range between the shadows and the highlights. I especially enjoy the shadows cast by the ship parts in "Theoline." Clearly, the subjects are different between the two images. I think that "Edinburgh" is more of a landscape and perhaps even an advertisement type photograph for air travel but I think that "Theoline" was a photograph created with an artistic intent. I think that Abbott noticed the shadows, lines, and the somewhat chaotic scene in front of her and decided to capture it.
I can't think of the names but there were pieces of artwork in the exhibit that were not photos. They were pen and ink drawings, etchings, and some paintings. I felt like those pieces didn't fit well in this photography exhibit. I also think that some of the Edward Weston photos were the best ones they could have included. There were a few that would've been more successful if Weston had included more of the tree or excluded something things in a few of the other pictures. Like I said, I don't have the exact names or descriptions of the images because I clearly didn't read the blog requirements prior to visiting the museum.
If I could have an image hanging on my wall in my house it would probably be a Gelatin-silver print made by Ralston Crawford. It's untitled but the description includes 'wharf objects.' It's a photo of a wharf with a building on the left side, a dock going into the background with what looks like a mooring ball and some other things similar to that sitting on the pier. I'm drawn to this image because of it's tonal quality and because I'm partial to some of the more pictorial images. Even though this image isn't technically a landscape, I still feel like that this would fall into the category of Pictorialism.
Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the museum. I'm glad that this exhibit was worth the time it took to drive down to Manchester because I've had experiences traveling to the Currier where the exhibit wasn't really worth my time and left disappointed. I was happy to see an exhibit at this museum that was different and more interesting than the more permanent exhibits that are on display.
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.
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