Extra Credit Assignments

1) Man's Best Friend

2) Directions

3) Convenience

2) Directions

Final Project - 101 Strangers

Final Project Idea

My Project is going to be titled something along the lines of '101 Strangers.'

I'm trying to decide between photographing the people I meet before I talk to them, after I talk to them, or both.

Also I'm trying to decide whether I want to ask specific questions or really vague questions such as 'who are you?'

Blog Prompt #26

Brainstorms! (In an effort to expand, improve, add complexity, and push your final projects further, please pick 10 of the following to discuss.)

1. Ideas sometimes grow out of irritation. What is a negative thought you are having about your project? What is the opposite of this negative thought? How could you implement a change in your project so that this negative thought will subside?
2. What is the “opposite” of your final project? How can you rework your project to include the “opposite”?
3. What is a consistent theme/visual element in your project? What would be the opposite of this? How can you implement that into your project?
4. Type twenty words or phrases that relate to your project.
5. At the deepest core, describe why you like this project. Dig deep!
6. Expand your project. If time, money, materials, etc would not affect you, how would you expand your project?
7. Contract your project. What would it boil down to if squeezed and contracted to its simplest form?
8. Look at one of your images. Redesign it entirely.
9. Divide your project into three components. Rearrange and reassemble them in your mind.
10. List your assumptions about your project. Reverse these.
11. What would your project look like 100 years ago? What would your project look like 100 years in the future?
12. Remove something from your project. How does it change?
13. Persuade the reader that your project works well and is the most amazing project you have ever completed.
14. Persuade the reader that your project stinks. Then, persuade the reader that you will make changes so that it no longer stinks.
15. Think of one of your most memorable dreams. How could you add elements from this dreams to your project?
16. How would you convert your project into a narrative? How would you remove any narrative from your project?
17. How would you connect your images physically and conceptually? How would you make them disconnected physically and conceptually?
18. What would happen if you demolished your project and reconstructed it physically or conceptually?
19. Name an artist/photographer/designer/videographer who would love your project. Why?
20. Name an artist/photographer/designer/videographer who would hate your project. Why?
21. How would you make your project more edgy, saccharine, provocative, empty, revealing, concealing, funny, sad, mysterious, blunt, honest, disingenuous, fast, slow, playful, austere, hateful, lovable, bold, subtle, long, short, big, small, connected, disconnected?

Assignment 005 - Constructed Reality

In Progress Critique, Tuesday 4/12

Image 001 - Prompt: Subtle Constructions


Image 002 - Prompt: Subtle Constructions


Image 003 - Prompt: Subtle Constructions


Image 004 - Prompt: Subtle Constructions


Image 005 - Miniature


Image 006 - Prompt: Scanography

Blog Prompt #25

You as Curator
1) Frank Celaya: Since this photographer was at the top of the list, he was one of the first ones I saw. I found these pictures to be unique because it is common to see photographs of nude female models but less common to see photographs of nude male models.

2) Matt Dixon: I like these photos because they are different from a lot of the others. While they are abstracted, my mind also tries to figure out what object or place this could be an extreme close up of.

3) Diane Moore: I like this set because it makes me feel like I have a personal relationship with the subjects. The photographer seemed to go in to their natural 'habitat'/environment and document their every day surroundings and life.

4) Robert Leon: I chose this photographer because I like that while his photographs capture a culture that is not very modernized yet, there is evidence of Western influences on the people.

5) Dave Reist: I chose this photographer because this image would have taken some skill, or maybe really good luck, to capture. In a way, the subbject is almost abstracted because of the wave in front of him.

6) Steven Laxton: I am intrigued by this set of photographs because he makes the subjects seem almost non human, although they are obviously human figures.

7) Debbie Osterhage: I was drawn to this photographers work because of the unique use of lighting on both human and non human subjects.

Blog Prompt #24

A. Pick two images from any of the “constructed reality” photographers presented in class or linked on the assignment sheet. Describe how you could recreate these two images on a “smaller scale”.

I can see this image by Nazif Topcuoglu being reconstucted on a miniature scale with barbies or perhaps some other type of doll. I think recreating the image with Barbies would create an interesting alteration on the photo because barbies have less fluid/organic lines and more harsh/hard lines to their forms.

For this image by Seungwoo Back I would recreate it on a smaller scale using legos for the buildings and paper to recreate the boats on a smaller scale.

B. Describe your plans for your self-proposed final project (if the plan is the same as before, paste it here again and give a bit more detail). During the final critique for Assignment #5, you will discuss/present these ideas to the class.

I am currently still trying to decide between three general directions for my final project. 1) 100 Strangers (or a variation, ie. a different number), basically the project would include approaching strangers and asking them first of all to take their picture. Then to talk to them about themselves/their background/etc. The project would be a sort of documentary of a random sampling of people. I'm also thinking about steering the project in a more narrow direction such as only MSU students or something of the sort. 2) A-Z, this project would include a photo for each letter of the alphabet. 3) Color project. This project would include at least 7 sets, each being focused on a different color.