Blog Prompt #7

In a single day I saw photographic images pretty much EVERYWHERE. I saw images while shopping, while driving, as well as in my own home. To me, it seems that portraits on both Facebook and the news seek to present their subjects as a little more 'glamorous' than they really are. Facebook users take images to impress their friends and live up to societal standards. The news wants to present a certain image of people to maintain viewers and ratings. I feel that images put out by the news tell more of a story since that it the purpose of it. Facebook images have more of a face value intent meaning they don't seek to tell much of a story, they're more just to look at.

Blog Prompt #6

In my opinion altering portraits isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes it's really difficult to get factors like lighting how you want them depending on the circumstances in which you are shooting. Therefore altering things like light/exposure/etc. can be beneficial to your photos and it doesn't really cross any ethical boundaries. I do think that altering peoples faces in portraits can be a touchy subject. Personally, I think its okay to do minor alterations such as removing braces in senior portraits because they are so temporary. However, I think its completely unethical to airbrush out "flaws" or make people appear skinnier as much of the media does.

Blog Prompt #5

I agree with both of these quotes. I feel like taking a photograph of a person can be a very personal thing. Taking pictures of people in their natural environment, such as their home for example, lets the rest of the world get a glimpse of their everyday life but its also sort of an invasion of their privacy. I also agree that you should let people know if you're photographing them but this isn't always practical or doable.

Assignment 001 - Explore

Image 001: Light

I chose to include only part of the jar so that it created some question as to what the actual object was. I think that the diagonal line contributes to the interestingness of this photo. Had I chose to shoot th

e jar from a horizontal or vertical perspective it would have taken away from the photo. The most important element in this photo is the light. The lighting is dramatic and makes the viewer question where it is coming from. The prompt that inspired this image was light. I feel like that message is successfully conveyed in this image because the lighting is strong and adds an interest element to the photo. This image was kind of an accident but ended up being one of my favorites. I was using Christmas lights inside the jar to try to create an image I liked. After getting bored with just the Christmas lights I tried to find different kinds of light that I could use; a flashlight was one of the first things I found. Despite the flashlight being dim, terrible lighting I think that it worked well in this photo since it was concentrated into the jar. I think that my photo is an interesting use of light however it would be useful to redo this shoot and try reflecting the light into different containers to see what kinds of results I could get.

Image 002: Burnt Out

I feel that in this image line is an important element. The image was taken at an angle but the matches were arranged on a straight line so it creates a contrast between the two. The vertical lines of the matches themselves also create contrast among the varying lines in the image. The dark already burned out parts and the light unburned parts of the matches also create contrast between one another. The only thing in focus is the matches, creating a very short depth of field. In creating this image I was trying to capture the moment when the match took flame. However, the only match that just took flame was the one to the far right. Although, I think that the different lengths that each match had been burning creates a more interesting image. It tells a story of the lifespan of a match: from the beginning being not burned at all to the end when it’s all black and burnt out and every step in between. In this sense I feel like the image creates a feeling of sorrow because one realizes how quickly a match goes from useful to garbage.

Image 003: Sparty Wants You

I chose the orientation of this image as portrait in order to attempt to create a greater sense of depth. The subject is cropped to dominate the frame because there is no background that adds to the story of the photograph. The finger is in focus and the figure is out of focus because the emphasis is on the message behind the pointing figure and also to create a sense of depth. In creating this image I was trying to create my own version of the 1917 “Uncle Sam Wants You” propaganda poster. The twist being that instead of Uncle Sam, Sparty Wants You. My image seems to create a more relaxed atmosphere based on the facial expression of the subject. I think that the message could have been made even stronger if the subject had been decked out in more Spartan gear.

Blog Prompt #4

“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.” ~Lewis Hine.

I take this quote to mean that since a "picture is worth a thousand words' it would take a lot to describe what was going on in an image. Therefore, it is easier to take an image to tell the story. I do agree with this idea. You can show someone an image and not tell them what was happening but they will still have some sense of the story behind the picture. Also, even if they dont understand the image right away a few words instead of a lot may point them in the right direction to understanding it.

Blog Prompt #3

“Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.”~Duane Michals.

I agree with this quote. A photograph captures the way that a scene appears. However, it only captures a single split second in time. Therefore, a picture can manipulate what seems to be going on in a scene. In order to get a true sense of what is happening you would need to know what happened before and after as well.

Blog Prompt #2

What does the word "photograph" mean to you?
To me the word "photograph" means an image that has captured a moment in time. It captures the event as well as all of the emotion involved and then invokes those emotions on its viewer.

Blog Prompt #1

Imagine a world without photographs. Describe what this world would be like.

A world without photographs would lead to a lot of uncertainty and confusion. Photographs help us to remember previous experiences as they appeared, instead of relying on our memories or written recollections of the event. They also help us to recall even the tiniest details.

Recreation 01

Original Image: Bill Brandt, Micheldever Nude, Hampshire, 1948

Bill Brandt was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1904. He later disowned his heritage and claimed to have been born in Southern London where he lived later. He rose to popularity through his documentation of British society; something that was uncommon at the time. He later abandoned his documentary photography and focused on portraiture and landscapes. In 1945 he did a series of nudes to mark the peace that came with the end of World War II. His photos are known for their use of wide-angle lenses, distortion, and high contrast.

My Recreation