Photography of CC

Blog Post 9

2010-05-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

What is more important in self-portraiture – envisioning who you are (i.e. your “true self”) or envisioning who you wish to be (i.e. your “best self”)? Why?

The true self is most important in self-portraiture. If the photograph is meant to be taken as reality, then what should be shown is what is truly there; the true self. Who yo uwish to be shouldn't be a factor in a self-portrait, especially one that is supposed to be honest. Envisioning who you are, what you are is what is important in a self portrait because a self portrait is going to be used for years to come to represent you. If you lie about it, people could have a misrepresentation of who you are. A lie. Art is supposed to use lies to show the truth, not use lies to create lies.

Photoshop

2010-04-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

The main points of the article is that people need to not photoshop images so much, because it provides people with a false sense of reality. Women, in particular, strive to look like the people in magazines. When they see an extremely thin celebrity in a magazine, they then wish to look like the celebrity. The self-image that the magazines then give to women is so horrifying, because women feel they are too large and need to lose weight—even people who look like twigs. Magazines do not prefer to show reality, as it removes cellulite, wrinkles, and other commonalities of the human body.
Another main point in the article is that when the trend first started, photoshop was the extreme. Now, it is more provoking to show a woman as she really is, which I find beautiful, than the photoshopped version. A person’s real character is what makes articles stand out.
I do agree with the overall idea of the article. I enjoy seeing Kate Winslet with her curves, as well as other celebrities who look like real human beings. They really are no different than us, and I prefer being able to see this in magazines.
Photoshop should be used to alter photographs if the photo is extremely light or dark, or if the artist has an idea for how to make the photograph more interesting. If the photographer wishes for a fantasy photograph, then photoshop should be used. However, if the photographer wants a realistic photograph, then the “flaws” in the human physique need to be shown in the photograph, such as acne and cellulite.

Reflection: understand

2010-03-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

1) The purpose of the POV assignment was to have each student practice taking pictures from as many awkward angles as she possibly could, to show that awkward angles are sometimes the best angles for pictures. The Macro/ Minutiae assignment's purpose was so that each student could practice taking pictures that were close, as well as recognize the beauty in the smallest parts of life. It’s the small things that make my life, and the purpose was of the assignment was so that everyone could see this for a part of their life. The motion assignment was to help every student learn how to make things in motion still look good in a picture, a difficult task.
2) From the Point of View assignment, the most important thing I learned was that sometimes, you have to get into an odd position to take a good photograph. The Macro assignment taught that sometimes, the smallest details make the best picture. The Motion assignment taught me that it’s okay to take pictures of things in motion; I always found it difficult and I never enjoyed taking pictures of things that are moving, because I disliked the blur. This assignment taught me that sometimes, moving objects have artistic merit.
3) I think the assignments were in this order because the Point of View assignment is to get people comfortable with taking pictures at different angles; this is used in Macro pictures, where the different angles help find the perfect photograph of a small object. Motion was after macro because the motion pictures, when used with the macro setting, turn out really cool. The settings from previous assignments needed to be used in the ones after. Point of View needed to be used with macro, both of which needed to be used in motion.
4) The point of view project wasn’t my best work. I don’t know why, but I could get a good picture for that assignment. I tried 5 different objects and none of them came out as I’d hoped they would. I think it’s because I did them all in the span of two days and I wasn’t feeling creative. For the Macro/Minutiae project, I feel that I did okay, but I also feel that I wasn’t focusing on what I could have and should have been focusing on. I put too much thought into the objects themselves and not enough into the photographs. I feel that I should have taken photographs of larger things and then gone back to focus on the details instead of trying to focus on the details and not coming up with good pictures. The motion project I feel I did poorly on, too. My main issue with this project was that my main idea was to have a photograph of someone smoking—but it was windy and cold, so the photographs I tried of those made the person look awkward instead of interesting. The smoke would NOT go the way I wanted it to! I was so frazzled by my main idea not working that, when I had to use a different approach, I just couldn’t get it to work. This disappoints me, as it could have been a very cool photograph.
5. I wish I would have done my original idea for the macro project. I wanted to take pictures of things that people wear, including snippets of the people wearing them. I wanted it to show the personality of the wearer. Instead, I chose to do school supplies because nobody was willing to model for me who I would see in the time span of the project. I wish that I could have done my original idea—I’d gotten half way there with wearable objects, and I think it would have been interesting to provide such a project, but I couldn’t get anybody else to model for me and the two people I’d used I wouldn’t be seeing until after the project was due. I was just disappointed with my pictures for this project.
6. My favorite of these projects was motion. Although I feel I could have done better on it, I also love the motion I got in Amber’s skirt and legs. I think that I might have photoshopped it better, but I also feel that it was the most interesting project—especially if I had gotten the photograph I wanted.
7. The photography project has made me want to take pictures of things from every angle. The macro didn’t impact my photography as much, as I already love the details in things, but the motion project made me unafraid to find moving objects and take pictures of them. Before, I never would have done such a thing as I found my versions of these pictures to be unprofessional, but I’ve learned how to make it appear professional through this assignment.

God is in the details

2010-03-08T11:43:00.001-08:00

Consider the quote: "God is in the details."

I interpret this quote to mean that the details show the true aspect of God. It also means that when we look a the details, the small things like the way bees live, we are amazed and can truly see what "God" means. Every day, God is in the small details of life. The little smile that someone offers to another person, the ants that march into the Latin room... These little things show God. They show the work that little creations do, or the love that one person has for another. It's the little things that make life worth while. Cameras are a great way to preserve the details. They can capture the little bit of love that someone has for another person, or the little freckle on a person's skin. The macro setting is perfect for these details, because then one can zoom in extremely close and cancel out the big things that distract from the God-like details.

Framing

2010-03-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

"Photography is about finding out what can happen in the frame. When you put four edges around some facts, you change those facts." -- Gary Winogrand.

What does this quote mean? Consider the quote in context of our work with framing and composition.
This quote means that when only certain things are shown, things look different than they would if the entirety of something is shown. When a purse is shown alone, it looks completely different than if someone was sneaking up to the purse to grab money. It's the small details that create a completely different feel in a picture. It's these small things, as well as lighting and point of view, that create the feel of the picture. Since this is true, it is important to frame things correctly.

Reflection on Feedback

2010-02-25T06:15:00.000-08:00

I think that I did rather well on the lighting assignment. I was surprised to hear that I incorporated all of the different aspects into one picture, in all honesty. I recognized that the picture had artistic talent in it, shown by the photograph being visually pleasing (things that are visually pleasing are usually automatically artistic; it's just a matter of looking at the details to find out how the artwork is visually pleasing). However, I didn't realize that the picture had taken into account silhouette, direct lighting, and diffused lighting, as well as having transparent, reflective and textured objects. The feedback I received was all positive, and not a single person had even a single bad thing to say about the photograph that I posted on Flickr. I do feel that it was deserved to an extent, because I spent a while trying to get the angle and lighting exactly right. It was a difficult picture to take because of the two lights, as well as the mobility of the object (it didn't want to stay in one place on the blanket). However, I do not think that there was that much thought put into the photograph; most of it was pure instinct on what to do. After taking the picture and reading the articles on shapes in photographs, I realized that the picture contains a triangle; something that I now see is part of the artistic merit of the picture. The requirements in the project did seem to slightly change. It seemed to me that the requirements were to take artistic pictures and have the majority of them turn out well. I do think that I deserved a certain amount of negative feedback that wasn’t mentioned during the critiquing of m y photograph: everybody just seemed to enjoy it and not really look into the aspects of the photograph that make what it is and I think that people should have looked more at the accidental nature of the photograph. Although it turned out well, I think it was worth mentioning that the entire photograph was, in fact, an accident of sorts. The camera slipped out of my hand, creating a different angle than I meant. Although it turned out well, I think that people should realize the best photographs can come from mistakes.

Technical vs. Emotive

2010-02-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

When you first look at a photograph and make an initial judgment of it as being 'great', is it because it is technically great or because it makes you feel something? In other words, are you reacting to its technical quality or its emotive quality? Explain in detail.
I think that a picture is considered great because of the emotive quality it gives a person, which is inspired by the technical quality. For example, because of the colors in a photograph, a person might feel calm; because of this feeling, the person might like the photograph. Certain lines may create an odd, disjointed feel; a person might think it's a great photo because it makes him or her uneasy. Photographers create photos so that people feel something from their artwork. To make people feel something, they use the technical things, like lines, lighting, arrangement, and other technical things. Because of this, I feel that a person thinks a photo is great because of how it makes them feel, which is caused by the technical aspects of the photograph.

2010-02-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

Flickr image! click here to see!
-The photograph has some transparent object with a shiny top. The different hues of lighting create a very dynamic look in the photo, providing contrast in the yellow and the blue light. The angle of the light also creates a very nice texture effect from the cloth the object is resting on, as well as creating a lovely imagery of the shiny top. The lines from the object, as well as the fabric, draw the eye around the picture. I find the picture to be oddly poetic; yellow versus blue, symbolizing good versus evil. I feel this is a good photograph because of the different views that can be taken away from the photo, as well as the ethereal glow that emits from the object. The detail on the shiny part also adds to the feeling that it is a good photograph.I think that it is a rather original piece, as not many people would take a picture of a tool for a bicycle, least of all in a poetic sense like this.
-Setting up for different lighting scenarios was interesting. The diffused were easiest to take outside or when the lights were off, because the snow and grey sky reflecting things to be the same shade. Direct was easiest when there was one light source fairly close to the object in the picture. Silhouette was interesting to set up; at first I tried a lamp behind an object, but I found that using the outdoor light while inside with no lights on worked particularly well. These will help me when I need to take future pictures and I know what type of feel I want the pictures to have.
-I struggled with the direct lighting the most. I assumed that the light from one place would show up in the photo, yet the photos generally had a diffused air to them (probably due to the unity of color outside, where I attempted to take the majority of pictures). It was while doing this activity that I discovered it's best to have a close light source to create direct lighting. This is also the area that I liked best. Taking direct lighting required the most thought and effort and, as such, I enjoyed taking these pictures.
-What is the easiest way to take diffuse pictures outdoors when there isn't snow?

Andy Goldsworthy

2010-01-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

1) What might be the appeal of working with all natural/alternative mterials in your artwork? What might some advantages/ disadvantages be?
The appeal of working with all natural or alternative materials might be that there is an abundance of natural things and alternative materials. Also, since people literally have minds of their own and can do what they want instead of what the artist wants. Although natural and alternative materials move, they are less likely to move everywhere than living creatures such as animals and humans. It would be an advantage to be able to move everything as you want it and not have it move. Also, the pieces can stay up for periods of time, unlike humans and other things. For example, the wall that Goldsworthy had built will remain there for extended periods of time. However, alternative materials could be illegal in certain areas; moving rocks in certain parks is forbidden, which makes his masterpieces difficult to create.
2) What is the point of working on art that will disappear with the elements?
The point of the artwork is creating it. Art is expressing something about a person, and Goldsworthy's artwork depicts how he feels about things. Even though some of his art will disappear, he was still able to express himself using the medium of his choice.
6) I think that anything is art. Although a person doesn't normally look at a pile of rocks or leaves as art, I feel differently. I think that everything is art if a person wants it to be. "Art" is such a broad term, and I believe that if a person says something is art, that it elicits an emotion, than it is art. Goldsworthy's work is art, according to me, because it makes people, especially him, elicit emotion.

Test

2010-01-22T07:33:00.000-08:00