Thanksgiving

Baraka

When I first heard that this movie would be silent I was baffled; thinking to myself "how are we supposed to know what this movie is about if there aren't any words?" After watching about the first five minutes I started to understand. I also started to become enthralled by the scenes being played before me. I especially enjoyed viewing the tribal chant and the traffic scenes that were played with an accompanying beat. One scene that I wasn't particularly fond of was the baby chick factory. I tried not watching so I am not completely sure of what exactly happened there.

After watching the majority of the film, missing about the last ten minutes, I feel that it was a documentary of the different cultures of the world. Showcasing the life different people lead and how different cultures lead out their lives. Certain scenes were powerful, like the chanting scene, which left goosebumps on my skin. Others were disturbing, while others scenes were simply nice to take in for the beauty they offered.

I enjoyed seeing the lives of many different cultures and I am happy that the director decided to include such a vast array of cultures. I noticed during the film that the rule of thirds and space was used frequently. However, after awhile I stopped trying to look for photography principles as I became more and more enthraled with the what I was watching. Overall, I enjoyed the movie immensely and wished I would have gotten to see the ending; however, I couldn't stay the extra time after class.

Crepe Sale & Club Officer Meeting

Notes p. 114-125

Environmental Portrait

An environmental portrait tells a person's story with the use of the surroundings in a photo.
Picture taken from here



Self-Portrait

In a self-portrait you become you own subject. This is a chance for a person to reveal as much or as little of themselves as they choose. It can relate to your life, or who you are as a person. You also choose the setting. In its essence it is about yourself.
Picture taken from here



Lighting for Formal Portraits

Outdoor Lighting
When working outdoors direct sunlight can be harsh; therefore, not making it the most suitable source of lighting in pictures. Shooting in open shade, such as shadows from builings or trees can help filter the light and make the subject more comfortable.
Photo taken from here

Shadow Photography

One Shot

We were given an assignment to upload a photo from our camera's without looking through all of them on our computers first. I took this shot while I was walking down one of the many paths at our school. The leaf caught my eye and I liked how the color contrasted against the gray-green walk way.

Notes on Photography Video

Photos have become fundamental to how we view ourselves and also an era.

• They can force people to take action
• They can also save lives.

The Brownie

• Very popular and sold a quarter of a million cameras in its first year in the market.
• was a popular camera choice for 80 yearas
• Good for the working class citizens who could afford to purchase these cameras.
• changed the nature of portraiture
• became more casual and captured a people's lives outside of a studio.

Postcards

• People were able to transfer their photos onto postcards free of charge
• Newspapers later on were able to use the pictures off of the postcards to present a visual to go along with the news.
• National Geographic used pictures in the magazine to go from a dying label to extremely popular
• They pioneered the use of printing color photos.

Edward Curtis

• made a documentary of Native Americans
• picutures were used to glamourize the Native Americans
• not showing them in their natural state
• carried a bag of props with him to dress up the people if they did not have the appearance he was aiming for.

Basic photography became to easy and it eventually blurred the line of amateur and professional; to the point were people would not consider photography an art.

• Steiglitz wanted photos to  be recognized as an art
• he started to manipulate photos in the darkroom to look like paintings

Lewis Hine

• educated the public about social issue in the U.S (child labor) through his photography.
• There is a power in photos  that when viewed can hit a person straight in the heart, making them want to take action against whatever injustice they are bearing witness to.

Paul Strand

• 1915 showed his photos to Stieglitz who then said Strand had created a new type of modern photography, named straight photography.
• took very abstract pictures.

Straight Photography

• take pictures of things the way they are and not manipulate them in the darkroom.
• There is an emphasis on selection and framing of the photo and everything is in sharp focus.

 Camera became an important weapon of war.

• Government used it as propaganda
• Censorship, where only photos were shown that would raise the public's morale for the war.

Daily News

• First newspaper to sell itself based on their photos.

Weekend Pictures (A random assortment of items found in my room)

Profile Photography

Journal Notes P. 102-113

photo from here
Formal portraits are teh simplest portrait photography style and should place an emphasis on the person and nothing else. To achive this the person should be placed in front of a neutral background. Portraits can be taken at ranges varying from up-close to full-length views.

Photo from here
This photo demonstrates value in portrait photography. The use of light to highlight and create shadows on your subject. The change in light can create a mood,  ie: shadows create a dark and melancholy mood, while light creates an upbeat and lively atmoshpere in the image.

photo from here Shape is critical in portrait photography; by presenting your subject as the dominant shpae you can emphasize him, or her. It is more visually pleasing to arrange groups in geometric shapes. It is important as a portrait photographer to build relationship with the subject you are photographing, even if it is only temporary.

Photo Essay on Soccer

Black showing good sportsmanship and congratulating pink on their win.

Celebrating a goal.

Upset after a goal was scored against her team.

Getting ready to start the game.

A coach giving private instruction before a game.

A team being lectured before a game.

Portrait Photography

Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus is known for her portraits of people who live on the fringes of society, as wll as her ability to take capture ordinary people in extraordinary poses and settings. She is notorious for pushing the boundaries of "tasteful" portrait photography. She took the majority of her pictures in black and white. In 1946, with her husband, she opened a commercial photography business called Diane & Allan Arbus. Her husband was the photographer, while she was the art director. She quit the commercial photography business in 1955 and began to take pictures for magazines such as Esquire and The Sunday Times Magazine. In 1963 Diane was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for a project on "American rites, manners and customs."
An archive of her photographs can be found here

Notes on Photojournalism

Photojournalism:
Qualities one needs for this Career:

• A desire to be “out in the world” (Travelling, etc)
• Technical proficiency (Must be able to handle technology and know what you are doing)
• Understanding of and a commitment to ethical standards (Don’t manipulate or lie in a photo)
• Persistence ( a drive to get the story)

Formal Education?

• “The debate about whether or not a photographer needs a formal education goes back as far as the invention of photography. The best suggestion is for students to look at all the options and then choose the path that works for them.” (From Article)
• Ways to Go:
• Self-Taught
• A major in Photography
• A college Education

Are you taking only photos?

• The answer is NO! One must be able to take video and other multimedia mediums.

How important are Business Skills?

• Pretty Important, you have to be able to sell yourself and your product to the market.

Covering War:

• War is very expensive, but can be fruitful for a photographer’s career.
• Mind you, it is very hard to get into warring countries, though, and often you must have a major organization backing you and your trip.

Can you pay the bills with this Career?

• The answer is…most likely not.
• People go into photography  because they love it, not to make money
• The real compensation is your work, and the experiences you gain (Cheesy, right?)

Overall:

• Seek to have the widest possible skill set. (This includes work with a still camera, computer, audio and video tools. Be as complete a storyteller as possible with the range of tools available. )
• Special enhancements are equally valuable
•  Learn to write stories and proposals; learn one or more foreign languages; learn to compose music, an especially valuable skill as one moves into the multimedia and video world.
• Storytellers should keep in mind they will be studying at least three topics as long as they pursue this career:
• New technological developments
• The process of telling a story that communicates clearly
• The copyright law. These are subjects that become the ordinary, on-going “homework” of the working professional.
• Most likely creative people will have several if not many jobs over the course of their career.

Mercy Week

5 Photojournalism Pictures



Photo by: Franco Pagetti
This photo depicts a young man who was a former child soldier for the RUF. He is emotionally, and as is shown in the picture, physically scared. The punishment for trying to abandon your troop was being branded. The framing of this picture makes the viewers main focus the person depicted as well as the wounds that he has incurred. The photo evokes emotions like sympathy and horror from the viewer. It is never easy to see a human being treated like an animal, by being branded.



Photo by: Jan Grarup
This photo shows young boys being trained to be soldiers. They have be handed weapons, at an extremely young age and have had their lives mapped out for them. The photographer framed the picture so that the viewer is able to see the boys marching, but also a rock wall with a gun poised on top. It foreshadows what these children will grow to do. The picture sets a very foreboding  mood and a scene of desolation, in light of the lives these boys will lead. It is shocking a shocking picture to encounter.
Photos above from here. 

Photo by: Stephen Wright
This photo is of a homeless woman playing a whistle type instrument and her dog. The framing shows you the conditions which the women lives in. The photo emphasizes teh woman by placing her in the third quadrant of the frame. Her dog almost blends into the blanket, but it adds to the whole effect of the photo. The image evokes sympathy for those less fortunate than oursleves and it carries sad undertones for the conditions people are forced to live under.
Photo above from here.

Photo by: Philip Jones Griffiths
This photo shows a woman lying dead, while a soldier crouches over her and two people walk by like there is nothing out of the ordinary going on. It emphazises the violence these people live with and how they expect it in their everyday lives. The framing gives space to each of the different people who make up a different component of the picture. The dead woman, the soldier who could have possibly killed her, and the two passerbys who go on indifferently. The mood is depressing;  seeing the horrors people come to think of as normal is astounding.
Photo above from here.

Photo by: Don McCullen
This photo portrays children who are starved and because of their lack of food have basically become skin and bones. The child in the back has had so little to eat that his stomach muscles have undergone atrophy and his stomach has become distended. The picture is famed so that the viewer can see multiple children in the photo who are suffering from malnutriotion. It emphasizes the harrowing scenarios people live with. There is a very depressing mood set; seeing children with so little to eat, when you see people stuff themselves with food on a daily basis.
Photo above from here.