Landscape: Activity 5

Activity 5

Create a landscape utilizing foreground subject matter to create a sense of depth. Discuss how the resulting image is likely to be read by the viewer.

Example:

My Response

Landscape: Activity 4

Activity 4
Create two photographs in a location with tall buildings or trees using both formats. Create a closed and open landscape at one location. Discuss the different ways we read the resulting images.

   
Open Landscape - Landscape Format                      Closed Landscape - Portrait Format

My Response

The following two images were taken by me while hiking on South Mountain.

Forward Path - by Me. I took this picture before starting to go even further up South Mountain, as a result I believe that others would view this image as the beginning of an uphill journey.

Backward Path - also by Me. I took this picture in the exact same spot as the image above, all I did was look the other way instead. I think this picture would actually be looked at as the end of the mountain rather than the prelude to the uphill journey.

Landscape: Activity 3

Activity 3

Compare and contrast a landscape photograph with a landscape painting. Discuss the expressive possibilities of each medium using your examples to illustrate your argument. Choose your examples carefully as representative of the medium.

Example: The two images below are similar in subject matter, how are they similar? How are they different? What options does a painter have compared to the options a photographer has in terms of expression.

David Edwards
A Monsoon Storm In The Grand Canyon

Ed Mel
Ascending Storm

My Response

Al Levenson
Montezuma's Castle

Teresa Beyer
Montezuma Castle II

The subject for both of the images above is obviously Montezuma Castle, but the two pictures are easy to tell apart from one another. The top picture is a photograph and the bottom one is a painting. Both images take place at the same time of day, but with different angles and colors. These are some of the options a painter has that a photographer doesn't. Painters can choose the colors they work with to make the picture, while a photographer would have to edit colors and brightness during post processing. Another one of the options a painter has is perspective. Since Montezuma Castle is a national monument, the top picture is the closest someone is legally allowed to get to the site and capturing a close up picture is difficult unless one has the proper equipment (I would know, I use to live there). I guess some things just turn up better in a painting than they would in a picture.

Landscape: Activity 2

Activity 2
Find two landscape photographs that question social values or act as a metaphor for personal issues that the photographer is trying to express. Discuss whether the communication is clear or ambiguous and how this communication is conveyed.

Example: What does the image below say about humans need to control the environment? Or, does it indicate an attempt to recreate a time long past and remind people of their outdoor beginnings? What do you think? Does it say anything different?

My Response

Demolition - Joe Trevino. This picture depicts a house about to be demolished in Buckeye, AZ. The social value in the picture is change. The house in the picture is damaged and has a pretty messy yard, but there is an office in the background (the grey building to the left of the yellow one). The message is pretty clear that the house is about to be brought down but the "why" is unclear, is the house being razed to make way for an improvement to the aforementioned office in the background or is the house just an eyesore? Who knows, all that can be said is, change is on the way.

Outreached Hand - DeviantArt.com. This picture is shot from a first person view of a hand reaching out. Although blurred (due to shallow depth of field), cars and a street are visible in the background. I believe the picture to be a metaphor for a social value of helping one in need. The hand represents a man in need (which explains why it is held out) and the blurred cars represent all the people that pass the man without stopping to help or ask what's wrong. I The communication is rather ambiguous, for all I know the picture has no meaning and was just meant to look cool, but I could be wrong. 

Landscape: Activity 1

Activity 1
View the image by Walker Evans on this page and describe what you can actually see (objective analysis) and what you think the image is about (subjective analysis).

Discuss how effective Walker Evans has been in using a landscape image to communicate a point of view. Can this photograph be considered as Art? Give two reasons to support your answer.

Make sure you include the image in your blog post with credit in the citation. When you analyze the photo, look for deeper meaning beyond the literal description of the Photo.

Bethlehem, Graveyard and Steel Mill - Walker Evans 1935 © Walker Evans Archive, 1994, 
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

My Response

I believe Walker Evans was effective in his use of this landscape image to document a time in American history. Walker Evans was tasked by the FSA (Farm Security Administration) to document American life during the great depression, and this picture is one of the results of that task. I believe this image can be considered art because despite being meant to document an era, it can still draw an emotional response from whoever views it and the picture expresses an idea that gets people (or, at least me) to think. 

The message that this images gives me is that you work, you go home, and then you die, but the world keeps going on without you. I get the first part of that message because of the order of the buildings: factories in the back, houses in the middle, and then the graveyard in the foreground. The last part comes from the observation that the far right factory has smoke coming out of the plume still. I could be wrong, but since Evans never said that there was a specific message within the image, everything is up for interpretation.

Light: Activity 4

Activity 4

Blog Entry

• Find two examples of photographs, which make use of maximum depth of field, and two examples, which have very shallow depth of field.
• Describe how the photographer’s selective use of aperture affects the subject in each of the photographs you have chosen.

Maximum Depth of Field

Island - from Australianphotography.com. This image makes use of maximum depth of field. The photographer's use of aperture in this picture allows for everything in the image to appear sharp. I can't really tell what the subject of the picture is, so I'm going to guess that the decision to use max depth of field made it hard to detect the subject.

Canyon - by Jim Zuckerman. This is another photo that makes use of maximum depth of field. The aperture and ISO settings for this photo allowed for the photographer to be further away from the subject but still maintain perfect focus on everything within the picture. 

Very Shallow Depth of Field

Shallow Snake - by Piotr Naskrecki. This photo makes use of very shallow depth of field. The aperture is set so low that only the snakes head and a small part of the body near the head is in focus. The depth of field is so low that it is nearly impossible to tell what is in the background of the picture.

Foosball - by Gene Turner. This photo uses very shallow depth of field. The aperture setting makes everything before and after the subject seem blurred, thus putting more emphasis on the subject.

Light: Activity 3

Activity 3

• Find two images that have been shot into the light or included the light source. Explain how the photographer may have gone about taking a light meter reading for these photographs.

Light, Shadows, and Me - from Tackle2.eu. For this photo, the light meter reading probably revolved around the flame in the candle. The reason I think this is because the room is dark, and the only light in the room is the candle. 

ICE Light - by Jerry Ghionis. For this photo I believe the light reading revolved around the models face. I believe this because despite there being 2 light sources in the picture, only the face (1st light) is brighter than the dress (2nd light). 

Light: Activity 2

Activity 2

Blog Entry

• Find an example of a photograph where the subject has been lit by a single light source and an example where more than one light has been used. 

• Describe in each the quality and position of the brightest or main light and the effect this has on the subject. In the second example describe the quality and effect the additional light has.

Self Portrait - Will Kemp. This photo only has one light on the subject. The light comes from the right side and adds emphasis to the man's facial expression. The decision to keep the picture in black and white makes the light source more noticeable. Overall the light makes the subject look like he was just asked a question that he should know the answer to, but he doesn't so now he has to improvise by uttering "Umm..." for about a minute.

Figure 10.10 - David Briggs. This photo has multiple light sources shining onto the ball. The strongest light comes from the right side but there are also lights above the ball too. The lights add more color to the subject (The ball is originally just white) and  it adds more shadows to the image. 

Light: Activity 1

Activity 1
Blog Entry
Look through assorted photographic websites and find some examples of subjects lit by hard light and examples of subjects lit by soft light. Describe the effect the light has on the subject’ texture, form and detail, and the overall mood of the picture.

Notes

• Hard Lighting: Hard lighting can be used for portraiture. It requires numerous light sources to convey clearer, sharper, shaping and it requires perfect skin or else the blemishes (such as scars) will pop out more than usual. To show off texture, use side light.

Boudoir - from Tumblr.com. The Hard Lighting in this photo adds shadows around the right side of her face and back, while adding some more detail to her skin texture. Also, if one looks closely, hairs are visible on the woman's back and right cheek. The overall tone of the picture is affected by the light as well, to me this picture looks like it could serve as a promotional picture for a horror movie.

• Soft Lighting: Soft lighting does not show off texture. The larger the light source the softer the lighting. Achieving soft light often requires reflectors, diffusers soft boxes, and other equipment to expand the size of the light source.

  

  Window Light 2 - by Valerie Johnston. The Soft Lighting in this photo adds some slight highlights to certain areas of this child's face, most noticeably in the eyes. The texture of the image is only slightly changed, hairs are visible along the face due to the light. The overall mood of the image seems happy.

  
  

Frame & Composition: Activity 4 Blog

Activity 4
Blog Entry

Collect one image where the photographer has placed the main subject off center and retained a sense of balance and one image where the photographer has placed the main subject off center and created a sense of imbalance.

Discuss the possible intentions of the photographer in creating each image.

Create four images, placing the focal point and/or visual weight in different areas of the frame. Discuss whether each image is balanced.

Visual Weight - by Shannon Kokosha 

The image above features a road sign as the main focus with a building in the background. It is able to retain a sense of balance because both sides of the image feature a point of interests, greatly reducing the noticeability of the empty space between the two subjects. Since their is only one website this image is featured on, I'm going to assume that this image was created with the purpose of showing people what off center balance looks like.

Unequal Brides and Groomesmen? - from WeddingBee.com

This image features some bridesmaids and groomsmen gathered together in front of some trees. This picture is unbalanced because the brightness (women in dresses and the background) outweighs the darkness (men in tuxedoes). Another point to be made in consideration to balance, there is more bridesmaids than groomsmen. I believe this picture was taken to capture an important moment in two people's lives that will last forever.

The following pictures were taken by me over the course of a couple of days.

BOARDom (Uno)

This image features a piece of wood placed in front of a basket. This image is unbalanced and I took it as a way to practice focusing my camera and utilizing the rule of thirds.

BOARDom (Dos)

Another image with a piece of wood as the model however, this piece is shorter and thicker than the other. I believe this image to be balanced since both sides of the image are weighted equally because the wood is in the center. I took this image for our abstract closeup project, but this one just barely missed the cut.

Frame & Composition: Activity 3 Blog

Activity 3:

Find two examples of Photographs that follow the Rule of Thirds and two examples that do not. Comment briefly on why and how you think the composition works.

River Tree - from Wikimedia.org

This composition works because the tree is in the lower right corner instead of directly in the center. I chose to use a GIF image to demonstrate the positioning of the tree, and because I liked the shift in color scale when the lines appear.

The Rule of Thirds - by Alaphoto

The composition in this picture features a sun in the upper left corner and a boat in the lower right corner. I chose this image because I liked the similarities between it and the picture above.

Center - by Jaxon S

This image is not rule of thirds because it just features the three plants in the center of the image. The background is just a plain blue sky and the plant is in the center, this image uses simplicity more than rule of thirds.

Seagull (Centered) - from Photo96.com

This image matches the same description as the one above, meaning the seagull is in the center of the image and features a blue background; using simplicity over rule of thirds. On the website their is an accompanying picture which features the seagull in a corner thus following the rule of thirds and explaining why the title of the picture is Seagull (Centered).

Frame & Composition: Activity 2 Blog

Activity 2

Blog Post
Read the following passage taken from the book The Photographer’s Eye by John Szarkowski and answer the questions below.

"To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer’s craft. His central problem is a simple one: what shall he include, what shall he reject? The line of decision between in and out is the picture’s edge. While the draughtsman starts with the middle of the sheet, the photographer starts with the frame. The photograph’s edge defines content. It isolates unexpected juxtapositions. By surrounding two facts, it creates a relationship. The edge of the photograph dissects familiar forms, and shows their unfamiliar fragment. It creates the shapes that surround objects. The photographer edits the meanings and the patterns of the world through an imaginary frame. This frame is the beginning of his picture’s geometry. It is to the photograph as the cushion is to the billiard table."

Q. What does John Szarkowski mean when he says that photographers are quoting ‘out of context’ when they make photographic pictures?

Q. The frame often ‘dissects familiar forms’. At the end of the last century photography was having a major impact on Art. Impressionist artists such as Degas were influenced by what they saw. Look at these examples of Degas work, which clearly shows the influence of Photography, and explain why the public might have been shocked to see such paintings.

Important: Find another example of a painting that you feel was influenced by photography and include it in you're posting!

Riot Painting - From ApacheClips.com

This painting depicts an officer trying to contain a riot (unsuccessfully i might add). The rioters have guns and have launched molotov cocktails at the officer, but he is somewhat protected because he has a riot shield. The painting might have been inspired by photographs of riots, such as the ones pictured below.

Licking The Flames - From SVLSTG.com

This photo depicts a squad of officers, and one of them is on fire. The painting features a single officer with a riot shield that is on fire. This incident occurred in Rome during the day, unlike the painting which happens in an unnamed city during the nighttime.

LA Riot Picture - From Wikimedia.org

This photo incorporates stop motion to capture a mid-air molotov cocktail during a riot in Los Angeles. The painting also has a mid-air molotov cocktail, but it changes the perspective from first person to third person.

Frame & Composition: Activity 1 Blog

Activity 1
Blog Post
Look through assorted photographic websites and observe how many photographers have moved in very close to their subjects. By employing this technique the photographer is said to ‘fill the frame’ and make their photographs more dramatic. Find two examples of how photographers seek simple backgrounds to remove unwanted detail and to help keep the emphasis or ‘focal point’ on the subject. Attach two images you find to your reply to this discussion.

Solitary Gull - by Keld Bach. This image presents a seagull mid-flight, over a body of water. 

Dandelion - by Andrew S. Gibson. Although the dandelion is not alone, the depth of field is so shallow that only the dandelion draws the viewer's attention.