Montage: Activity 1

Activity 1: Blog Entry

• Briefly discuss why you think painters of the Victorian period might have criticized these early photomontages and why the pictures were popular with the general public. (This technique of piecing together separate images to create one picture is again very popular with both artists and the media). 
• What two reasons can you think of for this revival of an old technique?

My Response


• I think painters of the Victorian period criticized early montages because they didn't like the idea of taking an old picture, cutting certain things (such as people) from the picture, then setting these new cut-outs on a new background and taking a picture of it. With that being said, I believe the general public liked these pictures because they looked nice, and couldn't tell that one picture was really composed of multiple pictures. In a nutshell (and my own words), the Victorian painters were probably being kinda snobbish and saying things like "This is atrocious, it's not art, it's not original. This is just a bunch of cut out pictures on the same piece of paper." while a normal person would have just said "This looks cool, I like it."

• The only two reasons I could think of as to why montages came back into style are: they were probably cheaper to make since you didn't have to pay for a set or models and that they were so different from what everyone else was taking pictures of. Basically montages allowed photographers to do with a camera what painters do with a brush, create a unique image with your imagination rather than by positioning people or waiting for something interesting to happen.

Portrait & Studio Photography: Activity 3

Activity 3

Collect four portrait images with two to five subjects. In at least one image the subject should have been placed in the foreground. Comment on the arrangement of the subjects in relation to the camera and the effectiveness of the design

Leading Man - Jeff Meyer

Based on the title of the image above, I'm going to assume that the man in the foreground is the lead singer or a band. The remainder of the band probably aren't too fond of the arrangement, since it may seem like the lead singer is more important (and you can barely see their faces), but I'm sure they'll get over it...

Bullet Club - NJPW

The image above is of The Bullet Club, a professional wrestling stable from New Japan Professional Wrestling (however, none of the men above are Japanese). Since my brother and I watched the event (via iPPV) that this picture was taken at, I can say that the placement of Nick Jackson, Prince Devitt, and Matt Jackson (the front 3 men) makes perfect sense because they actually wrestled at the show, the other 4 were just there to watch and lend support to their fellow Bullet Club members.

Painkiller - Three Days Grace

This is a picture released by Three Days Grace upon the announcement that Matt Walst would be joining the band as lead singer, Adam Gontier's official replacement. The announcement was met with a very mixed reaction by fans, so to me, the placement of the band members is almost symbolic; the three founding members of the band standing behind the new guy, almost as if to say "We're behind him, you guys should be too". Eventually this image would become the album cover for their song "Painkiller", the band's first song with Matt Walst on vocals.

Group Photo - Pinterest.com

Finally, a picture with girls in dresses! It's a fairly simple group portrait, all four women are on the same plane, they're all dressed up, but something just seems out of the ordinary. I know, three of  the girls are grouped on one side looking kinda judgy at the fourth girl. Maybe she smells weird, or they're just jel? (South Park reference below). Whatever it is, the looks on the three girls faces caught my eye and added something special to this group picture.

Portrait & Studio Photography: Activity 2

Activity 2 
Find four portraits that demonstrate the different ways a photographer has framed the image to alter the design and content. Discuss the vantage point, depth of field and subject placement in all of the images.

Unique Self Portrait - from Pixshark.com

The image above was either edited with photoshop or the poor man in the picture was holding a camera while hanging upside down in the forest, if the latter is the case this is quite possibly the coolest selfie ever taken. The depth of field is great and the subject is right in the middle, the most important part of this picture is the vantage point which makes the man appear to be falling.

Creative Self Portrait - from Pelfind.com

The image above was actually shot in a park on a foggy day (according to the website). The tree acts as a frame for the girl (which I believe is the subject of the image). The depth of field is hard to determine since the fog renders the background kind of hazy, but I'd guess the image uses great depth of field. The vantage point is pretty basic, just a slight distance away from the subject, but it gives the viewer a sense that the woman is trying to get out of the woods and that she's almost there.

A Looking In View - Joseph M Porter

This image has a very noticeable frame before the subject. The frame was most likely a column gate, which would make the viewer feel as if they were about to enter the property which the subject lies on.

John Morrison (Champion) - Deviantart.com

The image above shows John Morrison (no relation to Jim Morrison, despite the uncanny resemblance) posing with a championship belt. The vantage point of the image (below eye level of Morrison) and the subject placement (center of the ring) help to produce an image of a proud champion ready, willing, and able to overcome any obstacles that may approach him.

Portrait & Studio Photography: Activity 1

Activity 1
Look through assorted media, magazines, internet and collect four portrait photographs. The environment should be a key feature in two of the four images. Describe the subject’s character in each of the images. What can you see within each image that leads you to these conclusions about the subjects’ character.

Empire Magazine, April 2013 Edition - Empireonline.com

This magazine cover features Robert Downey Jr. on the cover in his Iron Man armor. The background features a dark sky and the foreground has sparks, to signify that there is trouble. Obviously the cover promotes Iron Man 3, so it's supposed to show that he is heroic (RDJ's pose), he is in for one heck of a fight (the sparks and slight scratches on the armor), and the situation may seem hopeless but he will keep going (the dark sky with a little bit of sun on a cloud).

Jared Leto, Oscars 2014 - Hollywoodreporter.com

This is a photo of Jared Leto during his acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor at the 2014 Oscars. Leto is the focus of the picture, as shown by the shallow depth of field, which is a good idea since he's up on the stage to accept an award.

Untitled - Patrizia Burra

This is a photo by Patricia Burra, and it utilizes studio lighting to put emphasis on certain parts of a girls face. There are shadows around the girls eyes and under her lips which adds some depth to the picture so the viewer can see that the girl is making a pouty face.

Adam Gontier - Larry Marano

This is a photo of former Three Days Grace Singer, Adam Gontier. The photo depicts Gontier backstage  before performing at The Sound Advice Amphitheater in Florida. Gontier's relaxed pose in the picture shows that he isn't worried about going out to perform because he's used to it.