Blog promps #20

1. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of "news"-related photographs.
    News related photos are usually about recording a moment. They are very realistic. There's no posing, or special setting of lighting. The beauty of news photographs is the authenticity. Usually news photos are not heavily digitally altered, which keeps the origin of the history moment.

2. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of "snapshots".
I love snapshots. They always captures the unexpected, the surprising, and the excitement. The aesthetic aspect is about the freedom and the natural emotion conveyed by the shots.

3. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of advertisement photographs/fashion photographs.
They are super eye catching and perfectly beautiful. They are informative and aiming at the right target audiences. Those pictures don't tell stories, but they promote themselves. This aggressiveness sometimes make advertisement photographs beautiful, and also there are other sorts of commercial photos which are very subtle but thoughtful.

4. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of year book photos and/or senior pictures.
I feel the photos in a year book(or senior pictures) are showing the best of a person in his/her teenage year. The memory kept in those photographs are precious.

Assignment #3 Final Images

  

#1 Social/ Cultural Document

      Composition: In this image, I put my camera on the table and took a very low perspective/ an unusual angle. It helped to make the book stand out. Also I included the curtain in the background to achieve the repetition of the strip pattern.
      Concept: The main subject is the Bible in the left top of this picture. It's a cultural/spiritual icon for a population. Taking a different angle/perspective to look at the "stereotyped" bible is interesting. And the sharp reflection from the glass table is totally a surprise.
      Method: I set my camera on the table, and since the indoor light was limited the shutter speed was a little bit lower. But the longer exposure brought more details into this image.

      Motivation:  I cleaned the glass table before I took this picture and my goal was to capture the sharp and detailed reflection of the Bible.

      Context: I guess this is image is more about religion or identity. 

Part 2 Critique

       what works: the sharp reflection of the book is very impressive and seems almost unrealistically detailed.

      suggestions: maybe alter the right side of the image (the curtain) and make it all straight. 

   

#2  Man-made Landscape
      Composition: In this image I chose to take a bird's eye view of this play ground. There was no actual emphasis in this photo since I wanted to include everything clearly. It created a sense of chaos.
      Concept: I wanted to use this image to explain "man-made landscape". Those toys are probably the origin of an architect's inspiration in the future. The toy railway, cars, trucks ad animal residents created this community(landscape).
      Method: I used small aperture in order to contain as much information as possible in this image.
      Motivations: My intention was to show the chaos of this man-made landscape. My goal was to challenge my viewers to see landscape in a smaller scale.
      Context: this map-looking image reminds me of typography.  maybe people who are interested in maps will find it exciting.

Part 2 Critique

what works: the angle of the "landscape", the map view

suggestions: show the complete picture, including more information of the railroad track, and keep viewers eye direction

   

#3 Undiscovered Territory

      Composition: I took a look at the inside of a lamp, and focused on the light bulb when it was on. I have never taken such a close look at a light bulb. The emphasis is definitely on the light bulb, because it's placed in the center of the photo and the background is nearly pure black.

     Concept: another small scale landscape. The idea was about a place which was always out of people's attention. I only enjoy the brightness the light brings but I never thought about how the light bulb works, or what the light bulb looks like.

      Method: since I took the photo while the light was still on and the straight intense light source from the light bulb, I used the lowest ISO and as fast as possible shutter speed.

      Motivation: this is totally an experiment. I never tried to shoot a light source before.

      Context:  it reminds me of the first invention of light bulbs. Even though the world changed so much of centuries, but we still use light bulbs which were invented by Edison.

Part2 Critique

 what works: the high contrast of this image, different view angle.

suggestions: maybe try a little bit cropping

 

      

 #4  Place of the Imagination

        Composition: this image was taken while I was kayaking. the angle was low since I wanted to show a part of myself in it. The angle of my feet echoes the shape of the kayak. It's a very subtle repetition of a pattern.

        Concept: I wanted to depict this place in my imagination where I had to live on this small boat with limited food. There wasn't a planned destination, but I enjoyed the adventure. It's a journey of self-seeking or just general seeking of life.

        Method: lowest ISO and smaller aperture. The focus was on the feet. The background water without a destination kind created a feeling of uncertainty. However, it also has a feeling of peace.

        Motivation: my intention was to create a image that viewer can also share their imaginations. There was a person in the photo, but viewers can't see the face of the person. There was a river/lake and a kayak, but you can't see the destination.

      Context: identity.

Part2 Critique:

what works: the perspective, the boldness of the photographer, the shoes really reveal the subject's personality

suggestions: try subtle burning and dodging, and make the edges of the kayak natural and softer.

Blog Entries

1) What should not be photographed? Why?
I personally feel that we should not photograph anything that's related to people's privacy without their permission.  And also things that are immoral should not be photographed either.


2) What cannot be photographed? Why?
in my opinion I think everything can be photographed, even things that's invisible. Since we can record visible stuff which can help viewers feel the invisible content.


3) What you do not want to photograph? Why?
I do not want to photograph anything that will hurt people's feeling. I would not photography anything that relates to people's personal life without their permission. In addition, i'm trying to avoid photographing things that can negatively impact viewers.

Assignment#3 contact sheet (1)

"Man-made Landscape"

"Contrast+Undiscovered Territory"

 

"Social/Cultural Document"

"Narrative?"

* Amir Zaki *

http://amirzaki.artcodeinc.com/pages/2010-r/

Amir Zaki is a practicing artist living in Southern California. He received his MFA from UCLA in 1999 and has been regularly and actively exhibiting nationally and internationally since. 
Zaki has an ongoing interest in the rhetoric of authenticity, as it is associated with photography as an indexical media. Simultaneously, he is deeply invested in exploring digital technology's transformative potential to disrupt that assumed authenticity. While this may initially sound like a standard and tired postmodern trope, his interest is not in utilizing digital trickery as illustration to undermine a photograph’s veracity. In fact, Zaki often creates hybridized photographs that carefully use the vocabulary of the documentary style so that the viewer’s belief in its veracity remains intact, at least initially. He construct scenes that are somewhat off-register, ‘out of key’, and ever so slightly faux. He often uses the architectural landscape of Southern California as a subject, as it seems particularly appropriate to his process. This is largely because, either through media myth, reality or a combination of the two, the architecture and surrounding landscape in Southern California is itself an evolving bastardization of styles and forms, in other words a pastiche. Southern California is home to a collision of high modernist ideals, suburban McMansions, high-rise density, endless asphalt grids, deserts, mountains, beaches, Los Angeles urbanism, Inland Empire sprawl, Orange Curtain conservatism, the Crystal Cathedral, and the Integratron. It should be made clear that although Zaki is fascinated and inspired by this architectural and cultural entropy, his intention is not to record, replicate or simply document a preexisting postmodern pastiche. More precisely, his work begins with the familiar, by looking at objects, structures and locations that are often pedestrian and banal. And by capitalizing on the presumed veracity that photographs continue to command, along with the transformative, yet invisible digital alterations he employs, his images depict structures that that aspire to be added to the list of the hodge-podge built landscape that creates the Southern California mythology.

Blog Entries #16, #17 & #18

“I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.” Duane Michals
I think Michals' claim is quite interesting. To some degree I agree with this statement. Since photography is more about visual sensation, the interpretation can be varied by different viewers. Even literature has the same character, because not only the author creates the work, but also the reader or the viewer put their imagination and interpretation into it as well. What we see physically is just a vehicle which conveys emotion and information, but the imagination behind the visual elements adds more flavor to the picture we see. Every viewer has his/her own imagination about the same photo. That's what creates dynamics of the artwork.

 

“Photography, as we all know, is not real at all. It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world.” Arnold Newman

Maybe what we see, what we hear and what we feel are all illusion. When talking about photography, we see a lot of editing and altering with photoshop or other programs. In this regard, those edited photos are truly only reflecting the "ideal" world in our own mind. Moreover, I think when we are taking photos, the information we include in the vision is quite limited and distorted. We can choose to shoot just a part of the subject, or use the light to emphasize one thing but darken the other. I feel that photography is very emotional and subject. Therefore it's all about our own private world. 

 

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer—and often the supreme disappointment.” ~Ansel Adams

I agree with this statement! I love shooting landscapes, but most of the time I have to deal with different weather, light source and random visitors passing by.It's not in the studio that the photographer can make his/her model pose and arrange different lighting. It's all about the nature, which is something not under our control. When shooting at the photo at the right time and right place, the outcome might be perfect. Otherwise it may be a huge disappointment. 

Assignment #3(0) Recreate Memory

The Memory is about my childhood-- stuffed animals. Since I am only child, my stuffed animals used to be my best friends at home when I was a kid. At home I had this photo of me sitting on a stool with several stuffed animal in my arms. This recreation expresses that as I grow up, I don't need those stuffed animal friends anymore. My image in this photo seems fading out, and it kind of shows the time passes.

Blog Entries #11, #12, #13, #14 & #15

#11____Memory of a Place: 

 The place in my memory would be a zen temple i visited in the past summer. I do have a couple of photos of the small temple. It was located in a very quiet and peaceful bamboo forest near Hikone. There was a lot of beautiful green moss on the stone bricks on the road.  i would like to photograph the sunlight shining through the bamboo leaves onto the moss, just to make the photo to express the sense of peace and "zen". It would look green and cool in the summer. I guess it would still look the same for me today. I loved spending an afternoon lying down on the bamboo sheet and listening to the sound of the wind passing through the forest. I'd like to sit or lie down on the grass or on the stone stairs. There might be an old monk sweeping the leaves on the floor. It should be very very green~. I'd like to have a company or two, but we are not going to talk with each other. we're just going to sit together, and meditate on our own.

#12____Memory of a Photograph:
My favorite photo was taken with my grandma 20 years ago. It was a snap shot. I was standing beside her making faces, and my grandma cracked up. She was laughing. The facial expressions of us were very very natural and funny. It was a very very memorable moment for both of us. After 20 years, I am now in the US, and my grandma still lives in the same place where we took the photo. If i could do something to change the photo I would probably add more contrast to the foreground and also change the depth of field, since the old picture showed too much distracting detail of the background, like buildings and trees. If i took a picture with my grandma today, we are definitely going to look very different. However the emotion will be the same. Family time, priceless smiles.

#13____Human-Made Space:

Since I don't really understand the concept of "topographics" I guess if you wanted to create a new "land art", and if I could have enough time for this project, i would love to plant a bunch of cherry trees and make their branches and trunks intertwine. I would love to document how the trees grew into each other and the interesting cherry blossom. The point of this project is to document something so natural but at the same time so artificial.

#14____Unknown vs. Familiar Space: 
 In my opinion, the familiar place should be visited by a lot of people and there should be a lot of human-made things around, or even there were a lot of people. So if i am going to photograph this familiar place, i would place my focus on something small, like a bicycle leaning against the wall on the side walk. By using small depth of field, the landmark will probably be a blur background which still could be recognized but the focus would be on the small things. I would love to show the familiar place in another perspective, especially an indirect perspective. For the unfamiliar place I guess i would use a smaller aperture in order to get a larger depth of field. Since it's a place that hasn't been touched by humans, the photo must reveal as much information as possible. My focus will be on the main landmark. 

#15____In-Camera Collage: 

In this creation I would love to try to use slow shutter speed to try to capture a study and then move the camera outside. The image may show that a desk in the woods. In the past I was a very studious person and I spent most of my time in the library studying. But now I tend to be more outdoor and enjoy my time with friends.

Assignment #2

Light/Shadow 

in this photo, i chose to show only a part of my model and make his shadow to be the focus. I think the concept is interesting that even somebody's "shadow" is part of him/her. I mean his shadow really shows his personality in an unexpected way. I used a medium aperture in this work and shot in a very different angle. 

Part 2 Critique

interpretation: interesting angle, playing around with the shadow and part of the person gives a sense of whole.

Evaluation: the composition and angle are working. If the grass could be removed, then the picture wouldn't be distracted.

Extension: take photos of the person!

Strangers + Fast Shutter speed

In this photo, I tried my best to shoot strangers. Actually they were unexpectedly nice.  I took this photo while walking on Grand River. It's my first time to shoot portraits through a glass, i really liked the slightly reflections on the glass window and how it made the two people inside the restaurant blur. The photo is a good experiment for me to experience taking random and casual photos on the streets.

Part2 Critique:

Interpretation: interesting content; look like a picture in food magazine "eat here in Lansing!"

Evaluation: captured the moment; no reflection of the photographer from the window glass

Extension: maybe take photos of the same "stranger" with the same pose in different places

 

Small Depth of Field + Indoor Light  

In this photo, I was trying to show the person by the book she was reading. I mainly focused on her hand and the book since I felt that they could express more about her personality or emotion. I used large aperture in this work in order to create a sense of small depth of field. This really helped place the focus on the book and hand rather than the girl's face. I don't really like to ask people to pose for me, and sometimes it's weird for me to photograph people's face. Therefore, I prefer to shoot just part of people's body as portraits.

Part2 Critique:

 Interpretation: look like an ad for the book

Evaluation: nice angle and depth of field. need to re-shoot the photo to make it more clear

Extension: try different angles

 

Outdoor Light + Large Depth Of Field 

In this work, I used a smaller aperture to show more details of the background. It's a busy picture. The graffiti and the guy's shirt really make a chaos. But I liked the simple smile on his face, very natural expression. I added more contrast to his photo to make the photo more eye-catching.

Part2 Critique:

Interpretation: senior portrait, fun, expressive, natural emotion

Evaluation: good contrast

Extension: try different apertures.

Printing Suggestions for all: try glossy and add more blacks/contrasts.  

Blog Entries #8, #9 & #10

" My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph. -- Richard Avedon"

Personally I agree with this statement, since photography is not only about recording a moment of the history but it is also an art by which the photographer express him/herself.
The people in the photos are only the elements of the art work, but the tone, the color, the lighting and the perspective are all from the photographer.  Those stuff convey a lot of subtle information from the artist.


" You don't take a photograph, you make it. -- Ansel Adams"

As I mentioned above, in a piece of photograph, the subject or the view is not the only thing the photographer capture, there are multiple elements involving in this artwork: the lightning, the tone, the color, the perspective and the composition. Those all together contribute to a photo, and the photographer is not only pressing down the button, but also designing am art while he/she is looking through the view finder. At the very short moment, the photographer's idea and creativeness are frozen on the film.

" All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. In this -- as in other ways-- they are the opposite of paintings. Paintings record what the painter remembers. Because each one of us forgets different things, a photo more than a painting may change its meaning according to who is looking at it. -- John Berger"

In this statement, the contrast of a painting and a photograph reminds us that photos are actually more objective than a painting. As it records the reality, photos give people more freedom to interpret in their own way. However, as it is mentioned paintings are more about what the painter think about the world. Photograph is an art that gives more freedom for viewers to perceive the artwork with their own interpretation.