self portraits

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?

I think that envisioning who you are is much more desirable in self-portraiture. I think that a self portrait such be a realistic representation of the artist, not what the artist hopes to be. I feel like self portraits such fall into the true-to-life, almost grittily so, category. A self portrait should represent who you are in both your best and worst aspects. Everyone has aspects of themselves they don't like, but you shouldn't hide them in this scenario. By envisioning your "best self," you aren't really envisioning yourself, are you? I feel like envisioning your "best self" is a different thing in its entirety.

photoshop questions

What were the main points of the article?

This article focused on the controversy arising over the use of Photoshop to alter images in magazines. There is particular controversy over using such tactics to make celebrities look skinnier or “prettier.” This is due to the fact that many believe that this editing is causing magazines to promote “an unattainable standard of beauty.” The article also discusses the history of Photoshop and the Photoshop movement in fashion. Image editing software became available in the early 1990s. At first, it was used to alter images of models but only to produce a purposefully unrealistic image. However, now Photoshop has come to be the norm. More images are photoshopped than those that are not. Many readers are not aware of this fact, causing unrealistic standards of appearance to have formed. The article made a disturbing point by staying that “a provocative image in a fashion magazine today is one that shows something real.” Photoshopped photos have become the norm in our society to the point that real photos are unexpected and mind-blowing.

Do you agree with the general push or overall idea(s) of the article?

I agree with the general push/overall ideas of the article. I believe that the media has a huge role in influencing how people live their daily lives and that the photoshopping frenzy has definitely been an example of this effect. The amount of photoshopping that occurs today is absolutely ridiculous. Not only are images of women edited down to almost humanly impossible sizes, these images are presented as being untouched, creating an unrealistic standard for women world wide.

When should Photoshop be/not be used to alter a photograph?

Photoshop can be used to alter a photograph for purely aesthetic, minor retouches, such as red eye or blemish removal, when a photo is being used for personal or public use. When a photo is being use purely for personal use/artistic design, more photoshopping can be used, such as color alteration or photoshopping out undesirables. However, Photoshop should never be used in the public arena to the point where it harmfully misrepresents a person or figure, such as making a model appear skinnier.

3 project reflection

Reflect on your understanding of these three assignments:
A) POV, B) Macro/Minutiae, C) Motion

1. What is your interpretation of the purpose of each of these three assignments?

I thought that the purpose of each of these three assignments was to investigate the uses of different types and aspects of photography. For point of view, I believe the purpose was to show how much changing the point of view from which a picture is taken can completely alter all aspects of the photo. For macro/minutiae, I thought that the purpose was to explore the advantages of close-up photography while also learning how to take photos in accordance with a theme. Finally, I thought the purpose of the motion project was to delve deeper into a specific niche of photography we may not necessarily have experienced otherwise.

2. What do you think the most important thing was you learned from each assignment?

The most important thing I learned from the motion project was the different ways of expressing motion. I had never really thought about expressing motion in any way besides simply taking a picture of a moving object and hoping it was not blurry. The most important thing I learned from the macro project was the importance of detail in a photo. While the overall composition of a photo is important, the details can alter the entire mood of the picture or be particularly interesting themselves. From the POV project, I learned exactly how much different points of view can affect the composition of a picture. From one view, an object may seem perfectly ordinary, but from another it may seem moving, alive, or seriously creepy.

3. Why do you suppose these three projects were assigned in this particular order?

I think those projects were assigned in this particular order because they gradually became more and more complex while also building on each other. Point of view is one of the key aspects of photographic composition, so it was only fitting for this project to be early on. The macro project allowed us to expand out points of view while also improving our attention to detail. The motion project involved all of those things and was definitely the most challenging as a result.

4. How do you feel you did on each project? Be specific about areas in which you think you did well and not as well.

I think I did well on each project. I loved the three different points of view I took of my artificial flower. I loved the colors of each photo but also the way each different viewpoint created a new mood. I really enjoyed my macro project as well. I liked taking pictures of food, of course, and also liked the way I was able to organize my grid by color, tan/brown objects all around the edges and the more colorful ones in the middle. I liked my motion project, particularly the blurriness of the bus in comparison to all around it as a way of emphasize its motion, but felt that the composition was a little off. I would have preferred to have been able to see the top of the bus. I feel as if having it cut off makes the viewer feel unnecessarily restricted.

5. What was one thing you wish you would have done that you didn’t, and why didn’t it happen? (you may comment on any of the three projects or all three)

I wish I would have included the top of the bus in my motion picture. This did not happen because it really did not occur to me at all at the time- it was just a random picture I took while we were driving through London.

6. Which was your favorite of the three projects and why?

My favorite project was definitely the point of view project. I actually took quite a few series of images and loved all of them. I found the multitude of moods and compositions available while using the same object in the same setting fascinating.

7. Has one or more of these topics had an impact on your photography? How?

The POV project also had the most impact on my photography. It has encouraged me to seek alternate points of view for all the pictures I take, resulting in better, more varied pictures.

god is in the details

Consider the quote: "God is in the details." What is your interpretation of this quote? How can we see God in the details every day? How might we use our cameras in order to discover and preserve these details?

To me, this quote means that the details, as insignificant as they may seem, are the most important and amazing. We can see God in the details every day by taking both the large and small picture into account. We have to learn to appreciate the minute aspects of our lives and the world around us. We can use our cameras to discover and preserve these details by taking pictures of them in order to bring them to the attention of others.

winogrand quote

"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 you restrict the world to a single photographic frame, the world is subjective. The photographer has the option to frame the photo however he pleases, using whatever angles and subject manipulation (not post-production in this sense) they please. What the audience sees is what the photographer created, not necessarily the "facts" or what they would see if they were looking at the same object.

lighting critiques

How do you think you did on the lighting assignment? Be honest and specific about the feedback you received. Did you think your positive or negative feedback was deserved? Why or why not?

Think beyond, "I tried and someone else agreed/disagreed, therefore I succeeded/did not succeed." Think about your own perception of the assignment requirements and how your perception of the outcome changed, if at all, after hearing others' feedback.

I thought I did fairly well on the lighting assignment. I really enjoyed all of my photos and thought many of them turned out well. However, I had no difficulty picking my final photo. That photo was undoubtedly my favorite. I really liked the overall feel of the photo, which was particularly enhanced by the lighting effect I somehow managed to achieve. I was standing in a knee-deep snow bank in my backyard when I noticed the yellow glow coming from a light in my lawn. The photo I chose was actually the very last and most unplanned of all the pictures I took for this assignment, a close up of one of the leaves of a bush.

I didn't really get very much out of the feedback I received. The discussion of my photo was completely non-existent until Ms. Kalnay prodded the class a little. The discussion of the different types of light, focus, and contrast in my photo was very interesting, especially due to the fact that many of them were unintentional. I thought it was particularly intriguing hearing people’s guesses as to what certain aspects of my photo actually were. For example, someone guessed that the rakes and shovels leaning against my house in the background were trees and that I had set up the light myself. No one really voiced their personal opinion about my photo, which I think would have been very helpful in continuing my journey to photography excellence, regardless of said opinion being positive or negative. Either way, I think that the overall discussion of my photo made me feel like the photo was more successful than I had originally thought. I definitely felt like my photo fulfilled the requirements of the assignment and this was uncontested. The discussion heightened my opinion of my photo because the discussion brought to light (ha) artistic merits of my photo that were unintended, leading me to appreciate the godsend-quality of this impromptu photo. This discussion will also remind me to try and consciously incorporate the photographic and artistic technical qualities that people found in my picture.

technical quality vs. emotive quality

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 tend to react more towards the technical side of a photo, at least at first. I specifically concentrate on the technical aspects of focus, lighting, and composition. I believe that a photo really cannot truly make you feel something on an emotional level if it is not a technically good picture to begin with. The best photos are ones that are both emotive and technically great, and it is much more difficult to make an emotively great photo and technically great photo after the fact than vice versa.