Final Project

My idea for these final images was to revisit my high school. The lighting was really important because it allowed me to take clear reflections through windows around the school. I also tried to be aware of the framing while taking the photographs so that the focus was on me and the school. For the photographs with my reflection, I also tried to make an in camera collage. 

I'm proud to say that I went to this school despite its criticisms and its at time unappealing appearance. This project was important in revealing how my high school experiences regarding issues of race and social/economical class have formed my ideas of how I see those issues on a larger scale today.

Brainstorm

1.  What is the “opposite” of your final project? How can you rework your project to include the “opposite”?

-  In making my project a series, I’m hoping to present the opposite of my concept. I would like to take photographs of my high school, editing a set to make a comment on the appearance of the school. By editing them I want to say, “If this is what the school looked like, then…” The other set will be unedited photographs that I want to use to comment on the reality of the school. I want those to say, “although it isn’t idea, this is what it is, and that’s ok”. I’m hoping this will read as both sides of how people see the school. Or, possibly the way to include the opposite would be to make a satirical piece with only edited photographs. 

2.  Type twenty words or phrases that relate to your project.

- Political, educational, students, community, personal, pride, urban v. suburban, disappointment, reality v. ideal, diversity, identity, experience, struggle, rough, economic, social status, positive v. negative, understanding/open mindedness, learning community, Quakers.

3.  At the deepest core, describe why you like this project. Dig deep!

- For me this project represents a large part of what I consider to be my identity. My high school experience taught me more than I could have expected. It wasn’t until after I was out of high school that I realized the value of what my high school experience taught me. I still have a hard time thinking of this project because I’m scared that the photographs will not be as strong as the way I feel about the concept. But, it represents my identity and the pride I have from coming from an urban city/school. 

4.  Expand your project. If time, money, materials, etc would not affect you, how would you expand your project?

- Ideally, I would like to make this project much longer so that I could capture the atmosphere of the school and the personality of the student body. I’m also hoping to get into the school so that I can take pictures of the students. However, it is likely that that will not happen, unfortunately. I think that would help give context and give the viewer a sense of my experience. One of the reasons I have such a hard time explaining this project is because of the personal connection, which I feel is only truly understood my people that have gone through the same experience- who could truly relate to the photographs.
5.  Look at one of your images. Redesign it entirely.

- Instead of taking photographs of an empty school, I’d like to move into the direction of making it a recognizable place, including stereotypes for the edited photographs. Maybe an idea would be to take a picture and for the “ideal” set crop out everything except the stereotype. Then for the “reality” set I would show the same image un-cropped.

6.  What would your project look like 100 years ago? What would your project look like 100 years in the future?

         - I think 100 years ago this project would’ve said something different about schools/community. Perhaps 100 years ago there was more of an emphasis on education, or not, based on economic status. So, in a way I feel like 100 years ago my project could have commented on a different social aspect revolving around education. So, maybe 100 years from now this project will not be as affective because there will not be the same cultural divisions within different school districts. Maybe cultural differences would be more evident in other places, so 100 years from now education systems and cultural divisions will not be as big of an issue as it is now. 

7.  Remove something from your project. How does it change?

- One of the things I’ve thought about is whether or not I should use color or black and white. I think removing the color would not convey the “ideal”, stereotypical, or commercial idea for the edited photographs. I also think that the black and white could potentially make the building look haunted, since it’s really old. 

8.  Persuade the reader that your project works well and is the most amazing project you have ever completed.

-This project really touches on many different ideas. There is the idea of using a school to represent an identity. It also comments on the social/cultural issues that surround school districts, which in turn contributes to how people/students grow and see the world. 

9.  Persuade the reader that your project stinks. Then, persuade the reader that you will make changes so that it no longer stinks.

-  While the idea for this project might be strong, this project does not clearly communicate the concept. There needs to be context of the historical politics revolving the Lansing School District. In order to give more context, I will make the project into a comparison series. One set will be digitally edited images showing the “ideal” and the other will be unedited images showing the “reality”. I’m hoping that by doing this there will be more context and give the viewer a sense of each side of the arguments made about the school district.

10.  Think of one of your most memorable dreams. How could you add elements from this dream to your project?

- I think I could take the photographs out of focus, which would bring about a dream/surreal look to the images. This could add to the idea of having an unrealistic/ideal look to the school.

Brainstorm

Change

3D

Slow Shutter Speed- Time

Verb (Expose)

Verb (Cut)

Noun (Curiosity)

Adjective (Progressive)

Constructed Reality

King of the Jungle

Identity

Identity

Identity

Write up of the series, "King of the Jungle".
Composition: The most important piece of these photographs is the lion costume that the little boy, Tucker, is wearing. To emphasis it I mostly used the back lighting of a setting sun. It helped add contrast and reinforced the innocence of a child. I also tried to keep the background as blurred as possible so that it was clear what Tucker was in front of without making the background a focal point.
Concept: It was important to keep these images a series and not display them by themselves. They are stronger together because they show the change of a person in one identity. Starting with the first, they progress from the lion identity to Tucker's human identity. This is interesting as it is somewhat ironic. All of the images have the same person and in every photograph he is being himself. However, there is still a sense of a second identity because he does not always wear or identify himself as a lion [in costume]. For me, it is fun to see his shift in identity as a lion and personality. By the last photograph he was anxious to end the photo shoot.
Method: This series would be much different had I photographed an adult. By using a child, the concept of a second identity becomes more apparent. A child, especially Tucker, is more likely to want to please you and be more carefree than an adult. I think that children often do things to please or entertain adults. In order to get these shots I tried to make this an event and to him almost candid. Since I was trying to make this a fun opportunity for him, he was more likely to listen to me. At the same time, he was not going to do everything that I told him, which brought out more of his personality than mine.
Motivations: One of the reasons I like this series so much is because of my relationship with Tucker. He is my cousin and we are very close, which I think is why he was allowed me to dress him up and take his picture. Just as much as I wanted to show Tucker's shift in a second identity, I also wanted to try to capture our closeness.
Context: I thought to take Tucker's photograph when I saw an image from the last blog prompt. It was an image of a little girl sitting sideways and appearing to be distracted by her surrounding. After seeing this I thought it would be fun to photograph Tucker and to see how he would act when I asked him to do something out of the ordinary from his everyday life. This series could be considered one on social situations. Even if it was an adult, I think these images could be taken as a series of someone's inner person- someone/something that they cannot be when in a public setting.
Interpretation: A few people commented on these photographs and said that they reminded them of "Where the Wild Things Are". Others said that it took them back to when they were children and played dress up, or when everything was simplistic, happy, and carefree. 
Evaluation: Everyone agreed that the lighting worked well for bringing out the innocence of a child and also increased the amount of contrast. The background was not working for some people, which I can agree with. I also think it would help to blur the background more, or try to take the photograph in a different scene.
Extension: Someone commented on wanting to see more of his "true" identity, or more of his personality. It was suggested to make the series larger with the photographs I had taken of him without the costume.

Object/Collage/Illusion

Composition: Since this is a collage, the background elements are very important because they create an illusion. The framing is also important because it reinforces the illusion and collage by not giving much context. In addition, the vertical orientation was more successful at giving enough information (but not too much) opposed to the horizontal orientation.
Concept: This actually started out as an accidental image. I had taken a photograph of my computer screen before so this time was more of an experiment. I like that it turned out to be such an abstract piece.
Method: Also an accident, I like all of the various light sources, which really made each part to this collage appear so different.  In a sense everything in this photograph is constructed. Nothing in the image was just found and only one of the objects is tangible.
Context: While we were first starting to learn about constructed photography I never saw myself creating such elaborate miniature stages or large scale scenes. I think that this photograph helped me to realize that a constructed image does not have to be a narrative or have a lot of planned/hand made detail.
Interpretation: I'm not sure that people knew what to make of this image. However, people recognized it as an abstract collage and commented on the play of space/illusion.
Evaluation: The texture and the blocks of color are working well, but someone suggested to add more color to add more contrast. I did try to add more color in the other attempts to recreate an image like this, but I felt that those were more recognizable and were not as abstracted.

Projection Image

Works in Progress Critique

Seven Artists

The seven artists I would've chosen for the show would be:

1.  Keith Lewis- I thought this work stood out because of how picturesque they were. The figure looked as though she was in a painting, not a photograph.
2. Erik Sumption- Sumption's use of color captured my attention. In some of the photographs it created an abstract object. (Beach photograph with the neon light pole)
3. Mitchell- This photograph was playful/comical. I thought it was ironic to place a way of private transportation into a way of public transportation.
4. Molly Salzbrunn- I liked that this artists seemed to have a consistent theme of innocence/life.
5. Harry Sandler- I really did not like these photographs at first, but the longer I looked at them the more I liked them. It's interesting that they have such a picturesque look to them, but instead of being like paintings they appear to look more like drawings.
6. Phil Hefferman- I was drawn to these images because they reminded me of the portraiture photographs I took of the homeless in DC.
7. Jeff Lipshitz- These photographs captured my attention because of the lighting that was used and the wide range of subject matter.

I chose each artist for individual reasons, but I overall I tried to pick a variety of styles and concepts.

Second Identity

Constructed Reality

I could not see myself photographing a recreation of either of the photographers that I researched, so instead I recreated a fashion advertisement/fashion photograph. Initially I was going to make it appear commercial, but later thought it would be more fun to tint the image so that it looked more vintage and also abstracted the real space. the image was taken in front of a white wall, but I think that by tinting the photograph the wall becomes less harsh and creates more of a studio space. 

Blog Prompt 24

A. For a recreation I could see one of Jeff Koons sculptures being made on a small scale. I would use one of his balloon sculptures to recreate the idea of making something insignificant seem important. In order to do this I would use a real balloon animal and photograph it in a way that would make it appear to be larger than it really is. I would also try to take it's photograph with the background being a place of importance- or at least a place that would make the creation seem more important. (i.e. a famous art museum, building, etc.)

B. I'd like to photograph my high school for the final project. For me my high school is a symbol of an important time in my life, a time that I developed ideas of how to see the world and "live in the real world." Although it needs to be developed further, my idea would be to take photographs of my school through windows, from the view point of looking in.

Contemporary Photographer- Jeff Koons

Biography
Birthdate: 1955
Birthplace: York, Pennsylvania 
Current: New York
Education: Koons received his B.F.A from Maryland Institute College of Art. He also studied at the School of Art Institute of Chicago and again at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1972-75.

Significance
Jeff Koons is most known for the installations/sculpture within his photographs. One of his most known work is from the 1970s, which was a series of inflatable flowers and toys. 


Composition
Majority of Koons' photographs have a simple composition and subject. The focal point of his photographs are his sculptures so most of the time there is little or no background elements. His work is also has a very commercial appearance due to the limited context and the use of vivid color. 

Method
I couldn't really find anything about his methods, most of the sites I saw talked more about his sculptures. 

Motivations
Koons focuses on the selection, production, and display of commercial products. 

Opinion
Looking through a lot of his work I can't help but question if the photographs are more about photography and capturing an event/moment/object or more about his sculpture. I feel that in the way he photographs his creations they become more about the documentation of a sculpture and less about conveying a message or making a statement through photography. I also find one of his series, "Made in Heaven", to be more offensive and discriminating than an appropriate free expression of art. The way that he posed himself and the model leaves room to interpret the idea that he is superior, as he is making eye contact and the woman is not- making her seem more like an object. 

Made in Heaven
http://www.jeffkoons.com/site/index.html
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&sugexp=llsfp&xhr=t&q=made+in+heaven+jeff+koons&cp=18&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1165&bih=1199

Historical Photographer- Thomas Eakins

Biography
Birthdate: July 25, 1844
Birthplace: Philadelphia
Education: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to study art and Jefferson Medical College to study anatomy. He also had about 3 years of schooling in Paris.


Significance
Eakins is most known for his portraiture in both photography and painting. He used photography to study the human body, which he used to help him paint. Due to the controversies surrounding nude modeling and nude portraiture/art forms during Eakins' time,  he was subject to negative ideas of what his work was about. Eakins did not have a problem being undressed in front of female students or photographing his students nude. This was not an idea that was well adapted by society and resulted in Eakins losing his job because of it.


Composition
Eakins photographs have dramatic lighting which puts emphasis on the shadows that define the muscles of the body. Also, his images do not focus on the background, but rather the human body using contrast by placing the body in front of a dark background, or eliminating a lot of distracting background objects. Also, if you look closely, a lot of the photographs were taken in a studio/classroom, which further shows how Eakins used the photographs for teaching/observation.


Method
Eakins used a wooden view camera, glass plates negatives, and the platinum print processes. He used the camera and his photography as a teaching tool for drawing/painting. He did this to provide a tool that would reveal what was actually in front of him; observations of pose and gesture. 


Motivations
As I was reading, I found it interesting that a lot of Eakins' work was of nude models. At the time that he was studying/working, nude models for art classes were rare. Most of the people that modeled were men because the women that modeled were often lower class and heavy set. It was hard to find young beautiful women to model. 


Opinion
I like that Eakins used a combination of art and science (anatomy studies) in his work. In hopes of being a medical illustrator, it's interesting to learn about how artists used to study the human body and how that has changed science and art. 

Commercial Work

Composition: In the frame I cropped out some of the foreground (the bottom of the fireplace) and only showed a little background in order to emphasize the detail in the woodwork. The lighting in the photograph is mostly natural, which created defining lines within the subject and in turn made the image more dramatic.

Method: I took the photograph at a close range in order to see the detail of the wood that would otherwise be overlooked. This photograph was taken with the potential of being used for an advertisement, which inspired me to capture the fireplace in a new way.

Context: If this image was in color I could see it being in a magazine like Better Home and Garden. However, as a black and white photograph I think it stands more as a fine art work opposed to commercial photography.

Interpretation: Mostly everyone agreed that if this image was in color it would be more successful for being a magazine advertisement. The way it stands now reads more as fine art because of the abstraction of the lighting/shapes.

Evaluation: Although in black and white it makes the image more abstract, the lighting of this photograph works for an ad. The lighting emphasizes the detail of the woodwork. 

Extension: This image is one of a series of a kitchen. If the assignment was more specific, I would have printed a mini series to show the overall view of the kitchen and then photographs like the one above to show detail of the work.

Composition: I think this photograph has a lot of visual design elements. One of the reasons this image is attractive is because of the balance of the sky with the ground and the lighting of the memorial. The overall lighting (natural from the sky, artificial from the memorial) and the silhouettes create emphasis on the building.  

Method: Whenever I try to capture the beauty and history of Washington, DC the images usually result with the same appearance as anyone else taking travel photographs. People usually end up being the focal point. What set this photograph a part from those was the lighting. I also tried to capture the photograph at an angle that was not straight on, as that is usually when the people are most visible. The time of day ended up being key for this shot. Not only was it beneficial for the lighting, but it was also a time in which there were not a lot of tourists. 

Context: As soon as I saw this image on my camera I thought it would make a good postcard. Looking around DC there are a lot of postcards with the memorials at night. I think the photograph I took is different in that this was not taken at night, but rather dusk. I enjoy the coloring and that a slight sunset can be seen at the left horizon line.

Interpretation: Everyone saw this as a postcard, but only as a postcard image, not an actual postcard.

Evaluation: The class thought this would be more successful if there wasn't so much black in the foreground, some found it to be distracting. Others thought it would look more like a postcard if there was text. 

Extension: It would be fun to try to take more travel photographs and attempt to make them appear as postcards. I think the interesting thing about postcards is how commercial "common" places look. In this case, the Lincoln Memorial is probably one of the most visited and photographed places in DC, yet not every photograph of it looks like a postcard. 

Composition: The perspective and point of view are important for the concept of this photograph. In addition, the cropping is also important in order to keep out distracting elements. Both enforce the commercial appearance of the photograph, which is also important for the concept.

Method: This image somewhat pokes fun at commercial photography and how advertising can make just about anything seem desirable. In this case I used cafeteria food in a way that would make it appear to be more appetizing than it really is. It was important to crop out the background so that the focus was more on the food than the environment of the cafeteria. Other images revealed the more grotesque perception of the food while this image made it more attractive. 

Context: I think this image deals with the social construction of advertisement and the art of it. Through advertising and art anything can appear different than it is. It will be interesting to see how people react to this based on the appeal it has although the content is not anything special. 

Interpretation: Few people commented on this photograph, but those that did said that it was not very commercial.

Evaluation: People that commented on this photograph did not care for the composition (the fork and the thing "being blurred in the top right corner") and thought it had a yellow tint. While those observations were viewed as unsuccessful, I think that those elements add to the point of the photograph.

Extension: As it stands, based off of people's reaction, in order to make this piece more successful I would try to retake the shot and use more studio lighting instead of the cafeteria lighting. This might help make it read as more commercial. 

Composition: Originally this photograph was simple, with little background information because I wanted to photoshop it to have a completely different background. The framing of this edited image is the same as the original photograph. 

Method: While I was photographing the shoe, I was thinking about how to frame it so that I could later edit in the text. My goal was to make the photograph look unrealistic and have a copy and pasted appearance, the way a lot of advertisements look. I chose the background color to contrast the shoe and give the overall image a commercial appeal. 

Context: I used the recognizable slogan, "Just Do It", with a Nike shoe to make viewers associate my photograph with a Nike advertisement. Although a few things are different, the addition of "Already" and the display of the Nike swoosh, overall I think the feel of the photograph is a Nike advertisement. 

Interpretation: This photograph was interpreted as a Nike advertisement. Overall people thought it was successful in having the copy and paste appearance. 

Evaluation: The addition of "already" makes the photograph more original than only using the "Just Do It" slogan. Someone said that changing the background color would help make it look more commercial.

Extension: Using the focus of advertisements and slogans, I could see this image being a piece of a project that explored the similarities in completely opposite companies selling different products- continuing the play on slogans and products. 

Blog Prompt 23

1. There are many ways in which people construct their identity. One of the most public ways I construct my identity is through Facebook, which allows me to post photographs of myself or things that I am interested in. I put on my Facebook the things that I want people to know about me, therefore constructing an identity. I also construct my identity in the way I dress and the way I carry myself. However, based on all of the above, it is easy for people to perceive me differently than I think of myself.

2. I think that going to school gives people a constructed environment that allows people to socialize in a general way. For example, when meeting someone in a class often you ask, or are asked, the same kinds of questions, "where are you from", "what is your major", and "what year are you?" Sometimes this socially constructed environments are then used as a segue into a less constructed space.

3. My physical space is constructed to fit my needs and desires. For my personal space, like my desk, I enjoy organizing everything in a way that I find visually pleasing, even if it is not always practical. I find this kind of humorous because there isn't a lot about my life that I find organized. By constructing my physical space I am fulfilling my desire to be an organized person.

4.  Sometimes the way I interact with people in a classroom is more constructed than how I interact with people outside of that room. For me, it is hard to get to know classmates because the only obvious commonality is the course you're pursuing. Therefore, I think often times people will talk to classmates about things they do not find particularly interesting in order to make an attempt at conversation, when in reality the only thing you want to do is talk to that individual, not talk about the course.

5. I think an interesting narrative tableaux would be a series of photographs in which my dreams become reality. According to my roommate we have several conversations while I'm asleep throughout the course of a week. It would be fun to create a narrative tableaux in which photographs recreate the images that I'm dreaming about ("seeing") and the imagery that I'm describing.

6. Using the idea above, it would be necessary to use human actors and toy objects/dolls. One of the times that spoke with someone in my sleep consisted of them telling me to go back to sleep and my reply being "what about the little boy" as I pointed across the room. Using a constructed space and a little boy doll in the corner of a room would not only recreate the dream I was having, but would also recreate the imagery of the person I was talking to.

"The Unfortunate Moment of Misunderstanding"

Jim Fiscus' series "The Unfortunate Moment of Misunderstanding" is visually interesting with his play on realism and animation (cartoon-like images). It was interesting to see how all the sets were built specifically for this shoot, however, it was unclear what was real and what was digitally (if anything) manipulated. I liked how he made his models look like mannequins, it contributed to the overall feel of the series and brings about a different feeling than actually using dolls/mannequins. This made it seem darker and more erie.

Recreation 4

Blog 21

A. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of “news”-related photographs.
In news photographs usually people are not looking at the camera. Even if the image seems posed, it seems as though news photography attempts to capture candid moments.


B. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of “snapshots”, including family photographs, cell-phone shots, photos posted to facebook.
Compared to the above, usually everyone in snapshot photographs are looking at the camera. However, I think it is more evident in snapshots that when people are not looking at the camera, the person is truly being captured in a candid moment. These photographs are often intimate or "secret" (i.e. capturing a photograph of a stranger with a cell phone, not wanting to be seen taking the picture) compared with other photography.


C. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of advertisement photographs, including fashion photography, product photography, etc.
Also compared to news photographs, the people in advertisements are usually making eye contact with the camera/photographer. Even if they are not, it is much more posed than news photography. When people are not being used as subject matter, advertisements often use dramatic affects (i.e lighting, vivid color, composition/framing) to place emphasis on the subject being advertised. 


D. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of film/movie and television stills.
Similar to advertisements and fashion photography, film/movie stills are posed. Although they are posed, they create movement and perhaps tell more of a story than other photography. Again, movie and television stills are often dramatic given that the background is probably created with artificial lighting and props. 


E. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of yearbook photos, senior pictures, and team/club/sports group shots.
Usually these portraits are only head/shoulder shots, unless it is a sports or group shot when the entire body is visible. These photographs often seem very uniform, even when you compare different sports teams or different senior pictures. Another common aspect is eye contact of the subject and again dramatic lighting, or in sports/groups shots a large overhead light source. 


F. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of stock images. http://www.corbisimages.com/ http://www.gettyimages.com/
This photography seems very commercial. Many of the images are zoomed or framed with a "tight" crop. Mostly all of them use vivid color to draw attention to the subject. The photographs without people seem sterile in that they have mostly white backgrounds and only one or two objects. Others seem sterile in that they are stable through the use of pattern/repetition.


G. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of fashion photography.
Although fashion photography is a form of portraiture, it is interesting that the person becomes the least important part of the photograph and that instead, the figure as an "ideal" become important. Most fashion photography does not have a focus on the individual, but rather what the person is wearing. This makes the portrait more commercial/advertised than a photograph to document who someone is. Fashion photographs in which people are not involved are still commercial as they often use vivid color, or dramatic tones through black and white photography. Both ways use dramatic lighting, whether it is creating shadows or using over exposure to make the colors more stark. 

H. Describe some common aesthetic aspects of paparazzi shots or celebrity photographs.

Paparazzi shots are often candid and not very attractive photographs. Conceptually they make celebrities appear to be just like everyone else, people who are not glamorous. Ironically, they must not be like everyone else because then nobody would want to take their photograph. Again, these shots often have over exposure and often do not seem like they are staged, in that the photographer probably did not have much time to set up the camera for the shot. 

William Larson

Biography
Birthdate:
Birthplace: North Tonawanda, NY 
Current Residence:
Education: Institute of Design in Chicago (late 1960s)


Significance & Concept
Larson is most known for his constant theme/concept of the construction of time and technology. His work also changed the way that nude models were photographed.

Composition
In his series "Film on Film" Larson uses high contrast with an all white background and dark subject matter. Some of the photographs also have a vignette, which contributes to the contrast and creates a balance.

Method
In order to convey his ideas, in his series the Figure in Motion Larson used a complex method dealing with exposing black and white film through a motorized camera and using the movement of the subject, camera and film. (Choreography)

Motivations
Larson's work is very experimental. The materials he works with are used to create the concept of time. Often times he uses film and plays with the idea of still and motion. In one of the series he did, Larson took several images of the same subject in which he captured the act of opening a door, but the images on the TV in the background was the only thing that actually changed.

Opinion
One of the reasons I was drawn to Larson's work is because of how different it is when compared to other photographers' work. Its scientific appearance and theme makes the work unique and interesting. I also like the concept of his work, especially since I have tried to somewhat work with the same concept in mind on a smaller scale.