My World,My Life,My Story,My Future!: 2011

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Virtual Essay

Photo Taken by Kathy A. Adams "Hope in the prison of Poverty"

Steve McCurry has definitely impacted today’s aspiring photographers. His portfolio of work has made him a very well known photographer across the world. His style of photography is capturing different cultures and making poverty a concern for the world to understand. McCurry says “Most of my pictures are grounded in people. I look for the unguarded moment, the essential should peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face. I try to convey what it’s like being that person, a person caught in a border landscape that I guess you'd call a human condition." He has traveled the world and definitely has a great appreciation for different cultures and natural human nature. Steve realized the capturing an unguarded photo is where the real person is being displayed. Looking at his gallery myself you see many different stories through the eyes of these children you witness struggle and someone in need. McCurry uses different types of photos. He has captured children, landscapes, famous artifacts, pretty much anything that is important that the world should see. Steve McCurrys possible impact on other photographers is very reasonable to say there is. Photographers always want to travel and capture what goes on around the world. Today’s photographers are out doing the same kind of work Steve McCurry built his reputation of doing. The purpose of these photos regardless of who’s taking it is to see deep down and focus on what’s going on around the world. If it’s in little girls eyes, you still can see the story just by looking at her. Someone in Africa suffering because they can’t eat, or a mother with three of four children without the ends meat to feed herself and her children. These are all stories that photographers want to make us as people who see this pay attention because we take what we have for granted. We may say we do not have much but at the end of the day, there are children and families who truly have less than we do and don’t have as big of an opportunity that we do. McCurry has a big impact on the photos due to his long history doing these photos, he is more than likely looked up too as a photographer, just based off his reputation I would assume he has done many seminars and was a guest speaker at some events to make other photographers today to get an understanding as to what he does and why he decided to go the route he has chosen. Photography will always be innovative, there will always be someone taking the same kind of photos with a different approach, As long as the picture is pure, and its understood and possibly relatable is what makes the picture what I would call “epic”.

Portraits from Africa, an exhibition of photography by John Kenny

Taken from http://funnywallpapers-photos.blogspot.com/2008/12/awesome-india-photos.html

Photo Taken by Mercedes Sayagues

Courtesy of http://www.naturesdesktop.com/

Photo Journal PART 2

Photographs whether it be art photos or press photos have differences and similarities. Similarities of them are that there is a message in the picture. The author with the camera wants you as the person viewing the photo to look deep down and come up with a message the picture is trying to portray. Both art and press pictures are made to make you see what is going on and come up with a story of relevance to the picture. The difference between the art photos and press photos is that press photos should never be altered in any way. Press photos should be original and it should be taken as if anyone had taken the photo. If a press photo is altered, it loses its true meaning and the message of the photo becomes harder to grasp. Art photos have been altered in many ways to give a sort of expression coming from the photographer for us as the people viewing the photo to understand their point of view. It is ethically wrong for a press photo to be altered because press photos are supposed to be seen as factual evidence. We as viewers; should not question whether or not the picture is real, or fake. It is supposed to be seen as if we had taken the photo ourselves.

Art Photographs

Press Photographs

References

Scott , Speck. "Pinhole Photography." Small Church n. pag. Web. 9 Apr 2011. http://www.lightweaversphoto.com/fine_art/pinhole/page003/pic59.html.

Scott , Speck. "Pinhole Photography." Moss and Rushing Water n. pag. Web. 9 Apr 2011. http://www.lightweaversphoto.com/fine_art/pinhole/page003/pic59.html.

Mike, Corder. "7 Killed, 11 Wounded in Dutch Shopping Mall Shooting." Toronto Star n. pag. Web. 9 Apr 2011. http://www.thestar.com/news.

Vince, Talotta. "Thousands Rally Against Fords Policies." Toronto Star n. pag. Web. 9 Apr 2011. http://www.thestar.com/.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Can Art be Mechanically Reproduced?

Can art be mechanically reproduced?

Yes, all art can be mechanically reproduced. All artifacts can be imitated.

When something is reproduced many times is that art?

It is still art although it has been reproduced many times whatever the reason may be. It does not carry the originality from the first piece. People may be inclined to be more interested to the newer piece because they don’t know the history of how the piece came about or they will not look at the original piece in the same light.

What's the importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art?

Mechanical reproducibility is very important is very important because it has enhanced the entire meaning of art. It started off as painting and drawings, to photography and now film. It made a universal impact because the entire world embraced art and it is a major part of our lives whether we like it or not. Everyone stops and looks when they see an interesting photograph or and drawn portrait.

What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society?

The impact that mechanical reproducibility had on society was that it was being used for more negative than positive. Society rejected its originality and its good for the community and used it for war equipment such as new war machines, and trenches.

Is photography art or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?

Photography is definitely an art. It gives us many meanings just like a fascinating painting will. You can look into a picture and understand the emotions going through the photograph.

How and why Henry Peach Robinson created "Fading Away" (1858)? What was the reason?

Henry Peach Robinson made the painting “Fading Away” by using a mixture of real and fabricated in his the picture. The reason for the painting was to paint a picture of negative situations that can happen in anyones life. The controversial picture started with a sick girl suffering from tuberculosis and the family around her suffering from her sickness.

Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?

Digitalization has taking over photography. Everything we do is digital now. Digital cameras, the editing of photos are now done by computers, older cameras are considered "out of style now"

Documenting The Great Depression

Why the project has signicant impact on the society?

The project has significant impact on the society because of "the adverse effects of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and increasing farm mechanization"(American Memory). The Farm Security Administration (FSA) and The Office of War Information (OWI) have such a major role in the history of photography. "The photographers in both units documented America's mobilization during the early years of World War II, concentrating on such topics as aircraft factories and women in the workforce." (American Memory) The photos you see around the time of the Great Depression , they contributed to that and the history of photography of the time.

*Below are just two pictures taken by the The Farm Security Administration and The Office of War Information (OWI)

Washington, D. C. Government charwoman. 1942.
Photographer: Gordon ParksReproduction Number: LC-USZ62-80024

Washstand in the dog run...Hale County, Alabama. 1935 or 1936.
Photographer: Walker EvansReproduction Number: LC-USF342-8133A

What was the role of Migrant Mother photograph in the period or great depression and what is it nowadays?

The role of the "Migrant Mother" photo at the time of the great depression was the life of a migrant at the time. No money,struggled to provide for their family, and making do with the resources they had. The overall lifestyle was depressing because these people literally had to give up everything they possibly had to survive. The role of the photo now is for people to see and understand the struggles these people faced at the time. We dont have the same struggle, it was definately harder then than it is now. There is far more resources for the less fortunate now then there was for the people who struggled back in the day.

*The pictures below show the "migrant mother". This was her life, her family and her struggle

"Nipomo, Calif. Mar. 1936. Migrant agricultural worker's family. Seven hungry children. Mother aged 32, the father is a native Californian. Destitute in a pea pickers camp, because of the failure of the early pea crop. These people had just sold their tent in order to buy food. Most of the 2,500 people in this camp were destitute."

Reproduction number: LC-USZ62-58355 (film copy negative) (Note: Original negative was declared missing; original negative number was: LC- USF34-9098-C.)
Caption: "Nipomo, Calif. March 1936. Migrant agricultural worker's family. Seven hungry children and their mother, aged 32. The father is a native Californian."

Reference

1. Color and Black-and-White Photos ." American Memory. N.p., 15 12 1998. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html.

2. "The Office of War Information." American Memory. N.p., 15 12 1998. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/owiinfo.html.

3. "Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" Photographs in the Farm Security Administration Collection: An Overview." Migrant Mother. N.p., 22/10/2010. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/128_migm.html

Friday, February 11, 2011

Photo Manipulation

The photos used are from my family trip to Grenada in July of 2010. Grenada is located in the west indies and that is where my family is from. The first photo I chose to edit was at Grand Anse Beach located in St.Georges, Grenada. The reason why I chose to edit this picture is because the beach is where we spent most of our time when we went, after looking at the picture everything about it looked good from the sand, the blue waters, the view of the house and the island on the other end of where my family and I were at the time. My island photo I modified the picture using the website http://www.picresize.com/. After uploading the photograph, I looked at all modification options and decided to use the "equalize" option. I used the equalize option because the picture looked like it was taken on a different time of day. Everything that was closer to me where I was standing stood out and the background slightly became blurry. After looking at that I decided to sharpen the picture so that everything was easier to see. The photo ended up looking like it was a painting which I want so that it had the same feel but different look to the original photo.

Original Modified

The second photograph is of a church also in St.Georges,Grenada. The idea of this modification was to make the the church stand out with a dark, haunted type sky with the feeling of an abandoned church that no one would ever recommend you going near because of the scary stories that have been said of the site. It fits the idea because in my country people are not only burried in gravesites, they're buried beside a church as well because of how small the country is and the lack of land some places have. With the grass and the small tombstones on the ground, I decided to use the oil paint feature to give the viewer a semi painted look so that the main focus remains as the scary abandoned church with the dark stormy skies that everyone in the country is afraid to pass by.

Original Modified

Friday, January 28, 2011

Photo Journal Pt.1

1. What are the main differences and similarities between portraits in the early days of photography and portraits at present time?

In the early days, portraits had more meaning to people; they used to take a photographer taking a picture of them as a privilege. People would stand in line for a picture to be taken. Portraits would also give the person higher social status around their town, or country. Today, "Photography is now so much a part of our daily lives that our familiarity causes us to overlook it. One of its singular characteristics is its acceptance in every social class. " In comparison, the quality of photographs has improved over the century. In the earlier days photos were developed on silver plated copper, where as today the are developed computer.

Although there’s been many differences the overall meaning to a photograph will always remain the same. The similarities to portraits from the past to today are that they have the same meaning and importance. The art expresses a sense of emotion and relationship between the artist and the subject. Also, "The camera has become an instrument of major significance to our society. Its inherent ability to transcribe external reality gives it documentary validity-it is, seemingly, both accurate and unbiased." (Freund 3-5)

2. Who was the photographer and who was the subject of photographs in the past and present?  

In the past and present the subject in the photo was the photo was the image, person or message the photographer was trying to convey in the photograph. The photographer would always use the subject as the main caption of his photograph.

3. What was the impact on technology on the portraits in the past and present?

The impact technology had on portraits is that that everything is being done digitally. All portraits are taken by digital cameras and developed by computer software such as Photoshop. In the past, cameras were wooden and didn’t have a flash for light eventually that had changed. "Photographs were developed using silver plated copper" (Daniel, Malcolm). So in the world of photography, technology plays a major part in the quality of cameras and the photographs it gives.

*the pictures i've taken are from www.flickr.com. The pictures are for you to see the development in cameras from the late 1800's - present.

References

1. Daniel, Malcolm. "Daguerre (1787–1851) and the Invention of Photography". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dagu/hd_dagu.htm (October 2004)

Source: Daguerre (1787–1851) and the Invention of Photography | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

2. Freund, Gisele. "Precursors of the Photographic Portrait ." 9,13,17. Print.

3. Fruend, Gisele. "The Relationship Between Art and Society." Print

4. Rouille, Lemagny. "A History of Photography." 36-44. Print.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Intro

S.WilliamsAndrew

Gender: Male

Industry: Student

Location: Toronto : Ontario : Canada

About Me

I'm a student of Georgebrown College studying Special Event Planning. Working towards becoming an event co-ordinator. Looking into pursuing Corporate events and/or Fundraising.