Artist Lecture: Barbara Bosworth

I went to the artist lecture about Barbara Bosworth. I am really glad that I went to her lecture because I appreciated her work and especially hearing about how she decided to take the pictures and I especially appreciated how at the end she said that personal photographs are okay, she actually prefers the ones of family, one would just need to learn how to arrange it in a way that it is breathtaking.

She started off the lecture by saying that she tried to incorporate life and death though her landscapes. Starting off telling us about her childhood in Ohio, where she learned how to view the world through a rectangle, because in her house there was this huge rectangular window and thats where she would end up looking out at the world.I appreciated how she just took pictures of what she wanted, if she was into waterfalls at the time she would take pictures of waterfalls then she took pictures of environment. Through her lens she learned so much, at first taking pictures of the environment then of the people in the environment, learning that people matter too, they are a part of the surroundings. She then showed a photograph of, I believe, her nephew reading under a tree, using the shadow as a cover from the sun. I enjoyed how she just wanted to show life and how we take the small things for granted. Such as when she was photographing the trees, she went to Arizona and found the largest Chokecherry and it was placed right on a cliff, as if hanging on for dear life.

Towards the end of the lecture she started talking about her family and how she started taking pictures of them because this way they could never be taken away from her, which I thought to be an amazing way to look at photography. Taking pictures of fireflies even had meaning towards when her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's, showing that they are hanging onto the light as she was. Over all I thought her work was inspiring and I loved hearing her talk about her life experiences. I found many of her photographs to be breathtaking and fascinating.

Tidying UP Art

Robert Mapplethorpe

This photographer really caught my eye in class because he decided to stretch the norm of his time. Born in Florida Park, Queens he even says that he "came from suburban America. It was a very safe environment and it was a good place to come from in that it was a good place to leave." This to me is interesting because I didn't really see that much shelter or poise in his work, that he doesn't really incorporate his growing up into his work, although with some of his works I do see a sense of elegance. I also read about him that he began at the Pratt Institute studying painting, drawing and sculpture, but when he got his first polaroid in 1970 he felt it was more honest than the other medias. I found this interesting because I never thought of that, I have always enjoyed drawings more than photography because I feel that you can get to know a person more by their drawing, the way they do their mark makings or abstract or even the way they can create something that only they see. Although that is how I feel, I appreciate his point of view, it really makes me think of why he feels this way.

From what I saw of his work, these were some of my favorites! They really draw me in and have so much emotion in them that I would love to learn how to incorporate in my own photographs. 

Still Life Project

My top picks:

Also here are some random still life pictures that I took last week:

North Carolina Spring Break

Here are some of my favorites from today!

Feedback is always greatly appreciated!!! 

Homework #2

I will admit these are late, I know, and I did use some of the photos I took today at the beach, I am just loving the NC sunsets.

Chapter 6: Printing and Display

This was a short chapter that talked about printing and ink, this to me is pretty basic but I always worry that I am going to mess something up because these are expensive printers and I would really prefer not to be the one to break it. This chapter calmed my nerves about using them a little bit because I was able to see the different types of printers, ink and matting. I really enjoy using the printers in class because the photographs always turn out so clear and almost perfect! The day after we did our first prints in class I looked though my photo library and found a few pictures that I have always wanted to print but they needed to be on a nicer quality printer instead of the one I have at home. All I have to do now is invest in a portfolio to protect my precious photos instead of storing them in the paper box.

Chapter 5: Image Editing

This chapter was my favorite so far because editing a photo is always my favorite part of taking a photograph. I have always loved downloading my photos onto my computer then opening Lightroom or just through iPhoto and editing my heart out, I just like to have fun with it, go through all of the options and see which ones look better, worse or if I prefer it to stay the same. With this chapter I was actually able to see what all of the functions do and how to control them. Some parts to me got a little confusing such as layering, it reminded me of my high school photoshop days where I had no idea what I was doing, but I am sure that with time and help I will get a better handle on it. I especially liked how the book told me how to make localized adjustments on my photograph instead of general adjustments, this was such a huge help with me because some times I would enjoy some aspects of my photograph but felt other parts could use a little touch up. I am really excited to start using photoshop in the classroom so I have more ability to manipulate aspects of my photographs as well as combine multiple photos into one. 

Chapter 4: The Digital Darkroom

After reading chapter four I found half of it to be common sense about computers such as how to upload pictures and what pixels are, as well as things around that sort, but I also found other parts to be helpful as well as a bit confusing. After reading about taking pictures in "raw" I am excited to try it out, learning that it is when files do not conform to a single set of standards, that is just lets pictures stay in hight bit and allows more precise editing control. I am interested to see how this setting will really change my photographs, whether in a big way or in a way I can barely tell. From what I have read and heard it is a lot better, clearer and the quality is astonishing.

Reading: Still Life and Abstract Photography

I, like most likely the rest of the class, was confused when we were assigned the reading assignments for still life, and abstract photography at the same time. When I think of still lives I think of boring set up that I have to draw to better understand the techniques being taught. I never thought that it was real anything you want it to be. As Ann Lauterbach explained it "the invisible persona of the photographer comes to endow the images with the quixotic but powerful language of the secret,  or the fetish." She showed me that a still life is really showing who the photographer is as a person it is cliche but it is a window into your soul. I never really analyzed a still life photograph I just thought they were random objects, but now I see myself   looking at them differently, they aren't as boring and mundane as i thought they were

With the abstract article, Lynne Guimond Findlay shows me that there are different ways to interoperate something as abstract art. The way I liked  was how it is just everything, from a portrait to a still life. When painting or drawing one interoperates things differently showing that there is some sort of abstraction, whether in the shape or color. With a photograph you could just take a close up of an object and it could be distorted creating it an abstract piece of art. After reading the assignments I definitely loo at abstract art and still lives to be one in the same.

Chapter 3: Light and Exposure

This chapter allowed me to learn about the reasons why things are the way they are when I take a photograph. The exposure talks about how much light is let into the lens, when there is a high exposure there will be a lot of light in the photograph and when there is a low exposure there is a small amount of light let into the photograph. I see picking the perfect light as an art, if it is just a little bit off the picture looks off but when put at the right exposure the image can be breathtaking. The Shutter speed and aperture coincide to create this beautiful image but you just have to know how to work them in your favor, creating a fun mood or a sadistic tone, all that you need to do is change around the exposure. Letting the shutter speed down and exposing more light in the photograph also allows for some interesting light art, thats what I have found in my own experience.

Chapter 2: The Lens

In chapter 2 of A Short Course in Digital Photography I learned a lot about the lens, and a lot that I didn't even know there was to know about the lens. I learned, which I had no idea about that the lens speed is completely different than the shutter speed, it shows the largest aperture to which the lens diagram can be open. When a lens is faster it is able to open to a wider aperture, allowing more light in, which makes complete sense to me. The shutter speed clearness and exposure all depends on the amount of light that can be let in, with a bigger lens you could capture faster objects with still having the right amount of light.

I also learned how there are different lenses to use for different situations. Such as a long lens makes a smaller depth of field. Then a medium lens is useful for portraits because the photographer can be far away from the subject and still fit the image to the frame, then short lenses can get great depth of fields. I found it quite shocking as well that there were so many different lenses, including Macro, zoom, fisheye and so many more! I found learning about the distortions that could be created and the right lens for the right subject to be so important when taking a picture.

Chapter 1: The Camera

After reading the first chapter of A Short Course in Digital Photography I learned a lot about the camera that to be honest thought I already had the hang of, but after reading this I am second guessing myself. I always thought that taking a picture in automatic is the same as taking a picture on manual but I read that there are better pictures when not on automatic. I began to think about it and I think it is right, I have more manipulation of what I do to the photograph, such as the white balance, focus, iso, and the obvious aperture and shutter speed. By working all of these components together it creates a more spectacular picture, that is well rounded.

Reading this chapter has also cleared up some things that were kind of fuzzy for me. Such as how the ISO controls the sensitivity and this is curtail when getting the correct exposure, . As well as how I was always confused about how to know that my photographs are in focus because they might seem in focus but sometimes they look clear in the camera but not when I upload them. I learned that there is a way to see it through the viewfinder you are able to see the sharpest parts of the scene. Also learning that there is an average subjects for indoors, such as the ISO should be around 100 and the shutter around 1/250 then the aperture f/11 or f/16 depending on the shadows. I found that to be interesting as well as helpful.

Still Life Eggs

My Egg Contact Sheets

Finals:

Irving Penn

Irving Penn is known more for his fashion forward, editorial photographs, shot as still lives and portraits. He was well known for working independently through Issey Miyake and Clinque but also working in Vogue. Penn was among the first photographers to pose subjects against a simple grey or white backdrop and he effectively used this simplicity. I enjoyed his photographs with the simple grey backdrop, initially I thought that it was a little boring seeing  the same backdrop over and over again but the way that he composed his pictures, he thought about every aspect of the lens before taking a photograph. He was still able to capture something so elegant and chic and still capture the attention of others with just a simple grey backdrop and I find that fascinating. I also enjoyed the fact that his photography is black and white, that to me is the most interesting and moving photography of all. 

Color Theory

Primary colors are yellow, blue, and red, which are the colors that when mixed together make all the other colors. Secondary colors are Orange, Purple, and Green which are made by combining the primary colors together. Tertiary colors are when you combine any of the primary or secondary colors together. 

I chose to do the color yellow for this project because yellow has always been my favorite color. I also enjoy a pop of color especially in the white snow, I enjoyed looking for this color because I never really realized how many things were yellow around campus. I was able to just go out one day and keep in mind yellow and so many things popped up at me, it was shocking. 

For me this color symbolizes Warmth, happiness, energy, excitement and spontaneity 

My favorite photographs from this project are: 

Class Picks: