Beyond the Barrier
http://www.lenscratch.com/2013/02/beyond-barrier.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lenscratch%2FZAbG+%28L++E++N++S++C++R++A++T++C++H%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
I thought this would be a good post after our previous discussion, since these are not strictly "real" photographs, rather a blend of photography, drawing, and digital technology. I can't pin-point what anything is in these pictures, except for perhaps the ruins in the last two that still look like they came out of a movie set. However, the pictures do not look fake either.
The description states that the artists were inspired by science fiction, itself an interaction between the real and not-so-real. In science fiction, there must be enough science that the story is still believable to the degree intended. The imagination can then push the boundaries of reality, but must stay rooted in it, creating new worlds and possibilities that can appear very distant or just above the horizon.
The pictures here achieve much of the same. They balance both reality and mystery to the point where they appear both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. It's an intriguing bit of photography that still has me asking, "What is that?" or wondering how it was created. This type of photography I think is most effective at communicating raw idea or concepts without too many words getting in the way.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Chapter 3 Reading Response
"Sweet it is to scan"
This Chapter started to move away from the discussion of photography as art that artists do and towards a democratic practice. As user-friendly cameras entered the mass market, it became easier for average people to take pictures of relatively average events. This process was pioneered by Kodak, which did the messy specialized business of developing photographs that everyday people took. It is even easier today with digital cameras when all you need is a computer to download your pictures. Many photos taken today and shared digitally are done so not so much because of their aesthetic appeal, but to hold memories. In this case, looking through your old photographs may be like looking through a journal. When we do something special, fun, or memorable, we want something to remember it by. Attractions such as theme parks and national parks even have special places with scenic views laid out specifically for people to pose for pictures. In this case, not only is the photograph a construction, but we're constructing the real world with photographs in mind.
Q: Does focusing on taking pictures of something diminish the experience as it is actually happening? Can we focus too much on recording our experiences rather than living them?
This Chapter started to move away from the discussion of photography as art that artists do and towards a democratic practice. As user-friendly cameras entered the mass market, it became easier for average people to take pictures of relatively average events. This process was pioneered by Kodak, which did the messy specialized business of developing photographs that everyday people took. It is even easier today with digital cameras when all you need is a computer to download your pictures. Many photos taken today and shared digitally are done so not so much because of their aesthetic appeal, but to hold memories. In this case, looking through your old photographs may be like looking through a journal. When we do something special, fun, or memorable, we want something to remember it by. Attractions such as theme parks and national parks even have special places with scenic views laid out specifically for people to pose for pictures. In this case, not only is the photograph a construction, but we're constructing the real world with photographs in mind.
Q: Does focusing on taking pictures of something diminish the experience as it is actually happening? Can we focus too much on recording our experiences rather than living them?
Monday, February 18, 2013
Google Readers Response #5
http://www.lenscratch.com/2013/02/vera-saltzman.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lenscratch%2FZAbG+%28L++E++N++S++C++R++A++T++C++H%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
This post from Lenscratch creates an interesting link between old age and youth. The pictures are of mature or elderly women holding a childhood doll of theirs. We associate dolls with childhood and innocence, and old age with experience. The fact that each lady still has their childhood doll adds a level of nostalgia to the pictures, and reminds us that these older women were also once young children. In a way, they still are, as we don't become someone completely different as we mature. Rather, each version of ourselves is built on the experiences of our past. I noticed that there are no Barbies being held, so back a generation ago, the cult of thinness had not yet infiltrated the culture. What kind of dolls would the next generation be holding, and what would that say about our societies values?
This post from Lenscratch creates an interesting link between old age and youth. The pictures are of mature or elderly women holding a childhood doll of theirs. We associate dolls with childhood and innocence, and old age with experience. The fact that each lady still has their childhood doll adds a level of nostalgia to the pictures, and reminds us that these older women were also once young children. In a way, they still are, as we don't become someone completely different as we mature. Rather, each version of ourselves is built on the experiences of our past. I noticed that there are no Barbies being held, so back a generation ago, the cult of thinness had not yet infiltrated the culture. What kind of dolls would the next generation be holding, and what would that say about our societies values?
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Chapter 2 Reading Response
Part of this chapter gave me flashbacks to AP English back in high school. Photography is a form of communication, so it is not too surprising that in a photography, there are both denotative and connotative implications. In English, the words house, abode, and residence all have pretty much the same denotative meaning; they are all private living quarters. However, each word has a slightly different feel, and the context can change which word seems to be most appropriate. In photography, there is what's in front of the camera, but the choices the photographer makes gives the picture a certain feel. Just like written language cannot escape from subject meaning, neither can pictures. Some photographs may be more like prose -straight, documentary- and others may be more poetic -abstract- and communicate their message in a less straight forward manner.
The issue seems to be that people are expecting strict prose from photography when there is a full spectrum of literary styles to be explored. It may have been easier with a binary perspective, thinking that photographs should either be documentary or abstract, but just like all dichotomies, there can be so much grey area in between that people can't pinpoint where they are on the spectrum. Rather than fussing about whether a photograph is strictly "true,"a more interesting question could be "What is the photographer trying to say?"
Q: When does a photograph cross the line from trying to convey a more abstract connotative meaning to being deceptive?
The issue seems to be that people are expecting strict prose from photography when there is a full spectrum of literary styles to be explored. It may have been easier with a binary perspective, thinking that photographs should either be documentary or abstract, but just like all dichotomies, there can be so much grey area in between that people can't pinpoint where they are on the spectrum. Rather than fussing about whether a photograph is strictly "true,"a more interesting question could be "What is the photographer trying to say?"
Q: When does a photograph cross the line from trying to convey a more abstract connotative meaning to being deceptive?
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Final Project, First Images
In this body of work, I would like to contrast the
relatively uninvested innocence of childhood with the toxic sites that have
been clumped around a small area. Everyone will be able to identify the
playground, but the other pictures appear unfamiliar, ominous, or mysterious;
illustrating the secretive deals that slipped two landfills and a medical waste
incinerator right under the feet of a pre-established community. Originally I
had hoped to capture this juncture in the same frame, but even though all of these
pictures were taken within less than a five minute walk of each other, the layout has been too cleverly designed so that both the community and waste facilities are not
visible at the same time. Thus, I’ll have to create the same effect in other
ways.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Google Reader Response #4
http://www.americansuburbx.com/2013/02/sophie-ristelhueber-facts-of-matter-2011.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Americansuburb+%28ASX+%7C+AMERICAN+SUBURB+X+%7C+Photography+%26+Culture%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
The pictures in this post were taken several months after the war in Kuwait. The land has been left scarred and bruised, as have several of the people photographed. Among other things, this body of work eliminates the false dichotomy between people and the environment they live in, because we find that where the land has been abused and damaged, the social landscape is often in turmoil. The pictures of scarred bodies of people were taken in a Paris hospital, but the fact that they are presented together creates the link between scars on land and scars on people.
The first picture shown is a close up of a large hole blown into a road, which is a basic level of infrastructure. Roads and other forms of transportation are like the circulatory system of the built environment, so the fact that this one has not been fixed for months shows that political and economic repair cells have not been mobilized to heal the body yet. Perhaps the country is still in turmoil, dealing with other more pressing matters, or still recovering from a traumatic experience. Just like when the human body is damaged, the quicker it's primary systems are in working condition again, the sooner it can get back on its feet.
The pictures in this post were taken several months after the war in Kuwait. The land has been left scarred and bruised, as have several of the people photographed. Among other things, this body of work eliminates the false dichotomy between people and the environment they live in, because we find that where the land has been abused and damaged, the social landscape is often in turmoil. The pictures of scarred bodies of people were taken in a Paris hospital, but the fact that they are presented together creates the link between scars on land and scars on people.
The first picture shown is a close up of a large hole blown into a road, which is a basic level of infrastructure. Roads and other forms of transportation are like the circulatory system of the built environment, so the fact that this one has not been fixed for months shows that political and economic repair cells have not been mobilized to heal the body yet. Perhaps the country is still in turmoil, dealing with other more pressing matters, or still recovering from a traumatic experience. Just like when the human body is damaged, the quicker it's primary systems are in working condition again, the sooner it can get back on its feet.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Google Reader Response #3
http://flakphoto.com/photo/olivia-locher-how-to-draw-a-circle?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FlakPhoto+%28Flak+Photo%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#When:15:00:28Z
This post on flakphoto is titled "How to draw a circle." As far as I know, it is practically impossible to draw a perfect circle without help, and it turns out that the person is using a compass to paint (not draw), a circle. She has probably practiced quite a bit, because there are circles painted on the walls and on the bed sheets, but what is most interesting is that the medium for the next painted circle is another girl's face.
The point of the compass that form the middle of the circle is being held on her noise, which could potentially hurt, but her face appears calm and serene. The painter appears focused yet gentle, like she is concentrating enough to do a good job, but is still playful given the oddness of holding a compass with a paintbrush on someone's nose.
All of the circles are a light blue, whereas the background is a cream color. It gives the picture a relaxed feel, plus since the two ladies are in intimate space on a bed in a small, low-ceiling room, the picture also feels cozy, isolated from the rest of the world.
This post on flakphoto is titled "How to draw a circle." As far as I know, it is practically impossible to draw a perfect circle without help, and it turns out that the person is using a compass to paint (not draw), a circle. She has probably practiced quite a bit, because there are circles painted on the walls and on the bed sheets, but what is most interesting is that the medium for the next painted circle is another girl's face.
The point of the compass that form the middle of the circle is being held on her noise, which could potentially hurt, but her face appears calm and serene. The painter appears focused yet gentle, like she is concentrating enough to do a good job, but is still playful given the oddness of holding a compass with a paintbrush on someone's nose.
All of the circles are a light blue, whereas the background is a cream color. It gives the picture a relaxed feel, plus since the two ladies are in intimate space on a bed in a small, low-ceiling room, the picture also feels cozy, isolated from the rest of the world.
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