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?
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
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.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Reading Response Ch 1
I'm no art major, but it seems to me that photography is the most technologically dependent of art forms. As the beginning of this chapter pointed out, when a new technology, such as cameras, emerges focus is usually given to its effects on society rather than the conditions and investments that led to it. Perhaps one reason is because it is easy to point to a tangible object. For instance, back in my major of environmental studies, it is easy to fall into blaming industrial-scale factory farming on tractors and pesticides rather than political decisions and economic conditions that resulted in the technological investments that made factory farming physically possible. Another reason may be that the previous social needs or conditions served by the new technology are not as dramatic in the construction of history than all the new possibilities that arise afterwards.
The discussion of whether photography is even an art or not appears similar to the difference of data and theory in the natural sciences. One one hand, pictures could be seen as just a carrier of 'facts' (pg 16), in which case photography would be a way of gathering and recording data. However, whether in science or simply while communicating, data or facts do not interpret themselves. Theory, however, can transform raw data into coherent understandings, and perhaps the pictures in photography into a coherent and distinct art form.
One more point I thought was interesting was the issue of photographs in museums. I would have thought that including photos in art museums would be a celebrated testament of photography as art, but instead, the book says that they are doomed to visual solitude. Perhaps one thing that makes photography unique then is that its natural home is not isolated in the museum as art for the sake of art, but out in the world, enriching magazines, empowering journal articles, and being liked on facebook.
Discussion points:
From an non-art major perspective: What is an art?
The discussion of whether photography is even an art or not appears similar to the difference of data and theory in the natural sciences. One one hand, pictures could be seen as just a carrier of 'facts' (pg 16), in which case photography would be a way of gathering and recording data. However, whether in science or simply while communicating, data or facts do not interpret themselves. Theory, however, can transform raw data into coherent understandings, and perhaps the pictures in photography into a coherent and distinct art form.
One more point I thought was interesting was the issue of photographs in museums. I would have thought that including photos in art museums would be a celebrated testament of photography as art, but instead, the book says that they are doomed to visual solitude. Perhaps one thing that makes photography unique then is that its natural home is not isolated in the museum as art for the sake of art, but out in the world, enriching magazines, empowering journal articles, and being liked on facebook.
Discussion points:
From an non-art major perspective: What is an art?
Google Reader Response #2
http://www.americansuburbx.com/series-2/c/civil-rights-mug-shots
Since we recently celebrated MLK's birthday, I thought I would write about these civil rights mug shots. Even though MLK is held up as the icon of the movement, scrolling down this blog you can start to get a sense of the number of people who participated. Following is its own undervalued form of leadership. Without the other people in these mug shots and many more, MLK would have been a crazy dreamer rather than a leader with a dream.
Over MLK's picture, it is written "DEAD 4-4-68," perhaps as a reminder of how dangerous it can be to be on the forefront, yet he knew the risks and continued on. The subjects of these photographs are photographs themselves, adding weight to how important this movement was if even the pictures are being photographed.
Since we recently celebrated MLK's birthday, I thought I would write about these civil rights mug shots. Even though MLK is held up as the icon of the movement, scrolling down this blog you can start to get a sense of the number of people who participated. Following is its own undervalued form of leadership. Without the other people in these mug shots and many more, MLK would have been a crazy dreamer rather than a leader with a dream.
Over MLK's picture, it is written "DEAD 4-4-68," perhaps as a reminder of how dangerous it can be to be on the forefront, yet he knew the risks and continued on. The subjects of these photographs are photographs themselves, adding weight to how important this movement was if even the pictures are being photographed.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Google Reader Response #1
http://flakphoto.com/photo/john-mann-untitled-ocean?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FlakPhoto+%28Flak+Photo%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#When:14:06:45Z
This recent post on Flak Photo captured one of the top reasons that I enjoy photographs, in that they can allow your mind a glimpse of a different world even if you cannot travel there yourself. Photography is likely the best-suited art form to fulfill this goal, because unlike painting or drawing, the photographer has to travel to the location in order to get the picture.
The picture in the post I thought was an intriguing choice. It's a square cut out of part of an ocean on a map, with only the word "Ocean" visible. Which ocean it is has been cut out. At first I thought it was a romantic notion of over-sees travel. This bit of the map has been displace from the rest, so there is no knowing where exactly it is from. However, the longitude labels are visible on the bottom with the numbers decreasing to the right, meaning that this cut-out is from west of the Prime Meridian. Given a longitude of 57 degrees, it must be from the Atlantic Ocean. Also, since the longitude labels are visible at the bottom, I'm guessing that Antarctica was not fully represented, and the location in the cut-out is just north of the frozen continent.
This recent post on Flak Photo captured one of the top reasons that I enjoy photographs, in that they can allow your mind a glimpse of a different world even if you cannot travel there yourself. Photography is likely the best-suited art form to fulfill this goal, because unlike painting or drawing, the photographer has to travel to the location in order to get the picture.
The picture in the post I thought was an intriguing choice. It's a square cut out of part of an ocean on a map, with only the word "Ocean" visible. Which ocean it is has been cut out. At first I thought it was a romantic notion of over-sees travel. This bit of the map has been displace from the rest, so there is no knowing where exactly it is from. However, the longitude labels are visible on the bottom with the numbers decreasing to the right, meaning that this cut-out is from west of the Prime Meridian. Given a longitude of 57 degrees, it must be from the Atlantic Ocean. Also, since the longitude labels are visible at the bottom, I'm guessing that Antarctica was not fully represented, and the location in the cut-out is just north of the frozen continent.
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