these are a handful of the final images

Assignment #6 the last one!

For my last assignment I took photos that were similar to that of my first self portrait. The images we of friends wearing yellow ray ban sun glasses. I think that it turned out rather well. Better than I expected. Professor Buckius stated in class that it was interesting because all of the subjects were wearing glasses that I wore in a self portrait and I think that what this translates to in this project is the idea of shared identity. That although we are all very different what makes us all very different for the most part, or what we share with others that makes different is in the end very superficial.

Project #4 second response

Ok so I guess I never did make a follow up statement about the 4th project. So here it is. I think that my photos for the 4th assignment were some of the best that I have made so far. I am really proud of them. I was surprised that the class liked them as much as they did I did not expect them to. I think that similar photos could be a good direction for another project.

Question #24

Write a detailed description of your “motivations” for your final self-proposed project. Why are you interested in this subject? What do you want to convey? How do you want viewers to respond? Why are you inspired to make these images/this project? Do you want to evoke emotions in viewers? Shock viewers? Make them laugh? Make them think? Inform them? Reveal something about how you see the world? Reveal something about yourself, a person, a place, a feeling, a memory, a moment in time?

So I think that I am interested in the aesthetic of the snapshot photo because it seems so reversed and backwards from the progression of photography. I want my portrait snapshots to be interesting. I don't know how yet though. I want them to be captivating for their colors yet people to love them for their subject and aesthetic. I feel like I need to still think out why I want to make the photos the way that I do. But at the same time I don't know if I could ever make out a good reason for them, they just are they way they are for the reason that we are the way we are.

Project #5 response

After hearing class response I feel like both works could use some refinement. I think that I should definitely spend more time working of the fluidity of the video in final cut and that possibly it should be re-shot. Also the success in snapshot photos is in numbers. So the more the better. A bunch of photos of the wedding would have made it more successful.

Written Statement for Assignment #5

Ok so this particular project was rather tough for me. My first part of the assignment I decided to do a still motion movie with the tilt shift lens. More than anything I feel like it was a good exploration of still motion and learning how to use the tilt shift lens. There is not a lot that I really like about the still motion that I made however, I do think that the still motion conveys a strong idea how small and strange our world is. Last is my snapshot photo. Over the weekend I went to a wedding and shot photos, however if I took any photos with a flash it was only with the on camera flash. In this way I really tried to enhance the snapshot aesthetic. I also tried to capture images that were quick moments full of energy. In this way I feel that the photo is very successful.

Real question #23

Pick any three works by any of the photographers/artists listed on the assignment sheet. Describe how you would recreate/remake/reinterpret a work of theirs "in your own way". How would you use their work as inspiration for your own projects? For this prompt you should describe three different corresponding recreations that derive from three different works.

Answer: Ok so after looking through the different artists, I was interested in commenting on the snapshot photographers because I have been interested in that medium of photography (notice my profile picture for the blog). Not surprisingly Ryan McGinley's photo were captivating. Yes mostly they are nudes. But what I wanted to comment on where the photos that he took that were not nudes or at least the photos where nudes were not the most important element in the photograph. What these were saying about his work. For example his photograph Jonas (Tunnel) 2010 http://ryanmcginley.com/Life_Adjustment_Center. A photograph of a person walking down to the light at the end of the tunnel. I think the photo could be exaggerated more and made more exciting. However I like the way that he did it. It makes one reflect upon the idea of light at the end of the tunnel. What does it mean, how do we visualize it. What statement does that make about the artist. The particular tunnel that was chosen does that have significance to the message the photographer is trying to make. These are all questions I think that are important for this photograph. I think the photographer should capitalize more on these types of moments in his work. The photograph Tom (Golden Tunnel) is interesting too. Next though the photographs of Nudes with wild animals I think makes interesting statements. Is the Ryan trying to get the viewer to think about the primal nature of mankind? Why does he pick young deer, wolves, and insects. Does he see everyone are innocent, deceptive, and gross. What are other interpretations? Would he photograph other animals? Why black and white for those photos? Is that how he sees the world? I think I would use more animals, and maybe use color personally. Last are the photographs in the gallery moonmilk. http://ryanmcginley.com/moonmilk. I love that he has taken lots of photos in caves and underground spaces and given them surreal colors, In real underground situations there are not really many colors. Its very very dark. I think black and white for these could be interesting. I would like to say that. I think the interpretation of these photos are interesting to consider.

Question #23

Describe four possible projects (that interest you) that integrate color photography and other media.
4 projects that I would like to do that integrate color photography and other media would be something to do with advertisement, making a commercial, making a news report still, and a still for a documentary.

Constructed Photos Statement

When i first started the Constructed Photos assignment I was very intimidated. However I really enjoyed the process and the photos that I made. I hope to continue making such photos. The photos that I made really were about the constructed identity of the community, city, and state. The auto industry has such a powerful effect on the society and humanity within the state of Michigan and it seems as if treat it as if it were a human being as well. We have allowed the industry to control the economics of the state and from my pictures the way it looks as well, instead of the population telling the industry how it will be controlled. I hope in my photos that there is a sense of mans organization and control or lack thereof.

Constructed Reality

Question #21

Blog Prompt #21

1. In what ways do you “construct” your identity? In what ways do you “perform” in your daily life?

I think people construct their identities by choosing things that they are familiar with or like and make it part of who they are. For example a person grows up in a certain area like Michigan and then because they know that area they connect themselves to that area by calling themselves Michiganders. Although they do not need to make it part of their identity. They then perform that construction by tell other people that they are from there or describe themselves through reference to that area.

2. Describe some ways in which your personal culture and social environments are “constructed”.

I would say that my social and cultural environments are constructed in a similar way to my identity. In fact the social and cultural environments are those things which help construct my identity. They are constructed by other people as well though. They connect me to other people as well.

3. Describe some ways in which your physical environment/space is “constructed”.

My physical space is constructed through the actual movement of materials and space. Things are moved around, purchased, organized to make a familiar space. Which I am then able to make apart of my identity and social construction.

4. In your daily life, what would you consider to be “real” and what would you consider to be “constructed/fabricated”?
The things in our lives that are constructed are real because we make them apart of our everyday life. We implement them all the time. We make time for them. So I would say that constructed things are very real.

Statement #2 for landscapes

So after the class response to the photos, I still feel like the photograph of the capital is the best. I think that I could still make some minor changes to make it feel more real and finished. The other photos I think are good starts and will get stronger as more photographs like them are made.

“We therefore consume images fleetingly and randomly. It takes very special pictures to grasp and hold our attention. We need to be seduced by images that outdo reality through excessiveness—as in advertising and movies” (Constructed Realities: The Art of Staged Photography Edited by Michael Kohler). What do you think about this quote? How do you think that our lives are changing as the speed of our interaction with photographic images grows?

I think that at this point in time that to catch peoples attention we need to produce photographs that are excessive and over the top. However for photographs that are there for us to appreciate and enjoy we make photographs that are expressive and reflect the artist ambition. We then are able to appreciate the photographs for a lifetime not a moment.

“But the term ‘Infotainment’ also implies this: with the gradual fictionalization of even the news, the old categorical oppositions of ‘documenting’ and ‘staging’, appearance and reality gradually dissolve. They are being replaced by a variety of hybrid forms for which it will be impossible, in fact pointless, to attempt to distinguish between fact and fiction. Even the accusation that ‘Infotainment’ is guilty of continuous ‘lying’ is therefore unjustified, for it is neither ‘true’ nor ‘false’. Like advertising, movies and all other genres that adhere to the laws of fiction, it works at a level beyond these oppositions—the level of ‘hyper-reality’, where reality is ‘simulated’.” (Constructed Realities: The Art of Staged Photography Edited by Michael Kohler). What are your thoughts on “Infotainment” and how it affects our lives? How does it affect the way we see and understand “reality”? How does it affect photography in general?

I think that infotainment is a interesting topic. With information updated at every last second, we live in a world where reality is stranger than fiction. Every last detail is reported and available for people to hear and interpret, infotainment is a real part of our lives. I think it affects my photography in a way that is related to the way that my generation thinks. We live in a world of facebook and twitter. Where we know everything about what is going on in the world and what is going on with all our friends.

Reseach

Hippolyte Bayard invented direct positive printing and presented the first public exhibition of photographs. One of the drawbacks of the direct positive printing technique was a long exposure time. This caused people to look dead in their portraits because of blinking and movement of their eyes. One of Hippolyte Bayard's most famous portraits was Self Portrait as a Drownedman. In this photograph he pretended to have commited suicide, which was the first staged photograph. Unfortunatly the success of the daguerreotype photographic process overshadowed Hippolytes achievements.
Jeff Koons is a contemporary American artist. He is famous for his metal balloon animals namely his balloon dogs. Many critics do not like his work for its lack of meaning. He has had an interesting life. Marrying an Itallian pornstar. He has sold some of the most expensive art ever by a living artist. Recently he designed the 17th BMW art car. Koons has also had several problems with copyright infringement. http://www.jeffkoons.com/

Statement for Landscape photos

Landscape photos always seem to present such a challenge for me. I feel like it is a big challenge to photograph a space in a new way that is interesting and intriguing. Fortunately in this assignment we were allowed to have people in the photographs which I think instantly give the photograph more visual interest. However in spaces where there are no people we really have to think more about composition, vantage point, and so on. I think that in the photographs that I have taken I am fairly satisfied with. I hope to be able to improve on all of them though.

Question #19

Can you think of anything that:

1) should not be photographed? Why?
I do not know if there is anything that should not be photographed. I think that most things should be photographed. Capturing things through the means of photography I think are the most important way of retaining the past.

2) cannot be photographed? Why?
The only thing that cannot be photographed are the things that cannot be seen with the human eye. For example we photograph the expressions of the human face but we cannot photograph the actually emotions that are being felt beneath the skin. This may seem obvious and stupid but it is true which is why photographs are not always of reality.

and

3) you do not want to photograph? Why?
I think that as a photographer I am open to photographing most things. Perhaps there may be something down the road that might decide I do not want to photograph or shouldn't but I can not think of them now.

Landscape photographer

I picked the photographer Hannah Collins. She is a well accomplished photographer from the U.K. She did a series called "In the course of Time". It is a black and white series but it is very interesting. One photograph in particular is titled "Huta Chemical Works", I found it to be a very interesting image. You can view it at http://hannahcollins.net/projects/archive/in-the-course-of-time.html I think what is so interesting about it is that it has a very ubiquitous sense of time. To me it has a depressed tone. Had it been taken recently I would have related it to the recent housing crisis. However it was taken in 96. Perhaps because it is taken in winter or that it is in black in white that makes it look desolate. I think that she wanted to portray a sense of desolation.

Questions #16, 17, 18

“I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways.” Duane Michals

I think this quotation is a correct statement, the majority of photographs taken are just reproductions of how a person looks. But I think successful photographs are the ones that make people look in a way that no one has seen them before.

“I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.” Duane Michals

An interesting statement. I think as a photographer it is a great responsibility and challenge to be able make our imaginations part of reality for other to be able to observe.

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer—and often the supreme disappointment.” ~Ansel Adams

I can think of no greater challenge than to make landscape photographs. You can only photograph what is found. Other photographers have set such high standards. To make photographs in a new way that have not already been photographed is a big challenge. When we do not measure up, which I think is often, we will be disappointed.

“Photography, as we all know, is not real at all. It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world.” Arnold Newman

I think that there are elements of reality in every photograph, however photographs really are the illusion of the reality that we construct.

“Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.” Berenice Abbott

An interesting statement. Photography is very much about the moment. But everything moves to the past as soon as we reach it. The purpose of photography to me is being able to capture that moment that is now in the past and take it into the future.

Questions #11-15

#11____Memory of a Place: Try to imagine a place from your past. Do you have pictures of this place? Describe this place as you remember it. What might a photograph look like of this place if you were to go back and photograph it? What would it look like in the past? What would it look like to you today? Where are you standing in this place? What other items are in this place? What colors do you see? Are there other people or are you alone? Make a “written photograph” of this place using words/description.

A place that I would like to describe to you is the peak district in South Yorkshire of England. I have pictures of it. Everything is a very bright green color. And the hills seem to go on forever and ever. I think the place has looked the same for many many years and will continue to look that way for a long long time. In the photograph I am standing in the front of the image with the beautiful surroundings behind me. There is a large lake crystal clear and beautiful.

#12____Memory of a Photograph: Which photograph from your past do you remember most? Describe this photograph. Describe how it makes you feel when you remember/think about this photograph. How have you changed? How has the place in this photograph changed? What would a reenactment of this photograph look like? Would you act or look differently if you reenacted this scene today?

A photograph that I have a good memory of is when I was in New York City with my two best friends and my wife. We were in soho in a sunglasses shop and I took a photo of them trying on photographs. I think that the people in photograph would have changed a little bit and the store would definitely have different sunglasses. I think that a reenactment would be a really fun. We could really make the photograph even more fun and exciting. In the actual photograph it is pretty fun and exciting.

#13____Human-Made Space: In the past, photographers who were interested in how humans impacted the natural landscape grouped together to form the New Topographics. “"New Topographics" signaled the emergence of a new photographic approach to landscape: romanticization gave way to cooler appraisal, focused on the everyday built environment and more attuned to conceptual concerns of the broader art field.” http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibTopo.aspx

In addition, at the same time in history artists created (and still do create) “land art” in which they use materials found in the landscape to make sculptures that remain in the landscape. Many of these works now only exist as video recordings and photographic documents.

Pay attention to the number of ways in which you encounter humans’ interaction with nature and the physical land. Write these down. Using these as inspiration, describe an idea for a piece of “land art” that you might create that would be documented by a photograph. Describe an idea for a piece of “land art” that you might make in a man-made landscape that would be documented by a photograph.

I think what could be really interesting is to take a piece of land that has been strip mined and then alter it making it a city or livable environment. I think it would be interesting to see how homes would be formed, roads and bridges would be integrated and and natural habitat could be reintroduced.

#14____Unknown vs. Familiar Space: When photography was invented, it became a way to document and reveal the specific aspects of both familiar and faraway places. Imagine a familiar place. Imagine a faraway place. How would you use photographs to convey the difference? Can you imagine any places that have been “touched” very little by humans? How might you photograph them?

I think some of the only places that have been touched very little by humans would be under water in the oceans and outer space. I think that I would try and photograph the expanse of their space and how large and grand they are.

#15____Collage: Collage brings together two or more items that were previously separate. The resulting piece usually visually references the fact that they were once separate entities. Imagine an important place in your past. Imagine an important place in your present. Imagine who you were in both of these past and present places. Describe two photographs that you might take that could be collaged together to tell a new narrative about these important places and how they relate to who you are and were.

I think and an interesting collage of a place past and present were when i was very little and me as a collage adult. I think the stark contrast of what I used to look like and what I look like now are so very different. I think of places in which I used to live. When I was little I used to live on a small farm, and now I live in a small apartment. To maybe collage my grown up self at the farm and my small young self in the apartment would be an interesting contrast of who I was and who I have become.

Assignment #2 Post Critique Response

After receiving feedback from fellow students I learned more about what I could do better next time and what I could change in my photos. In photo #1 other students felt there was a very dark mood to the photo. They felt that the pose of the subject was good and so was the lighting. I think it would be good to spend some time in the photo being creative with the color that I allow to show in the photo. There could be a good series with this photo based around shapes and backlit subjects. In photo #2 there was a very casual mood things fit together well and there was a balanced composition. However there was a bit of the photo that needed to be cropped to make the photo more seamless. There could be room for extension if I were to take photos of people being casual in their living rooms. The last photo #3, I really liked. I think because it was so simple. But the photo was very intimate and seemed very natural. This photo I think would have the easiest transition into a series of intimate, dead on, close up, portraits.

CS5 Stuff for Class

Assignment 2 photos statement

For my final three photos I have chosen an interesting variety I feel. One is a back lit self portrait back by popular demand. I chose it because so many people had liked it in their comments. Another one I chose of my wife. The sub category that it was for was diffuse lighting but I think it could have been for the personal intimate photo. She is photographed with out make-up, or dressy clothes, or her hair fixed up. It's of her in a way most people do not see her. Her expression really I think makes the photograph what it is. Last is one of a friend who was willing to model for me. I thought that she did a good job and really did a good job fulfilling the adornment category. These photographs I think are helping me really develop as an artist and photographer, getting me closer to understand what I want to express in future work.

Questions #8, #9, #10

Here are my responses to the following quotes.


“My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.” ~Richard Avedon.
I think that in most instances when the photographer is taking the time to think about what he is doing with the camera, he saying a lot about himself. In class when we look at every students photographs they all are very different, and I think every person has their own signature in their photographs, the subjects they choose, the lighting, the location, and what they want it to express or not express. It is like in every other discipline of fine art no one makes the same product the same way.

“You don't take a photograph, you make it.” ~Ansel Adams


There is truth to this quote as well. When a photograph is captured nothing is actually taken from the scene except the light. And in every step of the process you are in control and make decisions of what is going to happen to make the photograph the way it looks. The lens also puts a new perspective on things in a way that is not available to us with our own eyes.

“All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. In this - as in other ways - they are the opposite of paintings. Paintings record what the painter remembers. Because each one of us forgets different things, a photo more than a painting may change its meaning according to who is looking at it.” ~John Berger

Another truth spoken. Photographs although capturing everything the way it is as seen through the lens allows people to develop and interpret things in their own way. Although in some instances the photographer may have captured a scene in the way he wanted others to see it, much in like the way a painter writes on a canvas. I think the majority of the time a photograph is there to remind us of the past that we so easily forget.

Assignment #1 follow up statement

So I would like to talk a little more about my first assignment. I didn't receive any comments or suggestions about the first three photos. I really do like the self portrait though and the light photo. I don't know if there is much I could do to make it a series or improve upon the light photograph. I do think however that I could continue on with the self portrait. I would like to get more people to take photographs of in the same way. I think it could make for a very interesting series. I think the content might be a little lacking in the photographs, however I think that they create quite a bit of visual interest.

morning light
object


backlit

Assignment #2 first photos

monochromatic
diffuse lighting
desaturated

Portrait Photographer

I am taking a moment to show a photograph taken by Sam Taylor-Wood. She is a British photographer who takes intense emotional portrait photographs. This particular photograph I think is interesting and important enough to talk about not because it is anymore important than any others in this particular series, but that like the other photographs in the series it is playful and dramatic. It encapsulates many of the things that we look for in a photograph and fine art in general and does it well. Not only is it composed well and the lighting is right and fits a one third two thirds balance, but the subject matter is important. It is very dramatic in it's energy. I like to think about the relationship with the woman and the chair and the shadow. The delicate balance and falling motion. Every last element of the photograph is purposeful and meant to convey a story or message.

Question #7

#7 Pay close attention to the types and number of photographic portraits you see in one day. Where did you see them? How do you think that the content of the portrait changes based on the context in which you see the image (news, facebook, magazine, advertisement, television, youtube, etc)? In other words, what is the difference between the portraits you see on facebook vs. those on the news? What is the difference between the “viewpoint” of the photographer in each situation? What is the difference between their “intents”?

response: In response to this, there is no way that I could possibly number all the photographic portraits that I see in one day. They are everywhere I go and see. Portraits are in every part of everyday life. I think that what is different though between things like facebook and the news is that on facebook the portrayal of the portrait is the way an individual wants you to see him or herself. On the other hand the news tries at least to show an unbiased view.

Question #6

#6 In your opinion, when is it beneficial, ethical, or appropriate to digitally alter photographic portraits? When do you think it is inappropriate or ethically wrong?

response: I think in most instances digital alterations in photographic portraits are acceptable. I think that the only time it is wrong is when the person photographed is defamed somehow through the alteration. I do think that best photographs though are the ones without modification that still capture our hearts.

Question #5

#5 Give your thoughts on one or both of the following quotes.
“Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man.” ~Edward Steichen



“I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul.” ~Mary Ellen Mark




response: I think that photography is one of the best ways for explaining man to man. In a documentary fashion no meaning is lost. There is in a sense a better translation than words could offer. Photography gives us the ability to capture the moment that otherwise would be lost in time.
part 2. Whether before or after the photo is taken its purpose should be explained. However I totally disagree that a photograph in some way could capture ones soul, but rather a person leaves a fingerprint that can not be erased.

Assignment #2

Student- East Lansing, Mi
This is a portrait recreation for assignment #2 in my Color Photography class. It is a recreation of photographer Mark Menjivar. He did a series called "You are what you Eat". He went around the country taking photos of what was inside different peoples fridges. I work at a shoe store and I find it particularly interesting what shoes people wear and what kind of people shoes people buy and how this might describe them. I think it is fasinating how the things that we obtain in the consumer society that we live in can describe a lot about us. You can view Mark Menjivar series at http://markmenjivar.com/.
I hope to be able to continue these shoe photographs and make a series.

Assignment #1 best 3

This first photograph was the second taken of the three. It is my favorite because it was more of less the most experimental of the three. I was trying to make the photograph seem as if it was taken with a disposable camera at a party or a night scene. I also wanted to try and make the photograph similar to the Ray Ban "Never Hide" campaign. I used a second light along with the flash to make a pattern of reflection in the sunglasses. I think that the photograph is more or less successful, either way it is my favorite of the three.


This photo of light was the last of the three photographed. I really like the photo because of how dark I was able to make the background. I took a series of photos in this way and I liked this one the best because I feel like it is very balanced.

This last photo was the first of the three photos taken. It was a found scene on the MSU campus. I thought it was an interesting scene to photography simply because of the contrast of color of the cones compared to the rest of the scenery. It was a good opportunity for me to edit in photo shop and learn some good basics for later.

These three photos represent my favorite out of the twelve photos taken for the first assignment in Color Photography at MSU

Question #4

“Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.” ~Duane Michals. Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why?

Photography can be literal or it can be made up. It doesn't have to be either, but what is important is that the creator can make the photo to be whatever he wants it to be. The creator has the ability to make the appearances nothing what they appear to be.

Question #3

“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.” ~Lewis Hine

 Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why? Describe situations when photographic images reveal “the story” (as compared to words). Describe situations when words reveal “the story” (as compared to images)

I think that using a camera to describe things is a great way to convey a message. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words. It can mean so much but have so little. However pictures can mean different things to different people. Using words to tell the story can share the message exactly the way it is meant to be shared. I think that words and pictures are important by themselves but also to be used together.

Color Photo Assignment #0

For assignment #0 I was instructed to recreate a photograph by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. After doing research it was interesting to find out that this artist was a man who believed in Art as a discipline of pure visual interest. He was a part of the constructivism movement, which rejected the art for art-sake ideals and replaced them with the notion that art has more purposeful and social uses. Study with Pins and Ribbons has a very non-representational feels in its forms which created interest simply through their color, fourm, and light. My recreation of Study with Pins and Ribbons, I title Study with Clips and String. It is created in response to an interest of form, color, and light, rather than subject matter.

Blog Prompt Question #1: Imagine a world without photographs. Describe what this world would be like.
Response: A world without photographs would be a world with fuzzy memories. It would be a place where a visual recollection would less important. I think that a world without photographs isn't too hard to imagine. Considering that in human history photographs are relatively new. I think if technology continued without photography though life would be harder to remember and easier to forget. Whether that is good or bad I am not to say.

Blog Prompt Question #2: What does the word "photograph" mean to you?
Response: The word "photograph" to me means a way to remember the world of the past. To capture the moment for an eternity.

Disclaimer!

Dear Reader, This blog is dedicated to all things Nathan. For the next few months many posts will be dedicated to my color photo class. Do not be surprised if many other things appear on this blog, including things from my life and other photography related stuff.