Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Looking From Behind, With Feeling

My favorite is Photo 2.

Photo 2 is the most interesting to me because it makes me want to know the woman's back story. The picture shows a woman looking towards Jesus's cross. Next to the woman there is a sign that says "Welcome visitors register here," further showing the ambiguity of the photo. This picture makes the audience wonder why the woman is at a church. We are lead to believe that this woman may have sinned and is looking for salvation at a church. This picture holds powerful even when people only see the woman's back. Furthermore, the picture shows symmetry and is visually appealing. The color of the picture also amplifies the mysteriousness of the picture. The cross is placed in the center of the picture and glows making the cross stand out even more. Overall, this picture is beautiful in a mystifying way. 

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Ordinary Miracles The Photo Leagues New York

1.            What was The Photo League's credo?
The photos League’s credo was the belief of expressive power in documentary photography and a progressive alliance in the 1930s of socialist ideas and art.
2.            What organization did The Photo League separate from?
The Photo League was separate from the Film and Photo League.
3.            What was the workshop?
To learn to take photographs and take good photographs. Furthermore, to learn the focus in photography.
4.            Who taught "the workshop?"
Sid Grossman
5.            If you were to devote one year of your life to one project, what project is worth your time and energy?
I would devote one year of my life towards learning how to paint.
6.            What was The Harlem Document?
A portrait of Black urban America and the people, culture, and lifestyles of Harlem during the 1930s.
7.            Who started The Harlem Document?
Aaron Siskind, then part of the Photo League, and the writer Michael Carter started the Harlem document.
8.            A photographer discusses a photograph where "the children looked like they came out of a Carrovasio painting. Who was the painter? 
9.            Why did the photograph mentioned in #8 look like it was by the painter? 
The sun shined on the kid who sat on the right side which made the painting special.
10.          Who was Lewis Hine? (name two significant contributions)
Lewis Wickes Hine was an American sociologist and photographer. His photographs were instrumental in changing the child labor laws in the United States. Also, Hine made a series of "work portraits," which emphasized the human contribution to modern industry.
11.          Who was Weegee?
Weegee was the pseudonym of Arthur Fellig, a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography.
12.          How did The League change when The Nazis took power?
When the Nazis took power, more women joined the League because men went to fight in the war.
13.          How did The League change during WWII?
Many members joined the Photo League, before the end of World War II, were first-generation Americans who strongly believed in progressive political and social causes.
14.          How did Siskind change after WWII?
Siskind's efforts might be interpreted as one way of clearing a place in which to make sense of the surrounding chaos. The making of the photograph seems to become a method of finding one's place in the world and forging a relationship to it.
15.          What was the Saturday Evening post?
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963.
 16.          Who was Barbara Morgan? What did she photograph?
Barbara Morgan was an American photographer best known for her depictions of modern dancers. She was a co-founder of the photography magazine Aperture.
17.          What eventually undermined the Photo League?
The idea that the League was a front organization for the Communist Party.
 18.          What was the "Growing Menace" mentioned in the film?
The “growing menace” refers to facsim.
19.          Who agreed to serve as President when The League was under investigation?
Harry S. Truman
20.          What happened to the league?

It disbanded in 1951.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Composition Rules

My three composition rule for photography are as follow:

1. Color: Because color can set the mood in a particular picture, it is important to carefully select colors portrayed in a picture.




2. Simplification: Most times, simple is better than complicated. If a photograph is too complicated, the audience may find the picture confusing because there are too many elements in the photograph.




3. Perception: Perception allows the human eye to see overlapping objects at a distance. Perception is also related to how close and far an object is. Perception adds depth and focus to your photograph.


"Give me your tired, your poor."

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/10/from-smartphones-to-museum-walls/?_r=0#slideshow/100000003500393/100000003500406

Out of all 16 photos, this photo is my favorite because it highlights the confusion and stress the subject of the picture is going through. First, this picture puts you in the subject's position and makes you wonder what he is so tired and stressed about. Second, the black and white tint of the picture gives the picture a kind of mysterious feeling adding on to the feelings of the subject. If this picture was in color it would not have as much of an effect as it does now. Third, the light that shines in and the placements of the objects in the picture are neatly organized in a way that compliment the subject.