Print Photos Theme Ideas

My first idea of a theme that I already sort of developed would be the relationship between nature and modern/urban life. The juxtaposition between them is interesting to me because they are so different but in many cases, especially in New York, they are found coexisting. An example of these images would be plants found in places that you wouldn't find them, or pictures of technology found in nature. The second theme idea I have would be bright and vibrant colors contrasted by dull areas. I like this idea because it could go hand in hand with my first theme.

Oral Presentation Photographer

Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer who takes pictures of homes and neighborhoods, staging very cinematic and dramatic scenes of urban and rural communities. He began experimenting with photography when he went to school at Purchase College, State University of New York. His photographs feature disturbing and surreal events, yet they still take place in small-town America. His work has been featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Brooklyn Museum. He is represented by Gagosian Gallery worldwide, and by White Cube Gallery in London. Currently, he is a professor at Yale University School of Art. 

Assignment #4 Composition

Line

SS: 1/80  ISO: 3200  F3.8

Contrast

SS: 1/1000  ISO: 400  F3.2

Repetition

SS: 1/500  ISO: 6400  F4.3

Shape

SS: 1/125  ISO: 6400  F5.0

Texture

SS: 1/640  ISO: 1600  F8.0





 

Rule of Thirds 

SS: 1/160  ISO: 6400  F5.2

 Complementary Color 

SS: 1/160  ISO: 6400  F3.0

 Monochromatic Color

SS: 1/160  ISO: 6400  F3.5

 

                                                               

Assignment #5 Exhibition Review

Andy Warhol was an American artist, who was well known for his photography, films, and his creation of the visual art movement known as Pop Art. This weekend, I was fortunate enough to see some of his work at the Whitney Museum of American Art, at an exhibit entitled “Andy Warhol- From A to B and Back Again”. The exhibit included 3 whole floors filled with his portraits, illustrations, and videos.  

The first floor focused on his portraits, which were his largest body of work. However, they were more than just ordinary pictures of people. They were painted over, using acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen. He used colors to outline their faces, add shapes to the background, and completely distort the photos. Upon entering the room, I was taken over by the overwhelming amount of vibrant colors, giving each portrait its own sort of attitude. Another aspect that made these photos so striking was the amount of familiar faces. Warhol often photographed the rich and famous, and it was interesting to see the large variety of iconic people, who were all vastly different in life, but these portraits were able to tie them together in a very fun and unique style.  

The second floor contained a selection of his experimental works, including various films and videos. Much of it was Warhol himself doing fairly regular things, yet he was able to make these activities seem so disconnected from reality.  

The third floor was the largest and had the most variety. I walked through pencil illustrations, paintings, and may photographs that he had edited in a way that made them so distinctive and eccentric. Many pictures were displayed using repetition, the same picture over and over again, but as you looked closer, you could detect a slight contrast in each one. One photo that stood out to me was Suicide (Fallen Body), 1963. 

I found this photograph so interesting because at first, I really didn’t know what I was looking at. Then, upon reading the description, I realized that it was the body of someone who had just jumped from the top of the Empire State Building, and landed on a car. Warhol did not take this photo himself, but he found it and added his style to it, repeating it and changing the contrast to the point of abstraction. I had to take a close look to identify the woman in the picture. This evoked strong feelings for me because the description explained that the subject was a bookkeeper named Evelyn McHale. Knowing the story behind it, I felt a very depressing tone, seeing her displayed repeatedly, each row getting darker until she was basically gone. The style fits in with the other photos in this show, but I think this one definitely stands alone from the rest, as it wasn’t set up or planned, but a very real moment, the end of someone’s life.  

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire show as a whole, and it gave me a distinct idea of why Andy Warhol became such a well known photographer. Although some things were very different, such as the illustrations or videos, they all seemed to fit in to a specific taste, or feeling. The feeling of stepping just a little bit outside of ordinary life, and abstracting things you normally wouldn’t give a second thought. I think this feeling was communicated very effectively to the viewers, as every piece of art was open to many different fun interpretations. I would definitely like to see more work by this artist, as well as find out more about his life, and who he was as a person.  

Reading Assessment 2

1. The authors thesis is that all photos demand interpretation to be fully understood and appreciated. He uses the chapter to explain exactly how and why people interpret images. He also makes it clear that judgement and interpretation are mutually influential on one's thinking about an image.

2. Barrett uses many examples to support this thesis, such as Susan Sontang's interpretation of a photograph recreating a war, or comparing 3 different interpretations of Eleanor by Henry Callahan. In all of his examples, he gives a segment of the critic's interpretation, and then goes into detail analyzing what they said, and explaining why they said it. One example that stood out to me was the picture that was an advertisement for Italian food. I thought it was interesting because I didn't think pictures like that needed to be interpreted, but after reading the interpretation I had a clear image in my mind of what the picture looked like without even seeing it, and I fully understood its purpose. This supports Barrett's claim that all photos demand interpretation.

3. Barrett states that interpreting an image is to make sense of it. An interpretation explains what the picture represents, what it expresses, what its about, or what it is response to. He also states that an interpretation is a retelling of the story in the picture, and should parallel the passion of the photograph.

4. Interpretation is very crucial in criticism of photographs because understandings of photos will forever continue to shift, and our interpretations contribute to that dialogue. Also, since everyone's interpretations can be different, knowing other people's interpretations can help increase your own understanding. Additionally, he states that all artwork deserves a reasonable response.

5. One interpretive perspective that stood out to me was marxist interpretation. This is because I believe that many photos have the ability to say something about society as a whole, and furthermore, the inequality of classes. I think this is because photography captures moments in time throughout history, and knowing the history of a picture can capture the larger essence of shifts in a social context. The critic also pointed out that the public has a hunger for photos of the rich, which I thought was interesting.

6. In the section "right" interpretations, Barrett explains that there aren't necessarily any right or wrong interpretations, since it is up to the viewer. However, can be good vs. weak interpretations. He states that good interpretations are convincing, whereas weak ones are not. He states that if an interpretation is too removed from what is shown, or if any items in the picture are not accounted for, the interpretation is flawed. He explains that the interpretation of a photo should not change it into a completely different work of art, and it should be consistent as well as coherent.

7.  In this section, Barrett explains that the responsibility of interpretation is up to the viewer, not the photographer. Although some artists may have their own interpretation of a photo they took, we should value that interpretation on the same grounds as any other viewer. He also explains that some photographers are unaware of their intents when they take a picture, and they don't necessarily always have an agenda. The critic attempts to describe what the photographer is communicating.

8. One point the author made was that feelings and emotions can be important to interpretation. He explained that the gut feeling you get from looking at a picture can contain important clues about it's subject. When interpreting a picture, you should ask yourself why it makes you feel that way. He also states that your feelings about a picture may change after you have done a critical analysis. Another point he made was that photos can have some personal significance for us, but that shouldn't always be a part of your interpretation. He writes that although personal significance is valuable to each of us, it may be too personal to be valued by others.

9. In conclusion, Barret summarizes the chapter by explaining that there is a whole community of different kinds of interpreters, such as critics, artists, historians, dealers, collectors, and viewers. Every person in this community will have a different perspective when interpreting a photo, and all of these different takes will end up contributing to everyone's understanding of the picture as a whole.

Assignment #3: Depth of Field

Small Aperture SS: 1/60  F8.0  ISO 3200

Wide Aperture SS: 1/125  F3.5  ISO 400

Assignment #2: Shutter Speed

SS: 1/250  ISO: 3200  F4.2  Fast Shutter

SS: 1/50 ISO: 3200  F3.0  Slow Shutter