Recreation 02

 Recreation: Alison Manciu, Blind Man, 2011

  Original: Paul Strand. Blind Woman, 1916

     Paul Strand born in 1890 in New York city. He was a radical who confronted the world directly with his camera. Strand gave a take on meaning and made the viewers look at their surroundings. It was powerful and brutal at the same time. Strand took this photo when many others were taking portrait shots that conveyed beauty. During this period in his career he took many photographs of slums, drunks, and peddlers.

     The photo, Blind Woman, is similar to a mug shot, the elderly blind woman stands stiffly against the stone wall. Her eyes are rolling in different directions, making it obvious that she is blind. The sign that reads, BLIND, dangles around her neck. She has a number above the sign that gives her the right to beg. The mood of this photo is of despair and of sadness. She is clearly in need. It is embarrassing to be labeled in such a way that you have a sign dangling around your neck. it objectifies her. He captured the world in this woman's face, as he did with many of his portrait photography.

    The recreation I made is of a man holding the sign, BLIND. It also looks similar to a mug shot but he has a different expression and holds a different mood. he made and wrote the sign, showing his choice to be labeled. The eyes have a similar gaze, but he looks more mischievous, he could be cheating the system. he looks confident, like he is in control, where as the woman in Strand's photo looks helpless and hopeless. They are similar photos that give two different meanings. 

Assignment 1: Explore

Untitled I

  

Untitled II

Untitled III

Part I

Untitled I:

     The composition was all chance. It was dark and raining so I had to make the shutter speed really slow. I just hoped as I was shooting that a clear enough photo would come along.  The emphasis is on my dog, Payton, moving.

     Concept is play. I wanted to capture the movement of Payton and how wound up he can get when he gets outside. I like to think of the blurred/ streaky background as what he sees when he is jumping and running around when he is outside.

     I had my mom as an assistant with this photoshoot. She was throwing a tennis ball around for him to run after. I learned a lot about shutter speed in taking these photos. It was taking these photos that convinced me that I needed a tripod.

     My goal for this image was to capture Payton's crazy hyper world when he plays outside. It was also to get to know shutter speeds better.

     The context can be similar to other artists who focus on movement. It is interesting to compare slow shutter speed movement with fast shutter speed movement to see how they differ in interpretation.

Untitled II:

     The composition frames the foot. The lighting comes from the back so there is great contrast that emphasizes the scar on the top of her foot that subtly shows.

     The image is about expression that can be shown through body parts other than the face. It shows relief, as if she just put her feet up after a day that was strenuous on her wounded foot. The photo is also about learning to play with light and the angles that can give different moods.

     I directed my subject and fixed the lighting as the method for this photo. I told the girl  to put her foot up as I switched the light angles around the foor. I liked playing with vast contrast.

     My goal for this image was to learn techniques with the camera more than a narrative or concept.

     A photographer who exploits wounds and scarring and the idea of permanent, i may be able to compare my photo to. Also photographers who use vast contrast and background lighting.

Untitled III:

     I used the lighting from the window for this composition. I framed the forks into focus with a straight on shot to show a different perspective on the floor.

     The image is about chaos. It is not extreme chaos, but for a person with ocd, or for someone who is obsessed with cleanliness and germs, it would be chaotic to have your eating utensils fallen to the floor. I like the disarray and angles the forks make, as well as the texture of the carpet. the depth of field works as well.

     My method was a lot of experimenting and constructing the scene. I started taking photos with the forks in a cup on the table, then knocked them over and continued to photograph them on the floor.

     My goal was to experiment with the camera settings with an interesting and unusual subject.

     The context of the image doesn't go very deep. You could relate this photo to the work of a photogrpaher who captures everyday objects, or who captures objects where they don't belong.



     Part II

Untitled I:

     Others interpreted this photo as the dog being quite still, with everything spinning around him. They also agreed that he was playing and excited.

     What is working is the movement of the background. Suggestions were that it would have been nice to get more expression from Payton, maybe get him at a run rather than at a light trot.

     As a jumping point I would continue to photograph Payton, maybe in better lighting and with a tripod. It would be neat to follow him around for a couple hours to see what he does when we are not watching. That would probably involve hidden sensor cameras around our yard.

Untitled II:

     Others interpreted this image as someone putting up their feet to relax after a long day of work, with the expression, Ahhhh! Finally. they also commented on the permanent scar on her foot in relation to the indented patterned line her sock made around her ankle. It is interesting that one mark will fade away, but the other is there for life.

     What is working is the expression the foot gives and the lighting. No negative feedback was given, but maybe I could have tried a variety of angles to see if another viewpoint was stronger.

     I like the idea of photographing marks on your body that are not permanent, like the sock indent. It also may be interesting to take pictures of scars or tattoos, then come back years later to see how the scars have healed and how the person has changed physically.

Untitled III:

     Others interpreted the image as forks that had fallen to the floor. Another interpretation I liked was that it resembled a landscape with the forks in the foreground and the depth of field and camera angle.

     The contrast, texture, and composition are working. It was suggested that I completely darken the  background but I like the hints of the fork's surroundings.

     I really like the idea of this image resembling a landscape. That hadn't occured to me before. It would be fun to experiment with other household objects to see if I can construct the same idea.

Blog Prompts Week 1 #1-4

#1
Imagine a world without photographs. Describe what this world would look like.  
          I don't know if I can imagine a world without photography. Pictures fill the walls and books I'm surrounded by. If we didn't have photography, we probably would not have television or other advancements influenced by photography. Popular culture and recent history would not hold the same intensity and reality. I don't think people would understand the world around them quite the way they do with the help of a photograph. Photographs hold memory and information that words can not describe. A form of communication we have gained through photography would be lost. Sharing between cultures, places, and time periods would be more difficult to appreciate and be aware of. It would be a new world people would have to adjust to. We would have to rely on paintings that take more time to develop and are through the perception of the painter. It is possible the transfer of information would slow down and hold different meaning when people do not have a photograph to help them imagine what is being described.

#2

What does the word "photograph" mean to you?

    The word photograph initially makes me think of a reality or moment captured. The word memory also comes to mind. I always thought a photograph meant that a true event or emotion could be solidified and shared forever. After viewing photographs and learning about artists, my idea of a photograph has changed a bit. I still hold valid the truth that a photograph can capture, but I now see the photographer in the way photos are captured.
    If you told someone to take a picture of a cozy house, what house would they photograph? Would they even photograph what you perceive as a house? The photographer's mark is left in a photograph and I didn't see that before. I used to think that the artist's apparent mark was what distinguished a painting from a photo. I think that seeing reality captured in new ways, as well as an appreciation brought forth to things most pass by, is what a photograph is to me.

#3

“Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.”~Duane Michals. Write a brief reaction to this quote. Is this quote applicable to your experience with photography? What does it mean to you? Do you agree with the idea presented or disagree?

    This quote is stating that we take photographs capture what is happening in the world.  Photographs are known to portray a reality because it freezes a moment that happened. "But nothing is what appears to be," is stating that even though the appearance of the photo may seem real, it could be staged. There is an illusion to many photographs. Because it freezes merely a moment, how does the viewer know this moment is real? Even if it is not staged by the photographer, could the subject be staging him or herself as something they are not? 
    A modern example I am sure many are aware of is facebook. You can look at multiple albums of smiling faces that give the impression a person is living a fun filled life, to find that in reality the person sharing these albums has numerous troubles and isn't the happy person they portray. The images are chosen to be shared with hundreds of people and are usually not a true depiction of reality. Photographs can not always be a reliable source for the truth. 
I think this quote can hold true in some circumstances but is not always the case for every photograph. The tricky part is telling the difference between the real happenings in photographs and the posers.

#4

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

Write a brief reaction to this quote. Is this quote applicable to your experience with photography? What does it mean to you? Do you agree with the idea presented or disagree? Describe situations when photographic images reveal “the story” (as compared to words). Describe situations when words reveal “the story” (as compared to images).

   Hine is stating that some things can not be described well enough through words and verbal description; that images are needed to communicate some stories that can not be as accurately depicted through speech or written document. Words can not describe some feelings or events, you have to see it for yourself. I think this quote holds true to many photographs. It can describe and make you feel an emotion visually that words could not. 
    Picture documentations of war and suffering are stories better told through images because there is some suffering that I do not understand and have not dealt with first hand. Words do not suffice explaining certain tragedies because it is unimaginable until I see the reality. Photographs uncover certain emotions that words can not.
    Words better describe a story when it is a simple message that is being passed. When it is the facts that do not trigger emotions. Words are needed for certain descriptions and definitions.

Recreation 01

Hugo Erfurth, Portrait of a Boy, 1906

Erfurth was a German photographer, alive between 1874 and 1948. He is known for portraits of celebrities and cultural figures of the early twentieth century. Much of his work was lost during the WWII years. The existing work has a photorealistic look, as of it was painted with soft charcoal. The lines are pretty blurred with soft blacks. I like how close the figure is in the foreground and how far away the landscape seems. The cropping of the subject is effective, a lot of what is surrounding him remains a mystery. The photo allows speculation about what he is looking at and whether or not the photo is staged. I also question his dress and why he is in the middle of the country. The linear lines and texture in the photo are effective. I like that the horizon is at the same height as the boys shoulders. The space the sky holds is very effective. The clouds have beautiful soft texture. I could not find anything online about the photo itself.

STA 370 Summer 2011

My work for the summer course, STA 370, begins following this post.