Landscape Activity 5

Activity 5

Create a landscape utilizing foreground subject matter to create a sense of depth. Discuss how the resulting image is likely to be read by the viewer.

Split Rail Photo By Rachel Felling

I know that I used this photo in my last blog entry but I feel like it perfectly fits this assignment. I utilized the split rail fence to create a sense of depth in this landscape. It utilizes leading lines in a weird way to create a line of vision directed at the subject, the beautiful red rocks in Sedona.  This is likely to be viewed as a rustic/vintage view of the rocks and to show just how old they are. It defines the beauty of the original nature. 

Landscape Activity 4

Activity 4

Create two photographs in a location with tall buildings or trees using both formats. Create a closed and open landscape at one location. Discuss the different ways we read the resulting images.

All of these pictures were taken in Sedona by yours truly. :) The first three pictures could be considered closed landscapes for various reasons. The first although it is landscape orientation, Has branches framing the red rock to create a sense of "Closure" in the composition. The second and third pictures both are considered closed because of their portrait orientation. They are both landscapes that seem less intense and majestic because of their closed off portrait view.  The fourth picture would be considered an open landscape because it is landscape orientation without anything but sky framing the main subject, bell rock. My favorite picture of all of these is the split rail fence one because of the fence creating a sense of motion in the composition.

Framed 

Split Rail

Changing

Bell Rock HDR

Landscape Activity 3

Activity 3

Compare and contrast a landscape photograph with a landscape painting. Discuss the expressive possibilities of each medium using your examples to illustrate your argument. Choose your examples carefully as representative of the medium.

Photograph by: Sakikodai

Painting by: M. Rajeshkumar

In both of these images mediums I chose to focus on landscapes with the reflective water as part of the scenery. I think this are the most beautiful landscapes because it adds a certain layer of depth. In the photograph, The colors are just overall, clearer and richer. As this can only be truly captured in a photograph. Although the colors in the painting are pretty they are not quite as real, and enthralling. The photograph clearly captures the glassy property of the lake while in the painting, the image looks more flat and dimensionless, making it less interesting to look at. I love both of the images although if I had to choose between the mediums, I would prefer photography.

Landscape Activity 2

Activity 2

Find two landscape photographs that question social values or act as a metaphor for personal issues that the photographer is trying to express. Discuss whether the communication is clear or ambiguous and how this communication is conveyed.

Photograph by: Neal Oshima

In this controversial image, There is a little girl standing in a very run down part of town, as some would say, "The other side of the tracks." Kind of ironically captured in this piece. You can see there is tons of waste in this area, old appliances and old shacks to live in. This piece is controversial because right above the broken homes of the poor there is a display for a home company with new homes and living spaces displayed upon it. This is a very clear image to show the split of our society and their living. It clearly defines the further deterioration of the bridge between classes in his society.

Photograph by: Mark McGowan

In this image there is a more rebellious feel. Showing there is beauty and art all around us, even in the most unexpected places. The Graffiti displayed on the walls gives the stigma that it shouldn't be there because graffiti is considered, "Unnatural" in our society. It is our of place and unexpected. Which makes it all the more beautiful. This image kind of shows the deterioration of traditional values in our society. 

Landscape Activity 1

Activity 1

View the image by Walker Evans on this page and describe what you can actually see (objective analysis) and what you think the image is about (subjective analysis).

Discuss how effective Walker Evans has been in using a landscape image to communicate a point of view. Can this photograph be considered as Art? Give two reasons to support your answer.

Make sure you include the image in your blog post with credit in the citation. When you analyze the photo, look for deeper meaning beyond the literal description of the Photo.

Photograph by: Walker Evans

    In this black and white photograph we can see a graveyard with the main subject as the main cross gravesite. with the rest of the city in the background.I believe the picture creates a sad a depressing feeling about life, with the picture in back and white it creates a solemn setting for the subject. I believe the picture kind of gives the feeling that life is smaller than death. The cross in the foreground is more drawing of attention and the city in the background seems less important in comparison. Life will ultimately end in death just as this picture is portraying.

Light Activity 4

Activity 4

Blog Entry

• Find two examples of photographs, which make use of maximum depth of field, and two examples, which have very shallow depth of field.
• Describe how the photographer’s selective use of aperture affects the subject in each of the photographs you have chosen.

Great Depth of Field

Photograph by: Jim Zuckerman

In this photograph, the landscape shows great depth of field. This is created by using a very small aperture (large number) to let the camera have the sharpest focus on the details of the photograph. 

Photograph by: Jose mbrito

In this photograph the urban landscape shows max depth of field with the buildings in extreme focus.

This is achieved the same as in the last picture through a small aperture. 

Shallow Depth of Field

Photograph by: Anthony Dudley

In this photograph with the ballet dancer we see that she is in focus but the background is blurred out, this is an example of shallow depth of field using a large aperture.

Photograph found on Marguerite Beaty's Pinterest

In this photograph we see the daisy in focus with the rest of the daisies blurred in the background. This final product is achieved through a large aperture(smaller numbers).

Light Activity 3

Find two images that have been shot into the light or included the light source. Explain how the photographer may have gone about taking a light meter reading for these photographs.

Photograph by: Bethan

 The photographer in this picture could have taken the light reading of the face because it seems to emphasize the mid tones. if this photo had not portrayed a fall sense I would have exposed it a bit more and used the light meter to focus on the warm tones rather than the shadows.

Photograph by: Lisa Marie

The photographer in this picture used the lights located behind the model to create a back light situation. They probably used a light meter to read the center of the model's face to get a happy medium between the highlights and the shadows. they also must have used a light coming from the right side because the model has shadows. 

Light Activity 2

Blog Entry

• Find an example of a photograph where the subject has been lit by a single light source and an example where more than one light has been used.
• Describe in each the quality and position of the brightest or main light and the effect this has on the subject. In the second example describe the quality and effect the additional light has.

Photograph by: Frank Doorhof

In this picture we can see that there is only one light source located in the upper left hand corner of the picture. This light is further away so it creates a hard shadow from the side of the face that is visible on the subject. The light makes the definition in her face stand out even more than it would with multiple lights because the light creates a sharp contrast in her features.

Photograph by: Vijay Alphonse

In this picture we can see there is more than one light source used. We can identify right away that the model has a soft light focused on the right hand side of the picture while there is a slight light on the background to create a more three dimensional piece. the multiple lights help to create a softer shadow with a more three dimensional and not as dramatic composition. 

Light Activity 1

Look through assorted photographic websites and find some examples of subjects lit by hard light and examples of subjects lit by soft light. Describe the effect the light has on the subject’ texture, form and detail, and the overall mood of the picture. 

HARD LIGHT

Photograph by: Citlalli Rico

This photograph shows the hard light of the shadows of what we can assume are blinds. giving this image a sense of longing and mystery, as if the subject is looking out the window waiting for something. The way the light hits the subject gives her its own texture of line, effectively creating a more interesting image. Overall this is a beautiful and interesting picture.

Photograph found on tumblr.com

Dance photography is by far my favorite type of photography. And the hard light creates a very successful composition in this case. The light hits the ballerina and gives her a dramatic silhouette and also giving more definition to her skirt. The way the light hits her creates a beautiful intensity in the photograph.  

SOFT LIGHT

Photograph by: Ana Luz Crespi

This is yet another beautiful dance picture although this is using soft light. I feel the soft light in this image helps highlight the dancers and their features. And because they are swing dancing i feel the soft light helps make the picture seem a bit more vintage. Just the way the light makes the colors more pastel and less dramatic, just gives the picture a more fun feel.

Photograph taken by the most amazing Marcia Kuyper of Joyful Gestures Photography

This photograph is actually of me and my family. It uses soft light to accentuate the features of our faces and helps to bring out and bring together the crazy colors we chose for the photo shoot.I love this picture because the soft light makes it seem more fun and easygoing of a picture and just makes all of us look better. 

Activity 4

Activity 4

Blog Entry

Collect one image where the photographer has placed the main subject off center and retained a sense of balance and one image where the photographer has placed the main subject off center and created a sense of imbalance.
Discuss the possible intentions of the photographer in creating each image.
Create four images, placing the focal point and/or visual weight in different areas of the frame. Discuss whether each image is balanced.

Photograph by: Shannon Kokoska

This photograph shows  the out sign off center but still retains a sense of balance within the composition. This is achieved by placing the building on the other side of the picture, being the same size as the sign it makes the image seem less asymmetrical. The photographer may have wanted the viewer to notice the rust on the out sign making it seem like the sign is old and "moving out" while also being able to view the deteriorating building in the background.

Photograph by: Matt Granz

This photograph shows an example of off center subject without balance because the subject is the lighthouse and there isn't an equal subject on the opposite side of the image. I feel like the photographer was trying to create a sense of serenity with the colors in the picture but since it is off balance, it just feels unnatural.

Photo by: Rachel Felling

 This image is not balanced because the cup is rule of thirds without an equal balance on the other side of the image. 

Photo by: Rachel Felling

 This image is close to being balanced but not quite because the image is not quite in the center of the image. 

Photo by: Rachel Felling

 This image is not balanced because the cup in off in the corner not even fully in the shot. 

Photo by: Rachel Felling

This image is definitely not balanced, because eh cup is cockeyed on the side of the image making it not a balanced image.

Activity 3

Activity 3:

Find two examples of Photographs that follow the Rule of Thirds and two examples that do not. Comment briefly on why and how you think the composition works

Photography by: Anton Lyalin

This picture is  a rule of thirds because it has the lion in the right most side of the photograph. This is successful because it conveys the power of the pride. I like this picture especially because this is my last year in the pride and I feel like this picture with the black and white color scheme creates a dramatic feel. 

Photography by: Rachel Felling

This picture is another example of rule of thirds because the visual focus is directed upon the old screw which is located on the right hand side of the photograph. I love the colors in this picture and how the details on the screw and the chipping paint make the picture complete. 

Photography by: Rachel Felling

This photo is not an example of rule of thirds because it is instead a leading lines picture. The Lines of the guitar string direct focus to the knobs on the bridge. This is not a rule of thirds because the subject is not lines up with one of the points on the rule of thirds grid.

Photography by: Rachel Felling

This photo is an example of both leading lines and symmetry because the pieces of the foozeball direct your attention to the  center of the piece. this is not a rule of thirds because there is an equal amount of subjects on the opposite side of the composition.

Activity 2

Activity 2

Read the following passage taken from the book The Photographer’s Eye by John Szarkowski and answer the questions below. 

‘To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer’s craft. His central problem is a simple one: what shall he include, what shall he reject? The line of decision between in and out is the picture’s edge. While the draughtsman starts with the middle of the sheet, the photographer starts with the frame. The photograph’s edge defines content. It isolates unexpected juxtapositions. By surrounding two facts, it creates a relationship. The edge of the photograph dissects familiar forms, and shows their unfamiliar fragment. It creates the shapes that surround objects. The photographer edits the meanings and the patterns of the world through an imaginary frame. This frame is the beginning of his picture’s geometry. It is to the photograph as the cushion is to the billiard table.’

Q. What does John Szarkowski mean when he says that photographers are quoting ‘out of context’ when they make photographic pictures?
Q. The frame often ‘dissects familiar forms’. At the end of the last century photography was having a major impact on Art. Impressionist artists such as Degas were influenced by what they saw. Look at these examples of Degas work, which clearly shows the influence of Photography, and explain why the public might have been shocked to see such paintings

              When John Szarkowski says that the photographers are quoting"out of context", he means that 

the photographers can take the picture and create a new one by framing or choosing to take a out pieces of the             artists original work much like a person would do taking a quote from a book out of context for an essay.

    The audience might have been shocked that the paintings of Degas had a sense of realism that wasn't there before. and also the paintings would capture a sense of motion that wasn't there before because they could paint from photographs rather than a still model. This is something that would have been very difficult and almost impossible to achieve before photography came along. 

Painting by: Gustave Caillebotte 

 I chose this picture as an example of a painting with photographic influence because there is a certain understanding of light and value that could only be captured in a photograph, as well as capturing the couple walking down the road by capturing their motion.Which wouldn't have been seen as much when photographs didn't exist.

Activity 1

Activity 1

Look through assorted photographic websites and observe how many photographers have moved in very close to their subjects. By employing this technique the photographer is said to ‘fill the frame’ and make their photographs more dramatic. Find two examples of how photographers seek simple backgrounds to remove unwanted detail and to help keep the emphasis or ‘focal point’ on the subject. Attach two images you find to your reply to this discussion.

Photo by: Michael Jenkins

I chose this picture as a "fill the frame picture" because i feel this picture perfectly accentuates this quality, and much like the assignments in photo class, this photo focuses directly on the subject in a close up technique perfected with a macro lens (proved in photographer's notes). I also Loved this photo in its complex simplicity. The close up technique forces the background to be blurred and not as demanding to the eye. While the macro lens makes the detail of the dandelion more attention grabbing and appealing to the eye. 

Photo by: Tinto Alencherry

I chose this picture because of its surrealism, it almost doesn't look like a photograph, but a pastel work of art. Many people would not know why this picture is so obscure and the ink that it is a photoshopped picture, but to give some background, this is a close up photograph of a person participating in the Holi Festival where they throw colored dust and have their entire person turned into a rainbow. I love the beauty of the colors and the close up detail of the eye lashes and crinkles. And the Closeup effect makes you think what the subject actually is.  But by absolute favorite part is how the colors fill up every last inch of the picture without making it seem to cluttered,this is a perfect representation of "filling the frame". This is simple beauty and I love it.