Digital Photography

2010-05-07T05:12:00.000-07:00

What is more important in self-portraiture – envisioning who you are ( “true self”) or envisioning who you wish to be (“best self”)? Why?

I believe that in a self-portraiture you should be you you are and no what you wish to be. It is a self portrait which is depicting you for who you are or qualities about you. It is not to be of a desire or fantasy of who you want to be. A self-portraiture should include be when your being yourself or when your feeling different emotions. It should have details of your physical self, things you love to do, hobbies, or even quirks. The ending result should resemble in someway whether you are in it or it can be related to you truthfully. The self-portraiture is a picture of yourself, not of who you are going to be or what you want to be. By being honest with in your self-portrait you are being honest with yourself and all those you see the portrait.

Photoshop Abuse

2010-04-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

What were the main points of the article?

The main points of the article is how magazines have used Photoshop to change models to look unearthly beautiful and how it is wrong to create an image that others cannot achieve in real life. They show how one actress is manipulated in Photoshop to look different ways for different magazine covers. The pictures have been retouched to make the models look skinnier, shinier, and beautiful to the point of fake. France is currently trying to change how magazines look and they also want to put laws on what can be in them.

Do you agree with the general push or overall idea(s) of the article?

I do agree with the ideas because I think magazines should not be putting images of unachievable bodies in them. People that read magazines can be influence and that could to lead to them trying to create something they are not. People can harm themselves with steroids and disorders just because they think that magazines are right. I also think that if magazines put in normal looking models people would be less likely to feel ugly or irregular.

When should Photoshop be/not be used to alter a photograph?

I think Photoshop should be used to make small changes to the objects of the photo. Such as covering a pimple or putting a little bit more color into it. When the changes are made the photo should be as real as possible without having the artificialness to it. Using Photoshop to enhance a photo to make it look better is ok as long as it does not look like a poster for something. If it is retouched to the point the original looks completely different or fake then it has been overdone.

God's little Details

2010-03-15T00:34:00.000-07:00

Consider the quote: "God is in the details." What is your interpretation of this quote? How can we see God in the details every day? How might we use our cameras in order to discover and preserve these details?

In theology class we were taught that God is good, people are good, and creation is good. This would have to mean is God is seen in people the also creation as well. It could be the comfort of the blanket your mom made you. It is old and worn out but you feel safe and peaceful as if you were being watched over. God is in details in different ways such as the feeling, sight, or smell of something. It could be that you went to church every Saturday and you find that candles help you relax because you are so used to them. To me God is the sensation you feel whether it's joy or fear, God is somewhere in there. God is the feeling I receive when my mom says good morning, or the way I feel when I am with my best friends. God is the beauty of the moment, the sweet presence after that moment, or maybe the fear of a moment.
With my camera I want to capture the raw beauty of feelings and moments because a picture can last a lifetime just like a moment will stay with you forever. Plus there is always the objects we ignore that contain a hint of God that no one sees. Such as the tree outside in your yard that sway with a rhythm you cannot seem to join. Or possibly the reflection of a CD and you see your face and the rainbow colors around it. It is the simple beauty of a floating petal on a pond or the sight of a Tinkerbell key chain left on a city sidewalk.

Picturing Pictures

2010-03-02T05:36:00.000-08:00

"Photography is about finding out what can happen in the frame. When you put four edges around some facts, you change those facts."-- Gary Winogrand

What does this quote mean? Consider the quote in context of our work with framing and composition.

When I read this quote I thought it is kind of like putting your thumbs and index fingers together to make a frame. You hold you fingers up to something and it changes because it is what you want to see. A picture is only part of a whole other view that was not seen because it was too large, or it was distracting, or even there where things you did not want people to see. You may see a beautiful waterfall but what about what around it that you do not see. You can only put so much into a picture without losing the beauty of it. Maybe you cut the rest of it because it was ugly and you didn't want to see it. By changing what you see you change the first picture or maybe what you saw. It is almost like croping out what you do not want to see. As I said in the begining when you frame somethinbg with your fingers you are changing what you see just like if you were to zoom, crop, or take a step foward just so you can look at one thing and not the whole picture.

Lighting Reviews

2010-02-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

How do you think you did on the lighting assignment? Be honest and specific about the feedback you received. Did you think you positive or negative was deserved? Why or why not?

At first I thought I did really well but as the critiques came in they made me notice all the flaws. I think that with each critique the photo went down on my scale but I know why they said what they did. I considered the feedback as it was said and I could slowly see what the picture could have been. It would have been very different from the first one but I do think it would have been better. Things like the light should have been covered or it would have been better without this reflecting or even bringing the other object into focus. It was a good picture but it could have been better. The feedback helped me realize that I need to really look at the photo when it taken. Should this be cut out? Could that be darker? Should I try to shoot this at a different angle? All of this is what should be going through my mind in the first place. I will try to criticize my work before I show it next time so that may make it a little bit better. Any photo has potential but I need to know what should be and what shouldn't be included. Next time I can advance and take a picture that may have less critiques to be said. The feedback will help me in the future and hopefully taking pictures will become easier. The critiques were not only bad but it had some good too. They said they liked the coloring and overall picture sometimes. The feedback also helped me learn what people may like to see next time. Maybe I focus all of it instead of one thing or possibly use a different light. The photo was okay for a rookie and I think that with the critiques the photos will come out more clearly. Last the critiques help me realize nothing will be perfect the first take. Sometimes I have to change it a hundred times before I get that one good photo.

Technical or Emotive

2010-02-15T05:50:00.000-08:00

When you first look at a photograph and make an initial judgement of it as being 'great', is it because it is technically great or because it make you feel something? In other words, are you reacting to its technical quality or its emotive quality?

When I react to a 'great photo' it is usually because it emotionally reaches out to me. My initial reaction of seeing a great photo is to know that it move me in a way that i normally do not notice. The picture may not have the finest technical quality but if I can still feel an emotion connection than it does not bother me that it may have a blur spot or a dark patch. On the other hand if I can't see the image or it is distracting to the point I do not see the meaning then I would say that the technical quality makes a great photo. Also you if you can feel what the photographer felt that's good but to have it be a great photo you need to be able to dig deeper and find a hidden meaning within the photo. There has to be a balance between the technical quality and an emotional response.

Andy Goldsworthy: Real Thinking about Real Art

2010-01-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

What is the point of working on art that will disappear with the elements?

That is like asking what is the point of living if your just going to die sooner or later in life. The point is to feel the emotions you have bottled up inside you and to see the beauty of your work. Chefs make works of art everyday only to be gobbled up by someone else. Yet they are proud of their creation, their masterpiece, because they found the joy in creating it. A stage crew builds a settings for a memory only to tear it down after the shows are over. Works of art may be built and destroyed but that does not mean that while they existed they were pointless. They make an impression on the maker and other who take the time to looks at it's glory.

What do you think makes something a piece of art? Is Mr. Goldsworthy's work art?

Art to me can be any kind of object but it has to stir something inside you. You have to be able to look past the obvious and see something that others do not. Art will hold a different standard to different people. If a object can make you feel something that you usually would not or make you think about a deeper meaning than it is art.

What do you think motives an artist like Andy Goldsworthy to continue creating his projects? How will you continually gain motivation for your own creativity week after week in class?

I would think just beig able to make his art is motivatipon enough. To visulize what it could be when it is finished. Every piece of art is a new story about his life and what it makes him feel. Once finished he is able to build another piece of beauty in a world that is harsh at points in time.
My motivation will come from being able to capture a feeling, moment, or memory in a picture. My motivation may be low when it is hard to take a good picture but then I will look back on a previous one and remember why I enjoy taking photos.