Read/Blog 6

1st part of reading

1. Soth’s new project “Broken Manual” describe’s the reason of the name “Broken Manuel from the fact that Soth can not escape the outside pressures of life and the project began with a book project that he had worked on with artist Lester B. Morrison. 

2. Lester B. Morrison is an artist who worked on a book project with Alec Soth and it was a manual on how to disappear. Morrison’s work is featured in the Soap Factory exhibition, A Theory of Values. 

3. Soth’s feelings about the process and finished “master piece” is that he does not care for the finished work but the idea of the process instead. He holds no interest in the master piece or the icon. 

4. When Soth describes about a photographer finding their own voice what he means is that everyone’s path is different and not everyone will journey on the same path. He gives an example about the difference between two saxophone players and the difference will be the voice of the two. 

5. In Soth’s words, photography is the most anti-Zen activity that contributes to stopping time, possessing things, and holding on to the things you possess. he also mentions how being possessive can be unhealthy. 

6. Ennui is an emotional term of dissatisfaction from a lack of excitement. 

7. Soth explains how photographs can not tell stories because their fragmentary moments of time and so you can’t really get an arc of a story. He explains that photography is not a true full story if you were to tell someone a story because their truly is not a beginning, middle, and end. The arc of the story is not truly the whole story being told. 

8. Soth’s thoughts on Robert Frank’s work and the American’s is that he did not grow to admire his work until later compared to other people who admired his work instantly. It was not a transformational thing for Soth as it was for everyone else. he also talks about how he is closer to Joel Sternfeld’s work and how is work is more admirable. 

2nd part of reading 

1. The Treasure Hunt, From Here to There, 3rd From Here to There Flicker assignment, From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America. Treasure Hunt was about photographing from a number of categories such as tall people, sleeping children, neighborhood bars and more. From Here to There he wanted participants to tell a short story following the steps of finding a stranger to photograph, ask the strangers to show you something, and then take a picture of that stranger with what they showed you. For his 3rd assignment gives a question to participants asking them “why are amateur photographers so damn good?”  The 4th assignment is revealing participants process in photography and to narrate the photographers encounters. 

2. Soth’s beliefs in these assignments are to explore other people’s photography and to enjoy other interests besides your own. It’s ideal to open your mind to great possibilities and possible changes.

 Assignement 1

This photograph of a child resting in a trampoline is very interesting. The glare of light casting down on her and the rainbow colored lighting from the sun just above her head as though you can see her dreams.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/35563765@N07/5115493030/
Assignment 2

The perspective in this photograph demonstrates a realistic view of a journey going across the viewpoint. I found this image interesting because it's as though the tress from both the left and right hand side are guiding you towards that trail.

Assignment 3

I found this photograph inspiring because it's as though the photographs were taken in the day and night time and put together. They complete each other side by side and the lighting is quite amazing. 

Assignment 4

The woman walking away from the camera holding two umbrellas, one in hand and the other opening up. I liked the small message under the photographing saying how this woman twas trying to avoid getting her picture taken. Her pink and burgundy outfit are the brightest color along with the blue building just ahead of her. 

Reading/Blog 5

 1. Gary Winogrand is attempting to do more with his photography. In the beginning the magazine asked him questions about the pictures he took and why he took them. Winogrand just said because he can and he likes the space he see’s in the photographs. Winogrand also states that he has trouble including what he wants in the frame. He enjoys photography and thinks it is a fascinating medium to look into. He is attempting to learn more about photography and he wants to continue to search for a “game” to answer. 

 3. When Gary Winogrand states “problem” he means to take a photograph without it looking formal. Instead of solving a photographic problem, he intends to make one. He mentions again about the difficulty in a frame. Winogrand finds it fascinating to have photographic problems; that way he can go about solving them. 

Reading/Blog 4

1. Stephen Shore believes art is made because art is needed to explore the world and the culture. Art is also made to explore the chosen medium and to explore one’s self. 
2. Shore states that the great art is the product of an artist’s personal request.
3. Shore believes ambition is not a problem and is necessary to be able to carve out the time needed to produce work on your own personal demands. Shore also states that if your work needs to evolve, then it may mean abandoning an approach that brought you recognition. 

5. 

1. Preplanned images are thought of as less surprising and also the fact of the matter is that sometimes those are more important than clarity. 

6. 

1. In advance to shooting he feels that it is way too easy and there is no real value behind it.

7. 

1. Since the whole story did not make any sense there was nothing important about it so it made no sense to discuss it.

8. After reading the following passage, I felt a close connection to the artist’s words. It’s as though Shore is still trying to find himself in the world and has no answered all the questions of his life. He talks about growing and stumbling upon things in his life. What I got from this specific passage is that as a photographer myself I am still growing as well and my journey is not as nearly close to over. 

I found the three Andy Warhol photographs quite interesting. The first image with the young girl holding her toy bear looking at the camera with stunning blue eyes. She looks a bit troubled and somewhat distant. The second image with the bare-chested man looking directly at the camera was an interesting view as well. His hair is quite stunning with volume and falls perfectly on his shoulders. The final image of Andy Warhol himself was quite different. I have to admit the hair really brings out his character and at first I thought it was an older woman. The red bright lipstick is also very noticeable. 

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

William Albert Allard

Andrew Zuckerman

Stephen Shore: American Beauty

Thoughts about video:

1. When you discover new subject matter on your journey as a photographer but then get tired of your new subject matter, then what? Will you try to draw it out as possible or would you try to move on to something new to photograph?

Answer: Well if I do begin to start photographing a new discovery and get bored with it, then I will simply have to move on and photograph new things. The mind constantly wanders and imagines and the best part is that you can make those dreams and imaginations realistic. All you have to do it get up and go find what you want.


2. Why is photography considered a journey when it's simply just taking photographs of something interesting?

Answer: Photography is considered a journey because it's constant. Everyday is a new day and not everything in this world will stay they same as it was when you last started. It's like people; we are born, we live and then we die. Photography is a journey of not just finding something interesting to take pictures of but finding yourself in the photographs you take. Time plays an important role in photography and that will never change.



1. Shore himself does not want his own photography students cropping. He wants to set a challenge for himself and his students. For commercial work he explains how they always wants to crop work but when it's not commercial work he strategically stays away from cropping.

2. Different places to stand when taking a photograph can differ. The distances are important in taking a photograph and it's a personal decision as well. A person will ask how the picture was taken because of the distance of the subject matter looking bizarre in place like a car parked in the road.

3. When Shore uses the terms "fuzzy thinking" he means artificial or easy thinking. When commercial jobs talk about taking care of the post by cropping it themselves it's as though they never fully leave pictures natural or realistic. Everything always has to be altered to appeal to viewers but if you continue to do that it gets boring and looks unoriginal.


4.

This photograph was not successful because of the subject matter. Everyone in the world knows what McDonalds is and when they order a meal they know what it looks like. So seeing a picture of a McDonalds meal is not really interesting. The names carved on the patio table where the foods sits is also common on todays food tables. 

This photograph is successful because of the isolated colors included. The flowers are closely matched to the flooring it's rested upon. I like how it brightens the wall that it's leaning against too. 

Another photograph of Shore's that is successful is this landscape photo. The horizon line running on a slope through the picture is astonishing. The bright blue sky with white fluffy clouds is relaxing as well as the green grass hills. 

Reading 2: William Eggleston's Guide

1. The difficulty that Szarkowski faces switching from black and white photography into color is that old black and white photographs were not natural without color because in reality color exists and should exist in photography. But black and white photographs seemed to mean something more in photography without the need of color. 

1. He describes the successes of Eliot Porter, Helen Levitt, Joel Meyerowitz and Stephen Shore by them working with confidence in color photography. Working in color is a natural step for these photographers. Eliot Porter’s strength in color photography are landscapes, street pictures were Helen Levitt’s, Joel Meyerowitz’s and Stephen Shores’s greatest talent in color photography. Color is exceptional and descriptive in their eyes. 

1. The difference between a pedestrians photos and an artist’s photographs is that the artist feels not only comfortable with his work but that it is natural for him to take pictures. Unlike a pedestrian, they take pictures of anything that looks cool or nice and they just keep it with them. They don’t really go in depth about describing it like the lights and the shadows of the photograph. It is just another picture to them after all. 

1. The failures of color photography fall under two categories that consist of high pricing in creating color books and also describing life. 

1. Natural derived photographs have more meaning at describing life in a wider approach compared to regular snapshots that hold no real meaning in the person taking the picture. 

1. Szarkowski describes Eggelston’s photographs as being perfect and that the subjects are intriguing and vibrant and that they describe life. 

1.   What I found meaningful about this article is the fact of differences in people with a camera compared to people that are with a camera but bring out a whole new meaning in life and what they think when they take a photography. Some pedestrians that take photographs just take a picture but at the end of the day they don’t look through them and see much of a meaning behind them other then the day they were taken. A true photographer does not take any photograph, but takes a photograph that is meaningful to them. 

      In this article I also learned about how the medium of photography is portrayed. Other may still find photography sketchy and not a true art medium but I feel photography is art and it depends on the person behind the camera lens. Taking pictures of life in the moment is important because not every single individual will get to live a moment like that in their entire life again. So capturing an image of it right then and there is important. It is not always about a pattern but about something greater. 

Gregory Crewdson

I enjoyed looking at this photographic. If gave the the sense of an extraterrestrial figure above looking down on Earth. I like the idea of other beings being on outer planets watching on us. 

 Todd Hido

I liked the natural lighting hitting the woman and the drapery. And I like how the window is only partially opened. The woman standing in the window holding the drapery very casually is interesting as well. 

Alec Soth 

I felt sorry for the Siberian Husky in the barrier window. But the thing is the dog does not look unimpressed, he looks quite calm laying there which was interesting. Its unusual to see a dog in a window sill because usually felines hang out there and not dogs. 

Eliot Porter Photography

I have a very intense interest in nature photography and I found Eliot Porter's photography especially intriguing. I could not stop looking through his collection of nature photography on his website. This man has been through many different parts of the world taking pictures of live and fulfilling beautiful places around the world. This one image of a small waterfall really captured my eye not just because of the nurturing colors and textures surrounding the water fall but the water itself. The slow shutter speed of the water looks so gentle, soft, and cooling to the touch. The reflection in the water is also rather breathe-taking. 

 A fast shutter speed can be determined here in this fascinating image. As a mother or father bird leaves the nest of its young ones, the baby birds have their mouths wide open as though they are calling out to their parent to "come back" or I'm hungry again!" The nest where the baby birds lay looks quite sturdy and looks like it took a very long time to create. The sharp details of the blue and black birds wing-span is very great and so alive and free. Taking the chance to sit back to see wildlife is an amazing thing to view in this world. 

This forest looks dense and lonesome. It looks like a photograph from a movie with a character making their way through these woods and not noticing that their being watched. The great height of the trees are appealing to the eye and the open space is vast as well. Not a single animal or person can be seen in this photograph and that is another reason why this photograph is interesting. The height of where the tree's stands look like high place so I will have to assume the plantation and grounded soil where the tree's stand are high up. 

William Eggleston Photography

 The glazed and bright blue colors portray the subject of the image. Not a single person can be seen in the image, but the bright foliage can be seen with great depth of field. To the right of the photo is a building facing to the side with a small overhead porch. If this image was in black and white the sky will be blown with white light and the blue trees will be dark blacks with light detail. What I dislike about the image is the lack of sky and what I like about the image is the bright blue subject matter over casting most of the image. The relationship of color depicts a black and white resemblance and that is quite intriguing. 

 The subject matter characterizes five figurines of farm animals placed among a metal object which I guessed was the hood of an old automobile. The pig and two billy goats are a bright blue, the cat is a dazzling red and the bright golden duck is the brightest among them all. In black and white the red cat will be the darkest of all the animals and the bright yellow duck would be the brightest color of the rest of the animals. The hard metal that the figures are surfaced on will be a thick black color as well. I like how the yellow duck dominates the use of color portrayed in this image. I dislike that their are only five figures to view and not more. Eggleston use for color photography is interesting here but not as interesting. The subject matter is interesting but I wish there was more of the subject matter involved and maybe being that the golden duck would be the one that constantly points out of the crowd. The color relations are here in this image with all the figures being animals and that they are all following the golden duck leading the way. 

It is obvious here that the subject matter is the tricycle portrayed in an worm's eye angle view. The tricycle will have great details in the bike if it was in black and white. The tricycle's handlebars and the seating will have bright gray and white details. The wheels will be dark and the background of the two houses will be bright will small minor details as well. The rusted handle bars will have sharp great details as well and will be interesting to see in black and white. I like and I understand that the tricycle is the subject matter distributed here in the photograph and what I dislike about this image is the lack of mobility of the tricycle. It would look more interesting then it's side-view angle. Everyone has seen a tricycle in the side-view angle and I also would like to see the shadows on the subject on the pavement as well. The bright red handle bars really distinguish the use of colors in this image. Next it would be the blue tricycle's seat. The houses in the background are a dull beige and white color so they are not the most appealing colors here in this image.