Great Black and White Photographers Part 3

1.) The thing that first caught my eye was the distinct subject. Alvarez always seems to frame his subjects and center them with the background. Another thing that caught my eye was the amount of detail in the photos, although it's in black and white, you feel like it's in color because you can imagine it based on the detail.






2.) Look at those 2 photos you posted last time in the assignment Great Black and White Photographers Part 2. Use your five senses to tell me more about those photos. Answer them on your blog.

I see- Frida Kahlo looking at the camera. She's looking directly into the lens waiting for me to take her picture. I also see Frida's reflection in the silver ball next to her.
I smell- Misty air. It's the morning and the window's are open in a big room. There is air around me and Frida and it's chilly. The room smells like fresh water and a bit of paint.
I hear- The shutter of the camera. Every time I take a picture I hear the camera take it and I also hear when Frida shifts her poses.
I taste- Water from the air. When I open my mouth to talk, I taste water from the crisp morning air.
I feel- I feel the coldness of the camera. I also feel the chilliness of the room. I feel the freshness of the air.




I see- Two fire workers in front of me with sooty clothes. I see the plain cement background. I placed them in front of a building. I see the shadows that hit them because they're posed outside.
I smell- Dirt and smoke. The air has a fresh smell but mixed with a bit of smoke. I smell dirt from the ground.
I hear- Commotion. We are not the only ones outside. I can also hear the fire worker's clothes whenever they move because their clothes are thick and make lots of noise from moving against each other.
I taste- Smokey air. Whenever I give directions of how to possibly stand, a smoke enters my mouth. I also taste a dirty, soil taste from the floors that have dirt on them. 
I feel- Heat. It's hot outside and the building behind the subjects has heat given off of it as well. I feel the sun on my side. I can't see completely well but I thought this was a good angle to photograph because the subjects are facing in the direction of their shadows.




3.) I'd make a powerpoint that shows different photographs and the different styles that Manuel Alvarez Bravo used. I'd show an array of his photographs and tell some of the stories of who or what h photographed to make the powerpoint interesting. 

Abandoned Theme Parks

1. Tell me which amusement park featured in the two articles that you would like to visit and take your camera along and what about that park made you want to go there. Write at least a paragraph.
 I'd want to visit TAKAKANONUMA GREENLAND, HOBARA, JAPAN because it seems very eerie. There are weird feelings attached to the images of the park and it's scary that some people died on the rides.You see the rust in the pictures and you feel as though you were the photographer. You feel like you're there and you're bein watched.

2. Post one photo from that park. You may use the photos from the link, or you can google an entirely new photo. 
I would prefer to see a photo of the park in disrepair and not a photo of it when it was still operating.


3. Think of at least FIVE other unusual places you think would be of interest to photographers. List them.
Abandoned towns, abandoned apartments, abandoned hospitals, old city buildings, old schools.

4. Use google or another search engine to research ONE of your five places and see if anyone has already started documenting that place. If you find that someone has already started - post at least one photo of their work.

5. Write a paragraph about why you think that it would be fun to document that location. Tell me what interests you about that place and what kind of photos you could expect to take there.
I think it would be a fun experience because we're used to things being clean and comfortable in life. By entering a new environment such as a dirty, old, abandoned hospital shifts our point of view and we are able to capture pictures in a different way. We stop looking for how to please the viewer and instead focus on capturing what we're seeing. I'd expect to take pictures of dirty items and patient belongings, it interests me because there's a story behind the people who once were in the hospital and you don't know it.

6. Tell me what it would take for you to go and take photos at your location. What would you need as far as equipment goes, travel plans, expenses you might encounter and what laws you would have to take into consideration to take photos at your spot.
I'd need any kind of camera, unless I was going at night, then I would need an infra-red camera. I may need to drive there but I'd never really want to travel an incredible distance to go to a place that may not be as interesting as it seems. I'd have to make sure I'm not trespassing and ask law officials for permission to go into this area.

Africa

1. On your blog post your reactions to what you read and what you saw. How about 3-4 sentences.
     This post was very captivating because I love the wildlife and to know that they're disappearing rapidly makes me sad.It makes me want to do something that could ensure the safety of the animals but I don't know where my money goes if I donate it. This website shows an extensive amount of photos of East Africa taken by Nick Brant which evoke feelings from the viewer. 

2. Do a google image search for Nick Brandt, find your favorite photo and post it on your blog.
3. Describe it and tell me why its your favorite.
     This is my favorite because it evokes the most feeling from me. It makes me feel sad that you can see a lot of action in the background and nobody is paying attention to the lion and thinking of his home. It makes me feel as though the lion is watching his home be destroyed and I know that's not a good feeling, so I feel it too.

4. What rules of photography are evident in the photos you selected, be sure to explain the rule to me?
      I'd say that rule of thirds in present in this photo because if you drew a grid over the picture, the lion, which is your subject, would be in the top left corner.


Do a google/wikipedia search for Nick Brandt

5. What kind of camera and lens does he use and why is this important?
     He photographed in black and white without telephoto or zoom lenses, instead, with a Pentax 67II with two fixed lenses. This is important because you know that he had to be close to the animals to capture these pictures, and in such great detail.


6. What is his reason for taking these photos?
     He wanted to evoke an empathetic feeling from the audience to help. But mainly to memorialize the wildlife and beauty of the animals of East Africa which are disappearing rapidly.


7. What is his hope by taking these type of photos?
     To show the audience that animals have the same right as us to live. They should not be killed and should be thought of, like how to protect their ecosystems.

8. Find something he has to say about Africa, and post the quote on your blog. 
     "The photos are my elegy to these beautiful creatures, to this wrenchingly beautiful world that is steadily, tragically vanishing before our eyes."- Nick Brandt


Answer the following questions:

9. What is Brandt's newest focus with his photography?
To show people how fast destruction of wildlife is.



10. What was the process he did to create these new images?
He printed unpublished images that he took, in California, and then mailed them to Kenya. They were put onto plywood and steel frames.



11. What effect do you think his work might have?
I think people will more consciously think of how they are affecting other species on this planet and some may donate to his organization to try to help conserve the wildlife in Africa.



12. How did these new images make you feel? Describe the emotions you felt as you scrolled through them.
These images were captivating but did make me feel sad. It's like being a bystander to someone getting bullied. You don't know how to help but you feel bad because someone is getting hurt. You see the destruction and it makes you feel bad.

Photo Manipulation and Ethics

A. What are some of the main points you read about in the website above regarding manipulating images?
- Being ethical when editing photos means you have to be professional and make slight altercations to a photo so that you are still portraying the truth. You should say that you altered the photo.
There is a difference between capturing the truth and creating art with photos.

B. What is the philosophy of newspapers like the Washington Post and the New York times regarding image manipulation?
They have very strict regulations on photo editing, you can't even change the colors of the original photos in photoshop and you must show the proof that you didn't.They want to capture and show the truth the best that they can.

C. What do you think are acceptable things you could do to an image and not cross the line unto an unethical manipulation?
I think some photo manipulation is okay, such as cropping the photo or manipulating the colors based on how the photographer really saw them. Sometimes our cameras don't capture a picture the way we see it and we want to focus on something we were looking at in real life. I think that that is ethical, if you change it to how you feel you really saw it.


D. Post the manipulation (this means get that image and post it on your blog) that you think was the most unethical, and explain why you think it was unethical. If you do not know what the word ethic or unethical means, look them up on the internet. It is very important you know what those two words mean. Please write at least 2-3 sentences explaining why you think it is so bad.



I believe that this photo is the most unethical because there was no permission at all from either of the subjects to alter their photos. Oprah Winfrey is the cover of the magazine and they're deceiving the audience by putting her in a sparkly, fancy dress, with the headline "Oprah! The richest woman on TV?" The publisher is already putting an idea into reader's heads that Oprah dresses like this and she can because she's rich, this is unethical because the audience is already forming an opinion based on false images; There's no part of the magazine that says it's altered.



E. Post the manipulation that you consider the least unethical, and explain why you think it is not as bad as others. Please write at least 2-3 sentences explaining why you think this one is not so bad.


















I feel as though this is the least unethical because not many people would notice her teeth. Although her teeth don't look like the second picture in reality, the story is not about her teeth and I don't think that the audience seeing her teeth looking different will change their perception of the story.

Great Black and White photographers Part 2

Manuel Álvarez Bravo
     Manuel Alvarez Bravo was a Mexican photographer born in Mexico city on February 4, 1902. He passed away at the age of 100 on October 19, 2002, in Mexico City, Mexico. He was introduced to photography at a young age as his father was was pursuing painting and photography, and his grandfather was a professional portrait maker. He took classes at the of San Carlos but his photography is self taught. His career lasted from the late 1920's up until the 1990's. He was sponsored by the Mexican government to take photographs of Mexico and Mexico's institutions while they were in the midst of the Mexican Revolution. This was the peak of his career. He eventually studied at the Academia Nacional de Bellss Artes.

Ansel Adams

Bridal Veil Falls

I chose this picture because of the title. At least that's what first grabbed my attention. I had gone to a place named Bridal Veil Falls but in Utah, but this picture was taken in California. But I like the subject as well, it gives me a calming feeling because I love water. It seems like a very peaceful picture which is why I liked it.

Aspens, Northern New Mexico


The Tetons and the Snake River

Manuel Alvarez Bravo

 Frida Kahlo in Manuel Alvarez Bravo's studio

I chose this photo because of the subject. One of my favorite artists is Frida Kahlo and I thought that this was a good portrait of her. I like how the black and white captures the texture of her clothing and her positioning is artistic and creates balance.

Man from Papantla


Fire Workers

John Gutman

Texas women


I chose this picture because I like how you can see the difference between the women. One looks like a businesswoman and the other looks like a cowgirl. I thought the contrast between the subjects was interesting.

Cord in Harlem



Face behind Veil

2012 winners academics and community service

1. I chose this photo because it's pleasing to the eye and I like the library.
2. Balance is evident in this photo.


1. I chose this photo because I like how the subject is deep in thought and the values of the photo change. There are very dark parts and very light parts.
2. Framing is evident in this photo because the photo separates the middle pieces of light such as the teacher and projected image with dark. It makes you focus on the teacher.

Filling the frame

I think that this photo best fills the frame with an interesting background because there is scenery all around the subject. You have green mosses and trees behind the main subject, there is also a young man next to the subject. In the foreground you have the subject, the girl, and a butterfly. There's a lot to look at and analyze in this picture which is why iI think the details best fill the picture.

Action and emotion

I think that this photo best incorporates action and emotion because you can see a lot of movement and the subject stands out. The emotion in this is happiness and excitement. You can see that the subject is happy because they are smiling, you can tell that the subject is excited because they are happy but also from their body positioning. They seem ready to be propelled into the air and are unafraid.

The story

I believe that this photo shows the best story because it seems to be pretty self explanatory. You have students that are gathered around a teacher looking at a dissected pig. The teacher is clearly explaining something to them and you can put the dots together that the students are ready to learn and they're interested in the class they're in; based on how focused the students are.

Peer Reflection

https://devinphotojournalismblog.blogspot.com/

The photos on this blog are interesting, they don't look boring. Another word I would use to describe the photos is simple. There are simple backgrounds that don't take away from the subjects. One thing that could be changed about the pictures that could help is to make sure the camera is in focus. The pictures with human subjects are blurry. 

https://ethancphotojournalismblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/prompt-shoot.html

These photos are clear, and creative. I never would have thought of taking a picture of my lanyard for Bowie. I think for the square prompt the photographer could have stood directly underneath the square because the square is at an angle. 

Post Shoot Reflection

1. One challenge I faced when when shooting the photos was finding subjects or gathering ideas for prompts. The prompt I had trouble with were Bowie and Square.

2. I mainly found myself thinking of focus. I was also thinking about the backgrounds of my pictures. I tried to make my backgrounds simple so that I didn't take away from the composition rule and the subject.

3. I would explore more wings of the school to see what other subjects I could shoot.

4. The thing I would do the same is making sure my camera is in focus and taking pictures in light.

5. I would be interested in shooting happy because it seems like you could take a picture of whatever makes you feel happy, which is very extensive. But not the other prompts because I feel the prompts are simple and the amount of ideas you create from those prompts are limited.

Prompt shoot #1

Metal:


This goes with the prompt of metal because the fire hydrant is metallic. This follows the rule of thirds because the hydrant in in the bottom left corner. If you separate the picture into six squares, the hydrant is on the grid, where the intersecting lines are.

Bowie:


This goes with the prompt of Bowie because you can see the school colors and tell that it is a picture of a high school. I would say that this follows lines because of the imaginary lines that the columns are following and because of the lights on the ceiling.

Happy:

This follows the prompt of happy because it shows the exit of the school. When I get to leave the school, I'm happy because school is stressful. When I leave school it feels like a stress relief. I think this follows the composition rule of framing because of the dark outline of the picture.

Square:













This picture goes with the prompt of square. The subject is not truly a square but from this angle it looks a bit more like a square. This picture follows the composition rule of simplicity because there is only one subject and a very blank background.

Avoiding Mergers

This photo is a merger, the foreground merges with the background because of the similar colors, we want to avoid this.

Framing

I feel as though the buildings and the light post frame the subject, the explosion.

Balance

The subject, the explosion, seems to be in the right place, we can see the buildings around it and it leads to the subject. The color contrast between the fire and the buildings makes it very well balanced.

Lines

The fence line, street, and the sitting firemen all lead toward the subject, the fire. Some are physical lines and others are imaginary.

Rule of thirds

This is rule of thirds because the subject, the smoky building is in the upper right area and the airplane leads to it.

Simplicity

This is an example of simplicity because the background doesn't take away any of the attention you have toward the subject, you get to see the man falling gracefully, it makes the picture look simple.