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Presentation 2

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Iw_wgByCH6JGAoBi925JwKHao2lep0MH/view?usp=sharing

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Photos titled: “Rush Hour”, “Sunday Mass” and “Monday: 3rd period”

The first location was the Church in town. Typically, during Mass on Sunday, it is near impossible to find an open parking spot to enter into church. However, now that my church has moved to online mass and barred everyone form attending services in person, the parking lot is just a blank stretch of asphalt with not a car in sight. This is especially unheard of during the Lenten season. The way I structured the picture was from the angle along the edge of the parking lot but making sure the church and the golden crucifix were in the shot as well, to better capture the location and this moment.

The second location was on an overpass looking over the highway during rush hour that Sunday. Usually you can’t look at the highway without seeing it packed full of cars in both lanes, in both direction during rush hour. However, due the quarantine, everyone is trapped within their homes and forced not to travel. In this picture, I showed the absence of cars during the rush hour but also captured how trapped I felt being stuck at home all day by including the chain link fence in the photo as well.

The third location I shot photos was my old high school. This was on a Monday during the middle of the typical school day (3rd period) and the parking lot should have been filled to the brim. You can see all three parking lots within the shot and between them there aren’t even enough cars to account for the staff. Artistically I retook this shot and finalized it with a wide-angle lens, as I wanted the distortion effect that that lens would provide. This allowed the audience to experience my own feeling of unnaturalness when I gazed upon that view myself

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3/30/20, Week 10

1.) The Series of Images I chose was “Unbranded” by Hank Willis Thomas. I think this series of photos was taken on behalf of the African American community in order to deconstruct the African American advertisements being used during that period of time. I believe the intention was to identify the advertisements, not as how far Africans in America have advanced in society but how their images have been used to continue to serve white corporations and CEOs.

2.) What I can understand about masculinity from this series of photographs is that masculinity is less of inherent trait and more of a setting. An American football player is seen as one of the pinochles of masculinity, but if you instead insert him into a scene of chaos and anarchy, his character turns into one of misguided focus and insulting to the surroundings. Billy Dee Williams was every part as dashing as he was suave in the Star Wars trilogy’s yet when presented as someone selling women’s hair care products, his previous masculine image is immediately dashed. What this shows is that Masculinity is less of a trait but more of a perspective.

3.) The work that impressed me the most was the series of prison photographs by Mikael Subotzky. It depicted a different form of masculinity opposed to the traditional sense, in a completely candid fashion, with potentially unwilling or dangerous subjects. He also went on to humanize his subjects by showing some of the ex-prisoners. I found this to be a very refreshing touch as it both reminded the audience that the prisoners are people too while also justifying that the actions taken by the prisoners are the actions that are taken by average people, from average upbringings. This amplified the effect of the series as a whole and allowed for the widest audience to appreciate his work.

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Hank William Thomas, Untitled, 2008

4A) The third Image I will be analyzing is the image of O.J. Simpson by Hank Willis Thomas. The way the artist presents O.J. Simpson is simply O.J. cropped from some sort of advertisement, placed against a white background. It is unknown weather that this particular bit is directly from the advertisement but, alongside O.J.’s own two leg’s there is a third leg resting against his own for no apparent reason. This makes the image feel more unnatural than what it truly is. The inclusion of this third leg plants a seed of unease within the viewer, as they slowly deconstruct O.J. as he is separated from his original context. His smile begins to look. Unsympathetic, his eyes take on a dead or glassy feel and his posture makes him resemble a mannequin used to advertise clothes in a department store, which is essentially what he is doing in his advertisement. Overall, I believe the author is trying to evoke the feeling that “this isn’t right” from the viewer as they look at this piece. This is in parallel from the author’s own beliefs as he believes that O.J. shouldn’t be used a figurehead to market to African American Communities on behalf of White corporate America.

4B) The dynamic between the subject and photographer is unique in this piece. As this photo was originally taken for a magazine before being altered, O.J. isn’t looking at Thomas but some other artist. Thereby only leaving the artificial connection that Thomas created between them when he photoshopped the picture into what it can be viewed as today.

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Mikhael Subotzky, “Prisoner climbs up to a window to buy contraband”, 2004

4A) The first photo chosen to analyze is “Prisoner climbs up a window to buy contraband” image 9 in Mikael Subotzky’s series. The subjects within the photograph have their perspectives split. As the two individuals in the foreground are glaring aggressively at the photographer while the real focus of the picture is in the background paying attention to the building trying to buy contraband, completely in the opposite direction of the photographer. As it is also daylight in this photo, we can tell that being able to buy contraband in such a method is an open secret. What Subotzky is conveying that this paradoxically the prison, an institution for law enforcement and order, is within itself chaotic and disorderly. This changes the impact of the image from just seeing an odd man willing to climb a window for his contraband to that everyone climbs that window for their contraband and no one minds it a bit.

4B) The relationship between the photographer and the subjects is that of a power imbalance. The photographer has the power in the relationship as he is the one who is a free man, who is allowed to take pictures while these prisoners are at their most vulnerable and they can’t do anything to retaliate. It is also of two ships passing in the night as the photographer cares more about the actions rather than the people, so the photographer means little to those in the foreground or the far background and those in either area don’t mean a great deal to the photographer either.

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Sam Contis, Untitled (Neck), 2015

4A) The second photo I analyzed is the photo of a neck by Sam Contis. This was an interesting piece due to its simplicity in subject yet complex in its execution. Sam Contis captured multiple biologically masculine traits with in a very succinct manner in his photographic design. Obviously, the main focus of this piece is the neck of the model, which happens to be both dead center and taken very close to the photographer. But what he is really trying to showcase is the model’s Adam’s apple, which is by definition masculine as it is a trait that is not possessed by females. Contis also better defines the Adam’s Apple by making this photo black and white, to better remove distractions from the viewer’s gaze. He also does a nice job leaving the model’s chin in the photograph as it too subtly touches upon another masculine trait: facial hair. Even though this model does not wear any facial hair, we can still see some of the hair follicles hidden within the model’s pours, alongside the assortment of nick’s this man has received from shaving his chin.  Overall this a very well put together piece on the traits of masculinity and it shows in the end product.

4B) The relationship between the subject and the photographer is interesting as we don’t see any of the identifying features of the subject. As Sam Contis does not identify the model, it could easily be Sam Contis himself, with his own camera taking the picture by either a timer or some other mechanism. However, if simply looking at the relationship between the model and the photographer, it is one of vulnerable intimacy and understanding.

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From Left to Right, then Up to Down ( Z ) photos: A,B,C,D

1.A) This first image encapsulates the demographic of migrancy. The article mentions that “Thousands of families have travelled for days across scorched scrubland” by having the older gentleman as well as the younger child seemingly walk towards the photographer, it gives a greater sense that they are on a journey towards ‘something’. 1.B) The second image encapsulates the theme of famine, more specifically it explains why refugees “are dying of causes related to malnutrition […] very shortly after arrival at aid camps”. It showcases the physical challenge of actually trying to feed these horribly starved individuals. It also reminds the viewers (by showing the kids in line) that it takes time to properly feed all the refugees the proper and correct way and that there are still issues even within the camp. 1.C) The third image shows the essence of the famine of the situation. More specifically it shows a different side of famine. It shows the physical effects it has on the body, showing what should be a healthy toddler, as a person of skin and bones, wasting away into nothingness. 1.D) The Fourth image helps depict the scale of the migrancy. The “Thousands of families” are hard to image at once but seeing the fourth picture showing a snippet of the stream of people it grounds the imagination and makes one realize that these families are taking everything they can and leaving to where they can survive along with their animals, which hold more cultural significance than what a Westerner can realize. 2.A) The comment that this makes on the issue of migration is that these aren’t just number but people. These are the people who lived in civilizations, cities and well-established homes for generations and are now emigrating for their own survival. Their walking thru the ruins of their own part of their world, much like how they are walking thru the ruins of the church they stand in. 2.B) What comment this Second image makes is that these aid camps aren’t the Garden of Eden. Just because you made it there doesn’t mean that you’re home free. There are whole other set of issues that must be addressed after making it to the aid centers including proper nutritional administration, understaffing and overpopulation as well. 2.C) What this picture says about the issue of famine it is illustrating is simply the severity of the situation. Most of the people who will be viewing this image don’t know what “No food or water” is like, only hungry. So when they imagine the famine situation they can’t imagine how the body reacts. By showing how the muscles fade away and the skeleton begins to press into the skin like a spandex suit, it is able to showcase the truth of the dismal situation. 2.D) What this shows on the migration event is how difficult moving truly is and big of a decision it truly is to pack up everything and move to a different life. For many Westerners we may have just a few possessions and maybe a pet and that’s it. If we had to, we could just leave it all and run. For these people, what it means to abandon your homes is you have taken all your domestic animals with you. You have to fight for your life and your family but also make sure your flock of goats aren’t being stolen, are finding grass to eat, are able to find a place to sleep in top of that as well. What this picture is showing is the enormity of a migration of “Thousands of families” and what that truly is. 3.A) The way this first image engages with the text is that it elaborates upon the theme of families. When the word “family” comes to mind you might think of two spouses and then move onto to think of their children or maybe an aunt or an uncle as well. However, this shows that it is not just the able-bodied members of the family leaving their homes but the young children and the elderly grandparents as well, all trying to find a way to survive in the world. 3B.) The way that the second photo interacts with the article is that it elaborates about what the aid camps are doing and what the conditions are really like. Most people who read the articles haven’t actually seen an “aid camp” before or don’t know the full extent of their responsibilities. By observing the complexity of how the aid camp is administering treatment, it allows the reader to infer just how dire the situation is within the camps themselves and acknowledge that aid camps alone will not be able to resolve the issue in its entirety. 3.C) How this photo interacts with the article is that it shows why these families are moving away in search of a better life. Everyone has lived through a relative drought within their lifetimes, but it is hard to imagine the severity of one if it. But by being able to the dirt covered wood and the dried-out soil surrounding a malnourished child, you can tell immediately that it’s not just the people who are dying but the land itself. 3.D) This fourth pictures best interact with the article as it best shows the scale of the migration that is being undergone. When the article says thousands of families, a thousand families from a thousand different villages and perhaps that’s what people would think of. But when you see an organized stream of people all leading themselves towards something better (along with their livestock) you can begin to understand the significance of the event is one that has lasted so long evacuation infrastructure can be established.

4.) photo A I believe would be the best showcase of the famine and drought within this community. It shows a family moving thru ruins of what was once a grand structure, parallel to how they are now moving through the ruins of their former lives. I think this best tells the story of the situation as both images B and C really focus on a single aspect respectively (Foerign Aid and starvation. Image D, I believe, undermines the severity of the famine by having so many goats in the shot, which could easily be converted into food themselves, misrepresenting the situation within the country.

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Week 9 HW

Captions: “Misdirection” “Unappreciated” “Silent Defenders”

For this piece, I had a photo taken of the Royal stables of Buckingham Palace. I feel as if this piece captured my message very well, with how I wanted to frame it. I personally find elevated police presence and the increased lethality o the police's weapons in London to be a little alarming, to say the least. So I am to say I was able to capture this image. My first caption says "Misdirection" as I believe its a fitting title. While many people are focusing on the flashier and more popular subjects (Queen's Guard) the government is subtle sneaking their agenda through, right behind everyone's backs (The police officers). The Second caption was actually a more pro-police caption as it inverted the viewer's perceptions of the parties. When I named the second caption "Unappreciated", I meant to reverse the emotions evoked by the image. Under the same pretense, the people are paying too much attention to the guards, but in this case, it refers to the sense that the people who are actually keeping the peace are the well-trained police officers behind them. These officers are doing actual work and have legitimate experience in this field of work yet the people are only paying attention to the Queen's guardsman. So, therefore, the two police officers are "Unappreciated". The third caption "Silent defenders" is actually in equal reference to both the police officers and the Queen's guardsmen. The Police would be the "Silent Defenders as they work without the recognition for their work, or "Silently" and the Queen's Guardsman works as a silent defender because he doesn't physically talk while he is on duty guarding. This caption serves as a play on words for both instances, while also being substantially less politically charged than the previous two captions. The Cropped photo has changed meaning from the uncropped photo as the removal of the police changes the tonality of the photo. With the police officers, there are elements of anxiety as you don't know what the police are doing in relation to the people with their backs turned and the Queen's Guardsman. However, with the police removed, it becomes a simple tourist site, with tourists fawning over a local attraction

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Week 9 Activity 2

Picture: Man at an Airport

“Aerospace Engineer Jack Dawson recording landing and take off statistics of jets during the land base portion of the seventh annual “commercial plane aircraft performance competition”

      This captions adds a sense of focus and seriousness to the image while              focusing viewer attention on the man in the foreground.

“Having just stumbled across a co-workers field journal, Jack Dawson immediately scans the crowds of the airshow, hoping to find his colleague”

     This caption adds a sense of panic and worry to the image while also                 focusing the group on the facial expression of the man in the foreground 

“Having recently been foreclosed on, the FTY airport has invited prospective owners to come and explore the facilities before the auction begins”

     This adds a sense of somber capitalism to the photograph. It makes the             viewers think of the crowd of people as greedier and a sense of compeition        between the present crowds of people. 

“After an internal review, Employee morale has reached an all time low.In response, Airbus has rented out an airport for a company wide BBQ . Airbus CEO hopes the event will spawn new ‘interdepartmental connections and a new found sense of pride in all manufactured products’”

    This caption focuses the viewer on the cords of people as a whole. The              crowds of people appear to being having more fun as an effect and there is        a greater sense of camaraderie between the individual groups than before.

Picture: men in Building

“Aspiring entrepreneurs Jack Dawson and Billy Corrals hope to renovate this abandoned auto-factory into a prestigious competitive table tenis arena venue”

     This adds a sense of hope to the picture. It makes the viewer appreciate the         two men more as hard workers. It also makes the viewer doubtful of them           as the obvious disrepair of the building

“Its a sad day in morristown as Father and Son duo close down 174 year old auto repair store their great grandfather founded. After finishing removing the scrap metal and tools, the building will be demolished to make room for a new apartment complex.”

     Opposed to the previous caption, this caption is much more somber. It                evokes a feeling of hopelessness and pity for the two men who lost a piece         of their family history and livelihood. As many people lost their jobs in the           2007 recession, it also allows the viewership to emphasize with the two              men more. 

“Hidden History: Archaeology duo track down missing WWI anchor chain to abandoned factory in West Milwaukee. Both men are currently employed by Oxford and intend to take the chain with them when they return to University”

    This one has the effect of focusing the audience on the chain on the ground.      It makes them think of the two men as smarter as usually people of that              attire would not be university people. It also sparks a bit of intrigue within the      viewer as they too try to figure out how a chain from a battle ship made it all      the way to Ohio.

“A new series called “Grime” by Gregory Mustafar explore the concepts of photo-retouching as his newly developed image processor is being put to use. His program adds a layer of dust, rust and dirt to the environment of already captured photographs. His father in brother stand off center to showcase it’s effects on clothes”

     The affect of this caption is fairly unique. This caption actually focuses the         audience on the dirt and the weathering on the image, to try to see for                 themselves where the seem is between the “program’s” dirt is and the dirt         within the photo. It also inspires a bit of awe in their appreciation of modern       technology as well as disbelief that something like this is possible.

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Week 9

“Untitled” from the series “The Discrete Channel with Noise” by Clare Strand. 

What is most interesting about this photograph is that it lacks many of the traditional elements of an actual photograph. There is no focus, there is no color and there is no depth of field. It is just a pixelized grey blob that anyone could have made. But, this is still an incredibly valuable piece of art nonetheless. The entire reason why this can be considered a “photograph is because of the methodology used to create it. First, a regular photograph black and white photo is taken before it is  then divided into a grid. each grid is then assigned a number value that corresponds with how dark or light that square is. The square grid is then told pixel by pixel to to someone else over the phone who fills in the photograph with the corresponding shade of grey. What is so fantastic about this series is that it works its message into the creation of the art itself. What Clare Strand is trying to explore is how information is being communicated in the digital age and how innovative this electronic network allows us to be. When Alexander Granbell invented the telephone, I have no doubt that he didn’t even consider the application of the device to transmit visual information outside of qualitative descriptions. What Clare Strand is doing is using that same level of technology to innovatively transmit that information in a quantitative color assignment system. In addition, due to many people familiarizing themselves from recent entertainment media, it has become even easier for the viewer to decipher the pixelated art pieces in Clare Strand exhibition. I will say that to the uninformed viewer, the image does just appear to be just another form of pixel-art, which places quite a lot of the exhibition’s value on information derived from a description. Overall a wonderful photographic series and idea as a whole.  

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Week 9 ACTIVITY 1 BEFORE CROPPING: Look carefully at the whole photo – notice everything that is depicted in it and how these different elements work together to create a narrative. What is the photograph of? The photograph is of 3 elephants and a woman. The woman is dressed in elegant black and white colours and posing as if she was a model. The elephants themselves are trying to poise with her and mimic her movements. The elephants are also chained to the ground as well. What is the photograph about? The photograph is a commentary on the treatment of animals within this environment. The elephants are obviously chained to the ground and are kept in a stark and unwelcoming environment. Yet in this photo, the elephants are able to mimic the actions of this elegant model herself, transposing her elegance onto the elephants themselves. From this, it makes the viewer see the disparity between the treatment of the two as well as that the elephants deserve to be treated better. AFTER CROPPING: What is the photograph of? The photograph is of an elephant posing. The elephant has one leg up and its mouth is open as well. It seems as happy as it could be. What is the photograph about? This cropped version is about a happy dancing elephant. This could have been used to be an ad for a carnival or a zoo. All of the intricate and poised elements have been removed and what is left is just the emotions of the posing elephant. There is less character to the cropped image and now it is more of a picture than a work of art.

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“Parade #7″ by Mark Neville

This photo was a work done by Mark Neville during his time in a town called Guingamp. He wanted to capture the special relationship between the farmers/breeders and their unique relationships with their animals. Neville uses a deep focus within this image to capture all the elements within image at an equal focus. By doing this, Neville is holding each of the elements at an equal value (the dogs, the child, etc.) This plays into his message of a pseudo-ecotopia. The way he used color within the image was quite unique as each of the different elements all have their own color. With the dogs all a singular brown, the land being all green and the girl dressed in bright reds. Continuing with the theme of a pseudo-utopia, the dissonance between the physical elements and the emotional elements play a big role in the nuance of Neville’s message.  The child is surrounded by 10s of dogs, wearing bright and colorful clothing and even holding bright pink pom-poms. This would usually make for a very happy individual but her body language and facial expression are completely emotionless. She has no energy and even her dogs are completely still. I believe these elements of “what should be” and “what actually is” is perfectly representative of the eco-utopia within Guingamp Mark Neville is trying to display in Guingamp. The fact that this area has all the elements to create an eco-utopia but is not yet so is reflected in the excitement levels found within this photograph. While this image is perfect reflection of Neville’s intention of his series’s message, the message doesn’t necessarily explain itself without the background text. The title of the image “Parade #7″ doesn’t lend itself as an explanation either. Overall, Mark Neville has presented a very interesting series about a very interesting topic from a very interesting place. A wonderful series to say the least.

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The Blue Skys Project by Anton Kusters

The photograph is of a sky above a nazi concentration camp by Anton Kusters. The color is mainly dominated by the blue of the sky and the black of the circular border framing the sky as well. What is really appealing about this photo is the significance behind it. Just looking at a picture of the sky is innocent enough but once the viewer realizes that actually this is supposed to represent what a potential concentration camp victim was supposed to be able to see during their time is a much deeper and sobering backstory. The dissonance between these two aspects of the photo really adds to the impact of each of the photos within the series. Especially by marking each photo with unique identifiers presents the significance of the photos in a way that I haven’t seen before. 

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“Mohamed Bourouissa La Prise, 2008 From the series Périphérique”

This photograph is from photographer Mohamed Bourassa. The focus of this photograph is on the man sitting on the floor wearing handcuffs with also the woman standing in the right foreground also being a significant figure. The Colors are used to represent the different groups with the invading police being donned in dark outfits as opposed to what we assume are the residents who are mainly only wearing their skin as well as small bits of grey clothing. This contrast takes place against a neutral white of the walls of the residence. The contrasts are slightly more somber than they naturally appear to be as to give the photo a more emotional feel. 

What you can see in the actual photo pairs very well with what the photo is trying to convey. The photographer is trying to capture the unique cultural situation of his generation within his photography. This is easily expressed through the tensions of the photograph. With the man being shown undue disrespect in his own home and may represent the photographer’s own perspective on police brutality as well. This is easily enough laid out that it would be unnecessary to even have to read the accompanying text to understand it. 

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Ellitot Erwitt “Argentina” 2001

2a) The composition of this piece is fairly simple. It is a recreation of Jesus on the cross, on top of a small dirt mound with a Pepsi billboard in the background. It is also in black and white in a well lit environment.

2b) The use of light in this photo was minimal. The light is coming from directly above the subjects and evenly illuminating them in the afternoon light.

2C) The mood in this photo is somber to say the very least. I would go as far as to say sacrilegious as well. There is an  instant negative emotion evoked when looking at this photo and it is unpleasant to say the least. 

2D) This photo is of a crucified Jesus Christ on the cross with a Pepsi billboard standing in the background. They are both on top of a dirt mound with both dark structures being framed by a light background. 

2E) What this photograph is about is the lack of inhibitions found within corporations. Big Business is willing to do anything to earn money, be it stomping over holy sites or putting themselves on the same pedestal as god, there is no stopping their pursuit of a paycheck. 

4) While I sincerely apologize for the poor taste that this response is made in, It does fully convey the same tones as the original. As this issue is certainly a serious one, there is no doubt in my mind that if there was a way to profit off of it, there would be a corporation that would take advantage of the situation. Both religion and mental health are incredibly serious subjects, corporations would not falter in pursuing profit in either topic.

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Progress Report

Week 8:

After showcasing my photos and ideas to the class, I found that while this is a solid idea, there is quite a lot of room for improvement, be it in my source material as well as the way I take my photos. I am glad that the most contentious photo I had taken was well liked (the bird) but many of  my other photos were deemed either a poor shot, poor angle or a poor subject to shoot. After looking at my peers series however, I believe that there are other avenues to a series that are available to me. I find that in the face of my peer’s work my own theme for a series seems rather trivial and simple. I believe it might be worth returning to the drawing board and thinking up a few alternative ideas for series might reap me benefits. If I do plan on pursuing this series, however, the best course of action would be to retake the fuzzy shots in some of my sample pictures. I also intend on editing my pictures to “zoom out” where I can, so that the subjects are framed by the environments that they are located in. Finally, I intend to keep my eyes open in search of new source materials to photograph while exploring the streets of London. 

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Presentation 1

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UmtpYNjFby6aMGl13bPHf3SAKGSdsQIR/view?usp=sharing