the-ring-camera

[the-ring-camera]

The Weekend Proposal

The idea behind my proposal is to capture everyday moments, capturing small moments of the weekend. My time as a college student at Fresno State University is nearing its end as I enter my senior year, with this in mind, I want to capture moments that are unique to me. Many of my friends are finishing their final year here at Fresno State, some are graduating while other are deciding to go a different route in life. I want to be able to capture these small moments that represent how much of an impact they have made on my life and college experience. Each photo captures a hint of my weekends as a student with friends and loved ones, things we may overlook and take for granted. I want this project to focus on those small moments that have stories behind them. I want to capture most of these moments in black and white to focus more on the action rather than the color of the scene. Only a few photos will have color with a monotone color scheme, however. These photos are planned to be captured to capture how students not from the city adapt to Fresno in their own way.

[the-ring-camera]

Elements and Principles

Elements:

Element of Line: Defined by a point moving through a space, either 2D or 3D.

Element of Shape: An element of art that forms a 2D flat outline contained to only height and width.

Element of Form: An element of art that is 3D and contains volume.

Element of Value: The differential of tones and colors through the change of light and shadow.

Element of Space: An element of art that defines positive and negative areas that create depth.

Element of Color: An element created through the hue, value, and intensity of color.

Element of Texture: An element that relates to the feel and look of an object.

Principles:

Principle of Rhythm: A principle of design that indicates movement through the placement of repeating subjects.

Principle of Balance: A principle that creates the sensation of stability.

Principle of Emphasis: A principle that highlights the differences between objects.

Principle of Proportion: The principle that refers to the size of objects together or next to each other.

Principle of Gradation: A principle that highlights the gradual change of hues or elements.

Principle of Harmony: A principle that combines similar elements together through repetition or small changes

Principle of Variety: A principle of design that focuses on the diversity of subjects.

Principle of Movement: The principle of design that creates the feeling of action, guiding the viewer's eye throughout the image.

[the-ring-camera]

Artist Research Blog #8: Desperate Urbanization - Rasel Chowdhury

The photographs in Desperate Urbanization, are taken by the Bangladeshian photographer, Rasel Chowdhury, capturing the destruction of the Buriganga River due to the pollutants of Dhaka City. Chowdhury first began his photography journey without a direction but eventually became very fond of photography. Chowdhury graduated from Pathshala, South Asian Media Institute in photography and began to document the changing landscape and environmental issues, as he deemed them important subjects to document for his generation. As the Buriganga River is an essential part of life for the people of Dhaka City, Chowdhury began to photograph how the terrible urban planning and everyday pollution is slowly destroying the river, capturing how it has changed throughout the years. His photos capture heavy machinery creating heavy smoke, debris of infrastructures scattered throughout the river, as well as people using the river for their everyday lives. Capturing people crossing the river on boats or carrying supplies. These photos bring attention to the current destruction of the Buriganga River.

These photos carry heavy meaning, it is unclear what camera or lens Chowdhury utilizes to capture these photos, however, each photo captures all the effects of the pollutants. In almost every photo, Chowdhury is able to capture the smog of all the industrial machines, showing how dystopian the river has become. The colors in his photos are very dull, matching the atmosphere of the situation. I really enjoy how Chowdhury is able to capture people living their everyday lives normally, while also bringing to attention the abnormality of the situation these people are living in. Such as the photograph of a boy rolling a large tile down a path filled with hundreds of tires alongside the river. The way Chowdhury uses the people besides all of the industrial debris is an amazing way to show how the people of Dhaka City are living in these poor conditions near the river. By taking pictures of these moments, Chowdhury is able to bring attention to how normalized the pollution of the city has become to the people of Dhaka. I really enjoy these angles and shots because they are able to capture an entire narrative, especially surrounding the Buriganga River.

3.

4.

[the-ring-camera]

Artist Research Blog #7: Heiko - Jack Furgerson

The photographs taken by Jack Furgerson in his photography book, Heiko, shows a compilation of Furgerson’s time studying in the University of California, San Diego, edited by Lorena Mostajo. Heiko is a Japanese word meaning equilibrium, otherwise known as balance. With this in mind, Furgerson captures the life of the suburban landscape, capturing subjects in everyday life that would otherwise have been ignored. The book, Heiko, is a 40 page book with full color and a foil stamp cover that was designed by Alyssa Lefevre. These photos capture scrapped cars, landscapes, everyday streets, and graves. Essentially, things we pass by in our everyday lives.

These photos capture moments in time, highlighting details that we would otherwise ignore if it wasn’t captured on camera. The photos taken are simple, such as a piece of aluminum on the group, a church's cross, or even a tree with a knitted sweater around it. These photos capture the vibrance of these everyday moments, almost romanticizing these parts of everyday life. The color hues in these photos are very beautiful and are colors I want to add into my own photography. Although these photos capture everyday objects, these objects are amazing subjects to capture and look back upon.

4.

[the-ring-camera]

Artist Research Blog #6: The Two Walls - Alejandro Cegarra

The photos from the article The Two Walls, written by The New York Times, discuss the backstory behind Venezuelan photographer Alejandro Cegarra’s 2024 Photo Contest Long-Term Project Award winning photos. The photos that Cegarra captures are of migrants crossing into the US through the Mexican border on the freight train known as “The Beast. These photos capture migrants on top of the dangerous freight, known for causing deaths of migrants who have fallen onto the rails, walking across the carts. His photos also capture the distraught of the boarding cities, where many asylum seekers are displaced and separated from their families. He used his photos to capture these moments of children to older families in distress due to the global migration issues. Cegarra uses his Sony ILCE-7M3 to capture these moments in black and white, matching the dull and terrifying moments these families go through.

The detail highlighted in these photographs capture every inch of each individual’s face, showing what they have had to endure to reach the time and place where their photos had been taken. These photos capture powerful moments with clear still images, focusing on the subject, being each person, while also capturing the situation they are in. The first photo shows a man stepping onto the next cart, capturing clearly when he’s about to take his step across. Photos of the migrants going through so many obstacles fully captures their painful journey to reach safety. Objectively, the composition of each photo is taken very well, capturing the subject while also bringing to attention the situation they are in. These photos are set on capturing key moments that bring attention to what people have to go through in order to reach safety. These photos capture the important subject of how dangerous and painful it is for these people to get to safety, showing how a photograph can carry deep meaning.

3.

4.

[the-ring-camera]

Artist Research Blog #5: Honor the Ghosts - Evans Vestal Ward

The photographer, Evans Vestal Ward, is a man from North Carolina that moved to New York in 1995. During his time in New York, his friend had given him a book with images of New York in the 30’s, from this, Ward began to visit these places and took photos of the same places with his Pentax 110 camera. Eventually, he began to take photos of his personal life and of New York to capture how the city has evolved. He then began to print his photos, learning how printing worked and continued to take photos, capturing his connection with New York. These photo presentations are named Honor the Ghosts, where he used his Pentax 110 camera to capture images of New York City. In these photos he captures small moments of his everyday life capturing streets, cityscapes, party scenes and everyday transit.

The aesthetic of these photographs is a style I personally really enjoy. Photos taken in small moments in life are photos that I enjoy taking as memories to look back on. The photos of the party, cityscape and fair ride are similar to photos I have taken in my everyday life. The only difference I would make from Ward’s photos compared to mine is to adjust the shutter speed, as I personally enjoy my photos to be still. However, that is not to take away from Ward’s photos, his photo ascetic is complete with the low shutter speed, adding a feeling of a memory to these photos. The sense of movement in his photos add a feeling as if you were moving with him, instead of standing still. This type of atmosphere is what I enjoy from photos I have taken.

3.

4.

[the-ring-camera]

Artist Research Blog #4: Stephanie O'Connor - Reigning Toward Aries

The tilted photographs Reigning Toward Aries, taken by Stephanie O’Connor, surround the theme of womanhood regarding pregnancy, as well as the astrology of Aries. O’Connor discusses the purpose of her photos, which won the LensCulture Emerging Talent Award in 2024, saying that her photographs are meant to capture the expectation of fertility and how it affects the idea of a woman’s worth. Whether becoming unexpectedly pregnant meant a new beginning and sacrifice, or if it reflects her current worth. Using the zodiac Aries to represent the sign of the zodiac ram and fire, while also being the sign of her child. O’Connor captures vivid red hued photographs of different objects, such as hands, trees, a person and a goat to represent these ideas. Most of these photos are visibly edited to appear more vibrant as well, showing how important the color red is in these photos as it relates to the ripeness of a woman, as O’Connor had stated.

The vibrance of these photos are what capture my eye the most. O’Connor is able to take vibrant photos while also causing blurred effects with the lowered shutter speed. The photo that captures my attention the most is the photo that captures the reflection of the stars or a bright light from what appears to be a stream. These vibrant shots of different subjects in motion, such as the chalk dust throw, are types of photos that I enjoy. The dust reflecting off the light as well is a very nice touch to be able to get a clearer image of the particles. The silhouette of the goat as well is very nice with the subtle markings of blue light streaks. All of these photos fit an overall theme.

3.

4.

[the-ring-camera]

Artist Research Blog #3: Marcus DeSieno - Surveillance Landscapes

Marcus DeSieno presents his photographs in the presentation, Surveillance Landscapes, where he explains how he wishes to uncover the dominant relationship between man and environment through capturing photos taken on CCTV cameras. DeSieno is a photographer that focuses on photography’s relationship with science, and does this hacking into surveillance cameras, public webcams, and CCTVS to capture landscape photos while demonstrating how dominant cameras are in our surveillance society. By hacking into these cameras, ranging in age of tech, DeSieno is able to capture unique photos of landscapes while bringing to attention how much of the world is being surveillanced.

The photos taken by DeSieno all have a unique aesthetic that I personally enjoy. Due to the photographs being taken by surveillance cameras ranging in age and usage, the lenses create a unique presentation of markings shown in each image. The photos themselves are all in black in white while being positioned towards certain landforms, creating beautiful compositions. I have an interest in landscape photography and want to go deeper into this genre of photography. These photos bring more attention to how beautiful our everyday landscape is in our backyard. Especially being in Fresno State, the photographs remind me of the mountain-scape of Kings Canyon.

4.

[the-ring-camera]

Artist Research Blog #2: Vladyslav Andrievsky - District

The article District, written by Olha Pavlenko, writes about the photographs taken by a Ukrainian photographer, Vladyslav Andrievsky, inside their book, District. These photographs by Andrievsky are photos taken in everyday life in Ukraine during the current Russian-Ukraine war taking place. These photos capture the youthful life during the war, capturing small moments in their daily lives.  Almost all of these photographs are taken in black and white with a few photos in color, capturing the emotion of the warfare environment. The writer, Pavlenko, writes about their reaction to these photos, taking into account the upbringing of the youth during this war period, reflecting on how these young people are just the same as us.

Seeing these images taken by Vladyslav Andrievsky puts into perspective how serious warfare affects a person’s daily life. In our news we regularly see images and videos of warfare, seeing only the perspective of the soldiers, rather than the effects of the lives of regular everyday civilians. By seeing these images, the understanding of how serious of an effect warfare has on someone my age takes a new reality. I personally really enjoy photos taken in the moment, rather than posing. Objectively, seeing these images inspires me to take photos in more unique areas rather than the same regular spots. However, with the understanding of the photo’s background information, being able to capture the seriousness of certain situations through photos makes me more aware of how powerful a photograph can become.

3.

4.

[the-ring-camera]

Artist Research Blog #1: Chris Dorley Brown - A History of the East End

The photographs in this article, written by Brad Feuerhelmare taken from Chris Dorley Brown's own book, called A History of the East End, published by Nouveau Palais documents. These photos were taken by Brown themselves and capture the history of London's East End, Hackney, from the mid 1980's to the present day. Chris Dorley Brown is an archivist/documentarian who documents their town Hackney, seeing it change over the years, especially after its economical change after the 2012 Olympics. The author of the article then reflects on how meaningful the photographs are to those that are from Hackney.

Seeing the photographs taken by Chris Dorley Brown from their own town is very moving. I enjoy seeing photos from the past and seeing how an area, or person, ages/changes over time. These photos show how Hackney has changed over time, seeing buildings torn down and communities together. This type of work is what I enjoy capturing in my own works, and seeing how Brown took photos of everyday things changing is the type of photographs I enjoy taking.

4.

[the-ring-camera]

Weekend Photo Story

Started off the weekend wandering around the campus at night.

One of my friends came with me to wander around.

2 friends came.

Actually 3 friends.

Hung out at my friends' place for the night.

One of my friends thrifted an older camera so we kept shooting each other.

Chilled for a bit.

Went home to the Bay and chilled with my dog.

My dad got a new wok from SF so we cooked some chicken fried rice.

I helped.

[the-ring-camera]

Hello my name is Bryant Gonzalez, I'm a third year here at Fresno State and my major is Animation. I recently returned from studying abroad the previous semester in Japan. I've always enjoyed taking pictures, especially after my experience abroad, my interest in photography had really grown. I don't have much experience using cameras manually, but I'm really looking forward to learning how to use it a camera properly.

A bit about myself, I enjoy watching movies, writing and drawing a lot as well. I really enjoy watching sports, especially football, my favorite team are the 49ers. I'm not from Fresno, I am from Marin County in the Bay Area.