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Family Theme Project

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8. “TO:KY:OO” Liam Wong  

“TO:KY:OO” is a photo series by Liam Wong published by Thames & Hudson. The book shows the city of Tokyo with intense color composition. The pictures consist of alleyways and street views. They capture people living their life walking towards their destination. There are also many shots of rain, people walking in the rain. The book consists of images that Liam Wong took during his three years in Japan and marks the start of his career as a photographer. Many of his photos focus on waiting for the right moment to take the shot. The book contains some passages describing how Wong felt about taking some images and his process. Liam Wong is a game designer and a photographer. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and studied Computer Arts at Abertay University. He moved to Canada after graduating where he would become a director at Ubisoft. As he worked he began to experiment with photography. He was named in Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2017. He made his debut in 2019 with his photo series: 'Tokyo Nights (TO:KY:OO)’. Which became the largest crowdfunded book in the UK. His work has been recognized by BBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Saatchi and Adobe. He is currently a freelancer for photography, game design and film. Overall I really enjoyed his work as it was very aesthetic and right up my alley. I like his use of colors that were used and how pictures would focus on a specific hue. It all felt very sci-fi and futuristic. He created an ambiance in each picture which I really enjoyed. A lot of the pictures felt like anime scenes. I just really liked his work.

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7. Alec Soth

Alec Soth was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His works show the relationship between narrator and metaphor and he often references literature. He does large-scale American projects. He has over 25 books published. He is a member of Magnum Photos. He started out taking pictures of landscapes and objects that show American life and then began to learn how to take photographs of people. He also did sculptures outside as he didn’t want to stay inside in one spot. He traveled to take pictures of different locations and people and started playing with color. He struggled with not knowing how much story he should tell as he wants to tell a story and photography is meant to show not tell a story. He also struggled with becoming a professional photographer as many things come with it. Soth also struggles with maintaining his freedom and not being formulaic. He wants viewers to know that it's ok to fail and the importance of doing things out of your comfort zone as it helps you learn. The interview also discusses the new age of technology and the problem of having too many photos. Overall his interview is insightful and focuses on his own personal journey.

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6. “Amado’s Sunless World” Ryan Christopher Jones

“Amado’s Sunless World” by Ryan Christopher Jones was a story done for the New York Times in 2019. It is a story meant to enlighten viewers of the bad housing situation in Queens, New York. Rent prices have become inflated as renters take advantage of immigrants knowing that they will comply. This kindled with the fact that space feels limited has led people to end up in undesirable situations living in small rooms or basements without light. Others are forced to live in a too small house with far too many people. These crowded places ironically are the most lonely as none of the roommates will ever actually interact with each other; they may not even see each other due to how busy their life is with work. They just live together. These apartments aren’t suitable to be apartments and any problems that arise will not be fixed. The story focuses on Amado, a 50 year old man who lives in a small room in a cramped house with no light. He works 8 hour shifts 6 times a week. In his free time he talks to his family back in Mexico, the source of his motivation to keep going. He sends all of his money to his wife and kids so that they may be happy. He returns to Mexico once or twice a year where he can finally see the fruits of his labor. His life there is so different from the one in America, he can’t wait for the day when he can stay instead of making the trip back to his lonely apartment. Ryan Christopher Jones is a Mexican-American photojournalist and anthropologist. He works with the New York Times, ProPublica, and The Washington Post. His works often bring light to the unrepresented and discuss ethics. He was awarded the American Mosaic Journalism Prize in 2022. I enjoyed seeing his work and I appreciate how he gets to know his subjects.

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5. Daidō Moriyama “The World Through My Eyes” 

“The World Through My Eyes” by Daidō Moriyama was published by Skira in 2010. The book consists of about 250 black and white images and is very unconventional showing provocative, blurry, overexposed, and scratched photos. It is a book that shows Moriyama’s life in Japan during the 1950’s-70’s. It consists of photos of animals, buildings, people, posters, and partners. The photos feel very personal and in your face making the viewer feel as though they are there themselves. His photos are a reflection of himself giving a sense of freedom and passion. The book includes an interview with Filippo Maggia. Daidō Moriyama is a Japanese photographer born in Ikeda-cho, Osaka in 1938. His real name is Hiromichi Moriyama but he prefers Daidō Moriyama. He moved to Tokyo in 1961 where Eikoh Hosoe would take on Moriyama as his assistant allowing him to assist in the production of Hosoe’s collection. In 1964 he became a freelance photographer and would frequently shoot around the American base in Yokosuka. He would capture life during and following the American occupation of Japan after World War II. He was awarded the New Artist Award from the Japan Photo Critics Association due to his depictions of forgotten areas and the other sides of cities. This award made him known for capturing Japanese culture. He has received many awards such as the Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement from the International Center of Photography in 2004 and the Hasselblad Award in 2019. “The World Through My Eyes” was a very interesting book to look at. I enjoyed seeing the polaroids and how atypical the book is as the photos break the rules and completely fill the page without any descriptions. I like the book because it is very indicative of someone just living their life. Although some photos were not something I wanted to view you can also tell a lot about him from them as he is clearly a sexual person and as such liked taking photos of that stuff. Overall I was very interested in this book and commend Moriyama for being so unforgivingly himself.

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4. Mila Teshaieva “Promising Waters”

Mila Teshaieva’s photobook “Promising Waters” was published by Kehrer Verlag, an art book publisher. It won the Photolucida's Critical Mass Book Award in 2012. The book focuses on the transformation of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, three former Soviet republics on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each battle for control of the region's vast oil and gas reserves and the task of finding national identity. This has left the population and environment struggling as they attempt to keep up with the huge changes. The photos show this with pictures of the people questioning what comes next as their towns appear to be in shambles, the water seemingly rising, it looks almost like a wasteland, a dystopian future. The photos just seem to have this feeling of bittersweet as something feels off even though the photos are aesthetically pleasing. There's also a great use of color in many. Mila Teshaiva is a Ukrainian photographer. She is specifically fascinated by the territories of the former USSR, specifically dedicating various years working in the Caucasus and Caspian Sea region. She has won many awards including the NPPA Best of Photojournalism 2010. Her projects have been shown in the Museum Art of West Coast, the Haggerty Museum of Art, Blue Sky Gallery, and Photoquai Biennial. Overall I enjoyed the book. I thought it was interesting and it taught me something new. The photos were intriguing and I really felt like I was looking at a dystopian world. It left me with many questions as it can be difficult to identify what is happening.

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3. River of Colour: The India of Raghubir

River of Color: The India of Raghubir Singh is a photobook by Raghubir Singh published by the Phaidon Press in 1998. The book is about India and what it means to him. His photos focus on the color in India. It shows pictures of his travels along the Ganges, the ghats, and the alleys of Benares, as well as some cities in Calcutta and Mumbai. The book is split up into eleven sections divided by a quote which represents the next section. His photographs show the different aspects of India from the mundanes of life to the glamorous and mythical features of Indian culture. He shows specific structures and environments, overall, he just presents the raw aspects of Indian life. The pictures are full of life and color with multiple people within each photo. I think the book is just trying to show what India is to Raghubir Singh, how much it means to him. It feels like a very personal piece due to all the quotes and intentional divisions. Raghubir Singh was an Indian photographer who was born in Rajasthan, India 1942, and passed away in 1999. He traveled all over India taking photos as he went. As such he is most known for his landscape pieces about India. However he also took photos for the National Geographic Magazine and New York Times. Singh’s photography also focused on color; he was fascinated with color and embraced it, a characteristic that can be seen in all his works. Overall I enjoyed the book. I think it is a beautiful book. It was interesting and I liked all the different sides of Indian culture that were shown in the book. I am interested in knowing more about why he decided to split the book into so many sections, but I liked how the photos were taken and the use of color really added personality to the photos. 

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Project Proposal - Final Project

For my final project I want to photograph my family giving insight to the dynamics we have and the character of each. Now that we have entered the holiday season I think it’s appropriate to focus this project on family as this is a time where families reunite setting aside past discussion and coming together. I am who I am thanks to my family and hope to capture their likeness in this project. We are a family of six with my mother Estela Castillo and my stepfather Eloy Perea. My mother born in Mexico came to America in 2001 and would have me in 2004 later meeting my stepfather in 2009. They would move to Chowchilla together and work hard to buy the house we live in today. I am the eldest of four with the second being my brother Eloycito a 13 year old who loves video games and engineering. Followed by 7 year old Dylan who is closely following his brothers steps in the love of video games he is a special kid and although he has yet to speak he is very expressive. The youngest is my 2 year old sister Johanna a very smart and sassy toddler, her birth has brought us all closer together. I want to show my family and what they usually do in their life and what they enjoy to do the most. I currently still live with my family and while I’m still here I want to capture this time with them while I still can, while we are still together like this. As we grow we change and I can’t wait to see that change but for now I’d like to appreciate the present.

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2. “Nicaragua” by Susan Meiselas 

“Nicaragua”, by Susan Meiselas edited with Claire Rosenberg. It was originally published in 1981 but was given a second edition that was published in 2016 by Aperture, a non-profit organization. The pictures within the book were taken from 1978-1979, a very overwhelming time for the country of Nicaragua as it was in the midst of a revolution. The Somoza family had ruled over Nicaragua for 43 years leaving the people poor, thirsty, and sick as their leaders refused to help their citizens' basic needs. The people were desperate for a change to occur and in 1959 people began to unite on how they would make that happen and what they wanted to do. This led to the formation of a group of rebels in 1960,  the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), originally only consisting of 20 members; they would only continue to grow. Eventually becoming big enough that they could launch a military effort against the regime in 1970. They began a series of kidnappings and would successfully overthrow the Somoza regime in 1979. Beginning their new struggles of reformation and reconstruction. The book focuses on the revolution, the struggles, and the hopes of the people not glamorizing anything but just showing it as it is. The book is divided into multiple sections which enables the viewer to see the story being told. The book begins with photos of the Somoza Regime followed by photos of FSLN and their final offensive when they win the war, and ends with showing the start of the reconstruction. Susan Meiselas does not shy away from showing blood and death in her photobook, she focuses on showing the people and how they feel. She shows the revolutionaries laughing together and bonding in a moment of calm before they must go and risk their lives again. She shows families hiding and running away visualizing the true impact of this war and why it is being fought. She shows the lives of those who were killed mercilessly in the war. She shows the voices of the people whether through graffiti or through quotes. The book not only contains photos but also interviews of people she met and took photos of. Susan Meiselas herself was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She is known for her work on human rights issues in Latin America and focuses on documentation works. She received her MA from Harvard University, and her first book, Carnival Strippers, was done while she was teaching. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Hasselblad Foundation Photography Prize (1994) and the International Center of Photography's Infinity Award (2005). Her work has been exhibited at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Since 2007, she has been the President of the Magnum Foundation. Overall I enjoyed the book. It was informative and showed people the reality of war. Although the photos of dead people did really shock me at first I understand why it was there as it presents the uncomfortable truth. People enjoy being oblivious to what is happening around them and I think it’s important to learn about what’s happening even if it makes us uncomfortable. It is a good bittersweet book.

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1. William Eggleston edited by Mark Holborn and Eggleston the Third “The Democratic Forest” 

“The Democratic Forest” , a 10-volume collection published in 2016 by Gerhard Steidl, depicts William Eggleston’s life. A collection of many pictures that might otherwise appear mundane, they show views of his travels. The book contains photos of signs, alleyways, street views, and things that might seem boring to the average person but are photographed in an appealing photo. William Eggleston was an American artist born in Memphis, Tennessee. He went to three different colleges and although he did not graduate from any he would eventually teach at Harvard where he would discover dye-transfer printing. Intrigued by the use of color he was disappointed to see the severe lack of colored photography and began experimenting on his own. He wanted to take plain photos with color and thus began his journey. William Eggleston was influential specifically during the late 20th century due to his use of color. Although colored photographs could be done since 1890 photographers stayed away from color as it was seen beneath them. Instead used for commercials or snapshots, Eggleston on the other hand used color to create interesting photographs, and as his work became more well-known younger artists became inspired to do the same sparking a new era of color. I personally really enjoyed the books. The photos felt nostalgic and well-executed. I think it's important to see beauty even in the unconventional and to capture the known before it is forgotten. His books were refreshing and I’m glad he embraces the use of color.

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Theme Project

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Theme Proposal

For the theme project, I would like to focus on my hometown, Chowchilla. Chowchilla is a small town here in California. It is known for its agriculture as it has a lot of almond and tomato fields. We are also known for our dairies and fig fields, although we have some corn ones as well. Besides agriculture, Chowchilla is also a common place to live in if you are a little more wealthy and want to retire as it is a very calm place with low crime. We have a gated community in Green Hills. I want to photograph this town as even though it may be small it has an interesting dynamic as there are a lot of immigrants, due to the fields, but there are also a lot of old white people due to the low crime rate. There's a lot of passion in this small community so events are constantly taking place. There are a lot of programs in Chowchilla and we have like 5 schools in town and another 4 in the countryside. Most of the town is filled with schools and churches so there isn’t that much to do but it is still a very pretty place to live and it, of course, means a lot to me. I have lived in Chowchilla since I was 5 and I have seen all sides of it. I know the fields and I know the people who work in them. I have been to every single dairy and have grown up with the gross smell of cow manure. I have also met and grown up with the people who live in the upper side of town as we all went to the same school. I’ve walked all over Chowchilla and have been a part of the many different communities within it. I know the town and I know the countryside. I am familiar with the apartments and the residential homes, as well as the senior center. I know all of the different neighborhoods. I know all of the exits and entrances and have met all kinds of people. I’d like to take pictures of both the town and what it’s like but of the countryside and the people as it’s a big part of what Chowchilla is. I am quite familiar with the fields and I know the workers, my mom knows the owners of many of them so it wouldn’t be an issue to photograph the place or the workers as I know some of them. Although I still plan on asking and making sure it is alright as I don’t want anyone to get in trouble or feel uncomfortable. I want to take pictures both showing the fields empty and when people are working although the tomato and almond season is near its end. I want to take pictures of the workers so people can see them. For the town, I think I will just walk around and take pictures of some important places or key figures. I want to show both the lack of places to go and how lively the town is. I will take pictures of people living their lives, walking around town, or the crowd of kids and cars that occurs when it's 3:20 and everyone gets out of school. Overall I want people to see the complexities of life. Nothing is as simple as it seems and communities are so mixed even when you don’t realize it. Even someplace as small as Chowchilla is filled with so much life and has so much diversity. Our town is small but it is growing and new things are being built and added and it has already changed so much from when I first moved here. The people who live in Chowchilla each have their own story and come from so many different ways of life; none is more valuable. I want people to appreciate what they have and see the beauty even in the little things.

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Project 2: Design & Light Scavenger Hunt: The Elements of a Photographic Composition

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Elements & Design Definitions

Elements of Art 

Line - Defined by a point moving in space. Line may be two-or three-dimensional, descriptive, implied, or abstract.

Shape - An element of art that is two-dimensional, flat, or limited to height and width.

Space - An element of art by which positive and negative areas are defined or a sense of depth achieved in a work of art .

Form - An element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses volume; includes height, width and depth. Form may also be free flowing.

Value - lightness or darkness of tones or colors.

Color - An element of art made up of three properties: hue, value, and intensity.

Texture - An element of art that refers to the way things feel, or look as if they might feel if touched.

Principles of design

Rhythm - created by the careful placement of repeated elements in a work of art to cause a visual tempo or beat.

Balance - A way of combining elements to add a feeling of equilibrium or stability to a work of art. Major types are symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Contrast - Juxtaposition of different elements to stress the differences between them 

Proportion- A principle of design that refers to the relationship of certain elements to the whole and to each other.

Harmony/ unity  - A way of combining similar elements in an artwork to accent their similarities (achieved through use of repetitions and subtle gradual changes)

Variety - A principle of design concerned with diversity or contrast. Variety is achieved by using different shapes, sizes, and/or colors in a work of art.

Movement - A principle of design used to create the look and feeling of action and to guide the viewer’s eye throughout the work of art.

Emphasis - the most prominent area in a composition 

Pattern - defines the repetitive imagery of a design found in a composition 

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A typical weekend for me is just being with my siblings.

This is my youngest sibling, she came into my room so I could get her some ice cream.

This is my bedroom I spent more of my weekend just in my room relaxing.

My little sister often come into my room just to see what I'm doing or to get me to go do something for her.

We ate some frozen pizza over the weekend, it turned out very good would recommend :)

My brother wanted to come and hang out with me too, he felt left out after seeing my sister with me. He's mostly just on his iPad.

Just me on my bed watching Adventure Time and having a good time.

This was after we came back from mass on Sunday my sister was grumpy from wanting to more ice cream.

This is a hallway of all the toys my sister played with it ends up as a big mess every time.

After playing around for so long she decided to crash in my room which I didn't mind as she's too cute. She was asleep for 2 hours.

This was right before I went to go play games with my little brother, our rooms are next door so we hang out a lot.

[vianey2618]

Hello my name is Vianey and this is my blog for my intro to photography course! I hope to use photography to share my interests in social photography. Besides this I also enjoy many different kinds of art an am majoring in animation :)