Working as a Team - Pin Hole Project (Entry 6)

   How we shared tasks throughout the process and thoughts about working in groups

     From beginning to end, we worked as a team which I found was alright, considering I usually am I lone wolf, having a preference for individual projects. Firstly, all members of the group provided a variety of boxes as  prototypes. All boxes were differently shaped permitting to obtain various results giving us options to chose from. We shared equipment such as black matte paint, scissors and tape to build the boxes in class. We also shared the materials in the darkroom.

   As for determining the project's concept, we spoke about our options, our methods and about every details of the lesson plan before engaging in the process. We communicated at school or via emails. All responded and participated equally in conversations, throwing their ideas.

   The tasks have been divided equally and according to each group member’s schedule. The majority of the group took pictures outside whenever they had time. Some returned for more tests. We took pictures over multiple weeks to get the best result we could achieve with the pin hole cameras. As for the developing process, it went similarly. All those available went to the darkroom in groups and perform the task. Since we did work mostly in groups, we were all present in most parts of the process.We used group work to draw on each member's knowledge and perspectives, frequently using people's different strengths. ( From darkroom knowledge to text formatting skills ) 

Working in group was motivational and forced us to be responsible and to put greater effort to satisfy the group’s expectations. I found that it was harder to procrastinate when working with others. Overall, the most beneficial aspect of working in group has been the breakdown of the work into chunks, allowing everyone to contribute while lightening the task.

Using Documentary Photog in the classroom (Entry 5)

I truly appreciated how Gina L. Wenger started her article on documentary photography by mentioning : ‘Art educators have multiple roles. We are artists, researchers, and teachers.’  That saying was inspirational for me and made me reflect on how to present and how the introduction of documentary photography as a topic in the classroom could be beneficial for the students. Wenger's article mentions that this particular type of photography can be used as a powerful tool that offers the students a possibility of learning about historical artworks that relate to contemporary topics.
‘By approaching historical artworks that relate to contemporary topics,students may learn more about themselves, their world, and history. students may learn more about themselves, their world and history. `

What I found particularly interesting is how the author engages students into a reflective practice about the role of the photographer and have them think about the idea of authenticity, a topic frequently discussed in class. I personally believe that documentary photography has to display the truth, it is one of its characteristics. But again, by selecting images with the most powerful compositions aren’t we slightly modifying the meaning of the image by amplifying emotions displayed?

In the article,Wenger highlights how the three photographers, despite photographing and documenting the same subject, each approached it in unique manner. In summary, Dorothea Lange was hired by the War Relocation Authority to document the entire evacuation process of the Japanese American internees. Lange documented the difficulties in the camp (death, illness, obstacles, etc.) and the narratives of its habitants. On the other hand, photographer Ansel Adams documented the positive response of the Japanese Americans in Manzanar. Photographer Toyo Miyatake was incarcerated at Mazanar and successfully hid a lense in his bag to record every aspect of the subject and the narratives of others prisoners to make sure “this would never happen again”

I believed as discussed in the article, students  would love to reflect about the content of the images and write down what they thought the photographers might be trying to say about the event documented. It is a great way to engage everyone and to share ideas.

Ulric Collette Identity and Photography (Entry 4)

During this week's class discussion, I discovered the work of an interesting photographer: Ulric Collette. 

At first glance, I thought they were silly, but the more I looked at them, the more the images interested me. It became very interesting to me when I understood the relationship between the faces that were being meshed together. The link with identity is obvious. Ulric uses the idea of genetics and by creating these mash ups make us realize how the physical body is simply an envelope destined to become similar with time to our parent's. Looking at the pictures he creates by merging portraits of two close relatives, you can see how their genetic overlap creates striking visual echoes across decades and genders. Strangely, some siblings morphed into one face appear to be more identical than twins Scary and interesting. My personal favorites are in fact, the photographs utilizing two faces from different adult generations. I find it less interesting when he uses children and adults combined because it lacks coherence and seems disproportionate. It is not as pleasing to the eye and take away the beauty of the look alike aspect.

Overall, he is a great discovery with original ideas and I would definitively show his photographs to students if we think of engaging in a lesson about digital art. I would use his work as an example of how Photoshop can be used to create interesting effects that not only are beautifully achieved but that are also not that complicated to do and possible for students to learn in class.

Pin Hole Project - Research (Entry 3)

http://www.lomography.com/magazine/reviews
/2009/10/14/home-made-pinhole-camera

The Pin Hole Camera

Before engaging in the assigned project about pin hole photography , I decided to do some additional research on the topic. Here is a summary of what I thought was interesting.

Pin hole cameras can be incredibly small or large. It is to me the most fascinating aspect about them. 
Cameras have been made of coffee cans, shoe boxes, coke cans, empty refrigerators, station wagons,
entire rooms etc. Pretty much anything can be used as
a camera as long as there is a tiny hole at one end and 
photographic paper (or film) at the other end.

Its special characteristics offer the users great experimental potential and a distinct possibilities. The pin hole camera is known to have an infinite depth of field. Also, exposures are long, ranging from seconds to several hours, offering the possibility of creating double exposure like images, or ghostly photos. The greatest thing is that pinhole cameras have widely differing image formats, permitting the photographer to create funky fish eye angles to better depict certain subjects or straight rectangular photos to illustrate the rigidity of a building's architecture.

Of course, every good thing has it's downsides. Those cameras are are not accommodating nor user-friendly and they require a lot of practice to achieve a good shot. A simple tremble or change in the sky can modify the final results.
Also, most likely, the pictures will be less sharp than pictures made with a lens.

Even if they are quite hard to use, they are still used by experimental photographers today such as Bogdan Chorostian , Brian Trevino and others. (http://www.pinhole.org/index.php/gallery)

It is believed to be on a summer day in 1827,  that Joseph Nicephore Niepce made the first photographic image (called sun prints at the time) with a camera obscura. 
Prior to Niepce people just used the camera obscura for viewing or drawing purposes not for making photographs. Niepce placed an engraving onto a metal plate coated in bitumen, and then exposed it to light. The shadowy areas of the engraving blocked light, but the whiter areas permitted light to react with the chemicals on the plate. When Niepce placed the metal plate in a solvent, gradually an image, until then invisible, appeared. However, Niepce's photograph required eight hours of light exposure to create and after appearing would soon fade away. (http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/stilphotography.htm)

This is an enhanced version of Niepce's work entitled
View from the Window at Le Gras from 1826,
retrieved on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
/File:View_from_the_Window_at_Le_Gras,_Joseph_Nic%C3%A9phore_Ni%C3%A9pce.jpg

The first published picture of a model of a pinhole camera obscura is apparently a drawing in Gemma Frisius' De Radio Astronomica et Geometrica (1545). Gemma Frisius, an astronomer, had used the pinhole in his darkened room to study the solar eclipse of 1544. Thus this type of camera differed from the pinhole camera obscura used by Frisius in 1544. In the 1620s Johannes Kepler invented a portable camera obscura. Camera obscuras as drawing aids were soon found in many shapes and sizes. They were used by both artists and amateur painters. (http://www.obscurajournal.com/history.php)

http://photoluminary.com/2013/03/past-photographic-processes-and-free-huge-set-of-vintage-film-lightroom-presets/

Influential Photographers- (Entry 2)

This week I have decided to write about photographers that I believe have made a difference in the history of photography. Even if there are plenty of admirable contemporary artists to look at , I think it is important to recognize the work of the masters and to learn from these classic figures.

1957

I am starting this list with a personal favorite, from the united states, Richard Avedon. (1923-2004)
Avedon is internationally known for his portraits

1967

in studio. He worked with well known celebrities and artists such as Marylin Monroe,Marcel Duchamp, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Bjork, The Beatles and much more. Avedon described himself as a portrait photographer that was not interested that much in the youth. He preferred characters with stories to tell in the studio, with physical marks left by time.

Interesting enough, he gained his initial fame as a fashion photographer for the popular Harper's Bazaar in the 1940's. He worked with fashion models and experimented with movement in the studio. He is known for using animals such as elephants and snakes as fashionable props. He was using a large-format 8x10 view camera.

http://www.richardavedon.com/

The Tetons and the Snake River(1942)

Ansel Adams (1902-1984) , an American photographer and environmentalist did beautiful black and white landscape photography that have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, and in books such as National Geographic. 

During the early 1940`s , Adams joined photographers Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans in their commitment to affecting social and political change through art. Adams’ first cause was the protection of wilderness areas, particularly Yosemite.

His photos of landscapes are truly stunning. He achieved an unparalleled level of contrasts using the creative techniques in the darkroom.

http://www.biography.com/people/ansel-adams-9175697

My favorite internationally known female photographer must be Annie Liebovitz. (1949-  )
Annie is an american photographer renowned for her dramatic, quirky, and iconic portraits of a great variety of celebrities. Her signature style is crisp and well lighted. She mostly does portraits and documentary photos. She also does fashion and conceptual photography.She mentioned in interviews that her ultimate goal is to capture the moments others have missed. 
While she was still a student, she was given as a 1st commercial assignment to photograph John Lennon for Rolling Stone Magazine. Much later, she took the famous shot of Lennon and Yoko Ono , again for the magazine . It is probably one of her most famous work. This picture has been taken mere hours before Lennon's assassination.

On tour with The Rolling Stones, 1975

One of the biggest events in her career came when she was invited to photograph the Rolling Stones on tour. She took leave from her gig at Rolling Stone magazine (with no promise of a job on her return) to travel with the band in 1975. She was allowed carte blanche and she has permission to shoot wherever she wanted and whatever she wanted. The images from that tour are almost timeless. She came back from that tour with an addiction to cocaine but she managed to get sober after a while.

http://www.biography.com/people/annie-leibovitz-9542372

Death by Hamburger, 2010

The next photographer I am throwing in this list is commercial photographer David LaChapelle.           (1963- ) 

Lachapelle is to me the Salvador Dali of photography with a hint of Andy Warhol plus a particular twist. There are more than plenty of sexual connotations in his unrealistic colorful images. He usually references art history and sometimes conveys social messages through his photos.

When LaChapelle was 17 years old, he met Andy Warhol,who offered him his first job as a photographer at Interview Magazine.

LaChapelle worked with famous artist such as Elton John, Micheal Jackson, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.

Fidel Castro 1971

http://www.davidlachapelle.com/

This list would not be satisfying without mentioning the talented Yousuf Karsh. (1908-2002)

His body of work includes portraits of statesmen, artists, musicians, authors, scientists, and men and women of accomplishment. Each of his portraits tells you all about the subject. He felt as though there was a secret hidden behind each woman and man. Whether he captures a gleaming eye or a gesture done totally unconsciously, these are times when humans temporarily lose their masks. Karsh’s portraits communicate with people.

During his career he held 15,312 sittings, produced over 150,000 negatives.

Karsh worked with incredible people such as Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Carl Jung, Pablo Picasso, Grace Kelly and Georgia O keeffe. 

http://www.karsh.org/

My Photograms - Reflection 1

These two artworks explore the theme of memories. They are both integrating the same objects but interpreting memories in a different way. In Loved Ones, I gathered objects that I value that remind me of specific individuals. In Summer Nights, I am using the same objects (some deconstructed) to depict a familiar scene based on memories from childhood. The image is created so the viewer can interpret the photograph in his own personal way and relate to the theme, bringing back his own memories.

In both cases, I selected a variety of objects of different opacity to create different tones. I achieved several tonalities of grey using glass, clear plastic, jewelry, artificial flowers and leaves. I created white zones with opaque objects such as feathers, chains, and a key chain in Loved Ones. The space left is black, reflecting the lack of objects permitting the light to hit fully the surface.

These photograms were an introspection that got me thinking of preciousness and the value accorded to objects. For this reason, I tried to dispose the objects in a gracious and interesting manner. I created a curve starting from a strong point, reminding me of a stream. I tried to give my image a sense if movement.

I kept that idea of movement in my second piece, representing the wind blowing during a warm summer night.

Further explorations should be done, exploring more in depth the patterns created by the transparencies. My challenge would be to create an abstract piece with a greater variety of objects.

Photograms are necessary to introduce the enlargers to the students. They require attention to details and conscientiousness in performing the task. The photograms involve a multitude of new techniques but there is also an important amount of new information attached to them. ( History; i.e Man Ray) Photograms could be meaninful artworks depending on the thematic imposed by the teacher. If they are no thematic imposed, they are still great practice in the dark room, allowing students to understand the principles of exposure.

Loved Ones

1st test - F8 2 secs interval
 

2nd test- F8 7 secondes - too dark
3rd test - F8 5.5 secondes
4th test - F 4.5 secondes - good
5th test 4.5 secondes on bigger scale

test 6, 7 - F8 4.5 secondes, trying different compositions

Summer Nights
1st test F8 2,5 secs interval

2nd test F8 5.5 secs. good 8x10
test 3, 4, 5 Different compostions

Photogram #2 (Reflection 1)

Summer Nights

Photogram

8x10

2014