Assignment 2

The reason I chose this particular image for The Thing Itself is that it appears that this particular image appears to have been taken late morning or early afternoon, when it was taken after sundown.

The Thing Itself

Flash

Depth Of Field, F3.4, 3.2"

Depth Of Field, F8.0, 3.2"

Night Photography+ Tripod

Hand Held Night Photography

Slow Shutter Speed + Tripod

Fast Shutter Speed

Detail

Vantage Point

Frame

The Photographer's Eye

In the introduction to The Photographer's Eye, John Szarkowski delves into how a photographic image can be more than a documentation of a moment in time. He begins with a short biographical sketch of the early days of the use of the daguerrotype by a large amount of people.
He then goes on to explain the various aspects of a photographic image. he starts by explaining that the object being photographed may be very different than the final exposed image. As Szarkowsi puts it, "the subject and the picture were not the same thing" (p. 3). Szarkowsi also explained that photographs simply reveal what is there. It cannot explain why a scenario is. It can only show that is is. With regards to war photography, Szarkowsi states that the purpose of war photography "was not to make the story clear. it was to make it real" (p.4). Regarding the concept that a photograph is "not conceived, but selected" (p.4), Szarkowski reminds the reader that a photographic image is one of subjectivity, as a photographer with select a subject that he feels is important. Exposure  time is also an important aspect of any photograph. From images of mutant dogs, to the successful photographic image of a galloping horse,  exposure time can affect perception. Vantage point can also affect the perception in a photographic image. A very low or very high vantage point can affect how an image is perceived.
All these aspects of a photographic image are new things to me. I had always viewed a photograph as a captured moment. It had never occurred to me to be able to put a subjective slant on a previously objective medium.

Assignment 1 photograph

This photo was taken in the woods behind Ovalwood. I like this photo because even though the white balance was "wrong," the result was a very interesting photograph.

Materializing New Space

As I reflect on the Materializing New Space exhibit, I find myself thinking back to how Jamie Kennedy & Kelly Urquhart so seamlessly combined the elements of Jamie's Photography with Kelly's drawings and paintings. The series of the nests were especially good examples of this, it was very difficult to distinguish between the photographic elements of the nests and the non-photographic elements of the grasses and flowers.
Of all the series that were shown, the series of bricks, representing traditional investing, had the biggest impact for me. So often we hear on the news how a given stock made money or lost money on a given day. This particular series was an excellent representation of how stock prices can change over the course of a day. I think I appreciated this particular series because stock charts, though are an accurate, visual representation of a stock's price, can grow tedious, and this series gave the same information, but in a way that sticks in your mind.
I also found it interesting how some of the bricks in the series on "Wall Street" investing, the non-photographic elements were more obvious, especially when compared to the series on more "lowbrow investing" by selling parts for Vespas, in which it was difficult to differentiate between jamie's photgraphic elements, and Kelly's drawings.

Interpretation of Martin Parr's photgraph

This photograph of Martin Parr, taken in 1999, shows a Caucasian individual wearing red lipstick smiling broadly. Upon careful observation, you can see traces of lipstick on the otherwise gleaming white teeth. It also appears that there may be some plaque along the gumline.
What I also noticed is that it is not apparent whether this grin is a genuine smile, or a forced one, as the eyes are not seen. This person may have been caught in a laugh, or this photograph may have been taken after some yelled "Smile!"  Since the eyes are not in this picture, it is not readily apparent of the circumstances under which the photograph was taken.
This photograph also shows some contrasts as to what is meant by a perfect smile. The teeth appear gleaming white. The lipstick seems to be perfect. But the traces of lipstick on one tooth suggests that even what seems to be perfect may have some flaws. The slight appearance of plaque along the gumline may suggest that though we think our flaws are covered, some may still be seen.