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I chose to discuss Laura Greenfield’s work that shows a freshman girl watching sophomores get high off an aerosol can in a high school bathroom during a lunch break. Formally, I think the image is quite interesting. Right off the bat, the angle catches my eye. You can see all of the figures and still get a feel for the space quite nicely. The colors seem quite realistic, not too bright or dull which I think works here because if it was one or the other, it would be too much. Compositionally, the image is well balanced. There is a triangular formation that is pleasing to the eye as well as perpendicular lines. In terms of contrast, the image well balanced, I can see the darkest dark is a black and the whites as being white. Laura is smart to take the picture from the angle that she did because the light is coming from the top left corner and if she had stood on the other side it wouldn’t have worked.
            My first impression of the work was shock. My high school definitely had druggies, but to have them be exposed like that is amazing. I can only image the next girl that uses that stall probably has no idea what just took place there. What is interesting is that the girls in the stall don’t even look freaked out or scared that someone else is peaking in. This could be because they are too high to comprehend what is going on, or maybe the girl is a friend.
            The theme of the subject is definitely drug use. It’s even more shocking because these girls cannot be older than 16. It is definitely very emotional and upsetting. I am wondering if their parents have ever seen this image. I am also wondering what is compelling these girls to get high? In high school, I find that most kids try to conform and do what is considered ‘cool’ even if it is dangerous. This image was taken at Hollywood high school which might have a large part to do with it. Most people in that area definitely see things differently than other places because of the obvious fact that it is Hollywood and many people try to be ‘out there’ and do/be the next best thing.
            The work definitely shows some of  the horrors of high school and how every person has their struggles and how the people you surround yourself with potentially affect the person you are going to be. High school is all about growing up and coming into your own skin. To me this image is probably way more shocking than to a kid seeing it that attends that school. I think Laura created this work not because she wanted to exploit those kids but because she wanted to show a real day in the life of these kids. Most parents/teachers are oblivious to what is going on and just think that their kids are going through ‘awkward stages’. While this is true, sometimes there is something else triggering unusual behavior.
            Laura Greenfield’s work definitely caught my eye not only because of the subject matter but because of the way that she chooses to photograph these things. Depending on angles and lighting, she could have created a completely different story but I think she photographed them in a way that showed she was a neutral party which is good if you are going to be photographing these themes. I looked up her other work and am definitely a fan of the way she composes her images in terms of angle and lighting. I have found that I usually shoot from the same angles because that is what I am comfortable with. I am going to try to use more unusual angles like her overhead shot in the image spoken about above.

ASSIGNMENT 3

War Photographer

                This movie, War Photographer was by far my favorite out of the other two. It journeys James Nachtwey on his own journey as a documentary war photographer.  The mood of the film was very depressing. Being a war photographer is definitely one of the most difficult kinds of photographers to be. You must constantly have courage to be documenting such depressing situations. The film shows him on many different travels. Of those, the photographs from Kosovo and Indonesia are by far my favorite.
                There was a photograph showing Kosovo after the war. All you can see is wreckage and I immediately tried to think of a story. Who lived there? Did they all die? I think it is such a strong image because of the mass destruction of the area. There was another photograph that really triggered me and that was one of a crying lady in front of a house. The composition for starters is absolutely beautiful. Although she is in the center of the frame, I don’t mind it much because the house behind her is angled and falling apart so although she is the subject, my eye doesn’t necessarily stay on her. The high contrast of the photograph also adds to the drama.
                There was another photograph from the Kosovo Batch that really caught my attention and that was the photograph with all of the corpses on a dumpster truck. There is a hand on the corner of the image that was really beautiful. I am not sure whether it was intentional or not, but it looked like it was almost reaching out for one last touch.
                There is something very serene about James. Unless he is narrating, he never speaks or makes any expressions. While shooting he takes his time and is respectful of his subjects. I really wonder what he is thinking and how he is so calm and collected while in such frightening situations. He said that documentary photography is almost connected to theater which I thought was funny. He said that the difference is that he is actually on the stage and that there is no script. That was a very unusual comparison for him to make.
                Probably the most disturbing image I saw in the video was the little boy with no legs. Just from looking at him, it seems he would be in a lot of pain yet he has such an apathetic facial expression. Perhaps he is way too young to realize how devastating his situation is. James stated that these are the only times you can photograph these types of images. These people want the world to see what they are going through. These kinds of documentations would be impossible elsewhere because it would be more of an intrusion rather than eye-opening. Those people see it has having a voice.
                The photographs in Indonesia were mainly of poverty situations. I almost find those to be more powerful then the after-war Kosovo ones. The reason being is because these people have lived like this their entire lives rather than had a war come destroy everything. It really opens my eyes to how good we have it in America and how the things people complain about daily are not even real issues.
                There were a couple of photographs of a family that stood out to me. The father was missing an arm and a leg. He had a wife and four children. The amazing part to learn for me was that they lived on the ground in between two railway tracks. They don’t even have a shack to live in. These people work for cents a day and guaranteed work harder than some people do in a lifetime. How do they sleep at night?
                James expresses that his photographs are only a small portion of what he experienced there. He tries to emulate what he saw through his images. Although they are very strong pictures, they are only small doorways to the devastation happening in these 3^rd world countries.

15 images

 

PROPOSALS PROJECT 2

MARYJANE.
               

                Why do so many people indulge in marijuana? What makes it exciting over other drugs? Is it because it is easier to obtain and cheaper, or is the actual high more fulfilling? My idea is to photograph and film various college students, male/female of different races preparing weed, smoking it, their high, and the aftermath. Most college students have experimented with marijuana but I want to document it in a different view. The style of these pictures will be based off of how the overall vibe of the shoots go. I hypothesize that they will present a calmer, laidback vibe, but depending on the time and location, the photographs could have a different feel. Although I do not smoke, many of my friends do frequently so it is not a problem but me to regularly photograph this. The only issue I might come across is privacy… People might not want their picture taken while smoking but I have fixes for this such as not showing a full face, or using a longer exposure so faces are blurred. I will be experimenting with a lot of different methods.


LOVE IS LOVE.

This topic is also very eye opening to me as I have always been sheltered and taught that life must go in a certain order and way. I want to document heterosexual and homosexual relationships. Does the definition of a relationship change based on your orientation? What kinds of problems, if any, do you face when being in public? My idea is to follow around different couples during their everyday lives, from life at home to out in public. Though I have gay friends, I want to document couples that I do not personally know. There are a couple of gay/lesbian bars in Tucson I plan to go to, also in Phoenix. It will be interesting to see how different the shoots are from one another as I go through the different couples.
                The only issues I can see myself coming across is again privacy issues. I do believe though that many non-traditional straight couples are very comfortable in their own skin and would love to show the world what they believe in. It will definitely be challenging for me.

     I am going on a spaceship that will take me to a faraway place. The 10 photographs i am going to take with me have personal and non-personal value. As a very detail oriented person and flat out neurotic perfectionist, I wanted these images to not only be stimulating in the way personal images are, but also in a general everyday sense that we often overlook and take for granted. I never want to forget my love of music, the struggles and successes of learning pieces, reading music or just making songs up. I value all the man-made things on this earth that surround us daily such as architecture, gravel, and how the earth combines its own elements to effect these things. Just looking at pictures of my ex/best friend is enough to have me mentally wander off for hours. Each picture brings a completely different set of memories, whether they are good or bad. I want to remember humans; I want to remember how i personally looked and felt. Simple things such as food or oxygen are vital to existence. I honestly think If i ever were to go on a spaceship forever, I would lose all sense of humanity because the supreme value of being a human is not just the essence of consciousness but being perverse in the natural world that we are alive in.

For Memory's Sake

     When i watched Angela Singer describe her photography compulsions, i laughed to myself a bit because we share the same compulsion. My friends are constantly yelling at me for bringing my camera around. I always tell them that they will be old and not have any photographs of their youth while i will. The single fact i loved most about her photography is that not every picture of hers is artistic but rather a documentation. Most of them are just photographs of everyday life. She is deeply committed to her work and i can relate because i am constantly photographing everything. Not only do i love to photograph people, i love photographing things that you wouldn't normally think are worth photographing such as a weird looking rock on the ground or an extra long blade of grass.
     A difference between her obsession and mine is that i usually feel uncomfortable photographing the more morbid or upsetting parts of life such as death, breakups, anything forensic etc. Photography is a beautiful thing but sometimes it can feel like intrusion. I am very protective over photography almost to the point where it is like a close friend so i would hate for someone to think of it as an object of intrusion. Also, Angela lived a pretty normal life. She was a homemaker who married young and had a lot of siblings. Photography was her way to branch out and experience the world. It was her sort of therapy and expression. She mentioned her friends and family gawked at some of her photographs because they were 'unconventional'. I am happy to hear that she was open-minded enough to branch out and photograph things people usually wouldn't think to photograph.
     I really enjoyed the part where her and her granddaughter's pictures were placed next to each other in comparison. Although there are many years a part from the two women and they were on different coasts, the photographs weren't very different from each other. It just shows that even when you mature in age, you still find the same things fascinating.
     I think Angela Singer's photographs are important for many reasons. They are very consistent just in the fact that she is always taking pictures and also that she keeps them organized in albums. They are very intimate in the fact that she takes photos of her personal life and the people/things that surround her. She never took pictures with intentions of showing them to people but rather for herself as a king of memorabilia.
     Although we are told that photographs are truth, i think the camera can definitely lie depending on lens, angles, perspectives, photoshop etc. you can manipulate photographs to allow viewers to see something you want them to see. I definitely believe that Angela's photographs are true to their form om the sense that she didn't manipulate them post-work. I do think that they definitely show her world through her eyes as if you spent a day in her shoes.