Between this reading and doing the artist presentation on Michelle Bates, a Holga photographer, I am really excited to start experimenting with the Holga. I have never used one before and was not really trusting in it for awhile since it became so popular, but I am excited to start exploring. I think the Holga really helps bring an artist back down the basics and allows them to start from scratch almost by being able to view the world through a less complicated piece of equipment. It is less intimidating and more about play and being spontaneous. Also, I’m interested in learning all the different ways to modify the camera and manipulating shoots more manually.
Category Archives: Reading Assignment 11am
Holga Handout Response..ideas..
Im excited to see what mistakes and imperfections occur with the holga…I want to see what it looks like if I do relief printing (plexi-glass ink print) on top of a holga print. I think the gain and distortion could work really well with ink wash and line work. I also really want to try shooting a continuous roll of film. When I bought my holga the guy in quicksilver told me one of the coolest uses of a holga he’d seen was this kid who shoot a series of train cars on a continuous roll of holga film. He was able to wind it just so that the images lined up flush with each other. I want to try doing a series of faces some blurring into each other, some other lapping, etc. Im sooo excited to work more creatively with photography and mix mediasss!!!
Reading Response
Theory 2: Light and shadow
This section was very informative. I love Film Noir films, and it was cool to see how that style of using light and shadow is also used by some photographers, and that it had it’s roots in the German Expressionist movement.
I was intrigued to learn a little bit more about Ansel Adams and Group f/64. I’ve been interested in his photography for a while, and it was cool to get a different perspective on his work.
Many of the other non-photographic techniques that utilized light and shadow were also intriguing. The physiognotrace, used to obtain an accurate, inexpensive profile sounded interesting. It’s incredible how much photography changed the world of the 1800’s.
Reading Response
Theory 3: Copying, Capturing, & Reproducing (pg 171-215)
Photography involves different stages of reproduction- starting with capturing the original subject, then production of a negative, to printing the positive image. Photographic images possess the presence of the original subject, Susan Sontag goes on then to explain that a photograph is not just an image (like a painting is an image), an interpretation of the real; it is also a trace, something real like a footprint. Photographs present us with traces of the past…I love this concept. They also can provide a kind of portal into the past, but Trachtenberg warns that when a viewer becomes consumed (transported to the time and place of the photo) he/she might unconsciously assume the perspective of the photographer and his/her cultural, economic, and political biases. I think this is interesting, there is this danger (that the viewer might assume knowledge due to inclusionary nature of a photograph) but I think this kind of transportation can also be extremely powerful (like images of war can make the violence and grief of those thousands of miles away a reality to viewers sitting at home).
Reading Response
I really enjoyed reading this section on lighting and shadows. It is very interesting how all the different techniques came about, and the different ways to interpret lighting. This is very helpful going into this next assignment of body shots, and using the lighting studio. There are so many different ways to use the different lights in there. And I am excited to use the techniques of shadow, and how my group can interpret that. The lighting studio has alway been interesting to me, so I am glad that we get a chance to use it and experiment with it. And this reading helped me get the creative paths going.
Light and Shadow Reading Response
Plato’s “Cave” is mentioned right away in this reading, which was also brought up recently in my English class while we were discussing Reality versus/and Illusion. I like the multifacetedness of shadows, and the reading highlights the idea of ignorance and hiding (negative connotations) whereas they can also be mysterious and intriguing. The text also described film noir as revealing truth, not hiding it. I look forward to using meaningful shadows as graphic elements.
I thought it was interesting that “color temperature has to do with the actual temperature of the physical process taking place”. I never thought of it that way and just assumed that this aspect was purely visual. This interaction of physical environment on what we see in a color photo would be an interesting idea/concept to explore further.
I’m also very interested in film making, so I was glad there were so many references to movies and film styles (like film noir). Hopefully I’ll get to explore some of the characteristics of these styles in future projects in this class.
I would like to try back lighting or overhead-lighting a subject. They aren’t very conventional for everyday photography (advertisements etc). The rest of the technical information about equipment will be a good reference for the light room project.
Reading Assignment 2
The reading was again quite informative and I really liked what it said about the perspective portions of photography. The whole lighting aspect of photography has begun to enthrall me recently so this was a great read and I really enjoyed it.
Reading Response 2 Light and Shadow
This chapter has some interesting points on how to manipulate light and using different types of light to create different effects. What I really found interesting was the temperature of different light sources measured in Kelvins and how that relates to the color of light that they throw.
Light and Shadow#2
Fantastic technical instructions on light and shadow photography. These factors are extremely important to take into consideration when shooting photography in the Pacific Northwest. Great ideas for future shooting locations- I’ve already down plenty of forested areas and overcast. I might try working with mixed light.
Theory 2: Light and Shadow
The photos in this section showed that use of light and shadow can play tricks on the observer’s eye. For instance, the girl in the photo on page 122 caught my eye, as she appeared to have very deformed legs. It took me a while to realize that she had just tied her stockings together.