Blog Entries #8, #9, & #10

“My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.” ~Richard Avedon.

No matter what a photographer says, it is nearly impossible to be completely objective when creating a photograph. Photography is literally an extension of what one sees, and everyone has a different way in which they view the world. That aside, when we create portraits, we often think we are describing the person when in reality it is almost as if we are assigning a story to that person that came though our subconscious and is therefore an extension of the artist.



“You don't take a photograph, you make it.” ~Ansel Adams



Ansel Adams was a true and pure artist. During the time of his craft, as much effort went in to setting up and taking the photograph with a 4x5 camera, as it did in the dark room. This quote makes me nostalgic for the old craft of photography. The introduction of both point and shoot digital cameras, and cell phone cameras have made the snapshot less and less about creation and more about simply snapping random photos. The difference between an artist and a person with a camera is that an artist creates, or “makes,” a photograph where as an average person simply “takes” a photo.



“All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. In this - as in other ways - they are the opposite of paintings. Paintings record what the painter remembers. Because each one of us forgets different things, a photo more than a painting may change its meaning according to who is looking at it.” ~John Berger

I agree with this quote to some extent; however, the abstract nature of many paintings has the ability to change the meaning for the viewer as well. Often times neither the painter nor the photographer stamps a particular message on their photograph, in that way they leave it open to interpretation. 
 The introduction of photoshop has created the ability to make a photograph more like a painting, creating a final artwork that was never a part of reality. I think that some photographs exist to remind us of what we forget, but I would not say that all photographs serve this purpose.

Robert Frank

Robert Frank was born in 1924 in Zürich, Switzerland. He stands out in American photography, most notably during the 1950's "beat generation," where he published The Americans with a forward but author Jack Kerouac. His photographs have a strong social commentary. At first he was optimistic about American society but his opinion soon changed to an acknowledgment of the countries overemphasis on money. He was given a grant from the Guggenheim for The Americans in which he drove across the country, generally taking photographs in a "fly on the wall" approach. He was highly influenced by Walker Evans. Later in his life he made the transition to film and later back to still images in the 1970's where he created a "visual autobiography," creating collages and distorting negatives.

Blog Entries #5, #6, & #7

#5 Give your thoughts on one or both of the following quotes.
“Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man.” ~Edward Steichen



“I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul.” ~Mary Ellen Mark




Although it has been said that taking a photograph of someone is similar to taking a part of that person, I tend to agree more with the first quote where the photographs of that person become a record and a shared object, adding more to that person rather than taking away. One of the main uses of photography is to capture the world and express it to the people. For example, few people in the world will travel to all of the locations in a National Geographic magazine. Therefore, the images in National Geographic allow the unique and awe inspiring fascinations that exist in the world to be brought to the reader. Photographs unite man by creating a shared experience while instilling knowledge.

#6 In your opinion, when is it beneficial, ethical, or appropriate to digitally alter photographic portraits? When do you think it is inappropriate or ethically wrong?

Personally, digitally altering photographs frightens me. Certain things I have seen performed in photoshop make it hard to believe the “reality” of any photograph. An area where I am sure this occurs more often than not is in celebrity gossip magazines. I have found it appropriate to digitally alter portraits when the sitter has a blemish that they would like to cover up. Enhancing their complexion in order to make them “the best they can be” is now done by most photographers and is therefore considered fair.

#7 Pay close attention to the types and number of photographic portraits you see in one day. Where did you see them? How do you think that the content of the portrait changes based on the context in which you see the image (news, facebook, magazine, advertisement, television, youtube, etc)? In other words, what is the difference between the portraits you see on facebook vs. those on the news? What is the difference between the “viewpoint” of the photographer in each situation? What is the difference between their “intents”?

Every day we are flooded with images. A large amount of those images are portraits, mainly in magazines, advertisements, on television and facebook. A portrait can range from amateur to fine art. The “portraits” on facebook are snapshots portray the lives of the people in the image and record history. They mainly are in a bar or college party setting and create a range of viewpoints of that person’s life. Facebook profile pictures are slightly different in that they are portraits of that person and the image in which they wish to portray to the world. When I think of a portrait on the news I instantly think of a mug shot. The portraits displayed on the news are informative. As for magazines and advertisements, the model is generally highly idealized in order to sell the product. The intent of an artist’s portrait is much more pensive and purposeful than portraits seen elsewhere. Certain magazines and news sources use photographs to document issues, these photographs are often well thought out and powerful, with the photographers “viewpoint” being to shine light on a subject. The content of a portrait gains more substance, meaning and power and it progresses from a “youtube” or facebook setting to that of documentary photography or fine art.

Samantha, Untitled #2