HO last photos

I edited a few of these, so hopefully there aren't any duplicates.

And these are a few new ones. These are supposed to be stock photos. I think I like it better in color.

Honors Option: Recreate 2

  

This recreation was not one of my favorites. I love the magazine advertisement I found for Chanel N5. However, I don't think that I did a good job at portraying the same lightness and gentleness that the ad had. I think I needed to change the lighting, but everything I tried didn't work. Anyway, from my research on Chanel, it was created in 1909 and it is one of the most recognized haute couture lines in the world. The brand itself symbolizes elegance and status. My recreation was supposed to replicate the elegance as is shown in the actual ad. I think my version is a little too "rough" looking.

 

Again, for this photo, I wanted to portray elegance. The style of dress in the original ad really drew my eye, so I wanted to focus on that element for my recreation. I tried the dress with a green tone, however I think I like the black and white version better. Now that I look at it, the green is sort of competing with the yellow of the bottle. (And unfortunately I don't have a new bottle of the perfume, and I don't know how to make it look like it's full when it isn't.)

Here are a few others to add to the other part of the assignment. I chose Aveda lotion. There are several versions. 

For these I wanted to focus on the feet/legs and hands since the product is specifically for feet and hands. So, in all of these I either have the head/face partly or fully cut out. I think either the 2nd or 3rd work better than the first.

Thanks for your patience! And thank you so much for letting me do this!

Honors Option: Recreate

I decided to do recreate photos for Old Spice and an electric guitar. I still need to touch up these photos, but here are my favorites from my photoshoots.

Final Project

Blog #25

I've been at MSU for 4 years and I've always admired some of the architecture/buildings that I've found around campus. So, i thought I would incorporate that into my photography project. My first thought was so make another building out of the cool pieces that I find. Then, I thought that might be a little complicated and sort of boring just building a house, so I changed it to be a perspective illusion. I think I want to convey how items/photos can be put together to form something else, a photograph doesn't just have to be a straight shot, it can be manipulated. I wanted my final project to be fun but also challenging. This is a challenge because of the difficult of finding the right place to place the photos to make the photo balanced and look good. I want to make viewers think about my piece. It will probably take someone a few seconds to realize what they are looking at, and wonder what it means.

Final Project Part 1

For my final project, I want to find cool architecture around campus and the Lansing area. Then, I'm going to compile my own building using part of the building that I photographed. I may also experiment with creating part of the inside of a building as well which maybe I'll include furniture. Although that depends on how much time I have and whether my idea of creating a building of photos will work.

Assignment 5 Critique Part 2

1. Scanned image: After talking about this idea in class and seeing some artists who used scanning in their photography, I really wanted to experiment with this medium. I started out scanning my hand while moving it. It turned out cool with my hand in an odd perspective. I also scanned my camera and few other items, but I ended up liking the image of my hand the best.

2. Narrative: I was doing homework all day, so when it came time to create a narrative, i figured something on doing my homework would really relate to my life. I already had my books scattered around, and then I just took photos as if I were studying. I tend to shift positions a lot throughout the day. And then I usually end up falling asleep.

3. Toy in Scene: I work in a really fun environment, so there are little trinkets/toys all over the place. The office "mascot" is a little fuzz ball. So, I took him and set up a scene with him in some confetti string and flowers. I wanted to experiment with different angles, and this was the one I liked the best. I think I do need to go back in and touch up some things.

4. Identity: This photo was a little challenging to compile. I wanted to show how I feel like I'm always running around/ I'm always really busy. So, I'm doing many tasks around my kitchen. I really need to work on the opacity of the different layers. I tried cutting out myself in each photo but that got really complicated and too time consuming. So, I still need to make a lot of changes to  this photo.

Assignment 5 Critique Part 1

1. Scanned image: Most people didn't realize how I made this image. It is just a scanned image of my hand moving, but many people thought I had photographed my hand in water. So, it was suggested that I add bubbles in the photo to add more of an illusion.

2. Narrative: People liked the concept of these photos, but I need to change the contrast in the photos because they are too dark. Most of the group thought it would add to the photo if a change in time was shown. This could be represented in the lighting, a clock, or a change in the zoom/closeness to the subject.

3. Outdoor scene: Many people liked the image, and the cropping. The only change that was suggested for this image was to darken the flower with the burn tool in order to change some of the contrast. For a jumping off point on this image, someone noted that it would interesting to see the little figure in other spaces around my office (since this photo was taken in my office building).

4. Identity: This was a photo that does need some changes made. I need to work on changing the opacity of some of the layers in order to see the subject more clearly. But some people in the class could relate to the photo and liked the concept.

Assignment 5

Blog #24

A. 1. I can't seem to find the construction that I really liked that someone presented in class. There were "peeps" in the trees, then there were fake/created people made out of pipe cleaners, and there were real people/a family in the background. This one was a little bizarre but also very interesting to look at. Now, I'm sure there was some meaning behind the photographer's idea, but I tried to recreate a similar image for my assignment. At my work, the mascot is this odd fuzzball type guy. There is a replica of him in the office that is made out of styrofoam, googley eyes and these weird leafy things. Then, there is a separate plate in the building that has paper strands which I used at the grass. There are also feathers in the paper. So, I put these 2 things together and got up close to take the photos. This way it seems that the items are larger than they really are.
2. Then, I also liked the idea of Henry Peach Robinson of placing several images over each other. I also liked how he created him image based on a poem. I'm not sure what piece of literature or poem I would use, but I would like to experiment with placing several images on top of each other to get a "drawn" look.

B. I can't remember what number the blog was last time for this quesition. However, I think my idea is similar to what I previously though. Since I'm in advertising, I'm continuously looking for ideas of projects to try out and things i can add to my portfolio. So, I would like to do a "campaign", in a way, for a brand/company. So, this would include adding copy, headline/slogan, etc. However, this might be too much for me to do before the end of the semester. So, another idea might be continuing a series from one of my other projects from the class. Or, it would be interesting to go around to different buildings on campus and take pictures of the different architecture in each building. Those are my ideas right now :)

Contemporary Photographers-- WAng Qingsong

 

This photograph entitled Debacle was created by Wang Qingsong in 2009. His thoughts for this piece were centered around humankind produce merchandise. He questioned whether "the world is what we make or we are what the world makes." For this piece he decided to collect as many advertisements as he could. Then, he reproduced the ads into hand writing which produced 3,000 pieces of paper. He then glued all the papers to asbestos tile. After waiting several days, he scratched off the layers of ads, which produced this worn looking piece. He liked the way it looked like an abstract painting when all of it was put together. He says "This process of production and destruction is like a game of building blocks. We like to build up something new and then we must destroy it for a brand-new style again. What a dilemma!"

Historical Photographers-- Henry Peach Robinson

This photo, entitled The Lady of Shalott, was taken by Henry Peach Robinson in 1861. It was illustrated after a poem by Alfred Tennyson. Robinson thought of everything for this photo. He created the barge, he set the model's hair, found the clothes, took the photo on a rainy day so the trees had a sadness to them, etc. Everything was to follow the poem. The only difference was the spelling of the title on the boat. When the photo was exhibited, people criticized that the model's position wasn't logical, that there weren't ripples in the water to show the movement of the boat...So the audience didn't understand that the photo was an illustration based on a poem not a realistic photo based on real life. After the reaction of viewers, Robinson realized that he did not succeed in showing a photographic illustration because the audience could not imagine it properly. It was believed at that time that a photograph must have a literal meaning. Robinson also realized that he should not create any more illustrative photographs. However his photograph "exemplifies the limitations of photography as an illustrative medium."

Blog #23

1. I'm not entirely sure what "construct" means in this sense. I don't really know how one constructs their identity. I think that people's identity is determined by their genes and by their environment. The environment in which one grows up plays a huge role in how their personality and actions develop. I'm not sure how I construct my identity now. Maybe it is the people I hang out with and the social environments I place myself in...

2. My social environments are constructed by the friends I hang out with and their preferences on where we should go/what we should do. Sometimes we do things because it will be busy and popular, other times I just hang out with a couple of friends and watch a movie. Everyone meets people in classes, or through other friends. Those people may become really close friends and you hang out with them all the time. Other times, you have one class with them and never see them again. I guess I "construct" my social environments because I choose what classes I take and when I take them. I also choose the people I hang out with and where we go to hang out. ''

3. My physical environment/space is getting pretty deep and philosophical...I'm not really sure what I do to construct either of these. Maybe this would include recycling and volunteering, both of which help the environment and help in a small way to make the world better/cleaner. I think this topic also goes along with going "green"; preserving energy. Although, I probably don't do as good a job in this area as I should, i try to turn out the lights when I don't need them, I don't leave the water running, I take short showers, etc.

4. I guess everything is constructed in a way. It depends on how you define it, but we choose to do everything/all of our actions. I guess something that would be real would be disease/death/illness. Getting cancer isn't exactly something that is constructed.

5. I think a social scene would be interesting. Such as friends going to a concert. It would be interesting to photograph it and create a story board narrative. Something that involved a lot of movement. Then, maybe it could be turned into a flip book or a short stop motion-type film.

6. Right now, school is a large part of my life, so maybe doing a miniature stage of the campus, or part of the campus, such as the Communication arts building since I'm there most of the time. I think it would also be cool to recreate local hangout places or places that I like to go in general. Examples, Comm. arts building, Grand River Coffee, Dublin Square, my apartment, etc.

Assignment 4: Popular Media

 

Blog #22

1. A series can be made in many different ways. I guess where the idea usually starts is with one photo that has a certain focus. Then, the idea is expanded in different senarios. For example, during the place assignment, I took a photo of a "private drive" sign. I could expand on this photo by creating a series of photos with different "forbidden" signs. Also, with the current assignment, advertisements, I could create a series by each brand that I use. Then, I think that a series can be represented in different ways. If they are all in a horizontal line then it creates a sort of narrative.

2. I would really like to practice food photography. I just don't know where I could photograph fancy/professional food. I'm not sure if there is a culinary major at MSU...so maybe there is a kitchen somewhere on campus...? But food photography would be a really cool exploration.

Also, my major is advertising, so I might continue with this area, and do a series that I could eventually use in my portfolio.

Recreate-- Spice Girls

Blog #20

1. News related--When I think of news related photos, I think of tragedies. This is usually in the national newspapers, not the local ones. They are in the newspaper to tell the audience about a certain topic, whether that is Peyton Manning throwing a game winning pass, Julia Roberts in a still photo of her upcoming movie, or of a soldier fighting in Iraq. They are about events going on in the world.

2. Snapshots-- They are usually candid. I think of movement, so maybe blurred photos from people moving without a fast enough shutter speed.

3. Ads-- All of them focus on a product or several for a specific company. For fashion-- usually a celebrity is wearing the clothes in a photo shoot that involves other props. Sometimes they are really bizarre photos of models wearing the clothes while moving, interacting with others, or posing. They are very sharp photos. Product photography usually involves an action of using the product that will apply to the audience

4. Film/movie stills --These usually involve a whole scene and other characters. They are rehearsed movements. There are a lot of factors that go into these photos--makeup, clothing, props, extras...

5. Yearbook photos-- yearbook photos involve a plain backdrop in order to focus on the subject. It is just the head/face and some of the shoulders. Senior portraits can be different. Mine involved outdoor and indoor photos. The indoor was a set, and the photographer would direct me where to sit and how to position myself. So, they are very posed, and usually all smiling.

2nd part of statement -- Place

1. Old Town: For most of the class this was their favorite photo. They liked the changes I made to the sky. The lighting really worked, and the way each building was a different shade worked really well. The angle worked well too. To go further, people suggested to make it look more like an old photo to go off of the old town theme and make it look like a photo from when the building were first made. I guess I could do this with a light vignette.

2. Back street: This was the other favorite. I feel like it printed a lot darker than it was on the computer, but people liked the way it was dark and went to light. Plus, they liked the emphasis on the lamp posts and the back street. People commented that it was like a scary street that you want to pass quickly before you get to the bright side of town. One person said they did not care for the telephone pole that was in the photo. I'm not sure how I could take it out unless I chose a different angle. I suppose I could also try to crop it out.

3. garage: Everyone was happy that I made this one a diptych format; it was very affective. Maybe try a different angle. Other comments where that it had good repetition, great lighting, and had a good sense of loneliness to it. There was a suggestion to crop the left side in a little until the first pillar. As far as pushing it further, maybe just trying different angles.

4. private drive: Some people liked that I changed the foreground to be darker and lightened the background. It is the opposite of what is usually seen. However, some other people liked the fact that  you could see the car the house door in the background, and when it was lightened, that became a little difficult. To push this one further, people suggested that I make a collection of warning signs, which is definitely a good idea.

Written Statement--Place

1. Old Town: I think the composition of this photo turned out really well. I was a little worried how the angle would look, but once it was printed, I think it looks as if someone were taking the photo as they drove by. It was also a beautiful sunny day when I took this photo, so the natural lighting worked well. While I was walking around Old Town, I loved all the old buildings, which give the area its "antique/vintage" feel. So, I really wanted to capture this essence in the photo. It was also my first time in this area, so I had a great time exploring and seeing all it had to offer. The buildings were definitely my favorite part. This photo could represent historic issues. If it were compared to other parts of Lansing, one could see how much the city has grown and changed since Old Town was first built.

2. Backstreet: I was up really early one morning, and the back street behind my apartment had a certain feeling to it in the morning light that I wanted to capture in a photo. Plus, the fall trees that lined the street looked gorgeous (even though you can't tell in the black and white photo). I took several shots of the street and some included cars that went through the intersection, which I ended up liking. Once I turned it black and white, the light poles and stop light became the main focus with their blindingly bright white. I think they had a great contrast with the darkness of the trees and the street. Not to sound morbid, but I suppose this picture could represent death in a way. In that everyone says you head towards the bright light. Since the photo goes from darkness towards bright white, this might work.

3. Garage: When we had the prompt of a change in time, for some reason I thought a car garage would be a really neat representation of this. So, I decided to go early in the morning when there would be no cars and in the middle of the day when it is most popular. It was hard to get the angle the same, however I like the angle I got. I didn't want it to be a straight-on shot, but I do wish I had experimented with the angles just to see what would have looked better. Maybe this photo could represent something psychological, such as being really lonely/depressed compared to having a busy life.

4. Private drive: This photo was also taken in Old Town, and my intention was to have a play on the sign "private drive" by using a large aperture to make the background out of focus. I made some changes in Photoshop to emphasize the out of focus background. This might represent political issues because of warnings for people to stay away from our country or for our country to stay out of other countries. (that's a little far fetched...)

Can you think of anything that...

1. Should not be photographed? Why?
I honestly can't think of anything that should not be photographed. Everything bad I think of (such as torture/violence, war, etc.) I would not want to see but the world should see it because everyone deserves to see and know about what is going on in other parts of the world. Actually, the only thing I can think of that should not be photographed are rituals or secret practices of certain groups. I've heard about these from movies and books, and photography should not violate people's rights to hold things private such as religious rituals. These would have to be things that people can only read about.
Everything else, like foreign scenes, and new discoveries all should be photographed for the present generation and for the future generations that will learn about it in history books.

2. Cannot be photographed? Why?
I think anything can be photographed, it just depends on how the audience interprets it. There would definitely be some topics that would be difficult to photograph, such as how the mind works/the thought process, but it's not impossible. I also think that feelings and beliefs would be hard to photograph but, again, would not be impossible.

3. You do not want to photograph? Why?
Things I would not want to photograph would mostly entail violence and war. I hate reading about these subjects in the news. I like to think that the world is a good and happy place, and reading all the bad things that are happening is depressing. Now, that may seem really naive of me, but "ignorance is bliss." Then, there would also be nothing that involves my fears such as sharks or snakes/creepy bugs. Most other topics I think would be interesting to figure out, as the photographer, a spin on the subject that will introduce the audience to a new way of looking at a subject.