Assignment FOUR!

 

When I think of portraits I usually am reminded of straight forward, posed pictures of people. So with this assignment I wanted to go in the opposite direction. The portraits I took are very up close, in your face, detailed pictures. They're not taken in a studio, or posed in any sort of way. You can see the imperfections in each person skin. But I think being photographed in this way speaks more about your personality and who you are then if you were to get studio pictures taken.

Most people don't pay attention to the little details of others or of themselves. My whole objective was to amplify the small "imperfections" we see in ourselves, and others, because those imperfections are what makes us who we are. I also tried to stay away from photographing eyes straight on, because I wanted to leave a little mystery in the pictures. You can't see the whole person's face and that really makes you wonder what they look like.

I used the biggest aperture I could because I wanted the viewer to really just look at the person's face, or one small detail about them, I didn't choose to do black & white because I love all the different skin tones, and you can see how imperfectly perfect some really is.

Tim Flach Photography.

A few weeks ago I came across this AMAZING animal photographer, Tim Flach. All of his work revolves around animals, and animal portraits. It's almost strange seeing animals being posed and having their pictures taken like they were human, and I really love that. I love comparing animals to humans because you find that we really aren't that different from each other. Some people think animals are insignificant and dumb, but they're so intelligent it's mind blowing. I mean, I have 2 pet rats and when I have them out and I'm playing with them, I'll put them on the other side of the couch, call their name and they'll come. Most people think rats are gross and not intelligent, I obviously know otherwise. I think Tim Flach really represents animals in a positive light, and the range of animals he photographs is amazing. From dogs to bats to jellyfish, he's got it covered.

http://www.timflach.com/

Even if you're not into animal photography, his site is definitely worth checking out.

Assignment 3

For this assignment I chose to document my house. But, you're probably thinking otherwise. I chose to document my house, but I wanted to do it in a very unconventional way. So, I incorporated my dogs into it.The reason I wanted to do this was because I feel like most people take their pets for granted. As humans we have the power to travel and go to far away places and see so many amazing things, but after all of that we come to our pets. Our pets who stay in the same house for their entire lives, eat the same food, and their only job is to love their owner. You could leave for weeks, and your pet would still be happy to see you when you came home. They forgive easily, and love unconditionally.

My family has had a lot of pets in the past, and they've all fit perfectly with our personality as a family; except for these dogs. Now, don't get me wrong I love these dogs with all my heart. They're the sweetest dogs on the planet. But, they are pure bred bird dogs. So they're very energetic and full of energy whereas my family is very laid back and relaxed. We like to hang around the house, and our dogs like chasing chipmunks. So I wanted to explore that relationship as well. None of these pictures have my family in them so I wanted to create a feeling of isolation.

As you can tell, all of these pictures were taken at my house, but from my dogs' perspectives. The kitchen, the dining room, living room and patio are all displayed here how my dogs see them and what they do everyday in these places. I chose to present these pictures in black and white because I didn't want any distractions from the different colors, I just wanted you to focus on the dogs, and how they're seeing/reacting to each environment. Plus I wanted to kinda give off a 'film' feel, instead of them looking like they were taken with a digital camera.

Old News.

Walking into the gallery I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The photos Jeff Sprang has taken throughout these years were for a news journal, and not really for an art gallery. But in my opinion they were all view able in an artistic way. Each photo had it's own story, and they were all unique, ranging from a portrait of a blacksmith to an arm wrestling contest. They were so interesting I couldn't help but try to place myself in that moment in time and try to wonder what brought Mr. Sprang to this specific place at this time.

"Telephone Lineman School" was the photo that really caught my eye. At first I wasn't sure what was going on. The description reads "These men, training as telephone linemen, are passing a basketball from one to another. The purpose of the drill is to teach them to trust their safety equipment." The picture is taken looking up at the men while they're in mid-toss. The poles are arranged in a circle, and probably quite high up. The men are only attached to the poles by some sort of leather-looking, thick strap with foot holds. They all have on helmets, gloves, work boots, everything they would need if it were a real life situation. It's in black and white, which I think is perfect for this picture because the white sky makes the men on the poles really stand out.

When I look at this photo, I get a sense of anxiety. I can just imagine being up on that pole, who knows how far from the ground, and having to trust a single strap to hold me up. I'd be terrified. But looking at most of the men, it almost seems like they're enjoying themselves. They look relaxed like they really do trust their equipment, I guess they have no other choice. It's also interesting to see the comparison between something terrifying like being strapped to a pole some unknown number of feet from the ground, and tossing a basketball between friends. It's like comparing a poisonous spider to a tray of warm cookies. It doesn't fit. But the way this picture makes me feel is why I love it so much. It makes me feel like I'm right up there with those men, tossing a basketball around. It's scary and enjoyable at the same time.