Final Project

Ketchup I.V.

Irrational Aggression

Carnivorous Egg Mice

Bliss

Ornamental Apple

Eerie Situation

Orange I.V.

POM I.V.

Leaping Cucumber Whale

Scared 

Sexy

Annoyed

Blog/Article Review

FotoFilmic

1. This week, we are reviewing the photography website Fotofilmic. The website's design has a minimal, but refined feel to it. This site hosts an international, juried exhibition of filmphotography, where there are cash prizes to the top three contemporary artists. The navigation is simple and feels very well constructed. 

2. The specific artist I chose to review is Xiaoyun Zheng from China. Mr. Zheng received his Fine Art degree in photography, and is now a professor in the field. He uses film photography with silver halide  and enjoys his time in the darkroom. This series focuses on the balance of man and nature, and highlights the harmony amongst them. I am personally inspired by his work because of the affect his nature photos has on the viewer. This is a subject that I would like to pursue. And there is no post date available, I've checked twice. 

GIFs

Cat vs. Owl

The Struggle

Curiosity Kills the Cat

Panorama

Panorama of Panoramas

Cooper Lake

Light Leaked

Rob Amberg - 7 October 2013

This week we are reviewing the photography website entitled Light Leaked. The structure of the site is simple, with four hyperlinks at the beginning of the column for ease of navigation. It seem as though blogger.com has granted domain privileges to the owner, Ashley Kauschinger. Ms. Kauschinger's enception of the site was to provide a photo journalistic link between the photographer, allowing dialog for conception and promotion of business/fame. This is a great medium to promote and display up and coming photographers. 

I chose to give a review on the specific artist, Rob Amberg. Mr. Amberg is a North Carolinian who focuses his Light Leaked compilation on rural communities, title ShatterZone. This name conceptually came from post World War 2 attitudes towards certain political agendas and the resistance that farmers had toward a new capitalist society. The subjects all gave similar responses during their interview on why they chose to live a non-mainstream life, "this is our refuge" and "we live off the grid". This specific portfolio has been in development since 1975. I enjoyed his work, and wonder how long he immersed himself in this subculture to capture the right amount of photos.

Blog/Article Review # 3

Aperture

Jakob Trollback

Interview and post date: October 25, 2013

A Conversation with Jakob Trollback

Jakob Trollback is an artist with many trades. Originally a DJ and musician at a nightclub in Stokholm, until he found an interest in graphical design. After leaping towards his new passion, Jokab moved to America to get a formal education and picked up photography to incorporate into his art. He followed established photographers like Richard Avedon and Gerhard Richter to get insight into their perspective. The article on Aperture is an interview/dialog that give enjoyable points on Mr Trollback's timeline of development.



This week, we looked at the photography website/blog titled Aperture. This site, in my opinion, is very well structured and easy to navigate it's bountiful content. It has quick links at the top that remain static during the surf, and general links at the bottom for common questions and subjects. On the actual blog section, each entry is presented with a piece of photographic work from it's creator (giving thematic foreshadowing). Aperture was founded in 1952 as a non-profit organization, seeking to connect the photography community to audiences around the world (the first informational platform was via magazine and books). Overall, this is the best blog I've reviewed yet.

http://www.aperture.org/blog/a-conversation-with-jakob-trollback/

Multiple Me

String Trio

The Interrogation

I've decided to connect the two images thematically with creation vs. destruction. Music is creatively expressing a feeling, or a progressive story. Conversely, "The interrogation", or second image captivates the nature of destruction through the captor's unethical practices. An issue that the images touch on is the effort for morality/justice, and avoidance of illegal activities by using energy creatively.

Blog/Article Review #2

FotoFest Seems to Come Earlier Every (Other) Year

                  September 20th, 2013 – PAULA NEWTON

The week, we are reviewing the website Glasstire. It is an online magazine that covers visual art in Texas and southern California. It is a nonprofit organization that has been active since 2001. The name of the site came from Robert Rauschenberg's sculptures/art of glass tires. The website's construction isn't as symmetric as I personally would like it, but I'm not the architect. It's also difficult to navigate, having to go through two to three different sub-sites in order to get to photography sources. 

I stumbled across a news article on Glasstire about Housten's biennial photography festival, FotoFest. Photography and photo related art covers every possible venue in Housten during the event. So obviously, it provides a haven for photographers to display their hard work and creativity (which is a lucrative option for the business side). I was actually excited to read this article, not knowing that there's a massive gathering for Texas photographers. I would like drive down on an available weekend, since it's open till December 7th. 

http://glasstire.com/2013/09/20/fotofest-seems-to-come-earlier-every-other-year/

Blog/Article Review #1

This week, we reviewed the website Lens Scratch. The site is really well put together and easy to navigate, thanks to the hyperlinks and drop down menus. The creator is Aline Smithson; she wanted a site that gives daily reviews to up and coming photographers. Evidently, Lens Scratch has been noted as the top ten photography site since it's creation in 2007.

ALTERNATE REALITIES

September 16, 2013

I DECIDED TO WRITE A REVIEW OVER THE EXPEDITION TITLED ALTERNATE REALITIES. THIS WAS ORGANIZED AND PUT ON BY THE JULIA DEAN PHOTO WORKSHOPS. THE SPECIFIC ARTIST IS SANDRA KLEIN, WHO DISPLAYED A COMPILATION THAT PORTRAYS FEELINGS OF LOSS, PAIN, FEAR, AND CYNICISM. I ENJOYED THE TECHNIQUE USED, TAKING MULTIPLE PHOTOS AND PIECING THEM TOGETHER. I’LL USE SANDRA’S STYLE FOR FUTURE INSPIRATION.
http://lenscratch.com/2013/09/altered-realities/

Levitation

Alphabet

Mirrored Portrait Triptych

Portraits of Self, Portraits of Others.

Blog/Article Review

Two Way Lens

Helen K. Garber

Griffith Park Noir  ©2009 from the series Noir Diptychs

This photo came from the Two Way Lens website, constructed by Michael Werner. This site allows contemporary photographers to post their work and give a detailed biography. The site's format is pretty simple and easy to read; it has a brief description and hyperlinks on the right. The center is where the artists post their information. I'll will be returning to this site future reference.

The blogger/photographer is Helen K Garber. Her main inspiration was her father, who began his photography adventure during World War II. Helen lives in Venice, Ca. where she finds vibrant architechture and people to photo journal. She explains significant life events, milestones, and her main inspirations. I was intrigued by her life's work and want to follower her as she continues to progress in career. You'll find a link to the site in the first paragraph.

Screenshot

Portrait Photographers

1.

Philippe Halsman was a prolific portrait photographer from  the early 1940's - 1970's, and was known for collaborating with Albert Einstein and Dali. I enjoy all of his work because of his five principles that he uses: the rule of the direct approach, the rule of the unusual technique, the rule of the added unusual feature, the rule of the missing feature, the rule of compound features, the rule of the literal or ideographic method. This photo particularly interests me because of the red symbolism, maybe implying that the "artist" of war has blood on his/her hands....

2.

Martin Shoeller is a German photographer that is known for his portraits of the entertainment stars and public figures. I like his work because of the lighting used, and how every anatomical detail is intrinsically vivid.

3. 

Todd Essick is nude portrait photographer that specializes in underwater expression. His elegant blend of marine biology and the magnetism of the female figure makes for a unique portfolio. 

4. 

Bill Wadman is a post modern photographer that has claimed fame for his conceptual work. I enjoy his work because of the witty design. 

5. 

Reza is a world renown photographer that captivates the socioeconomic problems that plague the subject to his photojournalistic objective. I love Reza's work, not only for the photo's quality, but for his humanitarian objective. 

Questionare

1. My major is Chemistry and Biology. I have a degree in electronic systems technology, but decided I didn't want to go into engineering. I hope to graduate by December of 2014. 

2. I chose introduction to digital media because of a personal interest in photography. I also need to fulfill a fine art credit, so this was the best fit. I hope to learn everything possible that this art/class has to offer. 

3. My goals after graduation, in reverse order, are: Five years - be in a residency program in Colorado or Washington. Three years - Finishing up my graduate degree. Two years - Studying my butt off. One year - Matriculating into a medical program. Six months - Searching for housing and all the resources necessary for my graduate school. 

4. Well, I'm not a traditional artist by trade, so I don't have a portfolio or a compilation of art. Though, I am a huge architecture fan and want to design a home from Frank Lloyd Wright's influence.

5. The photography websites that I use for reference are: 

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/photography-techniques.htm
http://www.deviantart.com
http://www.photographysites.com

6. I have lived in Georgia and traveled to California for training on a frequent basis. The following are links to museums, exhibits, and galleries that I have visited in the past year: The Getty, Griffith Observatory, Dallas Holocaust Museum, Georgia Aquarium.

7. I haven't had formal photography training in an institution, but my father was a photography minor many years ago and has showed me a few tricks of the trade.

8. I believe the value of art for the artist isn't tangible. It's more of an internal self gratification that fulfills a higher need of self actualization and transcends a metaphysical concept/ideal/emotion.

9. The value of art for the audience could by the same for the audience, reflecting an emotion or manifestation of an idea. Though, there are some people who like to think it may raise the status of their classism.

10. Photography can be either a vocation and avocation, it all depends on the individual.

11. My passion is understanding the science of every field in the universe, and my family.

12. I have a fight or flight reaction in deep waters, where I can't tell what is beneath. I'm uncomfortable around shady people that might behave in a criminal manner.

13. I've had a passport, but no more. I have traveled in the United States.

14. If architecture is an art, then Frank Lloyd Wright. I enjoy his creations because they are rooted in nature.

15. I signed up for this class because I wanted to learn everything about photography.

Five Pictures My World

My dog, Rommel

My horse, Zeus

My Guitar

Grandfather Clock

My Ranch