Mailboxes

The photo above is one I took of a mailbox after viewing the picture below.  I wanted to experiment with the same subject matter but giving the picture a totally different feel.  The picture below, taken by Jim Epler in 2007, feels much busier and contains much more emotion than the photo I took above which is much more simplistic.  It's interesting how the same subject matter can be photographed so differently.

Post #4 - Distortions

The framing of the above photograph, which I took, reminded me of looking through a ship's porthole, prompting me to look for other photographs with similar framing.  I found a similar framed photograph at: http://www.igougo.com/journal-j73174-Groningen-University_Town_of_Groningen.html

The reason I chose the above photograph was first because of the frame.  I thought it was interesting to take a photo through a window of sorts.  The other interesting thing was the distortions that occurred because of the plastic.  The image was clear enough to tell what it was, but distorted enough to be unique.  The lower photograph does not distort the image itself, but does have reflection as a major focus, which is a form of distortion. 

False Vintage

 above: my own photo

 

above: photo from (http://www.magnumphotos.com)

I chose to compare the two photos above after i was looking through the photographs which i took on my trip around Collegeville (for the Collegeville project). I took the first photograph while photographing houses in the surrounding neighborhoods. As i walked past the house which it belongs to, i was pulled into this part of this house, and i had the sudden urge to go up and sit in the chair. I am a huge fan of all things quaint and that appear vintage (even if they aren't actually vintage). I wanted to get so close to the scene and take a close-up photo, but i knew i couldn't do go on this person's property. Oh the struggle and tension of a photographer! I like my photo because when i look at it, it makes me feel like i am in the 19th century, sitting outside with my family, reading books and sitting in home-made wooden chairs. It takes me back in time, to a time i never experienced but always wish i could have. The second photo is similar because when i stumbled across it, i got that same feeling of nostalgia. I feel peaceful when i look at it- like i am sitting at the table, drinking out of antique cups and enjoying myself in the sunlight. For me, these photos evoke the same feeling.

 

Kicks

 I made this picture

 Then found this on google to match it

High and Tight-Post #4

I just grabbed this image from a site after I was looking for barbershops in the Philly area.  I liked the way this barbershop pole looked, isolating itself from the actual interior of the store or any surrounding objects that could have taken away from it.  The casing and glass looks old and dusty, and reminds me of a barbershop I used to go to when I was younger.  The classic feel of the barbershop pole is iconic and reminiscing of multiple memories from what I am sure is in many individual's pasts. 

This was a photo I took from down the road on Main Street at the American Barbershop.  It is in B&W because I took it in a set of photos for our Collegeville Document project.  Although it certainly incorporates objects in the background of the photo, which can certainly draw attention away from the main object, I think this picture still sets a pretty high emphasis on the pole itself.  The black and white certainly gives it an older feel in a different way than the photo above, but the iconic and older feel of the casing as well as the object itself still remains. 

Animals in motion

The first photo is one I took of my friend's dog Jack. It's silly, but I feel that the photo contrasts nicely with this image of an owl in motion. Though the settings and the animal subjects are entirely different, I see similarities in the fact that motion has been frozen, leaving only an out of focus background, as well as the fact that both animals are completely absorbed in the task at hand.

Week 3 - Bomberger

This photo is of Bomberger auditorium. I took for two reasons. 1) I really liked the way the light came in from the windows above and spread out throughout the whole room and 2) the vantage point. I took this at the top level of the auditorium. Being up there allows you to capture the true size of the organ pipes that hang above the stage which I think is really cool.

This photo was taken at Clare College in England. This is similar to the picture I took in multiple ways but also different in a way. It's similar due to the organs being above the rounded ceiling with rounded structures/doorways below it. It's different however because this photo is taken from the ground. The doorway looks to be the thing dominating the picture and the organs are secondary whereas in my picture the organs dominate and the structure beneath is different.

Still Motion

One of the photo requirements for this past week was to stop motion by capturing it in an image. I came up with the idea of using water, and this is the image that I used. It's pretty amazing to see water still as it is in the photo, given that water is constantly moving. Looking up some professional pictures that are taken, it really is amazing what water looks like. Depending on how a force hits the water, it reacts in so many different ways, taking on a countless number of shapes.

I chose this professional image because the water is moving in a patter similar to the one in my own picture. Some of the water pictures that are professional are truly amazing, and they really capture the true beauty of water.

Post #3- Lines

I found the above photograph at: http://www.photo-junkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/leading-lines-curved.jpg

The subject of the photograph above does not seem to be the location itself or any tangible item.  Instead, it is the lines we don't normally see in every day life.  This inspired my next photograph. 
In my photograph, the subject is not the lamp, nor the building.  It is the lines that each make by intersecting each other.  I believe this is also why the above photograph lacks all color.  Mine was not intentionally without color.  Instead the situation was simply that way to begin with.  Another similarity between the two is the use of architecture as anything but simple buildings.  The buildings become lines like an architectural drawing rather than the buildings we see in life.  My photograph was taken at a different angle from my inspiration because the lines worked better that way. 

Homes Around the World #3

This photo was taken in North Wales by an anonymous photographer who posted it on a website I was looking at.  I really like the colors in this photograph, as even with the houses getting further away and appearing smaller as the distance increases, my eyes are drawn to each individual home and the colors they possess as I go down the lane.

This is a photo I took the other day on Main Street when I was experimenting with B&W for our Collegeville Document Project.  Although I chose to shoot in B&W, negating the color connection with the photo at the top, I think the photo possess an interesting aspect of fading and diminishing size of the homes as the distance from camera increases, much like the one from North Wales.  I also really liked the way the tree looked in this picture, allowing the eye to fixate on another element beside the homes.  

Entry #3 - Looking into the past

I took this image when I was in New Zealand last year.  I didn't plan on taking it, but was just waiting in the car and happened to notice how pretty the mountains looked in the side mirror.  Just like, Henry Wessel, it was one of those situations where you don't plan on taking a beautiful picture, the situtation just arises.  That's why it's important to always have a camera on hand!  The following picture is very similar in subject matter and is also framed nicely by the outline of the mirror.  It was taken by Kate Rawlings on February 21, 2011.

just a little rain

The above photo is one I found off the internet, entitled "Safe Haven-HQ Scan" by bCw on deviantart.com. 

The following is a photo I took with this image in mind. 

My photo is not a total replication of the previous photo; however, it does have some similar elements. First, both photos are taken through a rain soaked window and the window frame has been left in the photo to help frame the image more. And although my photo is not a straight forward shot like in "Safe Haven," it still has balance between the dark frame on the left and the dark silhouette on the right of the photo. 

Yet, mine does not show the juxtaposition of a someone who is safe from the rain and another who is not, but this was a conscious choice. First, I could not get the detailing of the raindrops if I had fit someone else in the photo. Second, leaving the frame of the window in the photo is enough to help the audience feel the division between the dry world inside and the wet world outside. The viewer in my photo then stands in as that dry person drinking coffee in the internet photo. 

 The first photo is a picture taken by Erik Blinderman.  The photo displays deep contrast and it almost makes it seem as if you are not looking at a crowd of people but rather just a photo of black and white color.  The picture I took was just to express the black and whiteness of the photo above.  How nature can display this contrast just like the one produced by the crowd of people

Red

I took this photo to simulate the one that I found on the internet. It is a photo of my friend. I covered the flash and found that the photo turns red. I thought it was an interesting thing to do since the woman below has red dressings on. 

This is the photo I found. 

Personal

 above: my own photograph, taken Febrary 9th, 2012

(above: photo found on internet at http://www.pxleyes.com/photography-picture/4f194b5113ccb/high-resolution/Up-close.html)

I first shot the above photograph on my own, of my own hair. I wanted to snap a photo of extreme detail of something that i never look at up close. To be honest, i never really pay much attention to my hairstrands (i don't know really anyone that does, actually). I also took the photo in such a way that i captured a lot of light on the hair, to really bring out each individual hue. I then searched for a photo online of something that is not normally looked at up-close but that was taken in extreme detail, with some emphasis on the exposure of light. So, this is a very close-up photo of a piece of rope, which is not something you can normally look at closely. What i like about  both photos is their ability to show things that we don't normally see the detail in---in a way that shows every detail.

Incense

This is the photo that I took. It is of 2 incense. (the smoke didn't really get captured too well.)

This is the photo I found on the internet to match it. They got the smoke photography down. 

A Hot Snowy Day # 2 & #3

I took this photograph after we got snow this past week.  I thought it was really interesting that there were Adirondack chairs which usually signify nice, beachy weather -but it was in the snowy cold instead.

This first photo is just one Adirondack chair.  It really show's the light reflecting off the snow as well as the shadow the chair is casting.

Mark Shandler Photography

This photograph represents the shadow cast by the chair along with the light reflection off of the water.  I really liked this photograph because it is so similar yet completely different than the photograph I took.  Light in this photograph is extremely important in making the photograph more than an Adirondack chair.

I also took other views of the chairs and decided to find one other photograph that was similar to mine.

Both of these photos resemble the detail of the snow on the chair.  You almost wouldn't know that the photograph is part of a chair.

Both of these photographs, the one I took (above) and the one I found (below), show not only the detail in the foreground in front of your face, but also hiding detail in the background.

This photograph belongs to 'Miss M. Schneiderhead'

Men of Glory #2

This is a photograph of the Che Guevara statue in Santa Clara, Cuba.  I really liked how the photo seems to show that no other buildings are of equal height of the statue or even near it, giving it an unrivaled, heroic aspect to it.  The picture allows only the base and the statue itself to be seen in the photo, not allowing other objects to steal any type of attention during this moment captured in time.

This is a photo I took the other day of the Zacharius Ursinus statue outside of the Berman Art Museum.  Although I could not achieve the same unrivaled height that the Guevara stature obtained, the fact that this statue is in the foreground of the photo makes it seem much larger than all of the other objects in the background of the photo.  I also wanted to achieve a point of view from under the statue, giving it a larger than life feel, that the viewer would feel small in comparison to this piece.  

Post #2- Trees and Sunsets

The top picture is one that I took and the lower one I found on the website listed on the photograph.  What struck me when I was wandering around at dusk was the back lighting on both the tree and the flag.  I loved the effect on the trees, as do others because it was very easy to find a similar photograph online.  The reason I chose to include the flag, even though it is blurred, is because it adds a softness to the one side of the photograph in direct contrast with the geometric patterns created by the tree branches.  The second picture, chosen from the Internet, is purely geometrical and only uses natural objects in the frame.  There is also far less color, almost making it colorless, in comparison to the splash of color from the sunset in the picture I took. 

Doorways: A Liminal Space

We've all seen Lee Friedlander's photograph of the man and woman going through the revolving door in class (below).

When I was out taking photos for our in-class assignment, I decided to take pictures of the the doors coming into Wismer while coming up the staircase. I realized that this struck me as possible place to document because I had seen Friedlander's work in class. My attempt at a similar photo is below. 

Clearly, there are some differences between the photographs. First, both subjects in my photo are walking the same direction, which does not necessarily reveal differences between class and gender as Friedlander's does. And my photo is in color. Still, the photographs have similar coloring because the back lighting helps to wash out the color to the point where its coloring is not far from black and white. Also, the lines of the door frames and reflections in my photo aim to mimic Friedlander's, which hopefully gave my photo a similar feel, in the sense that they are passing through a transitional, or liminal, space. 

The seagull picture is the picture that I had based my photo off of.  I didn't go for subject this time but more of the concept of back lighting.  I really enjoy taking pictures with backlighting because the silhouette feature gives the picture a very unique look to it.  I really like how the subject just gets blacked out while the environment is still some what detailed and vivid in color

Distance

(Photography selected from the internet)

(My own photograph)
The above photograph (the second one of the female) is a photo i took of my closest friend, Jonnie. After deciding to use this particular photograph, i found a similar one on the internet which i feel accurately relates to my photograph and what i was trying to portray in it. The two photographs are theme-related, not necessarily subject related. That is quite evident, due to the fact that my friend does not look anything like the older man in the photo above. The relationship between the the two photos lies within how i perceive them and the subjects within them. In fact, that is exactly my point. I find it very difficult to make a judgment about my friend; everything from her dead, empty stare to placement of her fingers and hand--it all confuses me. I am not sure how to read her; i don't know what she was thinking. That is explanatory for the basis of our friendship too. Many a times, she is not the most expressive about her thougths and feelings, and i am quite the opposite. She often will start a sentence, stop herself, and then stare off into space. It bothers me that i can't know what she is thinking, and that she almost seems to be content with not expressing herself to the fullest potential. So, this photo really captures a great moment when she was deep in thought, with a finger on her lip, probably thinking of something more philosophical and insightful than i could ever think up! One might see her large eyes and raised eyebrows and think that she was surprised at the moment, but being the photographer, i know that she was merely just sitting and thinking, leaving me wanting to know what about! The photograph from the internet is similar in that the man is clearly not facing the camera and seems to be completely submerged within his own world. His eyes speak, but in a language i can't understand. It's a language that no one can understand, because he seems distant, cold, far away from the viewer. In all, we are eager to know what is on his mind. All we can see is that that cigarette is the most intimate thing he has in the photo. The viewer is left to decide for himself what the man is thinking, just like my friend.

Entry #2 - Snow

I was walking back from the library last night and was fortunate to enough to have my camera on me when I came across the landscape. It had been lightly snowing all day yesterday and gave just enough to coat the trees and grass without causing too much trouble for the walkways. This picture was taken from the circle in front of Reimert looking towards Thomas. I like this for a few reasons, the color of the light and the way it hits off the snow on the trees and illuminates every branch is really incredible. The other reason I like it is because of the footpath and the way each brick is outlined by the shadows from the light. The lines extend all the way down the path. I would have liked it better if it was snowing at this particular moment but either way I really like this photo.

This picture was presented at the Main Gallery, Approver's Choice. I think it gives off a similar affect. The light is orange instead of white and the trees and their branches are all well lit up with snow covering them. I think this picture tells a different story though. The truck in the picture is covered with snow and the streets are left unplowed. This appears to be the immediate aftermath of a snowstorm whereas my picture shows a walkway that is clear of snow and only a light dusting of snow on everything else. You can't tell by looking at my picture if there was a snow storm like the picture below that people are recovering from or if there was a small storm and this is immediately after.

Entry #2 - Yellow

The picture above is a picture I took of yellow flowers.  I used a shallow depth of field so that the flower closest to me was crisply in focus, but the flowers and leaves behind it became progressively more out of focus.  One of the strong visual elements of this picture, is the bright yellow color.  Playing off of the shallow depth of field and the bright yellow color, I felt that this image taken by Nicole Mason on March 1, 2009 was a good partner for the picture I took.