Class Head Shot

So this assignment- to morph the class photos into one face. I had a hard time matching up the different facial structures to match- I didn't end up using everyone's face- but I used about 10- Also I could have blended the faces and shoulders better together- but I like the different colors the shirts with the different layers make. I wouldn't mind re doing this assignment as I get better at photoshop- in the future.

Social Narrative

This assignment was extremely difficult for me. First off- I had a hard time determining what the assignment meant to me. I at three scenes overall: A baptism-church, a bar, and a graveyard. I ended up going with the graveyard for my final project. I wanted to portray life through what other leave behind. And in a graveyard- this is the final resting place- and the final words the individual leaves to the world. I decided to shoot in the old part of this particular cemetery. The first image- of some stones portrays what most see when they look at a graveyard. The second- a stone with one name only- "Sarah." This stone was one of many that struck me- no dates, no last name, and no epithet. Maybe Sarah was young, maybe her family didn't have the extra money to have it engraved further, or maybe no one knew her last name and birth date. The third was a statue on top of a family plot- it almost looks as though she is looking down upon the fourth image- the broken tomb stone- maybe out of sadness because someone's monument was destroyed. And the fifth image maybe just an engravement on a stone- but the words "hope" means to me- that maybe there is hope even in an environment that usually houses death.

notes: Though in class this critique held a lot of criticism- I thought this assignment helped me grow- it challenged me- and I portrayed an environment that once scared me- and made it seem beautiful- the skies in the first and last photo were stunning- and even though it was dusk- it did not hold the feelings of fear or darkness to me. I really struggled with the idea of a social narrative but I am very happy with the result.

Creating a Shadow

Today we had to use photoshop to create a shadow. I thought this exercise was very interesting and I learned a lot. I used different layers, the transform tool, and different blurring tools to help blend the "shadow." After learning this- I really think I will implement this in the future.

Janice Nowinski Artist Lecture

Still Life with Card (1999)
oil on canvas 26 x 28 inches

Janice Nowinski

Let me start off saying, I know very little about painting and still life paintings. I went into this lecture not knowing what to expect. Though I could not relate to the painting aspect of her lecture I began to relate to other parts of her life that helped contribute to her painting career. Someone in the audience asked her if she grew up wanting to be an artist and she promptly said, "No!!" When she was about to graduate high school she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do- but she knew she didn't want to go to college. And I can relate to that right now- I am finishing up the first semester for my senior year and I have no idea what I want to do- I thought I wanted to go to grad school but that has recently changed- at this point I know I don't know what I want to do- other than not go to grad school. She explained how her path eventually lead her to more schooling and how she received her MFA from Yale University.

I was blown away on how long it took to complete her paintings. She showed one slide of a still life that she considered her "first mature still life after grad school" and how it took 3 years! I had no idea how much work and time went into that piece- but it made me appreciate her work a lot more!

Another tactic she mentioned in her creative process was- she starts with any idea and as she continues with the project she gets another idea and starts painting that- it was a tactic Picasso was known for. I can really relate because when I start a photo project I might have a direction but as I start- that idea an direction often changes- so it is nice to know even great artists like Picasso didn't always know exactly where they were going with their work.

Why Photograph?

People photograph for many different reasons. But from my perspective it boils down to--they take the pictures to capture that moment in time for a memory. Whether it is a group of friends enjoying a evening together, a structure, a tree, a beautiful landscape, or any number of different objects... it all boils down to capturing that subject as a living memory. That living memory can serve a documentary purpose or even more- maybe a different perspective on something that is considered quite normal. Other people- the viewers look at these pictures to open up their imaginations-- and photographs can change and alter their perspective and help them grow throughout life.

I want to take pictures of landscapes. Though it is something I usually reflect in my photography projects- I want to learn to operate my camera and use software to better my images as a whole. It is a process- and I am constantly learning and growing as a photographer. Something that I am not really exciting about it staging photos. I enjoying walking around and trying to capture just the right moment- it makes it that much more special that it was natural not staged.

Inspiration~

I gather a lot of my inspiration from music. I listen to music on my way to class or work, while I am walking from the parking lot via my ipod, when I am shooting photos, writing a paper, or even cooking or cleaning. It helps me zone out a little so I can focus on the task at hand. I know one time last semester my ipod went missing and it was really tough for me. I found myself on the bus or walking to class feeling like something was missing. I know now that I need that to help me through my day. It isn't one particular song, or one particular genre- it really depends on my mood and the activity at hand.

Creative Process

When it comes to creating some piece of work it starts with a lot of thinking on my end. I first think and think on what I can possible base my finished work around and once I have that spark I usually start off with whatever I am trying to create. Whether it is a thesis for a paper, an idea for a photo shoot, or any number of different ideas I bring to life in life or related to school- I need that spark. Very seldom does that original idea hold up until the finished product. It's all about the spark and the evolution of my original idea that helps me develop as a thinker and a human being.