Ordover Gallery

I took my best friend to the Natural History Museum that had the Ordover Gallery on the fourth floor.  I have to say that this was my favorite photographic gallery because of the location of the images.  The colors were amazing with the shades of blues and whites and the lighting.  The animals like the polar bears, penguins, sea otters were caught in their real habitats and the images were taken at the prime moment for beautiful pictures.  I was happy that many of the pictures had actually been sold because it showed me that being a photographer can actually pay off!  The arctic is a beautiful place to take pictures.  I love polar bears and penguins; they are the reason I go to places like Sea World.  Therefore, this gallery really reached out to me and I was fascinated.  I really enjoyed the photo of the sea lion or otter that is laying on an iceberg and the angle is just above the water.  The lighting, colors, and the framing made the picture so interesting.  If I had the money to buy it, I would!

Museum of Photographic Arts

When I attended the Museum of Photographic Arts I expected there to be a large selection of photos, but was surprised upon arrival.  Once I took a deeper look, I realized that the pictures that were in the museum were amazing enough that the little number of them didn't matter.  The set-up of the museum takes you through sections ranging from portraits, to detail photos, to pictures of the photographer's eye, and even to frame.  The photographer's eye section was particularly  interesting because they were photos that deal with the world.  There was a variety in the types of pictures, and each one expressed an image that relates to the photographer's perspective.  I found the piece "New Orleans" by Michael A. Smith to be one of my favorites in the gallery.  The image was black and white and the frame focused on bottles of alcohol.  The surrounding edges of the frame had dollar bills.  The overall affect of the picture was illustrated by the photographer's impression of New Orleans.  This particular picture gave me the impression of a bar atmosphere and the connection of money with booze.  The title gave insight into the photo because just looking at it didn't give anything away about the location.  The focal was on the alcohol and cash.  Another aspect I noticed in the picture was a slight smoking feeling, which also added to the guess that it was taken in a bar.  A few other artists and photos that caught my attention enough to write them down were Alexey Tirarenko's "St. Peterburg Crowd 2" and William Clift's "unknown" from the Courthouse Series.  The courthouse image showed a building from a long shot, with a mirror reflection that grabbed your attention as you walked by with its small window panes and building images.  The outer frame is empty space and the focal point is in the center of the shot.  The equilateral window panes made the reflection visually more appealing.  The reflective building is of a courthouse on a rectangular building.  This picture was black and white as well, but the clouds and the lighting of the image made me feel it was late afternoon.  I had to look up the image after leaving the museum because there is a lot of detail to the picture.  Overall, the museum had such a wide range of types of photographs for such a small space.  I was pleasantly surprised by my reaction to the museum, because I truly enjoyed myself!! 

Panoramic!

 The panoramic was one of the most fun activities that we've had to do so far! I really enjoyed practicing with the camera and taking shots straight across to create this image.  I actually took this from the passenger's seat in the car driving back from one of the road trips.  I was amazed that I had a better result from the car rather than just standing on the street with more focus.  

Presenter - Diane Willow

The presentation by Diane Willow was not what I expected.  The focus on her work was different from the other examples we've had in class because she shifted focuses depending on what her idea was.  I like how she discussed that it took many attempts to get to the goal she wanted because it gave me the courage to keep trying on my own artistic goals.  The flow of water was an  interesting topic.  She incorporated sound, video, cutting of two types of images into one video clip.  All of this was in just one of her examples.  Another piece of her work was the florescent plankton in water.  She was able to construct a surface that, when touched, reflected movement on soft water portions to create light from the plankton.  That is an admirable task! She included her MIT experience and knowledge with her artistic aspirations to create some very interesting pieces.  Perhaps the most interesting for me was the still shots from a camera that sat in the same position over a very long course of time.  We could see the seasons from combining the images to a faster pace that would not ever be witnessed from just watching when you had the time from the window.  Her explanation that we don't have the time to sit because we are constantly moving, but the fact that her camera could do so and just absorb all of this was her inspiration.  The presentation brought up knew concepts because she discussed installations of artwork as well.   The leaves attached to vibrators and wires to create this motion connected to sound was remarkable.  It added a whole knew feel to the room she showed, and to her flow of water piece.  The presentation was very good overall and it illustrated new techniques and methods of inspiration.

Jim Brandenburg Video

The video of this artist was perhaps the most appealing to me.  The idea of the project to take only one photograph per day for ninety days sounds like an immense challenge, that the photographer as able to complete exquisitely.  The discussion of the waterfall photograph that his wife actually used a flashlight to create light was a good lesson.  The actual capturing of a photograph is not always most important, but being able to "create" a picture is an artistic quality.  The Lake Superior Beach photograph especially caught my attention because it's simplicity and calmness is captured, with the focal of a rock that makes a fantastic picture.  It is mind-boggling that he was able to only take one photo a day, and every picture was unique, created it's own emotion, and was beautiful.  He discusses the mystery of the project that he could have taken fifty rolls of film to get one picture, but was able to create magnificent photos from just one shot a day.  The level of confidence he had to have to actually do this project is crazy.  How do you know that your one shot is going to be what you went for?  The explanations of how the chose which photograph to take each day were spoken creatively.  The symbiotic relationship between the raven and the wolf was crucial for the photographer to get a photo of the wolf.  Without the raven, the wolf wouldn't be visible and he wouldn't have gotten the photograph.  The benefits of each other was an interesting concept because it showed his understanding of the nature he was photographing.  Overall, Jim Brandenburg's project was amazing to me and I enjoyed learning how he came to decide which photo he would take each day.  Not only do the mistakes turn out to be beautiful sometimes, but taking one photograph a day makes that photograph that much better and special.  

Richard Misrach

After looking at the photos by Richard Misrach, I decided that the Desert Cantos were most interesting.  I like how the wide frame view of the scenic desert presented a wide range of colors and a distant view.  Many have the horizon in the center that gave a view of both the ground and the sky.  His photography style is similar to how I take scenic pictures, with the horizon line and the distant shots.  My favorite photo is the one with the ticket booth in Egypt with a pyramid in on the horizon line.  The focal point to the right of the booth contrasts well with the far shot of the pyramid.  Overall, his photography grabbed my attention and I enjoyed it.  

Sally Mann

I was expecting something different when we discussed the artist, but was surprised with how amazing her photographs were.  The emphasis on light was particularly interesting.  The images of her kids were beautiful pictures that shouldn't have been criticized.  Sally Mann's photography is unique in a way because it deals with her immediate family, yet the pictures are not just everyday images.  They incorporate light, angles, backgrounds, etc. and turn out to be amazing shots.  I liked her explanation of the children photos because it makes you realize she took them because that is the life she knew, and that it wasn't for a "pornographic" interest as many people criticized her for.  The shadow and lighting are illustrated in the picture I posted, and I really liked this photograph.