Tuesday, April 15, 2008

A Day In The Life....

I decided to document this chipmunk who resides in our back yard. This is a picture of his home from in between the slats of our porch. He lives under our shed in the hole on the left. This is where he gets most of his food and this is a close up of him digging in!!! Right out of our bird feeder. Clever little guy isn't he??

Before he eats he sits and looks out for any predators or possible photograghers taking pictures of him, but for a while on this day he didn't notice me.

I caught a great shot of him in action as he ran up his favorite resting place up to his food source.








This is where he goes to straight out of his home in the hole when he makes it across our deck. He perches himself up on the fence and waits to run up to the feeder.




This is a wider shot to see all of the fence the post and the feeder from a farther distance. A day in the life a a chipmunk may seem easy, but its a pensive one at best for him and a patient one for a photographer trying to get a glimpse of him doing all he does!









Thursday, April 10, 2008

Photoshopped German Girl

This is the pre photoshop photo it isn't as bright and she is wearing what she did in the original.After photoshop it was brighter and I changed the color of her shirt just for fun! Why not pink??



Sunday, April 6, 2008

More..by, James Nachtwey


East Germany 1990- pollution from a coke factory






Nicaragua 1984- Contra mortally wounded in jungle warfare







Afghanistan 1996- land mine victims learned to walk on prosthetic
legs at ICRC clinic


Resources, resources, resources

This article I found in EBSCO Host, in the Helmke Library.


THE UNFORGETTABLES. By: Goldberg, Vicki. American Photo, Jul/Aug2004, Vol. 15 Issue 4, p53-101, 3p, 1c, 1bw; (AN 13669030)



http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/

This is a website completely dedicate to James Nachtwey's Photography and has a lot of background and historical information on his work as an artist and on his achievements as well. The name of the site is called WITNESS, which I think is a very appropriate title for a photographer like Nachtwey.

http://www.festivalofthephotograph.org/2008/nachtwey.html

This site is called LOOK 3 James Nachtwey Events. This is not your typical gallery style site. The set up is really cool. Bright and vibrant it caught my attention. It focuses on why Nachtwey wanted to become a photographer and gives background information which inhis case is really pretty interesting and has a lot to do with the type of photographer he did become.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

James Nachtwey, "Photograghy's Neccessity"

Zimbabwe 2000 - a tuberculosis ward where the great majority of the patients
suffer from AIDS



Afghanistan 1986- Mujahedin praying while on an operation against the soviet army



Rwanda 1994 - survivor of a Hutu death camp


These photograph's are all very meaning full, and taken to speak for the people they are taken of. The people in these pictures are not of those who can tell the world of what is going on themselves. James Nachtwey is a storyteller, and he does not only tell the stories with happy endings or of those with smiling faces or expensives backgrounds. He tells the important stories, the ones not otherwise told. His artistic ability to do so with bad lighting and unattractive subjects is just another of his amazing qualities as an artist and photographer. He does his job with bravery, intuition and an upfront approach to his craft. I admire his work and think people should be even more aware of what goes on in our world, if dislplaying it in photography gets people to pay attention than lets take more pictures and use art to convey messages that may otherwise fall on deaf ears.



ART REVIEW; World's Cruelty and Pain, Seen in an Unblinking Lens. By: MICHAEL KIMMELMAN. New York Times (1/1/1985 to present), 3/28/2007, p1, 0p; (AN 28186192)

James Nachtwey. By: Fussman, Cal. Esquire, Oct2005, Vol. 144 Issue 4, p206-238, 7p, 2c, 2bw; (AN 18412224)


PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR. By: Nachtwey, James. American Photo, Jul/Aug2004, Vol. 15 Issue 4, p41-101, 10p, 4c, 2bw; (AN 13669029)
USEFUL RESEARCH
All of these should be helpful in the powerpoint presentation, all will be helpful in the different areas that are going to be highlighted. The "Art Review" will help with the angle on the presentation that James Nachtwey helped to show the world just as it is through a camera. Obviuosly the book on the photographer himself will be insightful as to facts on his life and more intimate details that will be needed. The last piece, "Photographer of the Year," will give more information as to achievements and awards that this artist recieved, and there were many.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Is Photography Dead???

This is a picture by Dorothea Lange, I think it is an excellent representation of the poor and broken in the depression era. I liked all of the different features in this photograph. The ad signs make for a great background at this make shift looking gas station. The people (most likely with no jobs at the time) all hanging around on the porch, the building that could be in much better shape. All of this contributes to what is being said in this picture, in the story telling of what is going on is fabulous. All of it is laid out so artisticly in one snapshot of what she is trying to base all of her work on. Its also just very entertaining to look at.







I thought this picture by Cindy Sherman was great! It was very stereotypical in one sense but at the same time combated everything that the mid twentieth-century house wife was labeled. She looks strong and confident. She also appears to be a no nonsense kind of sexy woman even in an apron and house shoes. She is in a common dress and a less than common setting but still seems to radiate glamour and self assurance. Almost as if a she is a spokes woman for all the down trodden to stand up for them selves and not feel bad about their roles as simple people.

I think that photography is more alive and on the move than ever. Just because something changes it doesn't mean it is dead. We do have more technology now, but it just gives photographers a chance to display images in a more real way, in the way the images looked and actually felt when they took them. Feelings and moods, heat and cold almost jump off the page if a photographer so chooses. Photographs look more real now than ever and also more creative and artistic choices and challenges as well. So if art changes does that mean its previos form is dead? I think not, has rock n' roll died


Thursday, March 20, 2008