Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" is the original shock art

Piss Christ, seen here with partial damage, depicts the passion of Christ 

and is said to be made with the artist's own urine. 

Naturally there is still an incredible amount of controversy over this work most obviously coming from the religious standpoint. People took it as a slam against Christianity, a work of sacrilege and they were naturally offended by it. However, the side that most people failed to see that was brought up as a rebuttal to the skeptics was that the it possesses a richly traditional dimension. The passion of Christ has always been associated with bodily fluids – it is true that artists traditionally stressed blood rather than urine, but they scarcely stinted on the revulsion of Christ's fleshly death.

Piss Christ can be legitimately compared to the horrible sores and green pus on the body of Grunewald's Christ in the Isenheim altarpiece, or painted wooden statues in baroque churches with their lifelike gore and jewelled tears, or Caravaggio's Saint Thomas sticking his finger in Christ's spear wound.

So although it at first seems like a work of blasphemy and most people cannot see past that it is possible that instead of simply writing this off as a work of a lunatic we could in fact be looking at the work of a genius.

Jones, Jonathan. "Andres Serrano's Piss Christ Is the Original Shock Art." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.

Richard Avedon Portraits

Richard Avedon is a particularly interesting portrait photographer because of the subjects that he chooses for his images. In most cases they are presumably from rural areas and they show evidence of perhaps hardships and hard labor in their faces, poses and clothing.

In this image we see two teenagers, possibly a couple, posing together. I think this is a particularly interesting piece by Avedon because of the irony that is present. The girl on the right is wearing a shirt that says "Mann" when she is clearly a woman. I also think there may be a statement being made here about gender roles. The stance that the man is making with his hand in his pocket and his other hand around the neck and shoulder of the girl is clearly one of assumed power while the girl holds her arms behind her back and looks off into the distance in a sort of submissive way. I may be wrong but I think if this is what Avedon had intended then it is a very subtle and interesting way of making a statement.

"THE RICHARD AVEDON FOUNDATION." THE RICHARD AVEDON FOUNDATION. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013.

Lauren Greenfield: THIN

 "Thin" is an in depth photographic documentation about the treatment of eating disorders. Thin provides a window into the complicated and difficult process of treatment, the culture of rehab and the experience of struggling with an eating disorder.

In therapy the residents in the facility were made to eat "fear food" such as Pop Tarts, doughnuts and candy bars and then discuss their feelings afterwards.

Where an image such as this could be easily staged the clear emotions that Greenfield captures on the faces of her subjects give us an immense sense of sympathy for what is occurring in this particular moment in time.

The residents in the facility are on a regulated meal plan and their individual therapists check their plates after each meal to ensure a sufficient amount of food has been consumed by each patient.

An image like this is incredibly powerful because it essentially shows the cause of the problem and the result. The initial cause was obviously food leading to poor self image and the effect is the brittle figure shown by this poor woman's bony hands. This creates a powerful self-telling image that leaves the viewer awestruck.

"Lauren Greenfield Photography - Thin Photographs." Lauren Greenfield Photography - Thin Photographs. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.

Street Photography

Garry Winogrand

Winogrand is a painter turner photographer. In 1948 at Columbia University he was shown his first darkroom and he never looked back. Described as "an undisciplined mixture of energy, ego, curiosity, ignorance, and street-smart naiveté," the Bronx native photographed incessantly, mostly on the streets, working as a freelance photographer for a picture agency and eventually publishing journalistic images in numerous magazines throughout the fifties. 

In 1960 he began to take a more artistic approach to his work which is how he truly left his mark on the world of photography. He was known for this candid shots, especially of women on the street. 

 

"Garry Winogrand." / Biography & Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"Garry Winogrand (Getty Museum)." Garry Winogrand (Getty Museum). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Robert Capa and Documentary Photography

Capa photographically documented five different armed conflicts: Spanish civil war, second Sino-Japanese war, World War 2, the 1948 Arab–Israeli war and the first Indochina war. Capa also documented also the course of World War 2 in London, Northern Africa and Italy, the invasion of Normandy of the allies and the liberation of Paris. In all of his photographs there is a narrative clearly laid out. He also conveys a sense of emotion in his images that draw us in and give us a more personal glimpse into what is happening in the image. 

Without knowing exactly what the subject matter is in this photograph we can tell that it is during a time of war and it appears that this soldier is trekking through a body of water. This photograph was in fact taken during the storming of Normandy beach. Capa was on multiple occasions accused of staging his photos but he would reply by saying "The truth is the best picture, the best propaganda." 

"Robert Capa - Masters of Photography." Robert Capa - Masters of Photography. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.

My HDR Shots

In order to create a High Dynamic Range shot you need to take a series of photographs shot at various exposures. Your ideal range would have highly overexposed photograph that could capture the details in the dark areas of the composition and a highly underexposed photo that could capture the detail in the lightest lights. You then use the feature "merge to HDR pro" feature in Adobe Photoshop which compiles these images into one shot with a full range of value and maximum detail. This feature can also make corrections in the alignment of the photographs to create the sharpest image possible. These are some examples of my attempts with HDR shooting. 

Jeff Wall

"I begin by not photographing"

 

When Wall first sees something that he likes or finds interesting he does not photograph it. He looks at it and thinks about it but does not capture it in an image. He then goes back a rebuilds the scene in which he remembers and takes photographs of the remake. He tells a story of walking by three or four young people covered in tattoos, sitting under a tree on a summer day. When Wall decided to recreate this piece it took him nearly a year. He went back and used a more pictorally interesting tree and background setting and different people but still with the same idea of the scene that had caught his eye before.

 

 

 

"The reconstruction is a transformation that leads to something faithful"

 

 

 

"Jeff Wall: "I Begin by Not Photographing"" YouTube. YouTube, 07 July 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.

Jerry Uelsmann & Maggie Taylor: This Is Not Photography

He experiments in a darkroom. She composes on a computer screen. Together, husband-and-wife artists Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor create haunting, layered dreamscapes that push the boundaries of photography's possibilities. This documentary from lynda.com explores both the technical and emotional aspects of Jerry's and Maggie's work, from the composition to the criticism, with insight from other preeminent voices in photography.

Jerry Uelsman: "My main technique involves combination printing."

Combination printing is the technique of using the negatives of two or more images in conjunction with one another to create a single image. The results of these experiments are just incredible. Jerry Uelsman is one of my favorite if not my absolute favorite photographers.

 

 

 

http://www.uelsmann.com/

"Features." Jerry Uelsmann. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Maggie Taylor: "If all the shadows are not quite in the right place, I like it a little better."

Taylor has created a method of editing photographs that came before programs such as photoshop but follows the same basic principles. She uses digital methods in order to achieve a surrealistic composition that results in beautiful works of art.

 

 

http://www.vervegallery.com/?p=artist_gallery&a=MT&g=1&r=1&photographer=Maggie%20Taylor

"Represented Artists at VERVE Gallery of Photography." Represented Artists at VERVE Gallery of Photography. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

HDR Shooting

 

In this incredible image the artist has used high dynamic range to capture the beautiful detail of this old decaying shipwreck. The immense detail and vivid color of the boat in the foreground is balanced nicely with the strong blues and large range of value shown in the sky and clouds in the background. The placement of the wreck also draws interest because the boat is not quite centered in the composition and it is leaning at a slight angle. The colors in the composition are vivid, not washed out, and at the same time the artist has not overly saturated them which creates an almost dreamlike quality that adds to this beautiful image.


Ásmundur Þorkelsson

http://www.flickr.com/photos/asmundur/133381950/
Asmundur. "I Have Sailed the Seven Seas ..." Flickr. Yahoo!, 23 Apr. 2006. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.

Table-Top Photography

 

 

Lori Nix

"Beauty Shop"

 

http://pdnphotooftheday.com/2011/06/9906

"Photo Magazine | Photography Magazine | Photos Magazine | Professional Photographer Magazine | Photo News | Best News Photos." PDN Photo of the Day RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.

 

In this photograph Nix has utilized table-top photography in order to create an image that looks as though it has been edited in a surreal manner but it is in fact a miniature set created by the artist. Nix creates these scenes by hand to replicate a real life setting. By incorporating the hand reaching into the scene she has given a surrealistic sense to the image while also giving us an

idea of the scale to which the scene was built. As far as quality of the actual miniatures that she has created it is in the style of an old run down beauty salon and she has used various techniques to give the impression of dirt and grime throughout the piece. This creates a very unique effect and also feeds the idea that this could actually be the inside of a run down salon somewhere in the world. The immaculate attention to detail that she has completely pays off in the final composition of this scene.

STEVE O'LOUGHLIN

http://www.mccelticdesign.com/americanceltic.php

"Michael Carroll - American Celtic." Michael Carroll - American Celtic. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.

 

 

In this painting O'Loughlin uses a repetitious swirling pattern that

creates a rhythmn and movement throughout the piece. The variety in size of the

individual curves of the design create a much more interesting piece

than had the curves been restricted to a uniform size.

Similarly,the circular designs that are contained within the

swirling pattern are both repetitious as well as varied. Each of the areas

are in the shape of a circle however, the detailed patterns inside of them as

well as the size used are also varied. At the same time the arrangement

of them creates a harmonious composition that unifies each

of the individual pieces. The color palette used mainly consists

of the complementary colors orange and blue. This creates a striking piece

that is hard not to notice immediately. The repetition of these two colors throughout

the entire piece nicely ties together every element that O'Loughlin has used.

Scanography - Ken Ketcham

Ken Ketchum utilizes scans of various different kinds of objects to create these beautiful images that cannot be considered anything other than fine art. These images are not simply random objects strewn across the surface of a scanner. There is thought and rhythmn and flow and pattern in his pieces. Whether it is the color that he uses or the layout in which he place the items. In many of his pieces he even goes steps further using the scans to create patterns by overlaying and multiplying them to create beautiful, classic and unique images. The work that Ketcham creates could not be called anything other than fine art.

 

"Scanography." Scanography. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.

http://kenketchum.viewbook.com/album/scanography?p=1&s=UA-22404387-1#8

Diane Fenster Photography

THE WALLS OF THE CITY SPEAK

 

 

"A BLUE FLAME DENOTES DISAGREEMENTS." A BLUE FLAME DENOTES DISAGREEMENTS.

N.p., n.d. Thurs. 7 Feb. 2013.

http://www.art.net/~fenster/ritofab_Home/blueflame.html

 

 

 

 

"TO DREAM OF A KEEN-EDGED SWORD." TO DREAM OF A KEEN-EDGED SWORD.

N.p., n.d. Thurs. 7 Feb. 2013.

http://www.art.net/~fenster/ritofab_Home/dream.html

 

 

 

T H E - P O I N T - O F - E M E R G E N C E - S E R I E S

(this series includes nine images total, I've included two examples here)

"NIGHT ONE." NIGHT ONE. N.p., n.d. Thurs. 7 Feb. 2013.

http://www.art.net/~fenster/ritofab_Home/night1.html

 

"NIGHT TWO." NIGHT TWO. N.p., n.d. Thurs. 7 Feb. 2013.

http://www.art.net/~fenster/ritofab_Home/night2.html

 

 

 

 

Capturing Water

 

For this assignment we were to capture water using various different methods.

For capturing running water the settings were to use a long shutter speed as well as

a filter for a glowing effect, or we used a very fast shutter speed to catch a still of the water.

For some of the images I used a colorizing technique which could isolate and

enhance certain colors in the image. We were also taught a technique called high pass
sharpening (which I used in the image of the fish tank) which brings out some fine detail
that may have been otherwise lost.

 

 

 

 

 

Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham

"Leaf Pattern"

 

In this image you are first drawn in by the dynamic shapes used. They all

appear to be reaching towards something relatively near the lower middle area of the photograph. Another element of this photograph that makes it so successful is

the high range of values. There is an overwhelming presence of the darkest darks, nearing black but there is also this refreshing splash of white which lightens

the tone of the image. The ambiguity of the subject matter also creates a point of interest

because we are not quite sure what exactly we are looking at. There

seems to be a leafy quality to the figures on the left but this is then challenged by

the almost graphic looking elements on the right. This image is an excellent example

of how an image taken from life can serve in a graphic design sense.

 

 

 

Photoshop Tutorial

In this Photoshop Tutorial you learn how to colorize a black and white

photograph. This is useful particularly for old photographs as well

as any other photo that may have been shot in black and white.

Adding color is simple. The tricky bit is the selection process. This

tutorial is meant to demonstrate the process of adding

color to a black and white photo.

 



http://cgpitstop.com/tutorial-photoshop-cs6-colorize-a-black-and-white-photo/

 

 

Composition and Lighting

ANSEL ADAMS

 

In this image by Ansel Adams the composition provides us with a fluid motion that draws our eye

from the bottom left corner through the upper center of the image. This is accented by the delicate use of lighting

on the tops of some of the branches in the foreground. The fact that the background shadows fade to

absolute black gives a strong sense of depth. You can almost imagine something living behind this

wooden fortress waiting to jump out at you.

 

Depth of Field Assignment

In this assignment we were to take pictures that would show short, deep and creative use of depth of field. Depth of field is the area in the image that is in focus. These images show creative, deep and short depth of field respectively.

Non-Destructive Editing with Camera Raw

Katrin Eisman-

This video shows you how to nondestructively edit camera raw, JPEG, or TIFF files using Camera Raw in Photoshop. You learn how to manage basic settings, as well as manage settings for curves, sharpening, HSL, grayscale, and split toning.

http://www.adobe.com/designcenter-archive/video_workshop/html/vid0006.html

 

Depth of Field

Walker Evans

 

This photograph utilizes an incredibly long depth of field. He is able to capture detail in the foreground while still maintaining the background details as well. This photograph is also successful because of the wide range of values used. He captures the lightest lights as well as darkest darks without losing the mid-range greys. The background begins to become a bit cloudy due to the atmospheric interferance but overall it is a successful photograph with a deep depth of field.

 

 

 

 

PAUL STRAND

In this image Strand utilizes a short depth of field and due to the intricate detail that he captures in the image as well as the variety of value this is an incredibly successful image. The elements that he includes in the image are all natural organic elements but through the use of the straight lines in the grass he has divided up some of these organic shapes.

60 Second Lessons to Improve Your Photography

http://www.idigitalphoto.com/improve-your-photos/


They have lessons on everything from light to color to flash to timers. You can improve your skills 60 seconds at a time!

Civil Rights

Bob Adelman, Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham, 1963. Gelatin silver print. © Bob Adelman

 

“The police and firemen used a brute show of force to try to stop the ongoing demonstrations. It didn’t work on this day. Rather than fleeing, the protestors hung on to each other and were able to stand up to the full fury of the water, though not without casualties. I have never witnessed such cruelty. There was almost as much moisture behind the lens as in front.”

 

The motion that is captured in this photograph is incredible. It gives a real sense of a moment in time.

There is also a visual sense of balance shown through the arms of the two men being raised up

at the same angle but in different parts of the crowd. The one man in the front is in almost

extreme focus while the others fade into the mist all the way to the very background of the photograph.

This provides us with a feeling that perhaps this man in leading the movement and also visually

lends our eyes a place of focus.