Reflection – E-Portfolio

When I was first assigned to this e-portfolio assignment, to be honest, I was not too thrilled about it. I have to admit that I found writing weekly entries a bit of a hassle, especially on a topic which I did not know much about. Being a person who is barely active in the cyberspace, the idea of keeping a blog about my learning process and my reflections on photography was also a little uneasy for me.

However, my thoughts on this assignment took a turn short after. By my fourth post, I started to take pleasure in writing the entries. I was convinced and worried that I would not have enough topic to discuss and elaborate, but I was wrong. I realized that I was more in touch with photography than I led myself to believe. Having the freedom to write any related subject that interested me definitely brought an upside. I made use of any linkage and recollection that I had on light-based media, such as photographers to which I was introduced from my previous courses, a photo exhibition I attended, a photo advertisement I saw in the metro, and essays and book I read relating to photography. The in-class lectures and interactive discussions also served as a guide and provided ideas for the entries.

On the other hand, the reflections contributed to illustrate our learning process to the instructor, as well as to facilitate the understanding of the meaning and purpose behind each of our work. By documenting our learning and organizing our thoughts, the e-portfolios allow us to see our progress in acquiring photographic techniques and in gaining knowledge in the field of light-based media. With each student discussing photographers, educational aspects and personal inputs, our blogs became a virtual space where we learn from each other and share our discoveries, knowledge and experiences on photography.

Whither a blog on the cyberspace or hard copies share with the educator and peers, I believe that the weekly journal format assignment can be beneficial to the study in many subjects, and it is suitable for students of all ages. This longitudinal assignment will not only allow students to keep track of their learning, but I believe that it will also give them a sense of accomplishment.

Contrary to my initial perception, this e-portfolio has actually become the most enjoyable assignment for me in this semester. The concept of using a blog as a form of assignment was original and innovative. Nowadays, digital literacy is considered as a required skill in our daily life. I am glad that I was giving the occasion to create a blog and having the experience of maintaining it for a short while. I believe that this assignment not only incorporates the technology aspect in education but it also offered a more interesting way of learning.

Entry 11 – The Art of Photography

At the beginning of this course, a technical manual, A Short Course in Photography, by Barbra London and Jim Stone was recommended by the instructor to assist our study in light-based media. After knowing its price, I began to search for an alternative book that is more affordable and later discovered The Art of Photography by Bruce Barnbaum.

Barnbaum was a mathematical analyst and computer programmer who kept photography as a hobby for decades before changing his career path in late 1970. He then began teaching workshops and writing books on photography. He is recognized as one of the finest darkroom printers, and known for his exceptional works of black and white photography.

In The Art of Photography, Barnbaum shares his thorough knowledge in which covers all fields of photography, from the theories of composition, light and colour to the technical aspects of traditional and digital photography. At first, I thought it was a more of a “how to” manual that focuses solely on the photographic techniques, but I was glad to discover that Barnbaum dedicates a good portion of this book on the philosophy of personal expression, as well as the fundamental mindset of being a photographer. Due to his background of being a passionate hobbyist photographer for many years, the author discusses the outlook on the essential keys to succeed in achieving good photography, which includes communication, enthusiasm, and creativity.

Although I did not have the chance to advance much in the book, I appreciated greatly the pages that I have read.  According to Barnbaum (2013), a meaningful and successful photograph can allow the viewers to expand their vision, thoughts and horizons. It can evoke emotions and a thousand responses. To capture a meaningful imagery, we not only have to gain a deeper understanding of the world, either real or created, but we also have to respond to our interests. He emphasizes the importance of enthusiasm because he understands that it is the crucial factor to succeed in photography. Barnbaum ask his reader what we are drawn to, and what intrigues us, as he believes that we will most likely to achieve our best photographs in the field that interest us, either portraiture, landscapes or others. I definitely agree with Branbaum’s inputs, as I recall my instructor stressed on seeking subject matters that we find relevant and inserting meanings into our works.

Here are some of his works:

Bruce Barnbaum
Hollow & Points Peach Canyon

Bruce Barnbaum
Moonrise Over Cliffs & Dunes

Bruce Barnbaum
Layers Lofoten Islands

Bruce Barnbaum
The Louvre, Dusk

Bruce Barnbaum
Salmonberry and Corn Lily

Reference

Barnbeaum. B. (2010). The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression. Santa Barbara, CA: Rocky Nook

Entry 10 – Photo Manipulation

In the early days of photography, photo manipulation was manually done during the process of photo development in the darkroom. This includes double-exposure, retouching the film with ink or paint, as well as other tampering on the negatives, such as scratching, cutting or burning. The old fashioned photo editing could accomplish a similar result as digital manipulation; however, they are more difficult to achieve.

Grate Stern,                                                      Unidentified American artist
Dream No. 1 Electrical Appliance for the Home,     Man on Rooftop with Eleven Men in
1948                                                                 Formation on His Shoulders, 1930

Photo retouching nowadays deals photographs with computer softwares. The image editing programs became a tool for artists to incorporate their creativity to the original photographs to deliver their ideas. A couple approaches to photo manipulation would be digital collage – taking portions from multiple photographs to create a single image, and photo alteration – removing unwanted or flawed elements, reshaping subjects, enhancing colours and adjusting contrast. These digitally manipulated images are recognized as an art form under the terms digital or computer art, multimedia art, or new media art. This type of photographs is often employed in advertisement, with adoption of a surreal style or theme.

U.S. Army photograph
Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin at the Yalta Conference, 1945

While searching inspirations for my final assignment, I stumbled upon a German photographer/image artist, Anja Stiegler, who takes her viewers into a dreamy world with a mixture of surreal and conceptual images. She is a self-taught photographer who discovered her interest for photography and image editing in 2006. Music and everyday life are her inspirations to bring forth the feelings of freedom and happiness in her art.

Anja Stiegler
Blind Faith

Anja Stiegler
Through the Eyes of a Child

Anja Stiegler
Into the Blue

Anja Stiegler
Time to Leave

References

Pikabu. (2011). Meeting in Yalta, 1945 [Photograph]

  Retrieved from URL ( http://pikabu.ru/story/vstrecha_v_yalte_1945_god_305898)

Newman, K. (2013). Film Photo Manipulation, Before Photoshop [Photographs]

  Retrieved from URL (http://120pearls.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/film-photo-manipulation-b-p-before-photoshop/)

Stiegler, A. (2014) Portfolio [Photographs]

  Retrieved from URL (http://www.photoflake.com/portfolio/portfolio/)

U.S. Photograph. (1945). Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin at the Yalta Conference [Photograph]
  Retrieved from URL ( http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Fart_joke.jpg)

Entry 9 – Photography in Advertisement

“We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves. – John Berger

In an image-saturated society, advertisements can be spotted anywhere in our daily life. Publicity images can be seen on flyers, on the walls in metro walkways and the sides of buses, on billboards and even in your favorite magazine. Photography is the most important element of all advertisements, as it is the dominant feature in which attracts the viewers.

Although the purpose of advertising is to persuade spectators to consume advertisers’ commodities, the pictures that are being used have to achieve a certain connection with their audiences in order to attain their function. Some publicity aims to leave remarkable impression on their potential consumers by incorporating unusual, entertaining, and exaggerated photographs as an approach to get their message across.

Sometime last year, I came across an advertising campaign that captured my attention. It was a series of milk publicity in which based on five black and white photographs of people, each with a scene of different scenarios. Four of them were straight forward on suggesting either the beneficial factors of calcium in milk to the well-being of youth and elders, or the necessity of milk in coffee.

And there was this photograph that especially got me thinking. My interpretation was that the advertiser’s idea was to associate the comfort of a father’s presence at the wedding to the comfort that milk can offer us, taking from the perspective of the bride. I usually don’t reflect too much on advertisements, but as I was able to find a relation to this photograph, I think it is simple, clever and worth mentioning.

References

Berger, J. (1972). Ways of seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation.

La famille du Lait. (2012). Les parent et les enfants du réconfort [Photographs]
  Retrieved form URL (http://www.lafamilledulait.com/publivores/77-les_parents_et_les_enfants_du_reconfort)

My Modern Met (2010). Clever Ads: FedEx – Neighbors [Photograph]
  Retrieved form URL (http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/clever-ads-fedex-neighbors-3)

Showme Design. (2012). Print Advertisment [Photographs]
  Retrieved form URL (http://showmedesign.net/2012/02/15/print-advertisements/)

Shuffle. (2010). Art of Advertisment [Photograph]
  Retrieved form URL (https://katiec13.wordpress.com/category/advertisement/)

Reflection – Contact Sheet and Print

One of my peers and I had initially used Canon AV-1 to share a roll of film in order to discover the relation between the camera controls and the images results. Having no experience with operating a single lens reflex camera, nor the skill to presume the balance of the aperture and shutter speed to complement the lighting of the surround environments, our contact sheet revealed that more than half of the photographs we have taken were overly exposed.

Having to have experimented with Canon AV-1, I was grateful to have access to Canon Rebel Ti for this project. Unlike the former, the latter is a digital based camera that has more indications to assist the operator with the exposure control. Even with the full manual settings, the exposure level indicator would still appear in the viewfinder to facilitate on capturing correct exposure images. Therefore, I took the liberty to benefit from this camera.

Since I am  geographically disoriented, I had never given myself an opportunity to wonder around unfamiliar places by myself. For this project, I decided to take a mini adventure to explore the city and to document sceneries and things that interested me. After breakfast with a friend, I departed from my favorite creperie and set out into the Old Port. As I walked in this vintage section of the city, I eventually adopted architectures and street views as the general subjects in my two rolls of film.

Thanks to the previous experience of developing the experimental film with my peers, the process of developing of my final rolls went smoothly. With a few attempts, my contact sheets came out nicely as well. When it came to choosing the final photograph, it took me a moment to search for slides that were significant to me. As predicted, I ended up favoring the photographs that were more personal or had a special meaning to me, such as the first test shot of my morning latte, the table shot of my gloves and Chai, a close up shot of a street clock, as well as my two final shots of a wall filled with books and a piano in a second hand store.

My final print was not chosen from any of the shots that I described above. This one was actually a happy accident. As I was focusing on the buildings and was ready to press the shutter button, a couple came into the frame  from behind me. Instead of waiting for them to disappear into the vanishing point, I took the photograph. I used to be someone who would stick to the plan and dislike the unexpected, but now I have learned to appreciate the derails. This might not be the best photographs from all of my shots according to the requirements from this project’s grading rubric; nonetheless, the longer I look at this photograph, the more meanings it induced. I believe in the importance of having a connection with our own artworks, whether they evoke an experience, an emotion or a memory. A work of art that is meaningful to the creator can better convey an idea or a message to reach out to its viewers. For this reason, I have chosen this shot over my other ones.

My final print took me many trials to achieve its sharpness in focus and strong contrast. Once I reached a satisfying print result, I began to experiment with the filters.  Since I did not recall that we had to readjust the focus and re-explore the expose times  to achieve contrast, a few of my prints came out slightly blurry and fairly light. Further in my exploration with the filters, I ultimately settled with the 3 filter, because I believe it gave contrast to my print without losing its details. On a side note, now that I have experienced the pitch-black room for the purpose of film-retrieving, the darkroom does not seem too eerie anymore. In fact, I enjoyed the hours I spent in the darkroom in pursuing a good final print.

If I were to deliver this project, I would made some adaptations for participants as young as elementary level students. Instead of single lens reflex camera, I would assign them cameras with fixed-focus lens, known as the full-focus 35 mm camera to facilitate the operation in order to adapt to their age. Since darkroom might not be an appropriate working environment for young students, it is not a common asset in elementary schools. For this reason, I would place emphasis on exploring their themes, seeking meaningful subject matters, and grasping the rule of a third instead of focusing on the film and print developing progress and techniques. Similar to this assignment, I would offer students the freedom to discover their own learning process, ideas, and themes. Since students have diverse interests, allowing them the liberty to choose their own subjects can encourage engagement and promote creativity.

Overall, I enjoyed working on this assignment. Through the process of discovering, I acquired a more thorough notion on the relation of aperture, shutter speed, and lighting for the exposure control. The experimentation on the filters provided me the comprehension on the balance between expose time and the intensity of the filters. I now am looking forward to developing my other shots and seeing their results.

Entry 8 – Truth in Photography

“Nobody ever discovered ugliness through photographs. But many, through photographs, have discovered beauty.” – Susan Sontag

The topic of this week’s discussion was on how the digital age has influenced the authenticity of photography. I think the fundamental intention of altering photographs has a lot to do with the pursuit of beauty and perfection. Although beauty is subjective, the popular culture and mass media have taken a tremendous part in shaping our perception of the ideal beauty.

In the chapter “The Heroism of Vision” in Susan Sontag’s book On Photography, Sontag (1977) stated that “…the camera’s role in beautifying the world of photographs, rather than the world, has becoming the standard of the beautiful”. Since we have the tendency to only wanting to capture beautiful things, our concept of beauty, in return, is measured and shaped from these images.

According to Sontag (1977), people often feel anxious when being photographed due to the concern they have over their appearance on photographs. They generally wish to obtain an idealized image, to have their portrait looking at their best or more attractive. When the retouching technique on the negative was invented in the mid-1840, getting photographed had become more favored when people discovered that the camera could offer falsehood.

Aside from enforcing aesthetic, photo modification also provides other functions and benefits. With photo retouch softwares, we now can restore and add colours to damaged old photographs. Contrast and colour enhancing also come in handy for photographs that were taken under a bad lightning or wrong setting.

Finally, I want to share a few photographs of Jerry Uelsmann , a photographer who revolutionized the art of photography in the 1960’s. Way before the invention of Photoshop, Uelsmann had his approach to manipulate negatives in the darkroom to create surreal dreamlike images.

Jerry Uelsmann
Philistine's Eye, 1961

Jerry Uelsmann
Untitled, 1969

Jerry Uelsmann
Untitled, 1982

References

Duke, K. (2010). Kristen Duke Photography [Photograph]

  Retrieved from URL(http://www.theidearoom.net/2010/04/photography-with-kristen-dukephotoshop.html)

Lynch, E. (2013). Time-Lapse of the Restoration and Colorization of an Old Photo [Photograph]

  Retrieved from URL(http://laughingsquid.com/time-lapse-of-the-restoration-and-colorization-of-an-old-photo/)

President of the World. (2012, May 22). Body Evolution – Model Before and After [Video].

  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17j5QzF3kqE

Rosten, J. (2012, January 9). Fotoshop by Adobe [Video].

  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_vVUIYOmJM

Sontag, S. (1977). The Heroism of Vision . On photography. pp. 85-112. New York: Farrar, Straus an Giroux.

Uelsmann, J. (1961). Philistine's Eye [Photograph]
  Retrieved from URL(http://www.uelsmann.net/works.php)

Uelsmann, J. (1969). Untitled [Photograph]
  Retrieved from URL(http://www.uelsmann.net/works.php)

Uelsmann, J. (1982). Untitiled [Photograph]
  Retrieved from URL(http://www.uelsmann.net/works.php)

Entry 7 – Uses of Photography

In recent past, I came across a writer, John Berger, a man of letters who takes on many forms of writing. Berger is an author who is in touch with his intellectual senses on his surroundings; he writes about seeing from his experience, his viewpoint, and his way of looking at the world in depth of artistry. His essays revolve generally on the perception of things, such as paintings, photographs, cities, social and political issues.

In the chapter “Uses of Photography” in his book About Looking, John Berger writes his thoughts on this subject according to his responses to Susan Sontag’s book On Photography. In this essay, Berger unfolds his view of photograph as a reflection of memory. He is convinced that we use our memory to perceive photographs. Berger believes that the function of a photograph is not like any of other visual images, which serve as a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation; photograph is actually a trace of its subject.

Berger distinguishes photograph into two different uses; private photographs which serves as a reminder to trigger one’s mind of a person or a past event, and public photographs which offer information or a historical documentation. Private photographs, such as family portraits, provide a meaning because they evoke our memory. On the contrary, public photographs, such as news photos, do not supply meaning because their contents do not call up any of our memory, and for this reason, seeing public photographs is like seeing a memory of a total stranger.

I find that Berger’s observation in this essay neglected to include the use of photographs in art, which does not necessary deal with memory. Art photography does not fundamentally need to deliver the connection to social memory and experience in order to achieve its function. I believe that we can perceive meaning in photograph without having to reflect on our memory or our reality. The perception of art photographs is not accessing a stranger’s memory nor simply looking at the appearance of its subject.

Art photography, as it is a type of public photograph, provides information, but information in which express meanings. It operates similarly to painting; it is a mode of creative expression. Like paintings, numerous forms of art photography manifest the expressive perception and emotion of the photographer. Although this type of photographs is still just appearances, photographer could create, compose, fabricate and alter the content in order to produce a meaning and to deliver a message.

I agreed with how Berger addresses private photographs – serve a purpose as being a momento to recall reminiscence, and public photographs – offer reliable information, but I think that art photographs - present aesthetic visualization, should perhaps also be included under this observation.

Reference
Berger, J. (1980). Use of Photography. About looking. pp 52-67.  New York: Vintage International.

Reflection – Pinhole Project

Prior to this project, I had never heard about pinhole camera, let alone the concept of capturing image with a container and a piece of light-sensitive paper. Although I now understand the principle and the function of a pinhole camera, it still amazes me how a camera can be low-budget and simple.

My pinhole camera was made with a 5 ¼ in x 5 ¼ in x 2 ½ in cardboard gift box. The interior of the box was spread-painted in matt black. The lid of the box was punctured with a push-pin to create an aperture. The lid and the pinhole were sealed with masking tape for each loading of photographic paper to avoid any leakage of light from the exterior.

The principle of a pinhole camera might seem straightforward, but producing a decent photographic print with such an elemental device was not as effortless as pressing a shutter button. Since the aperture was set to a pinhole size, controlling the exposure time according to the brightness of the surrounding became the crucial key to achieve a successful print.

For my first attempt, I would say that it was partially successful, because I achieved on capturing a clear image, but the result had a round-edged effect. I was later informed by my instructor that this was resulted due to the blockage of light by the tiny excess paper hedge around the hole.  Although I like this ‘telescope‘ effect, my camera was not fit for creating the final print for this group assignment.

Nonetheless, I scraped off paper excess from around the hole and continued on experimenting with my camera. Since the theme of our project was Individual, Place, and Identity, I had a few attempts of capturing images at home. Although I followed the Exposure Guide table and tried to understand the Light Meter phone application as suggested by my instructor, my results from home still came out poorly. The multiple attempts of capturing one picture at a time from home and processing it at school later to discover the unsuccessful prints was frustrating.

In the end, I decided to give a few shots in school for experimental purpose. Because each pinhole camera's relation to the exposure time varies according to the structure of the camera and the brightness of the environment, it requires many trials in order to achieve proficiency at managing the exposure time. Since I was able to obtain the results faster, it facilitated my control of the exposure time. Here are a couple of my successful prints and their positives.

This project not only provided me the opportunity to learn about pinhole camera, but it also gave me a fruitful experience of working collaboratively with my peers. Although working in group does provide its challenges, the beneficial aspects of teamwork definitely outweigh its obstacles. Having this project as a group work actually provided many advantages. R. Johnson and D. Johnson (1988) found that “students learn more effectively and achieve more in cooperative interaction than in competitive or individualistic interaction”. Without the contributions of my teammates, I cannot imagine how I could have undertaken and accomplished this project by myself.

Working together to pursuit a common goal also gave us a chance to know each other better. According to Szalavitz (2004), collaborative learning encourages interaction, communication, discussion, and negotiation which lead to interpersonal development and social skills. In a society that strongly encourages individuality, I believe that cooperative learning can provide students opportunities to cross the barriers of race, culture, socio-economic status, and exceptionalities to better understand diversity and different viewpoints.

References

Johnson, R. and Johnson, D. (1988). Cooperative Learning: Two Heads Learn Better Than One. Transforming Education.

  Retrieved March 2, 2014, from http://www.context.org/iclib/ic18/johnson/

Szalavitz, M. (2004). Workshop: Cooperative and Collaborative Learning. Thirteen Ed Online.

  Retrieved March 2, 2014, from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/index_sub3.html