Greetings from Portland!
Let us turn our attention back to our 84 days Blog. There are some beautiful things happening in them. If you look at them from beginning to end, you will find that some have morphed into complex and meaningful bodies of work. Others continue to strengthen as formal explorations.
Allow this critique to address the overall meaning and or functionality of each classmates 84 blog. Deconstruct the group of images, and try and explain to the maker how these images work for you. It is OK if you describe something that the maker did not intend to imply. It is the stuff that helps us understand our own work and how vastly rich it can be. IMPORTANT. Revisit our last reading and address your classmates work with some of that formal language (Marxist Theory/Modernist Theory/ Postmodern Theory, for some examples).
Keep up the good work. I will be posting my two cents on this weeks HW tomorrow. I am still on the move!
X,
V
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* AMANDA- I like the collage way you have chose to display some of the images rather than the vertical row of images. It makes it a little less easy to distinguish each individual eye and therefore creates a more interesting aesthetic. I think with a little more help or work in Photoshop the collage could be even more interesting. I’m still kind of unclear about what exactly your concept is, or what you are going for, because I cannot find the artist statement. Your blog has morphed into a interesting visual dialogue and your photos have continuously improved. Nice work.
ReplyDelete* ANDREW- Your images are like a window into a world or subculture I know very little about. The images are intriguing and make me want to learn more. I like the way each week you explore a different sub theme of your concept (techniques, gender, disability, etc). In the beginning of the semester I was kind of confused about exactly what you had in mind for your blog, now it is much clearer. I think what makes this series so powerful is the extreme diversity of set from each week and the fact that most of us probably know very little about this way of life, and yet these images make us want to learn more.
* APRIL- Your images are very interesting and perhaps one of the most fun blogs to look at each week, for me at least. Your images force us to spend more time than we might normally spend looking at each image, because we are trying to figure out what it is. This is a very strong aspect of your work and this series because from our curiosity comes a more detailed and intimate look at your images.
* ASHLEIGH- The images that seem to work best and are the strongest for me are the ones with strong contrast or the ones that present that nostalgic type feeling. For example, the firework image, and the images of the flowers are beautiful images because of the nice contrast and other formal qualities. The images of Jerry’s and of the car are strong both formally and because the present that feeling of nostalgia. If you continue in one or both of these directions, I think the rest of your blog will develop nicely.
* BEN- Your blog is another one of the fun ones to look at each week. Like April’s the force you to really look at and study them, at first to figure out what they are and then to admire the nice formal properties that each seem to have. Your images make the viewer want to reach out and touch them which is awesome. It is a multi-sensory experience and I think would be a great exhibit, if further developed in science museum or gallery for children. Really great concept and series of images.
ReplyDelete* BRYAN- I usually don’t like a lot of editing or manipulation of images in Photoshop because it ends up making the images appear too artificial. However, that is what I love and enjoy most about your images in this blog. The way in which you chose to edit and add these effects just works. The quality of images you are producing mixed with the bold effects produce incredible images that are both fresh and beautiful to the eye.
* CRAIG- These photos give me the sense of relaxation in the way that they remind me of sitting in a chair or something and looking out the window. I really appreciate the contrast between the inside darkness of the interior compared to the outside light in most of your photos. I also really enjoy the geometric quality of these images. The top image is the strongest in my opinion, the way the window frames the outside creates a beautiful photo and is especially interesting if you look at each individual rectangle by itself.
* DAVID-Your images are funny and tell a story and I really appreciate that theatrical aspect of your concept. The images are also very strong formally. I like the weeks where the shoes are outside, it gives a better sense of adventure and goes better with your concept I think.
* DON- I’m not sure which concept you are sticking with but I like the chrome set images more I think. I think it is because these are all closer up and detailed and I appreciate these details and objects more. I do however appreciate and enjoy the complete opposite quality of the other sets of images. The distance and spy like aspect of the other images are very interesting. Your images are great photo narratives and could leave the audience intrigued and involved for a long time.
ReplyDelete* DONALD-Your images are all very strong. The mix of texture and rich color really works. The concept is great and I like the sense of certain emotions and feelings associated with the color. I think it is really interesting how when I look at some of these images, those same emotions are evident. Your blog reminds me a little bit of Rothko because of the association of color to emotion and because of the texture aspect. On a really large scale, like Rothko’s paintings, I think your photos would have the same strong emotional effect on the viewer. Very interesting.
* KENDA- Great quality images formally. I really enjoy the up closeness of the photos and the way we only get to see a glimpse of some of the objects in the images. This type of photo works great with the geocaching concept and for me at least makes me want to start geocaching again. I really enjoy these images.
* MELISSA-Your images formally are amazing and I think you may have one of the strongest concepts of the group. Your images tell such a variety of different stories from photo to photo and could present an interesting social commentary. The issue of pharmaceutical drug use in excess is something I have been interested in for a while. Your images portray that dependency in very interesting and thought provoking ways.
* SHELLEY- My favorite thing about your photos is the VERY strong formal quality. The shapes, lines, and colors are fantastic. The light concept really works. The contrast between light and shadow is also very interesting. Very strong photos.
ReplyDelete* STU- So many of these images are great formally, while others are more conceptual and I like the mix. The aspect I enjoy most from your concept is the intimate and personal qualities. It is like we get second hand look at your world through your eyes and it is super cool.
* SUZANNE- What I enjoy most about your images are the personality that comes through in a lot of your photos. I really enjoy the photos where the hands are in awkward positions or doing things they’re “not suppose to be doing” I really like the boob image, the one with the pipe, the spikey hair, the ones , the hand on the head, the knife, and the candle. I also like the way you experimented with the water, some of those images are really interesting.
AMANDA
ReplyDeleteI think that the human eyes are more interesting than the animal eyes but that may just be a personal preference but the overall theme is well represented.
ANDREW
Your blog is exactly what it should be, I feel like I’m following your adventure for the summer and love the random insights you throw in with the pictures.
APRIL
Blog looks great, I believe the images are doing exactly what you’re intending but making me stop and think about what the object is and see an entirely new perspective of everyday things.
ASHLEIGH
I’m enjoying see the world through black and white. Most B&W images out there these days are very planned out photographs while yours have a unique everyday life quality that makes the really stand out. I would suggest trying to take pictures that have more black and white too them and less overall grey tones.
BEN
Love the pictures, every single one is just full of texture that I can imagine in my head. The overall concept is working really well and is unique since it evokes another sense (touch) through sight.
BRYAN
Great images, the less real they look the better they are. Keep pushing the envelope on your photoshop work. I want to see really out there stuff.
CRAIG
I think one of the things that stands out to me from these pictures is the lack of people which give the photos an extra creepy feeling. I know that wasn’t intended but just something I’ve noticed. Pictures flow well and would suggest finding windows that are other random shapes to mix it up.
DON
ReplyDeleteThe blog is really disjointed since you’ve had trouble with a topic. I’d suggest deleting everything that doesn’t have to do with the topic of your pictures. I like the random fast food pictures though.
DONALD
Every time I scroll down your blog I feel like I’m in a trance. The concept is really working, don’t change a thing.
KENDA
All really solid images compositionally and thematically, keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing. Love the mystery associated with the pictures as well.
MELISSA
It’s amazing just how many different meanings this chair can have. Every photo changes the representation of the chair. Really engaging work.
SABRA
The blog is turning out really well. It’s amazing what stuff people just throw out which is probably the best part looking to see what random stuff you’ll find next. Great work compositionally as well.
SHELLEY
A few of the images don’t say illumination to me but overall the theme is working well, makes you think about how much stuff we make with lights on it.
STU
The theme is working really well. I’m always amazed by how well you highlight something that is pretty much overlooked by everyone. Love the ones with random details in them such as the cat.
SUZANNE
The evolution of the hands now interacting with things has made the images so much more interesting. They feel like snapshots of larger stories and make me wonder what the whole story is.
* AMANDA
ReplyDeleteA collage of images is definitely the way to go. It creates more interest and I find myself gazing at the images longer than if they were lined up individually on the page. I find it difficult in trying to find one theory that fits your work. It shows elements of the realist theory; this work could be a scientific documentation of the eyes of different species. These photos appear to be truthful, with the exception of one, the photo of the “eye” of the peacock feather, which isn’t really an eye at all. Also, these images appear to be found or searched for instead of created which is an element of modernist theory.
* ANDREW
I like that you kept true to the blog like style and that you comment on your images. It really gives the images something more and helps us understand them better than if the were just on their own. It really tells a story. As for a theories, the realist theory I think describes the way these images come across. It appears as documentation of related events, very straightforward and true.
* ASHLEIGH
These photos definitely appear as someone’s personal memories of places and things, while some photos are nostalgic to me as well not all of them are, perhaps because I haven’t been to those same places. Some images, however, like the image of the cars outside the little drug shop and grocery store, feel nostalgic to me even though I know I’ve never been there, I feel that I have.
I think modernist theory best describes these photographs. It seems these subjects were found and not created and that no alterations were made in the images.
* BEN
These are really interesting images. I find myself staring at some wondering what they are, but they all seem pretty familiar. The theory that I would say best describes these images is the realist theory. These images also seem to be very true and probably found subjects, not created so the modernist theory may fit as well.
* BRYAN
These are appearing as surrealist images. They seem alien and new and very fascinating. Some are familiar, but bizarre at the same time. These are great images keep it up. I find it difficult to chose a theory that best describes these photos, maybe post-modernist theory best fits. These images seem to be found, but created at the same time. In reality I know photoshop was used and editing was done, but some of the images appear to be true as if they were found and shot, but the weren’t. The were fabricated and manipulated which makes me thin post-modernist. They really challenge they eye and the perception of truth.
* CRAIG
These images are very straightforward and real. It seems no manipulation was done. It’s really interesting to see the geometric man-made shapes juxtaposed the organic shapes of nature.The theory that would best describe these images is probably modernist, although it seems that realist theory could fit as well.
* DAVID
ReplyDeleteThese images are really fun to look at. It’s like documenting flip-flops that are tired of being shoes. It’s hard for me to chose a theory that best fits. Knowing they’re staged it’s hard to say they’re modernist, so maybe post-modernist fits, although they don’t appear to be altered other than that. The seem very real and true other than the fact that the subject matter is staged.
* DON
The chrome images work, but I find the restaurant images even more interesting. I’ve never actually stared into restaurant windows like that and never really though to. There’s something about it that’s fascinating. It definitely feels like the modernist and realist theories. The images feel found and unaltered, and true to what they are.
* DONALD
These are really interesting textures. I find myself staring and wondering what some of them are. The textures are so rich I can really feel them just by looking at them. I definitely think the modernist theory describes these images best. They feel like they were found and unaltered. The feel like objective images. If I were to see the actual objects myself, I would think they look exactly how these images portray them.
* KENDA
These images are really interesting to look at and its an interesting subject. These images seem very true and unaltered which makes me think the modernist theory would best describe the group of images. The realist theory may be seen as well.
* MELISSA
It’s a really interesting concept and all these images are doing it justice. They’re really fascinating to look at. I love how the chair almost seems to become a person or take the place of someone. Id definitely feels like the post-modernist theory applies here. The chair seems cleverly staged to invoke feelings in the viewer. The images don’t appear to be obviously manipulated other than that. It’s interesting the array of different emotions a chair sculpture can induce when placed in different areas.
* SABRA
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting how trash can become art, as usually it’s considered an eye-sore. These images really are doing just that, reinventing trash as art. The modernist theory seems to apply best here, as it seems the trash was just found and documented as opposed to being staged or manipulated in any way.
* SHELLEY
The images I find most interesting are the images of the source of light themselves. The modernist theory probably describes these images best. They seem to be found images, unaltered. Very real and straightforward to what they truly are. At the same time they are recreated as fascinating images.
* STU
The geometric quality of the images are really interesting. It also amazes me how some many pictures of nothing but corners of rooms can be so interesting. The also seem to portray different emotions. I can see the modernist theory in these images as they do not appeared staged or altered in any and appear to be true.
* SUZANNE
I like the experimentation with different objects. The images of the hands in the shower are especially intriguing. It’s hard for me to say what theory fits best. These images are very real and seem true and unaltered. I’m guessing most of them are staged, which makes me think post-modernist, but they are very believable and seem almost realist in theory.
-Amanda: I really think the collage works very well. It's interesting to look at, but I think that the other images you have posted up here with the whole animal head that allows us to identify the type of eye you're showing us are very helpful as well and contribute to your collages. Nice work, and thumbs up for finding so many different creatures!
ReplyDelete-Drew: Your photos are starting to give a sense of freedom in two ways. One, the freedom to go anywhere and explore, but also the freedom of being able to make yourself into what or who you want. I know, corny post, but it's true I didn't know how else to say it. The tour de France pictures in combination with your portraits post-workout and the fish oil supplements have a strong sense of determination. Even though some pictures are a bit out of focus, the collection is fun to take in.
-April: Your images are very consistent in terms of holding true to what you set out to do. My favorite one is the one with the close up of the pencils because you have geometry and direction and a bright color working together. Blog looks good!
-Ben: Love the amount of variety you're giving us here and also the distance you're putting between the subject and the camera. You're letting us understand what we're looking at, and you're consistent in your theme. Your images are strong as individuals, but I also think they work well together when scrolling down the page.
-Bryan: You have some amazing pictures here!! You've defiantly gotten far away from the whole calendar thing. The effects you're adding to the pictures I'm guessing in photoshop support your images instead of taking away from them and make each picture unique and interesting. Great job!
-Craig: You're consistent with your artist statement, and a theme is apparent. I think you're being very smart in having the room from which you're shooting being dark in the photo to where it does not distract from what you're trying to show: the outside. I think you should try to get an ocean view though, or something from just a perspective that we don't see everyday, unless you're intentions are to show just the university from inside, in which case I think you should mention that in your artist statement.
ReplyDelete-David: Still very funny, very consistent and true to your theme. My favorite one is the one on the scale, because a story of a bigger lady who just rocketed out of her flip flops after seeing how much she weighed on the scale. Now her shoes are abandoned on that scale while she is swinging on the shower-curtain rod, only to break the rod in half and fall into the bath tub, cracking the bathtub and it flooding immediately...and so on. My point: every picture has a narrative and it's refreshingly funny! Great photos!
-Don: I think both are good concepts. I personally am more fond of the crome one, because I like the shots that you have, but I think the dining one is interesting. Looking forward to seeing which one you go with!
-Donald: You're doing colorful textures, looked good before, looks good still, I don't know what else to say about it much except it's fun to scoll down and look at the colors pass.
-Kenda: You're pictures are magnificent! I feel like they're very consistent in quality, and I like when you find colorful things. Your blog looks great, no criticism here! And I know you're in school almost every monday and wednesday because I hear your voice when I walk past the offices...You know, not to creep you out or anything.
-Melissa: You're very consistent in terms of quality and staying true to your theme. I think every picture has good content and could be talked about lots, but I find the one in the chem lab? with the models of molecules or what that is very interesting, since it's a chair of medicine bottles. Good work!
ReplyDelete-Sabra: I feel like you think about every image in terms of what way you could best capture the 'personality' of the trash which is funny, because it's trash! And I think that that's why you're images are working so well. You're treating them in a very courteous and formal way.
-Stu: You're images are consistent and work well with your concept. It's interesting to see corners you've chosen that are outside. You said that you find comfort in corners, I just assumed that you would feel most comfortable inside where a corner might provide more seclusion like in a room. Very nice.
-suzanne: These hands are very expressive and I feel like the poses your subjects are choosing tell a lot about them. The way you're framing the hands is very well done. Your blog looks good as well. Everything looks great!
AMANDA-I enjoy how you branched out from the human eye and started photographing the eyes of other creatures and even patterns that look like eyes. I think yours has morphed into an expanding view of the patterns and designs of the eye itself. I thought the collage was also pretty interesting to look at.
ReplyDeleteANDREW-I was a little confused as to what you were trying to do at first but after some time and more images it starts to make a little more sense. Your images do take us into another time and another world which most of us most likely don’t know much about. The images all go together well and fit nicely in your subject.
APRIL-I love to look at your images! Most of them have a professional composition and although some are blurry, they all make sense as macro shots. It’s been a lot of fun trying to guess what each picture is. Overall your pictures have a very modern feel to me with the obvious use of macro technology.
ASHLEIGH-It’s a decent collection of black and white photos. I feel that they all represent your desired subject matter of everyday things you see in black and white. Overall it makes a statement about seeing things from other perspectives and in this case for me it’s seeing things as history being in black and white.
BEN-Yours is another one I enjoy looking at trying to figure out what it was you took pictures of. Textures are all very interesting and are everywhere. I would say that yours is a good source to sum up the actually feeling of different surfaces and textures using photography. It’s interesting how pictures that deal heavily in texture seem to also make great patterns.
CRAIG-Your project is all about being boxed in. All I can ever think about is how I long to be in the pictures the windows create. The frames and edges are all dark and bleak kind of like the stereotypical desk job might be and just waiting for freedom to go out and play. The exit signs in a few of the pictures add almost a humorous accent if your thinking about the photograph as being boxed or jailed in.
DAVID-Yours honestly could also be another book. A book you’d find on the coffee table at star bucks or something. You’d probably find quite a few people turning the pages till the end. Your photographs definitely feel like they’ve been done by someone who knows what they are doing. The shoes give the impression of someone who was there at one point but the humorous placement casts a lightness about it that’s like a playfully clumsy puppy.
ReplyDeleteDON-I love the voyageristic shots vs. the chrome. The chrome shots are good ones of course, but not as interesting to me or “exploratory” for you I think. You seem to have had to explore the space a little with a cowbell with the uncomfortable spy shots. If you had to pick one I’d pick the spy shots for this project.
DONALD-You also have the shots that make me guess what it is. I know you were doing colors but they still came across to me as macro guessing shots. I think you really gave us strong images to ask the question, “What’s more important, color or texture?” You really did a good job with that. Again, it gave me something to do besides just look at photographs and to that effect you achieved your statement.
KENDA-I enjoyed your photos very much because of the level of professional quality and composition you’ve got. I love the macro stuff and it was necessary for your project to not give too much away, but also it really fed the interesting photo bug for me. The meaning of your project could be simply a documentary of the geocaches you’ve found which is by all means great!
MELISSA-Your project could also be a fun book you’d find on a coffee table somewhere. Like the guy with the flip flops, this is very similar. The chair represents someone who’d been there before, maybe a child perhaps, but you have photos of it that are also playful and humorous. Your photos are all seamless in adding up to one big single idea.
SABRA-I really enjoyed the composition of the photographs in your project. They were fun to look at and gave the trash perhaps more of a spotlight. Overall I think you’ve captured the subject well and your images all add up to it.
SHELLEY-Well, you certainly have a good photographic eye and a strong sense of composition in your photographs. Overall for illumination as a subject your photographs reach that goal together. I just really enjoy your work because there is such a clean feeling with the photographs. Overall for this project I think you pose the question what lights you up?
STU- *I mean this in a good way* Ok, your project is like a bad dream. The kind where you are running through the woods from a really evil bad guy but your vision is limited to only 5 feet in front of you. You can’t seem to look farther ahead no matter what you do. OR, it’s like the dream where you run real fast and flap your arms to try and fly and as soon as you lift off and you think you’ll clear the trees BAM!! You hit the corner of your bed and roll off on to the floor.
SUZANNE-The pictures are working together and overall you have a good set. I think you could really take thousands more and try and find the ones that tell a story together. All the hands doing things could tell a story if set into some sort of time line. I feel like that’s what I’m looking for in your project. So if that’s the intention then good job! If not, good job!
DAVID-Yours honestly could also be another book. A book you’d find on the coffee table at star bucks or something. You’d probably find quite a few people turning the pages till the end. Your photographs definitely feel like they’ve been done by someone who knows what they are doing. The shoes give the impression of someone who was there at one point but the humorous placement casts a lightness about it that’s like a playfully clumsy puppy.
ReplyDeleteDON-I love the voyageristic shots vs. the chrome. The chrome shots are good ones of course, but not as interesting to me or “exploratory” for you I think. You seem to have had to explore the space a little with a cowbell with the uncomfortable spy shots. If you had to pick one I’d pick the spy shots for this project.
DONALD-You also have the shots that make me guess what it is. I know you were doing colors but they still came across to me as macro guessing shots. I think you really gave us strong images to ask the question, “What’s more important, color or texture?” You really did a good job with that. Again, it gave me something to do besides just look at photographs and to that effect you achieved your statement.
KENDA-I enjoyed your photos very much because of the level of professional quality and composition you’ve got. I love the macro stuff and it was necessary for your project to not give too much away, but also it really fed the interesting photo bug for me. The meaning of your project could be simply a documentary of the geocaches you’ve found which is by all means great!
MELISSA-Your project could also be a fun book you’d find on a coffee table somewhere. Like the guy with the flip flops, this is very similar. The chair represents someone who’d been there before, maybe a child perhaps, but you have photos of it that are also playful and humorous. Your photos are all seamless in adding up to one big single idea.
ReplyDeleteSABRA-I really enjoyed the composition of the photographs in your project. They were fun to look at and gave the trash perhaps more of a spotlight. Overall I think you’ve captured the subject well and your images all add up to it.
SHELLEY-Well, you certainly have a good photographic eye and a strong sense of composition in your photographs. Overall for illumination as a subject your photographs reach that goal together. I just really enjoy your work because there is such a clean feeling with the photographs. Overall for this project I think you pose the question what lights you up?
STU- *I mean this in a good way* Ok, your project is like a bad dream. The kind where you are running through the woods from a really evil bad guy but your vision is limited to only 5 feet in front of you. You can’t seem to look farther ahead no matter what you do. OR, it’s like the dream where you run real fast and flap your arms to try and fly and as soon as you lift off and you think you’ll clear the trees BAM!! You hit the corner of your bed and roll off on to the floor.
SUZANNE-The pictures are working together and overall you have a good set. I think you could really take thousands more and try and find the ones that tell a story together. All the hands doing things could tell a story if set into some sort of time line. I feel like that’s what I’m looking for in your project. So if that’s the intention then good job! If not, good job!
AMANDA
ReplyDeleteThe eye is an intriguing part of the human body. Photographing all of these different eyes both the animals and humans gives off a "one with nature" feel. I guess I'm just saying that taking pictures of all of the eyes makes me feel like we aren't really that far from being connected with nature. We have lots of things in common with animals. Eye contact or lack thereof between animals and humans can also be a way to show aggression or submission.
ANDREW
Documenting a daily ritual or a process is difficult. You have to both be honest and dedicated. Both are displayed in your blog both through your process, rituals, and the mixture of photos of some professional cyclers. Those pictures in particular tell the viewer just how dedicated these athletes are and how much work is necessary along with the importance of a ritual in an athletic forum.
APRIL
Your exploration of these insignificant objects is a look at texture, color, and everyday objects we consumer. Some of these objects are recognizable, some are disgusting:) and some are elegant. Some of them even reflect an interest n minimalism through pictures of grids and other simple materials. I also enjoy guessing what they are.
ASHLEIGH
Your black and white pictures are a little sad sometimes for me. I love black and white photos! But, I don't know if I would want to see the world in black and white everyday. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see color and I feel fortunate to be able to see them or see at all.
BEN
Pictures of textures are some of my favorite types of photos. I do wish they were a little more focused but that can be really difficult without a macro lens. The ones you have are of a wide range of objects and varied in texture. This is a modern exploration into texture without feeling as though you needed to include a human element.
BRYAN
When you first started the blog, your pictures where very realistic and beautiful. They have evolved into pictures which remind me more of paintings but are still very beautiful. You have not been afraid to play with photoshop and use many different aesthetic alterations which have given you some painterly-like photos. The dragonfly pictures are some of my favorites.
CRAIG
ReplyDeletethe contrast and framing of your pictures has been the most intriguing aspect of them. They are especially successful when they are very dark interiors and very light exteriors. They also have a relaxing quality about them like when you sit down at the end of the day and look out the window but its still light outside.
DAVID
I'm sure it has been difficult to find 84 places to put your shoes that are interesting. But, we also put our shoes thousands of places everyday...we just don't take pictures of them. Like a couple of the other blogs you have had a successful exploration into many different aspects of humankind through the use of a wearable. Some of them are more successful than others and would be interesting with some captions to bring these shoes to life.
DON
Very voyeuristic photos which make them all the more interesting and kind of dirty or creepy at the same time.:) I wonder if any of these people would be upset if they knew they were on the internet! But they probably already are anyways and that is my point. Even though we all lead such public lives nowadays it still seems very invasive to be taking pictures of people through a window but the pictures are very beautiful and remind of a diner billboard because they are so perfectly framed by the darkness outside.
DONALD
This blog project about color has been very successful. I have wondered what they might look like in a grid of each color. They could be really interesting all laid out together side by side in grids. the colors are really beautiful and reminiscent of color fields such as Rothko's.
MELISSA
The sculpture of the chair has been quite successful in your project. Because the pictures are of a chair they are highly relatable to human beings. Every pictures says something different but still embraces the human element. Some are sad, some are funny, some address issues such as consumerism and family. All of these issues are very important and you have found a successful way to make people look head on at them without being too intrusive.
SABRA
Your pictures are evolving and becoming better as you have went along. The last couple of weeks pictures are especially interesting. This project has evolved from just taking pictures of trash to a real interest in consumerism and how to make others aware that it goes on taking for granted there will just be more and more. There are some beautiful pictures that are coming out because of the angles you are choosing as well.
SHELLEY
Hey girl! In class i was very interested in hearing about the way you view things here in America because you are from Germany. Your photos make me wonder about these objects and what you are thinking when you take pictures of them. I do think you should tell a story about them:) because I do like hearing about how things are different in other cultures that we take for granted everyday.
STU
It is hard to take pictures of everyday things and make them aesthetically pleasing. But, I think they dont always have to be "pretty" pictures. Sometimes they can just be explorations into something that we are interested in and would like others to gain interest in as well. Your photos have achieved this because when I look at them, I start thinking about where they are and where you are in relation to them.
SUZANNE
I have to admit that I am still a little confused about your images. I know you told us in class but I can't remember if there was another theme behind you images besides just the gestures. One of the things i enjoy the most about your photos is the different tones of skin in the pictures. The contrast between one including both young and older hands and different races makes them that much more interesting and also culturally relevant. I would really like to see what they might look like blown up in a grid on a big white wall!
CRAIG
ReplyDeletethe contrast and framing of your pictures has been the most intriguing aspect of them. They are especially successful when they are very dark interiors and very light exteriors. They also have a relaxing quality about them like when you sit down at the end of the day and look out the window but its still light outside.
DAVID
I'm sure it has been difficult to find 84 places to put your shoes that are interesting. But, we also put our shoes thousands of places everyday...we just don't take pictures of them. Like a couple of the other blogs you have had a successful exploration into many different aspects of humankind through the use of a wearable. Some of them are more successful than others and would be interesting with some captions to bring these shoes to life.
DON
Very voyeuristic photos which make them all the more interesting and kind of dirty or creepy at the same time.:) I wonder if any of these people would be upset if they knew they were on the internet! But they probably already are anyways and that is my point. Even though we all lead such public lives nowadays it still seems very invasive to be taking pictures of people through a window but the pictures are very beautiful and remind of a diner billboard because they are so perfectly framed by the darkness outside.
DONALD
This blog project about color has been very successful. I have wondered what they might look like in a grid of each color. They could be really interesting all laid out together side by side in grids. the colors are really beautiful and reminiscent of color fields such as Rothko's.
MELISSA
ReplyDeleteThe sculpture of the chair has been quite successful in your project. Because the pictures are of a chair they are highly relatable to human beings. Every pictures says something different but still embraces the human element. Some are sad, some are funny, some address issues such as consumerism and family. All of these issues are very important and you have found a successful way to make people look head on at them without being too intrusive.
SABRA
Your pictures are evolving and becoming better as you have went along. The last couple of weeks pictures are especially interesting. This project has evolved from just taking pictures of trash to a real interest in consumerism and how to make others aware that it goes on taking for granted there will just be more and more. There are some beautiful pictures that are coming out because of the angles you are choosing as well.
SHELLEY
Hey girl! In class i was very interested in hearing about the way you view things here in America because you are from Germany. Your photos make me wonder about these objects and what you are thinking when you take pictures of them. I do think you should tell a story about them:) because I do like hearing about how things are different in other cultures that we take for granted everyday.
STU
It is hard to take pictures of everyday things and make them aesthetically pleasing. But, I think they dont always have to be "pretty" pictures. Sometimes they can just be explorations into something that we are interested in and would like others to gain interest in as well. Your photos have achieved this because when I look at them, I start thinking about where they are and where you are in relation to them.
SUZANNE
I have to admit that I am still a little confused about your images. I know you told us in class but I can't remember if there was another theme behind you images besides just the gestures. One of the things i enjoy the most about your photos is the different tones of skin in the pictures. The contrast between one including both young and older hands and different races makes them that much more interesting and also culturally relevant. I would really like to see what they might look like blown up in a grid on a big white wall!
Andrew
ReplyDeleteThe picture of your bike in front of the blocked trail is nice. The bike seems to be looking longingly to the other side. Have you named her?
April
This week I learned everything looks gross close up. I like this blog overall but I am most interested in those pictures that are super clear. Some of the pictures seem a little blurry or pixcelated.
Ashleigh
I’m really curious to know what the second picture this week is of. Try spicing your project up by finding something new in a setting that looks old. Most of these look like old pictures simply because they are black and white.
Ben
I like that your pictures are so large and placed close together on your blog. It makes me feel like I can scroll down with my hand on the screen and feel all the textures. I like the pictures where I can tell what the object is best.
Bryan
I love your blog. Honestly the first week it bored me to death but now you have gone somewhere very unexpected with it. You have made natural things very unnatural in a cool way.
David
Danm it feels good to be a gangsta! I like your office photos this week. Those shoes need a vacation. I’d like to see them on a road trip for the grand finale because these pictures look so touristy. Your pictures are very funny and pretty. Good work.
Don
I like the diner pictures. Anyone who has gone into a diner late at night (usually drunk or exhausted from traveling) has looked around and wondered “what the heck are these people doing here so late?” It’s almost an out of body experience, these have potential.
Donald
Are there pictures I’m not seeing?
Kenda
I love these pictures. Your close ups are amazingly clear and bright. I think your blog is very strong visually and the thought behind it is great.
Melissa
A chair made of pill bottles should represent a lot of things but it probably shouldn’t represent a child. This chair for whatever reason does and that’s what I really like about it. It might be the color or size but I see a little kid when I look at it. Sometimes you put it places a child should not be and it makes me sad, other times its in happy places and I’m happy. Keep experimenting with the places and their emotion.
Sabra
You make trash interesting. I find myself wondering about how it got there. The Prozac bottle is really neat. I like that the bottle dominates the photo and the background is blurred and uninteresting, I imagine that’s how this man feels without his meds.
Shelley
I like the idea but I would work a little more to Photoshop these images to show where light falls. I feel that they are stronger because you do not restrict the pictures to rights side up.
Stu
I liked the collage type style you had arranged the pictures in previously. It added to the angle found in the pictures. Work with that some more.
Suzanne
In the beginning you showed hands making signs and holding things. I prefer these to the pictures of hands layed out flat. These pictures are really interesting!
AMANDA
ReplyDeleteI am not so sure I am attracted to the animal eyes as I am to the images of human eyes. This is because formally the color variation of the animal coats is so diverse whereas the human skin tone varies in only several shades. This makes the eye pop when you choose to create collaged layout of images. I feel that your images need to address formal issues predominantly to make them stronger.
ANDREW
So narrative! I really enjoy the story telling aspect of your 84 day images. It is all laid out as a blog. And it should be. The images are presented in a way that most everyone can relate to. It is an interesting documentation of life and of a journey.
APRIL
Some images are working better than others. I might just be hungry but the first two I like better than the metallic images. Macro images are interesting to me simply because I find that a lot of people around me like them. I can not say I am a fan of marco photography myself but I am fascinated by what macro photography brings up in us as people. We tend to take very little attention to the little things around us so when pictures are taken up close they force us to be interested in them because the subject matter is all we have to look at with out distraction.
ASHLEIGH
You have a very diverse group of photos and with that it makes it difficult to critique it on a common level other than the fact that they are all black and white images. The strongest images are those with most contrast rather than a washed out gray image. The subject matter is what I believe should be focused on because images of cargo crates hold little interest other than having formal qualities.
BEN
ReplyDeleteI would like to repeat about your photos what I stated about April’s images concerning macro images. They force us to look at them. Your images are formally engaging, the burry ones not so much because I see them more abstractly than the crisps textured images.
BRYAN
When I look at your images I see a conversation between what is naturally organic and artificially produced. It brings to mind very traditional ways of photographing images of plants to this experimental way of playing and altering it. It is right to alter an image to create something different simply to please the eye in the same way it may or may not be right to alter a plant to fit our growing demands and need for consistency. What I am getting at is that your images play on purposeful manipulation.
CRAIG
I can read from your images a gendered view. The difference between the organic (female) and the geometric (male) forms in the images which lead to a comparison of light and dark, masculine and feminine, institutional and natural, and in ways the domestic sphere. They are not in all the images but each one carries at least one of those reads. What I find so nice about your images is the sound; the sound of a quiet interior with an absence of the outside while still being able to see it.
DAVID
ReplyDeleteYour shoes have character and its interesting to see what you sort of situation you put them in. I would continue trying to reappropriate the shoes as other objects. It’s neat to think of them as part of a person. Like the object represents a soul or memory and much like walking in someone’s shoes we are left with that little saying to put us in the place of a person or their everyday journeys.
DON
I love these voyeuristic shots! The idea of privacy and not knowing your are being watched is loaded. I would go other places though. Watching people eat is funny but what if you went to a night club like Seville and took a picture threw the window or into a shopping mall window. Hey as long as you stay on the street it should be fine.
DONALD
Your images have engaging formal qualities like April’s and Ben’s images. I like the separation of colors and diverse textures you chose to photograph. They are still strong and interesting to peek at each week.
KENDA
ReplyDeleteIt’s still so much of a mystery when I look at the images you post because I am given really vague details of what you are looking for when you geocache. I think the one thing it lacks is a story of each scavenger hunt but it still is very strong in its formal appeal visually.
SABRA
Your images evoke a sadness in me simply because I can’t believe some of the stuff that just gets tossed out and not picked up. It’s all very little things. They address a consumerism society with little thought of what is thrown away. The plastics and metals are harmful to just be thrown out without being picked up. You do such a good job at evoking this feeling in me and that is helped by the places you see these objects buried in the ground or near plants.
SHELLEY
In some of the images the light works so well in illuminating a dark surrounding while in others it is drowned out. A lot of the images appear yellow too. I would play with different colored lights or even alter the light you photograph in the computer. I am having trouble making the connection to culture shock though.
STU
The images of corners and normally I don’t find corners all that interesting unless I have to look at them and now I sort of like staring at these corners trying to understand why you like them so much. Interior spaces and comfort go well together and maybe the formal aspect of the images you post being sort of divided into thirds from the center out is contributing to that. It’s difficult to say. But I think I enjoy that you went outside to photograph corners. I would be interested in seeing some natural corners too.
SUZANNE
Your images are very sensory. I like the hands are interacting with objects. Some of them are painful looking and that intensifies that feeling. The only thing that is distraction is the shadows cast by the camera flash or the lighting in the room.
This weeks critique, first impressions, short and sweet!
ReplyDelete* AMANDA - The Eyes Have It
* ANDREW - Grueling Site Seeing
* APRIL - Big Things, Little Packages
* ASHLEIGH - Monochromatic
* BEN - Touch Me, Feel Me
* BRYAN - Trippin' 60's
* CRAIG - Framed
* DAVID - Margaritaville
* DONALD - Clockwork Orange
* KENDA - Find Me If You Can
* MELISSA - A Yellow Chair in a Yellow Submarine
* SABRA - Disposable Society
* SHELLEY - You Light Up My Life
* STU - Cornered, No Way Out
* SUZANNE - Slow Hand, Heated Rush
AMANDA
ReplyDeleteEach eye post has shown me something I’ve never seen before. It is not often one encounters an eye without a face. Having an eye separate from a face/body simplifies its shape and value. Eyes become something else. Each image is reminiscent of a planet. You have done a fine job of assigning a new meaning to eyes.
APRIL
Exploring the mundane is a popular topic. Your blog is the most straightforward in its mundane photographs. Despite the quality of some of the images overall the pictures are compelling. Some are truly shifted from plain to the magnificent. There are some curious psychoanalytical questions posed by the decision to photograph regular things and abstracting them until each one is nearly unrecognizable. It implies that you might be this way. It is bold and blunt, but the concept is effective.
ASHLEIGH
There are some stunning pieces here. Some are timeless while others are painfully normal. The beach shots are the weakest. But that’s irrelevant. What I am excited about are the rest. Even taking the most basic picture of the most basic scene is transformed by the black and white. I’m glad you have taken the time to dedicate the blog to black and white. As odd as it sounds the world seems better in black and white. It is less dirty when we can’t see brown. You have found depth in places without it.
BEN
Another close-up blog. There should be a direction that forces people to click on the pictures! Seriously, they all look better enlarged. This is no problem of yours, but the pictures are infinitely more expressive when they’re large. You explore a space between senses where the viewer instantly thinks of the texture/feeling of the image. It’s like the auto-salivating humans do when we see a picture of food. But with texture and fing
• BRYAN
ReplyDeleteThey are coming along nicely. I think you are finally reaching a point where you are comfortable enough that you can recognize the super strong pieces from the weaker shots. Not even the shots really, just the good manipulation vs. the bad. Easy and well manicured nature is not an easy subject to shoot and you even go a step farther. You shoot lovely pictures of nature then edit into them with Photoshop. It is daring to do so. Pretty shots are difficult to manipulate so obviously. But you have succeeded with your latest pieces. You’ve made the point that obvious photoshop work can be good.
• CRAIG
Your concept has stayed consistent but almost like you have run out of things to take pictures of. Initially there were sharp rectangles of luminescence. Certainly there is diversification but I miss the old shots. The third photo from the top captures some of the old pizzaz. You’ve posed a great point to contemplate in your blog. We see, and to a greater extent live, in an artificially measured geometric world. We sit and look out of our perfect boxes and see nature. For some reason we usually don’t consider the distance through the partition. Indeed we choose to live in the climate controlled comfort of our box and “experience” reality through a pane of glass. It’s a terrifying problem that we hardly recognize.
• DAVID
Flip flops. I’ve expected your shoes to come to life but they never did. Oh well. They’re shoes in odd places. I don’t think I get this one. And that isn’t really a negative quality. Sometimes it is fine to see an image and think it’s ridiculous and move on. Your shoes give me a laugh and let me explore silly interactions and leave. They are the definition of fine.
• DON
So creepy! Voyeurism is a very human quality. People watching is a past time I am well accustomed to. It isn’t quite paparazzi... more like experiencing the subtle and unnoticed qualities of the herd. I’m sad it took you so long to determine the direction of your blog. Please keep digging into watching without people noticing you. Photography is usually painfully scripted. Or like we spoke about in class, people become aware of the camera and change. Voyeurism avoids the shift. You’re showing a new photographic reality.
DONALD
ReplyDeleteYou have added a psychological element to the pictures. Each image is meant to evoke a feeling based on its particular color. With your images I first look at the photos then read the description of the color. Subtleness of color on my mood is what I’ve found in your blog. The longer I gaze at the colors the more I comprehend my feelings at the time. I don’t know if colors incite any particular feeling in an explicit way, but they definitely have a cognitive influence.
KENDA
I know you are grinding through these. Have you gotten sick of geocaching yet? I’m glad you decided to share these tiny treasures. Through your blog you have become part of a digital community. Instead of limited urban experiences geocaching has provided a means to connect with countless faceless individuals. Geocache objects are ownerless. They are truly community pieces. And your blog alleviates my fear that contemporary society is headed towards homogeneous experience.
MELISSA
Your chair has a life. It is a child and it is inquisitive. I can’t separate my perspective on this point and it could be wrong. Your chair doesn’t appear to be lost. Instead it is discovering the world. Chair never looks out of place wherever it is placed. Yes it has an identity and no it doesn’t elicit a negative feeling though it is constructed of clay pill bottles which usually indicate addiction or pain/sickness. Your chair is a positive symbol of childhood and exploration. But the body of your chair is adult and real.
SABRA
ReplyDeleteYou called it trash. Thank you. Yes you have made trash into something nice to look at but it is still trash. It is not something higher than that. And it has not miraculously transformed. The artists eye is apparent in the shots. Composition is the primary focus of the blog. How does one make garbage presentable? Well you arrange it and move around until it looks nice. You have done so. Thank you for calling it trash and not “something more.” Trash is gorgeous.
SHELLEY
The sheer volume of lights in our world is impressive. We could not operate as a modern people without light, switches, electricity, etc. You hit most of the spots around us that could be illuminated. I don’t know if your blog reinforces your quote at the top of it though. I see many lights but most of them aren’t particularly comforting. Instead they are almost alien.
STU
Corners. So many corners.
• SUZANNE
Hands everywhere. There are so many I don’t know where to start. Your blog has almost become an evolution of hands. Not just a case study. I see so many and they all blend together and become a superhand. Even the black hands seem like the white ones. Hands are terrifically unusual but your blog has somehow linked them. I don’t see difference among the hands. It is a joining. You must be quite comfortable with those you photograph.
AMANDA – I love the fact that you took on the challenge to capture images of the eyes of the animals. It is awesome how different but also so similar the eyes are between the species. I like the research of the eyes and patterns they produce.
ReplyDeleteANDREW – I most particularly enjoy the last set of photos you have posted. The documentation of the entire adventure through the nature trail. I can’t wait to go on the next journey.
APRIL – I find it strange that the cookie and the citrus fruit that are delicious foods look so gross close up. Like foods I wouldn’t even think about tasting just because of their appearance.
ASHLEIGH – I enjoy this series, some images appear to have a vintage feel just because of the subject matter. Also what is the 2nd picture this week!? LOVE IT!
BEN – I’m sick of textures myself haha, great choices. Continue to find other textures, I’ve been finding myself to find the same textures over and over.
BRYAN – Great use of Photoshop, sometimes Photoshop just enhances that beauty of the photos and sometime they can destroy the photo. You have made these compositions successful.
CRAIG – These places look awfully familiar. I love the strong darks against the vibrant light of the outside world. The contrast with the hard geometric shapes versus the organic shapes is very intriguing.
DAVID – I feel as if these flip-flops are characters half of the time, as if they walked themselves to there staged places. I love the journey these shoes take on and the challenges they face. Compositionally these photos are great and I never find these photos boring but always amusing.
ReplyDeleteDON – Don honestly yea the detail work in the chrome photos are good and compositionally these images are pleasing, HOWEVER I find the peeping tom photos so much more interesting. Just guessing which individual is talking about, thinking, eating, where are they going next, what time is it, etc. is just so fun. I love these and I really think you should continue that series.
KENDA – Ive always enjoyed your composition of your photos and the selective focus. And the new colors and font choice of the blog looks great!
MELISSA – This chair is so cute lol! All of the places it goes, I like how a lot of the blogs take a subject and treats it like a character and gives it a personality. You’re capturing emotion and characteristics just by creating the setting. Looks great!
SABRA – These images are so interesting. One mans trash another’s treasure. The vibrant colors against the natural organic neutral colors is great and soothing to the eye. I love the contrast. Are any of these staged?
SHELLEY – I Love the new light concept, it works! Its hard to catch certain light and have it compositionally compelling, but you are doing it well. Keep it up.
STU – I like the whole “Documentary of Stu: behind his eyes” movie line haha. Its strange how JUST a corner can bring such an emotion, but you make it happen!
SUZANNE – I enjoy the framing you have done to these photos. The hands of these individuals tell us who they are and you express that well by the way you capture them.
• AMANDA- It’s fun to see how far you’re expanding your subject matter and definitely is a nice touch to your overall EYE theme.
ReplyDelete• ANDREW- Good to see you’re back doing the trails, still enjoy the narrative/story with this one.
• APRIL- Astounding. All the shots appear to have such an amazing texture (?) to look at.
• ASHLEIGH- Lovin’ the subject matter for sure, especially the fireworks. Changing it up enough for me to keep interested.
• BEN- Just want to touch it all, real bad…
• BRYAN- Very interesting. Dig how with just a little bit of color it just changes it up so drastically.
• CRAIG- Liking the very geometrical along with strong light and darks. It works mighty fine.
• DAVID- It’s weird how when you put shoes in certain places I get nostalgic and when you put them in others I just think “that’s silly”. Anyway, nice variation of scenes.
• DON- Dude, such REAR WINDOW moments, Hitchcock. Love it.
• DONALD- Shit, you’re fucking my mind man. Awesome shots and awesome color.
ReplyDelete• KENDA- Still great scavenger almost scrapbook quality. Keep up the good work.
• MELISSA- It’s like this chair has become a person that I’ve come to know and love. All I can say is feature film perhaps?
• SABRA- Your shots get stronger and stronger as far as the subject matter. Good to see loiterers are doing their part.
• SHELLEY- You always have great shots that make me wonder what the story is behind it. Very much appreciated.
• STU-eh
• SUZANNE- May have another fetish by the end of this. Great hands, great shots.
Sorry I'm late guys!
ReplyDelete-Amanda-
I dig the collage. I especially like the animal eye with the cage in front of it, I think it speaks volumes. I also like that you took a picture of a drawn eye because it shows the diversity of eyes. Try finding more "eyes" that are different from the "normal" definition, I think that would be really interesting. Good job!
-Andrew-
Andrew! I effin' love what you put in every week, you really have explored this subject and I think every different outlet of muscle men is more interesting than the last! I love looking at your blog, the layout, the photos, the content, everything really really works.
-April-
I dig the close up's you've chosen, the only thing I can say formally is maybe the angles of some of the close ups. Maybe going after a rule of thirds sitch or maybe even photoshopping some of the extra stuff (i.e. the objects that tend to make your photo top heavy, like the one with the red cord and blue spherical thingamabob. But I totally dig the one of the notebook, I really like the ones that I can't recognize but some of the photos I do recognize are amazing too.
-Ashleigh-
I absolutely love the fireworks one because it literally gives me an exploding feeling. The one in front of City Grocery is interesting because it really dates the photo, especially with that SUV. I also like the angle you caught the cargo things, it's aesthetically pleasing to see the rule of thirds in there. Good job!
-Ben-
Diggin the textures I'm glad you can find all these different things that create interesting lines and almost make the textures themselves the main part of the object. Such as the lettuce, the veins of the leaf are so interesting to follow.
-Bryan-
I like the dragonfly one because it doesn't look as digitized as the others. However, from my understanding your goal is to create a digital feel to the natural which is a very interesting and innovative concept. I think the only photo I have a problem with is the first one because I think it loses its natural feel by being completely covered by the unnatural.
-Craig-
I like your photos because they stick to what you are going after. However, I want you to venture outside of the school or wherever you have been photographing because it's getting a little too familiar. I think you can find alot more geometric shapes and "outside from inside" situations!
-David-
I like the one in the fan because that is super unusual and doesn't look placed there, it looks like they made it there themselves. I think you should find some places where they don't look so unnatural (I know this is ridiculous to say because of the whole concept...so maybeeee just funnier places because I think your idea has a little humor in it. Maybe a shoe sandwich!)
-Don-
You're such a stalker. Haha just kidding. I like the feel of these pictures though because they make me feel like I'm a secret mission with you to stalk some people. Formally I don't think you're trying to be super formal sooo screw formality and let's keep stalking!
-Donald-
ReplyDeleteBro. You are so good at this. I still love your concept because the explanation of the meaning of the color attached to the photos makes me want to find that meaning in photos and it's fun. I like everything formally about your pictures.
-Kenda-
I especially like the last photo because even though I still don't get this geocaching thing I think the last one really brings out the importance of that little piece of paper you photo so often. lol
-Melissa-
I love that that chair has a gimp leg, but aside from that I suggest you might take pictures in less busy locations. There is just too much to look at in the office one so it takes away from the chair and its awkwardness. I like the first one with the house and over hang thing, it just works for me.
-Sabra-
I really like the angles you used this time around. The menthol pack just explodes on the screen and is interesting as well as correctly angled to draw the eye in. The pill bottle one is where it's at too! It's crazy you found that, it's so personal and its in the middle of the street!
-Shelley-
The only one I really like is the one of the inside of the microwave with the dots covering the light. Everything else seems like a snap shot. I also like the one of the inside of the fridge, number one because you have massive amounts of food and I envy you that and number two because the light behind is interesting.
-Stu-
You must love to be uncomfortable because some of these corners seem impossible to curl up in. All I can say is maybe look for some formal changes to the way you take your pictures, like rule of thirds or eliminating unneccessary objects.
Hey Gang--
ReplyDeleteThe post that says it was done by me, was not. I think for some reason Amanda and I share the same log in thingy. I do not get it. I just wanted to clarify that those words were not mine and I would like to confirm whose they were?
Val