1.Looking at Photographs - THE SELF · Looking at Photographs “Photography is a system of visual...

LookingatPhotographs

“Photographyisasystemofvisualediting.Atbottom,itisamatterofsurroundingwithaframeaportionofone’sconeofvision,whilestandingintherightplaceattherighttime.Likechess,orwriting,itisamatterofchoosingfromamonggivenpossibilities,butinthecaseofphotographythenumberofpossibilitiesisnotfinitebutinfinite.”

- JohnSzarkowski,photographycuratoratMOMA

“Thisrecognition,inreallife,ofarhythmofsurfaces,lines,andvaluesisformetheessenceofphotography;compositionshouldbeaconstantofpreoccupation,beingasimultaneouscoalition– anorganiccoordinationofvisualelements.”

HenriCartier-Bresson

Nomatterhowyouapproachit,beopentotheunexpected,becurious,askquestions,whenyougettheanswer,it’stimetoasknewquestions.

Itisamergingofideas,lifeexperiences,education,culture,politics,morals,memories,… history

• Photographscreatemeaningandcanhaveatransformativeaspectinitshistorical,politicalandsocialcontext.

• Iwantyoutounderstandphotographyasameanofcommunicationthatarticulatesideas,memories,desires,etc.inyourownindividualprism.

• Photographyisavisuallanguageandweneedtoacquireavisualvocabulary.

• Wereadimagerylikewereadatext.Thislectureisaboutidentifyingwaysofreadingandinterpretingphotos,makingimagerymoreinteresting.

RobertMapplethorpe(1946-1989)Self-Portrait,1988

HowtoreadaPhotograph- Itmighthelptoarticulatewhatisinthepictureandhowitisputtogethertechnically

- Oftenwordswillleadyoutoaninterpretation

ArnoMinkkinen (b.1946) DuaneMichals (b.1932)Narragansett,RhodeIsland,1973 TheIlluminatedMan,1968

Composition- Whatisexcludedissometimesasimportantaswhatis

included- Agoodcompositionoftenmakesitapparentastowhyapicturewastaken(e.g.leadinglinestothemainsubject

matter,depthoffield,focus,light)

RobertMapplethorpe(1946-1989)GregoryHines,1985Self-Portrait,1985

TechnicalChoices- Technicalchoicesmadebythephotographeroftenhelpyou

understandhis/herintentions- Thesametechnicalapproachmightnotnecessarilymean

thesamething

ChristianVogt(b.1946), FrameSeries,1975-76

“Maketheinvisiblevisible”- ChristianVogt

ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76

ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76

ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76

ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76

ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76

ContextofTime

AlfredEisenstaedt(1898-1995)V-JDayinTimesSquare, August14,1945

RichardAvedon(1923-2004)WilliamBurroughs,NewYork, CarolCrittendon,bartender,July9,1975Butte,Montana,July1,1981

Canwereadthesameimagedifferently?

EdwardWeston(1886-1958),Pepper(No.30),1930

“Itisaclassic,completelysatisfying,–apepper– butmorethanapepper:abstract,inthatitiscompletelyoutsidesubjectmatter. Ithasnopsychologicalattributes,nohumanemotionsarearoused:thisnewpeppertakesonebeyondtheworldweknowintheconsciousmind.“

“[I]tisdisgustandwearinessoverhavingmyworklabeledandpigeonholedbythosewhobringtoittheirownobviouslyabnormal,frustratedcondition:thesexuallyunemployedbelchinggaseousirrelevanciesfromanundigestedFreudianferment.”

- EdwardWeston

AlfredStieglitz(1864–1946) MitchDobrownerEquivalent,1929 Rainshafts,2017

BadExamplesofBlogWriting

GoodExamplesofBlogWriting

Howtomakeadifference?

Thinkdifferently,bebold,gotoplacesyouhaven’tgone,beinnovative,experiment,expressyourselfinyourownvisuallanguage,knowthehistoryofphotography,

Thereisalwaysadifferentwaytophotographthefamiliarsubjectmatter.

WilliamMarxperformsJohnCage’s 4’33” (1952)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4

10Thingsthatrequirenophotographictalent

beingontimeworkethiceffort

bodylanguageenergyattitudepassion

beingrespectfulfollowdeadlines

cometoeachclassprepared

StrategiesforEssayWriting

“Acommonstructuralflawincollegeessaysisthe"walk-through"(alsolabeled"summary"or"description").Walk-throughessaysfollowthestructureoftheirsourcesratherthanestablishingtheirown.Suchessaysgenerallyhaveadescriptivethesisratherthananargumentativeone.”

Source:https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/essay-structure