photographyjournal

jon pellegrenesummer 2011

supplement

personalinformation

persontypetalk

place

jon pellegrenejpellegrene@gmail.com333 936 6360

300 n state stapt 5207chicago il 60654

tableofcontents

zoominfrastructure

maritimeurban

architectureindustrial

climate

millennium parkchicagolakeshorepanarammabuildingsstreets of chicagochanging skies

objective

The journal supplement showcases a wide variety of subjects and locations which ap-pealed to my interests in both architecture and photography. In correlation with Michelle Litvin’s graduate class at UIC, and in and ongo-ing exploration of part one of the journal, the photographs are the works I have selected to advance my own techniques and understand-ings of photography. The work strives to test various techniques in color, lighting, composi-tion, vantage points, and effects. A photo-graph is worth a thousand words, and I hope you enjoy the following novel.

explanation

The showcased work explores the reoccur-ring themes present in the city of Chicago. Choosing subject matters primarily related to industry, decay, and environment, the goal was to produce a documented journey throughout the city, both through the eyes of the obvi-ous as well as the unexpected and overlooked. With hopes of producing visual interest to the viewer, many photos are shot from common places, but looking at the objects that are commonly passed by. Highlighting the over-looked details and exploring interesting juxta-positions, the photos provide a new view of a city well-known. Borrowing from Camilo Jose Vergara, I chose vantage points both from ground and elevation, to produce a series of images with both variety and overlap. One vi-sion was to invent beauty out of the unsightly. Another was to capture instances of similar backdrop with changing environment. The celebrated monument is another technique that the photography borrowed purpose from. Joel Meyerowitz speaks of the power to leverage a subject matter or idea through the visibility of the monument.

Looking to tie back to a Chicago landmark was an exploration used in this journal. I found the landmarks could add stability or a sense of comfort to an area otherwise deemed to be undesirable or cold. In Joel’s forward of “Cre-ating a Sense of Place”, he speaks of photo-graphing without looking. I noticed that this is relevant when walking down a path you travel on a daily basis. It removes you from what you are used to but allows you to just feel when the subjects around you begin to talk to you. This processes developed into one of the main ways I documented my surroundings. Through integrating the techniques of great photographers with my own interests and vi-sions, I created my own interpretation of the city I live in, Chicago.