Blog #8

In this seminar class we have discussed many topics that pertain to how photography changes things both within culture, and for individuals. How the way each person can interpret a photograph can change from person to person even if they are looking at the same exact image. these are things that I never thought about before this class. The fact that photographs can change a person's idea about a certain cultural aspect, or the fact that photographs can manipulate what the public will believe.

Another thing that we talked about in class is how artists can manipulate the image that they choose to produce and show off to the public. Now-a-days people can use all sorts of photographic altering programs to change the truth of the image. This is another thing we discussed, the truth of the image. In fact, we even did an earlier assignment in which we cropped the same photo to show different perspectives of the same photograph. Though the photographs were only cropped, they still changed how they were perceived. Artists can change their image by cropping, taking out something, or even adding something. A small harmless thing such as eliminating the camera flash in the window can alter how a picture is perceived. These things are important to remember when you are looking at a photograph, as we discussed it is important to remember that one cannot always take a photograph at face value, but must sometimes wonder what else is going on in that image.

Something that we talked about in class that I have remembered throughout the semester is how imagery, especially photography can add to one's identity. Someone can see themselves in a photograph, and someone else can take a different photograph and see themselves in that. This is something that I have thought of often over the course of the class. This is an important concept, because so many different people and different cultures can be photographed differently and interpreted through different types of images. These are the certain things that I've been thinking about pertaining to this class.

blog 8

In this photography class, we discussed many topics that relate to photography and its effects on the society. We don’t realize that photography can affect us in certain ways. The way we perceive photographs can change the way we see certain perspectives. Not everyone sees a photograph the same way. Just by looking at a certain photograph, one can interpret it in a way where another may interpret it someway else.
We learned different ways where photography can change the way on distinguishes a photograph. One way photography changes the way we interpret photographs is through manipulation of the photo. Photographers can manipulate their photographs by using some sort of digital enhancement, photoshop, or just by cropping. Because of this method, these photographs that were changed were made to appeal to the audience. In a way, it is sort of like a lie. Examples of these manipulated photographs are presented in media and advertisements. Photography plays a huge role in media and especially in advertisement. The media and advertisement want to sell their products to the consumers so they “fix” them in order to show more appeal, like those makeup ads. The models in those ads do not actually look that good just because they use the certain makeup. The photo was digitally enhanced on the computer making her look good.
Most cameras today are digital. With digital, there are ways to change the photograph with options on the camera. With digital photography, the photographer can manipulate the photograph. One question that I have on my mind is, who can really tell now a day if photography is believable? Photographs are so manipulated today that you cannot tell what is real and what is false. People can now change their eye color with the click of the mouse! Also, with photographs being real or not, is there a way where photographs can actually be real? When photographs take pictures of people especially, in order to show the person’s true identity, is it really their true identity because in some photos, these people seem so posed. I see it as another way of manipulation where the photographer wants you to believe what he/she sees this person’s identity to be as.

Blog # 8

Never before did I really think about how identity and photography affect each other. Watching the Shelby Adams and Tierney Gearon films made me realize that pictures do not just represent items, ideas, or feelings we like or associate with, but who we are as people. These films made me realize that people have a need for self preservation, and in order to achieve that they use photography. I feel like both Adams and Gearon had a unique story that they felt they needed to share through photography.
Now, when I look at photographs I see a different side of the story depending on the photograph or if I know the photographer. For example, at the exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the photographs of different kinds of Americans from all over the country made me think that the particular photographer wanted to share his perspective on America. Another example is of Tierney Gearon, whom I feel holds onto her work as more of a personal memoir. Though there was some controversy about her work, I feel like she did not mean for her photographs to be read as insulting or pornographic, but more exposed and reflective of whom she is as a person.
Shelby Adams was somewhat of the same case. Adams wanted to document where he was from and expose these people to the world, weather it was a day to day activity or a unique practice, he needed to document the lives of these people that he felt so much a part of. Adams was also targeted for portraying his subjects in a negative light or exploiting them, however that was not his purpose. Adams felt the need to preserve this unique culture, and share it with the world, so when he was gone there would be a little part of him left in the world.
One of the only questions I have is: is it possible to figure someone out by merely looking at their photography without any prior knowledge of the person? I feel, depending on the photograph, that I would need some prior knowledge of the photographer. However, some pictures can be so apparent that no knowledge is necessary. Usually the intention of the photograph is portrayed in the title or mostly the photograph; however certain elements may or may not be picked up depending on the viewer.

Blog 8

In this year's class, we discussed many topics that pertain to photography and how it changes the world we live in. Photography has a huge impact on our every day lives weather we notice it or not. It changes the way we see things, the way we understand things, and the way we feel about things. Photography is so powerful in today's society and I learned that it can be used to benefit as well as hurt society. I hadn't given much thought to how photographers edit and change a photograph so as we discussed this in class, I was really interested in hearing other opinions and learning more about it.

Towards the end of the semester, we started covering the use of photoshop and editing in photography. We watched videos and short clips, interviews and movies, all about media, propaganda, images, and advertising. I realized that images surround us every day and have tremendous effects on how we think, feel, and act. I knew that photography was used for advertising, but I never really thought about how the media uses photos, manipulates and changes photos, to persuade us into buying a product or looking a certain way.

Now, whenever I see ads in magazines or in stores, I wonder to myself how long they spent on retouching and reshaping the model. I wonder how long it took to airbrush the models skin and make her eyes and lips bigger and chisel her cheekbones. I think about what the picture might have originally looked like, then think to myself, how do I even know if this picture is real or not? It's really quite frustrating, but when it comes down to it, I can't say that editting photos is wrong because I do it myself. I edit color contrast, brighten/darken, even crop photos of my own, but where do we draw the line? I don't know weather or not enhancing colors in a photo is as bad as moving two pyramids closer together for a magazine cover.

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This photograph for Camel cigarettes is promoting the taste and appeal of cigarettes. This ad is directed towards women and teenage girls. The color of the box is pink, which appeals to women and the woman, while not blatently photoshopped (outside of her eye) is still pretty and attractive to the viewer. This become propaganda when the surgeons warning is typed tiny and in a small insignificant font in comparison to the rest of the ad minimizing who sees it and its importance.

Blog #6

This is a photo ad for sky vodka. I think this was made for the product, sky vodka, to promote it and get more people to want to drink it. I think this is a manipulative photograph because it looks too perfect. I can definitely tell that it's photoshopped. There's a sexual connotation in this photo and I think the photographer used sex appeal to promote this vodka.