Photographs

Gregory Crewdson, Untitled, 2001

Gregory Crewdson, Atomic Love, 2000

Jeff Wall, Sudden Gust of Wind, 1993

Andreas Gursky, Library, 1999

Andreas Gursky, 99 Cent, 2001

The remaining images are from Moyra Davey's 2008 book Long Life Cool White which I really love.  Her work is kind of the opposite of Gursky's gridded, objective, expansive compositions, focusing more on intimate, oft overlooked scenes around the house.  The records on her shelf, the still life on top of the fridge, the dust on the end of the record player's needle all become as interesting as a meticulously planned and composed scene from Crewdson or Wall.  Keep this is mind when shooting! : )

Moyra Davey, 2008

Moyra Davey, 2008

Moyra Davey, Long Life Cool White, 2008

Street & Studio

Jergen Teller, from the series Go-Sees, 1998-9

The photographic portrait has two parallel histories that run side by side, from the birth of photography to the twenty-first century; one of portraits made in the studio, the other of those taken in the street.  The advent of small easily concealed cameras allowed photographers to capture subjects in the street unaware. In contrast, the studio offered the opportunity to present carefully composed images to the world, making use of all the elaborate staging and technical devices at the photographer’s disposal.

Some photographers work in the street.  These next few images are from a series by Laurie Anderson entitled, Fully Automated Nikon (Object, Objection, Objectivity) done in 1973.

Why might this series of images be titled so?

Who is the subject?  Who is being Objectified?

This is a statement that accompanies the images.

 

Some artists prefer to work in the studio.  This is one of Cindy Sherman's first published photographic a body of work entitled Bus Riders from 1976.  Notice the cable release at her feet, this was used to take the picture.

Some artists blur the line between street and studio.

Phillip-Lorca diCorcia, Head Series, 2001

This image got him in a lot of trouble, read about it here:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/battle-over-heads-photo-goes-to-court/

How You Look At It

Nicéphore Niépce, View from the Window at Le Gras, 1826

The above image is arguably the first photograph ever created, that is to say it is the first picture to be captured and preserved on a light sensitive surface.  It was taken using a Camera Obscura, a box (or enclosure) with a hole in the front.  The name of the device derives from Latin language, Camera meaning room or chamber and Obscura meaning dark.  Historians credit the image to Nicéphore Niépce who titled the work View from the Window at Le Gras and it dates all the way back to 1826.  For our French friends, the image was made in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, in the region of Burgundy, France.

Harry Shunk, Leap Into the Void, 1960

Now that you know all there is to know about the history of photography, we can move on to more interesting topics such as contemporary photography, which we shall call from the post-war period (1945) to present day.  Where to start? No where in particular!

 Bernd and Hilla Becher, Cooling Towers, 1972

Bernd and Hilla Becher use the camera as an objective recording device, to document and compile archives of different architectural structures. Note the grid!

Otto Steinert, A Pedestrian, 1950

Here Steinert choose his composition, framed the scene and then waited for the right instant to make the photograph.  This is known as decisive moment, a term coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson, whom you should also check out.  The effect was of course created using a slower shutter speed.

Dan Graham, Homes for America, 1966-1967

These images are part of a ground breaking series Graham shot for Art in America magazine about the seriality of American homes and life in American suburbs.

David Lamelas, The Violent Tapes, 1975

Here is a good example of the cinematic qualities photography can have, especially when combined with a narrative of sorts. (Click to enlarge!)

Sherrie Levine, After Walker Evans: 3, 1981

Here is proof that you don't even have to take your own photographs to become successful.  In 1980 Levine set about rephotographing Walker Evan's iconic work from the 1930's including this one here titled Floyd Burroughs, Cotton Sharecropper.  By appropriating these images, Levine can be said to be raising questions about class, identity, the political uses of imagery, the nature of creativity, and the ways in which context affects the viewing of photographs.

This is part one of many, check back soon for more artists!

Feel free to look at the artist's other work if you should be inclined...

Or find your own to share with the class!

Practice Shoot # 1

Hello guys, thanks again for coming down yesterday, I think it was a productive meeting.

Please take some time to review these images and the following information.

This image was taken at f/8.0 at a shutter speed of 2 

This image was taken at f/8.0 at a shutter speed of 30" 

(30" is as low as the shutter speed would go, next would be bulb)

Notice the amount of light that was let in b/c of the longer shutter speed.

This is the same exposure

Now a little faster of a shutter speed...

This exposure is f/8.0 at a shutter speed of 10"

Here is a chart to look at, notice that 30" is the slowest shutter speed.

30 or 60 would be faster, anything less probably requires a tripod.

1000 - 2000 are faster still but require a lot more light!

Now this photograph is back at the original exposure.

This image was taken at f/8.0 at a shutter speed of 2 

This image has just a bit longer exposure.

This image was taken at f/8.0 at a shutter speed of 2"

Notice how it is a bit lighter than the one above? 

The rest of the images are taken at f/8.0 at a shutter speed of 2"

Here are some things to keep in mind next week or while shooting on your own:

- Take a lot of pictures and move around, if you were shooting in film you might want to be more selective but because we are learning and experimenting you can only benefit from shooting more!
- Try experimenting with different aperture and shutter speed settings.

- Bring your camera... and make sure it is fully charged.

- Don't park in private parking lots, just kidding!

I will post some artists to look at this weekend so check back later on.

Again, well done! I am excited about working with you all!

Have a nice weekend, Chris

Introduction

Where to start? One place to begin is by looking through the viewfinder! A subject often looks different isolated in a viewfinder than it does when you see it surrounded by other objects.  It frames what is going on around us and allows for a new appreciation of the world.

What part of a scene attracts you? 

Is it the overall scene or the details and expressions on faces?  Do you want to capture the whole wall of a building or was it the graffiti that caught your attention?

How does your subject relate to its surroundings?  Is there a telephone pole coming out of someones head? Look for these things when you are framing your composition.

Often, a slight change in perspective will allow for an entirely different photograph!

A good portrait captures an expression, reveals a mood or tells something about that person.  Photographing close to home or with friends can be an easy play to start.

A tight cropping that shows only part of a scene can tell as much about people as a more conventional portrait.

How do you photograph a place?  Try to think about what you may want to remember about a place as a good basis for getting started.  Look at the scene from different angles, change your point of view and a subject may reveal something you didn't see at first.

Slow shutter speed (1/30 second) vs. fast shutter speed (1/500 second).

Here you can see the effect of opening or closing your aperture.  As shown in the picture, a wider aperture (lower f-stop) creates less depth of field while a smaller aperture (higher f-stop) creates more depth of field.  Remember what I said about Ansel Adams and the f. 64 club? They used the highest f-stop on their cameras (f/64) to capture the greatest depth of field in their landscape photographs of the American west.

This photograph demonstrates the effect of using a short focal length (18-50mm) vs. a longer focal length (80-135mm). Notice how the scene flattens out as the focal length increases. 

Here you can see the effect of increasing focal length (mm) from 17mm all the way to 1000mm.  Notice the degree of change even from 50mm - 85mm.  What focal length(s) is your lens?  

Read this short essay if you want to, it is highly recommended!

Photography Is Easy, Photography Is Difficult by Paul Graham.