“The Victorian Building”

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I took this photo on Pacific Street and Bedford Avenue. This photo is of a Victorian building in Brooklyn. The only Victorian building on the block. The studium of this photo is of two streets lined with parked cars, a row of apartment buildings going down the block, and one Victorian building that no longer is a house and now houses apartments. A man walking up the street towards me taking this photo. My photo has a color distortion from the glare of setting sun picked up by the lens of my camera off a top floor window of the Victorian building. One of the points of the Victorian buildings roof (the second point) centers this photo. there are many different colors of brick that distinguish one building from the next. The pro-filmic event is the man walking up the the block with his head down wearing dark clothing. The reality effect is not real because of the red sunlight distortion that takes from the representation of the reality of the photo. The dominant impression in the photo is the very clear blue sky, the bare trees caused by the winter season and the man walking with his jacket open. Also the sun reflecting off the top floor window at the Victorian building and the glare that sets in the photo. The punctum of this photo. The frame of this photo cuts off the remainder of the block, and the apartment buildings to the immediate right of this photo. The frame at the top of this photo cuts off the top of the bare trees, the roof tops of the buildings and the sky. The frame at the bottom of the photo cuts off the ground floor, exit and the steps of some buildings, the street view of the parked cars, and the legs of the man walking. The photo frame to the left cuts off parked cars, trees and what is across the street.

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“United States flag in the wind”

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I took this photo at 3pm on Thursday, March 13th. The United States flag is at full mass on this windy day, I am at Cadman Plaza East and Johnson Street. I could not predict which way the wind would blow the flag in the time it would take me to capture the photo with my phone. After I took the photo , I felt the studium was good, I could see the pattern of the fifty stars, and the flag was not twisted at a thirty degree angle, this photo was very manageable considering the weather conditions. The white building to the right side is the N.Y. State Bankruptcy Court. The two residential buildings are deeper in the photo and are fronted by bare trees of the winter season. The flag itself centers the photo on a dark colored pole and has a golden circular ball at the very top of the pole. The punctum of this photo is trees, those near and far, and how close is the N.Y. State Bankruptcy building to the nearest trees. I see the ONE WAY driving regulation sign, that gives distance from the nearest trees, and the neighboring street light, flag pole and  N.Y. State Court building all are given some distance because of the sign. The pro-filmic event is the movement of the flag in the wind before the photo was taken, and at the time of the photo. The reality effect of the photo is realistic, the representation of reality in the flag blowing in the wind is real. The dominant impression is a blue sky day, and the wind violently pushing the flag around. The frame of the photo to the right cuts off the tree branches and the length of the court building. The frame to the left cuts off branches and the width of residential building to the left. The frame at the bottom cuts off the ground floor and activity in the streets, cars, people, and bikes, The frame at the top cuts off  the height of the trees and the higher levels of the N.Y. Court building, and finally, the blue sky.

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Fancy Title

My Photo:

photo-class

D373: The Best Students in the World, 2014, Sean Scanlan

This photo really emphasizes the power of the frame, because several were not happy to have been unintentionally “cut” out of the photo frame.

Cheers,

Prof. Scanlan

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On Photographs: Ways of Seeing and Analyzing Photographic Images

Hi Class…lot’s of information today!

Homework for next Wednesday: Read Sontag (in “Readings” menu tab) and prepare for quiz 2 over Abbott, Hine, Nooney and Sontag. Also, write Journal 4: 250 words (typed) in which you describe the studium and punctum of one of the photos in Dwell 143-152.

VIDEO CLIPS:

1. How does a digital camera work?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic0czeUJrGE

2. How to develop film using coffee and vitamin C:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjOqcbBEco

3. A Darkroom in Use:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nue495wxlXo

4. Five tips for taking your own digital photographs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YroMyQJ-GMQ 

——————–

Joining Openlab, Posting to Openlab, and Dominant Impression

Here is an example of a picture that I took and my description:

Manhattan-Stonehenge, 2011, Sean Scanlan

I took this picture in the early spring of 2011. The shot is of the sun as it is framed by skyscrapers on either side of E. 21st St., looking West, of course. The sun is setting and seems perfectly centered by the “cliffs” or buildings. I was walking with my friend, Tom, and on our way to play ping-pong at a place called Spin, which is a few blocks north of Union Square. What is so interesting about the picture is that the lens created the effect of all the red circles, I never saw them until after clicking the shutter. I did not use any filters on this shot. The red is overwhelming, but I can still make out the street scene. At first, I did not like the white car on the right side, but after further reflection, I liked how it adds perspective and the illusion of speed. Lastly, the lens also created the effect of a bright slash that goes through the street, straight down. I like that “sword” as it bisects the frame.

————-

How to Sign up, Join, and post a photo:

STEP 1: Here is a link to help you set up an account on Openlab.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/blog/help/signing-up-on-the-openlab/

STEP 2: Here is a link that will help you join my class.

 https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/blog/help/logging-in-to-the-openlab/

The shortcut to step 2  is that you should click on the menu tab labeled “Course Profile” on this website, then go to the right side and click join now.

STEP 3: Posting a photo.

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/blog/help/adding-images-to-your-site/

To add your description, just type inside the box underneath the image that you have posted. Be sure to click the blue “Update” button on the right side of the page.

If you have any questions, please email me.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

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Getting Ready to Turn in Essay 1

Hi Class,

To prepare to turn in Essay 1 on Tuesday, Feb 25, please do the following:

Put all process work in a paper folder–with your name on it:

–Final Draft
–Previous Drafts
–Assignment Details Handout
–Peer Review
–Thesis Handout
–Student Sample
 

In order to revise and proof your work:

Revision:

–Have a friend read your work over; promise to do the same for him or her
–Make sure that you correct all “red” or “green” underlined areas
–Check for vague words or phrases

Proofing:

–Read your work carefully and slowly
–Read your work backward; what I mean is to read one sentence at a time, but begin with the final sentence
–Read out loud: this is a common proofing technique to catch mistakes

 

Best,
Prof. Scanlan

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Four Ideas about Home

Four Brief Thoughts on Home:

These ideas on home might help us prepare for our first formal essay.

 

Maya Angelou (American Author and Poet): “I believe that one can never leave home. I believe that one carries the shadows, the dreams, the fears and the dragons of home under one’s skin, at the extreme corners of one’s eyes and possibly in the gristle of the earlobe.” (from Letter to My Daughter, by Maya Angelou. New York: Random House, 2009).

 

Gaston Bachelard (French Sociologist): The home is our “first universe” and our “first world.” Such space is important, but size does not matter; a simple hut has more dream potential than a mansion. What matters is the degree of intimacy and intensity of our experience there. (from The Fate of Place, by Edward S. Casey. Berkeley: U of California P, 1998. 290)

 

Svetlana Boym (Russian-American Literary Critic): “To feel at home is to know that things are in their places and so are you; it is a state of mind that doesn’t depend on an actual location.” (from The Future of Nostalgia, by Svetlana Boym. New York: Basic, 2001. 251)

 

Immanuel Levinas (Lithuanian-French Philosopher): “The privileged role of the home does not consist in being the end of human activity but in being its condition, and in this sense its commencement.” What is accomplished by the home? These four: our ability for recollection, our ability to have intimacy, our ability to work, and our ability to make representations of the world. (from Totality and Infinity, by Immanuel Levinas. Pittsburgh: Duquesne UP, 1969. 152-4.)

Best wishes,

Prof.  Scanlan

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Journal 2 Template

Hi Class,

I’ve posted a journal template in the “Readings” menu tab. It is located just above the Steve Brody essay. Please use this template for your journal entries. Of course, make sure to swap out your information for Herman Melville’s!

Best,

Prof.  Scanlan

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Welcome Students of Composition 1101, Section D373

Hello Students!

This site will grow and develop during the semester, just like you will grow and develop as critical readers and writers.

If you have any questions, please let me know via email:

sscanlan@citytech.cuny.edu

The course policy and syllabus are located in the Policy menu bar. Take some time to look around our course site; we will refer to it often.

 

Best wishes,

Prof. Scanlan

 

 

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