The gallery was a great experience to compare with what we are doing for our self. Normally on the studio in the class we focus our attention on the lights, shadows or effect but I think one of the most important thing that we have to learn is in the whole composition of the picture and I think that exhibition shows us in the different composition and mood.

Another samples was the creation of my studio, the idea was to feel what means to create everything by your self so then you can start shooting any object to get the best result possible. With the home studio and seeing the pictures of the gallery now I have another perspective about how to try to get the best picture because now first I have to set up all the lights, the right position of the camera, the position of the object but the most important is to be able to select a background that fit with the object and the mood that I am try to accomplish. The advantage of shooting outside is that you already have the background but you also have to focus on the light and the position of the camera to get the best shoot.

On the review of the NY Times the author was unhappy with the way the gallery was set up.  In my opinion I do not agree with her because that it is the beauty of an exhibition to go an get a shock with the images and not to think if they have some kind of organization, probably she is used to go to places where is some kind of organization like chronological or historical. The Interesting part of this gallery is the different aspect that you can get from the different arrangement of the images on the same place from room to room and the variety of color an exposure that they arrange. The point to go to a museum is to enjoy the exhibit and do no think about if they are some kind of chronological arranges or if someone was not on the show.

For this photoshoot, I really didn’t have any idea about what I wanted to photograph. In this day and age, when I think self portrait, I think, “selfie.” So I chose to take pictures of things that I like with a small part of my body in frame like my toes or hand. I also integrated some photos of just my face which would be an actual portrait. However halfway through, I ran out of ideas and am still thinking up some new ones.

When I was looking at the photographs, I noticed the different and creative ways photographers were able to make their images similar to a painting or as if it was use with Adobe Photoshop software. This MoMA exhibit, A World of Its Own showed me various effects that people can do in a studio by just using lighting, reflections, colors, and their subjects. I learned how over exposure and using different media can help have a positive affect by keeping the image interesting.

Two specific works that captured my interest and inspires me would be Construct NYC 17 by Barbara Kasten. I really love her work because she made it looked like an illusion. When I was looking at this piece, I was wondering what she had used to make the image so engaging. I discovered that she might have used different objects such as mirrors. I started looking over her other pieces and noticed that she uses several of different obstacles and the lighting and reflection, makes her photographs look so amazing.

Another photographer I really liked was Michele Abeles. I felt like her work of art looks so much like collage work where pieces of pattern and typography are cut out and pasted in an organized way. I really love the colors she used, it made the photograph look more lively and fun. She put the strips of paper in a well-thought out manner that makes the pieces unify.
In my own experience as a studio photographer, I’ve realized the great helps that tracing paper does so that the lighting doesn’t look harsh on my objects. When I used mirrors I was able to mimic lights to get lighting from various angles. Looking at the photographs of MoMA it inspired me to look at photography as a medium for art. I discovered the different ways to experiment in my home studio.

In the article, “When a Form Is Given Its Room to Play” by Roberta Smith talks about the exhibit concentrating more on images taken in a photo studio rather than outdoors. This allows the artist to have total control. A photo studio is like a “playground” the photographers are able to play with subject, background, lighting, and etc. The exhibition is assigned with separate themes, while they all experiment the unique ways of the medium. One postmodern work of art that Smith discusses is, Valerie Belin’s mannequin photograph. Smith states, “beautiful mannequin that, while fake, looks alive”. I agree with her statement, when I first saw it I thought a photograph of a woman, but when I looked closely you could see how her eyes look painted. I began to think it was photoshop but then realized it was a mannequin. To conclude, I really liked this exhibition it was very fascinating and influential.

Studio photography has always been something that fascinates me in more than one way. Techniques unique to everyone change and the results are unique for all photographers. The gallery at MOMA completely change the way I perceived how studio photography work. While many photographers have a different view of what the subject is we can see many different variations on style making it unique to them.
Some of the work that impact me the most was by Valerie Belin where she took photography to a new level. Making an object look alive with the help of a few brushes and light. The texture in her piece mannequin is the result of make up and uncles able light that outlines the subject. The dark background with pale skin texture makes me wonder what kind of light did she use and if any type of filter was used to create shadows that reflect a more human like figure.
Something that stood out to me was the way a photographer improves on their own work. In Martin Chambi work there was many things that showed his improvement. One of his portraits from his early work seem different from his work more into his life. A picture taken in 1978 of a men who seem to be an older men wearing military clothes was one of the most stocking to me. The sharp image with a shallow depth of field gave the illusion that the person was in fact standing I front of me. With the time line being old I can see that as his work progress he got better at what his idea was to improve the picture.

This galleries made me think of interesting and different ways on making photographs. Creating an unique vision to the same object others can see can make someone stand out from the rest.