Michael Pollan states in his book A Botany of Desire: A Plant Eye View of the World, that: “the food chain that begins with seeds and ends on our dinner plates is in the midst of revolutionary change.” He refers to Monsanto, a St. Louis agricultural biotechnology and herbicide company, and its new genetically modified spuds.

Agriculture, as we know it today, invest millions of dollars in the care of crops. Pesticides, among other chemicals, are the paramount product in the business of growing crops. But the face of pesticides is changing. GMO revolution that started in the 80s is taking over the pesticide market.

Pollan mentioned that the set of “inputs”  as they are called, to all the extras involved in the harvest’s process, are a heavy load for farmers to carry. But a new-patented pesticide that grows inside, and with the product, is the kind of plant “new pesticide” that will rescue “American food chain”. It will replace expensive and toxic chemicals with expensive but apparently “benign genetic information” rooted inside the crops.

Pollan, figuratively, compares this new technology to Microsoft OS software: “With genetic engineering, agriculture has entered the information age, and Monsanto’s aim, it would appear, it to become its Microsoft, supplying the proprietary “operating systems”… to runs this new generation of plants.”

Next time you buy food, do not forget to read the small print on the label to avoid become a food-hacker: remember that the fact that you don’t know a law do not exempt you of breaking it.

Potato GMO picture Book Cover Approach

For both pictures I would like to use even light. No shadows. White clean background.

I would shoot a potato, with the American Flag on the top. The American Flag has GMO write it on it. The potato is surrounding by death bugs. Even all around. No shadows.

For the FreshDirect Picture

I will bring a cooked potato, I will fixed with some ranch cream and green parsley. I would like to use one of white tables in the room because I will try to lit the potato from behind though the vinyl. I would like an even light all over. Like the pictures you see in supermarkets: white background and great light that make the vegetables and the food healthy. No shadows.

Certainly man have failed in all his efforts to excel in understanding the natural relation between him and his environment; therefore, he endeavors to perfect his failures through technology, eliminating everything archetypal.

The technological revolution does not only focus on the transformation of human becoming digitized, but there is also disconcerting information on the food chain on making them technologically sustainable.

This resolution is based on solving the farmers and farming problem which is claimed to be expensive and hazardous to plants, humans, and the environment. Therefore science have developed a more expensive but so-called! Benign genetic information, a kind of self-protecting crop that is engineered by using gene from a strain of bacteria found in the soil known as Bacillus Thuringiensis. With this bacteria, the potato becomes a pesticide, protecting itself form insects and diseases, lunching a lethal terminal blow to the Colorado potato beetle.

Now that agriculture is being genetically engineered, Monsanto has claimed the potato as its intellectual property, posing as a software giant that supplies the proprietary of it systematic operation.

Design Concept
The concept for this design follows the metaphor of an industry instead of the tree in dust. Interpret: I will design a potato that fires laser beam in a spectrum of colors at it beetle foe, and the other nemesis of the beetle. The potato will also have some human features like eyes, which will be an antenna, because potato grow beneath the ground. My design will include two potato. One as a plant and the other as being harvested.

Lighting Effect.
I will use broad lighting effect for the plant and shot lighting for the harvest, probable us some butterfly effects for shadows.
New Name: Digitato

In the chapter of ” The Botany of Desire”, the author has tell couple of things. In today, even plants are register and protected by the federal law.Also, in modern Agriculture; chemical fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, and fuel are over use to grow crops, those left harm to our soil and our bodies. Now, the new technology call GMO are made to improve, so our crop could grow faster, bigger, and look better with out using chemical. But nobody knows this new technology will make harm to our body or not if we keep consuming in the future.

For this book cover I had three ideas, I will try two type of lighting, first is close up shoot and with one main light in 45 degree angle from the top to create small shadow on the bottom. the second is one key light and one fill light with 1:1 lighting ratio form the from the side. For photo editing, I will try photoshop a barcode on the potato, a DNA code behind the potato or a needle that are injecting the potato. the placement will be image on the left, type on the right.

Fresh direct

For this ad, I will try both shooting from the top and shooting from the front. The lighting will be close either key light and one fill light with 1:1 lighting ratio or one main light to catch details, I want to minimum the shadow and bring up the texture of my vegetable, water drops are good to show freshness or soil dust is a other things to be try. I am also consider to chop my vegetable in half to show how fresh it is inside. Props like plate and basket are also good to use.

In the article, What is the point of college? By Kwame Anthony, there is an interesting discussion on that there are two different versions of students in college. One being Utility versus two being Utopia.

“One vision focuses on how college can be useful — to its graduates, to employers and to a globally competitive America.” “As college grows more expensive, plenty of people want to know whether they’re getting a good return on their investment. They believe in Utility U.”, as stated by Kwame. It simply means the students that believe in Utility U are motivated by financial income. Their more focused on themselves, getting through college, and constantly worrying about will they actually get the career they have studied for after graduation.

The second version, ‘‘experiments in living,’’ aimed at getting students ready for life as free men and women, as stated by John Stuart Mill. In other words students who believe in Utopia U are free willed spirits. Their more focused on building there values, skills, and are willing to test out there ideas on campus with others. Utopia U is where you go for “the pursuit of happiness.”, as stated by Kwame.

As a photographer, I think about how I can portray these different views. I will go with a simple approach being that these views are a bit complex.

When I think about Utility U, I think about isolation, multi-tasking, and stress. Utility U as you read above is constantly worrying about will all their college expense be worth it in the long run. These students aren’t focused on socializing, they are most likely juggling their school work and many other things at once. So, I will be taking photos of students in a school environment that look stress, isolated, are multitasking, and focused on other things then school.

When I think about Utopia, I think about community, happiness, teamwork, and students taking their time to better themselves as well as their projects. As stated above, they are focused on building their values, skills, and ideas with others. So, I will be taking photos of students in a school environment as well but socializing with others, smiling, and interacting with their environment.

Krystle PenaUtopia vs Utility

Reading the article really made me think about social media in an entirely different way. I always thought f it as a means of another form of communication but not only with your loved ones but with the world. I now realize that social media can become a serious addiction for some people. They become reliant on it and it can cause problems in their lives. There a re so many driving accidents and people being robbed and falling into things, hurting themselves because they just can’t get off of there phones.

I still do believe that social media is a great way of communication but it shouldn’t reach the point of addiction. Social media is great for advertising and for spreading the word about important information or global causes. Some people even have jobs as professional comedians and make up artists and photographers because of social media. It is a very two sided matter.

For the addiction photo shoot I would like to capture someone looking crazily into their phone with dark lighting as to only see the screen. Another possibility is to have two people not paying attention to each other while on their phones.

For the global causes one I would like to shoot a bunch of people together looking happily at their phones in soft lighting. Or it could be one person showing us the screen of their phone as if to say look at what I just did to change the world.

Social Networks: FACEBOOK, Twitter, FLICKR, Instagram,

• Both articles differ from each other. We see how the first one argues that we currently spend a lot of time on social networks. Therefore, spending our brain and creating an addiction between us, and even taking things seriously. However, the second article argues that Social Networks have largely helped society. Well, it is clear that through hashtags we can access a world of information and with itself the technology.
• We also see how social networks have served to express different points of view and also give access to technology and internationalization of different societies. In particular, I think that if the individual as a social entity, would know how to take advantage of social networks, the consequences would not be negative.

• The news becomes viral..!!!

• The news is accessible by many people around the world, in different languages, and in that way opens the mind to people living in remote places. The world is evolving, as the article says, has positive things to contribute to society.
• Possible ideas: Someone will be holding emojis creating a very happy and modern environment. Emojis will provide to the picture something funny, and even recreational too.
• Another idea would be: someone wearing a shirt with the Facebook or Twitter logo, as a symbol of support to the social media/networks. The group will decide another ideas when we are at the Studio.