I didn’t get to shoot today because I modeled for 3 different people. I think I have enough for my final to be good. My strong point is i think i shot the product very well since that was my goal. The only weakness is maybe not shooting enough to have 6 solid pieces.
This week I shot with models and it was a better experience compared to the week before. I got to capture different peoples styles and actions even though they all shared the same brand of shoe. It was good to get some shots that I could probably composite together to make one ad.
Today’s shoot started a little rocky but i feel it ended well. I got some good shots for the first day of shooting. At first the light didn’t work but then we changed it a bit and we got some better photos. We captured the feel of converse I feel. I didn’t use models today but next week i will need them to do the shots that I want.
After I graduate I want to do some freelance work. I want to get as much experience i can because I don’t want to work for a big agency where I wont really have any input beside to do things they ask to be done. I have a couple friends who want to form a small design together once everyone graduates. We can tackle small clients to start and eventually one day own a space where we can expand and hire more designers. I want my portfolio to show clear vision and understanding of concepts. Thinking outside the box and creating advertising that is unique. I’m not sure what photos will convey thins in my portfolio. I would need to do a campaign that is photo heavy or uses multiple photos to create something. I honestly have no clue of a project that I can do for final project at this time.
The first show entitled The Chinese Photo book showcased early printing about China from tourist and people who lived there. A lot of the books were decorated around the pictures or hand painted to be in color. The books display China’s heritage and how the culture has had many twist and turns depending on who is looking at it. The many photographers used for the exhibit convey 2 overall points of view. The first is China to the outside person. It is beautiful and exotic to them you see a lot of beautiful landscapes and people. The other is actual people who live in China’s take on China. You see a lot more destruction and pictures of their leader. I feel the pictures that were taken by the people who live in china are as if they were taking them without anyone knowing. China couldn’t publish photo books independently so people who took these photos knew that this had to eventually be seen somehow.
The second show featured photographs by Jimmy Nelson. These photos showcased tribes and other groups of people who live in remote areas. They are no where close to civilization and everyday they find a way to survive. They were beautiful pictures of these people in their natural environment. All of the pictures are from the frontal view. No dynamic angles were used to make the picture seem more interesting because they were already interesting as they were. The use of color and space help to make these photos very appealing. Jimmy Nelson’s pictures convey beauty and get his point across well. His point is that even though these people live in complete isolation, they are still beautiful people.
The final show we saw was entitled The Public Eye. The show showcased different public views of some places. One photographer took photos from the view of surveillance cameras. Another took photos pf his neighbors. The one I enjoyed the most were of the military bases from overhead. These photos are available on public domains but the point of them was to look at the government the way they look at us. A kind of so this is how it feels to be spied upon feel is given to these pictures. The point of the exhibit was very clear as its to how people see us in the public eye. Doesn’t matter if its surveillance cameras or Google earth. All the examples in the exhibit contributed to the point of the exhibit very well.
Both poems include men driving a car but the emotions evoked by these poems are very different. E.e. Cummings is comparing the first time driving a new car to having sex. An example of this is when he says “I touched the accelerator and give her the juice, good.” The poem is very descriptive of a car as if describing the physical features of a women. It is an exciting poem that gives the feeling of a lot if twists and turns and fast paced action. Phillip Levine is using the car more as a tool. He is driving through his home town after the riots have torn people apart. An example from the poem is when he says “One brown child stares and stares into your frozen eyes until the lights change and you go forward to work.” The car is like a bubble that he is in and using to view the outside world. The use of the cars are very different for both men. I feel Philip Levine is using the car to protect himself and drive pass the racism that Detroit has brought upon itself. E.e. Cummings on the other hand is using the car for his own pleasure.
The style of Dutch 17th and 18th Century still life painting is very symbolic with many hidden items for the patient observers. The paintings show life and decay in many forms. In the first painting they have insects on the fruit. This symbolizes that everything eventually decays because we know the insects will start to eat the fruit. The second painting has flowers that are alive and some that have started to wilt and decay. Both paintings also have a birds nest with eggs that are suppose to represent the start of life. Rene Membreno-Canales uses the dutch painting style because it creates great contrast between subjects and is very dramatic without being to dramatic that it seems over exaggerated. I feel this style really helps get the feeling of war and death across in his series Hegemony or Survival. He mixes beautiful food and fruits with gas masks and guns. The still life creates a rift between the two objects but at the same time the stillness and dramatic scene creates a harmony of different emotions. The fruit and food represent what we get and what people think is reality. The guns and gas masks represent what the reality really is and what allows us to have those foods and fruit that we love so much.
Judith Williamson makes a valid point. There isn’t a very big difference between products in the same category. They all do the same thing but are all positioned to different people even if the end result is the same. Judith uses to ads for perfume for different companies as an example of positioning the same product in a different way. Chanel uses Catherine Deneuve’s face as a comparison to Chanel No. 5. The beauty and ideals that Catherine stands for are reflected to be the same as what Chanel No. 5 stand for. For the new perfume babe they use Margaux Hemingway. She signifies youth, and a tomboy style. Both of these products are chemicals in a bottle but are positioned to reach two different audiences. Chanel is trying to position itself as sophisticated beauty while babe is positioning itself to not be the normal cliche of beauty. Babe’s perfume position speaks more a younger audience and gives the product more of a emotional feel. Chanel keeps it classy and is positioned for a older women. Now this doesn’t meant that the ads still don’t speak to the competitors target audience. Women who are young might want to be older and use Chanel thinking of the association it brings to them. Older women might use babe because they want to feel young and be different. I agree with Judith Williamson because the products aren’t very different, in the end its all how you position the product to your audience that defines the feel for your product.
The intended message that Gary Land is conveying is that Gatorade fuels you and helps you perform to your best ability. The denotation of both photos is that when playing a sport you tend to sweat and give it your all, and how Gatorade is suppose to help quench your thirst and replenish you. In contrast the image doesn’t really convey to buy Gatorade or give you the feeling of wanting to buy the product. The connotation of the photos is that Gatorade is there to replenish you when you need it most. It is the drink of champions as we can see how the sweat creates the trophies for each sport. Gary Land uses a lot of key elements to create the same feel for both photos. The photos are back lit, create color contrast, have selective focus, and appear to be eye level view. Even though both people play different sports and area male and female, the cohesive use of the visual elements creates the same feeling in both ads. I feel these photos are mirrors because they are trying to connect to you emotionally. We all know drinking Gatorade wont make you sweat a trophy design on your shirt. The metaphor that they are using appeals to the audience they are targeting and creates the want for the product.
Crewdson’s photo of a family outside their home gives off an uneasy emotion right away. The three subjects all have different facial expressions and create a mood for the photo without any real content that suggest anything. Winogrand’s photo of children playing in the driveway is a more relaxed feel and lets you see through a perspective that might not be your own. It creates a scene that is refreshing and you almost feel as if you are there. That is the exact opposite of what Crewdson’s picture makes you feel when you look at it. With Crewdson you feel as if you want to look away because of the content that is shown, but at the same time you want to look closer to try and find a visual clue as to what is going on in the photograph. Also both photos seem to be of a scene in a small town but give off completely different feels. Both Crewdson and Winogrand use different photographic styles to create a feel for each of their photographs. Crewdson uses unnatural light to create the focal point of his photograph. The half naked girl’s back has light shined on it, even though the car is facing her front side with the lights on. Also it is night time and dark everywhere in the image except for the three subjects of the image. This sort of forces your eye to look where Crewson wants you to and stops you from looking else where in the photograph. Winogrand on the other hand uses natural light to create a beautiful contrast between light and dark. With the natural light he still creates a focal point which is the baby who is dressed in all white. Your eye is drawn naturally to the baby because of the intense contrast of the baby with the garage shadow. Crewdson’s photo is a mirror because of the instant emotion it creates. It makes you think what was the photographer thinking of when he was taking this, and what is the message that we should get from this photograph. Winogrand’s photo is a window because it is letting us see through someone else’s perspective. We are getting a glimpse through their eyes as to what everyday life is to them.
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