Fall 2013 History of Photography

I really like these photographs. They were beautifully cropped and framed. There are two sides of beauty in each of the photographs. First and most obvious was the placement of the photograph. The skills used to create such imagery is excellent. The second beauty was the story each of the photographs tells. Many of the places were once populated with many people. Now they are left to roit and crumble away. The photographs are beautiful, but the history makes it even more beautiful.

The second photograph stood out to me the most. There are so much emotion within the photograph. It is sad to see the corpse of the dead. In this photograph the dead couple held onto each other dearly. What strike me was the blood trail from the eye of the husband. It almost looked like tears of sorrow. An image can speak a thousand words. Like the photographer, I can’t imagine what went through his mind before the moment of death.

I think food photography has already implant itself in our everyday life. Whenever we have food on the table, someone would pull out his or her cellphone or camera and capture an image. It is almost second nature for this generation. Besides the everyday stuff. Food photography was also used in advertising and art. A photograph of a burger also make me get one when I have a chance. It works. On the other hand, some photographers use food as still life to tell a story.

Yes I think the argument was convincing.  The part about the left hand closing was enough fact for me to believe the photograph was real. It is human nature for the body to adjust itself to protect the person. So with the soldier’s hand closed, I believe the photograph is real. In the end, real or not, I think the photograph had a powerful statement either way. It doesn’t have to be real to bring out the statment. All it needs is a good photographer.

I think the series of photograph in Arne Svenson’s Neighbors was very interesting. The photographs themselves feel very abstract in a way. I can see the division within the frame. The placement of subject in space worked beautifully. As far as privacy goes, I would say not so much. Arne Svenson didn’t really put the faces of his neighbors out there. Most of them were cropped in a way so that the viewers can’t get the full view of the faces. The people could regain their privacy by simply closing the shades or curtains.

Food.  Who doesn’t have an involvement with food.  We love it.  We may hate it but we have to consume it to stay nourish.  Some people even eat food in a sit down restaurant to pass time.  This is our beloved relationship with food and it is something all of mankind has; women, children, and men.  Food can sometimes be a hodge-podge or something aesthetically beautiful.  Whichever which way, if it is food, it will always exist.  We may not want to live with it, but we can’t live without it.  Food photography will always fascinate people and it is something which we most definitely need.

I find Arne Svenson’s photographs to be somewhat interesting; it displays everyday life which is something that many people like seeing as everyone can relate to one another in some shape or form.  However I believe that this may be an issue of privacy even if it is protected under the Constitution.  Just to give you an answer, the right to bear arms is protected under the constitution, but yet illegal gun ownership laws vary by state to state.  While I believe he did take this to relate to the general populous, I believe that the photographs should hae been more considerate to the general public.

Walker Evan’s Subway portraits clearly highlighted the day-in-the-life of an average subway rider.  These portraits clearly showed how not everyone was happy during these times.  Especially since this was post-Depression era and the side effects of this tumultuous period still existed.  I see this as a reflection and a parallel of current times.  Being that we just recovered from the Great Recession, some people call the millenials, “The Hard Times” generation.  People still have a hard time making end meets.  They say one of the biggest burdens, and one of the largest causes of stress, is money.  And that is why I think people have a tough time having positive emotions; because of a low bank account balance.

Even though this was the photo which was on the front of the assignment page, I figure that this photo applies to multiple events which occurred in 2013.

2013 was the year of social protest and people standing up for a more progressive society.  Seeing the protests in Turkey, along with images of protests in Syria and other dictatorships showed what was occurring in those countries on both sides of this “war” for democracy.  Seeing these images may be disturbing.  However these are facts of life in a society filled with technology which reaches from border to border.