I read this poem called “Life Without Technology” at this site www.powerpoetry.org/poems/life-without-technology and its all about we as human beings are being held captive by the technology thats all around us. Even I get caught up in this problem. I officially became a zombie when I got my first cellphone in high school. Even to this day which is mostly my fault but try to get out of it by distracting myself with healthy activities like yoga, cleaning, cooking, and all sorts of everyday stuff that we as human beings need to survive in life.

The reflection of the glass of milk has a stunning reflection on the surface. I even like how it fades as it goes towards the bottom. Mark Christ creates a wonderful splash effect when pouring milk into the glass. The splash on the bottom looks believable but as you go up it looks like a close resemblance of a tree which makes the photo look fantastic. In Gregg Schapps’ photo it looks more natural and vibrant. The colors are popping out at you from both the water and the rubix cubes. The splash was spot on target.

At Aperture the the exhibit was called “Prison Nation”, where each photograph tells us about what prison life is like on the inside and what its like being on the outside. One of the pics that caught my attention was called “The GreenHouse Program”, which was shot by Lucas Foglia. It shows two female prisoners playing around while watering the greenery. The light looks like its diffused a little bit. This was shot by the rules of thirds in a way. Even though their in prison they get special privileges which gives them a warm smile and to have fun. The next gallery is called the Benrubi Gallery and the exhibition there is called “Leaning Out” by the photographer Jeffrey Milstein. Most of the photos I’ve seen were mostly aerial overview which is very rare for anyone to capture at such a high angle. Some of the overview shots showed patterns of repetition and also rule of thirds in a few of his pics. David Zwirner is the last gallery on the trip. “Scenes from the Blackout” is the last exhibition which goes way back in 2003 which was a good yet crazy year for me then. The photo I liked the most was when the guy is stuck in the elevator. I believe it was called “Solitaire”. Yes I know its the worst rotten luck to get stuck in an elevator during a blackout. But that didn’t stop because he was entertaining himself by playing with cards with a lit candle on the side. This was a over head shot. While he is entertaing himself out of boredom he keeps looking at that little as if it is the symbol of hope to never give up.

The photograph of Roy who is in his 20’s is an interesting pic. The composition looks pretty symmetrical although the stand with the lamp on top at the right side of the bed breaks the symmetry. The subjects gesture is showing a sign of being laid back, wondering what is going on with the world kind of feeling. It kind of reminds me of those scenes in the movies when the character is puzzled by his own problems. Judging by the lighting I think there are three light sources. The lamp is one, the light illuminating the left side of the bed could be artificial light or it could be a full moon shining through the window. You never know. I feel like there is a bit of diffused lighting in this scene for some reason. The lighting seems to be very soft.

In these shots I see strong women who are proud to be mothers. Each of these shots has a unique feel which conveys what I see here. Annie Lebowitz and Awol Erizku’s maternity photos of Demi Moore and Beyoncé are both beautiful and impactful images.In both portraits they appear to be holding their babies as a sign of secuity and comfort. Lebowit’z portrait seems to show rembrandt with high contrast  in the image and it looks as if the light may be a bit diffused.

Awol Erizku’s portrait of Beyonce has a bunch of props compared to Annie Lebowitz photo. I guess the props along with Beyonce’s gesture are a sign of being nurturing and being protective. What really catches my eye is how the silk drapes is over her body especially when it is not covering when holding the baby.

Avedon’s portrait style is shooting in black and white to give contrast to his photos. His choice of a white color background is a a great choice for having his subjects stand out. It gives the deatails in the photo a little more pop. Johnathan Mannion uses the same technique as reference of Avedon’s style of taking portraits and applies it in the photo of Jay-Z by using the same white background, show great contrast, Jay-Z gesture is facing the camera while his head is tilt down a bit along with a 3 1/4 head turn slightly. The style in this portrait is the same as Avedon’s work. Mannion uses short light, broad light, split light, and Rembrandt Light with or without fill. By observing both of their works I have to admit that I’ve learned quite a lot from both of these remarkable artists. This is gonna help push me further into doing more portraiture photoshoots.

Yousef Karsh is an old-school photographer from the 1920’s that had a huge impact on photography. Back then obviously he shoots in black and white. It sort of gives that certain past look feel when you look at his work. Most of his portraits were dark and low key which invokes a certain motion or mood. Contrast was strong in most of his work as it shows the subject projecting their moods. One of the pics I found interesting was the picture of Winston Churchill. Whats interesting about it is that the photo was taken of the subject being caught off guard. Karsh just took the cigar out of Churchill’s hand during the shoot and it just left Churchill with the most fascinating expression on his face. Right away Karsh had to capture that expression on camera. Playing with a subjects mood is key to photography.

Nadav Kander work is remarkable. Most of his portrait provide drama which pulls you in and makes you wonder what is these scene all about. The vivid colors and tones give an inviting feel which pulls you in when looking at his work. The gesture and compositioning work well together in every photograph makes you want to know more behind the story of these actors and actresses. It makes you feel like engaging with them on the same level. The portrait of Lily Allen is the one photo that took my interests. It was a side profile position of her but her head was turned slightly towards the camera giving that innocent feel to the pic. I also admired the blue toning which gives that cool effect instead if it being warm. If I were to emulate this kind of art for my own portraits I will definitely use Kander as a reference.

After looking at Dawoud Bey’s work I start to realize that when shooting on location the backgound seems to be dark and cluttered in a way. This technique really helps bring out the subject more. He sets the light at certain angles which goes off to the side of the models poses and also in a angle of a triangle when shooting straight into the subjects eyes. Some of the models show different kinds of gestures which gives the photos a mood and meaning. Some gestures show innocence, vulnerability, anger, and calmness which gives life to his amazing work.