It may sound ridiculous to us what these celebrities demand but if I was a celebrity I would think it is absolutely necessary. Here I am, in another country, city, state backstage and I know no one except for the people thats their to dress me or set up; I would at least want something familiar. These little things are what they know and they ask for specific things that will never change on them. It sounds really ridiculous but I think its all just to make them feel comfortable and wanted. By you granting me my wishes exactly how I want them I would feel wanted and I would be more than happy to please you if I know you are willing to do the same. However, the photographer who captured the still life did a terrible job at capturing the objects. I was more excited from the description than I was with the image.

After seeing the first picture you would think how amazing it is that this photographer was able to capture such a moment. The photo does not looked stage because you see the pain on the subject’s face and the way he is falling back it looks as though he is loosing control. However, once you see the other pictures it makes you wonder if the subject was just a really good actor. Either that or you should question what order these pictures were taken in. What if it isn’t staged and he just so happened to be lucky enough to catch this man in action and his death?

I believe that many Americans aren’t aware of the drought in California because they haven’t been affected by it yet. America has a population of over 300 million, which are spread out all around. Since many do not live in California, they don’t know the problems that are being faced. The illusion today is that our agriculture is in high stock. This means that people think everything is alright. As years go by, and the effects of the drought starts to hit on a higher scale; then people will see the severity of the situation.

Prior to this article i was already upset about the situation in Ferguson. This article only served to increase my outrage. Young black males are dying at an alarming rate by police in this country, and the same theme always comes up. The officers always claim to be threatened and had to react with lethal force. These situations have been happening for decades. When the photographer, Scott Olson made the comparison between Ferguson and Ukraine, he was absolutely right. The police in Ferguson was  beyond heavily armed. Ukraine was going through turmoil as a nation and the authorities weren’t even that prepared for it. It’s so sad to see the police ready for war against its citizens. These riots wont stop unless something is done in the justice system, the more extrajudicial killings done by the police on citizens will only lead to more riots in the streets.

The protests down at Ferguson has completely got out of hand. So out of hand that both pro and anti factions have already lost the true meaning of what they are fighting for because of what has already been done and the propagandas that are continuously creating a wedge in between them instead of a mutual ground were people could actually talk and MAKE CHANGES. Scott Olson’s reflections do show a facet of this. Being on the side of the protesters, his photos effectively captures the force inflicted on the civilians, so are the pain and anguish that they go through. Just like in Kent State, Olson’s narrative gives us a look of how abuse feels like, of how intimidating it could be and how difficult it is to overcome. I just feel like his take is a little unfair because the police are people too, who are merely doing their jobs, and are pretty much misrepresented for doing so. I would really like to see more photos geared towards their conditions too, and make a comparison and a valid conclusion.

In comparison to FSA photographs, Matt Black captures not only the problem arising in California, but also the effects on the people actually living the drought at this moment. His photos include both the conditions of the terrain and its inhabitants, but of coarse, not forgetting to add a slice of the emotional–photos of seasoned farmers and shepherds looking very anxious about the current state of the water irrigation, a dead tree lying in front of a market looking equally deserted, photos of children trapped in the middle of these difficulties. It is pretty much like the FSA photographs during the Great Depression, which sought to grab the attention of those seemingly unperturbed by the economic catastrophe. Perhaps, the reason why these photos have not achieved its goal to enlighten people is ‘compassion fatigue’, which, in a nutshell, is the lessening of compassion from people because they are so used to seeing similar photos. With the power of smartphones and the efficiency of social media these days, people are quickly updated with different levels of wretchedness, day by day, 24/7, that they can quickly dismiss this problem, knowing that a comparable news story would surface soon. What I do not understand however, is the fact that the government is seemingly not doing anything about this. How come (for a person like me who doesn’t watch the news regularly), that all I hear about these days has something to do with terrorism in a foreign country, when a problem like this in our own soil is looming so largely? Hectares of land are becoming useless and our own people jobless!

Although controversial, there is an immense truth behind Robert Frank’s photographs.  The faces of Americans working “nine to five just to stay alive”, expressions of tiredness and discontent. We all live in this huge mass, surrounded by water, a land where our President is considered to be the most powerful man alive, we have to save face, some may argue that we are inclined to put our best foot forward.  The land of the free, a land were each individual is granted certain rights and freedoms. I absolutely hate talking about race, so this blog post will be very short.  Just as Robert Frank photographs show a true depiction of life in New York City, at a particular time in history, where segregation was an issue then, and racism is still a huge issue today. There was one photograph that really stood out to me, the picture of the little girl with her hands held up and her siblings.  I wondered if it was indeed just an act of imitation, she looked very young , too young to fully comprehend the matter at hand.   She was happy and had a lovely smile, I wonder if children naturally see the world in the shades of grey, where we are all alike, and the only thing that separates us from one another is my character.

I feel that most people are not aware of the drought in California because it is not in the news and in all honestly its not a conflict so most people won’t care. As long as some people can still walk down the block or drive a few miles just to get what they need at a decent price most people will not care. Also, news of California doing bad will not make the news very much even the article from The New Yorker was short. Plus, California is know for so much other things that boost there economy, which is based on tourism. Those parts of California will not be televised or even really written about, because its not affecting the people in the city.

Just like anything famous and newsworthy, Robert Capa’s “Falling Soldier” is not immune to any controversy. The photo presents a harrowing moment during war–the precise moment of death of a soldier–and that in itself is that attractive element that perhaps propelled it to become ‘The Greatest War Photograph’ of all time. The shock of capturing death is indeed riveting, especially at that point and time in history, and to expertly do so is genius, and therefore would understandably garner the attention of the critics. I personally feel that Knightley and Gallagher’s allegations are pretty lackluster, missing the backing of a solid, air tight evidence. What also took my attention was Knightley’s pettiness even after being proven wrong. Whelan makes very credible points while defending Capa, on top of enlisting the expertise of a chief homicide detective. Now, given the compelling facts in favor of Capa, doesn’t Knightley realize that with his persistence, he is actually making Capa look even more heroic than he already is?

Spiritualism documentation I feel would be an interesting topic to study. you see the idea of photography playing a large roll in anything spiritual. It was even once believed that taking a picture could steal your soul since you eyes were the window to your soul. Also, I feel like if you take a picture at different levels of light or spectrum’s you will be able to capture  something that could not be seen with the naked eye or will an ordinary camera. The reason I believe photography can play a role in documenting spiritualism is due to its recent use in many movies that have to do with haunting, ghost, and demons.

This type of work is possible to be intrusive, because it begs the question “Do you really want to know?” Some people might use this proof to challenge other people beliefs, also if you know these other beings are out there you’ll go searching for something you can’t come back from. I’m all for the idea of exploring to see if it is real or if its just all in my head.