ENG1101 Section D392, Composition 1, Fall 2014

The picture was taken on October 6, 2014 at 4:14pm when I was on my way from New York City College of Technology to my home. The picture is part of the prestigious New York City College of Technology located in Tillary St, between Jay St and Adams St. I always like this part of the building because of the inclined shape the top of building has. Also, the multiple windows that form the ceiling of the building gives me a sense of transparency as I can clearly observe the fluid movement of students and faculty staff as they go to their respective classes. In addition, the spacious and empty space at the front of the building makes me feel relax and calm as I can sit at read a book in tranquility. I really appreciate the green trees that surround the building, it shows me that there is still a tiny spark of summer even though the fierce winter is coming to New York City. Finally, I enjoy the way the sun hits the left side of the windows, it shows me that the sun still wants to shine powerfully though the clouds want to take over it and steal the rest of the fresh afternoon. I adjusted the brightness of my camera in order to perfectly capture the front doors of the building. I really love the perspective I took the picture because it makes me think that behind those little doors, there is an enormous world full of opportunities, knowledge and success for me.

This picture was taken today on October 6th while i was walking around in Fulton street. Honestly i just took pictures of many different places even at times it was at random, but this one stood out to me once i took the picture. The view of these two buildings with lights for the construction work lighting up the dark pathways on a sunny day. At the far end, you see the light from the sun reflecting upon the building. There are people commuting their way to their destinations as usual in the city. The people crossing the street reminds me of the Beatle’s Album cover,” Abbey Road”, of them crossing the street.  I love the fact the buildings on both side were tall enough to block off the sun resulting in this night time atmosphere while it is still sunny outside.I did not use any filters in this shot, it came out the way i took the picture. This shows that in the city of lights, there are placed left that still need to shined.

Court Square Building, 2014, Silma Samayeen

Court Square Building, 2014, Silma Samayeen

This picture was taken on October 6th, 2014 and it was taken during afternoon on my way from New York City College of Technology to my home Astoria. The building is in Court Square and there were lots of people. I can see the sun behind the building and the colors of the picture are green at the top of the building which looks nice to me, light brown and the sky. i don’t see any shapes. There are lots of building around the street. I was with my friend Simmi on our way to queens. It was sunny. I like this picture because the building in the middle looks nice and it look like the building is surrounded by other buildings. Also, it was crowded which makes me feel safe because I think if I get in any danger,people will help me. The buildings look close to each other which I didn’t notice it until I took the photo. There was traffic on the street. The reality affect is low if I look at the top but if I look at the bottom it’s very high since I can see it in my everyday life. I didn’t use any filters in the picture. Finally, I like how when I look at the top, all the buildings look connected.

Hi Class…lot’s of information today!

Homework for Wednesday:  Post a photograph (make sure that the image size is under 1 Mb) that you have taken to OpenLab then describe it under the photo in terms of subject, setting, light, color, and any filter you used (use the paragraph below my photo as an example). Make sure to proof and edit your writing because this is a public site!

VIDEO CLIPS:

1. How does a digital camera work?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic0czeUJrGE

2. How to develop film using coffee and vitamin C:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjOqcbBEco

3. A Darkroom in Use:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nue495wxlXo

4. Five tips for taking your own digital photographs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YroMyQJ-GMQ 

——————–

Here’s a written description of a store:

“It was a narrow room, with a rather high ceiling, and crowded from floor to ceiling with goodies. There were rows and rows of hams and sausages of all shapes and colors–white, yellow, red, and black; fat and lean and round and long–rows of canned preserves, cocoa and tea, bright translucent glass bottles of honey, marmalade, and jam; round bottles and slender bottles, filled with liqueurs and punch–all these things crowded every inch of the shelves from top to bottom. “

-Thomas Mann

What is the dominant impression of this scene?

The Main Concourse of Grand Central Station, 1929, Anonymous

Henri Cartier Bresson, Derriere la gare de Saint Lazare, 1932

Hi Class,

1. What is a photograph? Please write up a definition in your notebook.

2. Why do we take, keep, share, and discard photographs?

3. How should we make sense of photographs?

The French sociologist and critic Roland Barthes wrote about photography, and he came up with several useful terms for studying photographs.

1. Studium: The studium of a photograph is the public and historical background of a photo. The studium is the photo’s context and its general understanding. The studium of a photo must be visible, and it is the cultural reading of faces, gestures, buildings, clothing, and actions within a photo.

2. Punctum: The punctum of a photograph is highly individual, not public. The punctum pierces the viewer in a particular way. The punctum, which must be visible,  pierces the viewer like a arrow, raising certain individual memories and consciousnesses to the surface. The punctum bruises me but not you. The punctum is about loving, while the studium is about liking.

Best,

Prof. Scanlan

September 3, 2014

Hi Class,

I hope that your summer was great: as productive and as relaxing as you wished it to be.

As we get to know each other, I believe that you will find that I am very fond of reading, and I am interested in new digital technologies. In particular, I like to examine digital tools that can help students work more efficiently. One such digital tool is Wikipedia. Hardly a week goes by when a friend, or a parent of a college student, or a colleague rips into Wikipedia (a new digital research tool) for its flimsy research, its weak documentation, its biased approach. Well, I’ve always thought that Wikipedia keeps gaining ground on other encyclopedias, and it looks like it has truly reached the tipping point, especially when esteemed historian William Cronon gives it the thumbs up:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/one-of-the-nations-top-historians-decides-its-time-to-embrace-wikipedia/252576/

Try this exercise: look up the terms “immigration”and “Brooklyn Bridge” on Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia and tell me which one is more complete with more footnotes and more resources.

My next point:

Summary Blueprint:

a.  Author’s thesis. Identify the author’s name and the title of the writing

b.  Author’s more specific thesis and plot outline (if applicable)

c.  Author’s examples, evidence, structure, and style

d.  Author’s conclusion

Cheers and welcome to my class,

Prof. Scanlan