So apparently this essay is yet another writing that the author uses to describe the utmost importance of photography. Instead of hammering in the idea of photography being a very exclusive source of knowledge, Mr. Marvin Heiferman says that photography has changed the relationships we have with art and the world in general.
I like to think that photography has opened up a lot of doors for us since the 1830s, they let us look back on the moments that have passed and the events that took place. The way that all of these essays are written gives three main points of photos that I already knew existed.
1. That photos are a way of connecting us to the world around us, they act as a guide to what we may not be able to see in person so we can imagine and connect to them ourselves.
2. Photos are an important source of learning and possess enough knowledge to be used as a reliable learning device
3. Photos provide us a connection with each other through communicating without words
As stated before I am aware that photography is a very complex and serious art style that many do not appreciate for what it is worth. It is very difficult to showcase the expansion of time and space in a few static images but it is possible. It takes massive skill and precision to get the result that conveys this sense of movement just as any design project requires. If there is anything I took from this reading it was that by using photos to open up the world around us from our conventional limited view it gives us grander opportunities than before. Not only can we expand that source of knowledge that we use to learn from, but we can forge connections with each other through visual messages rather than verbal. Verbal messages are indeed up for interpretation but photos provide a unique interpretation that requires creativity and careful thinking rather than articulate wording.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
On Photography
The author begins by saying that photographs are not only a way for us to be educated of the world around us, but that they give us the ability to see what we cannot normally see from where we are standing. That since 1839 almost everything has been photographed and that it has never been easier to have the ability to see things that would normally be separated from us by natural and social barriers.
She continues to say that printing words may be easier and safer, but the words of a person are just an interpretation. She says that prints and movies and television fade away with the time that they represent but Photographs are a still capture of a moment in time that last forever. That the importance of photographs as a form of knowledge helps us connect the past to the present without the use of words and instead uses the imagination of the viewer. The entire essay is a comparison between books and photographs and how images are more powerful and easier than words.
I can tell from the word choice and sentencing flow that this author is very passionate about photography. I enjoy the way that she compares television and books to photographs but the way that she glorifies photographs as a whole does not sit well with me. I can see that she is only trying to emphasize the importance and dependency of pictures, but they are not the only source of knowledge. Yes pictures do help us connect visually with the world around us while books only give us words to imagine off of, and yes Photography is still a very important form of art. But like printed words and moving images on a screen, pictures do not last forever. They fade and change with the times and sometimes they do not remain at all.
The author was trying to say that photographs are more dependable than books because of the way that they visually stimulate you into imagining the scene with you in it. Pictures are meant to help the viewer put themselves in the place of the camera holder, its how we connect without words in a way that helps us gain a better understanding of the world around us. But I enjoy books as much as looking at photos, maybe even a little more. I agree that books are more about interpretation than photos. But that is what makes books so interesting to me, they help me imagine the world that I want to see instead of just looking through the eyes of another person. I like to feel the movement of the words more than looking at static images. Images do last a long time, and they can help us remember but I personally do not feel they are as "decisively important" as Miss Susan makes them out to be. They are not the only important source of information, books and movies are just as influential.
She continues to say that printing words may be easier and safer, but the words of a person are just an interpretation. She says that prints and movies and television fade away with the time that they represent but Photographs are a still capture of a moment in time that last forever. That the importance of photographs as a form of knowledge helps us connect the past to the present without the use of words and instead uses the imagination of the viewer. The entire essay is a comparison between books and photographs and how images are more powerful and easier than words.
I can tell from the word choice and sentencing flow that this author is very passionate about photography. I enjoy the way that she compares television and books to photographs but the way that she glorifies photographs as a whole does not sit well with me. I can see that she is only trying to emphasize the importance and dependency of pictures, but they are not the only source of knowledge. Yes pictures do help us connect visually with the world around us while books only give us words to imagine off of, and yes Photography is still a very important form of art. But like printed words and moving images on a screen, pictures do not last forever. They fade and change with the times and sometimes they do not remain at all.
The author was trying to say that photographs are more dependable than books because of the way that they visually stimulate you into imagining the scene with you in it. Pictures are meant to help the viewer put themselves in the place of the camera holder, its how we connect without words in a way that helps us gain a better understanding of the world around us. But I enjoy books as much as looking at photos, maybe even a little more. I agree that books are more about interpretation than photos. But that is what makes books so interesting to me, they help me imagine the world that I want to see instead of just looking through the eyes of another person. I like to feel the movement of the words more than looking at static images. Images do last a long time, and they can help us remember but I personally do not feel they are as "decisively important" as Miss Susan makes them out to be. They are not the only important source of information, books and movies are just as influential.
A Viewers Guide to looking at photography
As far as I could tell the first reading assigned to us is made of two components, a gigantic checklist that breaks down the basics of photography analysis and an in depth description explaining the many important components to a photographs content. It is basically a gigantic formal essay that tells the reader the different aspects down to the most basic definition.
I do not appreciate the way that this reading is worded, it is not that it is hard to understand because its not. Its because that the author actually makes it sound like he thinks the reader cannot even grasp the most basic concepts of photography elements. I know that there is more to photography than just picking up a camera and shooting willy nilly. I know that the time of day, the placement of the subject, the angle, the color choice and the intended mood are all important. Photography is a very complex type of art that many people take for granted, and readings like this may give a clearer idea of what Photography means in the art world, but it does not show the appreciation that other artist statements do on the matter.
I do appreciate the amount of detail and comparison that goes into different concepts such as classical examples and modern examples of photography and how the definition has changed over time. While I do not enjoy formally written essays very often, this one does provide plenty of information for the average camera user. It does not force the opinion of Photography being of utmost importance but it does show the actual science behind Photography that goes into each picture. I always thought that Photography was a simpler form of art, but its just as complex and thought out as any other form of design.
I do not appreciate the way that this reading is worded, it is not that it is hard to understand because its not. Its because that the author actually makes it sound like he thinks the reader cannot even grasp the most basic concepts of photography elements. I know that there is more to photography than just picking up a camera and shooting willy nilly. I know that the time of day, the placement of the subject, the angle, the color choice and the intended mood are all important. Photography is a very complex type of art that many people take for granted, and readings like this may give a clearer idea of what Photography means in the art world, but it does not show the appreciation that other artist statements do on the matter.
I do appreciate the amount of detail and comparison that goes into different concepts such as classical examples and modern examples of photography and how the definition has changed over time. While I do not enjoy formally written essays very often, this one does provide plenty of information for the average camera user. It does not force the opinion of Photography being of utmost importance but it does show the actual science behind Photography that goes into each picture. I always thought that Photography was a simpler form of art, but its just as complex and thought out as any other form of design.
Project 2 Description
After Project 1 ended the groups for BDS 102 split into two separate groups to make the projects easier to manage than if we did the same project at the same time. My class was assigned to showcase a demonstration of space and time through collaging photographs.
The project does not have any actual specifics, the only requirements is the subject of the collage must showcase movement using space and or time in a way that tells a story of progression. And the entire collage must be 75 photographs or more.
The subject can be anything that the student wants varying from locations to physical human subjects or a themed idea such as beauty shown in a way that still shows some type of progression. Space and time movement are not limited to times of day or step by step frames of walking. They can be the differences in light or photographs at different angles that come together to make the limited space seem larger. The freedom of the project allows for varying collages that each have their own unique take on the assignment, the difficult part is grasping the knowledge of moving space and time in a real fashion using nothing but static photographs in a way that makes it realistic.
The project does not have any actual specifics, the only requirements is the subject of the collage must showcase movement using space and or time in a way that tells a story of progression. And the entire collage must be 75 photographs or more.
The subject can be anything that the student wants varying from locations to physical human subjects or a themed idea such as beauty shown in a way that still shows some type of progression. Space and time movement are not limited to times of day or step by step frames of walking. They can be the differences in light or photographs at different angles that come together to make the limited space seem larger. The freedom of the project allows for varying collages that each have their own unique take on the assignment, the difficult part is grasping the knowledge of moving space and time in a real fashion using nothing but static photographs in a way that makes it realistic.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Ted brown video
A video about a guy who talks about the tragedy of many designers being so focused on creating something "fashionable and trendy" that they forget what design is really about. He calls designers who think above others and focus on fashion "hipsters" admitting that he is also one of those people. Then he makes a point that designers need to go beyond the modern stigma to want to be fashionable. That design is more about finding something that fits into the niche rather than for the expensive crowd.
He says that a designer is always pressured to stay ahead of the times and to keep up with the ever growing technology, and that pressure is part of the reason that designers worry so much about fashion and modern things than actually thinking about what they are making. That making something attractive is easier to do and so that is why designers focus so much on appearance. A good way to approach the idea of design thinking is by experiencing a situation that causes the designer to think of something that can be helpful and innovative. That again designs must be interactive and adaptive and should be thinking more of the big ideas such as world issues than just focusing on the "small canvas" of appearance and fashion.
He then says that design is once again becoming something bigger than what is the latest trend. He says that designers are being presented with those big issues that design once focused on before such as global warming. That design thinking or "innovative thinking" is what will help the world solves this issue and make design more than just a simple profession. The one unfortunate thing that he presents is that design is human centered, that instead of focusing on the world the issues that design tackles are issues that humans have commonly caused. This one issue is what keeps me from enjoying design fully, if we could focus on both the natural world and what humanity needs this world would be so much easier to live in.
He says that a designer is always pressured to stay ahead of the times and to keep up with the ever growing technology, and that pressure is part of the reason that designers worry so much about fashion and modern things than actually thinking about what they are making. That making something attractive is easier to do and so that is why designers focus so much on appearance. A good way to approach the idea of design thinking is by experiencing a situation that causes the designer to think of something that can be helpful and innovative. That again designs must be interactive and adaptive and should be thinking more of the big ideas such as world issues than just focusing on the "small canvas" of appearance and fashion.
He then says that design is once again becoming something bigger than what is the latest trend. He says that designers are being presented with those big issues that design once focused on before such as global warming. That design thinking or "innovative thinking" is what will help the world solves this issue and make design more than just a simple profession. The one unfortunate thing that he presents is that design is human centered, that instead of focusing on the world the issues that design tackles are issues that humans have commonly caused. This one issue is what keeps me from enjoying design fully, if we could focus on both the natural world and what humanity needs this world would be so much easier to live in.
Poggenphol reading
The reading begins with the author meeting with a child psychologist, they go through Natural History museum in Chicago. While in the museum they critique the exhibits by the way that the visitors examine and react to each exhibit. The author makes a valid point by saying that many designers do not focus on emotion or feeling when it comes to what they design, they are so focused on client budgets and deadlines that design becomes a dead end job rather than something enjoyable. She calls it being trapped in a "aesthetic and technological vacuum."
She says that designers are meant to invoke a message through their designs along with meeting the desires of their clientele. While at the museum she realizes that she never really stopped and wondered what kind of message her designs were sending to her viewers and clients. She goes on to explain that design is actually the discipline of more than one profession, that not only do you need skill but you also need the ability to adapt to any situation that you find yourself in.
Design is interactive and communicative, it requires both the designer and the viewer to be able to understand how to use the design in a way that it is meant or targeted to be used as. She says that successful designs are ones that are able to adapt to the needs of its user while also providing a way for the user to depend on their own skills rather than having the designed product do all the work. She says that designers need to be able to see and understand patterns in order to make something that fits into whatever is needed or popular at the moment. The interactive part also means that the client of the product must be able to use the design from its first prototype in order to give real live feedback that the designer needs in order to fit it into what is required.
A major emphasis on the design process besides interacting with the clients and making something that anybody can use, she also talks a great deal amount about prototypes. Each successful design went through many phase changes, the designer needs to be able to adapt their prototypes to reach a final product. She says its unusual for a designer not to use prototypes because without changing and adapting the designer cant grow in skill and socialization. If a designer is not willing to change or invoke a message that reaches out to others they will become part of the vacuum that is plaguing much of the art and design world.
She says that designers are meant to invoke a message through their designs along with meeting the desires of their clientele. While at the museum she realizes that she never really stopped and wondered what kind of message her designs were sending to her viewers and clients. She goes on to explain that design is actually the discipline of more than one profession, that not only do you need skill but you also need the ability to adapt to any situation that you find yourself in.
Design is interactive and communicative, it requires both the designer and the viewer to be able to understand how to use the design in a way that it is meant or targeted to be used as. She says that successful designs are ones that are able to adapt to the needs of its user while also providing a way for the user to depend on their own skills rather than having the designed product do all the work. She says that designers need to be able to see and understand patterns in order to make something that fits into whatever is needed or popular at the moment. The interactive part also means that the client of the product must be able to use the design from its first prototype in order to give real live feedback that the designer needs in order to fit it into what is required.
A major emphasis on the design process besides interacting with the clients and making something that anybody can use, she also talks a great deal amount about prototypes. Each successful design went through many phase changes, the designer needs to be able to adapt their prototypes to reach a final product. She says its unusual for a designer not to use prototypes because without changing and adapting the designer cant grow in skill and socialization. If a designer is not willing to change or invoke a message that reaches out to others they will become part of the vacuum that is plaguing much of the art and design world.
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