Printing!

Last week in photo 1 we tarted printing. It was very exciting to finally be able to see my photos on paper instead of the screen. I started printing my 6 photos for our midterm assignment, and I'm excited to see my work from the semester all together thus far. It was difficult for me to choose the right photos I wanted to print, but I experimented a lot with luster and matte paper, as well as making adjustments on photos that I originally thought wouldn't look better. It has been a lot of fun this week and I am super excited to finally be able to show my family what I've been working o for the last 8 weeks.

Reaction Paper 2: Studio Visit

Today we went to visit professional photographer Jim Lennon’s studio. It was a very interesting experience, and I was excited to go. Before today, I had never been to a professional photography studio, and it was so cool going to see how a photographer actually works. When I walked in, I enjoyed seeing all of Jim’s photographs hanging up around his studio. It gave me an idea of what he photographs. When Jim was talking to our class, I noticed he always spoke by saying "we" instead of "I", and that made me realize how much he relies on the people he works with. It is a very big production doing what he is doing, and it was interesting to see that he doesn’t take full credit independently for his success. I thought it was a good experience going to visit Jim’s studio because we got to see what a school can’t teach, which is real world experience. I feel like I learned a lot about how things go on a daily basis from hearing Jim speak. I liked watching him take photos at the end of the visit; it seemed so natural and easy for him, and I hope to one-day feel that way too. I liked watching him set up all of the equipment because I didn’t know exactly what his set up looked like until he had everything ready to go. One of the best things I heard Jim say was how to react to consumers who think his prices are too expensive. He said that his response is, “Okay, what would you like to take out?” I think this is valuable because it puts into perspective for the client that the prices are for a reason; it isn’t just an arbitrary number that is being charged. I thought Jim had a lot of cool stories to tell from his own personal experiences. He said that he has changed business models multiple times, and that showed me how complex it is running your own studio. In all honesty, it seemed very stressful having your own studio. I'm glad that for me it is years down the road, because it was a lot to think about. However, I did think that it would be exciting to potentially have my own studio some time in the future. All in all, I had a good time learning about how to run a studio, and I hope to be able to see someone else’s studio soon.  

Being Resourceful

I decided to take photos for assignment 4 in my house. The problem was, I didn't have a good background. There were no blank backgrounds that I could use that were also well lit, so I decided to be a resourceful photographer. At first, I used a blue sheet from my old bedding as back drop, but the color was interfering with the look of my photos. Then, I decided to take the table cloth off of my kitchen table, which is white, and used that as a back drop. These photos came out much better and I learned to not let a small problem interfere with my ideas for taking photos. I was very excited about how these photos came out.

Reaction Paper 1: Gallery Opening

On Thursday October 5, I went to the opening of Maureen Drennan and Paul Gagner's joint gallery opening. It was a very interesting experience for me because I've never been to a real art gallery other than in a museum. It was very cool to see the actual artists there and to hear their inspiration as opposed to just seeing their art.
I enjoyed Maureen's photography because of the tranquility of the images. Even though the tone was often melancholic, there was a sense of peace in the composition and colors of her photos. The photos that I had enjoyed most were "Hair", "Waking Up in Sweet Home", and "Did Your Dream Drift From Mine", all off which featured her husband Paul. I liked seeing how a wife photographs her husband, and how it gives an inside look into the workings of their relationship. Maureen had talked about how her photographs of her husband had been influenced by his depression, and you can see how Paul was impacted in "Waking Up in Sweet Home". The use color in "Did Your Dream Drift From Mine"is very interesting to me because it makes the image very cool and moody, whereas a photograph of fire would typically be a warm image.
The interesting thing about Paul's paintings is the satirical and humorous take he has on being an artist, as well as his feelings towards himself. I enjoyed the series of "self help books" that he painted. The titles such as "No Skills? No ideas? No problem! Become an Artist!" and "Dr. Moseley's Guide to Hypnotizing Curators" were entertaining showed his tongue in cheek humor. It was interesting seeing some of his paintings that were self portraits like "The Portable Artist" and "The Artist, Rearranged, With Pickle" show how Paul views himself. It seems as though he thinks of himself as broken, but there is still humor in the picture, like adding a pickle.
All in all, I enjoyed the gallery opening. It was fun seeing the artists next to their work and being in a professional atmosphere. I would be happy to go to another gallery soon, and I hope that I have the opportunity to.

What I've Learned So Far...

I found my love for photography in a different medium- film. I loved the process of taking a photo, developing the film, and then going into the darkroom to make prints. I love the look of a black and white film print; the photo comes out so rich and there is a different feel to the image. I took to film photography fast, and it gave me happiness to make art in this way. I mistakingly thought that going into the Digital Photography program would be a simple switch. I assumed I would enjoy it just as much as I had enjoyed film, however I didn't have the knack for digital as I had for film. I was very frustrated in the first few weeks of the program because I missed the darkroom and I felt like I was't doing that well or that I even belonged in the program with all of the kids who are so good at digital photography. Over the last two weeks, I've began to be less hard on myself and to give myself more time to improve. While doing the in class critiques of our photos, I noticed that I had been getting positive feedback which helped boost my confidence. It has been hard to make the switch to digital, but as I continue on in the program I'm sure I'll continue to grow as a photographer and like the images I create more and more.