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LookingatPhotographs
“Photographyisasystemofvisualediting.Atbottom,itisamatterofsurroundingwithaframeaportionofone’sconeofvision,whilestandingintherightplaceattherighttime.Likechess,orwriting,itisamatterofchoosingfromamonggivenpossibilities,butinthecaseofphotographythenumberofpossibilitiesisnotfinitebutinfinite.”
- JohnSzarkowski,photographycuratoratMOMA
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“Thisrecognition,inreallife,ofarhythmofsurfaces,lines,andvaluesisformetheessenceofphotography;compositionshouldbeaconstantofpreoccupation,beingasimultaneouscoalition– anorganiccoordinationofvisualelements.”
HenriCartier-Bresson
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Nomatterhowyouapproachit,beopentotheunexpected,becurious,askquestions,whenyougettheanswer,it’stimetoasknewquestions.
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Itisamergingofideas,lifeexperiences,education,culture,politics,morals,memories,… history
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• Photographscreatemeaningandcanhaveatransformativeaspectinitshistorical,politicalandsocialcontext.
• Iwantyoutounderstandphotographyasameanofcommunicationthatarticulatesideas,memories,desires,etc.inyourownindividualprism.
• Photographyisavisuallanguageandweneedtoacquireavisualvocabulary.
• Wereadimagerylikewereadatext.Thislectureisaboutidentifyingwaysofreadingandinterpretingphotos,makingimagerymoreinteresting.
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RobertMapplethorpe(1946-1989)Self-Portrait,1988
HowtoreadaPhotograph- Itmighthelptoarticulatewhatisinthepictureandhowitisputtogethertechnically
- Oftenwordswillleadyoutoaninterpretation
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ArnoMinkkinen (b.1946) DuaneMichals (b.1932)Narragansett,RhodeIsland,1973 TheIlluminatedMan,1968
Composition- Whatisexcludedissometimesasimportantaswhatis
included- Agoodcompositionoftenmakesitapparentastowhyapicturewastaken(e.g.leadinglinestothemainsubject
matter,depthoffield,focus,light)
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RobertMapplethorpe(1946-1989)GregoryHines,1985Self-Portrait,1985
TechnicalChoices- Technicalchoicesmadebythephotographeroftenhelpyou
understandhis/herintentions- Thesametechnicalapproachmightnotnecessarilymean
thesamething
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ChristianVogt(b.1946), FrameSeries,1975-76
“Maketheinvisiblevisible”- ChristianVogt
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ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76
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ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76
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ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76
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ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76
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ChristianVogt(b.1946),FrameSeries,1975-76
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AlfredEisenstaedt(1898-1995)V-JDayinTimesSquare, August14,1945
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RichardAvedon(1923-2004)WilliamBurroughs,NewYork, CarolCrittendon,bartender,July9,1975Butte,Montana,July1,1981
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Canwereadthesameimagedifferently?
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EdwardWeston(1886-1958),Pepper(No.30),1930
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“Itisaclassic,completelysatisfying,–apepper– butmorethanapepper:abstract,inthatitiscompletelyoutsidesubjectmatter. Ithasnopsychologicalattributes,nohumanemotionsarearoused:thisnewpeppertakesonebeyondtheworldweknowintheconsciousmind.“
“[I]tisdisgustandwearinessoverhavingmyworklabeledandpigeonholedbythosewhobringtoittheirownobviouslyabnormal,frustratedcondition:thesexuallyunemployedbelchinggaseousirrelevanciesfromanundigestedFreudianferment.”
- EdwardWeston
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AlfredStieglitz(1864–1946) MitchDobrownerEquivalent,1929 Rainshafts,2017
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BadExamplesofBlogWriting
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GoodExamplesofBlogWriting
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Howtomakeadifference?
Thinkdifferently,bebold,gotoplacesyouhaven’tgone,beinnovative,experiment,expressyourselfinyourownvisuallanguage,knowthehistoryofphotography,
Thereisalwaysadifferentwaytophotographthefamiliarsubjectmatter.
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WilliamMarxperformsJohnCage’s 4’33” (1952)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4
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10Thingsthatrequirenophotographictalent
beingontimeworkethiceffort
bodylanguageenergyattitudepassion
beingrespectfulfollowdeadlines
cometoeachclassprepared
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StrategiesforEssayWriting
“Acommonstructuralflawincollegeessaysisthe"walk-through"(alsolabeled"summary"or"description").Walk-throughessaysfollowthestructureoftheirsourcesratherthanestablishingtheirown.Suchessaysgenerallyhaveadescriptivethesisratherthananargumentativeone.”
Source:https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/essay-structure