Composite

Self Portrait

I must conquer this now... =]

Simen Johan

Simen Johan's photography in my opinion is very successful.  The composition of the photographs is wonderful and everything in the photograph flows very nicely.  The way he uses the camera to take pictures is very skilled and well thought out.  I think it is successful in just the way the pictures are laid out; the main subjects in focus, the colors are quite vibrant and contrasting, and the light is always just right. 

Exam

Gradient

Home Portrait

Jeffery Stockbridge

Currently featured in the Chesapeake Gallery at HCC is an exhibition by Jeffery Stockbridge.  His work is the photography of abandoned homes and sometimes homeless people that live in these abandoned homes.  It really is quite moving weather you are an art enthusiast or not.  Just looking at these photos makes you stop and stare.  You wonder what possibly could have happened here.  When you look at an abandoned home you know that at one time someone used to live in and care for the home.  But now it is all alone, dark and depressed.  The paint is peeling off, doors fallen off the hinges, and trash can be found everywhere.  If only the walls could talk and share their story.  As for the homeless people that he photographs you can just see their pain.  What I mean is their emotional struggle in life is clear to see by their facial expressions.  Being homeless is rough.  What these people go through living in old abandoned houses cannot be very pleasant. 

The most moving piece is 19th and Catherine St. and it also raises the most questions.  The focal point of the picture is what I assume to be a wallpapered wall of a beach scene with palm trees.  At first it almost looked like a backdrop that you would get your picture taken in front of, but since it is raised above the baseboard I do not believe that that was the purpose.  An original purpose will be uncertain, but whatever room this was the person that lived here probably liked the beach.  The other element that caught my eye was the portrait above the door on the left side of the picture.  It is a rather small picture, but the fact that it is there is just fascinating to me.  Why was it left hanging here?  Did the people that leave this place rush out so quickly they forgot it?  Who was the girl in the picture?   She must have had some status or reputation with the people that lived here. She could have been a part of the family, but we just do not know.  As for the rest of the interior of the room it is just falling apart.  The paint is peeling, the ceiling is falling down, and it is just not in the condition it once was in. 

It can be sad looking at his photography.  And it is definitely moving.  It is almost a break from our world we like to live in that is clean and quite frankly not falling apart.  We should look at these people with respect for their endurance.  Jeffery’s work definitely stands as a reminder of what is out there.

Color Cast

Ghost Dog

Intention

 The photo

and what was behind me

Double Photography

     For class I tried an experiment of taking a picture then taking a picture of what was behind me.  It was quite an interesting concept.  I wandered outside since I like taking pictures of the outdoors.  I took pictures of flowers, and plants and even a cinder block.  However, whenever i took one i had to turn around and just take a quick picture no matter what was going on.  I only got plain snapshots of the ones behind me though.  I think if I had gone to a public place it would have turned out much differently.  As for the reading when he said that Alfred Hitchcock never considered content when making a film, I believe he was trying to make a point that not all art is planned or thought out.  And as for this excersise it was to just take pics without thinking in order to be more free.

Love

Words

Words can not always descirbe something perfectly.  Like a perfect moment. It is so much better for a picture to be taken so that you can possibly share it or just remember the moment so much better down the road.  Seeig the moment for youself is of course always the best but when trying to describe that moment how would you? Can you make the other person feel the way you did when that moment happened?  You could but that be a ton of explaining.  Taking a picture is like capturing that moment, so they can get the complete feel of it.

Considering a Portrait

In my opinion when people now think about a portrait they just think a pcture of a person.  The word seems to have lost some of its meaning.  Back in the 1900's getting a portrait done was a big deal.  Sure people still get dressed up if they go have their picture taken, but it is still different.  For example, in the 1900's you would have most likely only had one portrait done at a time because of how long it took for the picture to come out.  Now people do 10 or 15 poses (give or take) and then choose what they like and get them printed.  Truly a change in the times.

Portrait

 

 

 

 

Unexpected Shot

Light

 

Rocks State Park

and a wall

Warped tour

Breath Carolina

Crowd Surfing 

Umbrellas

OC Sunset

Catching the last moments of the day

Tower