Last Impressions

Reading over my first impressions of the Photography class was very interesting. I think overall the reasons that I took the class remained the same. I was about to learn how to use the camera and I really hope to continue using it after the class ends I also learned how to set up pictures technicially and with different compositions to create different and meaningful photographs. Therefore, I feel as though the reasons I took the class were fulfilled.

I definately exceeded my expectations. It was more work than I ever thought it would be. Also taking this class pass/fail I thought it would be different for me. However, the photos were my personal work and since it was a class unlike something I had ever taken I loved creating the photos and developing them so I was always challenged to do my best work. I wanted to love the pictures and wanted others to form opinions whether good or bad on my work as well.

Over the course of the semester I filled my personal goals. I also saw a lot of improvement in the quality of my photos from the first assignments to the last. I learned not only how to work the camera and create different photos, but I really learned how to play around with the machines. I tried out different aperatures, filters, exposure times, etc. to really create the best pictures that I could.

After leaving class tonight, I realized how much I am going to miss this class and being able to develop my own photographs. I really plan on continuing to take pictures in the future and maybe in a few years might take some more photography courses on my own.

Artist Statement

Portrayal

My final photography assignment depicts men and women in photography. Originally I was going to take photos of different aspects of rush hour, however, when thinking about the theme nothing excited me. After my internship one day I was going to head into Boston, so I started to look up different black and white pictures online to get a general sense of what I wanted. I noticed that I began to focus on very specific aspects of photography. I was looking at pictures that portrayed inequality or the differences among ethnicities, religion, or gender. These pictures made a statement and really said something to me. Thus, I decided to do my final project on the different aspects of men and women
After shooting a few rolls I came to the conclusion that I wanted to show the portrayal of men and women in photography. In my project I intended to show how women are seen as mostly seductive, vulnerable and depressed in photography, whereas men display more charming, strong and angry characteristics. In my pictures the women take up less space then the men. They also are either not looking at the camera or their body is turned away. Men have their whole body facing the camera and are looking directly at it.
The placement of men and women together in photographs is also controversial. So I decided to take some portraits of different couples and depict different scenarios. In my photos along with many others, women usually have their arms around the men, or are leaning into them. The men usually hold onto the women or encompass them in the picture. The women are often portrayed as weaker and dependent to the men based on how they are positioned.
Overall I enjoyed working on this final. I wanted to create a controversial final project, where I was able to express something I am passionate about. These photos do not express what I feel is ideal, instead a lot of what they portray is what is still unequal today and can be seen in a majority of the photographs taken.

Deidre Hussey

the blog itself

I was not one to blog often before. Recently I have been blogging clearly because we all need to blog, but I think there is more to it now. I finally am starting to enjoy the pictures I am printing and finding other art I appreciate or not like as well. I think coming from a different major, I came into class thinking I was just going to take some "cool" pictures. However, it has become more than that. I want to find something I love in the photos. I hate when they come out crappy and I have taken an awful role. It has been hard trying to buy supplies and keep up this semester. However, I think I have come to respect fine arts majors more than I ever did before. It truly takes so much time to create a final project you love and even then it might never come out before. Like Sonia was saying before she wanted a project to express her family and it took her years to finally capture what she wanted. One of my best friends is a fine arts major and every year she has spent hours upon hours on her projects. I always appreciated the art and the work that goes into it, but taking this class you realize how much more time you have to spend. You honestly can only study for a test for so long and work on a paper for so long. People could argue my point and state you could always do more but I do not agree. The topic is not going to change. There is only so much information you should put in papers or only so much information you can learn for a test. However, with art you have so many options and might be changing your idea up until the last second, which can be such a stressful situation. It is just very different than any class I have had before and although I really loved it, it was a lot of work and I will never take for granted photo processing again! :)

Olympia, Manet

When talking with Sonia last class, she encourged me to check out the picture of Olympia by Manet. At the time it challenged what was normal in pictures. Especially what woman should look like. At the time he was hated for this portrait. The woman as you can see above is facing the straight on, naked. This is not typical of a woman. She is ususally not taking up as much space and looks softer than this painting. She is ignoring the flower bouquet the maid has for her. She is just staring at us naked in the bed, not an angellic type either. It really challenged the portrayal of woman at the time, and although it would be accepted now, we rarely still see that in paintings or photographs.

My Final

I really enjoy the final I am working on. I think that it really portrays something that I care about. I am getting slightly annoyed at some of the random marks on the picture, that I have been working to fix. It just annoys me because I clean the negative and all I need to do, but sometmies this one little spot can ruin the picture. Hopefully I can get them all to go away! However, I really love the pictures I now am able to make. I really wish I took this earlier so that I could have made more pictures during my time here at Stonehill. :)

Placement

While taking pictures for my final I had to think a lot about placement of people within the photo while trying to capture the emotion or feeling that I wanted. It was hard to put people into position or with other and try to make it look real. It made me think a lot about the pictures of the Civil War by Matthew Brady that Sonia talked about. When you first look at the photos you would think they are candid and are a part of the war in a shot. However, when researching about them you realize he moved people around and set up situations. Although it was probably not much movement in some and more in others, they were still set up to characterize what he was feeling. An example of one of the photos is below. This is what I am hoping to get in my photos. I am placing people and they are not necessarily candid. However, I am trying to portray men and women in different ways. I was to capture there essence in a photo. Therefore, when people look at them I do not want them to look empty or as if they were just placed there for no reason. I want my work to say something.

Response to Marine Wedding

I was just checking out the class blog and looked at Nina Berman's Marine Wedding photos. One word really comes to my mind when you see them and it is haunting. These photos are what I really enjoy about photography. They are expressing a view or passion that the photographer holds. Sometimes it is harder to grasp, but there is a point to that photo. The photo below is one that I found while searching different photos that reminds me of that wedding album. It just disturbs me the faces and terror in the children while the soldiers are following behind. They seem so nonchalant in comparsion. I also like that this photo is in black and white. It gives a more dim feeling of the photo and the dark background behind the people makes me wonder if there are bodies lying all around there. The middle child who is naked scares me more than anyone. You wonder what happened to him? Why is he upset and naked? There is just so much to this picture that bothers me and what makes it worse is that it is reality.