BONUS DB 12 -The impact of digital technology on photography

How digital technology changed the role of photography in the society?

What has been the impact of digital photography on journalism?

Digital technology has truly changed the role of photography in the society in so many ways. Going to the photo shop to develop and print photos is now seen as an outdated and time-consuming process with everything being “digitally consumed”. With advancements in technology, the ways we use cameras have changed. Having a camera integrated into everyday devices is considered a norm including cellphones, MP3 players, laptops and now, tablet pcs. Because of this, it is now convenient and easy for everyone from grandparents to children to capture special moments in their lives at that very moment.

Digital technology has also changed the way we interact with photography. In the past, film cameras could only store a small number of photos, while today memory cards can allow users to store thousands of photos dependent on memory size. Everything is now “digitally-consumed” including the way we look back at pictures. Storing photos on computers for later viewing is also a new norm as opposed to developing pictures. In today’s society, storing important pictures in albums may be perceived as outdated and only used for special events such as a wedding or graduation. Editing photos to enhance the quality is also now possible thanks to such programs as Adobe Photoshop and Corel.

In addition, digital technology has changed the way we share our photos with others in society. Emailing and Social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter has allowed users to share photographs with their friends and family from all over the word online. “Facebook Albums” also make it easier to organize and to have a “virtual” photo album to share photos from specific events.

In terms of the impact digital technology has had on journalism, the world has become such a smaller place to find news. The Internet has allowed news organizations as well as people to share and provide important and relevant news worldwide as soon as something happens. Someone from Toronto can learn of a new aids treatment from Germany or the weather in Thailand in an instant.  Digital technology has also allowed virtually anybody to become journalists with the popularization of Blogs. Blogs have also rapidly grown to become a source of gaining legitimate news form. Digital photography has however brought an issue of reliability to the ease of manipulating and editing photographs which has never been an issue in the past. To combat this, standards and strict guidelines for journalists have been implemented around the world.

In conclusion, digital technology is growing and expanding everyday with organizations finding unique and new ways to enhance how we interact with the digital world. How we use and share digital photography is changing with a growing trend to digital consumption and it will be interesting to see what the future of digital photography brings us.

Assignment Four: Virtual Essay

Eugene Atget was a French photographer from the early 1900s who is best known for his photographs documenting the architecture and everyday activities that went on in Paris. He photographed Paris through alleyways, narrow lanes in the historic city-center, old buildings, bridges, shop window displays, all with a special attention to the architectural details. Atgets work can best be distinguished through the uses of long exposures creating a white haze and utilizing wide angles. Similar to Paris, I felt Toronto offered many opportunities to photograph the cities historic buildings with many of the details in architecture that Paris offers.

“A good photograph is like a good hound dog, dumb, but eloquent,” is a one of the only quotes I could find from Eugene Atget. From my understanding, this quote summarizes the idea that a simple photograph can have a powerful impact, an ideology that Atget regularly practiced. 

Below are photos that I have personally taken from Downtown Toronto that were inspired by Atget’s shooting style and collection of photographs with a little twist.

PHOTO ONE

When I first saw Atgets photo, I immediately thought of the Gooderham building located between Front And Wellington Street because I found the design and mature styling of the building to be very similar to that of the photo taken by Atget. Similar to many of the structures in Paris, the Gooderham building holds such rich history in Toronto and is recognized for its narrow wedge shape and bright color. I also decided to capture the photo in horizontal landscape to add my own personal twist. When looking at Atgets photo, the roadway is completely abandoned and I question why there are no cars or people in sight. I found it extremely difficult to capture a photo free of any obstructions because of the constant flow of traffic and pedestrians crossing the road. To bring the two photos together, I processed the photo to black/white while adjusting the brightness/contrast. In addition, I think this photo best illustrates Atgets style and use of long exposures. The roadway draws the eye down middle of the road to a white mark, making one question what lies at the end of road?  

Eugene Atget - Rue de seine (1934)

Photo taken by myself.

PHOTO TWO

The following photo was taken at the front of Union Station. Union Station is one the busiest and most traveled stations along the subway line with many commuters passing through.  Similar to Atgets preference to shoot with a wide angle and use white space, I attempted to take a wide angled photo of Union Station to capture all of the little details in the window and building columns. Union Station has a lot of historic value in the main building, however I chose to photograph the side along The Air Canada Centre in order to add a modern twist to the photograph taken by Atget. After some post-process work, the photos share close similarities in terms of symmetry and lines that draw the eyes to the middle of the photo. The rough texture of the building photographed by Atget can also be seen in the brickwork in front of the ACC. The end result is a dark building that leaves me with a sense of intrigue and mystery.

Eugene Atget- 28 Rue Bonaparte (1910)

Photo taken by myself. 

PHOTO THREE

Atget appreciated detail in subjects. He photographed images in old Paris of run-down buildings looking for detail in the brickwork and architectural design.  I kept this in mind as I photographed downtown and came across the Hockey Hall of Fame. Similar to Atgets photo, the Hockey Hall of Fame had immense detail in the entrance and columns. I edited the photograph by emphasizing the details in the brickwork and columns. The photos also share similarities in the texture of the brickwork. The viewpoint of the picture is also very close to Atgets although I could not get as centered due to the constant moving traffic on the road. Finally, the taxicab on the right hand corner breaks the symmetry in the photo creating a sense of imbalance comparable to Atgets photo.

Eugene Atget- Gallery new

Photo taken my myself.

PHOTO FOUR

The greatest similarity between Atgets photograph and mine is the use of depth-of-field. As Atget had photographed, I looked for a narrow alleyway and came across one along King Street and Jarvis. I thought that the alleyway gave a cold and somewhat isolated feeling, a similar emotion I felt when I saw Atgets photo. Important elements in Atgets pictures found in mine include the linear lines on the brick wall that really draw the eye down the middle of alleyway while repetition can be identified between the photographs coble stone and brick ground. Finally, many of Atgets pictures have a strong white haze due to his use long exposures and because of this, were able to create such mysterious looking photographs. This was a signature component of Atget and I attempted to implement this by editing the brightness and contrast of the photo. 

Eugene Atget- Intersection of the rue Lhomond and rue Rataud (1913)

Photo taken by myself.

PHOTO FIVE

Atgets photograph along the street is very busy with signs and posters plastered on the walls. The road however is completely clear with no sign of human life. To add my own take on this classic photo, I thought that the contrast from the congested parked cars and empty street would be a similar take to Atgets contrast in busy posters and signs. In addition, the bending road in both photos creates a sense of depth-of-field and really draws the eye to follow. Atget commonly used long exposures to create this depth and I think that Atget does a really good job at pulling in the viewer and taking them on a photographic journey. 

Eugene Atget- Rue Des Ursins (1923)

Photo taken by myself.

In conclusion, Atget was a true pioneer in street photograph who photographed new and old Paris in a realistic but unique manner. Atgets use of long exposures makes his work identifiable from others and he  utilized many of the fundamentals of composition in photography today. Through his work and style in photography, I was able to experiment and play around with creating depth-of-field and wide angle shots in Downtown Toronto. I thought it was interesting how different it made things when I went about taking photos using some of the photographic elements in Atgets style of shooting. This assignment was a great learning experience not only in terms of the history of Eugene Atget but the fundamentals within photography. I had a lot of fun going Downtown and shooting!


SOURCES:
http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Eugene-Atget.html

Topic3: Alterations in journalistic photography

The press acts as an important tool in providing the public with the opportunity to gain different world perspectives on current events, issues, and assists us in making daily decisions with information that may impact us. The act of altering photographs can completely change what a picture stands for and because of this, journalists have the great responsibility to provide the public with images that best represent the truth.

I believe that it is unacceptable to alter photographs presented by the press. Manipulating photographs has been a very controversial issue since the growing trend of digital media. Because the photographs taken by journalists are presented to the general public, Journalism and news media have a great influence on us through numerous outlets including print, the web, social media outlets, and Television. This influence can persuade viewers/users to make decisions that can have a great impact in a positive or negative manner.

In addition, digital media has made it a lot easier and convenient to manipulate photographs. Through such programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photo Paint, photographers are able to enhance, crop, blow up, and retouch images seamlessly. “Photographers who once had to abandon the scene of a story in order to process and print are now able to remain in the field as they file digitally direct from cameras or select, edit and transmit from their laptops. The resulting images are often distributed to audiences almost immediately via Website portals.” This quote reiterates that digital media has made distributing and the manipulation of photos easier then ever.  With a set of skilled hands using Adobe Photoshop, photographers can remove a person from a picture while changing the background with ease. In order to build a set of standards relating to manipulating photos, the United States for example, has the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) that is Code of Ethics promoting the accuracy of published images. In addition, SND protect the reliability and truthfulness of news reports, to really build a trusted relationship between the media and general public. 

Photojournalism will continue to have a large influence around the world because of its potential reach, making manipulating photographs a very important concern to control and guide. Below are examples of before and after post-edited photos. Editing a photo with a simple layer of darkness or cropping a photo can dramatically change and alter what the photo stands for and symbolizes.

An edited  photo of Martha Stewarts "so called" weight loss according to the headline. By simply cropping the photo and adding shape to her shirt on the right, Martha Stewart looks a lot more thin. 

A photo taken manipulated to enhance the darkness in smoke. Adding darkness to the smoke makes the photo a lot more dramatic than the original photo. 

A photo of a model from Ralph Lauren with an extremely slim waist. The model was clearly edited to create such a thin waist and torso, and it is not an accurate display of a women's body. Photos such as this, are irresponsible making young girls think this is natural and portray the body shape in such inaccurate ways. 

Sources:

http://webct.georgebrown.ca/webct/urw/lc2044122001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/11-photo-editing-flubs-digitally-altered-photo-disasters/story?id=8780937&page=3

Discussion Board 11: Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson vs. Smith and Salgado

Comparing the photography work between Andrew Kertesz and Henri Cartier-Bresson in contrast to Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado, it is clear that they all have a diverse style of shooting but they all bring a unique and distinctive offering to photography through their work and have had a great influence on photojournalism.

Each photographer take a distinctive approach on how they photography and report an image and that is what truly differentiates each one from another. Andre Kertesz and Henri Cartier- Bresson were two European photographers that are recognized for assisting in the development of “street photography” style. Andre Kertesz is best known for capturing the “decisive moment” which entailed taking pictures at that very instance that he felt were powerful and encapsulated the true feelings and emotions of a person or place. “Everything is a subject. Every subject has a rhythm. To feel it is the raison d'être. The photograph is a fixed moment of such a raison d'être, which lives on in itself,” is a quote taken from Andre Kertesz that reiterates how important capturing the moment was. This style is very similar to Henri Cartier-Bresson and his mind set when taking photographs. Both photographers also believed that it was important to remain unnoticed when shooting photographs. They wanted to remove any outside influences or distractions and they believed that by staying invisible, the photographs taken would capture true and raw emotions of their subject. 

Eugene Smith and Sabestio Salgado shared a different approach that can be perceived as a bias approach but they believed in manipulating their photographs in to tell a story from their point-of-view through images. Being "invisible" was not important in capturing the moment. 

Which photographer offered the better journalistic approach is a difficult question to answer. I believe that each photographer provides a unique and distinctive style in photography, but all share their pros and cons. While staying invisible and leaving photography un-edited can bring out raw emotions, editing photographs can assist in the creative direction of telling a story. Kertesz and Cartier- Bresson's style is appropriate for photos taken for journalism purposes should remain unedited because of strict guidelines and morals within the manipulation of journalistic photographs. In comparison, Smith and Salgado's style would be best for leisure and artistic style photographs including parties, landscapes, portraits, etc. Having the artistic freedom to edit photos can enhance the image to the liking of the photographer. 

In conclusion, the work of Andrew Kertesz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado all have had a great influence on photo journalism and provide a diverse history in shooting styles. 

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Behind the Gare.  -Shooting a photo at the very moment was always the inspiration.

Eugene Smith- Edited to show more contrast. 

SOURCES:

- Learning Module's Week 10 & 11

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cartier-Bresson

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cartier-Bresson

Topic 2: Press photography versus art photograph

Photography is a great means of communication between journalists and the general public while also being credited in the art world for the ability to express ones creativity through photographs. Below are photographs taken from a few Toronto Star articles and pictures taken by photographer, Terry Richardson.

Press photographs are similar to those of art photography because they still must be able to display a clear image or idea to the viewer. If the viewer cannot interpret or understand a photograph, then it has lost its purpose or goal. In addition, both forms of photography must still consider the essentials involved in taking a picture including lighting, angling, aperture, shutter speed, and other important criteria. The photographs above simply display the people relevant to each news story. The photographs do not use much photographic elements such as lighting or camera angling. It is just important to have a picture to go with the story.

The photographs above are taken from Terry Richardson, a fashion photographer known for his provocative and sometimes controversial pictures. Art photographs can be different from press photographs because of the purpose of each photo. While press photographs must be clear and concise to help the reader/viewer understand a story, art photography can be abstract and difficult to interpret or understand. Press photography can also be positioned to allow the editor or newspaper to receive credit on a story and to grab the readers/viewer’s attention. The creativity or quality aspect of photo can sometimes not be as important as to the relevancy to the story at hand. This can happen in order to get a news story out in a fast manner. Art photography in contrast, provides photographers the opportunity to express themselves through photos.  To many it may just seem like a photo, but for other it is distinguished by different form of uses and may be separated by meaning. Terry Richardson is considered a great fashion photographer for his ability to bring out the personality of each of his subjects. In the photos above, the cast of Jersey Boys is seen having a good time and joking around (what they are well known for on their hit reality show).

SOURCES

Press photography

http://www.thestar.com/news/torontogta two kids

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/890111--brampton-mayor-resigns-from-her-own-private-fund (Brampton mayor)

Art photography

 http://www.brusday.com/tag/mike-the-situation/ (jersey shore)

http://www.hhnrocks.com/post/269718283/hangingonmytongue-bohemea-suicideblonde (justin timb)

DB 6 - Presentation Week 6: Documenting the great depression

Why the project has significant impact on the society? - What was the role of Migrant Mother photograph in the period or great depression and what is it nowadays?

The Farm Security Administration is an archive of documents and multiple photographs during the Great Depression years. The endeavor initially began with numerous photographers sharing their photographs on the American Memory website online. The archive includes an extensive collection of photos documenting American families everyday activates and struggles. These photos concentrated on Americans at their home, at their workplace, and their leisure activities, with a greater importance held on rural and small town life and how the great depression, the dust bowl, and the move towards the mechanization of farm duties affected these activities. I feel that the photos captured in black and white are able to best illustrate the genuine emotions and mood that these people endured because of the deep levels of blacks and lines on many facial expressions.

The photographs taken during this time provided a true visual outlook on American struggle and harsh experiences. It is difficult to look back at how American lived and worked compared to the lifestyle that many individuals live in today’s society. In addition, many photographs comprise how the wealthy and poor interacted and the extensive differences in standard of living at the time. The project is significant for its historic value as it allows for people to understand and learn how individuals from the past struggled and lived. It is important for our society to learn and move on from our history for the greater benefit of our community and ourselves. Because of this rich documented history, we may also learn to value and avoid what lead to the Great Depression.

The Migrant Mother photographs were a series of photographs captured by Dorothea Lange on March of 1963 of a mother named Florence Owens Thompson. The inspirations behind these photos derive from Langes desire to picture how poverty-stricken individuals lived. The roles of these photos were to illustrate the hardship true “Americans” endured at the time. Thompson stated how she had sold the tires from her own car to buy food and these pictures act as a testimonial to her struggles. The photo below is simply an extraordinary photograph because you can truly feel the struggle that Thompson endured by looking at her facial expression.

WORK CITED LIST:
"America Memory." Memory. Loc. Gov. 15 Dec. 1998. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html>. 

Assignment 3: Photo Manipulation

The following pictures were taken by myself and edited on Adobe Photoshop. The equipment I used include  a Nikon D80 with an 18-70 mm lens. The photos take place in various locations around the Eastern Caribbean. The quality of the photos are not so great when putting them up on the blog but i'm pretty happy with how they came out...


Photo One...

This photo was taken somewhere in the outskirts of Barbados and the scenery was absolutely amazing. I think The deep blue ocean against the rough texture of the rocks is what makes this photo work. I first started with cropping the top of the photo. I then decided to make the image black and white to change the mood of the overall photo.I think that by transforming any picture into black and white can really dramatize any photo. In addition, I used the burn and dodging tool to add some definition to the rocks and clouds.

Photo Two...

The following photo was also taken in the same location as the above. I really liked how the photo initially turned out so I didn't want to change much.I first started with straightening out the water. I then edited the brightness and contrast of the picture to make the colors more prominent. After that, I then used the gaussian blur tool in the background to create a sense of depth of field and to make the subject stand out. Finally I did some slight touch-ups and made her glasses darker. Overall I am very happy with the final results and the photo really bring's me back to Barbados with the cool water and bright sun.


Photo Three....

This picture was taken in Antigua and shot from a moving van. I liked how the surroundings was bare and deserted. First cropping the top the photo created a sense of harmony even though there is a little shack on the right hand corner.I converted the picture to black and white and then used the dodge and burn tool to add some depth to the sand and clouds.


Photo Four...

The picture above was taken in St. Thomas. St. Thomas is a beautiful island with surreal beaches and friendly locals. I took this picture from a local bar along the beach while enjoying an ice cold beer. Aside from adjusting the brightness/contrast and levels of the photo, I used a technique to make the edges of the photo darker and fade into the middle. I decided to use this technique on the photo to add a sense of depth of field and draw the eye towards the subject of the photo, a bottle of beer. I like how the photo has a "Caribbean feel" to it coming from the the bright colors of the lounge chairs and sand.




Overall from working on this assignment, I think that what makes a photo great is its ability to make the viewer experience the same emotions and thoughts that the photographer went through when taking a photo! I certainly enjoyed my time on the trip and I hope others can enjoy these photos...

Can art be mechanically reproduced?

When something is reproduced for so many times is that art? What's the importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art? What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society?

A piece of art will always be art, no matter what new form it takes on. Artists may have different perspectives, understandings, and creative differences that make artwork unique from others. Art is so special because different people can interpret the same object in so many ways. The ability to mechanically reproduce art is an important learning tool and has changed the way we use and see digital media. A photograph that has been alerted and changed will be as unique as the original photo taken. This provides artists with the opportunity to archive and share their work with others around the world. The ability to mechanically reproduce art has also had as great impact on society as it allows for artists to easily share and review their work with others.

A pear is a pear however people may have a different take on how to represent this piece of fruit...

Is photography art, or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?

Photography is a form of art. It is is also a tool used by artists. Lighting, camera angling, and shutter speed are some creative elements to consider when taking a photo. All these settings and adjustments make every photo taken unique from another and a piece of artwork. 


How and why Henry Pitch Robinson created Fading Away? What was the reason?


"Fading Away" was Henry Pitch Robinson most famous composite photograph using five negatives. The use of five negatives created more dramatic and dark mood that really sets the tone for the photograph. The photo was taken in 1858 and it created a lot of controversy. I think Henry took this shot because during this time, photographers were very conservative. Henry used real human situations that people may go through in life including a depiction of a dying girl and her family members close to her in the photo.

Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?


Digitalization has given camera users the ability to manipulate photos through editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. In addition, it has allowed users to easily make multiple copies of photos. It has also brought the whole art community closer together including professional and amateur photographers to share and critique photos through the world wide web with such websites such as facebook, flickr, and blogs.  

References:
http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/robinson.htm

Topic 1: The role of portraits in the early days of photography and portraits today

1. What are main differences and similarities between portraits in the early days of photography and portraits today?

Portrait photography has been a popular style of photography since the earlier introduction the first cameras. In the past, Portraiture was a symbol of status and social standing for many emerging in the middle class. Taking portraits are now widely available to everyone is seen as more recreational and fun. Portraits from the past involved subjects holding the same emotion and pose with the same solid background while subjects today may pose with more freedom and backgrounds can be more graphic.

In addition, the quality of photographs has also significantly advanced and pictures taken today are clear and detailed. Earlier, Photographers were also challenged in dealing with very long exposures and careful planning of lighting conditions. Nowadays, photographers have more artistic freedom and can take pictures with a range of low-high exposures while Lighting conditions can be easily corrected with available lighting equipment and an external flash.

Portrait of Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin from 1875

Portrait of Jay-Z from 2008

2. Who was the photographer and who was the subject of photographs in the past and today?

Photographers in the past had formal training in visual arts and must have had an understanding in chemistry as it was involved in the process in developing photos. However with technological advancements, anyone with creativity and desire can be classified as a photographer today.

The subjects of photographs involved the upper classes as this class contained the rich and members of high social standings including politicians and actors/actresses. They were able to afford the high costs of portraits but over time, photography became affordable making it available to the lower and middle classes. With this change, anyone can now be the subject of a portrait.

3. What was the impact on technology on the portraits in the past and today?

Photographers in the past were very limited in terms of the features and equipment available to photographers today.  During the popularization of photography in the 1800s, the daguerreotype emerged as one of the top cameras and involved a very tedious and careful process. The exposure times were also very long and lighting was uncontrolled making taking photographs of subjects difficult.  Earlier cameras and equipment were also very large in size making transportation difficult.

Today, cameras and photographic equipment have advanced greatly. Cameras include advanced settings for artistic freedom and are very affordable. The quality of photos has also significantly increased and cameras are available in many different sizes to fit a photographer’s needs. 

Giroux Daguerreotype from the 1800s

Nikon D90