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