Reaction Paper 2 - Lyceum Gallery

     I took some time to visit the eastern campus's gallery,  The Lyceum Gallery. The works currently on display are works of students from different art programs that the campus holds. There was a lot of photography, but graphic design and interior design were noted among the walls as well. Attending the gallery initially, I only expected photography. The display in the gallery earlier this year consisted entirely of photography, so it's interesting to see some variety.
     Something I find conflicting about the gallery is that the way it is arranged makes it difficult to actually view work. A gallery should have open space in front of the pieces so you can get up close to view them as well as read the information on them. The Lyceum Gallery is part of the school's library, so there are chairs and tables and such right in front of all the pieces. This was most likely done purposefully to add to functionality, as it is piece of the library, but is definitely not positive for the gallery. To walk up and view the pieces, I either would often have to ask someone to move or would make them entirely uncomfortable standing right next to them to view a picture. Another problem this poses is many students, probably non-art majors, do not even seem to notice it's a gallery. To most on campus, unless it has been introduced to you, it is just another room in the library to study or sleep. The existence of so much furniture definitely takes away from the pieces on the wall, making them unnoticeable to some.
     The first piece I viewed was by Woody Morse, titled "Beans." This was a photograph, printed vertically in taller dimensions than standard computer paper. The most interesting thing about the photograph is that the actual "beans" he captured look, at first glance, like preying mantis to me. I appreciated the composure and colors on this piece, having a deep, rich blue background to emphasize the lightly colored wire and beans.
     My favorite piece I viewed in the gallery was "The Uninvited" by Joe Sandoval. What I liked about this piece was that it reminded me of high production photography. His photograph pictures someone banging on a lit window, pictured from outside in a dark area, walls of the building painted with graffiti. The picture gave me a lot to wonder about, which is why I liked it. Even being a photographer, I couldn't tell just how the picture was done. I wondered where it was taken, and how the photographer got the lighting in the building to work so well and still capture a feeling of emotion in the silhouette it casted on the window. I wondered what editing was done, as editing can mean anything today. The picture of the outside of the building and the person in the window could have been entirely separate shoots, edited together in photoshop post shoot. It's really inspiring to see work from students at the same college level as me doing work that looks like it required heavy pre and post production, putting a lot of effort into their pieces. There were many works on display with all different strengths, giving fans of different types of work all something to look at.
     There were a few other pieces I found notable at the gallery. One piece, "Lonlinesss Rock" by Gabriela Leon was impressive, because although pictured is a rock floating in water, the water is so clear it looks as if it's floating in mid - air. This piece is impressive because a lot of thought has to go into how to properly expose the image to capture it looking as such. Another piece, "Fall Sky Hues." by Stephanie Johnson captured my eye because of it's vibrant yellows, pinks, and blues in a beautiful sunset. "Take A Moment" by Hayden Meyer is a very different look at a light painting. I couldn't gather if this was purposeful or not, but the light painting photographed looks like a line of dancers.
     I truly enjoyed the student display at the Lyceum Gallery. It's a great opportunity the school gives in giving students the opportunity to display their work. You can tell the students who's work is display took a lot of time and work, and truly cared about their pieces. Every piece on display was beautiful and impressive. What I also like is often, as digital media photographers, work doesn't always get printed. Having your work printed is an entirely different way to look at it, and gives it a sense of "finished." Also, they had many pieces on display, filling the walls of the gallery about to their capacity. The gallery gave as many students as they could an opportunity to hang and show their work, which is a lucky chance for those who attend this college. I believe the existence of school galleries in schools that offer art programs are entirely important, as it gives students something to work towards, and then in turn, be proud of. For photographers, I'm sure there is not many greater feelings of accomplishment than to proudly hang your work in a gallery for others to see.

Daily Photography.

In my Digital One class, for a week we had to shoot at least five photos a day. This exercise forced us to actually practice in the field we're all working towards every single day of the week, and makes you think about it a lot more actively. Here, I've decided to display a few of my favorites from the week. I thought it was fun, and enjoyed having a reason to get outside every day and find something to shoot. My favorite shots are of the water droplets, which were simply on the car window as my family was heading to New Jersey and I thought they we're interesting. I zoomed in really close, in an effort to distort the scene enough so you can not even tell it's a car window.

Black on Black. White on White.

   

The outcome of this project was probably my least favorite out of anything I did all year. Being on the broke end of things until after the holiday, I didn't want to go out and buy objects for this project so I was left to use what's available to me. For me, all of these shots are very plain. Yes, the concept of the title is captured, but there's no real use for them. Something I learned about this year is screen calibration to make sure your colors are right, and since these were all edited on a school computer, on my home computer I'm seeing that either their screen, or my screen isn't calibrated. On the school screen, the colors looked richer and denser - not as much as I'm looking at them from home. Thus far, I've essentially been critiquing myself, but I feel like in every batch, even if you hate the whole shoot, there's one image that stands out. For me, it is definitely the second and third pictures of the cotton ball and the light bulb. Now that it's cold out, I set up my mock up studio in my dining room, and found both of those objects in there. This makes it apparent to me, there is a photograph everywhere - you just need to look for it. I shot all of these in shutter priority mode, my objects are placed on black poster board backed by black foam board. I used a lamp but tried to avoid direct lighting, boning my lamp off a piece of white poster board to reflect it. The amount of "rigged" studio shots I've done this year, I think everyone will be happy to hear I found a cheap studio set up to invest in for the time being. Still, by no means a professional kit but once I start taking pictures with it, I'm sure you'll never be able to tell. Everything is what you make it!

Portraits.

Worked on portrait photography for my Digital One class this week. Some of this is meant to just show different lighting, such as the final picture where the model is lit from underneath. I was able to work with three different friends at three different locations so I definitely got a little more in depth to my project this week. In the photo's of my friend artificially lit against a plain background, they are simply lit with a lamp with him standing in front of poster board hung on the wall. I tend to use poster board for a quick, cheap, seamless background that I can usually just throw away when I'm done with. My favorite shot out of the group is the one where my friend is laughing hysterically. I love candid photo's so much more than posed because I feel they are more truthful. I know I have some photo's on repeat - but that's because I'm still trying to pick a finish. I really enjoy portrait photography. I'm obviously still learning and perfecting but it's great whenever someone wants to jump in front of my camera. Always thankful for the opportunity, and knowing those who aren't camera shy. 

Reaction Paper: Photo Expo

       

       This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the photo expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. The event was running a short time, from October 30th to November 1st, so I was lucky to catch the last day of the expo. The event showcased companies from all different realms of the photo world, from the large companies like Nikon and Canon, to brands for gear such as Lowepro. They had companies that specialized in camera, lenses, gear, camera accessories, prints, software, and portfolios. Companies that advertised, networked, and created websites even had displays to draw photographers in. At certain booths, you even had the option to buy and sell gear. Essentially, every little corner and necessity of the photo world was in attendance, and there was plenty to do and see - all for free.
        Immediately after entering the Photo Expo, I started to make my way through the aisles and aisles of booths displaying all different things. At many booths there was an opportunity to win contests. One booth was giving away free website design, sigma’s booth giving away a lens, and various other companies offering up prizes to lucky winners. Although I expected the opportunity to be able to get special show pricing on some gear, not many of the booths were actually selling, but rather simply advertising. A positive and great experience of the expo was that many of the booths allowed you to try their products on your camera and personally see what their product can do to improve you and your photos. You could spend hours at the nikon, sigma, canon, or any of the counters trying on different lenses - and that is not an experience you can often get, especially all under the same roof.
       A certain aspect of the photo expo I really enjoyed and appreciated was the free seminar’s offered by many of the different companies. I sat for a few minutes of many seminar’s here and there, but the two seminars I sat entirely through were by Jennifer Rozenbaum at the Sigma stage. Jennifer Rozenbaum is a boudoir photographer who gave seminars on utilizing small spaces as well as her key boudoir poses. I thought her speeches were interesting because I never noticed boudoir photography as something people make their career into, and it’s actually quite beautiful, especially when done by someone with a talent and eye for it. In utilizing small spaces, she made a point that all your furniture should be movable so you can utilize it easily wherever you may need it. Also, when working with a small space you should explore outside the space such as hallways, outdoors, and anywhere else available because sometimes these spaces can be utilized as well. In posing, she actually spoke of how a woman can arch her body the right way in the right light and it makes cellulite almost invisible, without editing. A good technique she uses to get her models comfortable is to do casual photos before they’re posing half naked in front of her, which if done immediately, could make them uncomfortable and stiffen up. I always find it interesting to listen to a photographer speak, especially if they work in a field I find interest in, and Rozenbaum did not disappoint.
      An interesting aspect of Photo Expo was the booths that were interactive. Many studios were set up with models so you could hook up your camera and test out a company’s lighting or equipment. In my pictures above with the model against the white background, I was testing a huge circular light that you stick your head, and camera in the middle of. Although I think the pictures came out nice, mostly thanks to the gorgeous model, I thought the lights were overpowering. It’s nice to have the opportunity to have first hand experiences with equipment though, good or bad, so I know if I’d want to add it to my collection or not. Also, there was a stage where a contestant from the TV show, “Face Off” was applying makeup to nude artists as a piece of art, where photographers could approach and photograph. The models with graffiti pictured above are photos from this stage. Many people surrounded this stage and it was very crowded throughout the day, but when you have live art and a huge expo full of photographers, you can’t expect much else.
      All in all, I thought the Photo Expo was an interesting experience and something every photographers should attend at least once. I was able to gain first hand experience with a lot of equipment as well as learn about it in a way I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. It’s also always a wonderful experience to hear professional photographers speak as well as be able to personally correspond and ask questions with them. Although I would have enjoyed the opportunity to be able to make some purchases, I wasn’t disappointed that I attended. It definitely made me think more about the gear I have and how I plan on expanding my collection as well as making me further ponder what career path I will be taking with photography. It is a lot to think about, but I’m hopeful with my growing experiences that answer will become clear to me with time.

Night Photography.

For my digital one class this week we had to only shoot pictures at night. As someone who tries to specifically stick to natural light, this was a challenge for me. Essential for night shooting is a tripod and a slow shutter speed. Because of this, it is also hard to capture any motion without a blur. These are just a few of my favorites, as this shoot was not particularly one of my favorites. The last two images are my favorite of the batch. In the picture of my friend smoking, you can tell that the focus is a little off but I found it suiting for the scenario. The high contrast and soft focus definitely give the photo a certain mood of calm. The last photo is of a church most of us have seen in Port Jeff village. In photo shop I edited the image to make the entirety of it black and white, but that cross is actually lit up blue and that color is straight out of camera. Alas, excuse my friends vulgarity. Sometimes, it's hard to get friends to be serious models and you have to take what you can get. I get my friends, who are goofballs. 

Pumpkin Carving.

Photo's from my pumpkin picking process. I'm starting to think the key to getting pumpkin pictures that aren't just visually overbearing is keeping them OUT of sunlight and in the shade. No matter what you do, what lens filter you use, I've always just really never liked the way pumpkins look in pictures. I normally photograph most of my subjects in natural sunlight and feel that is the best way to capture them, but this is the one subject I can say definitely differs. One thing I would have changed about this specific shoot is I needed simpler backgrounds, but this was just something I did quick and mostly for fun, and also while covered in pumpkin guts.