Photography PART 2 MEDIA and PROCESSES PHOTOGRAPHY - Recording the Image
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES PHOTOGRAPHY - Recording the Image . “Photography” derives from two Greek words, “drawing with light” photos means “light” and graphein means “to draw” . Collecting the image Film: negative and positive Digital: pixels, computer . Camera vs. human eye Today, the camera is a mechanical recorder and an artistic tool Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES The History of Photography . Camera obscura Projection of outside scene First drawn, then captured on light-sensitive material Room-sized then portable (eighteenth-century) camera obscura . Negative/positive processes Cyanotype-blue line on white background Calotype-a negative image is turned into a positive one using sunlight circa 1841 Daguerreotype . Digital Processes Pixels, digital files, display, manipulation Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Rainer Gemma-Frisius, first published illustration of a camera obscura, 1544. William Henry Fox Talbot, The Oriel Window, South Gallery, Lacock Abbey, 1835 or 1839. Photogenic drawing negative, 3¼ x 4¼”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Portrait Photography . One of photography’s popular uses Substitute for more costly painted portraits People could eventually take their own pictures Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Nadar, Sarah Bernhardt, 1865. Albumen print, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Nadar, Sarah Bernhardt . Sarah Bernhardt was a famous actress this would have been “in vogue and cutting edge” in her time . Nadar’s distinctive style: When posed scenes and elaborate props were common at the time, he avoids a busy setting Focuses on the sitter: • Wrapped in fabric, leaning on a column, with a plain backdrop • Highlights Bernhardt’s elegance and her introspective side Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Landscape . Pictures of the land and its natural features Scenic records Can highlight ecological concerns . How might such images be used? By organizations like the Sierra Club (dedicated to preserving America’s wilderness)? Other possibilities? Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Ansel Adams, Sand Dunes, Sunrise—Death Valley National Monument, California, c. 1948 Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Ansel Adams, Sand Dunes, Sunrise Death Valley National Monument, California . Black-and-white photography . Adams’ style (“zone system”) Arranges black, white, and gray tones Creates a balanced effect Entire picture in clear focus - a hallmark of his style Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Still Life Photography Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, The Artist’s Studio, 1837. Whole-plate daguerreotype. Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, The Artist’s Studio Exposure times in mid-nineteenth-century photography were long Over 8 minutes for indoor scenes (low light=long exposure) so it was nearly impossible to photograph a living person Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIAPhotojournalism AND PROCESSES . The use of photography to tell a news story Dates back to the Civil War Now we accept that photographs only give a partial view • They can be manipulated, altered, cropped and can distort, exaggerate, even lie Photography was once believed to be inherently truthful • Credibility is crucial for news reportage • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XONXeUndHl8 Has partially led to the media blitz today and is being led by it, too Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Matthew Brady Lincoln granted permission in 1861 with the proviso that Brady finance the project himself. His efforts to document the the war, bringing his photographic studio right onto the battlefields earned Brady his place in history. He employed traveling darkroom and had 17 fellow photographers to go out and photograph scenes from the Civil War. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koLnFvPaya0 PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios Lewis Wickes Hine, Ten Year Old Spinner, Whitnel Cotton Mill, 1908. Photographic print. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Lewis Wickes Hine, Ten Year Old Spinner, Whitnel Cotton Mill Used photography to tell the story of child labor Impersonated a salesperson, inspector, etc., to get access Took careful notes about the working conditions Published the photos to inform the public Resulted in laws protecting young children Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields John Filo Kent State University Nick Ut June 1972 1970 Pulitzer-Prize Photo Near Trang Bang Vietnam Pulitzer-Prize Photo Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES The Art of Photography . A Great Debate Record of “reality” or artform? . Does photography have to be one or the other? . Contemporary art Photo-based art is very widespread as stand alone work and as tool Fine-art museums began collecting photos in the 1980s Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Making “Artistic” Photographs . How do methods used in other media relate to photography? . What effects are distinctive to the medium of photography? . Other ways to make “artistic” photography Clarity and realism Optical effects Photocollage and photomontage Colorizing or altering the image in some way Message and/or strength of the image? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJOA4J57o4 Basic photo developing - Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields The Photography as Fine Art Debate When is the line? How much does the equipment get in the way? Brian Lukas Hurricane Katrina The Rescue Boats 2012 Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Photocollage and Photomontage . Collage Both the process and the product Created by gluing together separate materials on a single support Can be made with photo-based materials • Called photocollage Photographs, text, pre-printed materials Unique product Photomontage • Made to be mass-produced • Layered beforehand, re-photographed, or scanned Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Oscar Gustav Rejlander, The Two Ways of Life, 1857. Albumen silver print, 16 x 31”. Royal Photographic Society, Bath, England Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Oscar Gustav Rejlander, Two Ways of Life . Steps to make the combination prints in the darkroom: Rejlander made thirty separate negatives Cut out each area like a puzzle piece Exposed the negatives one at a time Covered the rest of the picture while each part was exposed . Took six weeks to make . Looks like one seamless scene . Photomontage-the photogapher for the first time is altering the photo(s), adding his “hand” to the final product Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields 2.86 Loretta Lux, The Waiting Girl, 2006. Ilfochrome print, 11⅞ x 15⅞” Chapter 2.5 Photography PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Loretta Lux, The Waiting Girl . Digital process to assemble compositions Lux subtly manipulates the color and proportions, sometimes makes painted backgrounds. Then digitally retouches. It takes several months to a year to create each image Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Sandy Skoglund, Radioactive Cats © 1980. Cibachrome or pigmented inkjet color photograph, 25⅝ x 35” Chapter 2.5 Photography PARTSandy 2 Skoglund, MEDIARadioactive AND PROCESSES Cats . Brightly colored “tableau” or arrangement Green becomes more intense against the gray Altered in such a way that looks Surreal Combination of fact and fiction Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields .