It was my mom's birthday yesterday
her face is priceless :)
aww.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
book project!
well, i am finally getting the chance to post some more photos. school has been very hectic for this first month but things are starting to level out now so hopefully there won't be too many long gaps between posts now :)
I am working on a photography book right now for a digital photography class and the theme is mini ecosystems in the middle of high traffic human areas. These photos were taken on my campus.
I am working on a photography book right now for a digital photography class and the theme is mini ecosystems in the middle of high traffic human areas. These photos were taken on my campus.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Thesis Abstract
This is an abstract of my thesis proposal:
I am interested in exploring ideas of the decay, destruction and renewal of both manmade structures and the natural world. I plan on using black and white digital capture for this project and I intend to focus on the rural areas surrounding my home focusing on remnants of old farms as well as new construction that cuts through the landscape. I am also interested in the idea of the found place, playing off the idea of the found object in art history. Most important to me is the process and experience of finding these scenes and then recording them. I find my locations and impose compositional frames upon them. I try to convey the sort of beauty that I personally feel comes from these disparate elements. I want to call attention to the fragility and transitory nature of things that are generally seen to be strong and permanent. In this way the photograph is not merely recording the scene but imposing my emotions upon it and imbuing it with something more than exists there in reality
I am influenced by Joel Sternfeld's series "Walking the Highline" as well as Frank Gohlke's writings in his book "Thoughts on Landscape". I love Ansel Adams' black and white landscapes and for this project I was very inspired by his 1967 photographs of Los Angeles freeways. I am inspired very much by Frank Gohlke's 1972-74 series "Grain Elevators" as well as his 2002 series "42.30 North". Robert Adams' photographs were the first of the of the New Topograpics that I ever saw and have had a big impact on how I think about landscape photography. I am also a fan of Adam's numerous writings particularly his views on beauty in photography. I have been greatly inspired by Robert Smithson's writings about his earthwork " The Spiral Jetty", he writes about his process and emotions of searching for and finding his site. I also agree very much with Richard Avedon’s thoughts on truthfulness and accuracy in photography and I think that Vince Aletti puts it quite nicely: “If absolute truth were the only thing photography had to offer, it would have disappeared a century ago.”.
I am interested in exploring ideas of the decay, destruction and renewal of both manmade structures and the natural world. I plan on using black and white digital capture for this project and I intend to focus on the rural areas surrounding my home focusing on remnants of old farms as well as new construction that cuts through the landscape. I am also interested in the idea of the found place, playing off the idea of the found object in art history. Most important to me is the process and experience of finding these scenes and then recording them. I find my locations and impose compositional frames upon them. I try to convey the sort of beauty that I personally feel comes from these disparate elements. I want to call attention to the fragility and transitory nature of things that are generally seen to be strong and permanent. In this way the photograph is not merely recording the scene but imposing my emotions upon it and imbuing it with something more than exists there in reality
I am influenced by Joel Sternfeld's series "Walking the Highline" as well as Frank Gohlke's writings in his book "Thoughts on Landscape". I love Ansel Adams' black and white landscapes and for this project I was very inspired by his 1967 photographs of Los Angeles freeways. I am inspired very much by Frank Gohlke's 1972-74 series "Grain Elevators" as well as his 2002 series "42.30 North". Robert Adams' photographs were the first of the of the New Topograpics that I ever saw and have had a big impact on how I think about landscape photography. I am also a fan of Adam's numerous writings particularly his views on beauty in photography. I have been greatly inspired by Robert Smithson's writings about his earthwork " The Spiral Jetty", he writes about his process and emotions of searching for and finding his site. I also agree very much with Richard Avedon’s thoughts on truthfulness and accuracy in photography and I think that Vince Aletti puts it quite nicely: “If absolute truth were the only thing photography had to offer, it would have disappeared a century ago.”.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Photographic Thesis
Well, I'm currently in the first part of my photographic thesis and one of my first assignments is to come up with 20 potential ideas for my thesis. So, here goes....
1) Pictures that deal with the form of an object, highlighting the form in a way that transforms the object into something more.
2) The countryside, landscapes with a footprint of humanity
3) pictures that deal with the natural decay and entropy of everything manmade and natural
4) (sort of combining 1 and 2) looking at formal aspects of landscape
5) the natural push/pull between man and nature
6) finding beauty in everyday objects
7) materialism and excess in america (possibly connected with the landscape as well)
8) some type of metaphorical representation of an issue important to me (ie materialism and/or nature)
9) a choreographed narrative dealing with the above issues
10) editorial style photography (probably connected to above issues)
11) photos of constucted landscapes
12) texas landscapes that highlight the differences in terrain of the state
13) highlighting the form of the human body
14) purely formal, aestheticly minded photographs
15) exploring ideas of female identity and the mass media
16) studio portraits of people that strive to elicit some understanding of their personality
17) studio portraiots/fashion photography with emphasis on hair and makeup (thereby putting my cosmetology license to good use :)) (and/or connecting with ideas in #15)
18) minimalist minded photography
19) people watching/street photography exploring ideas of privacy, state of being, explotation, and voyeurism
20) reflections
So there you have it, Im sure the more I think about these things the list will change dramatically, it already has from the first time I wrote it up to typing it up on here :)
1) Pictures that deal with the form of an object, highlighting the form in a way that transforms the object into something more.
2) The countryside, landscapes with a footprint of humanity
3) pictures that deal with the natural decay and entropy of everything manmade and natural
4) (sort of combining 1 and 2) looking at formal aspects of landscape
5) the natural push/pull between man and nature
6) finding beauty in everyday objects
7) materialism and excess in america (possibly connected with the landscape as well)
8) some type of metaphorical representation of an issue important to me (ie materialism and/or nature)
9) a choreographed narrative dealing with the above issues
10) editorial style photography (probably connected to above issues)
11) photos of constucted landscapes
12) texas landscapes that highlight the differences in terrain of the state
13) highlighting the form of the human body
14) purely formal, aestheticly minded photographs
15) exploring ideas of female identity and the mass media
16) studio portraits of people that strive to elicit some understanding of their personality
17) studio portraiots/fashion photography with emphasis on hair and makeup (thereby putting my cosmetology license to good use :)) (and/or connecting with ideas in #15)
18) minimalist minded photography
19) people watching/street photography exploring ideas of privacy, state of being, explotation, and voyeurism
20) reflections
So there you have it, Im sure the more I think about these things the list will change dramatically, it already has from the first time I wrote it up to typing it up on here :)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Madeline's Quinceañera
This past tuesday i got the extra special privilege of taking my sister's portrait for her quinceanera this saturday. In spite of the initial torrential rain and the subsequent overcast sky, the sun came out just in time for us to take some very beautiful photos.
here were some of the top contenders:
here were some of the top contenders:
I will post the final choice after her quince!
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