Iconography- Elise Tran

lconography is what makes a

Leni Riefenstahl and Bruce Weber: Use of Classical Perfection in their Photography

"Laura Love"- Glamour, Woodstock, NY -Bruce Weber 

Olympia, Germany - Leni Rienfenstahl

Connections in style can be drawn between Leni Riefenstahl and Bruce Weber, in the ways in which they present the idea of “classical perfection” in their photographic compositions. Both photographers in the same way take advantage of their camera shutters’ abilities to capture a moment, emphasizing the rarity of this action of ‘freezing time’ in order to glorify an already glorious subject. Their photographs get away with being compositions of perfection because as photographers they design the moment and due to the technical capabilities’ of the camera perfection can be captured and preserved in merely in instance.-Brynn K 

More Reflection Photographs_Brynn

These photos represent a different approach to the theme of reflection; demonstrating a situation of natural reflection to create an unusual, surreal but, natural effect. Timing was key here, shown by how the specific reflection of light at this moment reflected off of the oil on the pavement to create this rainbow effect.-Brynn

Metaphor for Final Exhibition

Hi Guys,

For the final exhibition we need to open up each word document (there are 10) in the "Metaphor" folder in the Google Docs and add a caption of our own about that photo/idea.

-Ryan

AJS - Perspective

This photo that I took in Pisa plays with perspective, as it appears as though my friend is kicking over the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Alanna Perspective

I took this photo of Olivia this weekend in Paris, it seems as if she is as tall as the Effiel Tower and although this is not the case the distance of the item from where we are standing as well as the angel in which the photograph was taken it looks as if she is. This is one of the most interesting parts of photography because it allows you to fool the viewer of the photo and create unrealistic ideas in a photo.

Lindsey Perspective

This is a picture I took while on the London Eye.  It is playing with perspective as discussed in class because it is intended to look as if my friends are holding the Parliament building.  Although that is not what is actually happening, because of the height and distance from the building we can place our bodies to look as if we are holding or touching objects we are not. 

Lindsey Photos

Smith: Playing with Perspective - the Gulliver's Travels Effect

This photograph calls to mind the iconic Pisa photos in which tourists play with the perspective of the camera and simulate the action as if they are holding up the Leaning Tower. Here, the subject/object relationship is the same in that the man in the foreground not only seems larger than the people in the background (as is to be expected) but he is also interacting with and controlling them in a way that seems to place them on the same plane.

Alanna Photos

in front of the Louve in Paris!

"Gulliver" metaphor

This concept reflects the perception of a young child, whom which places and objects appear as if on a grander scale. As you grow up, you look back to those scenes, and they do not seem as intimidating to your grown size. The "Gulliver" metaphor reminds us of the reality behind what we've seen and how we now see it.

Look up.

High bump.

All is out of reach,

bursting  through an extensive pitch.

Look down.

You’re just a big clown.

A wonder.

Going round and round.      - Kirila

The metaphor of the calssical perfection

Leni Riefenstahl was an astoundingly talented photographer who gained a great deal of her notority during WWII. During this time she was a staunch supporter, and close friend, of Adolph Hitler and compiled a great Her photographs assisted the Nazi party in that they glorified a specific body-type and appearance as that of "perfection." These photographs and documentaries were used by the Nazi party to symbolize the prototype of what men and women should be; as the perfect beings. (Margot Rittenhouse)

I confide in you,

looking for a harmonious cue.

A discrete pointer

out of the blue.  

Fresh accord

that breaks within a core,

while I still hunt for more.      - Kirila

"Sometimes people are beautiful. not in looks, or what they say, just in what they are." (Margot Rittenhouse)

And at the moment when we don’t have anything else to say,when we get lost in the present confusions, we go back, as further back as we can. Find the illusory perfection in the things long gone and settled; hope that we could project there and be still for a while, find the peace that will satisfy us for the moment.
Tamara S

Real vs. Manipulation

These three photographs my sister and I took together in NYC and I believe that they help in defining the concept of real vs. manipulation in the way they play with the concept of taking photographs of photographs to add ambiguity to reality.-Brynn

The line between real and imagined is one that can be very easily blurred. Our brain's do not so much see the world as it really is as much as it perceives the way it is presented and creates it's own reality. Our attention can be just as easily called by a trivial object as it can by one that is important. The lifeless can induce a stronger reaction than that which is full of life. - Margot Rittenhouse

A fixed frame

and one truly uncertain  game.

Clear and blurred.

Contented and hurt.

Echoes and songs.

A thousand “rights” and infinite “wrongs”.    - Kirila

Talking about Photography 7

Real and Unreal

                                            Kirila

Come and go.

Hide and show.

Beneath and beyond,

where there is and there is not.

Exist and persist.

On the road. On the boat.

Fly and float.                            - Kirila

Unreality

Questions arise from the unknown
Confusion brings curiosity
Whispers come as many regrets they've buried in the past
To witness the unreal... the unreal
A vision unfolds before my eyes
A vision of cold and pale gray skies
Minutes seem like hours
Alone we sit and stare and wait for them to come
To witness the unreal... the unreal
What's false - What's real - Truth is unknown
Serious - Mysterious - Are we alone
Voices from the black call to me
The eyes up in the void watching me
There lies in the skies secrets we seek
They're lies to mystify to keep us week
Echoes of the past reminding me
The lights up in the sky... unreality
(Federica Nuzzolese)

talking about photography 6

The subject of the portrait can be aware or unaware that they are being photographed.  In this way, the relationship between the subject and the photographer is affected.  In the portrait where the subject is aware, an emotion can be projected by the subject. The subject is forced to concentrate his/her self in the moment of the photograph.  

In a situation when the subject is unaware they are being photographed, the photographer is able to capture an emotion that

A portrait is a still of an expression. It captures a moment or something that in reality is not still so that the portrait pauses time in a sense and is able to depict an instance of an emotion or movement that otherwise would have been missed. A portrait is a freeze frame and sometimes there is a discrepancy between the portrait and our perception of ourselves. We think that we look a certain way and a portrait captures a second in time of a person's appearance and expression so to see a one second frozen image of yourself, you look different in every picture. We judge the images and say that we look bad or good in them because we are comparing them to the perception that we have of how we look.

Going beyond the relationship between photographer and subject, portraits speak to the similarities between us all. Visuals transcend the boundaries of language and space, speaking to any witness in any number of ways. There is something purely human about portraits, something that goes further than catching a moment. Portraits capture a feeling, an essence of familiarity that can be understood by all. HS

The subject of the portrait does not need to be in the portrait itself.  It can be a representation of the subject, of a feeling, or of an idea. I never appear in my self portraits, but they still feel like they are an extension of myself. SW

everyone is focused.  distracted from life.  caught up in the moment only processed by the film.  the photographer is intense, and shuts the rest of the world out.  the laughing girls are not heard.  the wind in the trees is silent.  the insecurities hidden.  only a face remains.  and in the results this can be seen. exposing the photographers true intentions.  Becca

There are an unlimited amount of portrait compositions that push the boundaries of expressing the character of the individual, in some cases more effectively than a traditional "mugshot" or "passport photo" stereotypical portraiture composition. The second photo posted exemplifies this concept of breaking the boundaries of the stereotypical portrait composition- allowing for the possibility of unlimited composition and ways to express the inner feelings of the individual being photographed. This concept coincides with the notion that there is more to an individual than their outer, surface appearance and that a better description of the individual can come from looking at that individuals inner characteristics. And that there is never necessarily the "best" photographic set up to capture the description of the individual because a moment in time couldn't possibly be enough to sum up the meaning of a human- but capturing the feel of the person comes closer to explaining that person.  -Brynn

In my view, unaware subjects create more significant and powerful pictures. I like them more because people are natural and by looking at them you can capture their gestures. Corinna Rombi

There is a seductive look upon the first portrait posted in my opinion. The face is not centered in the middle of the photo creating uneven symmetry of the photo.  Under the second picture there which is a group shot the students gather around to photograph the model.  This is the class in its habitat learning and experiencing the world of photography and all that it has to offer.
- MM

Without Expression

Yes, there's a man I know
With no expression
He's got none at all
Yes, there's a man that I know
With no expression, darling
He's got none at all

Well, some people are inbound with infatuation
And some others spill depression as the law
From one's mother getting at no imagination
So beware then, maybe sin is at your door

(Federica Nuzzolese) 

Your face in the hidden space,

a little notion of sustained emotion.

Your look protruding  gently and deep ,

trying hard with a secret to keep.

A scarce motion pertained in a single devotion.

No trap.

Just another step and a concealed clap.   - Kirila


A stolen moment of unawareness, a simple and honest existence of unspoiled being. Notice the world while staying unnoticed, see the forces influencing the subject and being the silent admirer who fuses with the ever changing outside.
-Tamara S

talking about photography 5

Mirror:
a specular image.

Picture By Jamie Solomon

     You look in the mirror and notice the specularity that is occurring. With this specularity, you begin to speculate the image being reflected back at you. Notice the image that you are seeing is reversed. You are accustomed to seeing this reversed image of ourselves that it is more familiar than our actual image. You have seen this image so often that we begin thinking that it is how we are seen by others, but it is the opposite. Write your name on your face while looking in the mirror; the hand doesn't recognize the face. Does the hand work out of your will or does it not recognize your face? 

Thinking about this figuratively, you have more of a connection with the mirror image of yourself than with your actual self. 

By Lauren Neichter

It’s me in your reflection.

Another me behind our connection.

A fixed conception.

Constant interaction

and a daily protection.  - Kirila


You are only in a certain way, you only have one look. Other people see you in one way, they perceive your behavior, actions, temperament, and blend it with the perception of 'outside' you. You already have an image of yourself in your head, an idea how your looks should mach your inner being, things that others and only you know. But when you look at the mirror you find a third person, someone unfamiliar, that has different features than those you imagined. It is the unbiased picture of you, a plain reflection of a live person from the other side, two ideas that fight for recognition in the frozen moment of a photo.
Tamara S

 Beautiful
veryday is so wonderful
Then suddenly
It's hard to breathe
Now and then I get insecure
From all the pain
I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful
No matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
(Federica Nuzzolese)-today everything is about image!

Smith Week #7: Light in Dark

This photo (unknown photographer) looks as though it was taken with a fisheye lens and is clearly dramatized through some type of editing software. Regardless, it is a great example of the power of light as perceived by the audience. In this photograph, the viewer is immediately drawn to the beams of light shooting out of the building's windows. Similar to my post from last week (Click here for earlier post), this photography robs the viewer of the ability to see the subject (whatever is going on inside and creating the light) and so we are left with a feeling of yearning to learn more.

BK; Response to post on "Abstraction". To continue on from just discussing photography that is purely abstract below I wanted to give examples of my own photographs that combine the concept of abstraction with reality...

The idea of "abstracted reality" or just simply the mixing of the element of abstraction with reality is demonstrated in this photograph by the way only half of the subject in the image can be identified.

Here, the element of the shadows through the window abstracts to appear of the light and the windows, mixed with the identifiable pattern in the wallpaper and the components that are framing the window.

Talking About Photography 4

Abstraction

There is a formula to straight lines and to curved lines.

A secret code.

Mystery hides real forms; and the photographer, in this case, is the hiding place.

The art of Deception (misleading) shows one thing and talks of another.

Is it of the fortuitous meeting with things?

Is it from recognition, to what was already there, waiting only to be told?

Or perhaps, in hopes of finding something

where little is to be found.

Isn’t it finally a combination of words, knowingly ordered and disordered, isn’t it a poem?

The beauty of abstract is that you can follow your eyes to a meaning entirely your own. For me, often this means capturing an unusual shape or texture. The lines here drew my eyes. I knelt down to follow them, and I found something stark. There is not amusement to me, as the photographer in these pictures, even with the warm tones. To me, this is light taking on two forms and drawing a parallel between them. HS

 

(Using reflections and light to play on an abstract concept- Heather)

Abstraction can lead people to see the same thing differently.  It is amazing how light shining through a window can look different to different people and can even look very different at various times throughout the day.  (Hadley Manfredi)

Abstraction is a subjective concept. These pictures are amusing, because they describe light as lines of hope through the windows. (Corinna Rombi)

No direction.

Beauty beyond perception.

It is the jump and the rest

at the same intersection.

The stiffness.

The fragility.

The infidelity and the overrated reaction.- Kirila


See whatever you want. Take whatever you need. Adjust is to you, and read what you wish to hear. Is there any kind of specific message that author wanted to convey? Does it even matter? If it speaks to you, isn’t that enough?
Tamara S

The light represents life, here is a lyrics to a song
You light up my life
 You light up my days
And fill my life with song
It can't be wrong when it feels so right
'cause you, you light up my life
(Federica Nuzzolese)


"Animation is about creating the illusion of life. And you can't create it if you don't have one." - Brad Bird. 

- Similar to this statement, the illusion of life will be viewed differently for each person based on the vision of life they have developed from their personal experiences. Everyone looks at life from a different lens and therefore the same object can have an infinite number of meanings. (Margot Rittenhouse)

Talking About Photography 3

Witness

Photography as evidence, the photographer as witness.

A spectator is not a witness.

Both are present but only the latter stops forgetting.

To be present is not enough to be a witness, to experience an event does not make one a witness.

And not even Seeing  is sufficient to count as being present.

But so much history is burned in the memory of those who cannot forget.

To  witness, not only to see, concentrates time in a moment—in a memory—for a self, and for others.

This is a noble job, free, and absolutely priceless. 

Pilar: Devastation all around. Torn up trees with roots exposed. A crushed school bus collapsed on itself. Houses with only basements left. An American flag hanging, still as the rest of the town. The sky growing in drama and darkness, gazing over the devastation and threatening the inevitability of more to come...


- The concept of photographer as witness brought to my mind pictures with extreme emotion that leaps off of the paper and strikes a chord in the viewers heart. Often these pictures that have the most impact represent situations and emotions that are not seen on a regular basis. However, the emotion is so raw they feel they can, or can at least try, to identify with it. One such picture that always does this for me is the picture below of a solder returning home and holding his baby for the first time. It's joyous and beautiful yet heartbreaking at the same time. (Margot Rittenhouse)

Molly Reich - Photography is a way to freeze a moment in time.  The photographer has the power to capture an action and turn it into a memory.  Heres a quote that I think pertains to this idea - "Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever. . . it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything" - Aaron Sussman


Witness photography captures an emotion that the subject may not have known they were emitting.  Candid photography of people grieving or rejoicing or even suffering manages to express what people are feeling without using any words at all.  (Hadley Manfredi)

A story.

New glory or forgotten “sorry”.

She screams while he dreams,

stealing away memories and sins.

Another story.

No glory.

Only a piece of paper with a note “sorry”.  - Kirila


Look. See. Experience. Feel. Remember. Share. Be. Remember.
-Tamara S

Every Tear is a waterfall -coldplay
as we saw oh this light
I swear you, emerge blinking into
To tell me it’s alright
As we soar walls,
every siren is a symphony
And every tear’s a waterfall
Is a waterfall

(Federica Nuzzolese)

Talking About Photography 2

Iconography

Images reside inside of us only to resurface occasionally.

A sampling of faces that belong to our own experience, for the most part “western”  children, young people, and adults.

We have seen more breast-feeding madonnas than actual mothers, and many a blonde-bearded Jesus.

The most beautiful representations of religious iconography rest in silence.

Every time a photographer, often in a war zone, reproduces the usual suffering --the scorn of injustice, of mothers and fathers that weep for a martyred son--- the repetition of events  make mourning similar, over centuries, to statues of stone.

- These pictures remind me of an American musical, "1776," which details the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of the Revolutionary war. One song titled "Mama, Look Sharp," is sung by a young soldier who is dying in a field crying out to his mother. This was brought to mind from these pictures because it details the mourning of a mother over a child that she was never meant to bury. The part that most reminds me of this grief is,
Young Soldier:

"Momma come find me before I do die
Hey, hey, Momma look sharp"
Mother:
"I'll close your eyes, my Billy,
them eyes that cannot see.
And I'll bury you, my Billy
Beneath the maple tree
And never again will you whisper to me,
'Hey, hey, Momma look sharp.'"

(Margot Rittenhouse)

Finale 

Oh God, I'm bleeding

Oh God, you're bleeding
Oh God, I'm dying
Oh God, you're dying
Oh God, I'm dead
Oh God, you're dead
Long live God, long live God
(Federica Nuzzolese)

Talking About Photograpy 1

Every discipline feeds on and is fed by metaphorical images.

Much of the sense of photography is emcompassed in the word “darkness.”

Every metaphor contains its opposite.

Darkness /light, like postitive/negative, or simply black/white.

The word darkness takes us to a place without light, a place where the perception of sight is denied to the human eye.

For one to see, there must be a passage from darkness to revelation.

It is a technological process that brings with it much thought.

It is a passage that originates in “blindness.”


We begin life without sight. We develop our other senses first, learning to hear a voice, seek out warmth. Our sight develops slowly, expanding by a range as we age. Eventually we will return to that state, our bodies returning to infantile capabilties. Blindness can be a cycle or a continuum. If we are lucky, we only experience it physically at the end and the beginning. But there will be several times in a human life where ignorance, pride, or refusal can create a blindness far more damaging. HS

The definition of blind is  a. Sightless and b. Having a maximal visual acuity of the better eye, after correction by refractive lenses, of one-tenth normal. This definition states what the picture below is saying. The women is blind in one eye, but can see in her right eye. Though she cannot see clearly. I believe the statement of her sign is self explanatory, and it states the fact that she is partually blind. The picture of a black and white colors adds the depression and sadness of the picture.-Federica Nuzzolese

- I think the picture below shows the passage from darkness to revelation discussed above. The raw emotion and grief is obvious once one looks at all of the components of the picture. The man standing in the grave has his face covered so you can't deduce a specific emotion off the bat. However, once you see the dead body laid on the side, covered and prepared for burial you can feel his sorrow. The woman touching the face of the body also has her face only in partial view and not focused on but you can sense by the way she is touching the body and the barely visible grimace on her face that she is also in deep pain. The image of the body is such a sharp contrast in this picture because of its lifelessness amidst all of the stark emotion that it brings an emotion to the photo itself, without having made any facial expression. With all of the components a viewer is able to feel the pain and grief in this moment in time with no direct access to the subject's emotions. (Margot Rittenhouse)

The Jewish religion believes in death as the great equalizer. No possessions are taken with you, and wealthy or poor, you are buried in humble white cloth. In much the same way, sight or the lack thereof is a great commonality between us all. HS

I think the this picture deals with sadness and darkness, which is seen in the expression of the poeple's faces. The grief of both adults makes this picture emotional and it adds silent feeling to it. This picture also states how one's life can affect the life of others and how each life is valuable. -Federica Nuzzolese

There is a comfort in not knowing, in darkness, in concealment from the light. In a crowded street by night lights suddenly go off and that small universe has changed- you can hear, feel, and touch people around you but you don't see them, they are and aren't there, the street is packed yet empty, you are all together yet alone.

Tamara S