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.