Blurb Book

Self Portrait Photographs

My self portrait photographs did not fit in the last post. My favorite self portrait is where I am holding the rose- not only is it a self portrait but it symbolizes time and femininity as well. All three assignments combined! Here they are..

Assignment 3 and 4 combined-self portrait and time

This assignment was the most challenging for me. Perhaps because I thought about it too literally.. for instance a photo of clock earrings. I wish I could have gotten a bit more creative. My favorite photographs, however, are a series of trees. They depict trees at various stages during the seasons, which is a great symbol of time.

Assignment # 2- Masculinity/Femininity

This assignment was fun for me. It allowed me to be creative - virtually anything can be masculine or feminine. It's also interesting to see how stereotypes fall into place. For instance, I always associate flowers with femininity. Interestingly, most of my photos are associated with feminine characteristics.. perhaps it's because I'm feminine? Unfortunately, I wouldn't classify these photographs as a series that all relate to one another. They are, however, a fun assortment of photographs that were taken everywhere from Costco to the courtyard in my apartment building. Here are a few..

Assignment # 1

Here are a few of the first pictures I took for the class. Interestingly, the best pictures I took for this assignment were taken on a whim. On my way to develop the film, I used up the roll - taking random pictures of cars on University and of Jordan. Sometimes the unplanned pictures turn out the best, which is exactly what happened for me with this assignment.

Cultural Event 2- The Snowball

The Snowball was a music festival held in Avon Valley this weekend. I saw many bands perform, mostly techno, which is why I consider it a "cultural event." I'm not a big fan of electronic music, however it seems to be a trend at the moment. I only went because several of my high school friends flew in for the event. It attracts the "rave" scene - people dressed in wild outfits, rocking out to techno. I just don't see the creativity in techno music. Whatever happened to bands like The Beatles? Unfortunately, our generation has the worst taste in music.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is a Jewish American photographer. In 1973 she was named chief photographer of Rolling Stone. Her photographs of celebrities helped define the Rolling Stone "look" that we still see today.

One of her most well known photographs is of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. She took the photograph just five hours before he was assassinated.

John Lennon said, "you've captured our relationship perfectly, promise me it'll be on the cover" (Wikipedia). It's amazing that her picture was able to capture the essence of their relationship. Photography is certainly a powerful art form- something Annie Leibovitz portrayed through all her photographs.

Cultural Event # 1

As a class we took a field trip to downtown Denver and visited the public library. I loved the photographs there. My favorite was the picture of hands. I'm taking an archaeology class and ancient civilizations associated hands with life. Perhaps, thats why I loved the photograph so much- such a strong and natural portrayal of life.

My favorite part of the field trip, however, was when we found the back alley behind the gallery. It was a perfect place to take pictures and I finally learned what "good lighting" is for photographs.

Sally Mann

The documentary on Sally Mann was very interesting - it's fascinating how she captures her life through photographs. The series of her children, as well as the pictures of her husband and dogs are not only beautiful, but powerful because they perfectly depict her life. She stresses the significance of photographing things you love. Consequently, Sally's photographs in the earlier part of her life were of her immediate family and landscapes.

However, after witnessing the shooting of a robber on the property of her farm.. things began to change. Sally said "something thats a feeling turns into a photograph,"which is exactly what happened after witnessing the shooting. She soon had a fascination with death, thus she created a series of photographs that portrayed life and death. Sally seemed fearless when it came to death. A very poignant part of the documentary for me is when she takes photographs at the human decomposing site. She had no fear touching the bodies or simply being surrounded by the dead. The documentary footage of the bodies sent chills up my spine and I admire Sally for being so fearless - just accepting death for what it is, which is a part of life.

The documentary also touched on the hardships many artists face. It was heartbreaking to see the NYC gallery cancel Sally Mann's exhibit. She put SO much work and effort into those photographs and it amazed me that a gallery could just cancel her show with a snap of their fingers. It truly depicts that everything is a business and if something may not be a money maker than there is no chance at success or recognition. It is very unfortunate.

I learned a lot about photography through this documentary. I also loved learning about Sally Mann's life - she is a very inspirational figure.

Nat Geo Photos

Some of my favorite photographs are from National Geographic. Here are few "Best of January 2011" pictures. They're amazing..

More Diane Arbus Pictures

(Anderson Cooper!)

Diane Arbus (1923-1971)

Diane Arbus was born to a wealthy Jewish family in New York City. Her parents owned the famous department store, Russeks, on fifth avenue. She is quoted saying, "I grew up feeling immune and exempt from circumstance. One of the things I suffered from was that I never felt adversity. I was confirmed in a sense of unreality." This sense of never feeling adversity is perhaps why she focused her career on taking pictures of people who were not considered "normal." She acquired a passion for photographing people with disabilities, transvestites, dwarfs, giants.. etc.

She married Allan Arbus (also a photographer) and they dedicated the earlier part of their career to fashion photography. They contributed to magazines such as Vogue and Harpers Bazaar even though they both hated the fashion world. Consequently, in 1956 Diane left the fashion business to pursue her own interests. Diane and Allan divorced in 1969 and although difficult for her, Allan told The New York Times, " I always felt it was our separation that made her a photographer."

By the early 1960's her photographs began to acquire a distinctive look. "Though taken of mainly traditional subjects -- actors, writers, activists -- they were strange and obscurely troubling. She would spend hours with her subjects, following them to their homes or offices, talking and listening to them, trying to soften them up to the point where they began to drop their public façade" (Oppenheimer, Daniel). Also, as mentioned previously she is known and most famous for taking photographs of non traditional subjects. She is often known as "the chronicler of freaks."

*She once said,"Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot. It was one of the first things I photographed and it had a terrific kind of excitement for me. I just used to adore them. I still do adore some of them. I don't quite mean they're my best friends but they made me feel a mixture of shame and awe. There's a quality of legend about freaks. Like a person in a fairy tale who stops you and demands that you answer a riddle. Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats."

In July of 1971, at the age of 48, Diane committed suicide. The following year MOMA held an exhibit of her work - it was the most attended solo photography exhibition in its history. The monograph that came after the exhibition, edited by Diane's daughter and close friend, became one of the best selling art books in history.

Here are a few of her well known pictures....

Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, NYC 1962

Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey 1967

Eddie Carmel, Jewish Giant, taken at home with his parents in Bronx, NY, 1970

Tattooed Man at a Carnival

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Arbus

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/arbus.html

St. George Utah

When you think of Utah what do you think of? Most people don't associate the state with many positive attributes.. however it truly is a hidden gem. I've spent a lot of time in St. George Utah, which is in the SW part of the state. It is so BEAUTIFUL and peaceful. Here are a few pictures..

Seattle New Years

Beautiful Sevilla!

I studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain. It was the best three months of my life! Here are a few pictures from different places in Andalucia.