DB week 11: Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson versus Smith and Salgado

Andre Kertesz and Henri Cartier-Bresson had very artistic approaches to their photos. Although they weren’t, they looked almost staged because of how and what they photographed.

Eugene Smith and Sebastiao Salgado didn’t focus as much on th artistic side of photographs. They wanted their pictures to evoke the same emotions in people viewing the pictures as theypeople being photoraphed had.

Andre Kertesz

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Eugene Smith

Sebastiao Salgado

Differences: The key differences in the two pairs of photographers is listed above. Although all four photographers were photojournalists, the two pair had very different approaches, one pair was more into the artsy side of photojournalism, doing what they could to make them look great without any editing, while the other pair was emotion driven and just into showing what was going on in the world.

Similarities: All of these photographers are photojournalists and take real pictures. They also all shot their photos in black and white.

I believe Smith’s and Salgado’s way of taking pictures is a better approach to photojournalism, because their photos are ‘real’. Smith photographed WWII and Salgado shot pictures for UNICEF, both of them showing the world what hardships other people had to suffer through. By saying this, I’m not saying that Andre’s and Henri’s photos weren’t real, but they didn’t show the world things that it needed to be shown, they took pictures of weird objects, nudes (which were considered pornographic by some!) and scenic landscapes. These photos may have evoked emotions in some people, but not the same type of emotions that Smith’s and Salgado’s would have/do. Smith and Salgado aren’t focusing on how they could make the current events they were photographing look more artistic, they were focusing on capturing the event as it was.

Assignment 5: Virtual Essay

Alfred Eisenstaedt

Alfred Eisenstaedt was born in Germany on December 6, 1898. From an early age he was fascinated with photography and began taking his own photographs when he was 14, after receiving an Eastman Kodak Folding Camera, his very first. Without even knowing professional photography existed, he sold his first photo in 1927, and began his free-lance career for Pacific and Atlantic Photo’s Berlin office in 1928. "Photojournalism had just started," Eisenstaedt has remarked "and I knew very little about photography. It was an adventure, and I was always amazed when anything came out."

Using massive equipment with tripods and glass plate negatives, Eisenstaedt produced many photos on assignment of musicians, writers, and royalty. However, he was also a master of candid photography, which is the style in which most of the photo’s he’s famous for are in, such as “The Kiss”.

Alfred acquired a Rolleiflex camera and moved to America by 1935. Soon after, he became a photographer for Life Magazine. When asked why he used a Rolleiflex, he responded with “because you can hold a Rolleiflex without raising it to your eye; so they didn't see me taking the pictures.” This was very useful in some situations he found himself in, such as taking photographs of couples saying their goodbyes before heading off to war in Penn Station. "I just kept motionless like a statue." he said. "They never saw me clicking away. For the kind of photography I do, one has to be very unobtrusive and to blend in with the crowd."

Eisenstaedt was a skilled professional, but he behaved like an amateur with little equipment. However, this resulted in some of the most spontaneous moments to be photographed. The key to Eisenstaedt's genius lay in his humility and humanity. "My style hasn't changed much in all these sixty years," he explained. "I still use, most of the time, existing light and try not to push people around. I have to be as much a diplomat as a photographer. People often don't take me seriously because I carry so little equipment and make so little fuss. When I married in 1949, my wife asked me. 'But where are your real cameras?' I never carried a lot of equipment. My motto has always been, 'Keep it simple.'"

Eisenstaedt had his first one-man exhibit in 1954 at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York. He had many exhibits following that and received many awards, including a National Medal of the Arts from President George Bush in 1989 on the White House Lawn.

He passed away in 1995 at the age of 96, but his memory lives on in his many beautifully photographed pictures.

Photographs



Alfred Eisenstaedt

 

Maria Helena Buckley

This first set of photgraphs obviously focuses on a group of ballerina's. Although Alfred's is shot in black and white and Maria's is taken in colour, they have a lot of similarities and so Maria's photo really reminds me of Alfred's. In both photos, the main subject is the center ballerina. She's the girl your eye is directly drawn to first. In both piuctures, this main girl isn't looking at the camera. In Alfred's photo, you can't see her face at all, whereas in Maria's photo you can see the profile. However, I think the fact that you can see her profile in Maria's photo is similar to the fact that you can see her full face in the opposite mirror in Alfred's photo. The second subject in each photo, the thing your eye is drawn to next, is another girl, and in both photo's this girl is directly on the main subject's left hand side. This subject is also very similar in both photgraphs, as they're kind of hunched over and looking off to the side, again not directly at the camera. Lastly, in both photo's these two girls are surrounded by a bunch of other dancer's just kind of doing their own thing. Something I found interesting, Alfred's photo is clearly one taken for Life Magazine, and Maria's photo was taken off the national geographic website! 

Alfred Eisenstaedt

 

Cyd Converse

 

Yes, another ballet photo. In my researching of Alfred I learned he liked to take many photo's of dancers. I find these two photo's to be similar in a couple ways, not just that they're both black and white! In both photo's, the subject is the feet of four dancers in their pointe shoes. What's interesting to me is that this photo is of dancers in their pointe shoes, yet they aren't en pointe. With that being said, I consider both photographs to be quite beautiful. While the girls in Alfred's photo are obviously sitting down, they still have their feet in some sort of position, and the girls in Cyd's photo are in a position aswell. So the similarity between these two photos is that the subject is the feet of four dancers in pointe shoes with their feet in a position other than the famous en pointe.

 

Alfred Eisenstaedt

 

Unknown

 

The photo taken by Alfred was taken in 1944 at Penn Station. It is one of many photo's taken by Alfred at this time, as there were many couples saying their goodbye's before their husbands went off to war. The second photo doesn't say who it was taken by, but it was actually taken before Alfred's, during the first world war. These two photos are very similar though, as they both show such emotion. They both make me really sad, as it they make you think how unbearable it would have been to have to say goodbye to the one you love, not knowing if you'll ever see them again, and not being able to talk to them every day. Both the photo's show the woman crying, not wanting to say goodbye to the man she loves, and the man doing what he can to comfort her, not wanting to say goodbye either.

 

Alfred Eisenstaedt

 

Iikka Valkila

 

Now, at first glance these two photos might not look as though they have any similarities, especially because they both have completely different settings (Alfred's takes place in a street, Iikka's near a lake). However, I believe they are quite similar. The subject in each is a lone bride, and each evokes a kind of sadness. The solitary bride in Alfred's photo is made to look like she's running. This makes you think she's running from her own wedding, which is sad for both her and the man she's leaving. The bride in the second photo looks as though she's been left, which is quite sad in itself. So, although both brides look like their along for different reasons, both are alone and both photos evoke strong emotions.

 

Alfred Eisenstaedt

 

Enche Tjin

 

The photo taken by Alfred was during a puppet theater show for children. The moment he took the photo was the moment the dragon was slain, and the reaction of the kids is hilarious and makes for a great photo. The photo taken by Enche is during a Ludacris concert. The teens are reacting to the music in what a manner that makes it seem like they're having a good time. Although both these photo's are different settings and different people, they are very similar in the sense that they are both completely candid, neither was staged at all, and both are reaction photos, taken at the perfect moment to show the essence of what the audience is viewing.

 

 Alfred Eisenstaedt

 

 Jack Cardiff

 

Another thing I noticed while reasearching Alfred is that he took a lot of pictures of actress, musicians and famous people. He took many photos of actress Sophia Loren (pictured above) aswell as singer Marilyn Monroe and President JFK. Jack Cardiff was a similar photographer in this way, as he also took many photos of actresses and singers. He too photographed Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren several times, and an actress who reminds me of Sophia Loren, named Audrey Hepburn (pictured above).

 

 

Sources

http://artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles1997/Articles0397/AEisenstaedt.html

http://edithshead.tumblr.com/post/1060363333/sophia-loren-photo-by-alfred-eisenstaedt-1960

http://www.theasc.com/blog/2010/11/01/jack-cardiff%E2%80%99s-magic-life-part-four/

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

http://www.jafaphotography.com/rollei_tlrfx.htm

http://www.artnet.com/artwork/424927148/424216256/alfred-eisenstaedt-the-parisians-ballerinas-around-piano-opera-de-paris.html

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/ballerinas-berlin/

http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/2010/02/inspiring-images-dancing-ballerinas/

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbn1q5uqgq1rdmp6eo1_1280.jpg

http://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/?p=3912

http://www.photographersgallery.com/photo.asp?id=4144

http://www.art.com/products/p13882604-sa-i2775610/alfred-eisenstaedt-solitary-bride-crossing-a-parisian-street.htm

http://500px.com/photo/3416776

http://www.radiantlite.com/2009/03/shooting-ludacris-concert.html

http://photoghistory.blogspot.ca/2010/05/4910-nabbing-time.html







Assignment 2: Press Photography vs Art Photography

The main differences and similarities between art and press photography:

Press Photography: The purpose of a press photograph is to report current events that are going on around the world. They accompany news stories found in newspapers, magazines, on TV and on the internet, and are meant to connect the reader to the story, draw them into the story, or give them an idea of what’s going on without having to read anything. Press photographs are so common now that a news story without any visuals at all nowadays make the audience feel like the story was incomplete and they only got half of it.



Taken in 1972 by Nick Ut
Phan Thi Kim Phuc (center) flees with other children after
 South Vietnamese planes mistakenly dropped napalm on
South Vietnamese troops and civilians.

Taken in 1994 by James Nachtwey
A Hutu man at a Red Cross hospital, his face mutilated by the Hutu
 'Interahamwe' militia, who suspected him of sympathizing with the Tutsi rebels.

Art Photography: The purpose of art photography is to portray a message that the photographer wants to send. Art Photographs are made from the creative vision of the photographer working as an artist. Art photos can be staged, edited, taken out of context – no rules apply to it, as the message isn’t one that people rely on for information, but one to evoke feelings and get people thinking.



"untitled" by Loizelle De Moisson

"Fall" by Nick Mansell

Differences:
Press photography must be truthful, it needs to portray what the world is trying to tell, not what the photographer wants to tell. Press photography is distinguished from other forms because it adheres to the principles of journalism: timeliness, accuracy, fair representation of the context of events and facts reported and accountability to the public. Press photography cannot exclude important parts of the context. Always accompany a news story or have an explanation so people know exactly what is going on in the picture and don't misinterpret them.

Art photography is giving the message that the photographer wants to tell. Art photographs can be stages, taken out of context and manipulated beyond recognition, because although the message may be real, it’s not needed by the public to feel connected to world events. Art photographs have a message but are open to interpretation, and therefore usually only have a name, and no explanation.

Similarities:

The only real similarity between the two styles of photography is that each is portraying a message. Not the same type of message, but a message nonetheless.

Is it ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs? Why? Why not?

I believe it is both ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs. These types of photographs aren’t accompanying something real, like news stories and current events. In fact, in most cases, these types of photographs have to be altered in order for it to say what the artist is trying to tell. Art photography is a form of art, and so the artists need to be able to do what they want to make sure their piece comes out how they envisioned it.

Is it ethical and acceptable to alter press photographs? Why? Why not?

There are no laws or regulations against manipulating photos in the media. However, the NPPA (National Press Photographers Association) has come up with a code of ethics that all press photographers should follow. With that being said, I do not think it is ethical or acceptable for a press photograph to be altered (apart from brightening or any sort of editing for quality purposes). Press photographs don’t always accompany news stories, but they always document current events. For that reason, they must be truthful, because they are what the public rely on to know what’s going on around the globe.

Sources:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzaG9vdGluZ3RoZXRydXRofGd4OmIxYjJjZTkyZjQzMGVmMQ(source from week 9 readings)

http://www.artofphotographyshow.com/2012_preview.html

http://www.archive.worldpressphoto.org/search/layout/result/indeling/detailwpp/form/wpp/q/ishoofdafbeelding/true/trefwoord/year/1994

http://www.archive.worldpressphoto.org/search/layout/result/indeling/detailwpp/form/wpp/q/ishoofdafbeelding/true/trefwoord/year/1972

http://www.photography-schools.com/photojournalismhistory.htm (source from week 9 readings)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine-art_photography

DB week 9: Photojournalism

What's the role of photojournalism?

The primary role of a photojournalist is to report the significant events and varied viewpoints of the world in a visual way. They have the responsibility of documenting society and its news and events and to preserve them through images.  Their pictures accompany current and real news and events. Photos help to connect the reader to the story it represents, or allows them to get a quick idea on what’s going on in the world if they don’t have any time to read the story.

Are there rules that photojournalists should follow? Why? Why not?

Yes, there are rules that photojournalists should follow. Most people need to be fully informed about public events, and photojournalists operate as trustees of the public. Photographs can reveal truth, expose wrongdoing, inspire hope and connect people all over the world. They can also cause alot of harm if they’re manipulated. The NPPA (National Press Photographers Association) has a code of ethics for photojournalists that intend to promote high quality forms of visual journalism and to make sure the public has confidence in the visuals. It is also meant to educate those who practice and appreciate photojournalism. Generally, photojournalists may partially manipulate their pictures, but only to improve the quality of the picture and they may not stage the picture, change what the picture portrays or delete objects and people.

The NPPA code of ethics is as follows:
1.Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.
2.Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.
3.Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one's own biases in the work.
4.Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.
5.While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.
6.Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.
7.Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation.
8.Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage.
9.Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists.

Ideally, visual journalists should:
1.Strive to ensure that the public's business is conducted in public. Defend the rights of access for all journalists.
2.Think proactively, as a student of psychology, sociology, politics and art to develop a unique vision and presentation. Work with a voracious appetite for current events and contemporary visual media.
3.Strive for total and unrestricted access to subjects, recommend alternatives to shallow or rushed opportunities, seek a diversity of viewpoints, and work to show unpopular or unnoticed points of view.
4.Avoid political, civic and business involvements or other employment that compromise or give the appearance of compromising one's own journalistic independence.
5.Strive to be unobtrusive and humble in dealing with subjects.
6.Respect the integrity of the photographic moment.
7.Strive by example and influence to maintain the spirit and high standards expressed in this code. When confronted with situations in which the proper action is not clear, seek the counsel of those who exhibit the highest standards of the profession. Visual journalists should continuously study their craft and the ethics that guide it.

Is the ethics of taking journalistic photos different than the ethics of writing a news story?

The ethics of taking journalistic photos is very similar to the ethics of writing a news story. Both of these medias are used to report factual events that are going on or have occurred around the globe. We rely on both news stories and visuals to keep updated on current events.

What's the impact of altering press photographs? Should they be edited (at all) in postproduction?

A lot of harm and damage can be caused if press photographs are altered. If pictures are altered, the context may be completely changed and people will be misled. They could be misled in a bad direction and become outraged at what’s “going on” when what’s actually going on is completely different then what the photo describes. Also, if a certain photo journalist is found out to have altered one or more of his photos, the whole company may lose the public’s trust and end up out of business. I don’t believe press photos should be edited at all, as they are supposed to show the real, whole truth of what is going on in the world. I think they could be lightened or changed for quality purposes, but that’s it, no removing things, no adding things and no changing things.

Photo Manipulation Assignment

For this assignment, I used two different editing programs to manipulate two different photos.

My first picture is one I took while on a trip to London, England last summer. It’s a picture of the London Bridge and River Thames. For this picture, I only used Photoshop elements. With this program, I first used the spot brush tool to take away a few of the random, tiny boats floating alongside the larger ones. I also took away a couple tiny dark spots in the sky, such as one above the bridge in the clouds. I then used auto smart fix to make any automatic changes to the picture such as to the lighting or the colour. After that, I used the topaz adjust 4 plug in to equalize the colour and then give the picture sort of a darker tone. After all that, I made a few small final adjustments to the picture. I decreased the sharpness which gave it more of a softer look. This also made it look sort of like a watercolour photo. I really liked that effect, because it made it look more like a painting then a photograph. And lastly I increased the strength of some of the smaller details which made all the lights along the harbor, bridge and boats more exposed. The reason I made these changes was to show how London has a dark side. It is an extremely beautiful city, and that can be seen in any photo taken by anyone anywhere inside of it. However, London has a dark past that involves slavery, torture and Jack the Ripper. So to me, this photo is a reminder that while the city is now beautiful and safe, it used to be ugly and sinister.

original

edited

The second photo I edited was taken by my mom. It was taken in the early evening of a cold fall night, as you can tell by the colour of the leaf in the picture. My mom likes to do crazy, random photo shoots whenever I come home, and I thought it would be a nice photo to edit. This one was a little more difficult to edit, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with it, I just knew I wanted to do something. I once again used Photoshop elements to edit this photo, along with the editing tools on Google+. First of all, I cropped the picture so my hands and chest couldn’t be seen. I then removed what I could of the unwanted wisps of hair on the side and top of my head. I’m just learning however, and couldn’t quite figure out how to do this properly and completely so I ended up darkening the background to hide it. It was just a test, but it turned out to have a desirable effect, so I decided to keep it. After that, I used an eye brightening tool to whiten the whites of my eyes a bit and brighten the irises. At this point, I went over to Google+ and used three effects, one was a colour burst effect which I applied to the leaf only, just to bring out the vibrant shades of red and yellow a little bit more. Secondly, I used the face paint effect to fill in the black eyeliner on the top of my eyelids so it looked even and full. I then applied the cross process effect with a bit of a fade to it so it wasn’t too overwhelming, but just enough to get it how I wanted it to look. At this point I realized the previous effect of brightening my eyes was no longer noticeable, but I didn’t mind as it looked the way I wanted it to. As you can see, I actually have two different edited versions of this photo. After “finishing” with the first one, I applied a cinemascope effect, and I really couldn’t decide which one I liked best so I’m displaying both. As for why I edited it this way, I’m not quite sure. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with this photo, I just wanted to do something, and with that in mind I think it turned out pretty nice!

 

original

edited

edited



From Roger Fenton's Combat Photography to Robert Capa's War Photography

Roger Fenton

 

Roger Fenton is a British photographer. In 1853, he was appointed to be the official photographer of the Crimean War. This made him one of the very first war photographers in history. Throughout his career as a war photographer, he took roughly 360 photos. He went to the warzone to take photos during the Crimean War between the Russians and the British, French, and Turks. Because of the lack of technology due to the early stages of photography, it took Fenton a long time to take a photo. The majority of his work was photos of unmoving objects and posed photos. He also took a lot of landscape photos during the Crimean War.  His goal when taking photos was to glamorize war and take it away from what it was usually associated with, which was the blood and the violence. His photo never featured soldiers who were injured or dying, nor were they of explosions or of violence. After his career as a war photographer, he left the industry and returned to practice law. His contribution to war photography is still very much appreciated and his work is on display in museums and galleries.

Another one of his photos during the Crimean War, this photo is of Balaklava which is one of the army sites during the war. Because of the lack of advancement in photography in that time, the photo features unmoving objects and focuses on the landscape.

This was one of Roger Fenton’s most famous photographs, The Valley of Shadow Death. As you can see, his photographs stay true to his vision, which takes a step back from the aspect of the blood and violence of war, and focuses on the landscape.

 

Mathew Brady 

Mathew Brady was born in warren County, New York He was known for taking the most important photographs of historical personalities during the 19^th century.  He was the first one to take photographs of the American Civil War. A film maker who is famous for his program television series the “civil war” said his show would not have been possible if it wasn’t for Mathew Brady photographs, he called the photographs “the backbone of the series” and also one of the reasons the civil war is much more popular than the revolutionary war was because with Mathew Brady’s photographs taken at that time was a very clear portrait of witnessing the war and its heroes. The photos Mathew Brady took were truthful and included the bad side of war, unlike Fenton’s whose only showed the “good” side. Mathew Brady lived the last days of his life alone, and sick, he devoted his life for preserving the history of his country. His photographs were taken by him towards the end of his life he said that no will ever know how much this photographs cost him, he said it almost cost him his life. In January 15 he died alone and forgotten. His photographs and the love for his country will always be remembered by millions of people all over the world. One of Mathew Brady’s famous quote about photography is “My greatest aim has been to advance the art of photography and to make it what I think I have, a great and truthful medium of history."

 Battle of Gettysburg

Dead at Antietam

Alexander Gardner

Alexander Gardner was a 61-year-old Scottish photographer who began his full time career after moving to the United States in 1856. He focused more on the American Civil War and the Late Abraham Lincoln. When you look at Gardner’s work it is filled with war photos of dead soldiers or portraits. The photos can make someone uneasy, as they documented the more gruesome acts of war. He had the chance to witness the, “battle at Manassas”, Gardner was dispatched as a photographer to record the war. Although Gardner staged some photos, not all were taken this way. Gardner did make a remarkable name for himself and managed to have over 70 of his shots in the New York gallery. Gardner was also known for taking the last known photograph of President Lincoln, just 5 days before his assassination.

Alexander Gardner's most famous faked photograph

Dead confederate soldier's in the "Devil's Den"

Robert Capa

Robert Capa is actually an American identity that Hungarian born Andre Friedman and Polish born Gerda Tero created to sell Friedman’s photographs. His most iconic photographs come from WWII. He risked his life on many occasions to get the most truthful and powerful photos of war her could. He would achieve this by taking his pictures at very close range, sometimes only inches away from the fatally wounded soldiers. His famous quote “If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough,” was one he lived by when it came to his work. Capa is one of the many wartime photographers who risked their lives just to capture the truth of war on film.  Robert Capa, after having cheated death several times, vowed to never risk his life doing war photography again. However, in 1954, he agreed to take photographs of the conflict between the French and The Viet Minh in Indochina, for LIFE magazine. While attempting to get as close as he could, he stepped on a land mine and was killed.



D-Day

 

The Fallen Soldier

 

 

Similarities and Differences

There is really only one similarity between all four of these photographers, and that is that they all produced wartime and combat photographs. Although the objective of capturing war on camera was the same between them, the way in which they all achieved this was different.

Robert Fenton only showed the “good” side of the war, he did this by taking photographs that glamorized war and didn’t show any blood, violence or wounded soldiers. This was done in compliance with the government as an attempt at propaganda.

Like Robert Fenton, Gardner’s photos weren’t truthful as he staged many of them for an artistic effect. However, unlike Fenton, they didn’t glamorize war and showed the more gruesome side of it.

Mathew Brady wasn’t like Fenton or Gardner. He showed all sides of war in a truthful way with no manipulation or staging.

Robert Capa was like this as well, although his photos were better and more iconic as they were taken at very close range. Capa risked his life and did what he could to get the most natural, action packed shots of war, and that’s why his are the most known today.

 

 

http://www.biography.com/people/roger-fenton-9293018

http://allworldwars.com/Crimean-War-Photographs-by-Roger-Fenton-1855.html

http://allworldwars.com/image/072/Fenton247.jpg

http://allworldwars.com/image/072/Fenton000.jpg

http://www.mathewbrady.com/

http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/alexander-gardner.html

http://www.skylighters.org/photos/robertcapa.html





DB Week 4

What was Stieglitz’s main interest? What’s Pictorialism and what is Naturalism? Did he stayed devoted to this movements? What do you see on his photographs?

Stieglitz’s main interest was to get photography recognized as a form of art, just as painting or drawing was. Pictorialism was a movement that Stieglitz was very devoted to at one point. Pictorialism supported the idea that photography used as art needed to challenge other forms of art such as paintings and drawings. Pictorialists understood that a camera was a tool to them, just as a paintbrush was a tool to a painter, and they manipulated their photos in the darkroom. Naturalism is a style of photography. It focuses on two things – human and nature. In this style, humans are generally used as the main subject and nature is the supporting subject. In these photographs, the supporting subject(s) were often blurred so the focus was on the main subject. Alfred Stieglitz didn’t stay devoted to this movement after realizing he felt as though his photographs didn’t look like art. In 1923 he said “My photographs look like photographs and they therefore can’t be considered art.”

What was White’s impact on photography as a medium? What do you see on his photographs?

Minor White came up with the idea of “Equivalence.” He was a very spiritual man and he believed that the act of taking and viewing photos was spiritual. He was a textural photographer (bushes, trees, cracks in a road etc.) Equivalence was mainly the idea that each photograph was open to interpretation by whoever was viewing it. Their interpretation was based on their experiences, what memories the photo brought up and how they felt when they looked at it.

What do you see on Man Ray’s photos? Are they similar or absolutely different than Stieglitz’s photos?

When I look at Man Rays photos, I think of how abstract they are. They portray real feelings (such as the photograph he took after losing someone he loved, the feeling of sadness was real, but the tears were not.) His photos are very different from Alfred Stieglitz’s. Whereas Stieglitz’s tend to be more realistic, his are more abstract expressions.

What do you see on Moholo-Nagy’s photographs?

Moholo-Nagy’s photographs are even more abstract then Man Ray’s. His, like Man Rays, take on a very different tone from Stieglitz’s and White’s. They have little reality in them and are for sure photographs used as a form of art.

Are these photographers painters? Do they all paint with their cameras or maybe only some of them?

These photographers are ‘painters’ in the way that they use a tool (camera) to create art. I believe they all paint with their camera’s, although not in the same way. A painter paints with a brush, and a photographer paints with a camera. That is the only similarity these photographers have. Whether it is a stage, manipulated or completely real photograph, they’ve all been ‘painted’ by a man (or woman) and their camera.

DB Week 3: Can Art be Mechanically Reproduced?

When something is reproduced so many times, is that art? What’s the importance of mechanical reproducibility of the art? What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society?

Yes, I believe that a piece of art is still art even if it’s been reproduced many times. Art is different in the eyes of everyone, so if one person take, say, the Mona Lisa, and reproduces it in a different, more modern style, it’s still art. It’s no longer the Mona Lisa, but in their eyes they’ve created something beautiful. The importance of mechanical reproducibility of photography is that it helps artists to create what they’ve envisioned in their mind. They can take an original photo and manipulate it with computer editing programs in any way to make it what they wanted it to be. As for our society, it has both positive and negative impact. Mechanically reproduced art means that it is more available to everyone. Before cameras, if you wanted to see classic pieces of amazing art, you would have to pay high museum entrance fees or travel to places like Paris, whereas now you can view them all online. However, mechanical reproduction also means it’s easier for those classic pieces to be copied and replaced, so if you do travel all the way to Paris, you might not actually be seeing the original copy at all!

Is photography art or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?

Of course photography is a tool used by artists, just like paintings and sculptures are. However, I also believe photography can be both art and a contribution to art. To me, photography is art when it is a complete original copy of a photo, with little or no editing or manipulation, whether it’s been taken in a quick moment or completely staged. I think it becomes a contribution to art when it’s been reproduced so many times and it’s been edited and manipulated beyond recognition. Like I said before, to me that is still considered art. Although it might not be in the eyes of the artist (unless they’re the ones who ended up editing it) who took the original photo, it obviously is in the eyes of the artist who manipulated it.

How did Henry Peach Robinson create ‘Fading Away’? What was the reason?

Henry Peach Robinson created ‘Fading Away’ by taking five separate negatives and combining them into one photograph. The photograph depicts the death of a young girl who is surrounded by here grieving family. It was done in 1858, and at that time photography was used for less controversial things, like portraits. It was a controversial picture as many people believed a scene like that shouldn’t be portrayed with such a literal form of art, but since it was an acceptable scene to be done with other mediums, such as paint, Henry wanted to show it could be done just as well with a camera.

Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?

Photos can now be reproduced and manipulated with almost no effort at all, and shared with millions at the click of a button. This is all as a result of digitalization, and so I believe that will also create a revolution.