Brain Fitness #6

As my partner does not have that level of cognitive understanding that it would take to discuss such a topic, we were not able to get to it. However, looking through his photographs, I definitely got a feel for cultural memory, as it included photos of S serving in the National Guard during his youth, and another of him and his wife standing in front of an old station wagon during the 60's. It brought me back to a time that I felt was so rigid, in terms of one's life path. Making a living, getting married, and starting a family young was considered the one path to follow in these days (at least this is how it seemed to me, upon looking through these images and relating them to other historic photos I've seen from these days as well. I immediately compared that to life nowadays, and felt like we have so much opportunity to pursue our own unique path how we want to. However, it's possible that my interpretation of their life is not how they see it; whenever I spoke with him about these times, he said "it's been a wonderful life," and he wouldn't change a minute of it. So, even if that's actually how it was, to an observer looking in, it will never truly add up to be the same. 

Cultural // Collective Memory Response

I was struck most by the idea that the way in which Edward Curtis historically photographed Native Americans could be considered destructive to their image within society. Curtis was known to include photos of these individuals hunting, or banishing another tribe, and so on. In this way, it is believed that this gave Native American communities a negative reputation, as how most people learned about them and the images they were exposed to, seemed brutish and savage. It is funny to think about how easily we attribute images we see depicting people or events within certain feelings and notions, and jump to judge them this way. Oftentimes, when these images are historic and we did not have access to the time in which it took place, we learn directly from what we see. I had never really thought about that before... how easily we create foundations of understanding solely through images sometimes; however, in relation to the "Migrant Mother" photo we saw in class the other day, it is true that the message that image conveys so embodies how I believe the Great Depression would have been. What's even more interesting is that the woman in the photograph ended up disliking the way she was portrayed, feeling as if there was much more depth to her situation than that, which draws a parallel to the diverse Native American community.

Ethics and Issues Response

In reading Chonko's "Ethical Theories," it is evident that there is a primary focus on protecting the welfare of the everyday citizen, and pursuing actions that are fair, just, and good. Questioning whether something is fair or good involves considering whether the action infringes upon their rights, and whether something causes the least amount of harm possible. When applied to the ideas presented in the "Appropriation and Attribution" piece, ethical reasoning comes most into play where a person's property is concerned, even when it is intellectual. This piece calls on the reader to pay attention to how they go about utilizing and borrowing artwork, musical tracks, ideas, and so on. The author encourages considering the work that the original artist has put in to create their own original work, and having the duty to reference this artist's work if influenced by it in the reader's own work. To utilize the work in a way that would allow the original artist his greatest rights, and do him the least amount of harm / do what is fair and just and good, the reader has the duty of giving credit where credit is due, and viewing this use from an ethical standpoint. As argued in "Digital Appropriation as Photographic Practice and Theory," we live in a world where we are surrounded by millions of images through the Internet, and in this way, are constantly influenced by the work of others. With this in mind, it is most ethical to learn from the technical strategies of how the image is taken (i.e. framing, depth of field) and employ these strategies in the creation of your own, original imagery, rather than copying the artist's meaning and visual display and claiming these ideas as one's own. What I am wondering is: what if a person learns from the visual techniques of a certain artist, and later creates their own line of artwork employing similar techniques. Should the original artist still be actively cited and referenced? Wouldn't the person have to reference this artist for the rest of their life, as they gained intellectual knowledge from their work that they may use in all of their own original works?

Brain Fitness #5

Looking through the images obtained so far, S was mostly very happy with how they were turning out. He agrees with my approach to the books, in the sense that one will be focusing on family and home life, while the other will be incorporating nature as a focus. The main concern we have about the images I have taken are that there isn't much diversity to how they can be taken; most of these images simply include S holding up his photos, or the photos laid out on the table, since he hasn't brought in any objects besides photos to show me. I have tried to be unique in my approach, in the sense of including pictures of his class ring holding up the image of his graduation, for example. I have tuned my attention towards trying different angles and depths of field and framing techniques as a further attempt to diversify these images. But he mentioned that the subject matter-the images he brings in-seems to be the only thing that will be included, so why not just bring in the images themselves? If he doesn't begin to bring in other objects to refer to and photograph during our sessions, then I really think I will have to search the web for creative images to include besides the ones I have been collecting, as a means of making the book more captivating, and draw connections between his own images and the outside world. 

Photobook Research Assignment 1

http://www.selfpublishbehappy.com/2017/02/ordinary-magazine-issue-3/

Throughout my research, the one photobook that stuck out to me the most was one called “Extra-Ordinary.” The cover itself is bland; plain blue with a pocketful of Q-tips, and the plainest type. It sets up emphasis on the Q-tip, a theme which is carried out throughout the entire photobook. The Q-tip as an object is rarely considered a vital necessity in everyday life; rarely praised as contributing something special to society. While the cover conveys how “ordinary” these objects are typically viewed as, the remainder of the book utilizes a unique approach to demonstrate that the Q-tip can be used in a multitude of ways that extend beyond the “ordinary.” Although every image is distinct and stands separately from the others, the general message (when the photobook is considered as a whole) remains.

The size of these photos span the entirety of the book’s pages, filling up the space completely. From the get-go, this makes the content of the images seem much larger, representing the idea that Q-tips can have a larger and more significant role in life than it appears from the outside; All of these images are more complex than the book’s exterior. The artist used the symmetry of the book’s pages to their benefit, making the images symmetrical from the left and the right side in some cases. As in the photo of the couch, this symbolizes balance between the left and right portions of the images, as well as the vertical stability and balance achieved by the Q-tips holding the couch cushions up. The third image is more abstract in its formal qualities; there is an equal and opposite symmetry of the Q-tips, differing from the first photo, zoomed in close with greater detail of the Q-tip defined. There is some sort of colored liquid surrounding the Q-tips. As this imagery stands out by itself in contrast with the plain white background, these images are much more abstract in nature, suggesting the beauty in the detail that is commonly not seen with the naked eye. Balance is again demonstrated in image 4, 5, 6, and 8, where the Q-tip goes from holding up a book cover/cup of milk, to a more complex structure of the Eiffel Tower, to an even more complex and abstract structure, back to another simple and symmetrical cube structure. The last image ends the book with a lone Q-tip floating by itself in the air, against a very blurred background of city buildings and clear sky. The switching from complex and detailed imagery back to aesthetically simple imagery further conveys the idea that there is substance in detail, that something considered ordinary within society can actually offer a substantial and complex purpose. I am especially intrigued by the 8^th image, however, which seems to be digitized rather than an actual photograph. This offers a stark elemental contrast to the other images, as it allowed much greater detail to be included, as well as random and seemingly unrelated objects (an ear, clouds, random red circles) to be included in the midst of the Q-tip structure. It also allows there to be much more depth to the image, as the viewer is able to see the Q-tips from many different angles all at once. More importantly, the structure sits on top of a street, emphasizing the idea that it is everyday things that offer the greatest complexity; that we may find this complexity surrounding us on a daily basis.

It is obvious that the artist carefully considers the layout of the photograph, in regards to what is included in the left and right pages, drawing the eye to different corners, putting emphasis on a certain object, offering balance and symmetry, and so on. Another useful technique the artist employed is the use of plain colored backgrounds, with objects standing in stark contrast to these backgrounds. This technique can be used to emphasize the importance of the image by directly drawing the eye to the focus.

'Editing' Reading Response

It is worth mentioning that, involved in the process of conceptualizing and relaying a message through artwork, is a certain amount of primary and secondary questioning. For example, when someone is first shooting the image, it is important to consider what elements of the photo are clearly conveying these concepts, and change these according to their efficiency of symbolizing the right ideas. This serves as the primary questioning; going through the images you have obtained and cutting them down from there involves a secondary line of questioning. The suggested method in the reading was to print out a proof sheet, or a collection of your images laid out on a piece of paper. The author emphasizes that properly judging an image based on what is shown on a computer monitor is almost impossible, as the backlit glow can interfere with the true pigments of the images. Laying out the images side by side will then allow the photographer to edit the images down to a select few that they believe are most representative of their concepts. It is important to then consider the images as a comprehensive story; if the project involves a set of images, consider how these images work together to create a sequential narrative. Art is a form of storytelling, after all, and it vital (in most cases) to present photographs in a way that the viewer will perceive the concepts as you were aiming to demonstrate them. 

Brain Fitness Debrief #4

We have decided that one of S's books will be dedicated to the outdoors; it seems that he has many good memories to recall of playing outside with his siblings and pursuing hobbies, as well as going camping and travelling. This works out well because he has brought in a few photographs pertaining to this topic, and I have received a lot of good bullet points and things to say regarding these images. In addition, I have my own collection of nature photography that I've taken over the years, so I am excited to include these as well. I am planning on making his second photobook about his wife and his marriage, or maybe just general "home life." I have been using a set of bullet points to refer back to as references, and one of these key points is their marriage, which always causes him to recall where they met, when they moved in together, had children, and settled down as a family. I will continue adding to these references points as we go, but will definitely refer back to the ones that get him talking and thinking about the world at large.

Brain Fitness Debrief #3

A new focus of conversation this week included S's love for the outdoors, and being in nature. This was brought about by looking at a picture of him and his siblings playing outside as young children; this went along perfectly with the object I brought in, a transcendental book about nature and spirituality. He recalled memories of going camping, along with hobbies and sports that brought him outside throughout his youth (mainly basketball). As the main focus of last week was his marriage, it is evident that we tapped into another source of passion for him. The conversation seemed to flow a lot easier in this realm of thinking because I am an environmental studies major, and had many stories of travelling abroad to Australia to share with him. This then led him into speaking of his own time spent abroad in Europe, and so on. I think I am going to make the theme of one of his memory books "the outdoors", as this topic seemed to really inspire him. While I have been taking separate notes on  his stories and then categorizing them under common, main themes, I have also been taking photos of his photos and objects in front of his own written talking points, to visually remind me of the topic of conversation at the time. I think that next week I am going to have to focus more on writing phrases and putting them in the background of each image I take, because this is more organic to the true flow of the conversation and will embody each conversation more precisely, while not completely distracting from the other focal points of the image.