Inspiration
Digital image. On the Border with Photographer John Moore. Alan Taylor, 20 June 2018. Web. 27 Aug. 2018.
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For this project I researched photography from John Moore, the way I found out about him was because of his famous photograph that he took recently of a little girl crying as they were detaining her mother at the border. After that I looked up his name and his other photographs to see that he did on immigration. This got me to think on how this could relate to my general theme, which it does by a lot for the fact that this is a current on going situation that is getting more talked about and enforced as the years go by. The picture clearly indicates that it is night time from all the shadows you can see, but what brings attention to the viewers is the little girl in the bright pink shirt and shoes. It's such a strong photo that doesn't need any background information and the color variations in the lighting just helps it look more intense. This gave me inspiration to use the same tactics in a photo when editing it.
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“Digital Image.” The Atlantic, Alan Taylor, 20 June 2018, www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/06/on-the-border-with-photographer-john-moore/563282/.
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This second picture can be looked at and skipped but what I see is a very powerful photo that was taken in an intense moment in this families life. The ICE agent blurred out in the left side of the screen and a clear shot of the family gathered together taking up the rest of the photo. This picture gives me the idea of when I'm taking the picture is to put something in the front but not let it be the focus of the whole thing. Also if the person in the front had the same color of clothes it would be too distracting and the whole angle of the shot wouldn't work. But considering the fact that the agents uniform is very minimal, the colorful clothing of the family in the background balances out the rest of the picture.
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Planning
The whole point of this project was to push myself to learn two things. One being how to use a camera and second how to edit photos using different photo editing applications. When planning for this project I decided to call a friend and go take some pictures for a couple of days so I could get used to using a camera and learn all the new camera filters and buttons. Also how to use lighting and different positions for the model in order to complement the photo. For example, when we would walk into an area that was covered in trees so it would be darker, I would ask the model to pose differently and I would change the settings in the camera than in a fully sunny in order to get what I am trying to get. Some of the pictures on the left show some pictures in which I was practicing and sketches.
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Process
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Tools Used
Photoshop and a DSLR camera with a lens of 18-55mm
The camera that I used had two different lenses but the main one that I used was the smaller one, especially if I was taking somebody's portrait. I would only use the longer one if I was taking pictures of something farther away.
Experimentation
When I was taking the pictures, I practiced with different angles and lighting with the model. Sometimes the model would just get in a certain position that would look great without even noticing and all I would have to do was arrange my camera to fit the specific lighting and after a couple of tries I got used to which ones I liked better for certain conditions and which ones I don't like. For example, I liked to keep the mode at Manual because I could change my settings in a way that would benefit me the best.
Later on when I saved my pictures to a computer and entered them into Ai and Photoshop I
Later on when I saved my pictures to a computer and entered them into Ai and Photoshop I
Critique & Reflection
Once I was done with taking the portraits I did more research on lens and which ones are better for what project, looking back at it I should have done my full research from the start, that way the photos would have came out a bit better, for example I could've used a 50mm lens for portraits.
Considering the fact that I've never used Light room, I found myself learning it really quickly and getting the tools to work a certain way what I liked to edit in photos. For example I liked to change the contrast in a photo and brightness to emphasize lines and shadows. |
Connection to Act
1) Clearly explain how you are able to to identify the cause-affect relationships between your inspiration and its affect upon your artwork.
2)What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach John Moore has to the topic of inspiration is capturing what it's like to families that are crossing the border and are being separated.
3)What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The general theme for my research was immigration issues and how edited photography can be a culprit to changing moods for a viewer.
5)What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
2)What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach John Moore has to the topic of inspiration is capturing what it's like to families that are crossing the border and are being separated.
3)What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The general theme for my research was immigration issues and how edited photography can be a culprit to changing moods for a viewer.
5)What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Sources
Taylor, Alan. "On the Border With the Photographer John Moore." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 20 June 2018. Web. 27 Aug. 2018.