Kieran

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Pictorialism and Straight Photography

The pictorialism movement in photography was a movement where photographers made their photos seem like pieces of art rather than a shot of reality. They did this by using special effects, altering the focus, and many other techniques to make their photos look like art pieces. On the other hand, straight photography is quite the opposite. Straight photography is when you are trying to capture a part of reality, making it seem as real as possible and being truly a photograph rather than a painting, like pictorialism is.

Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind were both very influential straight photographers, however in different ways. Edward Weston focused on taking highly detailed photos of the things that were, making sure to make it seem as real and focused as possible. He was known for incredibly sharp images of landscapes and natural forms. Aaron Siskind was similar yet different, he also focused on straight photography, but, he had a sense of abstraction to it. He would take photos that were as detailed as possible in a way that the thing he was photographing would seem like something different. Rather than the traditional literalness of straight photography.

Edward Weston example: Aaron Siskind example:

Whilst Andreas Gursky and Uta Barth’s photographs may not seem particularly abstract, they are. Andreas Gursky is known for his grand-scale landscape photographs, however, they are also digitally altered. With him combining photos and changing certain elements of the composition to enhance the meaning and impact of his photos. To me, he is neither a true pictorialist nor a true straight photographer. Yet he is still an abstract one. As he seems to take literal photos, meaning he is not a pictorialist, yet he edits his photos, meaning he is not fully a straight photographer. However his photos do seem to lean towards straight photography, yet they are not the normal close up detailed photos that can be seen in photographers like Edward Weston and AaronSiskind’s work. Uta Barth is somewhat similar as well, as she also takes photos of landscapes and urban environments, as well as she also alters her photos. Changing the amount of blur and focus a photo has. Also making her art abstract, somewhat similar to Gursky. In my opinion she leans more towards pictorialism as her photos seem edited to look more like painting, used to convey meaning and enhance the message present. Whilst also incorporating elemts of straight photography with her taking photos of natural and urban forms. Capturing moments in time altered to seem like half-paintings.

Andreas Gursky example: Uta Barth example:

Black and White Abstraction

January 21, 2024 / Kieran / 0 Comments

Abstract Photography Defined

January 16, 2024 / Kieran / 0 Comments

My Definition of Abstract Photography would be an intentional difference to typical photographs that have a clear sense of what has been done differently and what the subject and point of the photo are. This includes altering the focus, and lighting, as well as the art elements of line shape and color, or choosing a specific subject and configuring it to a separate meaning than what the general opinion is.

Abstract Photography Starting Point

January 16, 2024 / Kieran / 0 Comments

“Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element”

I think that abstract photography is sometimes used as an excuse to create unappealing or other forms of “wrong” photos. However I think that it can also be used to create new interesting types of photos and shed new light on old subjects. Creating different perspectives and new conversations.

Yet, I am also not the most familiar with abstract photography, and wonder…

Is it related to modern art?
What can be considered “abstract photography”?
Who are some notable abstract photographers?
What are some famous abstract pieces?

WRONG! The 10 Worst

January 12, 2024 / Kieran / 0 Comments

In this blog post, I will be showcasing my 10 worst photos taken within a 30-minute period. In this time period I was intentionally trying to take bad photos that broke the rules of photography, some of the ones to note are the rule of thirds, focal point, lighting, and focus. These were all broken in multiple of my photos, hence the name, “WRONG!”

I accomplished this by intentionally taking photos of things that were not captivating and did not seem thought out. Trying to make the photos look like a mistake. This was done by going too close to people or objects, intentionally shaking the camera whilst pressing the photo button to create the idea of a moving camera, as well as altering my focus and light balances to make the photos seem blurry, too light, and too dark. This can be seen in my 6th and 10th photos, with my 6th being dark enough to not be able to see everything in frame and the 10th being too bright so that everything is covered in a bright white. I also had photos that were incredibly grainy such as my 3rd and 4th photos, which look like they were taken on a camera from the 90’s where in actuality they were taken on a modern camera. All in all, I think I achieved the goal of taking “wrong” photos and I think the 10 I chose prove this.

Can you take a wrong picture?

January 8, 2024 / Kieran / 0 Comments

Can you take a wrong picture?

I don’t think that it is possible to take a “wrong” picture as “wrong” implies that it is incorrect or the wrong answer, and photography isn’t an answer. However it can be deemed wrong in the eyes of photographers and people that like photos if you take a photo a certain way that makes it not be as appealing or not look as good, so really there are better ways to take photos but there isn’t necessarily a wrong way.

How is context important in Photography? Does the word “Wrong” make a difference? Why?

Context is important in photography as it can enhance or give new meaning towards a photo. Creating a story behind the picture that wouldn’t be possible to be known without it. However you can still take good photos without context, it all depends on what you want that photo to mean. I think that the only difference the word “wrong” can make is swaying the opinion of how you perceive a photo. If you think the original photo is good because you like the grain and black and white quality, then hear someone call it wrong, you may think worse about the photo than before.

Reflect and Share

March 8, 2023 / Kieran / 0 Comments

This is my final product.

It works because the battery goes from potential electric energy to electric energy when turned on, which goes through the wires into a motor that holds a fan. The fan is turned by the electric energy turning into mechanical energy and whilst spinning it also uses sound energy.

I was successful in the cardboard and hot glue areas, as they were pretty straightforward and simple to go through with. However, I struggled for a while with connecting the wires and figuring out how to make them stay attached so that the energy would go through the 2 wires. I think I need to focus on improving how on task I was for the project, as I got distracted in time and wasted a lot of time which would have allowed me to finish the product probably a class sooner than I did. I could also have made the fan more visually pleasing or tried to hide the wires a bit more.

The impact that this would have on the environment is probably little to none as all it does is create wind. However, the materials needed for the fan would harm the environment, as they would take fossil fuels to create. The potential audience for this product would be people needing a fan, for example people living in warm countries.

Create and Improve

March 8, 2023 / Kieran / 0 Comments

Over the past few days I have continued working on my product, this was my progress throughout the week.

These were the base components for the structure of the fan, the base, the pipe for the wire to go through, and the different angles of each piece. For this day I mostly spent it cutting cardboard and not working much on the technical and energy components of the fan.

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This day I was mainly focused on the motor and wiring parts of the fan, I struggled to attach the wires and make the motor work until I realized I needed a separate motor and a larger battery pack for more power. I felt like I had learned a new skill in attaching wires and how motors work.

I finally started piecing everything together and creating the final product. It seemed too difficult to wire the wires through the pipe after some attempts so instead I decided to wire them at the back. These are all the different angles showing all the different pieces in the final piece.

Develop and Plan

February 20, 2023 / Kieran / 0 Comments

Materials needed: Motor, Switch, Battery, Wires, Cardboard, Hot Glue.

The techniques I will need to learn are using hot glue effectively, placing wires in the correct spots, and precise cutting. I will learn these by doing them as I go and watching videos to make sure I don’t mess up.

Schedule:
Tuesday – Obtain necessary resources, cut out cardboard, get measurement
Thursday – Start assembling, make it visually pleasing

Define and Inquire

February 16, 2023 / Kieran / 0 Comments

The goal of the engineering task is to create a product that is fully functional and has a purpose. Currently I am mostly undecided for what I want to create, however I am leaning towards something like a lamp, a fan, or a wind-up toy. Some examples of what I might want to make:
This has been done before and I would like to possibly change the design or some other aspects of it, I like the fact that it seems simple and not too difficult to create and believe that i could create it within the given time.

This is another example of what I would like to make. I like the practicality and simple nature of it however I’m not too sure all the materials necessary (like the batteries) are available in the design center, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they were. All in all a pretty good design and product that I would like to make.

Last but not least, we have a wind-up car. I like this design as its very open-ended and you can see the parts inside. As well as it doesn’t seem to difficult to make and could possibly be something I would use if I’m bored at home, which is always a positive.

The problems I need to adress are whether or not I could make these within the given time and if the materials that are needed are in the design lab. If I stay focused and don’t get distracted then the first problem should be fine however the second is mostly out of my control.

Overall I think a lot of them share similar pros and cons. Such as ease of creation, time constraints, and whether the stuff needed is provided. As well as being suitable for the guidelines of the rubric.

It is what it is.