By Karolina Debowczyk
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| Gregory Cewdson |
Alterations are not allowed in press photography, but they are one of the tools used in contemporary art photography? Why?
Press photography, much different then contemporary art, is about images that are true to real life which is why they cannot be retouched or altered in any way. Contemporary art photography on the other hand is based on the photographers imagination. The images created by the photographer are trying to evoke a certain feeling. These photographers are trying to tell you whats on their mind or let you in on their creative insights with their photos. This need for creativity allows alterations to be used. What a contemporary art photographer sees through the lens might need much more to be the desired final product. Editing is also a part of that creativity process. Changing lighting, creating effects and even cutting and pasting different objects or people into the photograph are all a part of the creative process. Based on the name “art” photography, this style of photographing allows the person behind the lens to be as creative as they need to be when it comes to their photos. The purpose of these photographs are not to tell the truth about a story, but to display the vision of the photographer.This is why i feel it is so common and accepted today.
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| Robert Adams |
Compare photographs of Sommer, Adams and Klett versus Parkeharrison, Muniz and Crewdson. What happened to the photography? Is this its future?
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| Muniz |
The photographs of Sommer, Adams and Klett are all black and white photographs with little to no editing done. Adams and Klett mostly focus on real life aspects such as landscape photography and capture the real life beauty from basic angles to create a natural and realistic photograph. Sommer also falls into the category of realistic images though he is a lot more creative with his work and uses his drawings along with photographs to create his images. All the images shot by these photographers are all what is seen and naturally captured through the lens. With Parkeharrison, Muniz and Crewdson, their photographs have a lot more creativity to them. They are all attention catching and have a fair amount of editing done. They each have stories to tell in their own creative ways. Muniz and Parkeharrison create real life and very staged images to paint his creative picture while Crewdson uses different effects to create an atmosphere for his photographs. All photographs create dramatic pictures and use editing tools in order to further express their creative minds. The shift from the first three photographers to the last three is their use in digital editing and staging events vs capturing them in real life. Both ways have their own beauty to them and though we need to ensure our photographers capture true and real life images that don't trick the eye of the viewer, the creativity of the last 3 photographers is refreshing and interesting. It allows an outlet for them to capture what they cannot see in real life and allows the viewer to dream, imagine and enjoy. This is a type of photography of the future but rest assured the real life and natural way of photography will live on forever.
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| Mark Klett |
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| Parkeharrison |
By Karolina Debowczyk
Action photographer David Bergman
Find (online or in books) at least five images that remind you of the work of a particular photographer by your choice and write 600 words explaining the similarities and possible impact your photographer had on these images. You should explain the most important aspects of the work of the photographer you have chosen. Post the assignment on your website and submit the link through WebCt Assignments.
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| David Bergman |
David Bergman, a self presumed "band geek" started his life at a prestigious music school in Boston. Though he was interested in music, he found himself behind the camera taking pictures of bands more often then studying musical theory. He then decided to transfer to the University of Miami and was a sports photographer for the Miami Herald newspaper which changed his life forever.
With the opportunity of working in sports and shooting photographs during Olympics and Superbowl’s, as well as his love of music, he was fascinated with capturing motion. The two aspects also got him involved in producing music videos which makes sense for a photographer who is obsessed with movement.
Looking through his photographs you can see that all the moments are specifically captured to express and evoke an emotion. David Bergman seems to snap his photographs during increased movement and uses machinery such as the GigaPan and remote cameras to be able to catch the movement clearly. His photographs allow those who are viewing them to connect with the picture and feel the moment it has been captured in. When we look at the photograph of the basketball player we see the precision Bergman uses to be able to capture such an extraordinary moment in that split second of time.
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| David Bergman |
The five images i chose are all caught during a time of motion. They demonstrate raw emotion and bring real life captures to print photographs. The soccer photograph by Justin Grant seemed to capture the same aura of the lacrosse picture David Bergman had taken. Both photographs show athletes who are completely focused on their sport and trying to accomplish their goal of putting that ball through the net. The pictures were also captured mid air which shows they both used remote cameras in order to capture movement. Grant seems to have the same inspiration of athletics and motion as Bergman evokes in his work.
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| David Bergman |
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| Justin Grant |
Though not sport related, the next two photographs of the young girl and fighting lions still seem as though they come from the same inspiration David Bergman has. Both pictures show the liveliness of the moment and capture the intense movements of real life situations. All photographers seem to have the love for raw and real life movements. The inspiration behind each of them seems to come from movie clips or real life motion which ties them all into the same category of motion photographers.
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| David Cardinal |
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| Leah Mitchell |
The next photograph taken by John Murray closely reminds me of Bergman photograph of the rock star yelling in the crowd. Though the photograph is black and white and Davids photographs are usually more vivid and bright, the way the picture was taken has so many similarities. You can see that Bergman like to capture his proteges off guard. None of his photographs are posed and generic but captured in the midst of seconds during an immense moment. The same is done here with the coach looking as though he is yelling at the top of his lungs. He did not take a second to have him pose for the camera and did not bother facing him. Instead John Murray saw a moment and quickly captured its strength and character.
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| David Bergman |
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| John Murray |
Lastly is the photo from “ishootshows” of the rock band slipknot. In this picture the band members are all focused on their show and you can see the power and excitement of the concert. Concerts are usually a place where motion photography is popular which is why it fits so perfectly with John Bergmans style. Along with the photograph Bergman has of Avril Lavigne, we can see that movement is captured with great precision and no blur. Music was a great impact for Bergman and with the name “ishootshows” it seems as though it is also a huge inspiration for the other photographers as well.
David Bergman
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| "ISHOOTSHOWS" |
By Karolina Debowczyk
WEEK 12 PRESENTATION
Karolina Debowczyk
Alecia Ostermann
Hua Bai
Anastassia Mitrofanova
How digital technology changed the role of photography in the society?
Digital photography has made precision and capturing reality so much easier. Every moment can be photographed exactly how it is seen through the digital window and allows which to see your image as soon as it is taken. This spares the fear of not capturing the moment you wanted to and allows you to view the image before you print it. The readiness and accessibility of the photos has also made a huge impact on society. With digital photography, you are one click away from uploading your photographs onto your computer for your viewing pleasure as soon as the pictures are taken. Social networks such as Facebook and Flickr have also evolved digital photography. These websites allow you to upload your photographs in a span of seconds for the whole world to see. Digital photography has become a way of recording your life.
Through the 2 pictures below you can see that through digital photography we are able to capture every single immediate moment, the exact colors of the leaves, how the direct light hits each branch. With the lions fighting you there is no blurriness you can see the grass being ruffled, and the emotion the lions have. The role of digital photography goes far beyond just capturing a moment. It allows you to show the world exactly what you are seeing at that very moment. Digital photography has also brought along other technology that can be used to alter photographs at home such as Photoshop. We can edit anything from lighting to the color of our shirts with the click of a button.
What has been the impact of digital photography on journalism?
Digital photography digital photography improves the timeliness of journalism. After capturing a photograph it takes seconds for photojournalists to send out an image to their publisher. Digital photography has eased the photojournalism profession. A photographer can be capturing a scene from Japans devastating conditions and send it out to a newspaper in Toronto as soon as it is taken. Also with digital photography we do not need to worry about bad quality pictures. We can retake it after we find there are some mistakes. Memory is also a huge impact on photography and photojournalism. Memory cards hold thousands of pictures therefore space is not an issue when it comes to capturing the perfect image.Though there are a lot of pros when it comes to digital photography and journalism there can also be some issues with authenticity. A lot of newspapers have put in guidelines on how their photos are to be published to reassure readers and any naysayers that what they are seeing isn’t false. Through digital technology there are so many ways to improve a shot. A lot of gossip sites and magazines get criticized for altering photos to seem more or less flattering, sometimes even resulting in lawsuits.
Photographer Birte Person captured these spectacular shots as the tiger and five others did the closest thing they could to hunting at Singapore Zoo.
Man mutilated in Rawanda
SOURCES:
By Karolina Debowczyk
Andre Kertesz
“I just walk around, observing the subject from various angles until the picture elements arrange themselves into a composition that pleases my eye.”
Henri Cartier- Bresson
"Father of modern photojournalism"
Eugine Smith
"Unable to limit his work to a deadline"
Sebastian Salgado
"Needs no words"
Andre Kertesz and Henri Cartier-Bresson versus the work of Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado. They are photojournalist with different approaches.
What are the main differences and similarities?
Both set of photographers have different views and photographic perspectives. Kertesz and Bresson seem to be more focused on the simplicity of images. Their photographs are usually taken very quickly in order to capture real life situations and in Bressons case, sometimes are not even seen until the photograph is published. On the other hand, Smith and Salgado tend to be a bit more patient and artistic when it comes to the final product. Both photographers are very anal about how the image is received by the public. They focus on trying to evoke emotions and connect the audience with their photos. Both photographers are not afraid to show the public the imperfect side of the world.They're work does not need words because they are so deeply detailed and captured at the perfect moment. The main similarities I find are that the photographs are taken in black and white and are all taken for the purpose to help readers connect with the story.
What’s the better journalistic approach?
I feel Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado show the truest image to life in the most artistic way. Their approach looks for perfection in photographs and are so intense they do not need text for readers to understand what is being viewed. Their combination of patience and creativity evoke such beauty in their photographs .The beautiful and painful images make you look deeper into the photo and almost make you feel as if you are there.
By Karolina Debowczyk
1. The main differences and similarities between art and press photography;
Both press and art photography capture photographs in order to tell a story or convey their message. They require a person who is creative and has a good eye in order to visually explain or show what they are trying to convey through their photograph. Though there are some main similarities regarding creativity, they both have different purposes. Press photographers take photographs for a specific purpose. They usually work for magazines or newspapers and their pictures are focused on a current event, to record news or to tell a story. Press photography is also used as visual support along with wording to explain a photograph in order to suggest a story or document an event. As for art photography, it is based solely on the creative vision of a photographer.It is more of an expression of vision of the person behind the lens.
2. Is it ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs? Why? Why not?
Yes, today photo manipulation has become a second process in art photography."The first photo manipulations were done shortly after the invention of photography" ( Shooting the truth: How photographs in the media betray us by Gordana Iceveska p 18-19).Digital editing and photo retouching is used to further achieve the creative process of a fine art photographer. This process is widely practiced and ethical in this type of photography because art is based on the creativity and imagination of the person who is capturing the photo. It also combines art and photography which allows it to be called "art". The influence of painting on photographs has been present since the invention of photography. The two techniques combined prove that photography is art (shotting the truth:How Photographs in the media betray us by Gordana Iceveska p18-19)That person has the right to enhance or manipulate the photograph because they are telling their own story, not someone else's."
Scott Speck-location unknown.scottspeck.com
3. Is it ethical and acceptable to alter press photographs? Why? Why not?
When it comes to press photography, it is unethical to alter photographs. Press photographers capture images that need to speak truth and show, more descriptively, what is going on in real life. The public depend on the photographers honesty to get the truest image to what has been written along with the photo. The image acts as support to true events and allows readers to feel a connection with the situation and try to experience it through the photograph. "Photojournalism is the art of capturing moments in time so the next generation can learn" ( Ethics in photojournalism; http://hubpages.com/hub/Ethics-in-Photojournalism).If each photojournalist decided to tweak their own picture, consumers would not know which one is closest to the truth. Keeping the photographs authentic allows the photographers to remain credible to the public which is what a press photographer needs in order to remain working.
Mark Condren- Sunday Tribune - a man standing at the ruin of a church after the earthquake struck inHaiti . Jan 26/2010
Bra Wakerfirled- SWNS- Lady GaGa performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, Somerset. 26th June 2009
By Karolina Debowczyk
What's the role of photo journalism?
The role of photo journalism is to demonstrate and elaborate on a story using photographic images. A story has not been completely recieved by a reader unless there is some type of support to help them envision what the journalist is trying to get across. Photojournalism can educate readers through imagry and help them feel more involved in a story.
Are there rules that photojournalists should follow? Why? Why not?
There are certain rules photojournalists need to follow. When you are trying to depict a true image to the audience, it should not be altered in any way in order to attain belief and reveal truths. Elements in photographs should not be moved, added, cloned, deleted, rearranged, changed or combines because this ruins the integrity of the photograph. If a photograph stays true to its original capture, it speaks more authentically to readers.
Is the ethics of taking journalistic photos different than the ethics of writing a news story?
The ethics of photojournalism and writing a news story is in many ways alike. Both types of journalism have a purpose to depict the most authentic reality to whomever is reading the story. They must provide the most detail in order to properly tell a story and create a connection with the reader. Therefore, their photos and words must be closest to reality as they can possibly be. Both images and wording should not be manipulated or altered in any way to ensure the journalist remains credible.
What's the impact of altering press photographs? Should they be edited (at all) in postproduction?
Photography is the closest witness we have to the truth. Anything that takes us away from that accuracy should not be practiced due to flawed perceptions. I feel no major editing work that removes, adds or creates a different image should be used in postproduction. The only exceptions should be minor adjustments to better depict the photograph such as resizing, cropping or selective lightening and darkening.
Frank O’Connor, coordinator of the photojournalism program
SOURCES:
http://www.gulfstatesccc.org/html/photojournalism_rules.html
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http://www.photography-schools.com/photojournalismhistory.htm
https://gbc.blackboard.com/webct/urw/lc5122011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
