Lachlan's Photo Journal: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Creative Mix Critique

How was Creative Mix?
I was very impressed with this conference, myself and the class as a whole. I was able to see so many other peoples expression put into their medium and was able to speak with some of the artists and photographers participating in the conference. During the "Drink and Think" portion of the conference, the atmosphere was very relaxed and inviting, and I enjoyed listening to the D.J with treats and friends by my side.

What was the best experience of the day?
There was a period of free time we recieved to explore Yaletown and take photographs and I really enjoyed this because I was able explore my surroundings and really get a feeling for the area.

What was your least favorite experience of the day?
After awhile I became tired, impatient and ready to go home, but that isn't due to the conference, it was only something in myself.

What was your best photo moment?
I had two really great photo moments during the conference. During the conference, there was a wedding photo shoot going on outside and I was able to sneak some images of the couple "in the moment" and posing. I was also able to speak to a Vancouver based photographer, Jeremy Lim, who complimented my work and gave me his business card and I found this very exciting to be able to talk to an established photographer and have him comment on my own work.

How did this installation from the Vancouver Art Gallery effect you?
Song Dong's intallation, "Waste Not" effected me greatly because it truly puts into perspective how much we as a society rely so much on material things and made me think of what would happen if everything materialistic in the world just vanished. Would we be able to survive?
What did you think of the Anonymous Photography Collaboration?

I thought that it was a very intriguing idea and would be able to capture large scale attention, which I believe it did, and although sometimes it became frustrating while trying to produce the perfect image, the payoff in the end was well worth all of our struggles in the process.

Ten Favorite Photos I took of the conference:

Found Photographers

Dead Photographer Assignment

Robert Frank:
                         -His most notable work, the 1958 photographic book titled “The Americans” was                    influential in the post-war period.
                                -After “The Americans” had been published Frank directed most of his interest into film rather than photography. Among his films was the 1959 “Pull My Daisy”, which was written and narrated by Kerouac and starred Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and others from the Beat circle.
                                -His most known film is called “Cocksucker Blues” which is a documentary following The Rolling Stones on their ’72 tour while they were engaging in heavy drug use and group sex.
                                -He returned to photography in the 1970’s and published his second photographic book that was titled “The Lines of My Hand” in 1972 which was described as a ‘visual autobiography’ .
                                -Frank was awarded the Hasselbad award in 1996.

Brian Duffy:
                         -English fashion photographer best known for his creation of the iconic “Aladdin Sane” image of David Bowie.
                                -In 1955 he began freelance photography working for “The Harper’s Bazaar”
                                - In 1957 he was hired by British Vogue where he remained working until 1963. During this period he worked closely with top models of the period, including Joy Weston, Jennifer Hocking, Paulene Stone and Jean Shrimpton.
                                -He was a very successful advertising photographer and took photos for Benson and Hedges and Smirnoff in the 1970’s.
                                -Duffy died on the 31rst of May 2010, after suffering from lung disease.

Arthur Fellig (Weegee):
                         -He developed his signature style by following the city’s emergency services and documenting their activity. Most of his work was disturbing images of crime, injury and death.
                                -He also made many short films and collaborated with film directors, Jack Donohue and Stanley Kubrick.
                                -In 1938, Fellig was the only New York newspaper reporter with a permit to have a portable police-band shortwave radio. He maintained a complete darkroom in the trunk of his car, to expedite getting his free-lance product to the newspapers.
                                -In the ‘50s and ’60s, he experimented with panoramic images, distortion and photography through prisms. Using a plastic lens, he captured a famous photograph of Marilyn Monroe where her face is distorted yet still very recognizable.
                               -Spontaneity is discussed by Vicki Goldberg as “motion cut short in progress. People turn, collapse, struggle, flee. Emotions are snapped as they burst: fear, anguish, shock, despair, anger. What a polite society keeps private spills out in emergencies, and Weegee unsparingly records it.”
Richard Avedon:
                            -I already have a load of information on him.Melvin Sokolsky:
                           -He is best known for his fashion photography and images in Harper’s Bazaar.
                                  -In 1963 he produced the "Bubble" series of photographs depicting fashion models "floating" in giant clear plastic bubbles suspended in midair above the River Seine in Paris.
                                  -Although he is so known for his fashion photography, three quarters of his print photography has been for advertising.
                                  -Towards the end of the ‘60s he became a commercial director and cameraman.
                                  -He did not, however, abandon the world of print photography; in 1972 he was asked to photograph the entire editorial content of McCall's Magazine, a first for any photographer.