~*Kylie Higgins*~: October 2009

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Camera Guide 10/22/09

I just got a new puppy. I am playing with her out in the backyard. It is around 3:00pm and I want to take some pictures of my puppy because she is running around and just looks so cute!

I pick up the camera and put the camera strap around my neck. I turn the camera on by the power switch. I adjust the diopter, next to the viewfinder, so that it is good for me.

I want to catch my puppy running so that everyone can see her excitement! In order for me to do that, I will need to make the shutter speed fast. I also want to make it so that my puppy is the only thing in focus, it IS all about her! To change the shutter speed, I use the the main command dial and look at the control panel screen, located near the power switch. The number will increase as I turn the dial, and I stop when I get to 500, this should be quite enough to capture my lovely puppy in action! To change the aperture(which will change what is/how much is in focus) I use the sub-command dial and look on the control panel screen, next to the letter F, to see the aperture size. Since I want my puppy, and my puppy ONLY in focus, I will use a big aperture(that is a smaller number) so that everything around my puppy is blurred, yet she is in focus. I will adjust the dial until the number next to the letter F is 3.5. My ISO setting will be low, I will set it at 400, depending on the camera, it could be in menu, or in another setting place. I will use 400 because it is fairly low and since there is daylight, I do not need a high ISO. For white balance, I will use the "sunny" setting. With this setting, the picture will not come out extremely bright. The orange pigment will combine with the blue to create a crisp, color-perfected picture. Once the settings are set, I make sure the camera is in auto-focus, and then I press the shutter release half way down to get the subject in focus....THEN....I PRESS DOWN ALL THE WAY!! CONGRATS to me, I have captured the beautiful puppy. Now.....I look at the amazing picture, and smile.

:D

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

5

1. Gregory Crewdson, Untitled, Unknown

2. SS~~400--when viewed larger, the fire seems to be captured, and everything else as well, such as moving trees.

3. F~~11, there is not one main point of focus in general, the whole image seems to be clear.

4.ISO~~800, the image seems to have no noise present and is clear.

4

1. Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Igor, 1987

2. SS~~~40, everything seems to be still, no motion blur.

3. F~~~7.1~~ everything seems to be focused, no MAIN point of focus in the image.

4.ISO~~400, photo a bit grainy, maybe some noise.

3

1. Gary Winogrand, unknown, 1964

2. SS~~~ 250, it seems to be, when the picture is enlarged, that the people are walking, and with this shutter speed, this can be captured.

3.F~~~22, everything in the picture is in focus

4. ISO~~~800, there seems to be a little noise in the photo, it is not as crisp as it could be.

Picture 2 - end of october assignment

Annie Leibovitz, Nicole Kidman, date unknown.

2. SS~~~100, Nicole seems to be quite still, therefore the shutter speed wouldn't need to be extremely high

3. F~~~7.1, Nicole seems to be the main point of focus, however, the background is not completely blurry, so the aperture can be a little smaller.

4. ISO~~~600, the studio, or wherever this was taken, doesn't seem to be very bright, but it also isn't dark, so a 600 shutter speed would be acceptable.

Home sick, and I was bored. So I wanted to start my next assignment(subject to change a few things)

1. Jeff Wall, Milk, 1984.

2. SS: 500~~~Jeff captured the milk splattering in the air and it is crisp(no liquid would be able to be captured unless there was a fast shutter speed)

3. F: 11~~~no main point of focus(everything seems to be in focus.)

4. ISO 200~~~the picture is clear, not noisy.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

My Kid Could Paint That .. pt 2

October 14, 2009

"American dream or art world scheme?"
Why do you think the film does not answer this question?

A few different things come to my mind when I think about why the film does not answer that question. I do not think that Marla's creativity is an "art world scheme." I think that the creativity and artistic values of a person are genetic. My family has a great amount of artistic people. Many of my relatives are painters, and I have always had an interest in photography. Whether Marla's parents passed on that gene, or it was an ancestor decades ago, I believe she was blessed with it. When Marla's mom was being interviewed, it was obvious that everything that is currently happening in their lives is unexpected, and never once a plan of action. I also think the documentary doesn't answer this question because this is about a young girl who doesn't realize how far her artwork has gone, she could never set up a scheme. Although Marla's parents have sold her paintings for money, for all we know they could be putting it into a fund for Marla. If Marla were older, she would be able to understand better how important her work has become. Clearly, this is an American dream and not the least bit a scheme.

Reflection on documentary watched in class

October 14, 2009
(two paragraphs)

"My Kid Could Paint That"

Prompt choice B: Comment on this quote from the film: “Art has obligation to explain itself to you. If it doesn’t, it’s the art’s fault.” Explain the quote. Do you agree or sympathize with this statement? Explain, using examples from the film.

I sympathize with this quote from the documentary. I had to re-read the quote multiple times and think a lot about it before I made my decision whether to agree or sympathize. I chose this decesion because the quote says how if the art doesn't explain itself to you, it's the art's fault. I do not agree with those words because interpreting art is up to the looker. People looking at art must have a sense of creativity and the only reason any piece of art wouldn't explain itself to you, is if you don't think enough about it, and what it could represent. The many people that purchased Marla's artwork came up with various ideas as to what her paintings represented.

Imagination is something that everyone has, but the broadness of it depends on the level that someone wishes to expand their mind. Artistic people tend to have a large imagination and creativity in order to be able to interpret works, without focusing on just one thing. Looking at art is something that many people enjoy doing, whether they are looking to find representation, or if they just look at it for pleasure. The work that Marla created was viewed and interpreted by many different people. I think finding the story or idea in artwork should be up to the viewer.