Alec Sloth & Finding a Voice

Question

Alec Sloth & Finding a voice

Separate groups: VISA1006A_TUTR_12, Chris Ironside

WATCH: Photographers in Focus: Alec Soth

Video created and hosted by “Nowness.”

https://www.nowness.com/topic/photography/alec-soth-joppe-rog

In this video Alex Sloth shares his thoughts about photography. He talks about freezing time, embracing failure, personal expectations and noticing the experiences you have when you photograph. Watch and listen to this video. Identify and comment on 2 thoughts or statements made by Sloth that interest you.

WRITE 75 WORDS

Miles Aldridge & Working with Colour

Separate groups: VISA1006A_TUTR_12, Chris Ironside

https://www.nowness.com/topic/photography/photograghers-in-focus-miles-aldridge

Photographer’s website

Miles Aldridge identifies as a fashion photographer and fine art photographer. His fine art photographers are self-directed projects while his fashion photography meets the goals of the client. In both cases Aldridge brings his strong interest in colour and an awareness of how to effect the viewer. In this video he describes wanting the view to think the photograph depicts something beautiful but really, it’s something unsettling. Aldridge is motivated by the idea of photographs that are beautiful yet lead to an unsettled feeling. Colour is a key tool in his photographic approach.

Imagine a key goal or quality that could inform your photographs. In your own words speculate what idea or visual quality could motivate your desire to take photographs. What would you like viewers to feel looking at photograph you make. There is no wrong or right answer. You can imagine a goal that might be present now or one you will aspire to in the future.

Arnaud Maggs & Typology

Separate groups: VISA1006A_TUTR_12, Chris Ironside

Canadian Photographer Arnaud Maggs (1926-2012) asked strangers and friends if he could photograph their ears. He created these photographs over a number years and was continuing to do so up until the year he dies. Watch Maggs in the year before he dies photographing ears during a visit to market in southern France.

WATCH & WRITE 75 WORDS

Watch and respond to this question. In your own words describe how Maggs “framed” each ear when he shot. Did he stand close? What orientation was his camera? He did he approach the subject or shoot from far away? As the viewer, what is your impression or response to these photographs. You may respond in point form or sentences.

Gregory Crewdson & staging a scene

Separate groups: VISA1006A_TUTR_12, Chris Ironside

Gregory Crewdson uses a storytelling approach to photography. Like a film director, he stages scenes to achieve a purpose. Yet Crewdson is not interested in moving images. He is interested in still images that freeze time. He talks about, “creating a world that feels real and imagined,” where photographs, “feel like a restrictive world.”

While created as a testimonial for Epson printers, this video clearly describes concepts that matter to Crewdson. Choose one of the following ideas:

Tension between interiors and exteriors

Windows as part of a scene

Light drawing the viewer into a scene

Watch the video. Identify and describe a photograph in the film that demonstrates the idea you have chosen. Describe how the photograph uses either tension in places, windows or light.

Write 75 words

For more information on Crewdson also watch: https://youtu.be/bp_bA7eJexo

Omar Victor Diop & staging a self portrait

Separate groups: VISA1006A_TUTR_12, Chris Ironside

Watch Photographer Spotlight:

In this 6 min film by for the LA Review of Books, Spotlight on Photography Omar Victor Diop talks about his interest in Staged Photography. Notice his use of backdrops and his comments on the cultural significance of fabric.

In his latest project called ,”Project Diaspora,” he creates a series of portraits that explore the representation of Africans in historical records. He describes the photographs he creates not as self portraits but as celebrations of a memory using himself as a prop. He says, “I am lending my flesh to these souls so they can contribute to the current conversation of about the role of Africa and Africans in the globalization. I wanted to bring them back to life and talk about the role of Africans outside of Africa.”

Diop stages each photograph precisely. Each photograph is based on an historical painting but includes a contemporary prop or element and a carefully chosen backdrop. The stills from this project can be found at this website. Choose one of the photographs. Observe the contemporary prop and the background he has chosen or created.

Write 75 words. Describe your opinion or response to Omar Victor Diop’s work.

Richard Misrach & Place & Memory

Separate groups: VISA1006A_TUTR_12, Chris Ironside

WATCH Richard Misrach on “Destroy This Memory,” produced by SFMOMA.

Photographer Richard Misrach went to New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina. He carried a point and shoot along with his regular camera. After reviewing his thousands of point and shoot images he recognized that he had gathered a subset of photographs that needed to be complied into a book. The resulting book complied many snapshots he took of messages left on houses, things and places. The messages are a record of human experiences in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrin

WRITE 100 WORDS

Reflect on your own experiences. COVID 19 has brought uncertainty and isolation. Will you photograph in the next 3 months?

Has your approach to photography been altered your experience by COVID 19?

List one quote from Misrach that you identify with or like.

Ken Montague & Contributing

Separate groups: VISA1006A_TUTR_12, Chris Ironside

Kenneth Montague is a Toronto Dentist who has dedicated enormous time, energy and resources to promoting Black identify in contemporary art. His impact and contribution has been enormous!

Watch this short video titled, Artland: Kenneth Montague

Play Video

If the above link does not work- link directly to the You Tube video:

Wedge Curatorial Projects is a non-profit organization with a focus on Black identity in contemporary art. Under the directorship of founder Kenneth Montague, Wedge organizes exhibitions and lectures that explore Diasporic narratives, identity and issues of representation. Exhibiting both local and international artists, Wedge is fueled by collaborative creativity and accessibility in the arts.

Dr. Montague is a dentist who supports a broad community of contemporary black photographers by purchasing and displaying their work. He is passionate about art, photography, local artists and sharing art with others.Choose one of these questions and write 75 word.Reflect on how photography has touched your life. Describe one photograph that matters to you. It can be a photograph from your childhood, or one that you created or one that you remember.Reflect and express a personal opinion on Dr. Ken Montague’s contributions.

Sample paper

Alec Sloth & Finding a Voice

In this video, Sloth describes his journey as a photographer. One of the most interesting things that Sloth is that he did his best projects after failing several times. This demonstrates that perfection is a journey in photography. One has to practically fail to be able to learn unique tactics that will help in eliminating mistakes and in making better results. Another interesting thing that sloth noted is that his first great project originated from his desire to want to break free. This means working as a photographer without limitation. This desire made him start capturing extraordinary things that made him discover his ability.

Miles Aldridge &Working with Color

The key goal that would inform my photography is reality. The main idea or visual quality that would motivate my desire to take photographs is the beauty of color in real-life situations. The color should occur naturally without any sense of exaggeration or artificially created illusion. This means capturing beautiful colorful ladies in real-life events like a party where beauty trick is done to fit the real-life event without exaggeration. The beauty that occurs naturally brings with it an extra glance of beauty that shows color harmony. This color harmony and moderation makes a visual image more beautify than when artificially created.

Arnaud Maggs & Typology

Maggs framed each ear in a multiple-grid series of similar photographs resulting in several multiple similar ears in a series of many other different ears. Yes, Maggs stood considerably close to the subject, in a way to receive fine details of the ear. His camera was in a vertical orientation or portrait. He always approached the subject to request their consent in the shot. He always had a conversation with the subject and took their name details after taking the shot. I find his passion for photographing the ear quite interesting. His shots were so clear giving clear details of each photographed ear that demonstrated that each one of them was unique.

Gregory Crewdson & Staging a Scene

The selected idea is tension between interiors and exteriors. The photographer wants to show the integration between beauty and sadness in a picture by creating tension between the inside and the outside. His photos create tension between some sense of stillness and some sense of unease. He shows tension between interior and exterior space by use of a window. In this case, Window is used to show the tension between domestic and wilderness. A picture of a woman gazing through the window to three ice skaters men, showing the intersection between external and internal space.

Omar Victor Diop & Staging a Self Portrait

The selected photograph is among his imagination of Africa in Hollywood. It is a picture of an African lady lying on the green leaves with no clothes by covering her private parts and breast with the green leaves. The picture is beautiful. It shows African beauty, with good capture of Africans skin tone and hair texture. It also demonstrated some sense of African culture. Although nudity may be regarded as western, it is important to note traditionally Africans only focused on covering the most private parts. But the picture gives a clear representation of Africa, though not sure about the contemporary aspect of it.

Richard Misrach & Place & Memory

Yes, I would photograph in the next three months. But I would avoid photographing some traumatic incidences like some we have been seeing in the social media. I will focus more on photographing nature such as sunrise or sunset and flying birds. Pictures play a great role in marking history, however, I do not think I would keep a picture of extreme pandemic effects such as corpse lying on the floor, or mass burial or crowed emergency room. However, I can consider keeping a picture of people standing in a social distancing stand wearing a mask. One of the Misrach quotes is the message was being sent but to” who no one was there “. I pray this may not happen to us, we should be there to take the message after covid19.

Ken Montague & Contributing

The photo that cannot get out of my head is that of African slaved chained together and forced to walk carrying some luggage. I am not sure whether the picture was painted or taken. This picture reminds me of how far we have come from about humanity. This picture makes me appreciate any modern picture of Africans demonstrating freedom and life enjoyment. It also makes me appreciate history. With this picture, I learned a lot about human nature while in power and human suffering when you are powerless. My personal opinion concerning Dr. Ken Montague’s contributions is that Africans have a great heritage. Promoting their heritage makes it easier for others to understand them and respect their culture. I am grand Dr. Montague is doing this with little he has.