Self Image: Activity 3

Activity 3: Blog Entry

Consider some of the social pressures that you think may shape your behavior and personal image. List the images most commonly associated with the categories or ‘boxes’ you have already listed in Activity 1.

How have you responded to social pressures to conform by adopting an appearance that relates to the categories that you feel you have placed in or have chosen?

 

I used to conform to social pressures by making sure my hair and makeup were done for school every day, I would wake up extra early and make sure my outfit was "socially acceptable". I would go to parties with my friends and we'd make sure to always be the center of attention, but this past year i've stopped caring about social pressures. I don't wake up early anymore, i wear comfortable clothes and rarely wear makeup. I embrace my natural hair and don't go to parties. I stay at home and watch movies with friends rather than going out and getting into trouble. I think that starting to care less about what others think and more about what i want to do has changed my life for the better. My grades have improved, i have more respect for myself, and I'm all around happier.

Self Image: Activity 2

Activity 2: Blog Entry

Find images in the media, which have been used to represent attractive and unattractive aspects of the human face. Examine and record carefully the photographic techniques used to accentuate both these qualities, drawing up a list that relates to the images you have found.

List the physical characteristics that we have come to admire in both the male and female face and write 100 words in response to the following questions:

Men: Prominent eyebrows, straight teeth, nice skin, "scruff"
Women: Thin eyebrows, full lips, flawless complexion, small nose, defined cheekbones, pretty smile

1. Do you believe that media images or public opinion are responsible for the characteristics of beauty becoming universal stereotypes?
Yes, i think a lot of people are influenced by the media in a sense that they aspire to be like celebrities. Celebrities are supposed to be "role models" and set examples/trends for other people, and that is exactly what they do.
2. Do you believe people admiring media images of glamorous models can do any harm?
I think it can be harmful to some people when it is taken to an extreme. When an absurd amount of plastic surgery or weight loss surgeries come into play to become like a model or celebrity they admire, i think that is when it becomes dangerous.

Self Image: Activity 1

Activity 1: Blog Entry

What follows is a list of categories that serves to define and divide us. Make a personal list of the categories you belong to or have conflict with and visual symbols that are associated with each. Aspirations and expectations should also be listed.

1. Age/generation - 16/teenage

 

2. Gender - Female

3. Race - white

4. Religion - Jewish

5. Class or caste - Middle class

6. Personality - 54% Extravert 46% Introvert

7. Intelligence - math is a strong suit for me

8. Political persuasion - indifferent

Time: Activity 4 Blog

Activity 4

Blog Entry: Find a photograph where the photographer has used a slow shutter speed and describe the subject matter including the background. Discuss any technical difficulties the photographer may have encountered and how these may have been overcome. 

Photo by: Robin Wong

This photo is an example of using slow shutter speed photography. The subject is a busy road with moving cars, but due to the slow shutter speed, you can only see the street lines (in focus because they aren't moving) and the lights from the moving cars (streaked because they're moving at exponentially larger speeds than the shutter). The picture might be too blurry if the shutter speed is too slow or if it is too fast, you might see the actual cars in the picture. Trial and error is the best method to overcome these problems.

Time: Activity 2 Blog

Activity 2

Blog Entry

Find an example of a photograph where the photographer has used a very fast shutter speed and describe the subject matter including the background. Discuss any technical difficulties the photographer may have encountered and how he or she may have overcome them.
Discuss what happened to the depth of field and why.
Discuss whether the image gives you the feeling of movement, stating the reasons for your conclusion.

Photo by: Ah Lik

The photographer used a fast shutter speed while dropping fruit into a jar. He used a black background to contrast the bright fruit and really make the color a main focus. Getting the shot at the right moment would've been difficult, so trial and error might've been helpful. The image gives a feeling of movement because of the splashing water.

Time: Activity 1 Blog

Activity 1

Blog Entry

Look at a Henri Cartier-Bresson photograph and discuss why you think that capturing the decisive moment has added to the picture’s quality.

This photo was taken in Shanghai in December of 1948. This picture was during the gold rush when the Kuomintang decided to distribute 40 grams of gold per person. Thousands came out and waited in line for hours. The police attempted to keep order,  but ultimately ten people were crushed to death. This decisive moment adds to the picture's quality because it gives a sense of the chaos and desperation of the time.

Activity 3

Compare and contrast a landscape photograph with a landscape painting. Discuss the expressive possibilities of each medium using your examples to illustrate your argument. Choose your examples carefully as representative of the medium.


Example: The two images below are similar in subject matter, how are they similar? How are they different? What options does a painter have compared to the options a photographer has in
terms of expression.

Photo by: David Edwards 

Painting by: Ed Mel

Photo by: Unknown

Painting by: Lori McNee

The two images are similar in subject matter being that they're both of white mountains. They are different because the photographer only has what is in front of him to work with, but the painter is open to interpretation.