Homework Week 8

Photos from the second critique: 

What I need to focus on: Focus, more space, shoot more. 

Photos from inside responding are the boy in the red shirt. 

Artist Statements: Helpful Resources

Pierre Louis Pierson, Portrait of Comtesse de Castiglone, c. 1863/66

Feeling stumped about how to write your artist statement? Here are some helpful resources:

• How to Write the Perfect Artists Statement
• On Statements
• How to Write About Your Photographs

Trying to Write an Artist Statement...

Photoshop, GIMP, and Photo Editing at Home

Steven Klein

If you are interested in doing more advanced photo editing at home or after the end of semester, there are a number of great options open to you:

Photoshop is now on available as a subscription-based photo bundle for $10 per month here.
There is a 30-day free trial, so if you are considering this route, be sure to do the trial first.

There is also an extremely simplified version of Photoshop with just the most basic tools called Photoshop Elements. It generally comes bundled with the software that comes with Wacom Tablets or some printers and scanners.

Another great alternative to Photoshop that many photographers prefer is Lightroom. It is made by the same company as Photoshop, but is designed for photographers who may not need all of the advanced retouching and compositing functions available in photoshop. It's also a lot less expensive.
The student-priced version can be found here.

Apple makes a photo-editing program called Aperture, found here. It is very similar to Lightroom and is priced about the same.

If you aren't interested in buying software, a popular option is GIMP, which is available for free download here: http://www.gimp.org. There are free tutorials here: http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

There are a lot of Photoshop and basic photo editing tutorials online. By far, the best are found on Lynda.com. It's a pay-membership site, but they've made quite a bit of their content available for free on their Youtube channel, found here.

This should get you started! If you have any suggestions or recommendations, please leave a comment.

Week 8 Wrap-Up

Irving Haberman, [Kenneth White and Flora Percudani, both 5, of the Childrens Aid Society’s West Side Center, carving the Thanksgiving turkey, New York], 1946

Hi everybody!

Thanks for a great second critique!

Don't forget that, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, we do not have class next Saturday.
Class will resume December 2nd, which will be our last in-class work session, so be sure to bring all of your project photos with you.

For those of you who were't in class this week, please post your 10 images before the end of the weekend. This will give your classmates a chance to give you some feedback that you can put to use over the holiday.

When we return in two weeks, be sure to bring your 2nd critique images so we can share feedback with you formally. Come prepared since we will jump right in at the start of class.

For this who were in class, post the 10 images you shoed during class and be sure to leave comments on your classmate's posts.

On to this week's homework:

• Post your 10 images for the 2nd critique (even especially if you weren't in class)
• Submit the first draft of your artist statement. I will post some resources to the blog (found by clicking the How-To tab along the top) that will help get you started. Keep in mind this is a first draft and isn;t expected to be perfect or anywhere near resolved.
• Post an image to the blog responding to the feedback you received during the crit. If you weren't in class, post a new image shot sometime during the break.

Our next class will be an open session (after completing the second crit) to prepare your files for the exhibition and for turing in the final. Please bring ALL of your files with you. For those of you who were absent, we will go over image processing with Camera Raw and introductory Photoshop.

Please be in touch with any questions at all—we are getting down to the wire!

That's all for now. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Lee Sievan, Turkey Dinner 40¢, 1940s

2nd Critic

Homework week 6 : invisibility

Homework Week 7

Throughout all of the photos in the series, it seems as if this photo was one of the most intriguing to me. Throughout Bresson’s India series, almost all of the photos were in black and white. Black and white may seem dull to many people but I feel as if black and white actually makes the viewer catch the important subjects or objects the photographer is trying to show. This series also seemed to have a huge reflection on the hinduism culture. As there is a large popularity of hinduism in India, it seems as if Bresson tries to capture the everyday details of Hindu’s lives.

Out of looking at all of the photos in this series, the photo shown above intrigued me the most. This photo intrigued me the most because it captured the movement and mood of the Hindu’s when it looked as if they were leaving their place of worship. In the photo, you see men interacting with women. Yet, not all of the men are dressed the same, some have hats, some do not, some look as if they have a piece of special fabric wrapped around their head. In the center of the photo, attention is drawn due to the fact that that is the only place where the women are.

Week 6-Rubin Museum

The photo above really caught my attention. In his work, I noticed a lot of male subjects. There were few exceptions, but this one stood out because it's mostly female. I like the contrast between the old and young and everyone in this photo is here for a reason. There is so much culture and emotion in this photo. The symbolism of hands is very present in this image, as it is in his other photos. The fact that none of the women are looking at the camera leaves the viewer to wonder what happened. Although the title gives a hint to what event is occurring, there are a lot of unanswered questions. Those unanswered questions really bring the viewer into this event and make you a part of it. There is also a very nice flow to the image that guides the eye through the image very nicely. I feel as though henri cartier-bresson wouldn't have been able to capture this moment using a traditional larger camera. The smaller camera allowed him to really get close and capture the emotion in the ceremony. 

photo series 2

Second Crit

Homework Week 7

A money changer in the market - Jaipur, Rajasthan 1948

This picture caught my attention because of the movie Aladdin, it made me think of the people inside of it like the way they live and the way they relate to each other. And how the happiness comfort them, it could because of the money or it could be because of themselves living their own life with happiness. Many people say money doesn't by happiness neither love but a person doesn't know the people intentions of gaining money, it could be to help others or for their families or it could also be for their business to grow. It depends on the person intention to use money or in this situation is "money changer" I thought that this could be that money change people lives in just a second or even minute, money change people actions and feelings. Although is all about money, money can still reject you in a hard way or either accept you in a good easy way.

Rubin museum week 7

Henri Cartier-Bresson's India in Full Frame exhibition was a one of a kind insight into India history and culture. This image is one of the many brilliant images the capture the spirit of the Indian people at the time. The capture and framing of the text also adds to the meaning behind the image. This was definitely an incredible piece in the exhibition.

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards 2018

Hey everyone!

Just a quick head's up--the opportunity to submit to the NYC Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is coming up soon on December 14th.

It's a fantastic opportunity, and I encourage you all to submit! Here is a little more information:

How are the New York City Scholastic Awards and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards connected?

The NYC Scholastic Awards is a regional affiliate of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.  There more than 100 regional affiliates serving their communities across the country.  The NYC Scholastic Awards serves Kings, Queens, Manhattan, Bronx and Richmond counties.  Last year we received over 9,000 submissions.  The top works receive either a Gold Key, Silver Key, or an Honorable Mention.  The Gold Key works are automatically sent to National Judging which is run by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.  National Medalists are invited to NYC to take part in National Events, which include exhibitions in NYC as well as a ceremony in Carnegie Hall.  There are numerous scholarships available at the National level.  Please click here to learn more.

Who can participate in the Awards?

Participation in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is open to students:

• in grades 7-12 for the 2017/2018 school year
• enrolled in public, private, parochial, home school or participating in other educational programs;
• in the United States, U.S. territories, Canada & American Schools abroad.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards DO NOT have academic and disciplinary standing requirements. Work created in the spring semester of 2017 is eligible for submission, so long as the student hasn’t already graduated. Students should submit in their current grade level. Seniors who will graduate mid-term in December 2017 may participate.

When do submissions open?

Submissions opened on December 14th, 2017 for the 2018 Awards season. 

How do I submit my work?

Go to www.artandwriting.org and click “LOGIN” to access the Scholastic Awards Online Registration System. Here you’ll be prompted to create a new account if this is your first time participating in the Awards or login if you participated in the Scholastic Awards last year.

Once you’ve created an account you’ll have access to information about the categories of art and writing, how to prepare your work and your regional guidelines and deadlines. You’ll have to know your school’s ZIP code to connect with the NYC region.

Make sure you look at the official microsites for NYC Scholastic Art & Writing Awards:

NYC Scholastic Art Awards

NYC Scholastic Writing Awards

Can I submit multiple pieces in one category?  Can I submit to both Art & Writing?

Yes! and Yes!  You are welcome and encouraged to submit as many pieces you would like in as many categories as you would like, but repeat submissions are not permitted.

I am still creating my submission.  Should I wait to register until I have finished?

We highly recommend that you create an account as soon as possible. This will allow your regional affiliate to notify you with updates about the program as well as provide deadline reminders.

After you’ve created your account you can log back into the system at www.artandwriting.org/ors/registration.

If you have any questions regarding submission please take a look at the Alliance’s FAQ page located HERE.  You may also email NYC Affiliate Tendo Mutanda at tendo@artandwriting.org.  

Fees & Payment:

Individual submissions: $5 per submission

Portfolio Submissions (available for Seniors): $20 per portfolio

Payment: You can pay online through the Online Registration System (through PayPal) when submitting artwork, or you can pay by check to the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.  Please mail checks to: Tendo Mutanda, NYC Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, 557 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10012.

Fee Waiver: Any student for whom fees would prohibit from entering the Scholastic Awards may submit a Fee Waiver found HERE.

Week 7 Wrap-Up

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Games in a Refugee Camp at Kurukshetra, Punjab, India,1947

Hi Everyone,

This week we visited the Rubin Museum and saw the exhibition Henri Cartier-Bresson: India in Full Frame.

Next week is our second critique. You will be showing 10 new images related to your series. We will not have much time at the start of class to organize images, so please come with your pictures sorted into a folder. Otherwise, come to class a little early to give yourself time to prepare.

On to this week's homework:
- Continue shooting for your series, keeping this week's critique in mind.
- Choosing an image from Cartier-Bresson's exhibition, please post a short (1-2 paragraph) analysis of the photo, looking at composition and theme.

That's all for today. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Homework Week -7

I really enjoy this photograph because it  has such a powerful messages, but if you are not to familiar with Hinduism you may not catch on to the photograph, but i can see there is a young girl and behind her is a female warrior and a female goddess and for me that shows suck a powerful massage as in we as woman are strong and powerful not only physically but mentally as well. My eyes seems to go from the right to the left of the image which starts off with the Goddess Durga and finishes with the little girl standing with her hand on her hip.