Great Black and White Photographers 3

1. What attracted me and stood out to me about Klein's photography is the action and story telling behind the pictures. The raw faces and expressions tell a story. The way Klein plays with movement makes you feel like you are in the scenery and part of the photograph. The have an aura of elegance and poise that transports you back to a time surrounded by movement.










2.
I see the stories of many different people. Some people walking slow with their shoulders hunched, others gliding across the sidewalk, bringing movement and speed to the picture. I see people leaning against grimy walls and shop signs flashing, as the sun sets over the silhouette of towering buildings.

I smell wafts of perfume washed out with the powerful smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke that overwhelms the busy streets at night. Smells of food leak from behind every restaurant door and fill the air with the smell of warm bread, fresh chicken, and warm desserts.

I hear the snips of conversation and the bustle of taxis honking. Over the occasional paper boy yelling, you can hear coffee sloshing in cups and purses jingling with keys and coins. The click of high heels over cement and metal grates rings through the streets and underneath everything there is a silence.

I taste the coffee that is sold from corner to corner, and the smoke in the air. I taste the pastries from the bakery down the street that are arranged delicately on my plate. The savory and rich flavors describe Klein's photography, savory, and bursting with flavor.

I feel the passion Klein had for his photography, and it's apparent through his pictures. The elegance and passion gives the picture an idyllic and romantic feel. Although the picture is cool toned with black and white, the pictures exudes warmth.

3. I'd like to do a poster about William Klein so I can really use hands on effort and create it the way I envision it, using his photography in a creative way to show it off.

Africa and Abandoned Theme Parks

Africa

1. The photos of the animals in the pictures are so grand and big that they fill the frame to the brim, and is so sharp and focused that you feel like you could extend your arm into the picture and touch the elephant's trunk. The black and white editing done to the image is so seamless and fitting that it looks like the picture was taken in a black and white world. The stillness of the animals, such as a lion, that are sometimes feared, gives the picture a timelessness and poise of the such magnificent animals.

2.
 

3. This photo is my favorite of Nick's photography because in my perspective, it's a personification. With thousands of poachers killing elephants, slaughtering them for their ivory tusks to make jewelry or decor, it shows a man kneeling with the tusks in front of him, almost as if they are part of his body. Poachers are taking parts of these beautiful animals and it ends up becoming part of them, destroying a beautiful creature so that they can take it's power and grace, which is represented by its tusks.

4. In this picture, a rule that is evident to me is simplicity and lines. The sky is quiet, the picture is black and white, and the man's face isn't even visible, so the focus is on the mass and power of the trunks, which is a representation of simplicity. The lines is apparent in the curve of the trunks which directs your eye to the man's body, as well as the open sky.

5. Brandt uses a Pentax 67||, which is an older camera, and is not updated with recent settings like auto focus, but Nick loves the camera because of the imperfections it can produce. The act of looking through the glass and the film aspect of it is something that makes his work different from other modern black and white photographers, Brandt takes pride in being different and having his work be manual, so that's important to his integrity as a photographer.

6. Nick photographs the raw truth of the land and animals in Africa because he wants to share the story of all the harm these animals endure and the impact that has on the culture, community, and physical earth in Africa. But through his photos, Nick also brings an essence or veil of mystery and romance into his pictures so the receiver can feel the animal's spirit and story through the picture.

7. Nick wants to spread awareness of the poaching and slow demise of the wild elephant population in Africa. Brandt has a foundation called the Big Life Foundation. The Big Life Foundation's goal is to raise money to hire hundreds of rangers to patrol and protect millions of Africa's wild, lush, and vibrant land, roaming with healthy and harmless elephants, and through his photograph, he can bring the reality across the world, and spread awareness.

8. "My images are unashamedly idyllic and romantic, a kind of enchanted Africa. They're my elegy to a world that is steadily, tragically vanishing." - Nick Brandt

Abandoned Theme Parks

1. The amusement park I would most like to visit and photograph is the Six Flags New Orleans. The rotting and decayed parts of the park juxtaposed with the sparkling and elegant pieces gives a empty and eery feeling that would be interesting to photograph. The glistening carousal with the sunlight pouring through behind it is a gorgeous picture full of light and color, while the picture of the black and rotting inside that was ripped apart by flood water and relentless rains during hurricane Katrina gives an opposite effect that would be cool to photograph. It's interesting that the idea of an amusement park is to have fun and relax with your family, while it was torn apart by something that ruined so many businesses, houses, and took many lives. Not only does the photograph oppose, so does the effect and meaning.

2.
 

3.
- abandoned waterparks
- doctor's waiting room
- hotel lobby
- department stores during Christmas
- diner at night

4.
 

5. I think it'd be interesting to photograph an abandoned water marks because the rust and buildup water would be interesting to see over time. Many animals have probably made a new home in the pools and water slides, so seeing and comparing the filth to the usually shiny and clean surfaces would be a contrast that is comparable to the amusement parks. Afte rlearing why the waterpark was shut down you could photograph the effects the cause had on the park and it's surrounding areas.

6. I would most likely need water proof equipment, and something to secure my camera to me while I climbed ladders or steps to get a view as if I was about to go down a waterslide in full swing. Expenses wouldn't be to unmanagable because these abandoned parks are all over the world, and don't have to be in exotic locations. While photographing theses, I would have to be mindful of water, animals and reptiles that have been living in the water, and rusted ladders and stands that could be harmful if not carefully avoided, but in the end all the damage would pose for an alarming and quick transformation from the park in and out of use.

Photoshop Academic Shoot

Original



-Resolution Issues





Increased warmth, Retouching






Cropped, increased Saturation and Exposure





cropped, increased coloration in red and yellow





cropped, black and white with blue hues





increased saturation in red tones

Great Black and White Photographers Part2

Klein

The black and white photographer i chose is William Klein. William was born April 19th, 1928, and is an American born- French photographer. He is now 88 years old, and his career was focused on street photography, showing true, raw pictures with a story and a meaning as well as fashion that made statements. Klein was born in New York City and was raised by a Jewish family. As a young teenager he graduated from high school early and enrolled in the City College of New York  at only 14.

Klein became very successful after entering pieces in the Milan and later witnessed widespread fame after becoming Vogue's fashion photographer. In his younger years, Klein wanted to be an artist or work more in sculpting, s when he won the Prix Nadar in 1957 for New York with little to no photography training, it was a huge deal. William then went on to create fashion films about models, and photography and art all in one.

Klein is now 88, and still influences the fashion and photography industry immensely. In his time, Klein rebelled against classic street photography and used blur, grain, and shading to his advantage instead of trying to perfect a clean and sterile image. He tells stories throughout all of his art and has lead many more designers, artists, and photographers in his path.

Peer Reflection

https://cadensbloog.blogspot.com/

Positives:

1. He did a great job of going to different locations and finding rules that fit the pictures well.
2. All the pictures are in good focus and are sharp and clear to the eye.

Critiques:

1. On the rule of thirds photo, it could have been improved by more of a flat angle because the 2 guys in the photo pull focus from each other slightly.
2. In the photo for simplicity if he had gotten slightly closer and just has the picture of the gu and his notebook it would have been a better representation of simplicity.

Academic Shoot Reflection and Critique

Academic Shoot Reflection and Critique

1. Some challenges I faced while taking the prompted pictures was that in a classroom there's so much supplies, posters, people, and clutter so it was hard to find a clear subject and focus.

2. I found myself thinking most about the focus of the pictures. I noticed this especially when taking pictures closer up. Even though we hadn't yet learned about aperture I was using in it my pictures to make the subject clearer than the background. This is especially apparent in the photo of the girl I used for simplicity.

3. If I could do the assignment over again, I would try to think about the photography rules as I was taking the picture and try to find the perfect example for each rule than forcing them when it didn't work in the post shoot reflection.

4. I would keep my same train of thought when it came to the photos because I think my ideas were good, just the execution could have been better.

5. The rule that will be easiest for me to achieve will probably be simplicity since it's just an up close and focused picture, eliminating distractions and unnecessary clutter.

6. Rule of thirds will probably be the hardest rule for me to shoot because you have to have the focal point in a certain slot of the photo and make sure that it's the clear subject and not competing with any other object for attention.

7. The rule I understand but is hard to find when you yourself are shooting, is rule of avoiding mergers. This rule can be difficult to find because only some situations work for the rule.

ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed

1. We should relate aperture to the pupil of the eye, the larger the pupil the more light that enters.

2. The smaller the aperture number, the bigger the aperture size.

3. When you use a smaller aperture, such as a f/32, it brings the background of the picture into almost as much clarity and crispness as the focus of the photograph. When using a bigger aperture, such as an f/2, the focus of the photograph is sharp and clean, while the background of the photo appears blurred and clouded, allowing the focus to be on the subject.



This photo was taken at an aperture of f/2. I know this because the flower is in much more focus than the background of other leaves and flowers.



This photo was taken at an aperture of f/25 or so because the bouquet is in just as much focus as the bride and her dress.



This picture was taken at a high shutter speed because the water balloons are in mid burst and you had to capture it at the perfect moment.



This picture was taken at a low shutter speed because the dancers are twirling around, and instead of capturing them clearly mid twirl, it must have been taken with a low shutter speed.

Shutter Speed at Bulldogs and Hotdogs

high shutter speed example: 1/2000 (Bird photography)
low shutter speed example: 1/30 (Motion photography)

Bright Lighting
a. depending on the business of the booth, I would most likely use a fast shutter speed, which means keeping the image clear and sharp, because there is most likely many people moving around.

b. at a food booth I would again want to use a fast shutter speed because of the movement, and making the expressions and actions clear.

c. for the dancers moving I would want to use a high shutter speed to capture all of the kicks, movement, arms, and intricacy that is executed.

d. if I wanted to capture the movement of the kids dancing, I could use a slow shutter speed to show through the photo the movement.

e. if I wanted to show the movement of the people arriving through the doors, I could use a slow shutter speed to give the picture dynamic.

f. I would want to use a fast shutter speed pf the basketball hoops to show the freeze pictures of the ball midair.

Dark Lighting

a. since the lighting has now shifted and become dark, I would want to use a slower shutter speed, maybe on a tripod near the booths to capture the pictures.

b. at a food booth with things being prepared and handed out, I would still want to use a fast shutter speed to capture the actions. I don't think it would be clear if it was slightly blurred.

c. even though it's darker outside, now that we're inside the gym, I  have better lighting. I would still want to use the fast shutter speed to capture the movement and choreography.

d. I would use a slow shutter speed of the kids dancing and having fun to show movement. This is different from the Silver Stars because the preciseness and timing doesn't matter like it does in a routine.

e. I would use a slow shutter speed to show the people streaming through the doors and their movement.

f. I would still use a fast shutter speed on the basketball hoops because having the action with the ball midair is important to have clear and sharp.

ISO

1. It would be helpful to use a high ISO at a game because of the high speed action that you're trying to capture.

2. The author suggested that a low ISO would be best suited for an image with good base lighting, and can be lowest possible without adding blur or noise to the picture.

3. The author advised that a high ISO works best for high speed and section shots when you don't have enough time or light to capture the image with a low ISO.

DSLR Camera

1. Aperture settings:
2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22

2. Shutter Speed settings:
1 second, 1/60th, 1/4000

3. ISO settings:
10, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600