'On Photography' Reading Reflection

'On Photography' Reading Reflection

Susan Sontag makes a metaphor towards humankind still living in a cave, where they only see images of the actual truth. She goes on to explain how society thrives and collects images of the world. Through photographs film and television mankind receives a somewhat warped truth.  Photographs are influential since they capture moments and experiences. They also give us information on the appearance of the past and present times. She mentions that photos are miniatures of reality that mostly anyone in the current day can make. Also, they can give evidence. They can be used for surveillance or even just a souvenir for everyday life. I really enjoy that aspect of photography. This ability of candid shots and memories can withstand the passing of time. It may seem like a silly shot in the present, but over time can turn into a cherised part of life. Photography itself is an art as it can also be composed and have a specific subject. 

The Photographer's Eye Reading Reflection

The Photographer's Eye Reading Reflection 

Photographs have a certain style or appearance because of the modern day photographer's resources. When the photograph was first created it was a completely new system of picture-making. Instead of formulating a scene or portrait a photographer simply took a photo. At first, photography was at war with the traditionalist style of painting. I loved the part about how photos are an exposure of time and capture a moment. It only creates a capsule of the time period it was taken in. Also, by using the vantage point men could see nature through photography. Photos not only can capture a moment it can also withhold various emotional connections. In many photographer's eyes the world itself is an artist. This makes creating a photo difficult in the sense of subject, framing, point of view, purpose, etc. Although a photo can be beautiful and look appealing it will not resonant with a viewer unless there's an underlining narrative. Also, framing gives a photographer the choice of what to focus on within a snap shot. It enables them to control their external setting. History has shown an evolution of photography. From the first portraits to scenes of landscape all the way to the present day. Photos exist and influence mankind's world. They can cause various emotions and retain past memories. I believe photography is still continuing to discover its purpose in today's rapidly changing world. 

Written Response- Over The Masters of Illusion Video

A Written Response Over The Masters of Illusion Video

Today was the start of a new semester which always feels exciting and fresh. As I sat in class I learned about perspective and the importance of a focus. During the Renaissance period the ability to truly allude to depth was developed by Masaccio. In his piece above named The Trinity he creates a focal point that all the dynamic lines in the piece connect at. This illusion causes the eye to believe the space is three-dimensional. 

Another aspect of illusion is formed within anamorphic art. This means the piece appears to be stretched out unless viewed at a specific angle. Some pieces even have hidden anamorphic parts to create symbolism. I found this aspect so cool and appealing I'm wondering if I could possibly do it in our photo collage project. The fact that a focal point can still be used within a photo collage is really interesting. The main part of the video was to show the viewer how illusions work even in older art. Within Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa he utilizes the eye's ability to blend objects together as they are placed farther back in space. He does this through the illusion of foggy landscape in the background. There's so much to learn from these forms of illusions to create a form of depth on a two-dimensional plane. Although, Renaissance artists were the first to create certain allusions their creativity has withstood the passage of time.