Week 11 Photo Challenge: Self Portrait

For this self portrait I held my camera up in front my face and snapped a photo. I feel there is an art to self-portraits because you can't see what is being taken without the use of a mirror. I do not use a mirror. Growing up with MySpace and Facebook this "art" of self portrait has become pretty popular among my generation. I used a filter to bring out the vivid colors. Lastly I always make sure to put my chin down for portraits. It is the best angle to make most faces more slim and angular.

Week 10 EOC: Good Photography Business Mission Statements

After searching several photography company websites I never realized many of them do NOT include a mission statement. You would think any legitimate company would include a mission that tells people what they promise their company will do. One mission statement I was able to find that I liked was for Kelly Weaver Photography (http://www.kellyweaverphotography.com/mission.php) "We promise to photograph you with passion, and professionalism. We promise to be: loving, warm, conscientious, and energetic. Our hose is to have a personal connection with every client". Now It could be written more professional but I liked that they made you feel that your feelings and thoughts are highly prioritized to make a working relationship between the photographer and customers.

Another mission statement I was able to find was for Choice Photography (www.photographybyedit.com) "I am dedicated to preserving the most precious moments in life through the art of photography. It is my goal to create beautiful and lasting photographic images that will touch the hearts and lives of each and every client who places their trust in me for years to come." The photographer makes it known that photography is her passion and her goal is for the photographs she takes to make you happy. She states her goal is to have you trust her skills to making a lasting working relationship. 

Both of these mission statements made great use of playing on emotions. That's why many people hire photographers is to capture your memories that in years to come provoke those emotions. A baby shower, a wedding, or a graduation. Any of these special moments will provoke emotions and it is the photographer's job to remind you why you should hire them. 

Week 10 Photo Challenge: Legendary

I feel my photography has always had an influence by photographers in the past by the way they used light and colors to make their photos unique. One of my favorite artists and photographers is Andy Warhol. He always used  glamour in this work. Though many of his photographs were black and white I knew I wanted my picture to be in color to incorporate my own style into the self portrait. I set my camera on a tripod and set the shutter speed extremely slow with a wide aperture. Since I was fairly close to the camera I wasn't going to need a long focal length. I next set the camera on self timer pushed the button and posed. The results created I thought were very reminiscent of Warhol. Like his other portraits I feel their is a sense of glamour in the photograph with the additional of sunglasses. In a way they made me feel almost "celebrity" because I was in control of who saw my eyes.

Week 9 EOC: Emotional Photo

 

You look at this photo and you might think, "What's emotional about that?" Well to those that grew up in the generation of the Pop Princess, Britney Spears, you would feel emotional and feel a "connection" to this photo. The portrait was taken by famed photographer David LaChapelle. Personally LaChapelle is one of my favorite photographers for his use of color and shock value. He takes portraits in a style that makes you linger on the photo a little longer than you may have another photo. This photo holds an emotional connection to me because this was the first image we saw of Britney Spears that changed her image from girl next door to sex icon. What was controversial at the time was Britney Spears was only 18 years old. Though it wasn't illegally for her to pose this way it still shocked people when they saw the cover of Rolling Stone with their young daughter's favorite singer posing in such a provocative way. I mentioned before that I believe a good photograph is one that provokes an emotion. The photo doesn't need to be showing a war scene or a political figure. This photo at the time was shocking to my 13 year old self. But now at the age of 25 I see it as a great use of photography showcasing how we change in your lives. Celebrities change too. 

This is what I admire most about this photo. I no longer see a little girl laying on a bed, I now see one of the most famous women in the world.

Week 9 EOC: Cyber Monday

This may be my favorite shopping day of the year. Most like to think that Black Friday is the day to shop but those amateurs are mistaken. On the Monday after Black Friday is the amazing day of Cyber Monday. The one day of the year where almost all businesses with an online store produce deals on theirs products. This day is great for a photographer because most of the equipment we need can be found more available online. To be a photographer you need a camera and "the eye" for photography. To be a GREAT photographer you need a little more. Lens are a photographers best friend. Sure we can see what will make a great picture but a lens is what makes a moment come to life in 2D form. This Cyber Monday I've been researching a new lens that I have been looking at for a couple of years.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

 

List Price: $4,000

Amazon Cyber Monday Price: $2,074.00

This telephoto lens is not only an amazing telephoto lens that makes getting pictures from far away look amazing it also works as a great portrait lens.  My photography business specializes in portrait photography, having this lens would increase my abilities in my portraits. With the ability to take a portrait with a longer focal length is a great way to make my photography more creative and pleasing to others. Since this is an "L series" lens I want to add this to my collection of lens now that I have been able to establish my business and have gained repeating customers.

Week 8 EOC: What do you think makes a photograph great?

There are many answers for this question. My answer is quite simple. Any photograph that provokes an emotion makes a great photograph. Have you ever seen a photo and thought "eh" that's because it didn't provoke anything. A thought, a feeling, nothing. When you see an ad in a magazine, and you see a pair of jeans you have to have, that's the emotion I'm looking for. When you see a photo of a pregnant woman caressing her baby bump and you smile and think about your own family. That's the emotion I'm talking about. It can be any emotion, happiness, sadness, humor. By provoking these emotions you are touching and connecting with others without words but by your photography. That is what really makes photography such a popular form of art. People want to share these emotions with each other and photography is one of the best way to do that. While watching "The Bang Bang Club" the photo of the vulture and the little girl provoked a feeling of helplessness in myself. By just looking at a photo and being able to provoke emotion that's when you know you are a photographer.

Week 8 Photo Challenge

With this challenge I knew exactly what art work I was going to use. Though in the movie "Gentlemen's Relish" the art being used was photography I have always loved the way nudity has been used in Renaissance works of art. The painting being shown is the "Birth of Venus" by Botticelli. I saw this amazing painting in Florence while I lived and studied there in 2008. Though there is nudity in the painting, in the original it is only a small part of the entire painting. By cropping the photo to only focus on the nudity the narrative of the painting completely changes. Just like the photography done in the movie, it is easy to see how it could be seen as pornography. I included my photographer's "watermark". Though I don't use this same watermark in my own photography I wanted to create one that you could notice but not be distracted by. I created a simple "eye" shape with long lashes signifying a wide eye.

Week 7 EOC Adult Content

Pornography is always a touchy subject, especially for photographers. In the film "Gentlemen's Relish" they touch on the subject of turning photography into a more lucrative career by the use of pornography. I felt the film showed an accurate depiction of how a photographer in the early 1900s. Though the overall story line was created for an interesting plot it was not uncommon for people of high esteem to be involved in the purchasing of pornography. Photographers always seem to be proving that they are creative individuals. Since we use a machine to make our art it makes it difficult to see how a photo can be considered art. In the film the photographer would take a photo of a historical event incorporating nudity but then by just cropping into the shot to emphasize the nudity it became pornography. The subject has been taboo in the United States because of how our society is. If you were to travel to Europe they embrace sexuality and the human form. Though as a photographer I do not have an interest in pornography or nude photography I do feel that if done tastefully it is considered an art form. Some might think that taking pictures of your vacation is not art but be completely surprised when they see a beautiful photo of the architecture in Paris. It all depends on whoever is looking at the photo and how they want to interpret it.

BOC Week 7 Photo Challenge: Collage

Two of my favorite fields of photography is portrait and travel photography. My collage displays of a few trips I took this past summer. I was very fortunate to visit Paris, France, Alaska, and Charlotte, North Carolina to see Britney Spears in concert. I love documenting my travels because even though the memory is there it is always more fun to look back at my pictures to see all the amazing things I have gotten to experience. I took all these pictures with my Canon Powershot SX110 IS set on manual. Though I used a point and shoot camera on trips I always shoot on manual. Being a photographer I feel we always like to have control over what is being taken and how it will look.

My favorite part of these two types of photography is that not only are you documenting interesting things but you are experiencing things that will shape and develop you as a photographer and as a person.

Week 6 EOC: How has art changed me?

I feel art has always had an influence in my life. Like any person who feels they need to make a living as an adult I did not pursue any art education when I was first attending college. It felt that there was no way of making a career out of being creative. My mentality was to do something that I thought I could live with. I thought that was social work. Turns out it wasn't my kind of work. Art really influenced my life when I traveled to Florence, Italy for six weeks. That was where photography really influenced in my decision to pursue art as a career. "Art and culture are both beauty and power. While they enrich, beautify, and entertain, they also inform, innovate and connect. Engaging in creative process allows access to; the language needed to build community across difference; the tools needed to inform, engage and mobilize; and the imagination needed to create new political, social, economic and technological solutions to the challenges we face as a nation in a changing world." (http://www.artischange.com/)

Since my discovery I began my schooling at the Art Institute of Las Vegas. Though some classes feel like a chore, like any type of schooling, but it was here that I finally realized that other people have been affected by art as well. For the first time I have projects and assignments on subjects that actually interest me. "When strategically engaged, art challenges, educates and informs to create awareness."(http://www.artischange.com/) Instead of it feeling like tedious work it felt like I was learning something I could put to use. After each quarter I felt myself becoming more and more comfortable with my abilities and trusting that I did have talent to be a photographer. Before coming to the Art Institute I knew I could take a picture but it wasn't till I finally discovered that you can love your career that really changed my way of thinking of art. I have always surrounded where I live with art and it took a while to understand that was what I was suppose to be doing. Creating art. "Regardless of whether one considers him or herself a part of the creative or cultural community, cultural transformation is possible only when art, culture and creative process are acknowledged, engaged and present."(http://www.artischange.com/)

Week 6 BOC: Photo Challenge

When you see photos in a magazine or in an advertisement majority of the time you think "Wow I wish I looked like that!" or "Wow I want to go there!" Well as photographers we want you to think these things. It's not only our job to take the picture but to edit it so that it looks almost perfect. In a way we photographers are a product of how society wants to see things. We can edit almost anything and make you believe that it is real. In portrait photography the emphasis is on the face. Would you want to see your senior picture with a acne and dark circles? I did not think so. It's our job as photographers to show the client at their best and to make them feel beautiful if that's what the photo shoot is aiming for. I do most of my editing at school or on my own laptop at home. I'm the type of photographer that likes the editing to be done as natural as possible. If I can get away with only a few touches I feel that is a successful photo. The amount of editing depends on the project.

I took this self portrait of myself editing a set of business portraits I recently took. I never realized that the concentration on my face can come off as mean. But when I sit at the computer to edit a set of photos I zone everything out and examine the photo as if I were that person. You are always more critical on yourself than others would be and by looking at all the small details I am able to see what should be improved.

EOC Week 4 Plans for Visiting a Photo Shop

In the city of Las Vegas we are not forante to have many photography shops in town. Most of the time I have to make a stop at Best Buy and hope they have what I am looking for. For this week's photo challenge though I will be make a stop at Casey's Camera and B&C Camera. I have had the opportunity to visit Casey's before and it is well equip with photography supplies and the staff is very helpful. While researching other shops in town I found B&C. I had never heard of them before and I think it will be helpful in the future to know about any of the photography shops in town. Though I do most of my photography supply shopping online, those last minute needs do happen and having a place to go is extremely nice to have.

Casey's Camera: 

1550 E TROPICANA AVE 

LAS VEGAS,  NV 89119

B&C Camera:

4511 W Sahara Ave.

Las Vegas, NV 89102

BOC Week 4 Photo Challenge

I have been very fornate to have been able to travel many places in the world. Every where I have gone has given me experiences that have shaped and made me who I am today. I feel experienceing another culture is the true way to appreciate it. One of my favorite places I have gotten to see is the Bahamas. The colors, the people, the art, the overall feeling you get when walking around is such a well known place. Sure you can see it in movies but you really can't say you have seen the Bahamas without walking on the beach and hearing a friendly greeting from the people of the Bahamas.

During my most recent trip this past weekend I went on a Disney Cruise with my friends and family. During the cruise we got to visit to the Bahamas where we were taken to Disney's private island Castaway Cay. It was absolute paradise there. I took this picture while swimming in the water. I set my camera on a tripod zoomed into the water where I was going to be and set the camera on the self timer. I was lucky enough to get this shot which shows the beauty of the Bahamas.

I love that I got to see the amazing place with people I love. Photographers can become lonely people but what makes photography so special to me is the people I get to experience these photos with.  "Do not exchange a meaningless award for the sorrow you will feel each morning you wake up alone without you spouse." (Harrington, 483)

Week 3 EOC: My Committment

After discovering my love for photography I gave myself a commitment. I would do whatever in my power to make my love for photography a career. I had to make the transition from focusing my attention on social work to what I needed to do to not only be a photographer but a successful photographer. I first made the decision to completely change my education plan. I left grad school and began my journey to discovering what it would take to be a professional photographer. I committed to myself that as a photographer I will provide high quality professional portraits to professionals and families while making a lasting professional relationship. I want to be the portrait photographer that gets to see their clients children grow up and remembers taking pictures for their daughter’s graduation photograph. Making my career incorporate my social work skills will give me a uniqueness that will help my clients identify me from the hundreds of photographers in the surrounding Orlando area. “Uniqueness could be that the style and approach you have are so unique that you can command a premium for your distinctive style. In these cases, the client is likely willing to hire you and fly you to wherever the shoot is---and yes, pay the premium rate.” (Harrington, 60) Photographers like David LaChapelle also have this uniqueness about their work. Having this uniqueness to my own work will give my career a head start from other people who happen to own and camera and like to take pictures of people’s faces. I also commit to make every photograph creative. Some ideas may be used more than once but that doesn’t disregard the creativity that was used to create them first. “The creative factor is often one of the largest contributions to the photographer’s fees, and this is why it often referred to as the creative fee.” (Harrington, 61)

Week 3 BOC Photo Challenge Self portrait paparazzi

The paparazzi have always been an the unpleasant side of photography. Though many photographers enjoy their job and enjoy the income it seems that paparazzi have turn this art form into a way to make celebrities and well known names fear the camera. Is it because we can see more with our camera than what people can with their eyes? No it's because we can capture an action and like the saying says "A picture is worth a thousand words" can manipulate to how we see fit.

In this self portrait I was trying to see what I always thought about when I see paparazzi. You never notice their face because it is always covered because of their camera. As mentioned in class many photographers are being threatened of work because of the lack of actual cameras being used. Like many people I own an iPhone and decide to pose with it as I'm sure plenty of paparazzi are using them to catch someone on the go. I took this in the early morning for dramatic shadows with a Canon 7D on an ISO 100, the aperture was set to 18, and the shutter speed was set to 1/30.

Week 2 EOC: La Dolce Vita

This was my first time seeing La Dolce Vita. Though I was not able to get to see the entire film, I was surprised that out of the scenes shown an instant memory was struck. In the scene where Sylvia is in the fountain, I thought to myself "I’ve seen this before" but I hadn't. I had scene the imitation of that scene in the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun". It was a strange feeling to know the scene yet having never seen the original film where it had come from. Fellini did an amazing job capturing moments that would some day be a common occurrence. How was he able to see that in our society we would always be fascinated with celebrities? Why do we care what they eat or drink? What they wear? Maybe it was this film that generated our need to know what our favorite movie star was doing on their vacation. In this sense it’s as if we de-humanized people that are celebrities. They no longer deserve privacy in our eyes because they signed away that right when they became famous. Should we feel sorry for these celebrities who complain about just wanting a normal life outside of working? Personally I believe that if your goal is to be famous in the industry that the downside is, yes you do have to give up a lot of your privacy. It comes with the territory. La Dolce Vita gives an interesting performance and gives an “insiders” view of what it was like to be considered famous in the 1960s.

During some research I was able to find a review of the film by Variety. It was published in 1960 during the year the film was released. Even though the imagery in the film was shocking for those times the author of the review was able to appreciate the performances in the film. “The performances are uniformly excellent. Mastroianni is perfect in the key role of the basically good and honest boy who succumbs to the sweet life. Ekberg is a revelation as the visiting star, while Furneaux almost runs off with the picture as the reporter's instinctive, possessive mistress.” Though the reviewer enjoyed the film he does not mention anything about the ever-present paparazzi in the film. I believe before we could check the Internet we thought differently when it came to celebrity gossip. Performances should be what are important in a review instead of the personal life of the actor.

Week 1 Photo Challenge

I've always loved David LaChapelle use of colors and lighting in his photographs. I've always admired his ability to have such an extensive gallery of celebrity portraits. Here in this photo is one of his famous Madonna portraits. LaChapelle is known for his ability to put several people in one photo and you still know who the photo is all about. Madonna is iconic and here we know exactly who to look at.

LaChapelle got his start in New York City in the 1980s. After having shows at 303 Gallery, Trabia McAffee and others, he got the attention of his hero, Andy Warhol. Soon after he began working as a professional photographer. With the success of his photography he began directing music videos for such artists as Christina Aguilera, Moby, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, The Vines, and No Doubt.

LaChapelle's work is easily recognizable. His ability to use vibrant colors and extreme reality is often imitated. LaChapelle has created a link between fashion and celebrity. He is truly become one of today's most important pop culture photographers.  




My addition to his LaChapelle photo is a self portrait. I used a ceiling light as well as make up lighting set up around the mirror.

Photo credit: David LaChapelle

Week 1 EOC: Stallions not Unicorns

In the world of photography there are so many different opportunities for us to explore.  My goal is to be able to be my own boss. I want to own my own studio and produce high quality photographs in an artistic fashion. By owning my own studio I can have the advantage. No need to rely on rented studios or renting equipment and having the burden to bring it everywhere. I want to make my photography studio a household name in the city I decide to open in. Growing up my family always went to the same photography studio, Gerlinde Photography.  The head photographer has literally seen me grow up from a small child, graduate high school, and now become an adult. I want to build relationships with my clients so that they will always use my skills and studio for their portraits and memories.  It is this connection photographers are able to create that makes this profession one of a kind. Not only are you doing something you love but also helping others benefit from your passion.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

My name is Christine McCall. I am originally from Hollywood, Florida. After deciding to become a photographer I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and began my degree at the Art Institute of Las Vegas. I love all aspect of photography, the work that goes into it all the way to the finished product. When I discovered my love for photography I was attending Florida State University pursuing a degree in social work. I wanted to work with people and help them.  After studying aboard in Florence, Italy photography became my haven. I was able to create and express myself without words. Through photography I am able to see things that I do not normally do without my camera, the embrace of two people, a smile from someone reading a book. These everyday occurrences go unnoticed but to a photographer it’s what we notice the most in our day-to-day life.  My topic of interest is portraits. Though all photography is expressive, portraits have the ability to make you feel their emotions.