Warhol and Richard Avedon

This week I looked up a couple of artists. First was Andy Warhol. Though he was not particularly a photographer he did make great strides in the art world. He had a different perspective on art than most people. He knew that if he chose icons, people, or symbols that people were tied to he would be more successful and that's what he did. Below is a quote about what he thought of coca-cola. I thought it was really interesting and a good perspective to keep in mind.

What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coca Cola, Liz Taylor drinks Coca Cola, and just think, you can drink Coca Cola, too. A coke is a coke and no amount of money can get you a better coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the cokes are the same and all the cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it.

Next is a quote from Warhol after he had been shot and gone through intensive surgeries.

Warhol had this to say about the attack: "Before I was shot, I always thought that I was more half-there than all-there – I always suspected that I was watching TV instead of living life. People sometimes say that the way things happen in movies is unreal, but actually it's the way things happen in life that's unreal. The movies make emotions look so strong and real, whereas when things really do happen to you, it's like watching television – you don't feel anything. Right when I was being shot and ever since, I knew that I was watching television. The channels switch, but it's all television."

Andy Warhol had a very unique perspective of Art and he wasn't afraid to stand apart from other artists. He was considered and idol as well as a nuisance for what he did but he did what he loved. He also supported the arts in many different ways. He was unique and had original perspectives which is a good thing to keep in mind for any of us who are trying to make it in the art world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol

The next artist I looked at was Richard Avedon. He is an amazing photographer. When I read about him I only wish that I could be as cool as he was. :)
Avedon began his career as a photographer of the merchant marines ID cards. He eventually moved on to work with Vogue and other popular magazines. He opened his own studio and began taking portraits that were minimalist (with his subjects placed in front of white backgrounds). What made his work different than others though was the fact that he wanted to capture the soul of the person he was taking a picture of. To do this he would ask probing questions or guide the conversation into interesting, uncomfortable, or touchy areas. He was awesome at it.
On top of doing portraits he also covered social events such as protests, mental institutions, and civil rights movements. He is definitely a photographer who had an extremely rich career. And like Warhol had a very creative way of doing things and it worked for him.
Both were men that made strides in the art world and have many ideas and characteristics that would help any artist to note.
http://www.richardavedon.com/#s=0&a=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&p=6&at=0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Avedon

Weekend Shoot

This weekend I was fortunate enough to get to go up north and visit my cousins. There were some great settings for portraits. Here are a few of the shots that I enjoy...
The blog does not do these shots justice in the least.
Thankfully the kids are used to a camera being around them all the time so for hte most part they cooperate when I need to get a good shot :)

Designing the Picture Space

Designing the picture space is a good section to know. It is fairly difficult to play by all of the rules but it is also very important to know and understand all of the rules. It is a learning experience going through all of the elements and trying to figure out what I could change about my own work. I chose a picture of my little cousin to show how I chose to design the space.
She was wearing the cool tones that don't attract as much attention as the yellow and orange leaves but I felt she was a large enough part of the shot that she would receive attention. I placed her on the right line of thirds and her head as close to the top third line as I could. This places her head in an intersecting line and as I have learned it's a good spot for a point of interest. In addition to these things I have left the road in the picture. Roads are elements that help carry your eye through the picture. I feel in this shot it carries the viewer's eye around and helps them to wonder where she is coming from with such a grin on her face.

Photo Project

For this past week I decided to blog about the photo trip that Ashley, Andy, and I planned to South America. It was much more time consuming than I would have thought but, I guess that's what it takes when you are planning such an excursion.
I was really excited when Andrew came across some private tours in South America. They are all quite considerably cheep which is awesome! I am actually thinking I probably need to go on one of the tours. I have always loved traveling and this project really showed me that I can get some great shots wherever I go and can use them for my benefit. It has helped me to form some goals as far as photography goes.
It is also important to think about how you are going to market yourself. It has reminded me that I need to keep looking and getting to know more and more photographers and learn from their experiences. It's been an eye opening project!

Nobel Prize in Physics

This week I read an article that Mark sent me about this year's Nobel Prize winners in Physics. It was about the two men that came together and invented the CCD "storage" computer chip but then found that it recorded images digitally.
This small invention in turn led to digital imaging in satellites and the cameras inside our phones. It is an amazing accomplishment.
I also found it interesting that the men that invented the imaging device were just friends that got together and bounced ideas off of each other. It was just by chance of them hanging out and throwing ideas around, and the intent to make a computer storage unit that they came up with an amazing invention.
It's funny how the world works and changes so rapidly and many times it is just by chance.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113527362