Week 3 Trading Places

Steven Lippman created the above photograph for Jewelry designer Rosalina and fits into his unique style of imagery. Steven is a high fashion photographer with an eye for stunning images.  Each of his images has very precise lighting to set the mood and overall feeling of the photograph. This image of a beautiful young woman in a silky evening dress backlit and sitting on the edge of a banister with a dark foreboding landscape behind her looks as though it could be a movie still for the next big vampire blockbuster. The way the model is in total focus while the rest of the image is blurred adds to the overall appeal of the image. Even though the model is backlit and the front of her is a little on the dark side you can still see the sharp details of the dress, necklace and her face. The backlight also casts a soft halo around her that helps to separate her from the dark gloomy background. As far as an advertising photography I think this image hits the nail on the head, if I were to see this image in a magazine I would stop and look at the advertisement.  I would have to say this though I would not know that this was a jewelry advertisement if it did not say so in the bottom left side of the advertisement or if I the viewer did not know who Rosalina was. The necklace is very nicely lit with beautiful highlights on the stones making the necklace stand out in the shot.

Photo Critique #2

Out of all the Sally Mann photographs this one entitled “Three Graces” is one that I do not understand the meaning of. The photograph is a part of her "Immediate Family" series which includes several other photographs of this same nature. "In the late 1980s, the widely exhibited family photographs eventually published in Immediate Family (1992) and Still Time (1994) were attacked as perverse and exploitative, or praised as innocent and beautiful, depending on the political stance of the viewer." (http://www.answers.com/topic/sally-mann#ixzz1SWekVKqO)

“Sally Mann has used her 8 × 10 view camera to capture in fine detail, among other subjects, images of her children as they mimic and act out social and familial roles in the lush landscape of their rural Virginia home. For the series Immediate Family, posed or simply arrested in their activity, Mann’s children (who often appear nude) convey both primal and playful aspects of human behavior.” (http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/mann_sally.php)

These are two different statements of Sally Mann’s published works in which this photograph is part of. I tend to agree with the fact that this particular image appears to me to be nothing more than exploitation of her children. I can understand the beauty of a tastefully made artistic nude, or capturing the innocence of children in their adolescence, however I don’t feel that this photograph captures that beauty and innocence.

For me I do not understand what a posed photograph of naked young women urinating has to do with family or innocence. This is not an innocent moment caught on camera of a young child urinating outdoors, while that may have been its intention. I feel that the posed nature of the photograph and the fact that the girls are urinating is more of what makes this photograph have an exploitive or vulgar nature.  

Chapter 1

I do not know whom I most identify with as far as a critic from the book; I do like Morris Weitz definition of criticism though. Morris Weitz defines criticism as " a form of studied discourse about works of art. It is a use of language designed to facilitate and enrich the understanding of art." (Criticizing Photographs: An introduction to understanding images, Fifth Edition. Pg. 3)
This definition of criticism is the way I feel about a critic or how you should critic something. First you need to study the field in which the work is created, as well as the piece of art created. Then you have to be able to use a language to voice your opinions and questions in a manner that ultimately enriched either the piece of art or the artist. This doesn't mean it cannot be critical and disagreeable, it only means that it should be constructive and beneficial to both the viewers and the artist.
I believe that a critic can successfully critique the work of someone whom they have an intimate relationship with. I believe we all have different levels of intimacy and depending on that intimacy it can be either harder or easier to give a successful critique. The more intimate we become with the person we are trying to critic the more our emotions for that individual may get in the way of giving our true opinions, yet if we are honest with those other people we can give a true honest critique.
"In criticizing an art object for a reader or viewer, critics must struggle to translate their complex jumble of thoughts and feelings about art into words that can be understood first by themselves and then by others." (Criticizing Photographs: An introduction to understanding images, Fifth Edition. Pg. 15) I believe that this statement defines why there is value in criticism. The longer we study another artists work and formulate our own ways of expressing our likes and dislikes about those works it helps us to better define our own works bringing not only the others we critic but ourselves to the next level of understanding and ability. "Viewers who consider art in the way a critic would consider it will likely increase their own understanding and appreciation of art - that is the goal and the reward." (Criticizing Photographs: An introduction to understanding images, Fifth Edition. Pg. 15)

Can he read?

The above image was taken for a photo contest in the category of “Environment at risk”, the photo was taken at Stromness Bay, South Georgia, Antarctica titled “Can he read?”  Photographer Susanne Weissenberger took the photograph. Stromnees Bay, South Georgia was once a whaling station that slaughtered thousands of whales and other marine animal taking them down in numbers to the brink of extinction.  Susanne wanted to show the depressing sadness of mans impact on the environment in this place, which I think she captured with all of the broken down machines and buildings as well as the warning sign in the foreground of the image. The male fur seal sitting on a large boats propeller seemingly suggesting that the view read the sign is also an important part of this image. Although this image portrays the negatives of whaling, or more so the impact of man of the environment the image also tells another story which the photographer wanted to portray. This separate story is one of hope or the hope that lies within as Susanne put it. This hope is that through conservation and environmental efforts areas like this can rebound and recover. The male fur seal in the foreground is just one of many fur seals that seem to have taken up residence on the beach in this location proving that with some effort this area could once again be a safe haven for the seals and other marine life that inhabit this place.

I love this image from an environment impact point of view, the only thing I would have liked to see different was the light through out the picture to be less dull. The light gives the whole picture a flat look, having very little dimension. Having taken a wide variety of nature and environment photographs myself I know how you cannot control the sunlight and when a seen such as this presents itself you have to be ready and able to capture it no matter the lighting conditions. That being said I think that Susanne Weissenberger captured the seen beautifully telling both stories she intended to tell.