Hiroshi Sugimoto

1. Essay

Hiroshi Sugimoto

                                                                               

     Hiroshi Sugimoto is a photographer born in Tokyo Japan on in 1948 who likes to plan his photos and use natural lighting. After He graduated from Saint Paul’s University in Tokyo he then graduated from Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He is still alive and still turning his ideas into art via photography.

     Sugimoto is a very literal sense a traditionalist when it come lighting in photography. He believes in the beauty of natural lighting. He loves how it flows and disperses compared to other lighting. The techniques Sugimoto uses are meant to take advantage of this light. He tends to create his own methods to get the results he is after. He has even found his own way to develop his negative. It seems Sugimoto uses long exposures to capture what he wants in doing so he can emphasis the beatify he finds in natural lighting within his photo.

     I personal think Sugimoto is unique is because he can think of an image and then find a way to make it a reality. That takes tedious determination to find the right objects, places and lighting. Sugimoto is more of a painter in my eyes who uses a camera to capture what he imagines. The level of coordination it appears to take actually causes me to question what photography really is as a whole.

     I think his artwork is beautiful yet so tedious in production. It makes me feel anxiety thinking about how the photo is made. I would much rather be swept away by an amazing image captured in the chaos of life knowing there is less control while everything works with each other. The production of his images makes me think of isolation because of the high level of control. This thought really keeps me from enjoying them. When he uses wax figurines he is a prime example of this because he can have the effect of a living being without the movement that cause that spark of life I am always searching for the only pieces of Sugimoto I really like are his landscapes because it makes me feel like he is working more with the environment compared to his other works.

Sugimoto is definitely one to be respected he has a lot of will power. His photography is beautiful and powerful. 

                                                                            

2.Resources

Work Cited

http://www.art21.org/texts/hiroshi-sugimoto/interview-hiroshi-sugimoto-tradition

https://aaastern.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/c.jpg

https://chloenelkin.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/resized-hiroshi-sugimoto-lightning-fields-168.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=ne4DLrIdFwE

http://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/

Light Trails

1. Definition

Light Trails is a photography term used to describe either the light source moving while camera is capturing the image or camera moving while capturing light sources in the image. it give the appearance of a tail/path of light

2. Examples

LT_word_jamesdaugherty

LT_experiment

LT_glass_JamesDaugherty

Time Exposure

1.       Time Exposure Examples

In order to take this photo I started with a 30 second exposure. knowing it would be bright I took it in early morning so it would be softer light and even then it was too bright. So I used my smallest aperture F22. I did this to get a deceit exposure

   This photo was taken with multiple flashes going at once with 22 F stop and a 10 second exposure

this photo was taken with a midrange F stop(Between 5.8-8.6) and around a 10 second exposure while using bulb. I used bulb so I could capture the full rang of motion of the semi truck

This photo I also used bulb so I had to do multiple trial and error too get the proper exposure

This photo was taken with the sun setting and I did not like the color so I used a polarized lens to alter the reflection of the water to get a effect/color I liked

2.Discussion

I had issues getting a good exposure in all these photos. The only advice I can give is try to plan for enough time preshooting the seen in the lighting you want. So you know the proper F stop and shutter speed when you actually go to take photos. 

Farm Security Administration (FSA)

1. Essay
                                                      Farm Security Administration

The Farm Security Administration was a government program that was given the task to fight problems associated with agricultural life. The FSA began in the 1920s during the great depression. One of the major causes of the great depression were dust bowls. Over production of farmed goods left the land depleted of nutrients needed to grow fresh croups and without the root system of plants to hold down the soil dust storms became common throughout the Midwest.

Roy Stryker was an economist that was hired to lead the photographic documentation section of the FSA. In order to accomplish his task, he brought together photographers like Walker Evans, Gordon Parks and Dorothea Lange. Roy Stryker would take extremely influential photographs so much so they would later be classified as propaganda

   Some people believe these photos were taken as part of Roosevelt’s plan to show the need and positive effects of The New Deal. The New Deal is what Roosevelt’s called his relief effort programs he set in place with congress. After the new deal was enacted in order to give the effect that it was working, the photographers of the FSA were told to only take photos that showed abundance. Some photos namely the ones with the bleached bull skull was reported as being falsified causing people who objected the New Deal in turn make political cartoons of the FSA randomly plopping the skull down and taking photos across America. I do believe this collection of photos is propaganda and is far from photojournalism. These photos show me noting about the time frame other than there was a political struggle. Although these photos do not show anything they certainly imply life was hard for farmers back then.

Another famous photo is the Migrant Mother taken by Dorthea Lange. This photo became the most recognized from the collection. It shows a mother children clinging to her for comfort while she looks off into the distance with a look that implies the complete absences of hope. It is a striking piece and show the struggle of the time on its own. But because the photos in the collection had to meet the criteria of a political agenda. How common this desperation was is now in question.

I feel like the FSA did their job. It may have been propaganda to get the masses on the side of Roosevelt but because I believe in The New Deal. There is always going to be propaganda, it’s a tool like anything else. So in that respect I do think the FSA did this nation a necessary service.

 

 

2.Resources Work Cited http://livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_14.html http://www.oberlin.edu/library/papers/honorshistory/2001-Gorman/FSA/FSAhistory/fsahist1.html http://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/past-issues/issue-1/the-fsa-photographs-information-or-propaganda/ https://cdn.tutsplus.com/photo/uploads/2013/12/FSA-rs-Photo-4a.jpg http://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/files/2009/11/meyer1.jpg