Trip to Hal Silverman's Studio

Today my On Assignment class went on a field trip to Hal Silverman's photography studio in Syracuse. We got there a little before 2:00pm, after a minor scenic detour, we basically just sat around with Hal in his studio and talked about photography, what he does specifically in his job, saw some of his work, etc. We left the studio a little after 4:00pm, and in the two hours we were there I feel that I gained some knowledge about various subjects, most of them related to the field of photography. I also learned some things about the photographer himself, like the fact that Hal loves food, hence part of the reason why he shoots a lot of food photography, and that he has started to do a lot of CGI work lately. I had visited his website prior to the trip, and I thought his work was great, but there wasn't a section for any of his CGI work; then he said that his website has not been updated in a while, so that would explain why. Anyway, the trip was fun, and a good learning experience, and I'm glad that I went. Also, on a side note, Hal said he was at the ASMP printing seminar I went to on Sunday, which is pretty cool too.

The Art of Digital Printing event

This past Sunday at 9:30am I found myself, along with another photo major, Jenna, sitting in a room full of other photographers waiting for a lecture to begin. This lecture took place at Light Work on the Syracuse University campus and was given by John Paul Caponigro and Mac Holbert on making perfect digital prints. For those of you who don't know, these guys are like the "it" guys when it comes to digital printing, and it was the first and last time I will probably get to be in a room with them. Let me tell you, it was a long day. The lecture was interesting, don't get me wrong, and I definitely learned some things, but I feel they could have shortened the presentation. If they had broken it up into several different lectures on different days, I feel that those who attended would have retained more information. All that aside, I'm glad I went, and hopefully I will remember enough of what was said to make my prints better. One thing I learned is that there is no secret button to press to get perfect prints the first time, it takes several tries; if the pros can't get it right the first time, then there is little hope for the rest of us. Like everything else in photography, it is a process.

Link website

Okay, I tried linking it, but it didn't work, so here is the URL.
http://www.editorialphoto.com/articles/doug_menuez/

Kimberly Cook Lecture

Tonight my On Assignment class went to a lecture given by Kimberly Cook, a fairly successful photographer from Syracuse. She owns her own studio, and shoots weddings and anything else she really wants to. I really like her work and I thought what she had to say was very helpful and interesting. It was especially interesting to me because I would like to open my own photo studio one day, so her tips were definitely helpful to me. She also had a comment about finding your own style and shooting what you really want to shoot; I have come to realize this is completely true, and I am going to do my best to follow this advice. Its funny that she mentioned this because the other day I came across this website that had a very interesting article written by New York City photographer Doug Menuez, and he said the same thing about shooting what you really love. I have included the link in this post, and I encourage everyone to read it. Enjoy!

Colgate University Men's Basketball and Lacrosse Games

Dad's Environmental Portrait and his Motorcycle

Studio Shots

Fashion Shoot Photos

POY and World Press Photo contests

This year's POY and World Press Photo contests were gruesome to look at, for the most part. This depiction of misery isn't some phase, however, it is life in today's society. If you look back at the stability of the economy and then compare it to the pictures of that time period, you will notice a trend. When things in the economy and society are going well, the pictures tend to convey happier subjects. When things in the economy and society are not so well, say being in two wars and having a huge federal deficit, the subject matter tends to be more gloomy and misery laden. That is why the winning pictures of this year's photo contests are mostly of misery and death. On the same note, there is discussion floating around about how some of the pictures were taken, like using an iphone or taking pictures off the internet from Google's photo van. Using an iphone, or any camera phone, is okay, but the picture quality is not going to be as good, but that is the risk you take for using that type of camera. And I don't think you can call yourself a professional, because anyone can use a camera phone, but it takes a professional to use today's DSLR's. Taking photos from Google's photo van, however, is equivalent to stealing in my book. It is also like plagiarizing. You didn't take the pictures, you stole them off the internet from someone else and called them yours, therefore you should not get the credit. Anyone, for the most part, can screen capture an image off a computer; again, it does not make you a professional. I think people will do anything these days to get there's names published, but it does not mean they deserve it.

Photojournalism: Then and Now

The 1940s, 50s, and 60s are considered to be the peak eras in photojournalism, with LIFE Magazine being THE place you wanted to get published. Today, things are a little different. When photojournalism first emerged, there were no rules as to what you could and could not do with a photograph; today, the only "editing" you're allowed to do is basic color, brightness, and contrast correction-anything more could get you fired. The internet has also changed photojournalism alot, with anyone being allowed to publish things online; you have to be one of the best to get your pictures published in print these days. Being a photojournalist today is hard; you have to think of new ways to do things, and a lot of the time if the pictures aren't of celebrities or well-known leaders, the public tends not to care. Strictly comparing images of the 40s, 50s, and 60s to today also shows how much photojournalism has changed. Back then, there were a lot of photographs of the wars in every publication; today, we are in two wars, and there are hardly ever any photos, online or in print. It just goes to show how the times have changed. To make a career out of photojournalism today, you have to not only be the best, you have to want it. If you are not willing to fight to get the pictures people want to see, there is no point in trying to be a photojournalist in today's world.

"Snap Judgement " Article

So, last night I was hanging out with my friends; looking at magazines, gossiping, eating, the usual, when I came across an article in Allure magazine that caught my eye-"Snap Judgment", written by Augusten Burroughs. Its about how he (Burroughs) takes pictures of himself everyday to help him understand who he is. Its a really interesting article and I encourage you to read it if you get the chance. Its from Allure Magazine October 2010, page 136. Burroughs talks about how people may think he's weird because he studies photographs of himself, but don't we do this numerous times a day, when we look in the mirror? Except a mirror is different, because when you walk away from it, you usually forget what you see, until you look again, and perhaps see something different. With a photograph, as Burroughs says, you see you exactly as you were at that moment in time, and you can always refer to it later. As a photo major, the article was very interesting and got me thinking, about self-portraits, self reflection, etc. Again, I encourage you to read it, and as you do really think about what the author says, "If you take the camera out of the picture, so to speak, is self-examination so odd?"

Here are a few samples of my work. Enjoy!

Heyyyy

Heyyy, I'm Brittany, currently a photography major at Cazenovia College in NY. Basically, I'm going to post some of my photos, my views on the photography industry, etc. This is also partly for a class, so some of my posts will be relating to that. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my work! :)