Thursday, December 17, 2015

Final Exam Extra Credit

I accidentally posted this on my Journalism blog instead of Photojournalism.  Oops.

Apologies.  I totally used all these questions and this situation to rant.

1).  The man, Ki Suk, had been pushed onto the tracks by a panhandler who was harassing people after trying to calm him down.  The photographer says he'd tried to help, but when he realized he couldn't, he started taking picture with his flash in hopes of warning the operator about the person in their path.

2).  To warn the operator about Ki Suk with his flash.

3).  No.  NO, he shouldn't have taken the photo.  He should have kept trying to help, even if he'd thought it was hopeless.  If the operator of the subway hadn't already seen the person, he wasn't going to anytime soon--people (such as tourist) probably take pictures of the incoming subway with their flash on all the time.

4).  I don't think he did the best he could in this situation.  Ki Suk was about to die, and the photographer got out his camera to take pictures with the illogical excuse that the operator would stop the train because he used his flash as a warning.

5).  I strongly disagree with the decision to use this photo as the cover of the New York Post.  This man, Ki Suk, is famous now--not because he tried to help the people being harassed by a panhandler, but because a picture was taken of him right before his death.  He's now famous for being hit by a subway train.  The cruelty of putting him on the cover of the New York Post is...unexplainable.

6).  Stopping bad things from happening should be more important to a photojournalist than capturing pictures of bad things happening.  This death might have been avoided if he'd just kept trying, instead of trying to take a picture of the event.  Photos and stories of terrible things wouldn't have to be famous and making people nationwide sick to their stomachs if they'd never happened in the first place.

7).  If something isn't going to end in death, a photojournalist probably shouldn't involve him or herself in the photos they're taking (such as, if they were taking photos of a presidential debate, or a person being interviewed for a news story).  If something completely serious (such as this) is happening, they shouldn't be taking photos in the first place; they should be helping.  I'm not saying they should have a reckless Harry Potter personality, throwing themselves into danger to help people--but they should try.

8).  There are circumstances in which a photojournalist should probably try to avoid influencing events as they happen (such as, again, a presidential debate), or something that involves an environment that they could somehow ruin with either their cameras or their bodies.  Something like this, though, isn't normal.  It's special circumstances, like when your orchestra director says you can't miss more than two rehearsals unless you're lying sick in a hospital bed or got lost somewhere over the rainbow.  With this, and anything like it, I find it almost disrespectful to the subjects of the photo if the photojournalist is taking pictures instead of helping.  Imagine how terrified Ki Suk must have been when the photojournalist gave up helping him--seriously???

9).  How does “taking pictures” tell a conductor to stop a train? Huh? Is this photographer guy a moron? Throw down your camera and run to help the guy. If you fail, at least you tried. Taking pictures isn’t trying. What conductor would think, “Oh, look, someone’s taking pictures…maybe I should stop the train.”

I completely agree with this (this was the point I made earlier).  I can't make myself believe anything the photographer is saying about helping with the flash, and if he meant it...I seriously question the intelligence of today's society.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

FASHION

1).  First off, the amount of makeup is astounding and transforming in itself.  After that, though, these things are changed:  they make her lips bigger, they give her more hair, they lengthen her neck, they lower her eyes and eyebrows, they reduce the size of her shoulders, they make her eyes larger, they cleaned up her hairline, they reduced the size of her jaw.

2).  Again, the amount of makeup is astounding and transforming in itself, along with the added hair.  After that, these things are changed:  they clear up her skin, make her eyes larger, they make her shoulder bonier, they reduce the size of her stomach and breasts, they lengthen her thighs, reduce the size of her calves and feet, they lengthen her calves, they lengthen her neck, reduce the size of her jaw, they make her hair more blonde, they making all of her skin more fair, they reduce the size of her thighs.

3).  They pretty much reduce the size of everything to start, but enlarge the size of her breasts.  And then they go on to reduce the size of everything even more, and then even more, and then even more. They lift her butt.  They lengthen her hair--a lot.  Seriously.  They make minute changes to her face (like lessening the size of her cheekbones), and then proceed to clean up the hairline and make hair hair fuller.

4).  I don't believe it's ethically acceptable to change a woman's (or even a man's) body or face in this way.  It's extremely offensive to women everywhere.  This is people telling us that we can only be eligible for covers of magazines or billboards until there's nothing left that actually us.

5).  Of course, if the person being photoshopped on doesn't know it's happening.  If this happens at all, they need to have the model's consent--because, seriously, everyone involved with the photoshopping would just be complete jerks if the model didn't know about it first.

6).  I think changes of lighting, in general, are okay, or highlighting a person's hair or something along those lines.  Everything else--it's just rude.

7).  Photojournalism is definitely more real than fashion photography.  Photojournalism is usually pictures that tell a story, or accent a story.  They don't need to be edited to be accepted by "society," they just are.

8).  I, personally, don't think they're tied to reality in any way except for the fact that they show blatantly how distorted our view of beauty is.  It's sort of an unwelcome truth revealed to the people who spend their time wishing they could look like the people on the fronts of PEOPLE magazines, or giant billboards.  I've probably repeated this ten times over,  but it's wholly rude and offensive, completely changing a woman's body to fit their view of beauty.  It's unethical, to the point where it's scary.

9).  To make me sick and angry and indignant..?

10).  It might be because girls are more pressured into looking amazing all the time.  I'm not saying guys aren't, but...it's more of a struggle for girls.  It's a long-standing stereotype.

Prompt Shoot (11/23)

Purple:

 Cold:

 Electric:

Magazines Part II

For the earliest magazine covers, it is said that they are modeled after the covers of books.  This in itself is an attribute (at least to me, because books are amazing).  They're informational, in place of the visual appealing-ness of more modern magazines.  For the Poster Covers, they're appealing because the pictures on them are very good at portraying a story or emotional without having to use words.  It's very simple, and makes the magazine seem like it wouldn't be cluttered with useless information.  For Pictures Married to Type, the background of the photo suits the subject/portrait of the photo almost perfectly.  It's appealing, and makes the magazine seem like it would be neat and organized on the inside, too.  The way something is always overlapping the title of the magazine is somehow extremely visually appealing (I honestly think having the magazine title over the subject isn't as appealing as the former).  For the Forest of Words...well, it doesn't look very visually appealing at all.  It makes the whole cover seem really scattered and cluttered, and it wouldn't compel me to pick up the magazine and spend my money on it.

My Favorite Cover

1).
Favorite
2).  Wired, September 2014, Edward Snowden

"Edward Snowden didn't want to be photographed. He wanted his actions--leaking classified NSA files--to be the focus of any story, not his face. But. But. Being shot by Platon, who has photographed world leaders like Dick Cheney, George Bush (both of them), and Vladimir Putin, puts him on the same level as those subjects, elevating his message. So out of complicated motivations comes a tense and compelling photograph. As Snowden holds the flag, his face and his hands convey both respect and hurt--a flickering combination of protectiveness and vulnerability. Words would tip the reader toward a single interpretation. So. No design. No cover lines. Just an image, however you choose to look at it." - See more at: http://www.magazine.org/asme/magazine-cover-contest/past-winners-finalists/2015-winners-finalists#sthash.ikvN7wmy.dpuf/

3). The lighting of the portrait in this magazine cover is...great.  It adds nicely to the mood of the portrait, which is somewhat sad, yet hopeful in a way.  The pose of the actor portrays how he feels about the flag--he's protective of it, hugging it to his chest in a way that shows how much he respects it.  The simplicity of the picture adds to the mood of the photo, along with the light of the background.  It gives a feeling of solidarity, the one single light right behind his head.  The magazine cover, as a whole, would definitely draw my attention if I were to walk by it in a store, and I would be compelled to look through it (I'm already curious as to what's inside this magazine).

Best Covers

formal- 1.  The Advocate, December 2014/January 2015, Person of the Year
formal- 2.  Wired, September 2014, Edward Snowden
informal- 3.  OUT, August 2014, Michael Sam
informal- 4.  Harper's Bazaar, March 2014, Lady Gaga
environmental- 5.  ESPN The Magazine, July 21, 2014, Venus Williams
formal- 6.  New York, February 17–24, Spring Fashion
environmental- 7.  FamilyFun, August 2014, Road Trip
formal- 8.  The New York Times Magazine, September 14, 2014, The Culture Issue
informal- 9.  Harper's Bazaar, September 2014, Emma Ferrer
formal- 10.  Vanity Fair, November 2014, Jennifer Lawrence
formal- 11.  Variety, October 14, 2014, Bill Murray
informal- 12.  New York, June 9-15, 2014, Health
informal- 13.  Men's Health, November 2014, The Ultimate Men's Health Guy
formal- 14.  Bloomberg Businessweek, April 21-27, 2014, Freeze Your Eggs, Free Your Career
environmental- 15.  Golf Digest, June 2014, Jimmy Fallon
environmental- 16.  Kinfolk, Spring 2014, The Home Issue
informal- 17.  ESPN The Magazine, October 13, 2014, Derek Jeter
informal- 18.  The Atlantic, November 2014, Why Kids Sext