Final Project Proposal

For my final project, I would like to photograph while I am horseback riding. I tend to wear the camera around my neck and use a timer to take pictures while I ride (full auto settings), hopefully taken so the horse's head is still in view. One thing I love the most about horses is their motion. It's hard to capture from the ground, because many times horses would rather just graze and sleep. On horseback, I can capture the motion and the feeling I get when I ride. I hope that through this project I can share those feelings. I intend to photograph from a walk, trot, canter, and maybe a gallop depending on the environment. In addition, I'd like to photograph the horse tacked up beforehand as part of the series.

Exploratory Images:

A Picture You Already Know: Discussion Questions

1. Do photos have more meaning in a group? (When photos are shown, are they usually part of a collection or one photo? Does the repetition take away from the photos?)
2. Are there any purely objective art forms? (How the viewer brings their own perspective to the image)
3. Does this new knowledge of repetition put photography as a medium in question?
4. Will there ever be a new photograph?
5. If there was a new photograph would we recognize it as new, or would it not be considered art because it is not in the realm of what we already know and accept as photography?
6. Is there a way to make the technology of photography your own, or is photography doomed to be the easiest medium to master and the hardest to have personal vision?
7. Do you agree that repetition is a defining aspect of photography? Why?
8. Is there an image that can stand on its own, or do you crave to know more about the photographs that were taken with the one shown/displayed?
9. Do you find yourself always comparing your art to other artists, or do you compete against yourself and your own work?
10. Can you stand on your own morals or must other artists define whether your art is good or not? Is that necessary?

Project 2

Five Rules:

1. Photo must be taken outside.
2. I must use "Auto Color" during the editing process.
3. My finger/thumb must appear in the peripheral of every photo.
4. Photos must be taken between 11am and 2:30pm.
5. My hair must be down by my face in every photo (potential to blow in front of my eyes).
6. Pictures will be of whatever subject I choose at that moment.

(c) Fall 2013
Lauren Thompson

(c) Fall 2013
Lauren Thompson

(c) Fall 2013
Lauren Thompson

(c) Fall 2013
Lauren Thompson

(c) Fall 2013
Lauren Thompson

(c) Fall 2013
Lauren Thompson

(c) Fall 2013
Lauren Thompson

Project 2: (Preliminary) Five Rules

My five rules.

1. Photo must be taken outside.
2. At least one object/section of the photo must be black and white, and at least one object/section of the photo must be in color.
3. My finger/thumb must appear in the peripheral of every photo.
4. Photos must be taken between 11am and 2:30pm.
5. My hair must be down by my face in every photo (potential to blow in front of my eyes).

Wet Scan Negatives

These aren't all my favorites, but are some of them. The last one is one of the ones I used in my final project portfolio for this class. I definitely enjoyed scanning these and editing them in photoshop, rather than just printing with traditional development. I'm much better at photoshop!

Oreo
(c) Spring 2011

Stormie
(c) Spring 2011

Stormie and Slick
(c) Spring 2011

Reading Response: "Too Drunk to Fuck"

In this article, Mark Wyse dissects the 'feelings of anxiety' that accompany photography - anxiety regarding the confrontation of the desire of photography. What do we desire to do with our photography, what makes you want to take that photograph? He examines repression in the art of photography, using two main examples: Nan Goldin and Christopher Williams. Goldin's photography is all about the connection she has with her subjects, her desire for them and her fascination. On the other end of the spectrum, the desire that Williams holds is much more removed and hidden. He makes his photography more about the camera, the photograph itself, the process, as opposed to the subject being photographed. Though clarifying that he is not saying that Goldin's style is better than Williams' or vice versa, Wyse is clearly more intrigued by the lack of transparency of Williams' photographic style. Wyse ends with the following:

Photography has shifted from being a discourse on trying to understand the world to a discourse on trying to understand ourselves. This has always been the case, only now it is more transparent--or less so. This is how the neurotic writes.

Reading Response for Creative Suite 5/6 Info

Facts I've learned!

• Spot healing doesn't require an actual reference point. It's like magic!
• TIFF and PSD files both preserve layers, but PSD files are more efficient.
• If I want to print an image, it is better to use CMYK.
• You can rotate your cropping border; and you can crop using the marquee tool (Image>Crop)
• When resizing an image, uncheck the "Resample Image" box; Bicubic smoother for enlarging, Bicubic sharper for shrinking.

Project One

The Real Project One!

Ethnic Eyes
(c) September 2013

Skirt Ribbons
(c) September 2013

Assembling the Jungle Armies
(c) September 2013

Not Project One

Pretend Project 1 (Actually not a project)
Because I was dumb. And forgot a key part of the project. Posting the 3 of real project photos next.

Pocket Junk and Profile
(c) September 2013

Profile
(c) September 2013

Profile 2
(c) September 2013

Essence of the Fist Bump
With Ashlé Williams
(c) September 2013

New Artist Discovery: Rob Prideaux

Just found out about this new artist through a little Yahoo! article. This artist, Rob Prideaux, has a new body of work called "Smoke & Fire". He lights gasoline on fire midair, then takes the photo. I love fire and think it is beautiful and fascinating, and like to depict it often in painting and photomanipulation. Check him out!

Rob Prideaux

Photograph That Isn't a Photograph

Bedford Reading Response

Bedford argues that authorial intent is still very important and that in photography it is sometimes very hard to identify. Artists such as Demand that put a long and arduous process into their work, with photography only as a concluding document that signifies the work, get more recognition than those who do many 'invisible' adjustments. No framework for understanding photography currently exists, so many art critics do not understand exactly how to critique a photo. They must look at it superficially, which does not necessarily show the edits and thoughts and process that the artist put into it, because photography is inherently lacking in what often is revealing about the artwork - the handiwork. Without the ability to understand the authorial intent behind the artwork, photography will continue to be viewed harshly and without true understanding by art critics. Upon development of this framework, it can receive the recognition it deserves and take its place among the other mediums of contemporary art.


Dear Mizter Bedford,

I wuld liek to offer you a nice toasted bagel wif creem cheez

Luv Batman

Old and New

'Waiting', Spring 2011

This photo was part of a project for Introduction to Photography titled "Secret Object". This black sphere was my object. I more or less just tried to find interesting places to put this fairly ordinary sphere. This was taken outside of Morgan in the winter. The contrast of the black and the white snow is exciting for me, and I enjoyed the amount of detail I could get in the snow, and the action of the falling snow in the background.

"Fierce Grace" by Tony Stromberg

I'm strongly interested in domestic and wildlife photography. I am a hardcore animal lover, and capturing the life, beauty, animation of animals is something I strive toward. This photo immediately caught my attention. I love horses, and this profile is gorgeous. It captures the movement of the horse's mane in the wind, out in the field, or on the prairie. This is beautiful to me - elegance and life even in the horse's still posture.