Frustrated

So I went in and got my negatives developed. But I was waisting sheet after sheet to get my contact sheets to come out right but I could not figure out what I was doing wrong. I really tried hard to get everything done before the critique. I was wondering if I could have another day to get them done and maybe have your help on trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong? Thank you.

Sara

Comic Book style photo text

This is the text I mentioned to you guys - Photo One, by Ken Muse. It is 1 cent on amazon.com! Plus 3 something for shipping. 4 dollars! There are 19 copies - thought I would pass it along.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0136653316/ref=dp_olp_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1222795079&sr=1-7

schedule change for Nov. 10

Ms. Ducan,

This is Pochwan, I was wondering if we will still have the critique on Nov. 10. I have training in Atlanta on Nov. 10-14 and was wondering if the critique date would be push back since the hurricane cause some changes in the schedule.

Missing Film

I had one roll of film that was on the drying rack from Thursday, and when I came in to get them today (Saturday) they were gone. The lab monitor helped me look around, but I still couldn't find out where they went. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas where they might have gone, or if anyone else had the same problem.

Some of the negatives were of a girl jumping, the fountain, some cars, and a plushed toy keychain hanging from a backpack.

If anything, I'll just be reshooting two rolls of film and develop them as soon as I can. :( :(

Michelle

Camera

I'm starting to get really bummed non of my pictures have come out from my slide film or from three other rolls of film I have developed. I got another camera to use for the time being. I'm hoping the problem with my camera is easy and cheap to fix. I know I'm just dreaming when it comes to the cheap part. I will be taking pictures today and tomorrow and will develop them as soon as I can.

LAWNDALE SHOW

You can see it today before 5, and tomorrow between 12 and 5 pm.

The address is 4912 Main St.

Shannon's Show

Would you post the address for your show? I would like to see it before it closes. Thanks!

REVISED SYLLABUS POSTED

Please read the syllabus - it is updated, and you will find that I have pushed back the Critique dates as much as I possibly could.

The portion in red, I have not updated, but will if I need to.

Please understand that there is a lot of work to be covered in a semester's time. In order for this new schedule to work, I need your participation and effort. Use the additional time I have given you wisely.

Also, you should start keeping a journal of the photographers' work who you come across and find of interest. We will be turning in 20 summaries on photographers on October 15th - and you will have one photographer whose work you wish to emulate. I suggest writing a summary a day when you think about it, to allow time for the lab and your other classes. Good luck, and see you all Wednesday to continue working from our negatives.

I am currently out of power (and internet). If you need me, you can reach me at 713-298-7307.

Just got power today...

Sorry. I just got the update today about the two rolls for tomorrow. I've also been in bed for a couple days with a 102 degree fever and tonsils the size of golf balls. I was finally able to get to the doctor today to get some antibiotics, so the swelling is down and the fever is subsiding. So, I should be in class tomorrow with a roll that I shot earlier, but not the two that we need for the assignment. I also saw there was no date for the crit -- are we leaving that flexible or is it on Wed 9/24? Guess I'll find out tomorrow.

See you then!

-Chelsea

regarding power...

Mine is out and will be out another week.

I was able to cancel class last week, but we need to more forward as best we can. Please have your work tomorrow - if you are concerned about not finishing up the 2 rolls, take advantage of your surroundings and shoot them. We will process the 2 rolls of film tomorrow. It is important that you come prepared - I will be checking to see that everyone has finished the assignment.

As far as the slide assignment goes - I understand that you may not have been able to get it processed. We will discuss this in detail tomorrow.

Power

My power is still out and apparently will be for some time. I will need updates in a different way. I am at a hotel right now so I have internet for about 10 more minutes then I am back to the stone age. I will be back to class but life is definatley out of sync right now. Thanks - Wendy.

NO CLASS....

Disregard that last message if you read it - there will be no class (for us) tomorrow. The head of the art department has advised us to cancel classes for the remainder of this week. Not promising anything for other departments.

See you guys Monday, with windblown hair and hopefully restored power.

Hope you are all well.

Updates...

Exposure Assignment is up - sorry for the delay - I blame Ike.

Sunday would be fun, but let's not make any plans just yet. I will get back online Saturday, providing there is power/internet.

As far as AZ goes, they will be closed for the hurricane. The goal is to do things as planned on Monday, but again, we will see how things go. I am not sure what to expect.

Keep me posted on how things are going for you.

Shooting, anyone?

If you're interested, I am free Sunday and am willing to meet up/shoot with you. I was thinking somewhere easy to find, such as the Menil Park. Additionally, the Menil and Houston Center for Photography will be open (until 6 for HCP and 7 for the Menil). If your Sunday looks like a lazy one, this might be something fun to do for a change. Let me know what time would work for you if you are interested, and perhaps we could have a photo outing. :)

Janet Croog (late photogram post)

I'm terribly sorry this post is late and that I did not get to show my photograms in the crit. My assignment schedules have been irregular due to all my absences last week.

For this assignment I decided to portray the general idea of knowlege and what it means to me. Just to note, I used a car blinker lightbulb in each photogram which sybolizes knowlege or truth.

Photogram #1
For this photogram I used a magnifying glass, a lighter, cotton pieces, tacks, and a lightbulb. There are many tacks strewn about the paper to seem as if the magnifying glass and the lighter are searching for something though a thick mass of sharp objects. There is a little bit of cotton above the lighter to represent fire or light which just helps when you're searching for anything. I wanted to portray this as a search for the truth. Around the lightbulb there are no tacks which signifies that even though knowlege can be painful to learn the truth is inevitable therefore the truth is essential to know and is inherently good. We should all find it.

Photogram#2
I used writing utensils, a key, and the lightbulb for this photogram. The idea is similar to #1 but I used the writing utensils to signify the use of communication as a way to spread knowlege. Communication is the key to continuing knowlege that has already been learned. With this idea we, or people in general, can prosper and live more fulfilling lives. With the placement of the writing utensils I tried to portray the key as if it were searching for knowlege or truth (the lightbulb). I used cotton around the lightbulb just to make the bulb seem to have energy around it which makes the bulb seem more significant against the other objects.

Photogram #3
This photogram depicts a clock which represents time. Time can be a very broad topic with many opinions about it so interpret this as you will. I tie time and knowlege together as a constant pair which grows together or keeps going forever. I used paperclips for the hands of the clock and pills for the numbers. The cotton around the bulb once again was used to make the lightbulb a significant piece but it also makes the clock significant as well giving this area an undefined shape, slightly abstract.

The two other pieces I turned in were created within the same theme. One is just my hand and the lightbulb signifying that when I have knowlege in my hand I can do whatever I want with it. The other photogram was meant to mean that knowlege is power. I created a person figure with a representation of power using a button, chapstick, cotton, a paperclip, a dime, and the lightbulb.

Camera Manuals

A lot of manuals are here:

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/

There is a suggested 3 dollar donation, but the manuals are referred to as free.

Getting Ready to Shoot Slides

I recommend getting your film at a photo supply store, such as Camera Co-Op, Wolf Camera, etc...some places may have stopped carrying some films.



Once you have film, sit down with your camera and camera manual, and follow the instructions to load your film. BE SURE BATTERIES ARE LOADED/WORKING. There is no difference in loading B&W, color, or slide film. Here is an example of how to load a 1980's model Canon AE-1.



Once the film is loaded, take several blank shots, releasing the shutter and advancing the film, until the frame counter is at 1 (or in some cases, the dot/dash following the zero on the counter). If you notice the rewind knob (on the left side of your camera) moving, the film is loaded correctly.

*Note that a lot of you may have newer cameras - for these, you simply insert your film on the left side, pull the film leader across the camera until it meets up with the red indicator. If you are uncertain of what to do, please contact me. :)

Now you are ready to begin shooting! Maybe this early 80's checklist can be of some assistance.



See the assignment posted on the right side of the page.

This exercise is a fun one!

Oops - Edgar Meza

Photogram #1 

Title- Eating spaghetti with Papa Smurf and a guy with the head of a hammer head shark

Theme- Masonic imagery

I created my first photogram using childhood toys to recreate from memory the more identifiable aspects of Masonic iconography. The result of using toys and working from memory lends to a very skewed image of something that is arguably rather important and as a result reads somewhat as a parody. My decision to work with Masonic imagery comes from an old interest that I had acquired as a paranoid teen who spent way too much of his time reading about conspiracy theories. When I finally met a Mason I realized that my fascination was somewhat unwarranted (Spaghetti for dinner at the lodge every Tuesday). The print that I chose to turn in for critique has a wider range of tones than my initial print, the tones are a result of the addition of cotton balls which rest over the paper. 

Photogram #2

Title- An unexpected trip to the Emergeny Room/ My BFF is an idiot

Theme- eating disorder (PICA)

This print consists of several seemingly unrelated objects that create a rather chaotic pictorial. This print came about as an experiment with round and translucent objects which provided some rather ghostly shapes. The theme and title came after the print was dry, it looked similar to an x-ray and I was reminded of a story that a friend of mine confided in me about how she used to swallow cotton balls soaked in olive oil to keep from gaining weight when she was a cheerleader., this behavior reminded me of yet something else, PICA and eating disorder where the person is compelled to eat things like rocks and nails. The title is in reference to an entirely fabricated scenario where someone in perhaps an attempt for attention swallows things that are way cooler than cotton balls like a yoyo for example, also the title may make reference to how big of a dismissive jerk I can be in serious situations. 

Photogram #3

Title- Treachery is not a valid action unless you're working at a Foot Action in a shitty mall

Theme- Surrealism 

For this print I cheated somewhat and used a piece of film from a trailer of a movie to project the word "Finish" onto the paper which had a pipe and cotton balls on it. The image is a nod to Rene Magritte's painting entitled La trahison des images. Asides making that specific reference I was also interested in trying to emulate smoke. The inclusion of the word "Finish" also acts as an announcement to myself and my peer that I perceive myself as finished with the assignment. Put that in your pipe and smoke it and so forth. 

Photograms-Edgar Meza

Photograms - Arturo Garcia

#1 Werk ohne Opuszahl

"Tin Man" - The mechanical is representative of the technical aspect of my life. The displacement of the picture on the page represents my inability to be cohesive and organized. The disproportionate limbs represent a distorted view of me as a whole. The bulb apart from the body represents the constant discord between what I think and what I feel. The fuses are the important people in my life that help me keep it together. The blade is the driving force behind it all… the fear of my own mortality.
I have my garage to thank for its many contributions.

#2 Werk ohne Opuszahl

"R & R" - The blank, whiter spots are the important things in life that’ve shaped me, made me who I am... things I easily took for granted. The visible spots are the things that I so wrongly placed much importance on at the time.
I used only negatives for this photogram.

#3 Werk ohne Opuszahl

"When life hands you lemons" - Men’s age old view of women. Regrettably, I’m guilty of this more often than I’d care to admit.
A bowl, knife, fork, and 16 lemons were used for this photogram, ever so carefully I might add, so as not to offend anyone. One lemon was lost during the making of this photogram.

trinh's photorays

#1: "My Mommy & Me" :]
My mom and I and I are going through a rough patch right now, but through it all I know she still loves me so I kind of wanted to create something about motherhood. The focal point of the first photogram is about a baby and a mama elephant. They say an elephant never forgets so maybe it'll always remember what it was taught. The baby represents the bright future and is therefore the whitest object in the piece. The mom is the darkest because she is just a shadow. She can't always be there physically but will she always follows her child in spirit by instilling her love and lessons about life. The blocks of gray areas are merely there to show the troubles and barriers that both are crossing through together.

#2: "Party!!!"
2008 could be, as everyone has heard, the most important election year EVER! My second project is about the american political parties: democrats - donkey & republicans - elephant. The plants on the side and the fact that the parties' mascots are animals plays into the fact these parties are like beasts in a jungle, fighting to be the alpha male. They are facing each other in a feudal war for the most votes to hold the most powerful chair in the world. All this drama turns them into celebrities; stars twinkle all around them. Some people are be blindsighted by the stars. However, the real focus should be turned on what has been pushed into the background - the policies and plans that will affect the future of America.

#3: "Too Much Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing"
Wellios... I didn't have time to finish all 3 photograms so I went to the dentist to try and do something similar. Instead of using light rays, I used gamma rays. My third photogram is actually a panoramic x-ray of my friend's teeth. He has four wisdom tooth pushing out. Two of them are definately impacted - meaning the only way to get them out is by surgery. The other two have a very slim chance of erupting through the gums, but no bets are made on that. I hear the whole process of growing wisdom teeth is quite painful. I'm so glad mine aren't out yet. :] With any luck, they'll never come. The composition however doesn't have much of a role here. Obviously, when you want to take an x-ray of your teeth, you have to position the machine to where your teeth are. The point of this piece is just to show how uncool having wisdom teeth are and why they usually hurt people so much. Hopefully none of your wisdom teeth hurt.

kk. Enjoy buddies! Have a nice day!
-Trinh

Photograms - Michelle Acas

#1 Theme: Elevation
The main focus of the photogram is obviously the dinosaur floating towards the top left of the photogram. I chose elevation as the theme, because it as though the flying animal appears to float towards the top of the composition; it seems to leave an excess of everything in its wake, which I attribute it to be its “past.” The bird in the bottom corner helps to serve the idea of “elevation” or “flight.” The composition serves to illustrate moving forward, and leaving the past behind. The past may not be as important, or relevant to the present, as can be see by the very slight blurring in the bottom right corner.

#2 Theme: Unreachable
When creating this composition, I was playing with the idea of framing, so I placed two sheets of notebook paper to act as framing, perhaps for a window, placed the cotton balls—which represented clouds—around the photo paper, as well as placing my hand on the lower half of the paper. Through the composition I hoped to present the idea that sometimes things are out of our reach. That which may be out of our reach may be clear as day to us, such as our goals or dreams, but at the moment are still out of our reach; we are still in the process of heading towards those ideals.

#3 Theme: Blurred
I had wanted to play with the idea of blurring my objects in some of my photograms. It was kind of risky, because I was not sure with how the photogram would turn out, but I ended up with a satisfying product. I waved my hand over the left side of the composition while I would overlay the bird over different parts of the paper, creating a faded effect. In my mind I used the theme of “blurred” because sometimes things in our lives are never really clear and that every person has a unique way of seeing things differently. I have always loved the concept of blurring objects and compositions, because it causes the viewer to think more about what they are seeing, and may infer different interpretations of what the artist may be trying to convey.

Photograms of Kirk

After wasting at least 10 pieces of the paper I believe I have narrowed it down to three. With my pieces I decided to stick with simplicity using a combination of transparencies and other small objects.

"Smoking Skull"
The first piece is probably my favorite of the three due to the effect of smoke I was able to simulate. I used a transparency of a pen drawing of a skull I did for an earlier project. To simulate the smoke I used cotton balls, both whole and pulled apart. I decided to have the skull hanging off the edge of the paper for two reasons: I didn’t want to necessarily center it and it also ended up being a little bigger than I thought the paper could handle.

"God Creates Ape"
The second piece I think I messed up on and had to reprint at least four times before I even semi liked it. This one has a transparency of a sketch I had in a sketchbook for another class last semester. The sketch shows my strange since of humor being my interpretation of the Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel painting of God and Adam, except God is shown with a chimpanzee. I experimented with several things on this one such as the cotton balls again representing clouds and I tried to use a CD as the sun. But what happened again was the space got really cluttered really fast. So I stuck with simplicity again and went with the clouds.

"Scratch"
The third piece I used a transparency of a picture of me. In this one since my transparency didn’t take up as much space on the paper as the other prints I did, I was able to use more objects. The objects I used were a latex glove, a razor blade and the wire from some earphones. I once again wanted to utilize my weird since of humor and see if I could make it look as if I was being cut with a razor and blood was coming out (the wires).

Tuyet Huynh

Photo-gram #1 "Stardom"

In this photo-gram I used a developed negative with a random CD with some origami stars. This composition is done under F8 light exposure, the objects are arrange to give a well organize feel and sense of attraction toward the viewer. The composition is a message of a dream, and a business that students are interested in.

Photo-gram #2 "School Life"

This composition consists of two mechanical pencil (one solid the other more transperent), a small notebook, a cougarone card, two coins, a usb and a key. In this photo gram the two pencil's texture were brought out really well, it also is the eye catcher of the whole composition, especially the solid pencil because it show a very contrasting 3D figure. The composition is about school life where students have to manage their studies, financise, and where they live.

Photo-gram #3 "Unsolved Puzzle"

This was pick because it relates how I feels and a resemblance of all college student mind. Our mind is still trying to solve a puzzle, however I think that our life is a puzzle it self. A puzzle that is unscramble and is waiting to be put back together. The puzzle is solve when one person is at the end of the life because that is only when that person will see the whole puzzle fit together. Like the moments that flashes through our head before we die. The unlocking of the puzzle is a life journey.

The Most Famous Photograms

Photogram #1 “Liquid”
The photogram that I created was a bunch of coins. These coins are floating inside a cube. It gave me an idea of liquid or gas, but simply liquid because when a frozen object starts to melt, then the circles start to break away from each other. I rotated the coins around and I exposed the paper for three seconds.
Photogram #2 “Eyewear”
This photogram was very interesting to me because I always wanted to make a photogram with glasses. The sunglasses came out as a grayish color. The collar that I used around the glasses is to represent that these glasses are the most famous. I made the photogram as a neon sign where announcing are posted. I exposed the paper for also 3 seconds.
Photogram #3 “Wrong”
This piece has a necklace with a cross of Jesus Christ and the other one is just a plain necklace. What I created is an X-shaped figure meaning that something is wrong or worse. I also exposed the paper for three seconds.

Ngoc (Alice) Le's Photograms

I chose an Oriental/Japanese art theme throughout my photograms. I’ve been collecting Oriental art stencils for years, so I decided to use them for this project in conjunction with my own art sketches. The three pieces tell a story of a Mermaid and a mortal man. I’ve always been interested in Mermaid tales, and there was a particular legend in Japanese folklore that I wanted to explore. It is said that when a person eats the flesh of a mermaid, they can gain immortality, but chances are that the mermaid's flesh will either kill them or transform them into horrible creatures. I drew all of the figures by hand and printed them on transparencies. The borders and background are stencils.

Photogram #1.
I sat the mermaid atop a pile of eggs that she had laid. The mermaid in Japanese folklore is called a Ningyo, a creature with it a mouth like a monkey's, small fish teeth, shining golden scales, and a voice like a flute. I decided to make her a half human, half fish creature instead. I wanted to add an interesting element to her look by giving her a semi-Japanese body tattoo. You can see the carps swimming in the water stencil below her. I cut out pieces of thick paper to depict the image of the rising sun because of the Japanese theme (since Japan’s name “Nipon” means the sun's origin). It’s shining rays on the mermaid’s scales, which are supposed to glisten like gold.

Photogram #2.
The couple is in a passionate embrace. He is completely drawn to her beauty, only looking into her face. She looks straight at the viewer, probably with a knowing smile of what is to come. The man also has a Japanese body tattoo. The rectangular border on the top left is turtles in waves. The bottom border is again water and fish, keeping with the mermaid theme.

Photogram #3
Here the mermaid is devouring him because he tried to kill her for immortality. See how the tables have turned? In Japan cherry blossoms are believed to symbolize the transient nature of life, because of their short blooming times. I overlaid her on top of cherry blossoms to give a blending effect, like she’s an unnatural force of nature. I added the cherry blossom stencil on the left border to tie in with the transient life theme. The beautiful cherry blossoms contrast with the grisly nature of what is happening between the couple, but they also symbolize how fleeting life is. In his attempt at immortality he ends up ending his life. When we search for everlasting life, we end up missing what’s important in our life now.

Love & Union

Zahra Alshair
Shannon Duncan
Fundamentals of Photography 1307
Photograms
September 7, 2008

I did most of my photograms evolving around love, union, and hope. I used almost the exact objects on every piece to portray the different emotions you can get from the same objects depending how group them together. Since, all of them are abstract and don’t have a real definite or physical similarities to anything when put together. I think the themes or I should say, the feelings that are being portrayed in my photograms should be left to the individual’s imagination.

Photogram #1
This photogram was created to be a sort of romantic piece. I was hoping it would somehow portray a lovey dovey feeling from a woman’s point of view. Something like what magazine’s use to advertize women’s products. Since these types of work fantasize me, I choose to let this type of work inspire me to create this piece. I think this is my favorite photogram I have created so far. This piece was created by very simple objects like a fancy hair band ribbon, fake yellow flowers, and a misbah (a sort of crystallized little beads bracelet that I use for prayers).

Photogram #2
When I created this piece, I sort of didn’t know what I was planning to do. So I let my hand do the placing and I randomly placed objects that I thought to be delicate enough to represent a sort of a wounded love. Even though I used the same objects I used in photogram # 1 but placed them differently on the paper. This photogram painted a total different emotion for me, because the way it had a sort of rib cage imbedded where the ribbon was supposes to be. It made the photogram portray a sort of wounded love, broken union, or a broken heart.

Photogram # 3
When I created this piece, I used to different looking misbahas and shaped them into the form of two hearts. So, in the photogram they sort of look like two hearts next to each other ready to be joined. The ribbon at the bottom corner sort of plays the role of the “red string of fate”. The two yellow flowers were the rose pedals of the magical ceremony that’s taking place. For this piece I knew that I wanted to portray union and I believe I have succeeded in doing so.

Photograms for Zack Leal

#1. "Plug In Baby"

First and foremost all my compositions will revolve around musical themes (my favorites bands, albums, and songs) since a lot of my life revolves around music, I simply cannot live without it. This composition is inspired by the song Plug In Baby by Muse (a British progressive alternative rock band). The main idea behind the song is the singer sings about his love for playing on his electric guitar and in the chorus he makes an alliteration along the lines of "my plug in baby, crucifies my enemies" in which he refers to that no matter what critics may say about his band's music he knows he'll be able to put their claims to rest with their music.

So with that I took the idea and ran with it; This composition uses mainly a cardboard cutout looking like an oddly shaped gun and I placed a guitar pick to look like a bullet firing out of it, there is also a USB connector to somewhat illustrate the Plug In element of the composition. Overall the composition is meant to convey the idea of the song in a more literal sense.

#2. "SUNNY DAY"

This composition is inspired by the song SUNNY DAY by HERMIT (a Japanese alternative rock musician). This composition is a bit more simpler to understand. Basically I decided to illustrate a sun shower (or basically what I call it when it rains when it's sunny and hot outside) rather than take a literal property/element from the song (more or less I felt the song title fitted as a title for this composition). It is composed of a CD to represent the Sun along with guitar picks to represent rain drops and shredded tissue to make clouds.

#3. "Loveless"

This composition is inspired by the album Loveless by My Bloody Valentine (a British shoegaze/alternative rock band). This composition was a bit of a more loftier idea, essentially I made a few flowers using iPod earphones and a CD to represent the flower blossoms. However with the earphones I placed shredded tissue ontop of them to give them a more flowery appearance however the end result made them look a bit more like they are on fire, an effect I think that fits the composition even more as I feel gives it a more artsy metaphorical quality. Overall though I cannot possibly put into words what this metaphor is as this piece was more or less constructed while listening to the music on the album rather than trying to put a literal property/element of the music into the composition. So take it into consideration as you like.

Chels-o-graphs?

"J-Pop"

The first photogram I printed came from my love of Japanese art, in which I used transparencies to merge both the current and the classic into a comical and visually appealing composition. "The Shining"-esque glow of the monster combined with the ominous black waves add an element of bad-horror-movie to the piece, but the obviously stuffed Gozilla figure pushes it into the quirky, fun pop-art realm.

"Grandma's Vanity"

This one was created by using several objects that bend and refract light as they pass through, which manufactures interesting patterns. These items were also things that I would expect to find on a elderly woman's dressing table as nostalgia from her nights in flapper dresses at the local speakeasy. This print could either have a racy narrative to accompany it or it can be admired simply for the variations of light that are presented.

"Super-Imposed"

This synthetic scenery was created to encourage the viewer to consider how commonplace these types of images have become in our lives, and how desensitized were are to their intensity and violence. By making the pavement darker, it draws attention to the sheer size and destruction of the explosion. Hard edges make the layering unmistakeable, and thus, signify the unnatural, even surreal qualities of such a powerful release of energy onto a undeserving landscape.

I'm really excited to see everyone's work! This should be a fun crit.

See you on Monday!

Assignment #1- Photograms for Pochawan

Photogram 1: “Hope”

This piece has images of lifeless trees overlapping one another creating an array of dark shadows to give the viewer a sense of fear and loneliness. The branches are mangled together like a cage trapping its victims below. In the mist of all the chaos, a single stream of light shines through the branches to offer a sense of hope for a new beginning. This is definitely one of my favorite piece, I was really happy with the way the image turned out.

Photogram 2: “Festivities”

This piece has images of dark to light imprints of flowers and dragons arranged in different angles while creating interesting space between the objects. The scale from dark to light images highlights certain aspect of the object, making it stand out more then the other. This image should enlighten the viewer and bring a sense ecstasy.

Photogram 3: “Bottoms up!”

This piece has an image of a margarita glass sitting vertically and tilted slightly to the right with bubbled like shaped rising from the rim of the glass. On the right side there is a shot glass placed horizontally and slightly tilted to the left to make the image seem like it is tipping over. This image is a representation of my electrifying social life.

Photograms for Wendy Guinn Malave

Photogram #1 "Jungle Cat"
Whether it is a National Geographic special or just a photograph on a calendar at your local bookstore, there is something awe inspiring about a big jungle cat. Take your pick, leopard, panther, jaguar, tiger, it really doesn't matter they are all worth taking a second look at. You don't have to be a cat lover or even an animal lover to appreciate the scene. I believe that a jungle cat appeals to both male and female alike. My theme for this photogram was to capture the feeling of the amazing power of a three hundred plus pound cat walking silently thorough the jungle. My cat was a cardstock cut out from a Microsoft clip art. I used the leaves off a rose bush in front of my house to create the jungle. I exposed the paper for six seconds.

Photogram #2 "Office Supplied Flowers"
This was my first idea and I almost scrapped it when I put my creative hat on and started thinking about others. I revisited it for several reasons. One of my better ideas didn't translate onto paper as well as I had hoped. I'm sure many can relate to that! The second reason I went back to it was that my initial reaction to coming up with something artistic on my own was to panic. All I could think about was elementary school drawing which is still all I can do. I ultimately decided to just go with it and so that became my theme if you will for this photogram. I took basic office supplies, such as rolls of tape, pencils, and pencil top erasers to create some flowers that reminded me of childhood art. They look like the flowers that mothers all across the country patiently magnet to the front of the refrigerator and display with pride. My first attempt came out light so for my final, I exposed the paper for 7 seconds.

Photogram #3 "Voltage"
I was looking at some of Chelsea's photographs before class the day of the assignment and noticed that she had a funny one of a sign warning of possible electrocution. I work in the technical operations section of my job so we have batteries for everything. One day somebody that I work with thought it would be funny to stick the opposite ends of two nine volt batteries together and leave them on my desk. I came back and heard this weird hissing noise. The batteries were turning around in circles on thier own and getting very hot. Not a genius this guy, but they will let anybody work in a government job these days. Anyway, I was sitting at my desk thinking about photograms instead of working when somebody came in wanting a nine volt battery. Every time someone wants a nine volt, I remember the smoking batteries from years back. This in turn caused me to think of the photograph I had seen earlier. To make a short story even shorter, that was the inspiration for this photogram. I used D size, AAA size, AA size, and of course 9 volt batteries along with some cardstock cut outs of lightening bolts to create this photogram. I exposed the paper for six seconds.

Wendy Malave

Photogram Statements

When you arrive at this page, look in the top right corner of the screen to see if you are signed in - if you are signed in, you should have the option to create a new post. Just click on 'New Post' and fill in the rest. Once you are finished, click "publish post" and that is it.

To reiterate, for next class you will turn in the following:

1. 3 typed paragraphs (written about the final 3 photograms you will present in critique).
- While the theme that runs throughout each may be similar, you should be prepared to discuss the physical make up of the image (objects), the compositional aspects of the image (how they are arranged to create negative space, balance, leading lines, etc), and conceptual elements of your image (what you intend to communicate to the viewer, what your arrangement of objects means to you on a personal level, and so on).

2. Blog Entry of 3 paragraphs
- Please do not wait until the night before to post these entries - you will benefit in critique by giving your audience some time to read your ideas.

3. 5 total photograms - 3 final to be discussed in critique
- It is possible that your ideas will change or have changed since doing your sketches, and that is okay. Feel free to change it up, but give yourself time to be thoughtful of these ideas.

I have posted the lab hours on the page as well. It is longer than I thought initially!