Annie Leibovitz: life through a lens

       

                    Photo From takingthehelloutofhealthcare.com         Photo from thegirlskeepcomingtothecanyon.tumblr.com

The film about the most famous photographer Annie Leibovitz, was interesting not only because of the extraordinary story of her career, but also because of her unique approach to the photography.  In the beginning of the film, she explained how she finds the subject for her work. For her, whole surrounding environment is a subject. She never aspires  to be a photographer of a certain kind or field. From shooting for glitzy covers of the Vanity Fair magazine she switched to shooting destroyed cities and damaged people during the war in Sarajevo.  A photographer must have an open mind while working. Annie Libovitz is one of the best in her field because she explores and shoots everything and doesn’t limit herself with similar types of subjects.

  The second point in the movie was that, the one Iconic image can set a certain trend in the whole industry. Leibovitzs photo featuring Bette Midler coon the bed of roses, is a good example of this. The photo was shot for the Rolling stones magazine and as said in the film, it has escalated a tendency of doing set up shoots in the future.

 Leibovitzs photography is based on the statement “truth lays in the simplicity”. Her ideas are sometimes  sound very simple. However once these theoretical ideas are applied to the image, the masterpiece is created. For example, before shooting the famous blues brothers portrait where their faces are painted blue, Lebovitz was criticized. Vanity Fair administration thought that the idea was too  ‘obvious”. However that same picture became one of the most famous images shot for the magazine.

Youtube Video

  A video by Phil Samson and Olly Williams features many film techniques . The main character is an office worker who accidently discovers a black hole in the paper he just copied.

 One of the most prominent features of the video is the effective balance of color. The whole setting  is shot using  dull, grayish- blue tones and yet, the main character is wearing a white shirt, which makes him stand out and draws viewer’s attention to him. At 0:24 a paper with a black whole appears on the screen. The bright white paper and saturated black color are so different from the whole color harmony of the video, that a viewer instantly gets that this objects is of a critical importance.

 The clip also uses the cutaway shots. At 1:26 the man gets a candy from the vending machine and the next shot is of him eating it while the part where he opens the candy package is skipped. Also around 2:04 the man is taking money from the safe and yet the viewer sees how the piles of money keep adding up on the floor instead of  the character, taking them out one by one.

  At 1:04 the skit features a jump cut. The size of the image changes, however the camera shoots from the same angle.

 The sizes of shots are constantly changing from close ups to medium shots to wide angles. For example at 1:26 there is a wide shot at 1:27 a medium shot and at 1:30 a close up.

 There are a few strategically used angle effects in the video. For example at 0:44, when a subject looks at the paper a camera is placed lower than a subject which creates an impression of someone watching him from the printed hole.

  The most effective side of this video is the smooth flow of the sequence. Almost Each shot involves a change in both image size and camera angle. The rapid transitions from one shot to another, doesn’t make the video boring to watch yet, at the same time it is not destructing. Also the framing in the video makes an effective visual statement. For example the final shot where the white safe is framed with the doorframe.

 Even though the clip is very well made, there still are a few things missing that might have made the skit better. There is a lack of leading lines that direct viewers eye on the certain subjects. For example at 1:34 the man sees a door and the camera just zooms in the door. In order to create the leading line, it would be better to shoot this scene with wider shot, so that the viewer could see the floor. This would create the effect of a path going to the door. Or it would be better to change the angle of the camera so that it would show the profile of the man and than shoot the scene with the wide shot showing the man looking at the door.

Group Project

   From the beginning of the work, our group project progressed in a smooth way, without any inconveniences or problems. Even though our topic was ‘frustration’, we tried to avoid it during the work process as much as we could and managed to achieve our goal due to everyone’s punctuality and good working habits. When it came to taking pictures, we debated whether it would be better to work together or separately, and finally decided to part ways to explore our creativity. We didn’t settle on what kind of genre our photos would be. It was up to each group member to choose weather she took something that directly referred to the given word or to be more creative and give a viewer something to think about. To place three different photographers in a group project might have seemed like a bad idea. Some of us were worried that the images wouldn’t go well together and cause confusion during the presentation. However, the decision to split the photos turned out to be successful. First of all, each of us had fewer photos to work on; this gave us the time to explore the options and to focus our energy and dedication fully to the images that were ours. Also, separation helped us to save time and complete the assignment in a more efficient period of time. Before we started working, Jill suggested taking many photos and picking our favorites for the presentation, so as a result, we experimented a lot while photographing our models. As a group we could have given more such advice to one another. Nevertheless, the whole experience turned out to be very interesting. Our different approaches to the word “frustration” gave the project diversity. The images are shot according to each of our points of view, which, at the end, creates an interesting ensemble of 10 photos about one topic.

    From this assignment I have learned that it is important to be able to look at things, the photos in this case, from another person’s perspective, as creativity is something subjective and individual.One of my favorites in the presentation is Lisa’s photo. It’s midterms week for many of us, so the combination of the books and homework with the word “frustration” is very relevant. The technique of using the books as a frame helps the notebook stand out. The way books are stacked on top of each other brings in repetition and makes an image very symmetrical. The bright green pen is a central figure of the photo, and its vibrant color brings more life to the image.

Chapter 6 reading response

           

The image from www.theinspirationroom.com       

     One of the largest clothing corporations, Benetton, has been exercising a very controversial marketing scheme for years.  Frequently, Benetton Ads feature disturbing or offensive images that are not relevant to the product they are selling. In other words, they are using shock advertising in order to increase their sales. Such action raises the issue of ethics in the communications business. Sometimes major companies just use sensitive topics and personal tragedies in order to benefit themselves. The history of the one of the most shocking Benetton Ads is a good example of this type of marketing. 

  In 2005 Benetton used a photo of David Kirby, an AIDS victim surrounded by his mourning family during the last moments of his life. The photo originally was published in Life magazine and attracted Benetton’s advertising teams attention after it won multiple international awards. So only after the photo turned out to be successful source of attention and became well known internationally did the company consider using it.  According to Kirby’s family, they allowed the company to use the photo because they wanted to raise AIDS awareness around the world (P8). Even though the representatives from Benetton stated that the purpose of the ad was to inform and spark a commentary about the serious issues, the company didn’t educate the viewer about the disease at all. The posters didn’t include the phone number for AIDS information or any other detail that would tell the public more about AIDS. They simply had a Benetton logo on it. This once again proves that the purpose of using controversial images is not to spread a positive message or to raise awareness, but to make more profit for the company.

   The shock advertising brought Benetton over $100 million in nineties alone. It is effective and they have continued using it while the ethical side is ignored. Unfortunately, Benetton has developed ways to justify the publishing of such images. For example, after using Kirby’s picture for commercial purposes, Benetton executives donated $50,000 to the hospital that took care of him, in order to imply that they were trying to make a difference in curing AIDS. However, as mentioned above, the ad itself didn’t have any reference whatsoever to Kirby or his story.

  The chapter’s section called  ‘Criticism and the industry’s response’ is about the public relations field, the field of communications in general, and how sometimes professions in this field get a bad reputation. The main argument of this section is unfortunately very vague. It says that the industry is filled with many bright and intelligent people that will not go against ethics and use access to the pubic in a bad way. It also mentions the Public Relations Society of America and the code of ethics it established to better the industry. However, as mentioned above, companies still manage to increase their profits in the most unethical ways. The main problem is stated in the beginning of this section; The PR department of companies frequently hide their commercial intent from the viewers, and use the guise of trying to educate the society and to promote the charity. Nevertheless, in most of these cases the interest of the company comes first.

Newseum Trip

The gloomy and rainy day depicted in the photo emphasizes the overall mood of Tom Garnish’s work  “Philadelphia’s homeless” shot in 1986 in the streets of Philadelphia. Walter, a homeless man, is having his meal while sitting in his only shelter, a carton box.  

              Image from www.Flickr.com 
The back wall of the box serves as the concept of visual hierarchy called value contrast. The dark surface of the carton creates a contrast with the man’s figure. The wall’s boldness makes the curves on his coat and face more vivid making the main figure stand out. Tom Garnish used the concepts of composition, such as the rule of thirds. This concept is made obvious by the fact that Walter in not at the center of the image which leads to the subject of unequal spacing in the photo. 
    Walter is sitting by the edge of the photo while the background and the rest of the scenery almost take the whole space. In his book “Photo, Idea, Index”, Jim Krause mentions that the unequal spacing gives the viewer “something extra to consider while looking at the subject” (p76). This statement becomes fully realized in this photograph. One can say that with this background, Tom Garnish broke the busy backdrop rule, which states that one shouldn’t place subject against a busy backdrop especially if the subject itself is visually busy (P42). In this case we see a visual exception since the “crowded” background is what makes this picture stand out. 
   The background conveys a number of interesting messages.  In the photo, Walter sits on a sidewalk with a ridged and rough surface, contrasted by the other side with lined wood or stone, which creates a perfectly polished surface. By capturing the repetition of lines of the first surface the photographer draws the attention to the sharp contrast and difference between the harmoniously organized visual textures of the one side to the uneven texture of the Walters side. This detail underlines Walters’s role as a social outcast who is not allowed to walk on the ‘good’ path and is just left aside. 
   Tom Garnish uses this technique of 'implying a story' in the photo. On the top of the pole under which Walter is sitting there is “No parking “ sign. This detail once more reminds a viewer of the status of a homeless man with an understated dark humor. He has no place in the society, no place to ‘park’. The photo is shot by wide shot because it depicts not only the subject but also the surroundings. Also backlighting technique is used in this photo so that the subject seems to be put between the light and the camera. 
   Human kinetics plays the key role in this piece.  Krause mentions the term “Visual Sentence” which means that one can convey a mood or a message of the photo by depicting a certain action. Walters whole body is hunched over the plate, his eyes and his whole attention fixed on the food. It is remarkable how Tom Garnish, by capturing this one position introduced the viewer to the number of emotions and feelings: the desperation, the hunger, relief, loneliness. Human kinetics is also used in other part of the photo. Garnish chooses to mask the identity of the people walking on the smooth path behind Walters. An umbrella hides them, a symbol of the shelter and protection Walter doesn’t have. They remain blurry figures in the background. Their backs are turned against him, which highlights the indifference they experience towards the main figure in this photo. Tom Garnish managed to depict the reality in an emotional and visually stunning manner. He caught a moment that we all see every day, but rarely pause to think about. Capturing a variety of emotions and contradicting aspects of our society, Tom Garnish told a whole story in just one picture.

Photoshop assignment

     For the first image, before Photoshop I used PowerPoint’s effect “edge work” for the black and white effect and combined it with another photo (photo of my hand).
In Photoshop I used:

•    Increased shadows 68%, increased highlights 75%
•    Saturation +34
•    Filters-sharpen edges
•    ploto filter-sepia

 

                  Second image:   

 

•    Levels increased +23
•    Exposure  +0.19
•    Offset  -0,00551
•    Curves: 115 output, 126 input
•    Select color: reds- cyan-100%, Magenta _28%, Yellow +35%, Black +9%
•    Filter: Sharpen edges
•    Liquify: Mesh color-Magenta, Mesh size- medium

 

 

           Third Image:

 

         

•    Match color: color intensity reduced to 67
•    Replace color: Fuzziness -51, Hue-44, saturation +37 ,Lightness +5
•    Filter-Artistic-Ink outlines: stroke length 17, dark intensity 48, light intensity 43
•    Photo filter: deep yellow 14%
•    Sharpen edges

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