Vincent Laforet

       When looking through Vincent Laforet's photos, I noticed first that he has a lot of images that are taken with a birds eye view, especially of cities. This is just one of the many examples of images Vincent has of gorgeous cities from above. When on the ground, we normally take in a few details at a time from wherever we are standing. Rarely do we get an opportunity to see the lights of a city from above and be able to look at it all at once to fully understand just how magnificent they are, not just small portions at a time. From this particular view one can see the busses and the people, along with the vehicle headlights swirling around as the cars change directions and speeds through the busy streets.

Gregory Crewdson

For this post, I decided to look into the work of Gregory Crewdson. Born in New York, he photographs American homes and neighborhoods. I decided to go through his photographs and get a feel for his work when I came across this image. I should explain that I love the creepiness of clowns so it should be no surprise that I instantly loved this image. I first noticed how solitary he was sitting in the dark room with a few dim lamps and the harsh glow of the TV. I got the feeling that this was a sad older man whose career as a clown is failing and is forced to live in cheep hotels or a small apartment. I saw the bottle of liquor on the table and got the feeling that this clown is struggling and is using alcohol to function in his stressful life. The stuffed animal on the floor suggests a loss of fun and childhood magic in his life, or a loss of ability to make children laugh. The pictures on the wall in the bathroom could be pictures of him during happier days so that he can look at them instead of his sad expression in the mirror every day. He appears to be very trapped in his life and is unsure as to where to go from here. This photograph has a lot to tell and I really enjoyed picking it apart. 

Multiples

     These are the two photos I took for the multiples/self portrait project (assignment 4). The first was in my living room, featuring me with vodka, a ps3 controller, a laptop, and just leaning against the couch watching tv. This is basically me on any night when I am bored and do not feel like being in my bedroom. The second photo is taken in my kitchen, featuring me cleaning, getting in the pantry, pouring more vodka, and doing dishes. I love eating, cleaning, and drinking while cleaning so this is also me on any given night when I am not stuck at work. My pjs in both photos are what I wear when I am home: baggy, soft, and comfortable. I hate wearing people clothes when I am at home.
     The first photo was my first attempt at a multiple photo and did not turn out so well. Notice how the far right character is blurry, and the feat at the bottom are messed up. My camera kept moving, so it was very difficult to make this photo work. I may have to redo it this weekend if I have time and can find some more help with the camera. The second photo is my second attempt, and it turned out a lot better. The camera was still, so I was able to merge and move the photo easily without any problems. I also did not have any blurry photos, so that was a plus.

My Parent's Trip

     My mom and dad left yesterday morning for Malaysia; where they will be staying for two years. My mom has spent the past few months feeling sad that she is leaving myself and my brother behind. She has been very stressed and unsure about how I will be housesitting for that long. I wanted to capture her on camera right before she left; but not just her, but her love for her family and all the hard times we all went through over the past few years. I decided to get her in front of the pictures of my brother and I as we grew up, with a suitcase in the background to show her departure. They were blurry, but I got a few photos of my mom making silly faces and having fun spending time with me. Its weird being home without my parents around, but its nice knowing we got to play around with my camera before she left.

Portraits

  



     These are a few of the portraits I took for my assignment! Aerial, in the top left corner, is wearing her "Still Standing" t-shirt outside of the J. Scheidegger center at Lindenwold University. "Still Standing" is the non profit organization she started to help victims of sexual assault and prevent attacks from occurring. She is a fabulous person and I was glad that I got to hang out with her.
     The child in the top right corner was taken by accident when I was trying to get a picture of the polar bear. I was surprised at how good the picture came out to be for a mistake, so I tried to get the mom's attention to make sure it was ok that I had it. Since this was taken at the zoo, she was busy and hurried off. My professor said that it was ok that I had it, so I am relieved. I love how the child's innocence and wonder is captured in this photo while looking at the polar bear swimming. Such a small human next to a huge bear!
     The picture in the lower left hand corner is of a mom outside of the zoo bathroom. I went up and she agreed to let me photograph her for class. She smiled for this photo, but before I went up to her I could tell that she looked frustrated and stressed out. After I left I glanced back and saw her with a whole group of small children.
     The final picture is of a girl I met while looking at the lemurs. They are my favorite, so I was happy to capture this girl next to them. She said she also loved these furry creatures, so I called this photo a double win!

Lighting in class

In class today I had my first attempt to shoot with the lamps and reflectors. Sadly, I did not take the time too really set up and take the light into account to get the exposure right. I was pretty frustrated, but I am hoping that I can practice more in the future when there aren't so many people around and I am feeling better. So far in this class, I think light is something I really struggle with when taking photos. It is also frustrating how easy people make photography look; it is much easier when I am in a room alone trying to teach myself then having a bunch of people around watching. On the bright side, here is a picture of a sleeping gerbil. 😃

 

 

Sunset after rain

These are a few photos I took after it stopped raining and the sun was setting one day. The top two photos are outside of my house, while the bottom is outside of the 7/11 on Mexico Road. I was really impressed with the light that was coming out from behind the clouds in the top photos. Normally the sun is already down by the time I wake up, but with the daylight savings I am now awake to see the sunset. It is so great to be able to capture this on camera.