Critique Exercise

Sandy Skoglund - Revenge of the Goldfish

Descriptive Critique 

The image is of a bedroom that has many goldfish. The bedroom itself is entirely blue. Some of the drawers of the dressers are open, the bed is messy, and one of the pillows is on the floor. The goldfish around the room are in different places such as the floor, suspended from the ceiling, laying on the dresser, and coming out of the drawers. They are not all the same goldfish because I see some in different positions as well as different sizes. Also, on the bed, there are two people who have their eyes closed. One person is laying down while the other person is sitting up.

Joel Witkin - Portrait of Nan

Interpretive Critique 

Overall, this is a very confusing image to me. The grungy feeling achieved in this photo makes it look really frightening. The woman is so calm that it simply doesn't make sense for her hair to be that way. The way it is nailed to the wall in different pieces looks painful, yet she sits there perfectly content. The only item of clothing she is wearing is her gloves, which says to me that she doesn't want to get her hands dirty. It is almost like she is living in sinful place but refuses to be a part of it. The arbitrary appearance of the curtain on the wall could be interpreted like there was once a window, but it has long since been boarded up. The tiny skeleton could be death lurking in the background. I find it interesting that this skeleton is turned away as if death has turned its back on this woman. A few things I can't possibly place are the dots on her chest, the "T" looking form overlapping her, and the small animal she is holding.

Alfred Eisenstaedt - The V-J Day Kiss

Is this a good photo?

I believe this is a good photo because it captures the spontaneity of the kiss. The two frontal figures are in focus like they should be. There are people in the background looking at the couple as well. Smiles are everywhere giving the photo a lighthearted, happy feel. Distance in achieved as well through the perspective of the buildings receding in the distance. The figures are also conveniently located at the center of that receding focus. The only thing that makes the composition a bit awkward is how there is half of a man on the right side. There is no reason for him to be there. I would crop him out.

Here is the post I found!

The reason this post attracted me in the first place is, just like everyone else, I struggle with creative block.  I have never really found a "solution" to this problem, but these tips seem rather helpful and a bit more productive then just simply waiting until the creative block passes.  They have broken creative block down into seven different categories; the mental block, the emotional barrier, work habits that don't work, personal problems, poverty, overwhelm, and communication breakdown.  I can recall experiencing each kind.  The thing I liked best about the solutions is that all of them were applicable to daily life situations as well.  Many of them involved believing in yourself, relaxing, and getting over your fears of failure.  All of which are great pieces of advice no matter what your problem may be.  I already found this article helpful and it will surely be helpful in the future.

Digital Narrative

For this assignment we had to use our skills of manipulating images on photoshop to create a narrative. I used my lizard as a subject and placed him in my daily life situations. Seeing him in different scenarios in my life really portrayed a lot larger of a story to some people than I assumed it would. I enjoyed this project very much. The final form of this project was a book entitled "The College Life of a Commuting Lizard."

Photoshop UnTruth

The assignment here was to use the tools of photoshop to experiment with the truth. I used myself as the subject. I edited myself according to the previous comments of others. Everyone has been made fun of one time or another. I used the comments on my physical appearance and changed them accordingly to make what people said a reality. 

Keep in mind these images are a progression.

The first image is me as I am.

The second image I simply took away blemishes.

The third image I made my eyes smaller.

The fourth image I made my nose smaller.

The last image I made my forehead smaller.

The reality is that, if I ever "fixed" my face based on peoples comments I wouldn't be a better looking person at all. Hopefully this speaks to how cruel comments made on a daily basis shouldn't hold any weight at all. People are beautiful the way they are. The second people begin to change what they are beauty begins to fade.

Composite image artists

Some links I found!
http://www.redbubble.com/explore/composite+image
http://digitalphotobuzz.com/digital-composite-photos-and-art
http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/digital+composite+art/all
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tutorials-effects/100-artworks-from-the-top-digital-artists-in-asia/

Here is a video I also found interesting.
http://digitalphotobuzz.com/creating-a-creative-digital-composite