Sonia's Photo Workshop

More Artists For You To See

2007-11-11T19:31:00.000-05:00

During our meetings, I mentioned some of the following artists to you. Click on their names to learn more.

Adam Fuss

David Levinthal

David Meanix

Andy Goldsworthy

Portrait/Self-portrait Slide Show

2007-11-05T23:37:00.001-05:00

Click To Play

How Are They Different?

2007-10-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

Thomas Joshua Cooper

Ansel Adams

Light & Shadow Slide Show

2007-10-16T08:26:00.001-04:00

Your next assignment is an expoloration of light and shadows.

First, I want you to study light for a day or two. Just notice it--when is it strongest? when is it softest? how does it make you feel? does it remind you of anything? how does it describe objects/people/places? how does it create a mood? does it create a mood?

THEN, I want you to expose two rolls of film in which you concentrate on using light symbolically. Think about what you want to say/convey.

Remember that one of the goals of this course is for you to discover through photography what is meaningful to you. This is more challenging that learning all the technical stuff.

Due next week: 2 rolls of film, exposed, processed, and contact printed.

Light & Shadow Slide Show

2007-10-16T08:24:00.000-04:00

Click To Play

Composition & Framing

2007-09-26T11:50:00.001-04:00

Titian's The Rape of Europa

Robert Cappa

Eliot Erwitt

Eliot Erwitt

Larry Towell

Class Discussion: Adams, Meatyard, Winogrand, Modica

2007-09-19T12:46:00.000-04:00

Ansel Adams, Mouth Lassan from the Devasted Area, Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park, 1945

Before title

in focus
complex
depth: foreground and background
shades: definitive colors
happy
harsh/tension
two focal points (tree, mountain)
looks frozen
all encompassed in picture

After hearing title

actual place
more narrative
sad
what you focus on determines mood
lighting
factual/focused on a place�

Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Untitled (Zen Twig), 1961

Before title

not in focus
simple
flat
blended color
shadowy
drowsy
one focal point (twig)
movement/bending/ghosting
only twig/everything not included

After title

not a specific place
a thing, not a story
more tranquil
idea of something/forces feeling
eye travels along line (twig)�

Gary Winogrand, New York, 1968�

woman waving down a cab
two girls
divided into three worlds with curb in the middle: sidewalk, curb, street
contrast of light
hard to find focal point
relationship of women and children—foreshadowing?

Compared/contrasted with Andrea Modica image below

very defined
busy
clear
more contrast
lots of shadows
movement through lines on street and angles
angular and mechanical
moving yet no motion�

Andrea Modica�

boy in motion
white dog in background
arms are missing
blurry/ to show motion
boy is bent over/curved

Compared/contrasted with Gary Winogrand image above

less clear
drawn further back into the background
less busy
muted
gray
more organic

What Makes a Pinhole Picture Good?

2007-09-19T12:11:00.000-04:00

Here is the list you came up with during class:

GOOD (the pictures you selected)

asymmetry
flat
painterly
dreamy
hazy
distortion
changing scale
curvy
ghostly
abstract
clarity
composition that draws you (the viewer) in

BAD

too much going on
no main focus

VIDEO: Pinhole Camera Construction

2007-09-12T20:57:00.000-04:00

From Negative to Positive

2007-09-12T20:43:00.000-04:00

So, now that you know how to make paper negatives, how do you turn them into positives?

1. At the enlarger, open the aperture (lens opening) so that you have a lot of light coming out of the enlarger.

2. Dial your filter to #3 or place a #2-3 filter in the enlarger (flip the door—remember to turn the enlarger off before doing this).

3. Place your negative face down on a fresh piece of photo paper—remember to place the pieces of paper emulsion to emulsion (shiny side to shiny side). Sandwich with glass.

4. Set your timer to 5 seconds.

5. Cover all but a strip of the paper with an opaque object (cardboard). Expose for 5 sec.

6. Move the cardboard so that you are exposing another strip of the paper. Expose for 5 sec. again. Keep this up until the entire sheet has been exposed for a range of time (5–30 sec.)

7. Develop the test strip.

8. Choose a time where your picture looks the best (not too light, not too dark).

9. Place a fresh, bigger piece of photo paper down and expose the entire negative for the time you determined to be the best. Process paper.

10. Evaluate the print to see if you need to adjust the filter. If your print looks too gray, increase the filter to increase the contrast; if your print looks too contrasty, decrease your filter to lower the contrast. We will discuss filters in more detail soon.

Good luck!

MADE IN POLAND: CONTEMPORARY PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY

2007-09-11T09:21:00.000-04:00

Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Brant Gallery, South Building, 3rd Floor
621 Huntington Avenue
September 17—October 12, 2007
Gallery Talk: Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 3 p.m.
Reception: Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 5–7 p.m.

As photography becomes ever more high tech and digital, photographers around the globe are turning to the pinhole camera—a lensless, deceptively simple yet surprisingly versatile alternative to mainstream technology. The seven artists in this exhibition are all from Poland, the site of much exciting contemporary pinhole photography. Their pinhole images range in mood from whimsical, witty, poetic, and mysterious to slyly subversive.

Long-time, Boston-based pinhole photographers Jesseca Ferguson and Walter Crump had the privilege of exhibiting their own pinhole images in Kraków, Poland in 2005. As curators of this current exhibit, they are pleased to bring pinhole images and the artists who made them to Boston.

Office Hours

2007-09-06T11:32:00.001-04:00

My office hours for Fall 2007 are:

Wednesdays, 6-6:30 p.m. and by appointment.

Pinhole Picture Inspiration

2007-09-04T21:37:00.001-04:00

Here are some pinhole images by photographers I like.

Barbara Ess:

Ruth Thorn-Thomspon:

Christopher Bucklow:

Pinhole Camera Construction

2007-09-04T21:34:00.001-04:00

Here are instructions on how to make a pinhole camera—just in case you've misplaced the handout or want to share with your friends.