Revised Multimedia Poster

This is a poster created by  my group member, Vina Kong. We have selected it as the official choice to submit and represent our photography group. I like the color scheme and the cut-out style of our portraits.

The above poster is my original creation, just for fun. I tried to go out of comfort zone and create something new, innovative, and refreshing. I laughed a lot while making it.

Photo League Questions

1. What was The Photo League's credo?
   "The camera was more than just a way to record reality, it was a device that could change the world."
2. What organization did The Photo League separate from? It separated from Frontier Films.
3. What was the workshop? The workshop was an event in which respected photographers taught people who were eager to learn the art of photography. The only requirement to join was a camera.
4. Who taught "the workshop?" Sid Grossman taught the workshop.
5. If you were to devote one year of your life to one project, what project is worth your time and energy? I'd volunteer to work in animal shelters, because there are hundreds of thousands of pets out there without love.
6. What was The Harlem Document?
   The Harlem Document was a group of 5 people that photographed the experience of living in Harlem.
7. Who started The Harlem Document? Aaron Siskind started the Harlem Document.
8. A photographer discusses a photograph where "the children looked like they came out of a __________ painting. Who was the painter?  Caravaggio painting. The painter was Michelangelo daCaravaggio.
9. Why did the photograph mentioned in #8 look like it was by the painter?  The childrens' faces were lit up by the sun, and they looked like angels.
10. Who was Lewis Hine? (name two significant contributions) He was the official photographer of the Empire State Building, and he also took part in changing the child labor laws of the U.S. through his photography.
11. Who was Weegee? Weegee was the pseudonym of Arthur Fellig. He was a photographer on the Photo League.
12. How did The League change when The Nazis took power? After the Nazis took power, many refugees flooded into the U.S. Several talented refugees ended up joining the League.
13. How did The League change during WWII? Female photographers began taking on a larger role in The League.
14. How did Siskind change after WWII? He introduced the concept of abstraction.
15. What was the Saturday Evening post? The Saturday Evening Post was a photojournalist magazine that focused on American history.
16. Who was Barbara Morgan? What did she photograph? She was an American photographer who specialized in taking pictures of dancers.
17. What eventually undermined the Photo League? Photo League members were blacklisted as suspected Communists.
18. What was the "Growing Menace" mentioned in the film? The "Growing Menace" was another term for Communism.
19. Who agreed to serve as President when The League was under investigation? W. Eugene Smith agreed to serve as President.
20. What happened to the league? Angela Calormiris testified that Sid Grossman tried to recruit her into Communism, and consequently, the Photo League disbanded.

Multimedia Festival Poster

Music Poster Assignment

Elements of Art - Shape

Period 1 - Semester 1 Final

1. My favorite photo from the Lens slideshow is picture 7 out of 9.  The first thing I love about the photo is the dynamic colors. The many balloons in the photo give the photo a sense of whimsical curiosity.
Second, I like the depth of field. The blue balloon is at the immediate forefront of the photo, while the rest of the lit spheres are descending further into the background. Even farther off in the background, you can see spheres that have blurred into bokeh. This gives off the feeling that the objects are fading away from the subject, into the background.
The third reason is that the colors of the spheres are in a perfect contrast with the night background. The illumination of the balloons has a distinct disparity from the darkness of the backdrop.

2. Photo 8 out of 9 is the best because of three reasons. First, the swimming pool gives off the illusion of depth of field without the camera creating it. The further the divers are submerged, the more blurry they are. I find this unique and interesting in concept. 
Secondly, the intentional breaking of the rule of thirds. All but two of the divers are lined up exactly on the middle line, which is a general taboo in photography. The best photographers intentionally don't comply to the "fixed" rules. 
The third reason is the use of diagonals. The four swimmers in the middle create a chevron, which is an intersection of two diagonals. This gives off a feeling of balance of the subjects.

3. My best work this semester is [ this photo ], the shallow depth of field assignment.

My first reason is the usage of the shallow depth of field rule. I personally love bokeh a lot and I was thrilled that I had finally learned how to create it. Second, I believe that the colors and the background interact perfectly. The bright red of the leaves is highlighted by the glowing sunshine in the background. Third, it offers a new perspective of Mission San Jose that I never knew existed before until now. 

4.  Rule 1: Golden Ratio, akin to the thirds rule. The golden ratio is approximately 1:1.618 in photo aspects. 

Rule 2: Viewpoint, the general perspective of the photo.

Rule 3: Texture, the physical exterior of a subject or any other object.

5. 

This photo applies to the Texture, Golden Ratio, and Viewpoint rule. The subject is aligned to the 1:1.618 ratio, the walls provide a texture, and the framing by the building provides a unique inverted perspective. 

6. Your first rule is to form a personal connection with the subject. Without a proper understanding of the subject, a photo is nothing more than a snapshot with no meaning. You especially emphasized this during out portrait assignment, in which we worked with someone from another group. 

7. The benefits of working in groups are:

1. Communication and brainstorming which leads to the development of new ideas.

2. The ability to receive feedback from your fellow group members. 

3. The necessity of planning and time-management. 

4. Dividing up the work per each individual's talents and strengths. 

5. The personal interactions initiated by projects. 

8. The detriments of working in groups are: 

1. Carrying the weight and responsibility of more people than yourself. When you cause your group to fail, you carry the guilt of ruining their project as well.

2. Unequal participation. 

3. Arguments that occur when people have conflicting opinions.

4. People work and learn at their own individual speeds.

5. Lack of knowledge can be obscured by group members. Individuals would not need to have complete understanding of a topic, just their share. 

9. My favorite project produced by another person in the class is [ this photo ], the imitation album cover by my friend Sharon Hsu. I really like the colors and overall lighting of the photo. 

10. Gordon Parks was my photographer. He was the first African American photographer to work for LIFE Magazine. He brought his own experiences into his photography, exposing the world to the human reaction towards segregation and racism. 

11. "Migrant Mother" was Dorothea Lange's most popular photo. She took the photo in Nipomo, California, in February or March of 1936. She was employed by FSA (Farm Security Administration) at the time.

12. LIFE Magazine began publishing on November 23rd, 1936.

13. Elvis was born on January 8th, 1935.

14. Robert Capa founded Magnum in 1947. 

Rolling Stones Album Project

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-beatles-please-please-me-20120524
Album Number 39

Masters of Photography Project Reflection

1. How do you think your project represents your work as a student?

I believe that this project represents what I've learned in Digital Photography in the past 5 months. I had to exercise the idea of establishing a connection with the subject in order to reach the level of Gordon Parks' works. All the lessons I learned, whether about personal growth or degrees of focus, came into play during this project.

2. How has your understanding of photography changed during this school year?

I've learned more about photography techniques, as well as the human perspective within photography. I never thought about how important the relationship between the photographer and subject is until I began taking photos myself. I think I've also improved in terms of translating my ideal intention into artistic expression. 

3. What are some of the benefits of working in a group?

I think that our group works in harmony. We all pitch in our own ideas while being respectful of others' opinions. Our discussions are ultimately the source of our work's knowledge and creativity.

4. What are some of the disadvantages of working in a group?

There weren't any problems within my group, but I guess I could say that the fact that I had to simultaneously take photos of my own and serve as a subject was time-consuming.

5. Now that you have had more time to reflect, is there anything that you would have done differently with your recent project?

Given a second opportunity, I think I would have started working earlier. I'd also try to be more organized by creating a set schedule for the project's photos. 

6. Is there anything else that you want to include?

Not really, no.