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Research Post 8 

Edward Weston was born in March, 1886, in Illinois but spent most of his childhood in Chicago. He got a Bull’s Eye camera from his dad and started to take photos at the age of 16. He originally started to take photos of the parks in Chicago and the farm that his aunt lived on. He moved to California after publishing his first photo in 1906. He realized that he needed to actually train to become a good photographer, so he joined the Illinois College of Photography in Effingham in 1908. After 6 months and finishing the photography course, he moved back to California. He started to work as a portrait photographer and was really good with posing and lighting. After marrying, he opened his own portrait studio in Tropico, California in 1911. Weston gained a lot of recognition for his high key portraits and soft-focus style. He had gotten many magazines to publish his work and he was even getting recognition internationally. In 1922, he switched up his style and began taking abstract images of form and made the images sharper and more detailed. He mostly takes photos of close-ups, nudes, natural forms, and landscapes. He likes to show off the details and textures of the objects with close-ups. In 1923, he had moved to Mexico City and had opened up a new studio but he only stayed until 1926 and moved back to California. He loved to take photos of the American West, and went along the coast of California. To places like Point Lobos, where he took photos of the rocks and trees. In 1936, Weston was the first photographer to get the Guggenheim Fellowship for experimental work. His works have been exhibited at very big museums like the Smithsonian and MoMa. After many years of taking photos, he had to stop because he had gotten Parkinson’s disease but his sons still helped him with his prints. He still worked until he died in 1958, with his sons still working on his prints after his death. 

I really like Weston’s work. Most of his work is in black and white. The lack of color really helps his images because the viewer can instead focus on the details of his subjects. It’s interesting how he takes his photos, especially his close-ups. His close-ups focus on the form of his figures, showing the curves and rough edges. His landscape photos show how the sunlight can make shadows, whether they are harsh or soft, though most of his photos show hard light. I feel like the shadows in his works are the key factor to what makes his images so great. I also like taking black and white images, so his work is really interesting to me. They give me ideas on how I can improve my own works and to focus on the lights and shadows of my images. overalL, Weston is a great photographer with a really great eye for photography in black and white. 

[emilys-photos]

Research Post 7 

Nick Brant was born in 1964 in the United Kingdom. He originally started out by making music videos for big stars such as Michael Jackson. It was during the shooting of one of these music videos in Tanzania, that he realized he loved the animals and landscape of East Africa. His work is mostly based on climate and the disappearance of the natural world because of environmental destruction, human causes and the most prominent one being climate change. In some of his works, he wants to show that climate change affects both humans and animals. He wants to show that the actions that we make have serious consequences that can lead to the downfall of all the species on the planet. This project was called The Day May Break and features humans and animals as the subject in clouds of smoke. His works show humans and animals being close together, all these shots are not edited and the animals are actually in the shot. The 4th installment to this project is called The Echo of Our Voices. These photographs focus on refugee families that fled from Syria, and now they live in Jordan, a country that is scarce of water. They are constantly having to move mostly because of climate change reasons. They have to move to places that have rain for agriculture. Though they are facing hardships, the images portray them as having strength to overcome their hardships. There are blocks that they are standing on to show that they are above their hardships. Most of Brant's work and animal portraits are in black and white, these images are very strong with harsh shadows and lighting. They are shot using film and he tries not to use zoom lenses because he wants to be close to the animals to get a sense of their personality. His photos are completely different from the ones that other wildlife photographers take, which look like they are documenting the wildlife. Instead his images look more like that of a studio portrait photograph. 

I think that Brant is a great photographer and I like the reasons why he is shooting these images. He wants to take pictures of animals because one day they might disappear all together. His work is also great because it looks different from the usual documentary-style other photographers use. I like that he includes humans as well in his images. His images show that it wouldn’t be just the animals that suffer in the end. We are eventually going to have to pay for our own consequences as well. It’s also interesting that he uses a film camera and without using zooms lenses. It must be hard for him to get such close ups without the animals being scared off. Overall I love his work and the reasons why he does it. 

[emilys-photos]

Research Post 6

Steve McCurry was born in 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he studied cinematography at Pennsylvania State University. He was working as a newspaper photographer for a few years. He eventually made his first trip to India, which would be one of many trips for him. He was the photographer who took the picture of the Afghan Girl, a photo that is extremely famous. One of the key reasons why that image was so famous, was because McCurry was able to show the human element through the photo. He was able to get this shot because he had crossed the border into Afghanistan before it was being invaded by Russia. He was able to show how deadly the invasion was by using his photos. McCurry has been to multiple conflict zones ever since. He has been a photographer for over 4 decades and has written more than 20 books. He has won many awards throughout his time as a photographer, one of the awards being the Centenary Medal for Lifetime Achievement and in 2019 was put in the International Photography Hall of Fame. McCurry likes to focus on the human aspect of the world, like individual cultures and the common emotions and activities they share. 

I really find McCurry’s works very powerful. They are vibrant in color and show amazing composition. I like that he will willingly risk his life to get an image. He has very great portraits of people from all over the world. These portraits show the environment that that person is living in. He is great and is able to capture the subject while also telling more of who they are with the background. The people in his photos have such striking gazes and you can see their personality through the photo. He also knows how to take a photo that has a great use of color. Like the photo of the Afghan Girl, where the color of her eyes and striking gazes makes it hard not to look away. Though his photos are the real deal, there is something about them that kind of makes them look fake. Maybe it’s the way that he edits them or the composition of the photos. For my own work, I would like to learn how he is able to use color in the way that he does. Something about it just makes his images really stand out.

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Research Post 5

Paul Nicklen was born in Canada and became a biologist and photographer. He was born in 1968 in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada. At a young age he was able to connect with the wild, the ocean, as well as the arctic. He had lived in those places since he was little, he learned how to live in those harsh environments but had learned to appreciate them as well. He also got his creativity from learning about Inuit ghost stories of creatures pulling kids under the ice. When he got older, he would rather be by himself, out in nature than have to live in a big city. He took comfort from the nature around him and that is where he feels at home. He found his way to a camera because his mom was a photographer and at some point she had let him use it.  He specializes in polar ecosystems. He photographs the polar regions and tries to create a connection between the viewers and the animals, showing how harsh their living conditions are. He is able to capture pictures from below the ice, taking photos of the life down there, something that not many people get the chance to witness. He has worked with National Geographic for 15 years and has created 17 stories with them. He takes photos of marine wildlife and the ecosystem they live in. He has won over 30 awards as a photographer, one being the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Throughout the years, he has pushed for people to make an effort in caring for the environment. He co-founded SeaLegacy, an organization that uses visual storytelling to protect the ocean and places threatened by climate change. He has worked with filmmakers, scientists, explorers, and conservationists to raise awareness to global issues. 

I find it really interesting that Nicklen was able to live out in such a crazy environment. He must have absolutely loved it because he didn’t seem like he wanted to leave and he felt at home there. I feel like not many people get to experience that kind of place, let alone have to live there for part of their life. I love that he was able to connect with nature and find a home with the wild animals. He is very inspiring as he is doing so much to protect the arctic and the ocean. It shows that he has grown such a huge connection with them and cares. He is also a great photographer and succeeds in creating an emotional connection with his images. His work is very beautiful and it shows the harsh environment the animals have to live with but it also shows how global warming is affecting the arctic. I am also inspired to use my own photos to cause an emotional reaction from the viewer. It would help to get people to understand my work. 

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Theme 2 Project Proposal

For my second theme project, I plan on going to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. While making some of my research posts, I noticed that I was drawn toward artists who took photos of animals, so I thought it would be a good idea if I did the same thing. I have always loved nature and animals and that really shows in the pictures I take. I like going out there and trying to find animals that I can take pictures of. For this project I want to do the same thing but focus on animals that are in captivity. I want to learn about the animals that I am shooting, and I want the viewers to learn about them as well. I want to focus on if the animals are endangered and explain why they are in that situation. I want to take pictures of the many different species that they have at the zoo, trying to get their personalities and what they do most days. I also want to try and focus on the species that are most endangered, like the red wolf or the tiger. For this project I want to get up close to my subjects, I want the viewer to be able to see the detail in their fur or feathers. I also want it to seem like they are in their natural habitat and not in a zoo. I would need a zoom lens to take these photos. I will try to get photos in the morning and come back before the zoo closes. I feel like the animals will act differently throughout the day, so I would want to capture them while they do different theses. I would also want the lighting to be different so I can use that to change the mood of my photos. 

[emilys-photos]

Research Post 4

Joel Sartore is a National Geographic photographer, conservationist, and speaker, he has spent 25 years taking photos. He lived in Nebraska and first started taking photos in high school and when he got to college, he switched his majors around but eventually stuck with photojournalism. He worked for the college newspaper and later got his first photo job as a photographer for a newspaper. He stayed at that job for 6 years, he eventually became the director of photography. He found his way to National Geographic by meeting James Stanfield, one of their famous photographers. Stanfield looked at his work and gave him a recommendation to send his work to the Society. He eventually was able to work with them after being very persistent. His advice for getting a job at National Geographic is to be persistent and to offer them something that they don’t already have or is hard to get.  He has been documenting endangered species all over the world for most of his career. He is the creator of the Photo Ark, a project that he thinks will take 25 years to finish. He started the ark in 2006 and uses it to save species and to try and capture photos of every species on the planet that is either in a zoo or wildlife sanctuary. He wants to capture all 15,000 species that are in a captive area, to show them to people so he can get their help in saving these endangered species. He wants his photos to give a voice to all the species, especially the small or forgotten species. He has also written books about the Photo Ark. The project started off with a naked mole rat at Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska, where Sartore lived. He has taken photos of 10,000 species already and has traveled to 60 countries to achieve his goals. 

I love what Sartore is trying to do with his Photo Ark. He is giving a voice to every species and is trying to save them from extinction. Without the animals that we live with, we wouldn’t be able to survive either. Unlike other nature photographers, he is using his skill to go out and try to make a difference. I like that he focuses on smaller or forgotten animals, because they can be overlooked and not cared about. The Photo Ark is the best way to remember these animals, because one day they might become extinct and all we will have of them are these photos to show that they even existed. His work makes me want to go out and try and capture the animals that are living in California, or try and go to zoos to capture images of every animal that is in captivity. I feel like we kind of ignore the species that we live with, especially the bugs and birds. 

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Research Post 3

Steve Winters is a conservation biologist and a photojournalist. He grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and has always wanted to travel the world since he was a little kid, he always wanted to work for National Geographic as well. His interest grew because his dad had National Geographic books that he loved to look at. His first camera came from this dad as a birthday present on his 7th birthday. Him and his dad would both enter a photo contest, where one would win first and the other would win second place. He works as a wildlife photographer, mainly shooting big cats. He has been named BBC Wildlife Photographer of the year and BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year. He has worked with National Geographic since 2006, working on a new project almost every year since then. He has said that he likes using newer technology because it helps him get shots that he wouldn’t be able to capture before. Winters uses a camera trap that is able to get shots without him being there. This helps him get shots of elusive animals like the snow leopard, an animal that is hardly ever seen in person. He finds the perfect place to set up his camera by asking locals and professionals, people who know these animals movements. It’s important to get opinions from people who know the lay of the land and who live side by side with these animals. Winters also says that lighting is important and he wants to light his subjects like in museums. He has gone around making lectures about big cats and conservation. He does his job to get people to care about the world, for them to get excited about other cultures and wildlife. He feels like most wildlife photographers don’t do enough to protect the animals that they are photographing, that they are just there to get a pretty picture. They want it to seem like those animals are living the life but that is never true. He feels that photographers are too competitive with each other, when they should instead focus on their own work and what they are trying to achieve by taking photos. 

I do like Winter’s work. I like that he has a focus on big cats because they can be very dangerous to be around and they can also be difficult to take a photo of. He takes very interesting photos and when you look at them, they do look like they are lit like animals in a museum. Like the animals aren’t real and are stuck with that one pose. He also does a great job in trying to help these animals, as he takes photos of endangered or of animals that are losing their land. He talks about these things and does everything he can to help. I feel inspired to go out there and try and help the animals that are around me, or to learn about what I can do to help them.

[emilys-photos]

Research Post 2

Bertie Gregory is a British filmmaker and photographer. He has worked for National Geographic, documenting wildlife. He has gone to practically every corner of the earth filming wildlife, from the arctic to the desert. He started taking photos at a young age, with a love for nature. He quickly went on to filming his work and at the age of 16 was already shooting along other photographers at the 2020VISION project. After that he won the title of Youth Outdoor Photographer of the Year. He graduated with a degree in Zoology and immediately after went to work alongside Steve Winter for National Geographic Magazine. During that time, he was tasked with filming Steve as he tried to take photos of leopards; this film premiered on Nat Geo WILD in 2016. For his first solo assignment for National Geographic, he wanted to film the wolves on the coast of Vancouver Island. Throughout his time filming and photographing, he learnt how to use a drone, large gimbal tracking work, long lens, and an underwater film camera. He has worked for the BBC, National Geographic, and Netflix. His recent works have been Planet Earth 2, Our Planet 2, Frozen Planet 2, Seven Worlds, One Planet, and Hostile Planet. Gregory offers advice to get into the industry, he basically says that you have to get out there and start filming or shooting. Learn how to market, network, and use social media platforms to get your work out there. 

I really love Bertie's work and the way that he films wildlife. I have also been interested in wildlife since I was a little kid, and it’s kind of what got me into photography. I have watched National Geographic my whole life and loved learning and watching animals move in their natural habitat. Bertie is really great at what he does and he doesn’t seem scared to go to the extremes to get the shot that he wants. He is an inspiration to me because he is where I want to be in my career. He’s going out there doing everything that I wish I could do, he even started at a young age. He does inspire me to try and get out there and take more photos, photos of things that I enjoy shooting. I need to learn how to network like he does, that is something that I have struggled with. I feel like his work does affect my own work. I have been following his work for a while and also get inspired when I see how beautiful his films are. 

[emilys-photos]

Research Post 1

Eirini Androulaki was born in 1990 and lives in Athens, Greece. She became a photographer and studied in Paris, though before that she studied Political Science and History. Her studies were non-linear as she had many different paths she studied in. She focuses on photography because there is a power there that lets her show her creativity and to create her stories. She is focusing on a project called Didn’t Mean to Keep You Waiting. This project involves suicide letters that each person that is part of the project was given one letter to create something based off that letter. Her letter was from a man who had killed himself because he was sick. He didn’t want that sickness to get to anyone else. This letter was from a man named Stylianos Balmetakis, who was a teacher and eventually got ill from tuberculosis. He killed himself in a hospital because he didn’t want to get his family or students sick. Androulaki wants to tell this persons story through photos even though it can never be completed. She wanted to show that his choice was for the safety of others but was also an act that brings a moral dilemma to the situation. Androulaki connects this story to the present as she was creating this project during Covid. She could have felt a connection with the man, as they probably both felt isolated from the rest of the world. She wants her stories to be uncomfortable because that is just reality. She wants to talk about real human experiences like death and illness, because they are unaviodable. Even though she does photogrpahy, she still focuses on her other fields of study. She’ll show political themes in her works, as well as existential and themes of the human experience. The story that she is creating through her photos is technically fictional but there are elements that connect to the man and his story. The images that she took, almost look like they had came from the scene that the cops had witnessed at the time, like she is taking photos when they find his body. 

I do think that this work is very interesting. I do get uncomfortable with talking about death or the fact that it is unaviodable. It is a hard subject to talk about with most people, as some fear this topic. Its very interesting that Androulaki took on such a hard subject and was able to capture the loneliness with her photos. The photos themselves are uncomfortable to view, even if they aren’t real, they are still hard to look at. I feel like I could get inspiration from this work. Some of my photos have a dark theme to them, but it might help to put some emotions into my works as well. I also like that she put in images from her research, images that are from the time and place that the man had lived. It really helps to connect her work with the letter that she is writing about. 

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Theme Project

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Theme Project Proposal

For my theme project, I plan on sports being my theme. I take photos for Reedley College, so this will give me a chance to show my classmates what kind of photos I take. I have been taking sports photos for a while now, so it is something that I am interested in, as well as knowing how to photograph certain sports. I know what my settings need to be for the individual sports I take photos of, as well as figuring out where players will move next. I also want to use this project as a way to better my images, as I will be trying new compositions for my works.

I want to photograph this subject because I want to explore another side of taking sports photos without them being for work. Usually when I take photos, I try to get basic shots or shots that I know will look decent for a pamphlet cover. I want my work to look more artistic, I want my work to capture the movement of the players and how they play. The way I am going to take these photos is by taking them as they happen. I will be going to sports games to capture the players in action, and to also get their emotions during the games. I am allowed to be on the sidelines or to the side of the court where I will be able to get better shots of the players. I am allowed there because I work for the college. I will be using my work camera that has a telephoto lens. It will allow me to get close up shots of the players, while also being able to slow down their movements. 

I want people to see what kind of sports photos I can take. I want them to see the different movements each player has as they move around the court or field. I also want the audience to see their emotions, if they are struggling or happy that they won. 

[emilys-photos]

Went to Disney Land last weekend for my best friend’s bachelorette party. It’s one of her favorite places and it was the first time that I��ve gone since I was a little kid. They had Halloween decorations up already.

[emilys-photos]

Went to watch my nephews play soccer for the first time. He was playing good for his first game.

Everyone is cheering for my nephew who had just made a score.

My other nephew wasn't really into the game and would just stand around while the other kids played.

My family went out to get food after the game.

Later that night, I went to a friends party for her wedding that is happening in October.

The next day, I was feeding my chickens. One of my chickens sneaked in to get a little bit of food before I could feed them all.

Chickens wait as I refill their water container.

One of my uncles came over from another state, everyone loved the lasagna that he made.

Had my own plate of lasagna, was one of the best that I had.

At the end of the weekend, I watered all my plants. Here's one of mine that is planted in a small bathtub.

[emilys-photos]

Hi everyone! My name is Emily, I originally got into photography when I was in high school. One of my friends was in a photography class and convinced me to take it too, and I absolutely loved it. I now major in photography at Fresno State, where I hope to learn and experiment more. I currently work as a sports photographer but my real interest is taking night, landscape, and animal photographs.