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4.) In the first picture as you could see from the original photo it was captured in a bright setting, and in a not so crowded background making his message easy to read as people pass by. Although it was clear about the message he was trying to tell the people, however, I wanted to emphasize it more and make his message even louder. So in the edited picture, I darkened everything else but his message, leaving its original colour the way he designed it to. The darkened background simply means not to mind where the picture was taken, the people behind it nor the man holding it and solely focus on the message on his board. In the edited picture, I would say it would neither confuse nor misguide the audience even without seeing the original picture, because it is edited in a way that gives emphasis on the message on his board,  making it louder and louder for the people to read and understand. But if I were to change the message on his board, it would still not confuse people, because they haven’t seen the original one.

5. When talking about ethical news media this extends to the topic of journalism. There are hundreds of codes of conduct and statements made by media and professional groups outlining the principles, values and obligations of the craft of journalism. The five principles are truth and accuracy, to give the “truth” is not a guarantee but to get the facts right is a must. Second, independence, journalists must have their own voice. Third, Fairness and Impartiality, stories have two sides, regardless of which side stories should be balanced. Fourth, humanity, journalists must cause no harm and must be aware of the impact of the words and images on the lives of others. Lastly, accountability must be held accountable for one's actions, a sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability to hold oneself accountable (Five Principles of Ethical Journalism, n.d.). In this picture, it checks off humanity, since in this image there was no harm done to the person in the picture and to the lives of others. This photo could be used by the news media since the photo just simply gives a harmless message to the people.

6. Art photography and press photography both have something in common and that they are captured photographs that tell a story. A press photograph is only captured for a specific purpose, may it be for a magazine or newspaper company whose focus is on the current events. This may also be used as visual support by allowing the “pictures to tell the stories as they happened” (Gordana Iccevska, n.d, p.6) along with wording to further explain the story. Art photography, on the other hand, solely focuses on one’s creativity (Press Photography VS Art Photography, n.d.). As for which photograph is art or pressed, I would say the original picture is the press photograph, and as for the edited picture, it would be the art photograph. The original picture captures the raw story while the other one was edited according to how one saw would fit the story.

4.  For this picture, some of the changes that I made are the tone and the setting of the picture. I placed a filter onto it to make the picture more cinematic and dramatic. Since he plays the drums in order to ask for donations, why not emphasize it more so I added some paper bills as if they’re falling from the sky to further emphasize that as he continues to play his drums people will continue to drop their donations. Criticizing the edited picture without seeing the original one, I would say people would get confused as to why it is edited in such a way because, with the original picture, the story you could see from it is just the Duckman playing drums and waiting for people to drop some donations. In the edited picture, what I am trying to achieve is the emphasis that just continues playing your drums and people will donate money.

5. In regards to the five principles of journalism, this shows the principle of truth and accuracy, it is a fact that he is the “Duckman” and that he plans to ask for donations. I would say it would just be right to publish the unedited version of the picture because it gives you a more raw story.

6.  In my opinion, when you compare press and art photographs, the press is more on the unedited side because you want to be as candid as possible when relaying a story through photos.  On the other hand, art photographs are the edited version, for it is a form of self-expression through the art of photography. Between the photos, I would say the unedited one could be considered as a press photograph, while the edited one is an art photograph.

Reference:

Five Principles of Ethical Journalism. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/who-we-are/5-principles-of-journalism.

Press Photography VS Art Photography. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://karolinagbphoto.blogspot.com/2011/03/press-photography-vs-art-photography.html.

KerteszCartier-BressonFromShootingTheTruthGordanaIccevska.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzaG9vdGluZ3RoZXRydXRofGd4OjRmNDAzZGZlNjZmMDhkYmE.

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DB 3 (Week 3) Can art be mechanically reproduced?

- When something is reproduced for so many times is that art? What's the importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art? What was the impact of mechanical reproducibility on the society?

There are three ways to reproduce art - lithography, serigraphy (silkscreen) and now, digital. I don't know that it is fair to call the first two mechanized and digital not. They are all mechanized in their means of production now. In fact, it is probably only the first two that are likely to be done by hand if someone wanted to be "old school" about it and pull out a stone or a real screen made of silk. Each of these techniques can reproduce different things. One is not particularly superior to the other. Lithography can get fine detail but isn't very good at vivid colour. Serigraphy gets a bright colour, great textures and heavy impasto, but isn't very good at the complex, layered painting. Digital can reproduce detailed layered painting and vivid colour - and I was recently informed that the new ink sets are finally able to get impasto effects, so that is a recent advance. Many artist's works could not successfully or accurately have been reproduced until digital reproduction came along due to technical limitations. So, this is one big change.

- Is photography art, or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?

Photography is art. People say that it is not because it's too easy, or the camera makes the image, or anyone can do it. None of these are true. There are many, many photos out there that are NOT art. Art through photography is not easy at all. I have been studying and practicing it for three years now and I still haven't put out something I find worthy of being called 'art'. As for the argument that a camera is not a living thing and it is creating the photograph, that is not true. The photographer is creating the photograph. The camera records the image, but the photographer is the one capturing the emotion or beauty of the moment. Photography is art, that is a fact. Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some people don't like that medium. Just because you don't like it as much as, say, a painting, doesn't automatically make it not an art form.

- How and why Henry Pitch Robinson created Fading Away? What was the reason?

 Henry Pitch Robinson created Fading Away by using the five negatives in this one photo. It shows a girl dying of ingestion (known as tuberculosis) and depressed family members surrounding her. Robinson created this photo to portray the true and painful human experiences the family had to go through. It was very rare for photographers to take depressing photos like this one.

- What is the main point of Walter Benjamin's article?

Benjamin promoted the view that photographic reproduction of artwork (a poster or a postcard for example) was of higher social value than the original (which one is compelled to view in a gallery) because the artwork in question could be possessed and enjoyed (very democratically) by the art lover in a time and place that suits them. Benjamin’s premise that a copy was of higher social significance than an original had a profound effect on postmodern thought and has influenced (in one way or other) several late-20th-century art movements, including Pop art, Feminist art, Conceptual art and Appropriation Art.  Whereas high art needed the intervention of an art expert or critic to explain its true meaning, Benjamin was an admirer of Hollywood cinema because the sound film could be enjoyed collectively by the public without the need for a critic to explain its meaning: “the greater the decrease in the social significance of an art form,” he said of the Hollywood film, “the sharper the distinction between criticism and enjoyment by the public.”

- Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?

Mechanical production has created a revolution for digitalizing art and photography. Digitizing is becoming more common and everyone is depending on computers to edit images, videos, etc. Whether it’s to change the contrast, brightness, sharpness, and quality of a picture or to alter sounds, effects, and clips, in a video. Software products are being introduced in the markets such as new and enhanced versions of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Elements or Premiere that allows us to digitalize an image or video. The possibilities are endless

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