Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Top 5 Photos

The top 5 photos we have chosen from the gallery " An Embedded Photographer Empowers the Poor" by James Estrin were: 15, 27, 9, 5, and 7

Friday, February 13, 2015

Movie Monday - The Photo League



1. "The camera was more the means of recording reality, but it was a device that could change the world" (Ordinary Miracles) was The Photo League's credo.

2. The Photo League separated from the Film and Photo League.

3.The workshop was in-depth studies of New York's ethnic neighborhoods and recreation areas.

4. Sid Grossman

5. If I were to devote one year of my life to one project, the Harlem Document would be worth my time and energy. It showed that the underprivileged living conditions of others, and gave me opportunities to help them.

6. The Harlem Document was a collaboration between 5 photographers who took pictures of people, culture, and lifestyles of Harlem.

7. Aaron Siskind

8. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

9. The photographer looked like it was by the painter because the sunlight illuminated one of the kids, making it seem like that kid was special.

10. Lewis Hine was an investigator for the National Child Labor Committee to illuminate the horrible conditions of child labor. He was the official photographer of the Empire State Building to capture the photos of the Sky Boys.

11. Weegee was a pseudonym of a photographer, Arthur Fellig. He was a member of the Photo League. He focused on murder and mayhem. He taught Photo Leauge classes about freelance photojournalism and flash photography. He was considered a loner and the quirkiest, least hygienic photographer of the Photo League.

12. The League changed when the Nazis took power because many talented refugees from Europe (ex. Austria and Germany) left Europe to avoid Nazi rule. They began to take part in the Photo League but face more difficulties not faced by American photographers in the Photo League due to being considered "alien".

13. The League changed during WWII to support the war effort by featuring war production and parades for departing service men. Because many male Photo League photographers left for WWII, female Photo League photographers helped keep the Photo League going. Many Photo League photographers who joined the war were able to photograph the war firsthand.

14. Siskind changed after WWII by focusing on the chance encounters, which brought the concept of abstract expression to photography. He changed from focusing on the social realism for Harlem Document to abstract art.

15. The Saturday Evening Post was an American photojournalism publication that featured some of the Photo League photographer's photos.

16. Barbara Morgan was an American photographer was a member of the Photo League. One of her photos was featured in this documentary Ordinary Miracles. Her photography focused on modern dancers.

17. The Photo League was eventually undermined by being included on a government list that included alleged Communist, Fascist, ad anti-democracy organizations. All of the Photo League's photographers were blacklisted.

18. The "Growing Menace" was the Communist ideology that could spread like an epidemic.

19. W. Eugene Smith agreed to serve as the President of the Photo League when it was under investigation.

20. The League ended when Angela Calomiris, a member of the Photo League and an undercover FBI informer, testified that Sid Grossman recruited her into the Communist Party., She testified that the Photo League was an organization of Communist and radical ideology.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Period 1 - Semester Final

Final Exam, Digital Photo
January 21, 2015
Periods 1 and 2

Create a blog post titled Period 1 - Semester Final. When finished, send the finished post by email with the same subject.



  1. What is your favorite photo from this Lens slideshow? Provide three reasons that it is your favorite. Out of the nine photos, my favorite picture is the seventh one with the acrobat from the NightFest Light Show at 2014. The vibrant neon lights in the pitch-black background really pops out and keep the main subjects in focus. The combination is put together in perfect balance in color. I personally like how it demonstrates the depth of field with the blurry blue light on the right-side corner . Most importantly, it is my favorite because the picture gives a sense of motion and movement of the acrobat in the photograph with the neon bowling pin stopped in midair.
  2. Which photo is the best? Provide three reasons. In my opinion, the best photo from this Lens slideshow is the second photo out of the nine. The picture strongly captures the mood of the Syrian Kurdish family while crossing the border. Again, this picture also demonstrate the depth of field with the blurry policeman on the left side of the picture and the out-of-focus people in the background. The asymmetrical composition is balanced with the arm on the right, which somewhat could pass as a leading line to the main subject.
  3. What is your best work this semester? Include the blog link. Give three reasons why this is your best work. If you had more time, how would you do to improve the project. I believe my best work for this semester is the first photo I submitted for ATPI Photography Contest with the following link :http://sharonhsuphotography.blogspot.com/2014/10/atpi-contest-photos.html Personally, I think this is my best work because it took more than just simple photography skills to get the picture. I needed good personal relationship with my friend's Golden Retriever first. Our interactions have to be good enough that she wouldn't get angry at me when I am close to her while she is enjoying her meal. At the same time, I really liked how the composition turned out in the photo. The bone Ursie was holding serves as a leading line to her face. The photograph's color tones is warm, which gives of a mood calmness and coziness with warm satisfaction.
  4. You chose three rules of composition. What are your three rules? My three rules of composition includes: framing, symmetry, and depth of field. Framing is a composition rule in which the main subject is isolated from other parts of the photo by surrounding the main subject with a closed frame. Symmetry is a composition rule in which the photograph is balanced out by the property of being the same or corresponding on both sides of a central dividing line. In photography, depth of field is the distance in front of and behind the subject which appears to be in focus. A camera can only focus its lens at a single point, but there will be an area that stretches in front of and behind this focus point that still appears sharp.
  5. Select one of your own photos that illustrates your ability to apply at least two of the three rules. Insert the photo into the post and label the picture. Clearly include the two rules of composition that you are using.
Chocolate Covered Vanilla Ice Cream
    This photograph I took clearly shows the two rules of compositions I've mentioned earlier. The icecream picture ,taken with my Canon T3i Rebel Camera, shows the depth of field and symmetry. 
6. I have three rules of composition. I have explained one already. What is my first rule?
The first rule in our class is to have personally connections with the subject.
7. What are the benefits of working in groups? Provide a list with five benefits.
   a. Able to provide constructive criticism
   b. Peer editing
   c. Break complex projects into step by step
   d. Receive social support from each other.
   e. Refine understanding through discussion and explanations

8. What are the difficulties of working in groups? List five difficulties.
   a. Unequal participation, some group members may do more work than others
   b. Conflict of opinions or ideas
   c. More workload with more people
   d. Misunderstanding people's intentions
   e. Going off topic
9. What is your favorite project produced by another person in this class? Provide the link to their work.
My favorite project produced by others in the class is Jessica Kam's Inspired by the Masters project:
http://jessicasdigitalphotos1.blogspot.com/2014/12/blog-post_17.html



A little history

10. You studied a master photographer and reproduced his or her work. Who was the photographer? What did the photographer contribute to the field of photographer? List one significant contribution. Our master photographer was Eugene W. Smith. He contributed to the field of photographers by working side by side with the Army and documenting the World War. All his photographs have became important records for one of the major events in American History.

11. What is Dorothea Lange's most popular photo? (Does the photo have a name?) Where was the photo taken? When? What agency employed Dorothea when she took the photo?
Dorothea Lange's most popular photo is the "Migrant Mother." Yes, the photo does have a name. It was a photograph of  Florence Owens Thompson and her children in February or March of 1936 in Nipomo.

 12. When did Life Magazine begin publishing? The Life Magazine ran weekly since the year of 1883 and was re-bought on Nov. 23, 1936.

13. When was Elvis born? Elvis Presley was born on Jan 08, 1935.

14. Robert Capa was a founding member of what organization? When did it start?  Capa co-founded Magnum Photos in Paris with David "Chim" Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and William Vandivert. The organization started in 1947.