Proposal for Photography Writing

My audience consists of general interest and photography interest readers. I currently write for local newspapers and could approach them for a feature. The subject would be new. As a rule I do pitch story ideas and can self-assign, but it would have to relate to a place of interest. I could tweak my Photography Makeover article and use it as a reason to set a course for a day trip with photography in mind. I'd like to post the Wiki assignment to Wikipedia! It will be a good exercise in following guidelines and Wiki protocol!

I would send them links to the posts I'm interested in expanding as a start. Also I'd post to a few photography forums I already belong to for online publication.

Photography Makeovers: Snap Happy Users Embrace Innovation

Please re-read Wiki piece via link below.
Feedback welcome.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1a2QbC91KYtc1UwRDU5aV9yRmc/edit?usp=sharing

'The Harvest of Death' Union dead on the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania July 5-6 1863
by Timothy O' Sullivan

'The Hand of Man' by Alfred Stieglitz

Photography Makeovers: Users Embrace Technology As Matter Of Fact

Photography in its most basic form is a method of capturing light onto a surface and recording a permanent image. The invention took decades to enter mainstream production, beginning with scientific curiosity and chemical trial and error. Once established, however, photography usage increased over time, growing in popularity. The photographic image became the cornerstone of visual communications and the content served as catalyst for conversations in multiple industries such as publishing and the arts industries.

Photography from its beginning to present, has steadily adapted to evolving technologies. As film production made traditional wet plate photographic processes seem clunky, instant photography known as Polaroid one-step process now seems a predecessor to Instagram photography, which is as ubiquitous a visual medium as the devices that create steady streams of imagery. 

The photography medium got off to a slow start. Early 18th century French physicist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765-1833) and Louis Jacaues Mandé Daguerre (1887-1851), French Painter, are most commonly attributed with the invention of photography. Lesser-known experimentation by Johann Heinrich Schulze (1687-1744), German physicist and medical professor, is noted for discovering the darkened effects of silver nitrate upon exposure to light in 1727. 

Another notable photography pioneer include the works by Thomas Wedgwood (1771-1805) who is credited with making the first photogram, or 'sun picture' by placing opaque objects on a sheet of sensitized paper without fixing them, meaning the light impression would fade if exposed to bright light. 

Daguerre and Niépce would resolve the transient nature of fading images through experimenting with chemicals that would allow the image more permanence from fading using bitumen, a mixture of hydrocarbons. In 1816 Niépce combined photosensitive paper with the camera obscura in (circa,1826-1827), and created a permanent image. 

View from the Window at Le Gras, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce     

Photography during this time revolutionized portraiture for the masses. Working people couldn't afford to commission fine artists for a family portrait as was customarily being done by the wealthy class who did so with ease. 

Photography could provide a portrait likeness that was more affordable. The process was a bit tedious in the early years. Bulky equipment was needed and while that worked well for landscape work, portraiture required subjects to sit still for long exposures. Apparatus was used to hold the head in place and worked ok for adults. Children were more difficult to capture and explains why some daguerreotypes show movement in subjects. 

Photographer Unknown:

 Hooded figure holds child steady.

Often seen in Victorian portraiture are hooded or draped figures appearing 'hidden' behind the pictured child. Underneath the fabric an adult, most likely the mother, would hold the child to keep them from moving.

As photography use grew from popular daguerreotypes to landscape[1], to war coverage: Mexican-American War (1846-1848); (Crimean War 1853-1856); and Civil War, the medium became associated with recording facts of human activity: judicial, scientific and industrial. 

Photographer Unknown: Mexican-American War (1846-1848) General John E. Wool and his staff after the capture of the city of Saltillo in early 1847. The troops marched 900 miles across the desert from San Antonio, then linked up with General Zachary Taylor's forces to fight the Battle of Buena Vista. 

This documentary approach helped to give photography an ‘objective medium’ stigma which was used liberally. The realism did not deter creative and entrepreneurial types who used photography as a tool to interpret beauty. 

A photographic ‘style’ concept was born and was referred to as the ‘Pictorial’[2] approach, a term coined by Henry Peach Robinson (1830-1901). Robinson, taking full creative license delved into photomontage, which drew antithetical views against photography as a representation of truth. 

Henry Peach Robinson pioneered the use of combination printing to form a single image; thereby creating early photo-montage. "When Day's Work is Done" is a combination print constructed from six negatives. Robinson attached two negatives together with a sheet of glass and from three printings of each pair he created the final image. The complications of trying to produce a large range of various tones of illumination for the cottage means that a seam between negatives can be discerned where the light wall meets the dark shadows of the room. Discussing this image, Henry Peach Robinson said: "One of the best models I ever employed was an old man of seventy-four. He was a crossing-sweeper. I should never have accomplished one of my best works if I had not seen him sitting at a table in my studio, waiting, till I could talk to him. I not only saw the old man there, but mentally, the old lady, and the interior of the cottage...The old man, by his attitude and expression, gave the germ of the idea; the old lady had to be found, and the cottage built, but they appeared to me then quite visibly and solidly." Caption information via http://www.arcadja.com/auctions/en/robinson_henry_peach/artist/24640/

Despite countless comparisons to traditional art, the medium survived critical comparisons to 'art' and became known for being its own unique genre. 

Similarly, as daguerreotypes filled a social need, the Polaroid camera filled a need. When inventor Edwin Land first introduced the one-step camera in 1948, it provided 'instant' photography to the masses via immediate access to the picture without the fuss and skills needed to develop film and prints in a darkroom. 

The parallel between the initial photographic popularity of (daguerreotypes) and Polaroid instant photography exists in that both technologies were embraced quickly for their respective time periods. In 'Instant: The Story of Polaroid'[3] writer Christopher Bonanos explores the implication of eliminating the lab technician from the equation of creative photography. Photographers could shoot nude imagery without fear of infringing on privacy issues. Of course this option was available to any photographer who developed their own film and prints, however as commercial applications grew through exploding advertising and photojournalism markets, the photo lab industries also grew. 

At the rapid pace modernity progresses Instagram further supports not only society's comfort level in accepting innovation, but rather its level of expectation that seems to have risen over time.  

Fast forward to 2013, Instagram, the social networking online photo-sharing app, and now video sharing too, enables users to take pictures with smart phone and tablet devices, apply creative filters to the photo (files) and instantly upload them to Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler and other linked social platforms. 

Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and first launched in October 2010 and has shown incredible success. With 130 million active users with over 45 million photos uploaded daily, Instagram is available on both Android and IPhone mobile platforms. 

Age or money is no longer an obstacle to creativity. Film costs have all but disappeared as more people have accepted digital photography as the norm. Digital cameras and mobile phones are affordable and most people have both.

The time for getting creative with photography has come into its own, particularly with social platforms for photo sharing. Will your images be seen with many others and become part of the mosaic that makes up the web?

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[1] http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?topic=all&collection_list=EarlyLandscapePhotog&col_id=200

[2] http://www.moma.org/collection/theme.php?theme_id=10161

[3] Instant: The Story of Polaroid © Christopher Bonanos 2012 Princeton Architectural Press

Layers Are Not Just For Cake: How to composite images

No matter what field you specialize in, the tools you use to help you do your job are valuable. For a photographer the tools are aplenty but it wasn't always that way. Before digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop, a photographer needed a good understanding of exposure in order to produce a good print. No matter the equipment, it's always the user and their level of expertise that will yield the best results!

Image #1

Image #2

There's a two sided conversation about technique in photography. Too much technique and a photo becomes more about process than what a 'true' photograph is (or should be). Photography is a process. Any enhancements tools help rather than hinder an image. The only exception to those terms is documentary photography. When photography is used for reporting purposes, the images should be as accurate a recording of the subject as possible.

For creative purposes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To make enhancements to one plain image I'll composite it with a second image using Adobe Photoshop. The two images combined will result in one final 'artsy' image.

Step 1: Select two images. One should have some texture to it to create interest.

Step 2: Using Photoshop open both images using (File | Open) commands from the menu bar. Check the image size of each file to make sure the resolution is the same for both via the (Image | Image size) from the menu bar. If resolution sizes are different choose the file that has the larger file size and size to match the smaller of the two.

*Note: if you intend to print the final file, as opposed to
displaying it on web platforms, make sure the resolution is at least 150 pixels per inch for a up to 8x10 print. If a bigger printout is desired use 300 pixels per inch. Most digital cameras have file size settings to select large for larger source files.

Step 3: With one image selected, go to select all function under Select on menu bar. Then copy it (Edit | copy) and paste the selection onto the other image (Edit | paste).  The result will be two layers on one file. 

Step 4: Open the Layers tab under Windows from menu bar. Select one of the layers by clicking in one of the boxes. Whatever box is highlighted in blue is the active layer.  Play with the adjustment choices for each layer by choosing from the drop down menu until you find something you like.

For the selection of adjustments to the grass image Subtract looked the most interesting.

On the right of the Adjustment drop down menu choices, an opacity bar allow for further levels of adjustments. The Subtract choice made the brown color blue and reminded me of 'Starry Night' by Vincent van Gogh. The grass image looked like etching against the white space from the tree image.

Step 5: Inspired by the color blue and the idea of 'Starry Night,' I created the yellow moon burst. For this last effect create a new layer by clicking on the far right arrow adjacent to Layer in the Layers window. A pop up window will appear and select create new layer. For simple shapes go to the perforated rectangle on the tool bar and hold it down until it changes into the elliptical marquee tool (oval). Press and drag the oval tool onto the new layer. Go to the tool bar and double-click the left box on the bottom to activate a color picker. Select a color to fill the oval shape. I chose yellow to match the feeling of a yellow moon. To fill the shape with the selected color, go to (Edit | Fill) and the shape fills with the color! To create a crescent shape, create another layer with a second oval shape. Use that second empty oval and position it over the first oval and cut out part of the first shape using (Edit | Cut).

You can continue to explore different effects and levels of adjustments. Once you are happy with the results, it's best to 'flatten' the layers. This collects all the separate layers and condenses the files size. To do so, go to the Layers tab and scroll down to (Flatten | Image).

The resulting image looks nothing like either of the two separate shots but serves as example of composting more than one photograph with others to create something entirely unique.

The possibilities are varied depending on how many images and layers are used combined with adjustments for each element.

'Starry Night' Vincent van Gogh

The idea is to have fun and explore the process! Don't be intimidated by the software.

Like any new tool you've never worked with before, the more you explore the PhotoShop program, the more you'll see what the editing features have to offer. It's through practice that a user learns the tools. One final word, always save the new image with a different name.  This preserves the original file info in case you wish to use that again. Think of the original file as though it were a negative. You wouldn't want to destroy the source. The new files should be a work in and of itself.

What I most liked about this image was the color blue. It reminded me of Gogh's work. Think how a classic artwork would look if it were done using Photoshop.

Tempting Fate For Fame and Fortune

If Fail video humor makes us laugh, then it stands to reason the opposite, safety content makes us serious, or at the very least, smarter. Take the TV series Jackass for instance. The program aired on MTV from 2000 to 2002 and was counted among the best 100 shows in 'The New Classics: TV' from 1983 to 2008 ranking 68th by Entertainment Weekly. The genre described as Reality Comedy, reinforced a trend where participants performed dangerous stunts to illicit audience reaction mostly from shock appeal.

Daredevil moves weren't anything new in media. To the contrary, stuntmen like Evil Knievel based his career on dangerous maneuvers which often resulted in injuries. Knievel's knack for recovery kept him actively entertaining audiences for fifteen years.

The idea of horseplay as entertainment perplexes me. While fail content is not entertainment of the stick-em-up spaghetti western kind, or doesn't offer the finesse of a Quentin Tarantino flick, (who by the way draws inspiration from spaghetti westerns!), self imposed risk-taking entertainment stems from the notion that horseplay is survivable and yes, it's funny!

What part of watching people on the verge of concussion or being frightened out of their skins by hiding pranksters behind closed doors, or popping out of inanimate objects such as garbage pails when least expected, is entertaining? The need to shock relies on a fight or flight response rather than a thoughtful one.

Safety video content isn't exactly entertaining. It's not meant for that purpose. That doesn't mean safety videos can't be compelling or entertaining. They can! Think back to your own experience of grade school fire drills. What part of that was most fun? Was it filing out of the building like automatons or reacting to screeching sirens that had a lasting effect?  The siren signaled the behavior  - namely get out  quick or things might get hot. Filming a fire drill would include the before and after states: the cause, (siren), and the desired effect, (kids exiting). A good camera operator would likely capture the excitement that ensued.

A final note, when pranks become fodder for entertainment what does that say about regard for safety? Do high ratings of shows like America's Funniest Video signify people like the ridiculous? Or are they celebrating with injured and embarrassed subjects in their 'fifteen minutes of fame' moments?

Content Workflow: Do You Have One?

Nowadays the abundance of information available via smart phone device, laptop or desktop is enough to render most numb if attempting to keep up. There's a temptation to do so though, why else are people spending so much time online, or rendered neck down, eyes glued to their mobile screens flickering with flying text messages, news feeds and Facebook posts.

I regret a tablet purchase. I bought one thinking I'd use it to access Facebook at work. The interface is annoyingly different than that of the laptop. The texting gets tripped up sometimes and it feels tedious to retype over auto filled, incorrect words.

I hadn't thought the process through when I bought the tablet. It now seems a frivolous and discretionary souvenir of what happens when consumer goods go unused. It's a reminder of what technology is being utilized for and for what purposes.

Process is something landscape photographer Ansel Adams utilized when making images. His process  had a specific purpose in mind -  how to capture a full range of tones that would translate in the final photographic print. Adams formulated an exposure technique for various lighting conditions called the Zone System. This took time and research - something technology today seems to offer up easily.

I can't imagine what Adams' process would be today, not to mention what he'd think about Instagram photography. I suspect he'd find a method for using the smart phone device optimally. Ultimately whether the tool is an expensive professional camera or an IPhone,  it's the end result - namely the image, that's what comes from the process.

At some point every photographer takes a position on how digital technology has either helped the craft or is injuring the industry as a whole. Being a hybrid artist, I welcome any new tools that add to the end result. I'm not a purist when it comes to art works. The only exception I uphold is not messing with the image when it comes to photojournalism. Art expressionism and creativity is one thing - documenting an event is quite another.

Technology is the tool. It is the user that needs to come to terms with how to implement the machine into your life. How much technology do you need and how will you develop a workflow so that the process (how you use email, computer, social media, photography) doesn't overwhelm you? That is the challenge we all face.

The conversation whether a image is worthy of being called a fine art photograph reminds me of 'Art is in the eye of the beholder' conundrum.  Not every image is art no matter how many filters are applied, just as not every Facebook update is going to garner 'likes' and reposting by connections.

Content has become the new social currency. When creating your own, keep it authentic and meaningful to you.  Find your workflow as you've found other strategies that work. Using time wisely and where your interests lie is a great first step.

Devil’s Advocate and Humor

Social media has spawned an entire genre called memes and 'viral video' content. Why are memes and ‘silly’ videos so popular?  People like to laugh and poke fun at themselves. A simple way of understanding the purpose of a meme, or the kinds of videos voted on during the America's Funniest Video program prove that stupid humor has appeal.

According to the 1stwebdesigner site, “An Internet meme is a cultural phenomenon, spreading like a virus, traveling from one person to another swiftly unit it takes on a life of its own.” That same understanding can be applied to a video that’s gone viral, on the platform that seems synonymous with ‘viral,’ YouTube.

I believe the popularity stems from a few qualities, like shock value, or that it’s fun to see mishaps happen to others. Maybe it makes the viewer feel better, that the accident couldn’t happen to them. Or maybe they see stupid behavior and it triggers a release that involves relating to the mishap and being able to laugh by sheer disassociation from the mishap.

Humor is subjective. What's funny to you may be insulting to me. Take this video for instance. What would you say is amusing about it? The idea of a grown person sitting on a child's swing? Can you tell what's going to happen before it does, and does the idea of the inevitable, (fall, crash, kapow) make the clip funny?

There's no regard for safety in this kind of content. What about liability? Did the swing manufacturer warn about weight limits? If the user disregards the warning, and gets hurt, what then? Oh, I know, I'm a bummer being so serious. It's just a few kids just having a little horseplay.

One aspect of accident or 'fail' videos shows people their most vulnerable. Why that is amusing is beyond me. It's not a new phenomenon.  The Three Stooges or the cartoon, Road Runner and even Warner Brothers Looney Tunes Tweety and Sylvester always featured bullying and beating up between the two. Perhaps seeing the worst case scenarios viewers appreciate the safety of their own remote position and could laugh at the absurdity of such intentional acts of attack and self inflicted harm.

I couldn't very well end this post on a down note. Here's a sample of a meme-like video. Funny?

Social Media | Digital Divide

For as much as I've learned about connectivity using social media, I've learned just as much about disconnection and apathy. I am admittedly a news junkie and if I could,  I'd be hooked up to NPR all day. It's information that educates, that informs that tells me what is happening in the world. Today is not a good day - people are being violently assaulted because they have an opinion.

What's different about today?  In some parts of the world, today is about disruption. Not the industry specific kind that comes about as a result of technology. That's what is so sad. The very tools referenced in 'Groundswell' by Forrester Research executives Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, that emphasize emerging social technologies, also show a disinterested, audience who may feel what's happening in Turkey right now "Doesn't effect me!" Facebook doesn't show many posts in my network, even though I'm connected to several journalists and otherwise empathetic people.

What started out as a protest to stop bulldozing of Gezi Park, an open green space, turned into scenes of activists being hosed down by military in what looked like open warfare. In the instant when violence breaks out, social media works well to transmit images, video and twitter feeds, but in a long view, of civil unrest, where does social media contribute to telling the whole story?

It' s only when a bomb goes off in Boston, or a giant structure like the the World Trade Center, falls down, or a hurricane torn town out west do networks light up with 24-hour coverage and Red Cross calls for help. After the crisis, traditional media such as broadcast cable television or a documentary video seems to do a better job. I want to know what the outcome is as much as I react to the immediate devastation.

There's room for both technologies - traditional corporation models like broadcast media, and newer, more instant communications of social media. There shouldn't be an either, or. Each fills a purpose and together would serve the public as well as the stockholder. That business model is not an optimist's hopeless dream, but a realist in a real world possibility.

About The Author

This site is a place where a photojournalist | reporter | blogger | graphic designer and social media user interprets web happenings in order to understand an ever changing technological world - as they relate to her world.

What is it to ‘reinvent’ yourself, to stay employed, to see a child grow into an adult, to return to graduate school at mid-fifties - an otherwise approaching retirement but not-quite-there-yet, time of life?  

A wife, mother, employee, freelancer and hybrid artist, the author approaches life with eyes wide-open, heart ever hoping for connection - not necessarily the virtual kind.

Stay tuned for curious inquiry about living within and without self-imposed boundaries.