Intro to Photo

A final photo from my computer of me right after submitting my final college assignment. I guess this means I'm going to the real world?

Zoetrope             A zoetrope is a tool used to create some of the first animations in history. Invented in 1834 by William George Horner, the zoetrope uses a cylinder with slots cut into the side in order to animate a strip of images on the inside of the cylinder. Milton Bradley Company eventually gained the patent for the zoetrope around 1867. With this patent, the zoetrope was brought into homes across the country as a child’s toy. How I built my Zoetrope             When I set out to build my zoetrope, I wanted to see if I could design and build it without using any instructions online. First, I used cardboard and made a disc with a 12-inch diameter in order to have about 37 inches in circumference. Through trial and error, I eventually used a string and some tacks to make my disk. Once I had the base, I cut out some cardboard to make the walls, and complete m...

Just the view walking across the Genessee.

Just relaxing

A classic picture of Rush Rhees

For this project, I decided to entitle each work separately with the name of the subject. I wanted this work to be somewhat intimate, allowing the pictures to speak for themselves. For this project, I simply asked each subject how they would like to be photographed. These are the results. Tate Nate Erik    Sean Rachel Tarek      

http://willrobsonscott.co.uk/portfolio/people/ I found this work by Will Robson-Scott fascinating as it makes me feel a real connection with the subjects of the photos. I especially like the photos where the subject is locking eyes with the camera, they make me feel like I am intruding on their life in a way that I find fascinating.

During my visit to the George Eastman House Museum, an exhibit on animation caught my eye. Thus, I decided to focus on the history of animation for my presentation. Since ancient times, humans have been fascinated with the idea of animating stationary images. While primitive, the methods have evolved from drawing multiple sets of legs on an animal on the wall of a cave, to the sophisticated techniques of today. In between, there have been multiple major breakthroughs that I will summarize here. In the 17th century, Magic Lanterns projected series of images onto walls as a form of entertainment. These were some of the first examples of rudimentary projectors. In 1824, Sir John Herschel created the Thaumatrope. This used persistence of vision to make 2 images seemingly combine when a disk was spun. In 1831, the Phenakistoscope was invented which uses images drawn on the same radius between slits. When spun before a mirror, the images seemingly moved. The next big leap came in 1834 wi...

         A selection of photos from my spring break trip to New Orleans, LA, and Pigeon Forge, TN.

View of Niagara, ON with the sun shining through the skyline.

Wasteland opened my eyes to the power of photography and art as a tool to help people find their voice. The movie showed me how important it is for people to see themselves positively and how becoming a part of a project that is meant to bring light to someone's situation can change their lives forever. The work in this movie not only shows the world the plight of the pickers, but also how such a small gesture, like including the pickers in the art process, can give them a voice and change their perspective and empower them. In summary, watch this movie because it can and will change how you see the world of modern art and life in the modern world.

Night on the frat quad.

                                                                                                            This project, entitled Drifting Away, comes from a roll of film which developed improperly. When I developed the film, there was a sort of "ethereal haze" in a lot of the images, but I wanted to try and develop them. After the first image came out, I liked how the imperfections made the viewer focus more on the subject. The title comes first and foremost from the image with the balloons, but expanded to make a statement about how things in life can ebb and flow - and can ultimately drift away.

A view of the Grund neighborhood from Luxembourg City.

  Just an assortment of pictures took on my long weekend trip to Colorado.

College Daze As college students, we are assailed with stereotypical images and ideas of ourselves in almost all media. My photograms are supposed to portray many of these stereotypes in a single place by following the course of a stereotypical day, making us think twice about how these stereotypes may accurately or inaccurately represent ourselves. In summary, these images are supposed to make you question the "work hard, play hard" idea of a typical college day. My inspiration for this work came from my day to day life, as well as the work of Michael Flomen, who uses nature for his works. Although not directly related in my work, I tried to think outside of the box and get creative like he does. This work was made using objects found in my daily life and using photosensitive paper and an enlarger.

The ominous nature of the clouds overlooking the smokestack caught my eye, and therefore it is the photo of the week for this week.

I woke up this morning and really liked the way the light was filtering through the window and contrasting with the darkness of the room.

Perec - This short piece speaks volumes about the potential uses of photography. The idea that the news sensationalizes day to day life resonates with me, as I am an avid news reader. I also think it is an apt social commentary about how people are looking for an escape from the daily minutia and how the news fills that void with the "excitement" of a crash or hijacking, and also makes people feel better about their lives because they aren't facing said tragedies. I think that the ability to look at the actual, normal day to day activities in life (and through a lens) and make it meaningful is a true art form. Heiferman - This piece delineates the potential power of photography and its unique adaptability as a medium. The thing that struck me the most was the fact that one of photographies many uses is to, "...Change[s] what we remember..." When I think of a photo, it is a sort of immutable truth. You have the picture in front of you and you see what happened ...

I took this photo at my ski race this weekend. I thought it was an interesting way to juxtapose the individual with the team (seen in the reflection).