Intro to Photography

Frances Cannon's ART116-Intro to Photography Blog

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Final Photography Series!

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Photography Homework 11/4- Part II Pedro Meyer

How does Pedro Meyer’s voice narration in the video impact the project? Would the photographs still work without his voice? What do you think about documenting illness with the camera?

I believe Pedro Meyer’s voice narration adds a more personal layer to the I Photograph to Remember project. By personal, I mean it feels as if someone we know is showing us something incredibly important to them. I Photograph to Remember would be incomplete without his narration which provides a story and framework in which to understand the photographs. Additionally, this narrative allows the viewer to feel more invested in the story in that they have basically been there since the beginning. Interestingly enough, the music (composed by his son, Manuel Rocha) and narration may make this project somewhat of a performance art piece. All of these elements work in tandem with each other to create a project all the more impactful and intimate.

I’ve watched almost all of my grandparents endure the process of aging. It really never gets any easier watching someone’s body give out. I think these photographs and Meyer’s narration remind us of the way the strength of a marriage can make this difficult process that much easier. Having someone who understands you and is able to stay by your side even when you are experiencing such pain is a really beautiful thing.

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Photography Homework 11/4- Part I- Larry Sultan

What topics, points, or ideas did you find important in the text?

Sultan’s text discusses family. More specifically, he touches upon the feeling of being a stranger in your own home, the melancholia inherent in the process of aging, and the way perceptions of loved ones differ from person to person. I found his writing so beautiful. Particularly, the way he describes the discomfort of his parents' California home. The itchiness of the bedding, the tallness of the pillow, and the almost automatic quality of the radio and the sprinklers. The house as a whole makes him feel ill-at-ease.

Larry’s parents in bed

In his attempt to capture his parents and their home, his relationships with them and the discomfort he feels in the space take a toll on his creative process. In regards to photography, Sultan discusses unexposed rolls of film, and a general feeling of anxiety experiences when trying to photograph people and places that are sources of vulnerability in one’s personal history. At the end of his writing, he comes back to his main sources of motivation for the project; to almost immortalize his parents through the process of photographing them. Quite frankly, as someone incredibly close with their parents this paragraph made me a bit choked up. I love Larry Sultan’s photos on their own, but his writing makes them that much more meaningful.

What clues does Sultan give in the text to tackle a photographic project about another person? What do you think about the argument Larry and his dad have about a picture of their mom?

Through writing about the argument between him and his father, Larry points to broader ways one should go about tackling a photographic project about another person. In short, Larry’s father sees a picture of Larry’s mother. He believes that it doesn’t represent her, but rather represents Larry’s own stereotypes. Larry argues that the photograph doesn’t necessarily have to be a representation of his mother, rather it is a representation of the way Larry understands his mother. I think this is a crucial idea to take into consideration when capturing a photograph of someone; you should aim to capture how you see them.

My favorite photo of Larry’s mother

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Two Place, Light, & Time Contact Sheets

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First Final Print/8

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Third Contact Sheet- Place, Light, & Time

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Light, Place, & Time Roll #2 Negatives

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Light, Place, & Time Roll #1 Scans

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Light, Place, & Time Roll #1

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Composing with a Contact Sheet

First try- Developer was exhaused which is what we believe created this sort of grey haze over the print.

Test strips 

Final try- Contact sheet had deeper blacks, however I was not satisfied with the legs being over exposed.

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Inside the Camera Obscura

Images of the camera obscura projection on the wall of the bathroom.

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Making a Camera Obscura

The Molly Root bathroom before the window was covered. The window looks over the KTSA lawn and a vibrant pond. Light streams in during the morning hours, so we thought it would be a perfect place to set up the camera obscura.