Tiffany

[tiffxphotography]

Second Book

If you were to look for another book to read after Roland Barthes Camera Lucida, in similar context, what would it be? What is the overall question that you are thinking might be explained over the course of theses two books? 

I would recommend reading "Annie Leibovitz at work" by Annie Leibovitz. She is a very well known photographer and the novel contains many photographs that she had taken through out the years with limited captions to them. I think after reading so much about the ways of interpreting photographs, that it would be a good idea to put the interpreting to work and utilize what is being read in Camera Lucida on other works of art. The overall question that is being explained over the course of these two books would be the significance of a photography in relation to the reader/view and the photographer. 

[tiffxphotography]

Examining Context #5

Death in the Photograph by Andy Grundberg

1. Who seems to care about Roland Barthes and Camera Lucida? What is the context, platform of discussion, field of expertise, or profession that Camera Lucida is being associated with?  / Who would be writing these other papers or writings? It seems to be, that since it is a topic written for the New York Times, that the public do enjoy photography and the analysis of photography interesting to some degree. NY Times is a very high traffic news site, and with a review of Camera Lucida being written on, it suggests that the influence of Roland Barthes extend among the general public rather than just a specific profession or expertise. 

2. How are these Camera Lucida citings used? / What point(s) are trying to be made in this new writing? The author is essentially implying that with the extend references to death within Barthes analysis of photography, he feels or is alone in his own thoughts and not having too many outlets to express his emotions. "By the book's end, then, the author seems totally, achingly alone. He is alone among photographic thinkers, alone among semiotic analysts, alone with the memory of his mother. It is no wonder that he sees only death in photographs. Ironically, shortly after completing ''Camera Lucida,'' he was run over and killed on a Paris street, abruptly meeting the death he foresaw. Barthes also saw desire, grief and pity in photographs, however; one reads ''Camera Lucida'' and encounters the same feelings. "  

3. What are they generally talking about in these other writings? What is it about? The emotions carrying Barthes as he is writing the novel. Less about is context, but more about his references in the context. 

4. From what source did you find this reference? New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/books/death-in-the-photograph.html?pagewanted=1

5. Can that reference source be associated with any context of profession or association? "Andy Grundberg reviews photography for The New York Times"

[tiffxphotography]

Examining Context #4

Barthes Punctum (Critical Inquiry) by Michael Fried- University of Chicago Press

1. Who seems to care about Roland Barthes and Camera Lucida? What is the context, platform of discussion, field of expertise, or profession that Camera Lucida is being associated with?  / Who would be writing these other papers or writings? The author of this article seems to be a literary critic. In his analysis of the novel, the author focused on Barthes language in relation to the photography context. Just like the last source, it is more of an analysis of the novel's writing than the context. However this source is much more critical and in relations to literature.

2. How are these Camera Lucida citings used? / What point(s) are trying to be made in this new writing?    "Above all Barthes’s central distinction between what he calls the studium and the punctum has been enthusiastically taken up by countless critics and theorists, who almost without exception have found in it principally a contrast between the ostensible subject of a given photograph, or rather the general basis of that subject’s presumed interest for an average viewer (the studium), and whatever that photograph may contain that engages and—Barthes’s verbs—“pricks” or “wounds” or “bruises” a particular viewer’s subjectivity in a way that makes the photograph in question singularly arresting to him or her (from here on out I shall stay with him)."

3. What are they generally talking about in these other writings? What is it about? The language and Barthes' main point of the novel. More about his idea of punctum and history of his life. 

4. From what source did you find this reference? Google Scholar http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/430984

5. Can that reference source be associated with any context of profession or association? The author is the Professor of the Humanities and director of the Humanities Center at Johns Hopkins University

[tiffxphotography]

Examining Context #3

What is a photograph? (pg 450-464 in the novel Psychoanalysis and Art History) by Margaret Iversen

1. Who seems to care about Roland Barthes and Camera Lucida? What is the context, platform of discussion, field of expertise, or profession that Camera Lucida is being associated with?  / Who would be writing these other papers or writings? Art historian is the author of this article. The analysis of Barthes novel in this source seems to be more directly related to how Barthes had organized his writing and how his commentary is written in this fashion. Instead of focusing on the photographic elements in his novel, the author puts a light on the language of Barthes in relation to his approach of photography.

2. How are these Camera Lucida citings used? / What point(s) are trying to be made in this new writing? "Roland Barthes' last book, Camera Lucida, begins with the words, 'One day, quite some time ago...', clearly announcing its status as a fiction, as art." That Barthes' writing is a form of art, transforming his commentary and journey to discover photography in an artistic language that conveys more than his words.   

3. What are they generally talking about in these other writings? What is it about? It's about the language of Camera Lucida, and its take on photography that is emphasized in the organization and literary elements.

4. From what source did you find this reference? Google Scholar http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8365.1994.tb00587.x/abstract

5. Can that reference source be associated with any context of profession or association? © ASSOCIATION OF ART HISTORIANS 1994

[tiffxphotography]

Examining Context #2

Comparative Literature (The Memory of Pictures: Roland Barthes and Augustine on Photography pg 258-279) by Anselm Haverkamp

1. Who seems to care about Roland Barthes and Camera Lucida? What is the context, platform of discussion, field of expertise, or profession that Camera Lucida is being associated with?  / Who would be writing these other papers or writings? In the context of this source, the author seem to be of a literary profession. Instead of looking at Barthes book as a visually stimulating example (as in, looking at it through photography), it analyzes the context of his book and the relations towards a significance in Barthes life (death of his mother). The audience of this novel would most likely be those interested in Literature (implied in the title), however it can be open up to anyone to enjoy.

2. How are these Camera Lucida citings used? / What point(s) are trying to be made in this new writing? "Barthes' last book, La chamber claire (Camera Lucida), offers a phenomenology of the photographic picture and, at the same time, a theory of mourning. It also implies, in practice, a theory of memory." The book continues to use Barthes' opinion on the analysis of photography and his 'theory' in which the author has realized on determining definitions of distinct images.

3. What are they generally talking about in these other writings? What is it about? The reality being ignored in Barthes' analysis of photography. That instead of considering what is really happening in a photo, the context and relationship of the beholder and the image is what really takes in hand when interpreting photography.

4. From what source did you find this reference? Google Scholar http://www.jstor.org/stable/1771504?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

5. Can that reference source be associated with any context of profession or association? It's Published by: Duke University Press on behalf of the University of Oregon

[tiffxphotography]

Examining Context #1

Touching Photographs: Roland Barthes's ''Mistaken'' Identification by Margaret Olin- University of California Press (Fall 2002)

1. Who seems to care about Roland Barthes and Camera Lucida? What is the context, platform of discussion, field of expertise, or profession that Camera Lucida is being associated with?  / Who would be writing these other papers or writings? Students seem to be the target of attention in this article, since it is a University press. Camera Lucida makes an influence on people's perception of photography and their ways of approach towards photography. Instead of specifying to a profession, this article opens it up to a large crowd of audience that may have different fields of expertise to enjoy the context (or a summary) of Camera Lucida. It is academic writing, essentially, but instead of associating it with just the Photography major (or something of that sort), it is released on an opinion. Though not necessarily (at least I don't consider) a book review. A student or a professor/researcher of photography could and would be writing these papers.

2. How are these Camera Lucida citings used? / What point(s) are trying to be made in this new writing?    The main points the author was trying to make in reference to Camera Lucida are the "indexical" of photography and the perspectives given into a photograph. Though the book seems to emphasize on the relations between the subjects in a photograph and the significance/definition of the photograph, the author brings up the possibility of Barthes' meaning towards the relationship of the behold to the photograph instead. In that, what defines the context of a photography lies between the person analyzing the photograph or the person taking the photograph and the image its self.

3. What are they generally talking about in these other writings? What is it about? It is essentially an opinion on the book, making sense of what Barthes was trying to communicate through his analysis of his mother's photographs/photographs that contain his mother.

4. From what source did you find this reference? Google Scholar http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/rep.2002.80.1.99

5. Can that reference source be associated with any context of profession or association? University of California

[tiffxphotography]

Beauty on the go.

[tiffxphotography]

Camera Lucida pg 103-119

"The essence of the image is to be altogether outside, without intimacy, and yet more inaccessible and mysterious than the thought of the inner most being; without signification, yet summoning up the depth of any possible meaning; urevealed yet manifest, having that absence-as-presence which constitutes the lure and the faciantion of the Sirens" (Blanchot)

"The air is a kind of intractable supllement of identity, what is given as an act of grace, stripped of any 'importance': the air expresses the subject, insofar as that subject assigns itself no importance."

The ending of the book was very appealing to me. It made the book useless, because photography is an open interpretation in which depends on the individual's perspective and mindset to create a significance. Meaning, his interpretations of these photographs and his supposed lecture on how to look at a photograph was pure suggestion- you don't even have to take his opinion in consideration when interpreting an image. Needless to say, the novel is not actually useless, but rather a toll on the reader's time. Because you chose to read a book that gave you no stable or set instructions, instead ended with an opening that only lead you back to before reading the book. I think that's why I took an interest on the ending- it's not about what you're going to get out of the reading, but the experience of reading it. 

[tiffxphotography]

Camera Lucida pg 94-102

"This new punctum, which is no longer of form but of intensity, is Time, the lacerating emphasis of the noeme (‘that-has-been’), its pure representation.”

"Whether or not the subject is already dead, every photograph is this catastrophe."

It’s interesting to put my self in his shoes and look at past photos to think that the person or subject in that photo is going to reach a sense of death, whether literally or that it may never go back to it’s orginal state. Because when I see a picture of Audrey Hepburn, I don’t think about her suffocating late life when she struggled to fight her illness in hopes to live longer. I think about her beauty in that moment, and how her beauty lived to influence so many more after. So when the perspective changes, the content of the photography changes as well. 

[tiffxphotography]

Context (Assignment 19)

Seeking a 'Beautiful Death'

• What is the source?  New York Times • Provide a link. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/09/know-the-hard-choices-prolonging-life-entails/?action=click&contentCollection=Your%20Money&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article • What would you say is the category of this source? News Magazine- current news, idea type articles, opinions • What are the images communicating?  What idea? The image seems soothing, that an old woman is peacefully sleeping on a warm pair of hands (at least I assume it is 'warm' with the warm tone colors surrounding it). It gives people a much pleasant feeling even thought the title was a bit opposite (people don't see the word death and this it is a pleasant idea, for the most part). In addition to the actions in the scene, the old lady seems to be much livelier than the rest of the image with her bright blue hair and red lips. It is as if she was the main focus of the picture rather that the entire picture as a whole, which correctly represented the idea that people want themselves to be the light of others and the focus of a context. • What is the image there to do for whatever context they exist in? The article starts off with the note that most people in America want a peaceful death on the bed and being surrounded by people they love, however the truth may not be so as most Americans die from some sort of illness while being hooked on to medical machines. Although the context of the article was more about the respect towards individual wishes and how hospitals should handle patients that may not live for too long, the image correctly correlates to the title of the article which is a 'Beautiful Death'. It represents a image that the majority public wants at the end of their lives and induces the emotions of readers when they see the article. • Who is the audience? Americans, mostly, since the article is talking about medical care in America. But anyone really.

It's Better to Be Single on Valentine's Day

• What is the source?  Time Magazine  • Provide a link. http://time.com/3703157/valentines-day-single-is-better/ • What would you say is the category of this source? News website- current news, popular trends, advice/idea type articles • What are the images communicating?  What idea? The image gives of a lonely feel with the entire scene spacious and only the woman and her purse to be on the side. The pose the woman is sitting in and her casual act of 'looking away into the distance' induces the alone environment and aurora that the image is seemingly trying to exude. Obviously, not everyone sitting by him or her self on a sidewalk is necessarily feeling lonely, but the first thought that popped in mind seeing this image wouldn't be a warm sensation. • What is the image there to do for whatever context they exist in? Essentially, the article is bashing the idea of Valentine's day and how it is a useless holiday that does not induce passion or improvement in any relationship. The image represents the title, but the context is less about single people rather the supposedly horrid idea of Valentine's day. "Valentine's Day is almost always a fail for people in relationships." is the first line of the article, and if it were to become the title, the image would most likely be different. I think for the image to exist as the title image, it is to attract single people (which I would assume is much of the public, since a heavy traffic website/magazine is writing about it) to click on the article in hopes to find some comfort. Because only if the image is relatable to the reader that one would have the urge to be attentive to. • Who is the audience? Anyone. People who hate Valentine's Day, and people that don't. Individuals that are in a relationship, and individuals that are not.

1979 Torrance Oil Tank Fire

• What is the source? L.A. Times   • Provide a link. http://framework.latimes.com/2015/02/10/1979-torrance-oil-tank-fire/#/5 • What would you say is the category of this source? News Website- current news, photography, entertainment • What are the images communicating?  What idea? The image gives off a powerful feeling in that the explosion takes up more than half of the scene and induces a horrifying emotion in the readers. The man that is in the image sort of represents the terrifying context of the photo as he is so close to the fire but seems so nonchalant. Anyone who sees this picture wouldn't have a pleasant feeling towards the article or scene which is essentially what the context of the event is about.   • What is the image there to do for whatever context they exist in? The image is there to draw people's attention to the article and the photography of the event. It is a disaster that happened in the past in which some people might want to reminisce about and some people just wants to be informed of such horrible event have taken place. It's less about the context of the event, since it already happened and is not new news, but more about the effect in the picture and consequences that comes after the event. • Who is the audience? Anyone. People in L.A., since it is L.A. Times. Or people who have been there when the event took place.

Jon Stewart Will Leave 'The Daily Show' on a Career High Note

• What is the source? New York Times  • Provide a link. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/11/arts/television/jon-stewart-leaving-daily-show.html?_r=0 • What would you say is the category of this source? News Website- current news, lifestyle • What are the images communicating?  What idea? With Jon Stewart being the center of the image and seemingly the only object in the photo to be clearly seen, the picture emphasizes the importance of Stewart and allows the audience to focus on him. The dark background makes the audience's eyes draw to individual and make him the light of the scene, yet exudes a slight longing feeling for Stewart.  • What is the image there to do for whatever context they exist in? The article goes on to explain Jon Stewart's leave on 'The Daily Show', in addition to praise his efforts on bettering and sustaining the show to today. The image gives the audience a sense of sadness for the leave of the beloved host. Because of the large audience tunning in for Stewart's show, the news station is aware of the amount of feedback from the public their article would get.  • Who is the audience? Anyone- mostly people that watches the Daily Show or people that know of the show. 

Meet Easton LaChappelle, The 19-Year-Old Luminary Building A Cheaper, Better Prosthetic Limb

• What is the source? UPROXX  • Provide a link. http://uproxx.com/technology/2015/01/easton-lachappelle-luminary/ • What would you say is the category of this source? News Website- pop culture  • What are the images communicating?  What idea? This photo communicates a sense of the future, a new innovation that is emerging. Instead of just a plain shot of the genius teen, the main video in the article stops at this shot, seeminly trying to protray an idea to the audience. It protrays the new world we live in and the advancing technology going on around us.  • What is the image there to do for whatever context they exist in? The image allows the readers to have a good idea of the information ahead. The article talks about a teen that creates a better, much more helpful, and cheaper prosthetic arm for those that are in need of one. With the image, it gives the audience an image of the product and the genius behind the product.  • Who is the audience? Anyone- maybe more for those interested in technology 

[tiffxphotography]

Camera Lucida (Assignment 18)

"Thus the life of someone jose distance has somewhat preceded out in encloses in its particularity the very rn shin if History, it’s division." With the death of his mother, he is not interested in just his memories of her but rather the context surrounding her living and when she “existed”.

"I had understood that henceforth U must interrogate the evidence of photography, not from the viewpoint of pleasure, but in relation to what we romantically call love and death." At this point in the book, I feel like he's trying to steer the direction of looking at photography in a more personal way and to make it more personal to each individual.

[mphotographerb-deactivated20151]

[tiffxphotography]

Assignment 17

1- distress 2- embarrassment/sorrow towards the lack of reciprocation from another 3- depression 4- being caught while being sad 5- a walk alone/the endless and horrifying future ahead 6- more distress 7- confusion 8- act of expressing distress/coping mechanism 9- start to realize the beauty in life 10- light to life/colors start to emerge again

[hellomynameisalvin-blog]

[tiffxphotography]

Assignment 17

1- start of a trip 2- the road ahead 3- beautiful waters 4- beautiful greens 5- start of a hike 6- confusion/possibly a disaster/rolling down the hill 7- surprise 8- sky represents freedom 9- relaxation 10- its the company that makes a good trip

[ajc-2-blog]

A story without words

[tiffxphotography]

Assignment 17

1- start of a taylor swift song 2- the last/ love that continues/ wongfu reference 3- the male goes into the military 4- the female worries 5- flying back home 6- seeing family once again or the implication that they married and have a kid 7- going back to the troops 8- coming back home to see loved ones again 9- family photo to remember the entire family 10- death of a hero

[michaeldp123-blog]

[tiffxphotography]

Assignment 17

[brcaesar]

10 Photos

[tiffxphotography]

Assignment 17

1- multiple stars/planets in the universe 2- closing up on a galaxy 3- aging of a star 4- death of a star/start of a new galaxy 5- formation 6- within the galaxy 7- our world 8- our city 9- our lives 10- our perspective

[tiffxphotography]

Assignment 16

A story through food.