MADISON STEVENS
Digital Photographic Practices
READING RESPONSES
Response #1
RESPONSE:
Article by Robert Adams, Reshaping Robert Adams' Landscape
I choose to thoughtfully analyze Robert Adam's as a photographer and his photographs. Robert Adams closely looks at the preservation in contrast to the destruction of the American West landscape during the 1970’s. His photos connect his negative outlook on the disurbanization after the Cold War. His work shows the ever growing human activity that’s inevitably disrupting the natural landscape. He also looks at human activity and the creations we have made; for example our architecture and constructs a relationship to nature in his most photos with the landscape and building. In his photos, there is the theme of civilization harming the natural landscape and the reshaping of the land because of human activity. Through his photos he tries to understand what the original landscape would have looked like and forms a new understanding through spatial order because of the infrastructure that has been established. Adams has a strong visual eye and connection to the natural world; while also understanding the ever so changing American West. Adams is able to capture through his photographs both the beauty of the landscape and tries to embrace the preservation of the land. However, he presents his work in a way that still captures that beauty of the land because he is able to blend the human objects into the photographs to make a cohesive photograph. Most of Adams photographs are all fairly simple, however, very also detailed at the same time. As a viewer and critique of Adams photographs you are able to understand Adams point-of-view and what he aimed for while photographing.
Response #2
RESPONSE:
Article by Lauren Greenfield My Most Important Photograph: Lauren Greenfield, Los Angeles, 1993
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I choose to examine Lauren Greenfield as a photographer. Lauren gained more interest in her work as a photographer during her internship with National Geographic. During her internship she learned that she wanted to explore culture professionally through photographs. Lauren dives deeper in her article; My Most Important Photograph that exploring culture through photographs can sometimes be very demanding and hard because all cultures and people have different ideas about being photographed and photography in general. Lauren Greenfield explores the different perspectives of cultures and the people living in them. Her photographs capture how everyone has a different perspective in that culture. She started a project in Los Angeles where she grew up. She started taking photos of kids in LA where children seemingly grow up quickly because of the Hollywood influence. Mijanou, which is the photograph Lauren Greenfield believes to be the most important photograph she has taken and the photograph that started her career, shows the pressure of Mijanou world, as well as, her acceptance into her popular culture. I believe that the most interesting part of the article is when she says that by photographing her own culture where she grew up she has found her own voice. By looking at your own culture through other people’s perspectives via photography sometimes you are able to find out more about yourself and who you are.
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Response #3
RESPONSE:
Article: Chip Thomas Telling Navajo Stories with Street Art
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I choose to focus my response on Chip Thomas. Chip Thomas is a physician, activist and world-renowned public artist. Chip Thomas uses public-art installations to reinforce his mission. Thomas creates his work right outside of Flagstaff Arizona in the Diné Nation which is a Navajo reservation. Thomas has been living and working in and around the Navajo reservation for over 30 years. He describes his street as “love letters to the Navajo Nation” which is a reflection of his gratitude towards the Diné Nation. He uses his photos as a representation and appreciation of the hard work and challenges the Navajo Indians have experienced. Thomas says that the photos are there to tell a story and give a better understanding of the people and who lives in the area and on the reservation. The murals are not traditional which was a challenge for Thomas, however with patience and tactics, Thomas was able to “gain people’s trust and figure out how to present [his] photographs and thoughts in a way that I think reflects their beauty and strength.” I find Chip Thomas’s work interesting because not only is his work for outsiders of the nation to understand who lives in the area, but also for the inhabitants of the Diné Nation to also understand the challenges and hard work that it takes to live on the reservation. His work really embodies the people of the nation. I also believe because his work is in a mural type form the work makes a bigger impact catching the attention of outsiders and insiders.
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Response #4
RESPONSE:
Article: How Gordon Parks Became Gordon Parks By James Estrin
I choose to focus my reading response on Gordon Parks. Gordon Parks made a name for himself by doing work. Gordon Parks is a great example of if you do work then you will get work. Gordan Parks started shooting in St. Paul and Chicago. He wasn’t scared and took the bull by the horn as he progressively moved up and got his photos posted in large magazines for example, Time Magazine. He focused on black press, black migration and women doing household domestic work occurring during 1960’s through fashion. He not only was focused on black Americans, but also the American way of life in the 1960’s and ethnicity differences between white and black Americans. Even though he focused on the troubles happening in the United States he always focused on capturing the essence and beauty of life he was surrounded in. Parks as a photographer dealt with a lot of judgment. People doubted his work based on his color. The judgement he received pushed him further to create even better work and prove to everyone that he was a great photographer. He didn’t allow any barriers to stop him. I really enjoy his work and how he focused on essentially racism in the country through fashion. He makes the photos seem simple and flawless, yet em
Response #5
RESPONSE:
Book: All The Missing Girls By: Megan Miranda
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Over this past summer I started All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. This is the first time in the past four or so years that I have had time to sit down with a book that is not correlated to school. The feeling of being able to read a book of your choice is freeing and relaxing. Even though I chose this book on my onward have had an immense amount of time to read it considering the times we are living in; it has been more difficult than I thought to be able to read on your own time. However, All The Missing Girls has been a great intro back into reading that is not related to any educational matter.
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I am a quarter of the way through the book so far and throughly enjoying the read. The book is a mystery about a couple of girls that have gone missing in a small town from the perspective of a women who use to be best friends with them. She had moved away to New York out the small town in the south to get away, however her father has fallen ill and was asked to move back home by her brother to help clear out his house and help with getting him healthier.
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