Seeing With the Camera

Saratoga Casino & Raceway

I live in Gansevoort, New York, and the place my family likes to go, for something to do on the regular, is Saratoga Springs, New York. Occasionally we go to the Saratoga Casino and Raceway. If we have the kids, we watch the horses race and bet on which will be the winner; our boys are three, so they love it! If it’s just the adults, the casino is a great place to loose money.

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Saratoga Casino & Raceway, Sep. 27, 2013

There are many sensory impressions in this scene, such as; smells, visuals, bodily sensations, sounds, and more. The smell that I picked up on the most was the scent of outdoors after it rains; it is one of the best scents in the world. There were all sorts of sounds, like; people talking, cars coming and going, birds chirping, horns blowing, races starting, and my boys talking to me. The bodily sensations came also; excitement from the thrill of the chance to “win big”, the happiness of seeing my boys get excited to see the horses, and the thought of salty and cheesy warm pretzels that were just inside the entrance doors. The visual of the Saratoga Casino and Raceway is inviting; with crowds of familiar hometown faces, the large entrance, well maintained landscaping, and much more for entertainment than you can handle. My emotional response was hair-standing up excitement, and there is no other way for me to describe it. The quality of light, or "lines", in the scene was high. The entrance was designed so that the light from the sun could shine through the whole thing. The background is mostly cut away from this photograph, and I encased the foreground by the trees in the landscape.

There were not many details that I didn't notice in this scene before I took this photograph; accept a couple people and the sprinkler system out front. The lighting in this photograph was much darker before I altered it; there was a dark cloud over the building and I had very impatient little boys tugging me to continue forward. The "lines" in the scene were captured in every angle, with each object leading you inside of the building. The focus in this photograph was a little blurry, but exceptional in comparison to what I was getting at first. The color quality between the actual scene and the photograph was also better seen through the camera’s eye. This photograph presents the appearance of motion by showing the traffic in and out of the building and passing by the front of it. What I had seen in this photograph was better than I remember seeing it because I will now be able to see every detail for as long as I have the picture.

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Saratoga Casino & Raceway, Sep. 27, 2013

This is a photograph of the Saratoga Casino and Raceway as we are leaving it; the scene is sad, to express my emotion with it. The main details that I didn't notice in this photograph were the shapes and lines within it. The lighting in this photograph was perfect. The "lines" in the scene were almost abstract; seemingly bending in unusual ways. The focus in this photograph was exactly how I wanted it to be captured. The color quality between the actual scene and the photograph was clearly different in that I used a black and white effect to symbolize that we were leaving this place but wished that we were not. This photograph presents the appearance of motion by pulling away from the first picture that is shown, the people walking, and the vehicle approaching the main entrance. What I had seen in this photograph was better than I remember seeing it because this image blocks out the rest of what I could see outside of the photograph; it captures the scene I want you to picture.

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Stewart Shop, Sep. 27, 2013

This is the last store on the way home from a long day of “no-such-luck”, but a lot of fun trying. I captured this image because there was more motion in this little gas station then there was at the Saratoga Casino and Raceway today. The one detail that I didn't notice in this photograph is the blow-up shark on top of the big white van. The lighting in this photograph was great, and the "lines" in the scene were also. The focus in this photograph was a little blurred from the distance that I had captured it in. The color quality between the actual scene and the photograph was identical. This photograph presents the appearance of motion by showing the very regularly fast-paced and local Stewarts Shop; many gas stations usually are very busy on a regular. What I had seen in this photograph was the same as I remember seeing it with my own eyes.

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Overall, these photographs represent a great day with a lot of excitement and detail. While taking these photos I used all of my senses and emotions, and realized just how many of them come from just one moment and one picture. I will always have these photographs to remember the day.

Camera Project, Written Reflection, Class Critique: Hunting with Your Camera

My random-shot camera experimenting was exceptionally progressive. I ran into some problems while photographing, such as; lighting, imagination, scenery, etc. Every problem that I could have ran into, I did it seemed. The second time that I pulled out my camera, the ideas and choices all rushed in; it seemed like my own yard had more things in it than I even knew were there. The options were endless, and my camera had been filled with many interesting photographs that were so hard to choose only a handful of. I was surprised at what I found during this project because it had shown me so much about taking a picture than it ever seemed there could possibly be to it. I chose five pictures of my photographic-adventure.

The first picture that I chose is what appears to be an old coffin and some sort of kettle. I chose this picture because it is such a strange thing to find in the woods behind your own house. The setup is very eerie, and if I had not had this camera project, I would have never knew of its existence. It makes you wonder and fear what kind of story is behind such a scene. I am hoping that it was once just a Halloween decoration, but the mystery continues.  

The second picture that I chose is an image of a pair of old fireman boots that have sat in my yard since before me and my family moved in over a year ago. I chose this picture because these boots are another mystery of our land. We are all to afraid to get rid of them and are unsure as to why this is. Maybe we are all overly-superstitious, or maybe it is something else. They are very photographic, and I chose the coloring to fit the time they feel to be from.

The third picture that I chose is of my three-legged dog Mojo. I chose this picture of my five year old dog because he is beautiful, and he has been protecting our family since he was a year old and lost his leg to an unknown cause. We were in Albany, New York for medical reasons, and he got loose from our home somehow. When he returned to us, he had a leg broke clean in half. The family, in fear for Mojo’s recovery to go wrong, pulled together.

The forth picture that I chose is the one lonely mushroom that I could see in the thick woods behind my house. I chose this picture because it may have been the smallest thing in these woods, yet it stood out more than anything else around me. Although a mushroom is soft and weak, it stands tall and proud; giving off a feeling of pride.

The fifth picture that I chose is of the trail through my woods. I chose this picture because horses, bikes, four-wheelers, and more are always coming out in front of my dead end road house. A street that is so empty and quiet is randomly taken by people that seem to come from nowhere; they are truly coming from this path in the woods. Eight horse and riders came out in front of my house, and they were kind enough to stop for my children so that I could have pictures of them sitting on one of these horses. It was an incredible thing for my boys to have experienced; a memory that I will never forget.
I prefer my photos in black and white; I am not sure why that is other than it is appealing to my eyes. Below are the photos of my boys on one of the horses.

Essay One - Photographic Beginnings

Essay One - Photographic Beginnings
Felecia LaFountain

Photography began in the mid-19th century in Europe. Credited with making the first photographic images are photographers Nicéphore Niepce, Hippolyte Bayard, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre, and William Henry Fox Talbot. Daguerre and Niepce announced the invention of the daguerreotype in January of 1839. Talbot is the inventor of photogenic drawing; in 1826 he created his first of these. Since all of these men had the same desired results to each of their own inventions, I feel that it is quite difficult to choose who I believe has contributed the most to photography. Since a choice must be made anyways, I have chosen Hippolyte Ballard; one of four brilliant photographers.

French photographer and civil servant Hippolyte Bayard, was born on January 20th of 1807 and he was an important part of photographic history until his last day of May 14th of 1887, and continuously after. Bayard invented his own process of capturing an image. His process was called “direct positive printing” and on June 24th of 1839, Bayard presented the world's first public photographic exhibition.

According to artandpopularculture.com, Hippolyte Bayard has claimed to have invented photography, but was lead to wait on his announcement of the invention. Hippolyte Bayard made the most important contribution to photography because it was his invention so his right to the credit. The problem with Bayard’s method of photography is that it required twelve minutes and still objects such as buildings produced better results that moving subjects. When photographing people, it was best that they had to close their eyes to eliminate the "dead quality" produced from the subjects blinking and moving their eyes during exposure. Another problem yet quality increasing in some eyes, his method produces photographs that could never be reproduced or repeated.

Hippolyte Bayard was famous for at least four amazing photographs; in 1840 his Self Portrait as a Drowned Man, in 1842 Specimens, 1845-1847’s Construction Worker, Paris and 1847’s Self Portrait in the Garden. Hippolyte Bayard’s photographs were made using silver chloride paper and exposing it to light, which turns the paper completely black. The paper is then soaked in potassium iodide before it is exposed in a camera. After they are exposed, they are then washed in hyposulfite of soda and finally, they are dried. It takes determination and a lot of experimentation to come up with what this man alone has created.

It is not the technique, the subject matter, or the point of view of the photographer; it is the idea that makes me give credit to this artist. It was his inventive and creative mind that has brought us one of the technologies that has helped hold on to not only photography but history of all kinds. Camera’s capture moments to share, moments to preserve, and moments that can never be replaced.

 

Works Cited
"Hippolyte Bayard  ." Hippolyte Bayard. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Hippolyte_Bayard.

Beniger, James R., Prof. "Self-Portrait as a Drowned Man." Self-Portrait as a Drowned Man. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/543.html.

Bayard, Hippolyte. Self Portrait in the Garden. 1847. Photograph. The J. Paul Getty Museum. The J. Paul Getty Museum. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=71402.

"History of Art: History of Photography." History of Art: History of Photography. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. http://www.all-art.org/history658_photography1.html.

"History of Art: History of Photography." History of Art: History of Photography. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. http://www.all-art.org/20ct_photo/Niepce1.htm.

Field Trip Discussion

Photographic Beginnings

First I would like to introduce myself:

My name is Felecia LaFountain, and I am from Glens Falls, New York. I am a twenty-seven year old mother of two beautiful three year old boys. I have a large family of eight, a big three-legged dog named MoJo, and I have my Associates Degree in the Arts from much hard work at Empire State College. I am studying art so that I can teach it, but I also would like to illustrate children's books, design websites, and work with special needs children. My son Nathaniel is a little boy with some of those needs, so I have grown very fond of the career field. My son has worked with a speech therapist, physical therapist, special instructor, and an occupational therapist for over a year and a half now, and him and his brother have just recently said goodbye to these extreme helpful and kind people so they could start their very first day of Preschool last Wednesday.  


http://www.photographymuseum.com/cameratoprint.html

It is week one, and for our on-line field trip, we are visiting The American Museum of Photography on-line. Many of these Photographers are different in choosing what to capture in a photograph, however each of them are extremely talented in making these choices. I was very interested to see so many different photographs from a time long gone, but now impossible to have forgotten with much accredited to first photographers. The image above is the photograph that struck me and captured my attention the most during my “trip” to The American Museum of Photography was a photograph believed to be of Mary Ann Jones Evans, done between the years 1839 to 1921; “Beneath the Wrinkle” is its apparent title. What I like about this photograph is that Although the only model in the photo is Mary Ann, the attention is focused to the shimmer over the pillow that is nearly center-of-attention. Spooky, like it suggests something spiritual, .

The information that is shared in this museum takes you back in time to the nineteenth-century birth of one of the greatest forms of the arts. The appreciation of photography grows inside of you with every photo of the past, and it inspires you to create your own pieces of art to add to history. With that being said, that is why I say, yes, The American Museum of Photography has undoubtedly changed my “Photographic Vision”. It seems so much easier to take a photograph these days, giving all of the challenge to the photographers of the past, increasing the quality of these photographs.

Thank you, thoughts and constructive criticism are welcome.