Diary Entry
When we first received the project theme, it was quite difficult to come up with my costume for my model. After some thought and going through some different clothing I was able to come up with several outfits. I managed to come up with a Jordanian, American, “Irish”, Iranian and Arabian photos. My family enjoyed the theme too as the costumes were continuously being taken off and replaced with another. My family has a collection of different cultural attire from our travels. They have been collected over the years.
At the end of the project it was neat to see what other people came up with, the apparel and especially the nationalities chosen. Later the whole class had to put all the photos into frames. They turned out nice too. Especially as you walk through the hallways you can see a variety of cultures. Just from our school too.
My Compositions
For this project we used SLR digital cameras. I used a Nikon D90.
The topic was Regalia, so I decided to take photos of the following cultures:
American:
In the United States of America, there are several nationalities. Regalia is a tad difficult to establish, as there is a variety. Cowboys and cowgirls are common in the south. With the hotter climate they tend to wear these outfits. I like how the background is simple and the hat, bandana, and vest/jecket, bring out the personality but specifically where she is from of the subject. Also her positioning is relaxed, as the people generally from the areas are.
Iranian:
This is a picture of whats aimed to be an Iranian boy. The hat and thobe create the general feel of the culture.
The posture in this photo is different then your everyday regalia photo. The posture is extremely relaxed and has a joyful spin to it. Kids are kids, doesn't matter where they are from.
Arabian:
In this photo, I like the emphasize on the eyes, and the deep shadow comign from the bottom right up. Also the background adds some of the feel of the culture. Women in Arab countries don't have that many rights to let them be free to choose what they want to do, so the posture within this photo to me establishes this point.
Theory Notes
This is a picture done by Henry the VIII, taken in 1999 by the photographer, Hiroshi Sugimoto. This is a good examp
le as to regalia, due to the appearance of Henry the VIII. The positioning is critical for the photo. The King is the ruler of the people, as the ruler; there is definitely a higher sense of authority, so therefore he needs to look like it. The King is standing up tall, straight up, and head high, showing his dignity and pride.
Image Bank
Photo by: Herald Sund
Harald Sund is from West Seattle. Right after graduating, Sund was a freelance photographer. In 1976 he was mentored by his neighbor, who inspired him to go
into the field of photography. Sund began taking photos for the LIFE Magazine in New York. He is a world traveler, taking several photographs along the way. He has taken photos that cover the “Iron Curtain” to large ships.
This picture is of a group of boys between the age of 13-14 playing the flute. The photo is the cultural attire of the western part of Germany. I like how all of the boys are in uniform as they play. They all look official, and they all hold nice postures as they play their instruments.
Photograph by Kieron Nelson
This is a picture of a man, preforming the Demsa (a dance) in Orissa, India. His bright facial paint and accessorie
s are part of the apparel neccesary for the dance, and is very common for the dance. The face paint can also have meaning. I like how there are bright colors used in the outfit.
Kieron Nelson has won several awards for her photos. Including the Wanderlust Photo of the Year 2006, and has had worked commended in the Travel Photographer of the Year, where there are international photo awards. She has also had several pieces included in National Geographic Magazines. The photo of the man from India made Photo of the Day for the month of January 2010. In addition, she additionally loves to travel which adds to her photos.
Photograph by Duncan Wallace
In the picture is a girl selling bread on the streets in Ilala Ferry, Malawi. This is everyday clothing for the locals. In addition, the bread in a basket is the way that the local people carry stuff around, specifically heavy stuff. I like how you can see her skirt, which has vivid patters, yet the focus isn’t directly on the clothes.
Duncan Wallace is a photographer from the United States. He is a world traveler, and enjoys photography. His love for the field has encouraged him to continue. His work has been published in several books, including Eternity (Immortal Witches) by Maggie Shayne, and many National Geographic Magazines. His picture was included in the Photo of the Day section, in the month of November 2009.
William Hogarth
Wiliam Hogarth was a Latin teacher who was born in Smithfield, London. He was born in 1697 and died in 1764
-most well known for his “modern moral subjects” (which he sold engravings on subscription)
-was the son of an unsuccessful school master and writer from Westmoreland
-had an aprrentinceship with a goldsmith, began to produce his own engravings beginning in 1710
-later he took up oil painting conversation pieces (small portrait groups)
-created first
(of several) history paintings
-1745 photo, self portrait w/ pug
In this photo, the people are obviously from a wealthy class of people. There apparel, looks, and positioning help to conclude. The woman and man who are holding hands, for example, are both tilting their heads forward, with their back strait and the lady’s hand out to the side. The man additionally has his chest proudly high. Hogarth uses positioning to help portray one’s class status as well as regailia. The regalia includes where a person or group of people may be categorized due to their appearance, and positioning. In Hogarth’s images, he constantly paints people properly standing up. This may be due to the era, but it also contributes to which class one may be from. In addition, Hogarth’s portraits are mainly taken from a British point-of-view.
Annie Leibovitz
-born in 1949 in Waterbury, Conneticut
-advertising, fashion, and magazine photos, takes pictures of political figures to musicians to athletes
has had exhibitions in New York,
Washington DC, The National Portrait Gallery and the Corcoran Gallery of Art
-enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute with intentions on studying painting, found interest in photography, when she went to japan with her mom, after he sophmore year
- she then took night classes for photography
- in 1970 Leibovitz approached Jann Wenner, founding editor of Rolling Stone
-he recently launched opporating from sanfrancis
-after looking through her portfolio, Leibovitz was given her first assignment to shoot John Lennon
-her photo made the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine on Janurary 21, 1971, then two yars later she was named the chief photographer of Rolling Stone
- Leibovitz was taught to take photos in black-and-white, so when the magazine went colorful, she basically had to teach herself, especially when it came to lighting (1974)
- 1980 Rolling Stone sent Leibovitz to shoot John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who had just released their album “Double Fantasy”, Leibovitz wanted the two to appear nude on the cover, but Ono refused so she was covered in fur while, Lennon appeared bare. Several hours after the photo shoot, Lennon was shot dead outside of his apartment. The picture made the cover and was named the “best magazine cover from the past 40 years”
- Susan Sontag in 1989 and Leibovitz met while photographing her for her book AIDS and its Metaphors
-Suzan had told Leibovitz that she was good, “but could have been better”.
-the relationship was profound and Suzan encouraged Leibovitz (after she had died) to travel to Sarajevo furing the war in the Balkans, her work from that trip is called Sarajevo, Fallen Bicycle of Teenage Boy Just Killed by a Sniper
-her most recent book, A Photographer’s Life: 1990-2005- includes her trademark celebrity portraits and some personal photographs from her life. For example her parents, siblings, and children, nieces, nephew, and Sontag, the collection named “a memoir in photographs”
-in 1983 joined the staff of Vanity Fair and has been working for Vogue in 1998
-awards: the Library of Congress’ Living Legend Award; one of thirty-five 2005 Smithsonian magazine “Innovators of Our Time”; and Top Forty Magazine Covers of the Past Forty Years” (first place went to the John Lennon and Yoko Ono cover photograph for Rolling Stone)
Here are two pictures of the United Stat
es of America’s President, Barack Obama, taken by Annie Leibovitz. Here Leibovitz has approached regalia from a USA point-of-view. The President is in a suit and tie, as his family is wearing formal clothing as well. In addition, they aren’t slouching on the two chairs; they are proudly sitting together, and representing the country. The family appears as though they have gathered together and put together. And here is another photo in which Annie Leibovitz took of Queen Elizabeth the II. She is in her own chair, sitting up striaght and tall, and she is wearing some of the crown jewels, as you would expect.
References:
http://www.maximiliangenealogy.co.uk/images/hogarth55.jpghttp://www.shallownation.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Obama_family_portrait_by_Annie_Leibovitz.jpghttp://c2.api. ning.com/files/hGLPTlC-OmsS72Uy1UUfYP4N22VgTJ5Gqw1NwDTwxSXlPqyaSavyaI9tsMbMHw2BwSaoyn-GKYN3OllRHVTQnZlGrruPBqqj/BarackObamaVogueJan2009.jpg
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/200517186-001/Photographers-Choicehttp://www.westseattleherald.com/2009/09/27/features/personal-profile-harald-sund-sees-world-west-seattle-perspectivehttp://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/people-culture/http://www.abcgallery.com/H/hogarth/hogarth.htmlhttp://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/william-hogarthhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/annie-leibovitz/life-through-a-lens/16/http://www.sfai.edu/People/Person.aspx?id=202&navID=6§ionID=2&typeID=1
