Mentor-Berenice Abbott

June 2 2012

Berenice Abbott became a known photographer in 1923 when she was 25 years old. She is best know for her 1930s black- and- white photographs of New York’s street life and architecture. Berenice Abbott had a long career defined by an interesting photography style.  She has also done many other things.

When Berenice Abbott started her career in photography in 1923.  She was an apprentice to her friend, Man Ray, in his Paris studio.  While living in Paris and working with Man Ray, Berenice became aware of one of her biggest influences, Eugene Atget. In 1926 Abbott opened her own studio where she established herself in the photography world. In her early work she took portraits of important writers and artists of the 20’s. After her mentor Atget died she acquired is prints and negative and devoted all of her time to promoting him and establishing his reputation as one of the foremost photographic artist of his time. In 1929 she returned to New York and started to photograph the rapidly evolving landscape of the city, a ten year project in a documentary style later called “Changing New York”. Abbott is best known for her work during this time, her photos of skyscrapers, and crowded streets are an exciting combination of objectivity and impassioned realism that is essential to the timeless quality of Abbott’s art. In the early 1932 she travelled thought New England and along the East Coast taking photos of cities as they were before the civil war. In the 30’s Abbott relocated her focus to the Midwest and the south and then in the 1950’s she travelled US Route 1 from Maine to Florida documenting it as she went. In the 60’s she moved to Maine. After she moved to Maine she began to do scientific images for texts books. Abbott also started the House of Photography in 1947 to allow her to sell some of her photography related inventions. In 1991 she pasted away in Maine of old age.

Berenice Abbot was a strong promoter of the straight photography movement, which stressed the importance of no manipulation of the photograph in both the subject matter and the developing processes. This style was developed in the 20’s but had lost popularity for much of her career. She also did not like the pictorialist, Alfred Stieglitz, who was very popular during most of her career. Her style of straightforward photography helped her out with her change to scientific photography. She is best known for her documentary style of photography.

Throughout Berenice Abbott’s career she did many other things in addition to her photography, including starting the house of Photography, and promoting the career and work of Eugene Atget. In 1947 she started the House of Photography but due to bad marketing, and the loss of two designers the company went under. During the time that the house of photography was open it sold inventions such as distortion easel, and the lighting pole, which is now known as an “autopole”.  Abbott’s promoted Eugene Atget, which delayed her career, but helped gain him international recognition for his work.

Berenice Abbott had a career that lasted over 3 decades during which time she published a book called “Changing New York”.  She has a documentary black and white photography style and she does not believe in making modifications to her photographs. Abbott also promoted the career of Eugene Atget, and started the house of photography. Her creations are important and memorable images that will last forever.

Alternative Process- Gel Medium

For my last project i did a gel medium. The first photo that i did is one of some flowers in my back yard after it rained one day. The second photo is one of my Nana when when she was my age, i made it as a birthday gift for her 80th birthday. I found this process t be very time consuming, but overall i liked it because of the texture it added to my photos. 

Alternative Process- Cyanotype

I took this photo, while i was on march break. I turned it into a cyanotype because i think that it makes it feels like tropical. almost like one of those old Hwanian

Photograms

This was my first idea for my photogram, a nice calm farm sense. I used tape it simulate a stream, and crop rows on right. For the sky in the background i used  a piece of silk i placed it in away to make it look like it there was also a hill is the background. I found leaves i used them as trees, and used some chalk as clouds. My message in this, is enjoy the simple things in life, because there hard to find.

This

Breaking the Rules

This picture was taken at my 7 year old cousin's hockey game (he is the one in goal). I found it very difficult to to break the rules, but i tried, a when going back though my picture i found this one. the photo is unbalanced, it looks as though it is two shots hat were stuck together because of the metal pole it the middle of the photo. This photo also has a lot of lines in it, that do not bring your eye to the focal point of this photo. (cannon rebel sxi 1/125 and 5.6)

I took this photo when i was in florida for spring break, at about 6pm when the light starts turning more orange. This photo breaks the rules because it was taken on a slant making it crooked. (canon rebel xsi 1600 and 5.6)

The little girl in this picture is my 5 year cousin, we were making a fort in my backyard with tents and tubes, i took this photo as she was coming back in to the big tent. This photo breaks the rule of thirds, the rule of thirds is when you break your photo into 3 rows and 3 columns and your point of interest is located in a cross section. (cannon rebel sxi 1/1250 and 5.6)

Mixed Lighting

          When i started working on mix lighting i had an idea in my head, but after moving lights around, bad weather, and not loving what i was taking i had to rethink how i was going about this.  I wanted it to be simple, warm and most importantly pretty. I took this just before sunset, with with the garden shining on to her face. I used a Canon rebel xsi camera with 1/8th exposure time and an aperture of 22 and, of course, an old orange garden light.

Renaissance

Giovanni Bellini was born in Venice in 1430, and passed away in 1516 when he was 86 years old. He was the best known of the Bellini family painter, including his brother, Gentile Bellini, and his brother in law, Andrea Montegna. For his first thirty years he worked closely with his brother, Gentile Bellini. He has over 70 works of art all over the word. The painting above was his first female nude painting, it was painted in 1515, and is named Naked Young Woman in Front of the Mirror. In the early years of his painting career he was considered to have changed the Venetian painting, moving it towards a more sensuous and coloristic style. He created deep, rich tints, and detailed shadings by using slow-drying oil paints. Most of his public work in the decade after 1470 are now lost. His most famous paintings are religious works for example Transfiguration of Christ. Most of his work was very religious based, using symbolism in trees or rocks. Bellini. From 1479- 1490 much of his time was taken up by his duties at great hall of the Doge’s Palace as conservator of paintings. In the early 1500 his brother died, and he became sole master in charge of the paintings in the Hall of the Great Council, but in 1513 his position was threatened by a former student, Young Titian. Bellini in 1514 took on painting The Feast of the Gods for the duke Alfonso I of Ferrara but died in 1516 without completing it. Though his career started with a Quattrocento style he developed a progressive post-Giorgione Renaissance style. Bellini was an essential to the development of the Italian Renaissance because of aesthetics from northern Europe, his use of oil paintings, and disguised symbolism.

The renaissance occurred between the 14^th and 17^th centuries, it began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe. It marks a time of a cultural rebirth and In-lighting.  During this time art flourished especially in Florence; masters were paid to have appetences. Light, color and space was incorporated into the painting in the era of the renaissance. Artist got a new place in society; art was becoming more than just a craft. In this era, the formalization of autistic’s technics such as realism, or highly realistic linear perspective was developed. Renaissance art was different form the art in the Middle Ages because it focused more attention on the human body and had a very religious base. Also up until the renaissance paintings were 2D but during the renaissance paintings became 3D. Intruding horizon lines, vanishing points, and other techniques that formed depth and perspective to add realism to the paintings creating 3D painting. Christianity was a huge theme in the artwork during this time. 

Painting with Light

I was going for a mad science sort thing in this photo, i used a Nikon D70s camera, with a Nikkor 18-70mm lens, it had an aperature of 5.6 and a shutter speed of 30 seconds.

Picture Perfect Lighting

This photo was taken with and exposure time of 1/50th of a second and a 5.6 aperture with the canon EOS digital rebel xsi. I used a 1:2 lighting method and then adjust around with the sides and angles of the lights until I got what I wanted. In the, end I used a light on the right and one light straight on. In Photoshop I softened the photo by taking out most of the colour to the point where the head band and hair were the only things that would pop. 

In the photo on the right I had a light over head on the left and a light on the right. I shot this photo with a Canon EOS digital rebel xsi and an exposure time of 1/60th second and an aperture of f/5.6. I made this photo black and white to make less background noise and draw the eye to her face.

This photo was taken with an exposure time of 1/50th of a second and a 5.6 aperture. I used a canon EOS digital rebel xsi camera. I applied the 1:2 lighting method and then adjusted the sides and angles of the lights until I got what I wanted. in the end i had one light up really high on the left and one light straight on. In Photoshop I softened the photo by taking out a lot of the colour to the point where the head band and hair would pop. There is no tension in her face but rather in the body posture.

JENNIFER KYLE

I expected this project to be hard, but never this hard. The letter "F" was my hardest letter to find. This assignment helped me to open my mind to looking at the world differently, and got me to looking out side the box.  I made all my photos black and white because i found that were fighting for attention, and looked to busy in color.

First Post- Someone Who Inspires Me

Richard Avedon is a photographer who inspires me. The way he captures emotion and light into his photography is truly inspiring.   He has a very interesting history.  I love that most of his photos are taken in black and white but when you look at them you see them in colour

He has won several awards and is thought to be one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.  He was mainly a fashion photographer, but his portraits are my favourites. The pictures above is one of my favourites by him, but I have tons.