Author: ccw369

Observation Post

Throughout this course, I enjoyed the in-depth analysis through the lens of photojournalism that we gave to each historical event covered. I enjoyed hearing the voices behind the images we observed when guest speakers came to talk. This course provided a truly holistic and interdisciplinary method of observing photojournalism and the complications and issues that can arise from visual news. I believe this course allows us all to gain a unique perspective to the reality of the images we are faced with everyday. It allowed us to go beyond the frame, and beyond a simple aesthetic analysis. It provided us a framework through which we could view global issues that exceeds traditional media analysis. It allowed us to see who took the images we view as snapshots and representations of greater issues, and what led these individuals to take this path. By combining the historical, political, economical, technological, ethical, and artistic, we attempted to break into the world of photojournalism in a way most people are not able, or willing, to do. We studied issues that many would like to turn their heads from, but are necessary to understanding the human condition, all in an engaging and insightful manner. We learned of the “addiction” that fuels many of these photojournalists to return to deadly war zones and depressing locations. We learned that many photojournalists are plagued with the same questions that we were when we viewed their work. We learned that intrinsic reward was necessary to survive in the world of photojournalism but that inspiration to stay in its grasps exceeded self-reward and extended into a desperate desire for change in how we view the world. The collaborative effect of photojournalism and advocacy inspired many of us, and through the mesmerizing websites and socially conscious projects my classmates presented at the end of the semester, we saw the true power of the image (Sorry for the use of the phrase, professor!)

 

Cristina Wedekind – Magnum Response

While scrolling through the Magnum Website and observing various pictures, portfolios, and relevant historical data, there were a few themes that stuck out most to me. As well as two artist collections that captivated me.

One of the founders of Magnum, Cartier-Bresson, has a quote in the ‘about me’ section of the site that emphasizes that Magnum operates as a collective with a curious AND respectful attempt to expose what is happening in the world. Another theme that seems to be an integral part of Magnum’s projected image was the diverse range of images framed through multiple mentalities given the diversity of the members and collections within the collective. The Magnum founders and the Magnum collective today, seem intent on allowing their various, iconic, and well-done photos to speak for themselves and act as a documented moment and representation of a greater event.

All of the photographers and their work shown on the page is a testament to the diversity that Magnum prides of itself. Two stuck out particularly to me for personal and relative reasons. The first of which was Max Pinckers and his collaborative collection titles “Two Kinds of Memory and Memory Itself.” In the project description on the website, it seems that Pickers attempted to portray, through his documentations, specific stereotypes that Western cultures seem to associate with Japan in an alternative and aesthetic manner. By listing descriptions of specific images, Picker’s framing of the summary of the project led me to notice the (perhaps staged) image of Sumo wrestlers and the image of the “perfectly manicured” bonsai tree the most. However, I love Japan and seeing images of the country through the eyes of Pinckers was an awesome aesthetic and moving experience.

Men in traditional Japanese loincloths standing in circle Small bonsai trees on a rock as centerpiece of table

(I have no idea why these images are so small— sorry!)

The second photographer that stuck out to me the most was Matt Black and his project “The Geography of Poverty.” Black created a chart with demographics and statistics of the poverty levels within our very own United States. The reason this project caught my eye at first was the fact that Black started his project in my home state of California and then spread across the rest of the U.S.A.

I especially enjoyed the relationship between visual and quantitative data that Black was able to portray effectively through his collection. All of the images are aesthetically pleasing and photographed in black and white, adding to the somber idea of beautiful yet decrepit scenes.

One image that stuck out in particular to me was the image taken in Walkerville, MT in 2015. The population in this town is “675 and 39.4% live below the poverty level.” This photograph arrested me as I felt I had been transferred to an old Western ghost town complete with a lone dog and what appears to be an even dirt road littered with crumbling houses and overgrown shrubbery. However, Black was able to make something traditionally seen as a dilapidated town and frame/ capture the scene in a manner, which highlights its unique beauty.

birds on telephone wire

USA. Tulare, California. 2014. Birds. Tulare has a population of 59,278 and 21.4% live below the poverty level.

The second image, which is still a part of the same collection, was taking by Black in 2014 in Tulare, California. This town has a “population of 59,278 and 21.4% live below the poverty level.” This image stuck out to me due to the pleasing aesthetic of symmetry. I also continue to wonder why Black chose to include such an image in this collection.

dog on empty street surrounded by dilapidated homes

USA. Walkerville, MT. 2015. Walkerville has a population of 675 and 39.4% live below the poverty level.

Cristina Wedekind– Who We Are

My name is Cristina and I am a Junior at Gallatin. I’m currently studying the business of entertainment with a focus in the legal aspect of film production.  I’m originally from the Bay Area in California.
With this class, I’m especially interested in seeing how two major photo collectives had been able to shape the way a world perceives crucial and impacting events. I’m also interested gaining a better grasp on the society of the spectacle we live in today and how the influx of technology and media has affected human understanding and interaction.