As I mentioned in a previous blog, we are required to make a website that contains a gallery of originally composed photos that form a compelling argument. Before today's class, I was really worried about the progress I have made on this project because I have faced some technical difficulties with my camera. However, after the peer reviews, I have a much better idea and a more clear perception of what my photos will argue and how I will get it across to the audience. As of now, I am planning on taking a photo of my own car, using a friend with their hands while texting and adding elements in photoshop to make it have a more emotional impact. I also want to add a photo of a police car with sirens, so I will have to spend some time trying to find that.
I am definitely feeling a lot more confident about my project after the peer reviews, and I will utilize the lessons we have learned about lighting and the emotional pull that our images should have in aiding our argument.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Dickey Chapelle
Dickey Chapelle is one of the most underrated female war correspondents in history. Serving during during the war era, she covered events from the Battle of Iwo Jima to the Vietnam war. Chapelle was responsible for documenting myriad photos that are considered staples in our understanding of the war front.
Chapelle was the first female war photographer to be killed in action and is survived by her colleagues, family, and friend as fearless and unrelenting. A few of the images shot by Chapelle have become extremely famous, while a great many of her images have not made it to the mainstream public.
To me, her images of Vietnamese families living in a war torn area are the most emotionally striking. The Vietnamese war was an extremely controversial, polarized war and her photos not only capture the realities of these families that are having to live in the war on a day to day basis, but they allow for Americans to visually place themselves in the situations of these families across the world.
Vietnamese children react to mortar life circa 1961-62. (Dickey Chapelle/Wisconsin Historical Images)
The photo above depicts children going about their day to day lives in war torn Vietnam. The selection of children for the subjects of the photo enhance the overall emotional response because children are so helpless and they have zero agency in this situation, specifically. The photo argues that war impacts a lot of individual human beings and that while our daily lives in America were not radically changed, thousands of families in Vietnam couldn't go a day without their life being disrupted by the war.
Fidel and Raul Castro pose with a bazooka during the Cuba Revolution in Oriente Province in 1958. (Dickey Chapelle/ Wisconsin Historical Images)
This photo is compelling for a variety of reasons. First, the status of the subjects give the photo a lot of value. Also, Chapelle's proximity to the violence of the war shows her dedication to her photography and reiterates her fearlessness.
South Vietnamese soldiers during a live fire artillery drill, circa 1961-62 (Dickey Chapelle/Wisconsin Historical Images)
Again, this photo gives the audience the shock factor immediately upon looking at it due to the proximity of the photographer. It is very likely that in a live fire artillery drill, with nothing to arm her but a camera, that Chapelle's life was at risk. This photo captures the fear on the face of the soldiers and emphasizes the strife that the soldiers have to go through.
Chapelle was the first female war photographer to be killed in action and is survived by her colleagues, family, and friend as fearless and unrelenting. A few of the images shot by Chapelle have become extremely famous, while a great many of her images have not made it to the mainstream public.
To me, her images of Vietnamese families living in a war torn area are the most emotionally striking. The Vietnamese war was an extremely controversial, polarized war and her photos not only capture the realities of these families that are having to live in the war on a day to day basis, but they allow for Americans to visually place themselves in the situations of these families across the world.
Vietnamese children react to mortar life circa 1961-62. (Dickey Chapelle/Wisconsin Historical Images)
The photo above depicts children going about their day to day lives in war torn Vietnam. The selection of children for the subjects of the photo enhance the overall emotional response because children are so helpless and they have zero agency in this situation, specifically. The photo argues that war impacts a lot of individual human beings and that while our daily lives in America were not radically changed, thousands of families in Vietnam couldn't go a day without their life being disrupted by the war.
Fidel and Raul Castro pose with a bazooka during the Cuba Revolution in Oriente Province in 1958. (Dickey Chapelle/ Wisconsin Historical Images)
This photo is compelling for a variety of reasons. First, the status of the subjects give the photo a lot of value. Also, Chapelle's proximity to the violence of the war shows her dedication to her photography and reiterates her fearlessness.
South Vietnamese soldiers during a live fire artillery drill, circa 1961-62 (Dickey Chapelle/Wisconsin Historical Images)
Again, this photo gives the audience the shock factor immediately upon looking at it due to the proximity of the photographer. It is very likely that in a live fire artillery drill, with nothing to arm her but a camera, that Chapelle's life was at risk. This photo captures the fear on the face of the soldiers and emphasizes the strife that the soldiers have to go through.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Visual Argument
For our unit 3 assignment, we are to find a topic to argue, but solely through the use of compelling images..aka a visual argument. Our sketch/storyboard is due Thursday, and I still have no idea what my topic is going to be. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I really want to do something that is unique, but that will minimally impact the few lives of the people that will see it.
During my four short years in Texas, I have noticed that drinking and driving is a lot more prevalent here than it is at home in California. Throughout my life, the topic of drinking and driving has been extremely serious, as it should be everywhere, I feel as though there isn't as much as an emphasis on how dangerous it is here. While I am aware that I am a college student and that young people frequently make idiotic mistakes, I am shocked by how frequently I have seen people getting behind the wheel after two drinks too many. So, doing a visual argument about stopping drinking and driving and increasing the awareness of its dangers is one of my ideas.
I also am considering doing an argument preventing texting and driving. Again, in California, there is legislation about talking on your cell phone while you are in the drivers seat, and recently, they have tightened these laws even further, making it illegal to even hold your phone at any point while you are behind the wheel. Obviously, this is a hard law to regulate, but I think it is a good start. There are too many risks while you are behind the wheel and the fewer distractions the better. Texas does not have any regulation about cell phones and driving, so I think that honing in on the importance of not being distracted may be something that I want to argue.
While I've been writing this blog post, I decided that I will definitely end up doing one of these topics. The visuals I may come across for this project will likely be very graphic, but I think these arguments will benefit most via visuals rather than the redundant rhetoric of being told what not to do.
During my four short years in Texas, I have noticed that drinking and driving is a lot more prevalent here than it is at home in California. Throughout my life, the topic of drinking and driving has been extremely serious, as it should be everywhere, I feel as though there isn't as much as an emphasis on how dangerous it is here. While I am aware that I am a college student and that young people frequently make idiotic mistakes, I am shocked by how frequently I have seen people getting behind the wheel after two drinks too many. So, doing a visual argument about stopping drinking and driving and increasing the awareness of its dangers is one of my ideas.
I also am considering doing an argument preventing texting and driving. Again, in California, there is legislation about talking on your cell phone while you are in the drivers seat, and recently, they have tightened these laws even further, making it illegal to even hold your phone at any point while you are behind the wheel. Obviously, this is a hard law to regulate, but I think it is a good start. There are too many risks while you are behind the wheel and the fewer distractions the better. Texas does not have any regulation about cell phones and driving, so I think that honing in on the importance of not being distracted may be something that I want to argue.
While I've been writing this blog post, I decided that I will definitely end up doing one of these topics. The visuals I may come across for this project will likely be very graphic, but I think these arguments will benefit most via visuals rather than the redundant rhetoric of being told what not to do.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Website Crunchtime
SO as it turns out, building a website is HARD. I swear there has to be an easier way to build a website with four pages than Dreamweaver makes it, but I'm slowly figuring it out. Thankfully, the deadline has been pushed back a couple days, allowing for me to tinker around with the software (and actually build a working website) before it's due.
I have been having a lot of trouble with both Dreamweaver and the online server, as my website and server are refusing to sync. Although that sounds like a detrimental issue, at the end of the day, I can still save all of my files onto the server manually and just work on the website on Dreamweaver in the local files. The only risky thing about this is that I can't upload the files until I'm completely done working on it so if my program crashes, I'm done for. Also, if I forget to save even just one file, or can't find a file that is integral to the navigation or design of my website, my entire website could be skewed.
While I am very stressed about this project and am wishing on a lucky star at this point that I can figure out how to make this process run a little more smoothly, I am really thankful that I know a least a LITTLE about coding, website design, servers, CSS, HTML and all the rest of the lingo that I never thought I would be acquainted with in my lifetime.
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