Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Kyle Brown


For this week's blog post, my first, I chose to go with two pictures I personally took with my digital camera while in Amsterdam two weekends ago.  Both of them have a small story involved.  The top picture was taken in the first coffee shop upon our arrival.  We were amazed not only at how easy it was to get a joint or gram but also the atmosphere of the room as a whole.  I personally like the painting so I figured I'd document it for others to see.  On the bottom is a picture of Amsterdam's skyline.  After I missed my flight, I went back to town and met up with people I made friends with throughout the weekend.  One of the guys brought me back to his apartment to look up flights for the following day and he also brought me to his apartment's rooftop (8th floor) for this picture.  This is when I really wish I had my "nice" camera because I really enjoyed the view. 



Above is a light meter depicted.  I wanted to look this up and describe it a little bit because I think the professor's light meter in class helps make the process more precise.  As has been demonstrated in class they are used to determine photographic exposure.  It also helps to determine the correct shutter speed and f number which also help to provide a more clean photo.  Many cameras, like the one provided to me for this class, have a built in light meter.  I look through the lens and can only take a picture when the lens doesn't have a black light depicted.  When one is depicted my camera doesn't allow me to take the picture.  The difference between the built in light meter and the portable light meter is my built in meter does not tell me what shutter speed or f number and the portable one we use in class obviously does tell us.  Ciao, see everyone tomorrow.







Above is a picture I took in my on-site sociology class.  While I know the lighting isn't great and I still have my signature date and time in the photo I still love this picture.  I enjoy it so much because it somewhat describes Rome for me.  Where I grew up there are very few historical/important buildings around.  In this picture alone there are two historical temples.  In the front is the temple that used to house prostitutes (don't remember the name) and seen in the background is the temple of Hercules.   


Of the list I chose to write/research about photographer Stanley Kubrick.  I was instantly drawn to him when we briefly spoke about him in class and saw a few of his photos.  I enjoyed his photos very much, but wanted to learn more about him when it was brought to my attention that he also worked in the movie industry.  He was born in 1928 and died in 1999.  By his death he was widely acknowledged as one of the greatest film writers of all time.  Three movies of his I saw and enjoyed are as follows: "The shining", "A Clockwork Orange" and my favorite "Dr. Strangelove".  Below are two pictures of Stanley Kubrick doing some of the things he loved.


Ciao.



I unfortunately do not have access to my personal photos right now since I am currently working on a school computer but when I return from classes late tonight I will be sure to post a photo or two that I took with my digital camera this week.  My apologies about that.  

After learning a little more about Mr. Kubrick I have become much more intrigued.  Here is an interview I watched on youtube.  It is quite lengthy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6BjgA37qyI .  This interview shows "The art of Stanley Kubrick" as they put it.  It discusses how while he does many things (photographer, director, screenwriter, etc.) his first and true love is photography and you can see that depicted in much of his other work.  He is a seemingly very meticulous guy who worked hours on end perfecting his craft and made sure everything had his signature touch to it.  Like his films, his photographs covered a wide range of genres.  He even designed special lenses for a few of his films to make sure the film looked like it was under natural candlelight.  I thought that it was very interesting that many of his movies were based on novels or short stories.  It is almost like he was taking his early experiences in photography and using that to help him put pictures to words in a book and then from there adding movements and other aspects of film.





I like these photos because I really think they get the essence of Mr. Kubrick down perfectly.  They show that he is a "Mr. everything" when it comes to photography and life.  There is no subject he is afraid to tackle or unwilling of his work.  I couldn't see it when the pictures were alone but when they are lined up like this I think the lines in most of them are in fact quite similar.  

As promised I am going to post a few more personal pictures from my digital camera because last week I did not have access to them.  Here are a few of them....




I personally like the two landscape photos the most because that is the type of photography I generally enjoy.  They were both taken from the top of Saint Peter's Basilica.  With the positioning of the trees, the lines of lights are somewhat different for the two photos.  The other two photos involve the Pope's final blessing this Past Sunday and a picture of my roommate with the Corviale housing building behind him.  





Here are a few still photos from Stanley Kubrick's films that you asked me to post.   The first photo is a still photo from Mr. Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove.  The 2nd and 3rd photo are from Kubrick's The Shining and the last photo is from his film 2001 A Space Odyssey.  The two pictures from the shinning are very similar with respect to their lines and color scheme.  The photo from 2001 A Space Odyssey shows just how different the type of camera he was working with actually was.  My favorite photo from these is the one from Dr. Strangelove.  I love the black and white and how he captures the emotions on their faces and the light coming in from the background.  

So I have it on my blog from here on out as a reference point.  With the film I am using this semester (Kodak 400 TX), the developing process goes as follows:  7.5 minutes in developer, flipping up and down 3 times every 30 seconds.  Next I put water in the container (20 degrees Celsius) for 30 seconds of constant movement.  Lastly I put it in the fixer for 3 minutes turning the container upside down 3 times every 30 seconds.  Then I clean the film with water and shampoo and I have successfully developed my film.    
 
 
 



Here are two pictures I took this week.  I really like the latter of the two because it is view of Vio Gregorio Settimo from the top of St. Peter's Basilica.  I happen to live on this road while I am here in Rome and really enjoyed seeing the view from such a monumental location.  I like the natural lines created by the roads running on both sides enclosed by the buildings.  The top picture is a picture of the Dome from the inside.  I was not able to get one that had good balance on both side but I enjoyed how the whole dome seemed to work together leading up to the center of the Dome. 

"His photographs are vintage Kubrick: a complex blend of composition, drama, light and mystery."
"No less than Steven Spielberg said: “Nobody could shoot a picture better in history.”




These are a few quotes I found when I was doing some research on Stanley Kubrick.  It speaks a lot of someone when Steven Spielberg comes out and says something like that.  It shows just how many people he influenced with his work.  I intended to post a list of  few photographers/directors that either worked with Kubrick or where influenced by him but I after research I realized the list is almost endless.  He was revolutionary with his work and always strived to get excel in his fields.  Above are a few pictures he took of New York City in the 1940s. The top one is a self-portrait that I really liked because it is one you see on a lot of people's facebook today with the usage of a mirror.  I love the natural light provided by whatever that is in the lower picture in a lab at Columbia University.  The two middle photos are very typical of his style and I thought they went well with the other two photos. 



Part I. Technical Review   (40 points)

Suppose your camera has the following settings:

aperture f1.8  f2.8  f4  f5.6  f8  f11  f16  f22

shutter    B  1   2   4    8   15   30  60  125  250  500   1000

(It is a manual slr film camera with a 50mm 1:1.8 lens.)

1.            Which f-stop allows the most light in? f1.8

2.            Which allows the least? f22 (+# less light)

3.            Which will give the most depth of field? f22

4.            What does depth-of-field mean? Distance between nearest and farthest objects appear sharp

5.            Where is the aperture diaphragm located? In the lens

6.            How is aperture measured? Lens diaphragm gear

7.            Which f-stop allows half the amount of light as f5.6? f8 (every stop is .5, 11 would be)

8.            Which allows twice the light as f5.6? 4

9.            What does focal length refer to? Distance between frontal lens to the film/shutter

10.        Besides aperture, what is another factor that affects depth of field? Focus and distance from the object

11.        Where is the depth of field scale located (on a traditional slr)? Close to the diaphragm

12.        What is the shutter and what does it control? Control the speed of open and close of the shutter, how much light is let in

13.        How is shutter speed measured? Shutter speed gear

14.        Where is the shutter located? Normally at the top of the camera or close to the diaphragms

15.        What kind of shutter speed is needed in low light conditions? Slow speed to let more light in

16.         What does “B” refer to? Shutter always open

17.        What is the safest slow shutter speed without a tripod? 60

18.        Which ss allows twice as much light as “60”(1/60)? 125

19.        Which allows half as much light as “60”? 30

20.        (4 points) On a given day, your camera gives you a correct reading of f4  at 250.  What other configurations would give you the same amount of light and a greater depth of field? (list four ways). By controlling the intensity of light reaching the film and controlling the length of time for which the light falls on the film. One of the easiest things you can do is position the subject you’re wanting to photograph as far away from any objects behind them as possible. 2 lenses with different focal lengths, many zooms have different max apertures at different points along the focal length spectrum. New lense because they have different maximum apertures.

21.        Which would give you the same amount (as above) of light and allow you to create a blurred picture of a speeding car? Slowing the shutter speed because when the shutter is open longer, the subject has more time to move across the frame and establish some kind of blur

22.        Which shutter speed would give you the same amount of light (as above, question 20) at  f2.8? a shutter speed of 1/60 will give you same amount as light at f2.8

23.        On a shadowy area with a bright sky, how would you insure a correct exposure of a subject in shadow? You have to move the f-stop to f16 and must make changes to the other side to have balance, to control the light you have to measure the light on the subject and increase the aperture

24.        (4 p)Which is a better setting, f4 at 1/60, or  f 16 at 1/4 ? Say why. F4 at 1/60 because the camera will give proper exposure

25.        What does ISO refer to? ISO is the number indicating a digital camera sensors sensitivity to light. The higher the sensitivity, the less light is needed to make an exposure

26.        What is a fast film and when should it be used? film that is more sensitive to light, meaning less light is needed to obtain a properly-exposed image, when taking photos of fast moving objects

27.        What is the major problem with fast films? Photos can be grainy if used for shooting in poor light

28.        What are the three chemical steps used in printing a photograph? You use the developer, fixer, and water to print

29.        List two (2 p) ways exposure is controlled in the darkroom. By keeping the room completely dark and through the entire printing process

 





 
 
The first picture above is a picture I took of a statue at the top of Gianicolo hill.  Following it are three diverse pictures that Mr. Kubrick took.  I love the background light in the boxing picture, the background focus in the trapeze photo and the nature light coming from the clouds in the roller coaster picture. 
 


 

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