Friday, March 30, 2007

Favorite Web Sites

1.Ernst Haas's photogallery was one of my favorites that we looked at.


http://www.ernst-haas.com/introduction3.html ------------------->







2. I had never been on You Tube before, so it was kind of cool to see all the videos.

http://www.youtube.com







3. I used this site when doing research for our power point presentation on Alfred Eisenstaedt. It had some good information and some neat cover photos you could look up.

http://www.life.com/Life/

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Political Campaign

Barack Obama is jumping on the wagon for presidency in 2008. Since he has made this step it would make sense that he create his own website stating the issues he wants to address, his history, and how to get involved. All this can be found on his website http://www.barackobama.com/. On this site he has links to him and his family, the issues he wishes to address, how to get involved, a blog, and a newsroom. There are also many pictures on the site showing him getting involved with the community. His audience is the American Public and probably more specifically the voting American Public. His main purpose is to inform the public of who he is, what he stands for, and why we should vote for him.
When you first enter his website you see a quote from him reaching out to those who are mourning from the recent violent acts that hit our country. He then has his schedule posted below this and groups that support him to the right. There are also links to see some of his recent rallies. There is also a link to his stand on Iraq. At the top there are links that quickly lead you to his family, his issues, and how to get involved. The main colors of his page are red, white, and blue which pull in the American theme. Everything is laid out well and evenly placed and easy to get to. The page is very clean and uncluttered.
I think the page was made simple, so people could easily navigate it and find quick answers to their questions. The red, white, and blue shows the patriotic side of him, which is need in a president. I think they posted his schedule, so the American people could keep their eye out for him to follow and support him. It seems the page is powered by his issues and supporting him, which is typical of a campaign runner. Of course he had to have something about Iraq on his page, because what future president wouldn't talk about Iraq. Iraq isn't an overplay on his page though, which I think is good. It shows he has more issues he cares about than just Iraq.
Overall I believe that his main purpose is to inform the American public of what he stands for and what he wants to do as a president. I think they laid the page out very simple so people could easily navigate through his site. I don't feel Obama wants to push himself on people like some other runners, but wants to present his side. He presents himself very well through out the page as a smart, loving, happy man who would be a good president.


Thursday, March 22, 2007

Video Clip


a) What is the purpose?
- To entertain
b) Who is audience?
-Consumer
c) What will you be arguing?
-Buy our product
d) How are you going to arrange the elements?
-Scene 1 - Student is at table and has a headache
-Scene 2 -Shows student reaching into bag and grabbing a glue stick instead of HeadOn.
-Scene 3 -Student rubs glue stick on forehead.
-Scene 4 - Student lays head down on table.
-Stage 5- Student lifts head and papers are stuck to their head. The paper says something catchy like" Headaches can be sticky situations. Use HeadOn."

e) Staged
- Probably at the IPFW computer lab.
f) What props will you need?
-A book bag, Glue stick, and HeadOn
g) Who will be in it?
-Class members
h) Formal Statement of purpose.

- We are going to make a commercial for the product HeadOn. Our purpose will be to entertain and encourage others to buy the product. The commercial will be held at the IPFW center with classmates participating in the commercial. We will probably need a book bag, glue stick, and a stick of HeadOn for props. We will break the commercial into five flowing scenes when producing the commercial.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Outline

Outline for Alfred Eisenstaedt:

1. Introduction
2. Biographical
3. Kissing Picture
4. Types of photos
5. Technique
6. Video of Eisie
7. Career at LIFE Magazine
8. Personal Quotes~ Life strategies
9. Conclusion

Thursday, February 15, 2007




I love how her red dress stands out. My eye is instantly drawn to it and it fits so well with her blond hair. I like how she is the center focus and the side aren't too important to the picture. I think it works well that the picture stops right at her foot and just a little above her head. Her figure is perfect also. I like the straight lines of the door next to her curves. It seems as though the straight lines bring out her curves. I think this photo would work in black in white also, but I really like it in color because of the red dress and blond hair. It adds so much character to the photo.




I love this photo. It seems so sweet and you can almost feel the attraction between them. I love the position of both of them. They are both leaning in, Marilyn more than Joe. I think the window behind them frames them, pulling them out of the picture. This picture doesn't seem quite black and white, but it's not color. It seems to have a settle pink hue to it. I think the tint of the photo adds a warm feeling to the picture. It makes it seem old yet new. Like the start of a new era.


Um can I say line.....I think line is the most obvious element of this photo. Next would probably be depth of field. The line makes it seem so tall and the depth so deep. This photo seems like it lasts forever. I like in black in white because there seems to be perfect contrast between the black and white. I think color might have made this photo too busy and taken away from the line and depth of field.
Articles:
Title: Little man, Big Legacy, Life, 00243019, 1998, Vol. 21 issue 5
Database: Academic Search Premier- EbscoHost
At 75 Eisie said he was still a photographer because he still got excited about it. He was described by others by having excitement and energy in life and in his photos. Others said he kissed with his camera and taught others to do so. He seemed to be helpless in every other realm than photography. Eisie had said photography was more than just an expression, it was a different way of seeing. Eisie always tried to catch that story telling moment when looking around the world. Eisie had said though that when he could simply blink his eyes and take a picture, then he would really be a photographer.
Title: Who's that guy? By Adams, Kathleen, Cole, Patrick, Time, 0040781 X, 8-26-96, Vol. 148, Issue 10
Database: Academic Search Premier: EbscoHost
One of Eisie's famous photos is of a soldier kissing a nurse. This brought about great speculation on who these people were. In 1980 Edith Shain came forward and said she was the nurse, but the soldier was still unknown. Men have come forward saying they were the soldier, but some truths didn't fit the picture. So far 11 sailors have come forward saying they were the sailor.
Title: Eisie., Life, 00243019, Spring99 Vol 22, Issue 5
Database: Academic Search Premier: EbscoHost
In his lifetime he shot some 2,500 stories and 86 covers for LIFE. He is said to be a founding father of photojournalism. He created stories from the famous to the obscure. Again he said "his goal was to find and catch the storytelling moment."

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Rhetorical Analysis



When first looking at these photos it seems as though the author is just trying to show the audience the life of the Native Americans. I think these stand out to me because they are so different from what we are use to seeing. Their faces are so somber and their clothing is very eccentric and and either very conservative of very minimal. When thinking about it more I think he also wanted to show us their wisdom and the peace that just seems to radiate off of them. They come from a different culture and they are just different themselves from the American people. So where initially I thought he wanted to show the audience some scenes from the Native American life, I think now he wanted to show us their wisdom and peace also. They seem to live such peaceful full lives. These pictures make them seem content and comfortable in their lives. I find these pictures calming because we live in such a high paced competitive world. It's nice to see a calm, peaceful picture.








Page 337

1. I think the Vertigo poster is probably the oldest being made in the 60's or so. Then I would say The Wizard of Oz not too long after Vertigo. Buffalo Soldiers was probably around the 80's or 90's and the Matrix only a few years ago. I am basing this on how vibrant the color is, the clothing, and technical advancements used.
2. The Wizard of Oz is a family movie, Buffalo Soldiers a comedy, Vertigo a mystery/ love story, and Matrix a sci-fi. I say Wizard of Oz and Matrix are what they are because I have seen them and know. I believe Buffalo Soldiers is a comedy just by the way he is standing and his smirk on his face. Vertigo I think is a love mystery because of the man and woman on the poster and it's a Hitchcock so there has to be some mystery or something weird.
3. I think they wanted the Wizard of Oz to be colorful to make it look bright and fun. Buffalo Soldiers of course had to be red, white, and blue plus the camo because it's about soldiers I'm guessing. The red in Vertigo makes it seem like a deep story line. I'm not sure why, but it just seems more serious. The green in the Matrix makes it seem more techno and sci-fi.
4. In the Wizard of Oz my eye first goes to the cartoon then the witches, then the main characters. I think the cartoon is first to show what kind of movie it is. They then wanted to introduce us to the characters. In Buffalo Soldiers first I see his face then the flag. He must be the main character so they wanted him to stand out. Same with Vertigo. The main characters (I'm assuming) are what stand out. The bridge might be showing some of the plot or setting. Nothing really stands out clear in the Matrix poster. Mainly just the green lines. It kind of hides the main characters, which makes them seem more mysterious like they really are in the movie.
5. I thin these poster were mainly made during the World Wars. I guess I used the little I know about history to make this assumption.
6. I would say the Uncle Sam, Skeleton, the lady soldier, and the An Appeal to You poster come from America. I think this because they just have an American touch to them. I think the London Opinion comes from London I guess because it says London. If it didn't I would assume Germany because of his mustache. It seems German to me. I think the Perstito and La Germania posters come from Germany. If not Germany then London I guess. I think the Buy War Bonds comes from maybe Japan. I'm not sure what nationality he really is so I'm not sure.
7. I think most of these posters chose red, white, and blue because it is supposed to be patriotic. I'm not too sure why they chose the brown colors for some of the photos. They don't stand out to me at all. The ones that have an orange/red glow in the back like fire really stand out though. I think this method works the best. It seems to glorify the poster and bring the soldier to center focus.
8. In all of the posters I see the soldier or Uncle Sam first then my eye travels to the words. I think the person draws us in like they are talking to us and this is why the creator wanted our eye to see the person first.


Page 341

1. I think the body positions are trying to glorify the person in the pictures. They stand tall and confident with many of them positioned in the center, which gives them all the focus. I think the posters of Uncle Sam pointing at us and the soldier reaching out grabs our attention more effectively. It's like they are directly speaking to me and trying to get my attention. I think these posters were trying to draw us in and inspire us to get out there. I believe that most of these photos were effective in doing so.
2. You need to know what's going on in the world and how the people feel about the war. You need to know the kind of language (terms and slang) the area uses to really get personal with the people you are trying to reach. Before starting a design for someone you need to do research for the area and time. Especially if outside your normal surroundings.
3. I think photographs would make the poster more real, but maybe too real. The paintings seem to sugar coat the reality of war and makes it seem safe. Photos make you see the real thing where paintings seem like a cartoon and not real.


Page 342

1. I think this is a very powerful poster. I often think about our problem with immigration now and wonder how much right we have to get upset. I know we need to keep our country safe and know who exactly we are letting into our nation, but we didn't get the approval of the Indians when the pilgrims came over. I also like it because photos of the Native Americans normally show them peaceful and calm, but this one shows their real anger towards this situation. It shows a different kind of anger though. It shows an anger that comes from sadness. Like they have been wanting to say it, but have kept it in for all these years. It really makes me stop and think who am I to say who can enter.


Nachtwey's article








Sometimes photography in the media bothers me. I think it can be very selfish and cold. Some moments are not to stolen from you. Some moments are meant to be kept to that individual. I think too often a photographer gets too caught up in getting the perfect shot that they don't think of the feelings of the people in the moment. I know it is needed for pictures like those taken at 9-11 to be taken, but some are unnecessary. I think you can show travesty without invading some one's devastation. Overall I love photography and think moments need to be captured, but I think there is a line. I think you can capture the feeling of devastation with out revealing one's own personal pain. The pictures I have posted here, I believe show the feeling without crossing some one's personal space.










Monday, February 5, 2007

Not Your Old-Fashioned Woman







This is a time in life when roles were changing. Men were off fighting and the woman had to become the mother and the father at home. They had to take care of the things the men could no longer do. I think Alfred Palmer took these pictures to show the world what women are capable of doing. The world didn't just fall apart when the men went off to the war. Women stood up and did what needed to be done and these pictures show that. I think he shot photos like this to show that the women weren't just answering phones or cleaning buildings. They were actually doing the "man" jobs.

These pictures stood out to me because it showed how much the women really did. These women went from staying at home to working on airplane motors. I was quite impressed with that.

I think Alfred liked taking pictures of the women working on motors because it showed the small women working on big things. They look so tiny compared to the big motors. It just shows how much they really did for our country also.

I think Alfred captured these moments to show America what our women were doing for us too. To show that men weren't the only ones working for our country. Everyone had to pull together to make things happen. I think he took these pictures the way he did to show that even small people can do big things. Alfred gave women the credit they deserved.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Alfred Eisenstaedt Biography


Name of Partner: Elyse Van Fleet

Name of Photographer: Alfred Eisenstaedt

We chose Alfred because his photographs were the most visualy appealing of all the photographer's works that we looked at. We really liked the vintage look of the photographs.The fact that he uses mostly people in his photographs is also very interesting. He really focuses on people in their daily lives and makes it beautiful. His celebrity photos are also very beautiful. The pictures of the Kennedy's and Marilyn Monroe are really interesting because they are candid. Alfred really seemed to know just the right angles to make a photograph a work of art. Just look a this. -------->He is an amazing photographer and that's the whole reason why we chose him (even though we can't pronounce his last name)!






Alfred "Eisie" Eisenstaedt was one to be remembered. He captured famous moments for over sixty years. Born December 6, 1898 in West Prussia, he was born to Regina and Joseph Eisenstaedt and was one of three sons. His first spark for photography started when his uncle gave him a Kodak No. 3 folding camera at the age 14.
Alfred's spark for photography was put on hold for a few years, when he was drafted into the German Army at the age of 17. While in battle Alfred was badly injured, but pulled through. He was the only survivor of his artillery. After his injury, he was sent home. This is when his spark was reignited. As his injuries began to heal he slowly began to visit museums to study light and composition. He then started capturing his own moments and developing them in his own bathroom.
The first photo that Alfred was truly proud of was of a woman playing tennis. After showing this photo to a friend he discovered he could enlarge the photo to enhance its qualities. This is when Alfreds spark tuned into a flame. At the age of 31 he had become a full time photographer. He was greatly inspired by the work of Martin Munkasci and Dr. Erich Salomon, whom he called the father of candid photography.
In 1949 Alfred married Kathy Kaye who lived in New York. While in New York started working for the Pacific and Atlantic Photos, which is now the Associated Press. While working there he shot a vast variety of moments. These included portraits of the famous and social events of the time.
He later began working with three other photographers; Margaret Bourke-White, Thomas McAvoay, and Peter Stackpole. They started a project that was kept secret until its release in LIFE magazine on November 23 1936. Until its release the project was only know as Project X. By this time the Cold War was taking place. Alfred could not go shoot this footage though because he was not yet a citizen.
Alfred wanted to recapture the famous kiss in Times Square on VJ Day, so he followed a sailor around who was kissing everyone. The next thing he knew the soldier was grabbing a girl in white and giving Alfred the picture he had been waiting for. This did not turn out to be Alfred's favorite picture though. His favorite was of a young woman in a box seat at La Scala Opera. Although this was Alfred's favorite photo, it was never printed.
In 1942 Alfred finally became a citizen and was able to go over seas to document the war. Alfred then captured Korea, Italy, and England where Winston Churchill posed for him. Other famous celebrities also posed for Alfred such as Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Marlene Dietrich, Albert Einstien, and his favorite Sophia Loren. Alfred then said "You learn something form every picture you take."
Although Alfred was well known and photographed the famous, his first major retrospective show was not until the ripe age of 88 when the International Center of Photography presented 125 of his prints. Alfred shot nearly 100 covers for LIFE Magazine and 10,000 prints. Alfred won many awards and was admired by many. John Loengaurd described Alfred's greatness by saying "He never tries to please editors. He only makes pictures that please him." Alfred was a prime example for those who also have the spark for photography.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Different Views



This picture is heartbreaking yet inspiring at the same time. It's heartbreaking to see these people being attacked for standing up for themselves, but it's so inspiring to see them sticking together and helping each other stand up. I like how the two people are in the center of this photo and everything else is just blurred. It emphasizes the unity. This photo makes the times of the civil rights movement so much more real. I think for my generation it's hard to imagine times like that, but photos like this almost put us in the moment. It's like we are there watching them flee.





I instantly fell in love with Ernst Haas's work. It's so unique and beautiful. I really like this picture of the ballet because it shows the dancer's strength. At first glance it might look like their legs are just crossed. When you look closer you see not only are their legs crossed, but so are their feet. They make this pose look so simple, but this position is only achievable with hard work and discipline.






The city from the 40's to the 60's are my favorite times. I would love to go back to these times. This picture captures that moment and that's why I love it. I also love it because it is taken at a quiet moment of the city, either early morning or late night. It's also great that the street is wet making the picture glisten more.
Both the ballet photo and the city photo are brilliant.
Although the ballet could be in color and the city be in black and white, I think the way they are is the best way for them to be. I think the black and white of the ballet shows the seriousness of the ballet. If it were in color it would seem more fun and not so serious or disciplined. I think the city photo needs to stay in color because this was a time when America was coming to life. The color shows this. It's vibrant and real. The black and white would dull it out. So even though both would work either way, I don't think the reverse would tell the story as well.
I think the photo on page 349 was taken in the 40's or 50's in the winter season. The way they are dressed and the way their hair is done is way I think it was in the 40's and 50's. Their coats and hats is why I believe it was in the winter months. I think this photo was taken in New York City by the water. It's either by the water or up in a tall building like the Empire State Building because there is nothing really in the background of the picture. At first I thought that maybe the man was with one of the women and the other woman was just a friend, but now I believe that they are brother and sisters. They seem to have a playful comfortable look to them and that's why I think they are brother and sisters. I think they are higher class because of their dress. Plus if they live in the city they probably would be higher class. Even though I think they are higher class, I don't believe they are snobbish. I think they are friendly and fun loving. Their posture and look just seems laid back to me. I think this photo was taken for family memories for them.
The photos of the mothers on page 351 can be interpreted many ways. I don't think what we can use what we know from our time of mothers to interpret how those feel and know. Things are so different now than the way they were then. They had different responsibilities and different worries. Illnesses were different and living conditions were different. This is why I don't think we can judge how these women feel in their life. I do think that we can say that these women protect their children, love their children, and worry for their children. Those are natural instincts a mother has that I believe doesn't change with time.
I think Koudelka focuses on the place and not the people because I think in our busy world we forget to really look around us and he wants us to slow down and look around us. We look at people and give our opinions, but we rarely stop and look around us. I think he really wants the audience to see what is going on around us. The captions underneath the pictures totally changed what I thought. When I first looked at the pictures I didn't really know what was going on. Then I saw he was trying to make us see what was going on in our world. I like it as panoramas better because it lets us see it as though we were there. It doesn't scale it down to make it look like a snapshot. We can't see the whole picture in one glance. We have to look over the whole picture like we would in real life. Again I think these pictures are shown in black and white to show their seriousness. Maybe even make them seem older. With these photos I feel like I'm down in the photo. I feel like I am really there looking at the landscape with my own eyes.
It's so neat to see how artists can convey so many different feelings and messages.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Seeing Iraq

It seems that everyone has their own idea and own opinion of the war in Iraq. Some are for it. Some say it's a waste of time and money. To us here in America, Iraq can seem unreal. We can't imagine the violence and destruction over there. For most of us we only hear and see what the news will let us know. With modern technology though, we can see so much more than what the news will let us see. With websites such as You Tube, Iraq can come to life in America.

In the Newsweek article How the U.S. is Losing the PR War in Iraq military spokesmen explain how the war is being broadcast today. It is explained that insurgents are using videos of our soldiers being shot down and killed as a way to inspire new recruits. These are glorified over there. I couldn’t believe that these videos would be glorified over there.

Not only are these videos glorified over in Iraq, but also they show everything. The content on these videos is so much more than we as American's are use to seeing. Technology allows them to get more footage, edit it, and get it out to the world so much quicker than a normal studio. These videos are edited with inspiration music to glorify the act more. This article made me realize how evil these people are. They love killing us. They think it's something to be proud of. I just can't imagine living this way. It makes me really scared and sad for our troops. They are fighting everyday to escape the enemy. These aren't your normal "bad guys" either. They are so much more. They're sick. They love watching us die.

This article opened my mind to how evil and sick the enemy was, but when I watched videos on YouTube of the actual footage, my eyes were open. I watched Ambush on U.S. Marine and I couldn't believe it. The video showed the enemy approaching then killing the Marine. Then it showed the dead, mangled Marine. If that wasn't enough, they then stripped him of his belongings and displayed them as trophies. They even took his Dog Tags. Them taking his Dog Tags really bothered me. That was his identity. That was personal. They have no respect or any sorrow for what they do.

I also found myself getting mad at Hollywood while watching this video too. When they showed the dead Marine, it took me awhile to realize he was dead and this wasn't just a movie. We are so use to seeing this in Hollywood that we don't remember that death and war are real. Once I left my movie mind frame and realized what was really going on I was sick. I was looking at a real fallen soldier. Some one who was fighting for our country and was brutally killed. It made me realize how selfish we can be over here in America. We fight about is the war right, is it wrong, and what to do. While we are bickering about it we have people of all ages dying for us everyday and I think we forget that. We forget just how safe we are. We need to stop bickering and support those who are facing the enemy everyday for us.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

911 Reflection

I still remember that dreadful day like it was yesterday. I was at home because Juniors didn't have to go to school that day until noon. I watched in confusion of what had happened and fear of what was to happen. In my lifetime I had never experienced war and it seemed that war was the direction we were heading. Our nation changed a lot that day. Some would say for the better and some would say for the worse. I'm one of those that almost thinks we changed for the better.

Although this tragic event was devastating, it almost united us. It made us stop and think. Go home with our families. Kneel down and pray to a God that is many times forgotten. It stopped our world for a moment to re-prioritize what we were doing with our lives. I think this event made us strong. Made us defensive and strong. They tried to hit us where it would hurt and put us out. They hit us where it hurt, but they did not put us out. As this cartoon says "Cities gleam undimmed by human tears". They hurt us and we cried, but we didn't forget. I love how this cartoon has the stars in the shape of the towers in the night. It just shows that we don't let terrorists rule us. We are united and we cry together and we remember together.

911 was a terrible event for American history, but it united a distant nation. I'm not for the War in Iraq, but I am for the reaction we had. We didn't give in. We stood up and fought. I like that Lady Liberty is in the cartoon as though she is looking over our nation. To me she represents the spunk we have in us. The pride we have. That we won't just sit back, give in, and hide out of fear. This cartoon represents that pride and spunk we have. That yes it was tragic, yes it was sad, but it didn't destroy us. We picked our selves up and got back on the horse and fought. The cartoon reminds me of a commercial that came our around that time. It shows a seen of a neighborhood before 911 and there is only one American Flag. Then it says something about they tried to change us that day and then that neighborhood comes back up. This time though every house has an American Flag and they say " They did". I love it because I'm and optimist and this is the optimistic view point of 911. We survived, we fought through the tears, and we remember together.

Who I am...

My name is Michelle Nicole DeSanto. I was born and raised in Warsaw and will probably remain here for the rest of my life. I have grown up around lakes, so I love to be on/in the water. Pretty much if you want to find me in the summer, look on one of our surrounding lakes.

I am finally on my last year of college! If everything goes as planned I will graduate in May. My major started out being Psychology, but was switched when I was confused what I would do with that. I then decided I wanted to become a Dental Hygienist. Since that is such a competitive program, when I got a C in Chemistry that plan went out the window. I then thought Dental Assisting. Again I did not get into that program either, but landed a great opportunity to get on the job training at a local dentist office. Since my major has changed so many times my final major will be good ol' General Studies with a minor in Psychology.

After graduation I hope to either continue at the dentist office I am currently working at or at another local dentist office. After that I didn't really have any plans until September 2006 when my high school sweetheart proposed! Now I have more plans after graduation! We plan to get married September 29, 2007 at our church in Oswego. Planning has been a little hectic, but exciting. We have been together for 7 1/2 years, so I was starting to wonder if this day would ever come.

Through this last semester I am trying just to stay calm and let things happen. We'll see what happens!