In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes

A couple of weeks ago we paid a visit to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and had a first hand look at the different styles and types of photography through out the years.  The exhibit was call "In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes", and it contained beautiful images done from the late 1800's to today.  Some notable names where Ansel Adams and his image of the Monolith at Yosemite National Park, as well as Southworth and Hawes and samples of daguerreotypes produced by themselves.   All the images were beautifully done and impressive in their own respect.  Some more than others.  For me, the daguerreotype by Southworth and Hawes blew me away by the sheer sight of it.  The portrait titled "The Letter", had such clarity and beauty that I couldn't compare it to any other piece of work besides Ansel Adams.  The way they focused on the two woman and blurred out out the background, gave the image a feel that I find hard to find in many works today.  Along with Platt D. Babbitt's ambrotype, "Niagra Falls", I found new respect for what photographers were doing in the past.  I am not saying I didn't have respect to start, but if you looked at their works and compared it to what many are doing now, you'll understand the accomplishments they achieved.  Today with the help of computers, we can do so many things by looking at the screen and deciding if we should delete it or not.  But back then, if felt as if it were a hit or miss since you couldn't preview your work before starting to work on it.   Looking at these images in a book does not compare to seeing them in person.  You can really see the detail, quality, and care that these photographers focused on.    

One of the biggest topics in the news today is war.  As everyone knows, the common trend is to follow what comes with war which is violence.  Nothing can grab a person to the news like an act of violence or trouble.  After all, that is all that the news reports.  At least what it wants you to see.  Recently though, in order to bring attention to the tragedies of war, the United States has allowed the press to report on the arrival of soldiers killed during the current wars it takes part in today.  Up until recent, images of the the arriving coffins draped with the American flag have been prohibited.  Now images like the one shown, have been appearing more and more, in attempts to hopefully realize that the war has more than a dollar value at stake.

Myself

I guess I never really introduced myself. My name is Sergio Gonzalez and I was born in Santiago, Chile in 1982. I am enrolled in the Applied Science degree for Photography at NVCC and I am enjoying the experience and opportunity to express my creative side, a side that was last seen at the age of 6 through my set of Legos. My interest in photography began in high school when I was admiring the works of my classmates who were enrolled in photo classes. I was involved in sports and other activities that took up the majority of my time and prevented me from following the small ambition that I had growing in my heart. When I entered NVCC, I decided to excel in Emergency Medicine through the EMT degree program that was offered. When I graduated I realized that I had to get some things organized in my own life before I could aquire a job in the field, so I decided to go back to school and continue my education. I noticed that I had acquired a significant amount of credits that were never put to use so I decided to follow my desire to explore the film world and what it had to offer. Ever since I enrolled in the program, I've found myself shining away from the television and steered my attention to what was seen through the view finder in my camera. It was love. I hope to complete a portfolio that can help express where my life has taken me and what it's taken me through and at the same time expose my soul to the rest of the world for a better understanding. I'll make it known when I feel like it's complete, or sufficiently plentiful for a proper presentation. As for the future, I want to pursue the field of Emergency Medical Technicians and some how find time to continue my involvment in the photography world and hopefully find a way to combine the both. Who knows what can happen. But I'll do my best to make something happen.

Exploration + Landscape

About over a year ago, I purchased the Nine Inch Nails album entitled "Ghosts 1-4". It was an experimental album that based its music off of the images of photographers Phillip Graybill and Rob Sheridan. One of the themes of the album was that it was meant to be "a soundtrack to your dreams". It's an incredible piece of work. Then again every Nine Inch Nails album is a work of art. Aside from that fact, the images used as a muse were amazing in they're own respect. About 40 images were created for this project, and of these 40, this image has been a favorite of mine. I could not tell you the exact location this was taken, but the feel of it tells you that the desert is not just a place to go if you want to acquire a slight tan, but a place that can be as cold as any other area when the light starts to fade away at the end of the day. It captures the loneliness that can be found for endless miles around you. The editing helped give it a cold and fresh effect that only adds to the feeling of being alone that you get from the final product.

Early 20th Century Fine Art Photography In The US

I tried to capture an image of the George Washington Masonic Temple in Alexandria VA, with the intention to replicate the style of the f64 group from the 1930's. I would like to say that the image feels like a success considering its just a straight shot of the temple. The detail is as close as I can get it to be and even though the highlights are not all over the place, I feel like the clouds are able to carry the image by allowing the rays of light to give a mysterious feel to a place that is full of mysteries itself. The only kind of manipulation that I did was adjusting the highlights and exposure.

Lee Friedlander

I took a trip to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. after finding out that the National Gallery of Art DID NOT have anything on exhibit having to do with photography.  I was disappointed at first but once I made the 4 block walk, I was stunned by what I had walked into.  The first floor was holding an exhibit on portraits taken by Ryan McGinley, Katy Grannan, and Martin Schoeller, and a few other photographers.  At first I was caught by surprise at the works by McGinley and Schoeller, but realized I had to stay focused and search for other works to write on.  After walking through most of the gallery, I ran into a series of works entitled "The American Monument" by Lee Friedlander.  At first I didn't really understand what I was looking at.  It just seemed like he had just taken photos of random street scenes.  I wasn't impressed but as soon as I read what the series was about, I was able to understand what his motive was.  His intentions were to capture different monuments of American history through out the country.  Some were pretty obvious.  Just a straight shot and nothing really amazing about in my opinion.  But then there were some images that seemed more like a "hide and seek" game.  It turned into a set of photos of the city taken in the 1970's with the monument immersed in the image as if you weren't meant to actually pay any attention to it.  The series, for me, completely turned itself over.  The images began to capture more than just the monuments, but also the era that they were taken in.  Your eye began to take in the old cars and clothing styles that were once considered a high point in that time, but are now a thing of the past.  Regardless of distractions, Friedlander was able to stay on track and continue the goal that he was trying to reach with the monuments.  I've said before that I a fan of black and white photography, but even more so of black and white photography from the past... way back.  I am not sure if everyone would actually enjoy this series, but I can guarantee that they would enjoy the rest of the gallery and what it has to offer.  One big plus about the gallery was the Presidential portrait gallery.  If you want a surreal experience back in time, then this gallery will do it.

Favorite 19th century photo

This past weekend I took a trip to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. My interest was to see an exhibit they had based on portraits taken by Martin Schoeller and other photographers. Martin Schoeller is famous for up close photos of famous individuals such as Jack Nicolson, Angelina Jolie, and Barack Obama to mention a few. After viewing the images I made my way to the presedential portriats. On the way there I noticed the Lincoln section that had photographs of Lincoln and his funeral. The quality was great for its time and even better when enlarged. Of the photographs available to see, there was one image that really stuck in my mind, which was the funeral procession and the lines of people waiting to walk by his casket to pay they're final respects. For no reason what so ever I always thought that this sort of thing first started when J.F.K. was laid to rest. I guess it's because of the fact that the news of Kennedy's death reached so many people at the same time that it gave everyone the chance to attend the final viewing. As opposed to a time that when Lincoln was shot, news spread around slower and left many little time to prepare for such a tragedy. Aside from that, I am sure that the photographer might have had a little more than enough time to capture this image. I am only saying this because of the fact that waiting lines for this sort of occasion don't move as fast as one would think, letting the exposure capture what the photographer saw. I personally love black and white photography. I prefer it over color on many levels. Don't get me wrong, I agree that color photography would be more sutable for other projects, but the human eye can easily get distracted and lose focus of what you want the viewer to see. Lincolns funeral and as well as others, are better shot with black and white, in my opinion, just because it brings out the feeling of what is going and what people are feeling inside. I could look at this image all day and be amazed by it and finally call it a beautiful photo. My eye would look around and always find something new. The buildings, the clothing, the dirt roads. It's all so old yet new to me because I can't imagine living in that world without what surrounds me today.