Blog Entry 5, 6 & 7

#5 Give your thoughts on the following quote.
“I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul.” ~Mary Ellen Mark





It is important to inform a person of the reason you're photographing them because the feeling that is expressed through the picture taken can be dramatically changed when the subject is informed. If you just take a quick photo of a person standing there, it is not necessarily going to capture the personality that is unique to the subject.

#6 In your opinion, when is it beneficial, ethical, or appropriate to digitally alter photographic portraits? When do you think it is inappropriate or ethically wrong? 


It is beneficial to digitally alter photographs when the lighting used negatively affected the quality of the picture. It is also beneficial in portraits such a senior pictures, for clearing blemishes or wisps of hair. It is inappropriate to alter a photograph when you are trying to capture a moment that is important to be presented, such as a historic moment in time like a speech or a tragedy.

#7 Pay close attention to the types and number of photographic portraits you see in one day. Where did you see them? How do you think that the content of the portrait changes based on the context in which you see the image (news, facebook, magazine, advertisement, television, youtube, etc)? In other words, what is the difference between the portraits you see on facebook vs. those on the news? What is the difference between the “viewpoint” of the photographer in each situation? What is the difference between their “intents”?


The majority of photographs I saw today were in the hallways of my dorm. The context you see the image changes the content dramatically because each photo is taken in either a produced or natural way. Portraits on facebook are produced pictures where the subject's intent is to create a picture. Portraits in the news are meant to capture a moment in time in a natural way. The difference between the "viewpoint" of the photographer in each situation is also large. When taking a portrait for a facebook picture, you are not necessarily a "witness" to an event, while on the news the photographer IS a witness to an important event. The news is meant to inform, while facebook profile pictures are just meant to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.