Assignment 2.1.1
The Art of Photgraphy
![Picture](/uploads/3/3/6/9/3369314/7424161.jpg)
Photo courtesy of K. Blackthorne
Complete the following assignment and submit your work to your website.
In 1900 Kodak introduced the Brownie camera. The Brownie was an inexpensive box-like camera that was simple to use. There was no need to produce your own negatives or even process your own film (you sent the exposed rolls of celluloid negatives to Kodak for processing). Now anyone could take a photograph. It was the Brownie that brought photography to the mainstream.
What the Brownie camera and other similar handheld cameras represented was a huge leap in the development of photography into an accessible art form. Without the cumbersome collection of metal or glass plates, box camera, tripod, and poisonous chemicals, photography became something that anyone could do with the push of a button. The handheld camera could be taken anywhere and be used by anyone.
It was not long before there was a transformation of the “snapshot” photo from the hands of the amateur hobbyist transformed into the art of photography when the camera became the tool of the artist.
In 1900 Kodak introduced the Brownie camera. The Brownie was an inexpensive box-like camera that was simple to use. There was no need to produce your own negatives or even process your own film (you sent the exposed rolls of celluloid negatives to Kodak for processing). Now anyone could take a photograph. It was the Brownie that brought photography to the mainstream.
What the Brownie camera and other similar handheld cameras represented was a huge leap in the development of photography into an accessible art form. Without the cumbersome collection of metal or glass plates, box camera, tripod, and poisonous chemicals, photography became something that anyone could do with the push of a button. The handheld camera could be taken anywhere and be used by anyone.
It was not long before there was a transformation of the “snapshot” photo from the hands of the amateur hobbyist transformed into the art of photography when the camera became the tool of the artist.
Practice
Using the available resources, choose one of the following early photographers and one of their photographs then complete the following deconstruction chart. Post the Chart and the Image to your website under the Assignment Tab as Early Photography.
- Gustave le Gray - Daniel; Jerome
- Nadar -
- Alfred Stieglitz -
- Lewis Hine - Shirley; Jason
- Ansel Adams - Matthew C.; Arthur
- Edouard-Denis Baldus -
- Matthew Brady - Beshoy; Noah
- Carleton E. Watkins - Amanda;
- Eadweard Muybridge - Jamilla; Taiija
- Timothy O’Sullivan -
- Edward Steichen -
- William Notman - Vincent
- Julia Margaret Cameron -
- Peter Henry Emerson - Nicholas
- Hannah Maynard -
- William James -
- Vivian Maier - Marlon; Eros
Deconstructing an Early Photographers
- Name of Photographer.
- Title of Photograph.
- Year of Photograph.
- What is it that you see in the photograph? (Describe in detail).
- What seems to be the centre of attention in the image?
- What do you think the intent was when creating this image? Was it to record an event? Documentation? Artistic? Explain your response.
- What message/emotion do you think is conveyed in the photograph? Compare the areas of light and dark in the photo. How do they compare and relate?
- What initially attracted you to this particular photo out of others that you saw by this photographer?
- What is your overall impression of the image?
- Anything else you wish to note?
Blog Discussion
Be prepared to discuss your deconstruction chart of with your teacher and peers through your blog.
Briefly identify the photographer you chose and your thoughts about the photographic work that you deconstructed in your website blog area.
Briefly identify the photographer you chose and your thoughts about the photographic work that you deconstructed in your website blog area.
RUBRIC
Resources
Some possible resources to begin your research:
- The Smithsonian Photography Initiative
http://photography.si.edu - Library and Archives Canada
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/framingcanada/026020-9000-e.html#start - George Eastman House – Photography Collection
http://www.eastmanhouse.org/inc/collections/photography.php - Canadian Museum of Photography
http://www.fineart.utoronto.ca/canarch/ontario/ottawa/museum.photography.html