Final!!! Photojournalism

Okay, so half way through this assignment I found out my sister has cancer. So, this might not be the most coherent response ever.
1. Should newspapers show violent images from Iraq?
Audiences prefer less graphic imagery then editors and photographers. Graphic images from Iraq and Afghanistan should be printed, but with constraint. Violence will loose impact when the viewer is bombarded with gore. Some photos communicate the same turmoil without being graphic. Like a burned teddy bear, rather than a burned body imprint on the ground. Not to say all of the horrible things people do to each other isn't newsworthy, but holding the audiences attention to provoke education/action/outrage should represent the primary communication objective. Journalists can't always be objective to the audiences point of view, because they have witnessed and lived in their story. A good editor while strive to find balance of picking images that tell the story, and spread the violence out to saver impact of the audience.
2. Should an editor and photographer be different people?
Yes. Boy, it saves a lot of work for me when I don't have to edit. Although, I haven't always agreed with Amanda's choices this semester it's provided a fresh set of eyes on my work. I am not objective. I don't even know where to begin to be more objective. What my shutter captures, I have experienced. I see the frames in context when I review. Only when I distance myself from the work for a long can come back and be more objective. There have been some times my most creative frame didn't run in paper, because it didn't make sense with the context of the story. But other times like Brett Adam's baseball feature the more creative angle did run. In that instance I wouldn't have picked the more creative image. Editors are great. They can help identify where work is lacking, because the photographers head was to close to what was going on. Personally, I do better when I have someone bounce ideas off of, and look at what went right or wrong in a image.
3. Given the power and contrast of black and white images, what argument is made that readers prefer color?
The audience according to the study cited in Kobre's book audiences see the world in color, and find color photographs more realistic. Color images are looked at more often, but black and white are remembered longer. I wonder if b&w are more memorable because it takes longer to see in gray scale. More times then not I am more attracted to b&w regardless of the subject matter. Modern audiences have been spoiled with loud visual stimulation, and to capture audiences attention color is more effective.
4. Discuss the photojournalistic ethics of honesty, decency and relevance.
Journalists are suppose to tell the story as objectively as possible to allow the audience to come to their on conclusions. Although, in modern news media personal agendas have corrupted the medium. It's nieve to think the medium hasn't always been corrupted. I would hope their were a few good months at least we as journalist can strive to duplicate. As a photojouralist framing to include or exlude information is a utlimately a judgement call. Is this information in the frame detracting from the story? Comes down to being objective to the subject matter, and allowing the story to tell itself. Relevance=So What? How would the affect the audience? Do you care, and why? Board of trustess meeting relevant. Conditioner is bad for your roots, not as relevant, but depends who you ask. GO LIFESTYLES. As a jouranlist the most important attribute is being open minded, and constaintly reminding yourself to do so. Having integrity as jouralist is the only way to provide honesty news.

Top shots

I picked the picture above because I the repetition of the fence, the short depth of field, and and the distortion in the right of the frame. I wish I had Erickson's art analysis paper we used to critique our photography. I've looked everywhere, if you talk to him get a copy please. I like the structure, and it's not typical view of the fence. If the v shape of the fence were flat this image would be a great deal more boring.
So, when I first say this photo at the beginning of class I thought it was a professional photographers work we would talk about in class. I was pleasantly surprised that the author of the image was our very own RONNIE! The color, cant and texture of the image never gets boring. I knew I would learn a lot this semester from my peers after realizing it is Ronnie's work. It was hard to pick a single image, and neglect Adam or especially Don's editorial. I chose this image because my first impression, not because any of the others were less technical or impactful. I'll never look at an umbrella the same again. Thanks bud.

Final!!!

Part One:
I have hard time with font. I'm not incredibly affected by font. Images do it for me. Font boring to me. I don't spend nearly as much time analyzing font design in both style and placement as I do to other design elements. This attitude has crippled my designs because they are neglected. I can now identify how font can compete and bog down over all design if used improperly. I still don't dream about serifs like I would lenses, but I how font can bring design to another level.

Jeep: Bold, simple and to the point. Jeep's products are functional and casual. The spirit of the vehicles are exemplified in their choice of font. Jeeps are built for the "off road enthusiasts." On Jeeps website when each picture of different model are scrolled over vehicle will enters driving up and over frame. The two wrangler models have mud dripping off the tires a leaving tracks. As Jeep vehicles serve the function of being the off road specialists. Jeep vehicles are about the driver. It is merely a vessel to adventure. The font is bold and simple like the design of their vehicles. The best point Jeep makes with their font is it says Jeep (period).

Jaguar: Their font is fluid and has long strokes. The the shape of the J in Jaguar is reminiscence of the Jaguar's leg of their logo. The choice of white on black, and the use of upper case provides emphasis and clean. The font isn't bombarded with serifs and strokes. My sister had a Jag for a long time. They accelerate quickly and smoothly. Jaguar as an animal are graceful, fast and fluid. All of these attributes describe the font, and the car. There is a continuity with the companies icon, product and branding. The spirit of the company is reiterated in all of their artifacts. Jaguar's logo is black using the highlight to illustrate the Jaguar logo and font. The Jaguar vehicles pictured on their website are black shot on a black background. The highlight in the photograph shows the shape and detail of the cars.

Lamborghini: When I turned fifteen my sisters boyfriend bought a bright yellow Lamborghini. They are fast, loud and flashy (like their owners.) The font used by the Lamborghini company is crest providing a sense of stature, and is a loud yellow and a bull as a logo. The font and logo choice represent power. Gold and bulls are powerful. In contrast with the fast quiet speed of Jaguar, the Lamborghini is loud, irreverent and has brute strength. The font is boxey, bold in style and color, and it jumps off the the page.

Each company uses strength incorporated in their branding, but used in different ways. Jeep uses strength in having the power literally climb mountains. Jaguars in quiet speed, and Lamborghini in brute masculine strength. "Strong as BULL!"

Artifact One:
The So Cal is gorgeous. The texture of the smokey sky contrasting the blue clouds. The suns breaking through the smoke, and the bird returning to a dead tree built emerging from the ash is telling of the fire crisis in California. This example illustrates what your have been emphasizing; how font and imagery can evoke emotion. The line vectors in the image force the eye to remain on the center of the image at the bird clutched to a dead tree. There are three suns breaking through the smoke. I get the texture, font and how the subject is used to show the consequences of wildfire. I don't understand why three suns are necessary to illustrate the healing of the forest. I really like the style of the campaign, the print has been worn and weathered like the content; which, adds consistency in design.

Artifact Two:
The "ENDSUICIDENOW" campaign is very provoking. The hand graphic in the barrel of the gun really illustrates nipping it in the bud. I had a buddy shoot himself last year, and I think the direct approach to suicide (and pretty much everything, have you met me?) is head on. Tiptoeing around an issue isn't going to evoke change. The worest thing you can do about additiction and depression is pretend there isn't an issue. They're like weeds they don't even need water to grow. I like that the image is faceless, and uses the contrast of orange and black. The small graphic of the hand is the star of the image because it's white. The website is white. White=solution. The white pops on the dark burnt orange and black sillouette, becuase there is so liite it doesn't over power the over all image. I wish I could do our last assignment again. I would go in a different direction.

Artifact Three:
United Nations Millennium Development Goals posters are clean in their design. I'm attracted to straightforward simple design. I like how the text is incorporated by a line from the subject. I think the images made sense for their representation except the first two. What does a pineapple have to do with priorities? I can't read the text so I could be missing an important communicative aspect of the image. In contrast the footprint and key are very affective in showing solutions and survival. I like how the design layout is consistent with lettering on the bottom, and having each image participate in the spelling of POSSIBLE. Each poster is different but cohesive by the background color palette and layout. I'm not confident as a designer to take risks with color yet. I have a love affair with gray scale and has prohibited me from branching out. I think this example is a great at using color intelligently, but mostly cohesively with using a broad color palette. The series need to be scene in its entirety to achieve the desired effect. I'm curious to know how the posters were displayed.

Artifact

My advertisement is directed toward a bus stop poster. I think with the artifact would work in as a print ad if I removed two row and two columns. In print the page is so small the design would loose impact. My goal was to provide a lot of information, but to organize it so its not too overwhelming. During my development process I was shooting ideas around with Dave Harris. He made a point the text needed to dominant and easy to see in a bus advertisement. Since he had worked for UTA he expressed identifying what people were looking at is at least as important than seeing the image. Visually I am creating a bit of a competition between my image graphic and my logo, but I hope it has sense of balance.

I'm using all of the gestalt principles, but i didn't use them all consciously. 
Prangnaz: Small squares create on big square.

Similarity: Not only in shape, but the manner composition of subjects progresses. Whether being framed to the left or right. 

Continuity: Because of the progression of color and gray scale, and composition the eye is suppose to directed across the page being push to the side of up and down.

Closure: I used this law in two ways: First creating a square using positive and negative space. Second,  all of my images had to be cropped. While shooting I had to keep in mind how frame where I could keep the information I wanted to keep, not loose something important. Some images were shot to tight to use. The rectangle frame is constricting, but have to visualize square framing kept me on my toes. (And some weren't successful.) 

Figure/Ground: Again, I do have some intentional competition here, between my images and logo graphic. I created a line separating them from each other to break up them up. The should be seen together, but as separate entities.

My purpose for this design is not only display a variety of photography, but to draw the viewer into image. A glance wouldn't be sufficient to process all the information, so I wanted to use contrast in color and layout to get those few extra seconds of attention. I used the center picture because it looks like it has been photo tinted, and I thought it would bridge the gap of color and black and white.