Shafari T, Niloufar à la Cameron

This photograph depicts my partner Niloufar in her natural state. Unlike photos of the time, like Nadar and Cameron, today smiling is a staple. In the days of Gardner or Brady, the length of exposure eliminated photographs of individuals in a jovial state simply because they weren’t able to hold it very long. Thus in tackling this assignment I wanted to portray Nilo in her normal carefree, happy state. She is very laidback, go with the flow kind of girl. She wears her hair in its natural form rather than straightening it and using products to glamorize her already beautiful self. A hint of her goofy-ness can be detected just by the slight gleam in her eye and curve of her cheek. Her very relaxed attitude is exhibited by the plain white t-shirt she sports to lounge or even go out in. Amongst all of that, Niloufar is open to new people and new things which is hardly a challenge since she is very friendly and just about the nicest person one could ever meet. Though she could never hurt a fly, when it comes to business she is very serious. So don’t let the smile fool you, her priorities are definitely in order and nothing comes before her education. All in all, Nilo can not be summed in just one photograph. But if it had to be done, this profile shot taken in her living room, a la Cameron, would be your best bet at trying to figure her out.

Jaime T, Thu à la Cameron

My partner is Thu Vo, a sophomore at UC Merced. She has a lot of math experience and is a chemistry major. Thu’s nature is quiet and reserved, so I chose Julia Margaret Cameron’s photography style by making her subject look soft, and elegant, rather than hard, and serious. Also, Cameron had mostly portraits from the shoulders and up. Very rarely did she have full body pictures. I chose the portrait because it is more intimate with the subject.
Thu has a soft, quiet, studious nature that one can see then in class, but is also talkative when she wants to be. In the photograph, she is posed behind a small tree, smiling as she is facing the camera. Julia Margaret Cameron’s photos were often of women, and making the woman look soft, rather than serious (like the other photographers’ styles). Thu is half-smiling, and posed in a non-threatening way, showing her soft nature. By connecting her eyes with the camera, it allows the audience to see and feel her yielding nature.

I posed her behind the tree because I wanted to contrast her shyness to the roughness of the tree bark. Also, the background is dark because it was very windy and stormy throughout the day. The outside elements were harsh, but through the harshness of it all, the attention is still all on Thu. To go along with the previous statement, she is wearing a hood, symbolizing that she fears the harsh elements of the outside world. If she did not have her hood on, she would be taken as a bold person, because she is facing the bad weather. Having her hood on makes her seem more soft and feminine.

Lena T, Keith à la Nadar

When a student is deciding on certain classes to take, one of the things that can make or break that decision is what kind of things that the professor requires from them as students? Such as, when a student is partnered randomly - by the professor or his teacher assistant - for an assignment; this can make or break the decision to stay in the class. Now, most students get really excited and happy if they are partnered with someone that they know or have acquainted themselves with before this particular class. I would have to say I was not exactly sure if I was pleased or not by being partnered with someone I did not know. Who is this Keith person and what kind of person is he? These are the things that ran threw my mind the instant I saw his name connected with mine for this assignment. When I first met him he seemed so serious, but very helpful and polite. He believes himself to be like any other goofy college student around, but I would have to differ from him on this. With just a few encounters, I must say, if you have not had the chance to meet Keith, you should. This young man reminds me of the saying “he has the eyes of an old soul”. Keith is very intelligent and kind-hearted. Keith, at first glance does seem like the average college student, but there are other sides of Keith. For instances, his family is very important to Keith and he is now a proud uncle. He is the first in siblings to go to college and is in his second year of being a History major. He is involved with the Greek System and is active with philanthropy through this. In his spare time, Keith is a musician who plays bass guitar in a band. I did get the pleasure of seeing Keith smile on our last photo shoot day.

Keith T, Lena à la

Lena is a mother of three and is a local to Merced. I believe family to be a very important part of her life; I also find her words to be filled with maternal wisdom and of genuine care. She works out of her home as a medical transcriber and has decided to return to school, I think this more than any thing else could give a person the best idea about who Lena, going to school is hard and doing that while raising a family all while running her own business takes courage and strength.

Anahy V, Tiffany à la Carjat

There is nothing stronger than the true loyalty of fan that supports their favorite basketball team every season no matter the outcomes of the games. But when your favorite basketball team is in last place, you can’t help but feel the disappointment and frustration. Tiffany is a huge fan of the Sacramento Kings and has been following their games throughout the seasons. Basketball forms an important part of her life not only as a fan, but also as a basketball player herself. She played basketball all four years of high school and in elementary school. She also reached the championships with her team in high school and although they lost, the important thing to her was that they worked together as a team and supported each other. Tiffany’s brother who is a senior in high school also plays basketball and she admits that she is hard on him and encourages him to work hard.

The Sacramento Kings are Tiffany’s favorite team from the NBA and she is really a true fan. She remembers the good season they had in 2001, and continues to support them no matter the circumstances they are in. Tiffany’s gone to their games and has memorabilia items of the team. Her support and loyalty towards the team is immense and easily noticed, one that only a true fan can portray. The rankings can’t be ignored though, and she feels upset and disappointed that her favorite team is now ranked last.

Tiffany V, Anahy à la Nadar

Everyday we think about our future, what our next move is or what we want to do for as long as we live. My partner, Ana, is continuously thinking about her future because she is currently a junior and is going to graduate the next school year. She is currently majoring in Psychology and is indecisive of what she wants to do as her career. She does not know if she wants to go get a job right after graduation and receiving her Bachelor of Arts Degree or go on to Graduate School to receive her Master’s Degree or get a job for a year then go on to school. She has many choices to choose from right now. Clearly she has thought about her future as her undergraduate studies come closer to an end.

The wall she runs keeps running into when she thinks about graduate school is the financial aspects. One way of her breaking down that wall is to get a job first and build up enough funds to support herself through her masters education. She aspires to work with children, more specifically the disabled. She wants to make their futures brighter by helping them in general and with learning. She wants everyone to have an equal and bright future. She is working hard now to pursue this future that is coming closer and faster. Her junior year is coming to a close and these decisions need to be made very soon. Ana has high expectations for herself to make her bright and successful future.

Thu V, Jaime à la Cameron

What is portraiture in photography? Isn’t it the composed image of a person that not only captures his/her outside appearance but also means to display the inner mood, the personality and possibly the unique-self of that person? Studying the works of various famous photographers by analyzing the special compositions in their images, helps me develop a better and wider vision about the art of photography, and more than ever is the ability to think critically. In the portrait of my partner, I tried to capture some traits of her personality, to give the viewers some idea about who she is by imitating the style of Julia Margaret Cameron. In the image, my partner covered her mouth by two of her fingers with the word EXPRESS written on the fingers. The pose intended to show her as a quiet person; she expresses herself mostly not by talking but by acting, by the things she does. The black outfit and the white skull image on her shirt can expose the inner rebel in her, and maybe it’s a hint of her anger. Her shirt can point out she is an independent person; always want to handle everything by herself. She is not a kind of persons who care about other’s opinion, she does the things she thinks its right. She might want to be look tough outside, but inside she’s a sensitive girl who prefers softness over sharpness. A ring around her neck is another feature that can show her strong determination toward a specific thing. The ring can be interpreted as her faithfulness in love, friendship or any of her relationship. The vain smile on her face behind her fingers is a symbol showing her kindness and friendliness to everyone. EXPRESS is the theme of this portrait, and also is the message which my partner wants to send to the viewers.

Matthew Z, Jasper à la Camron

Jasper is reserved, and is generally quiet around people he doesn't know, but doesn't keep to himself. He has spent the last two and a half years studying Biological Sciences, in order to prepare him for further education in medicine. He wants to pursue a career in medicine, as a doctor or pharmacist. Jasper is rather contemplative, which makes him well-suited to either pharmacy or medicine. His favorite sport is basketball, and his favorite song is “Right Round,” by Flo Rida. He is taking this photography class primarily because he enjoys photography, and wants to improve his own skills in photography.

This photo captures Jasper as serious and confident. He is aloof, and appears to be submitting to a portrait as an obligation—being the subject of a photograph is an imposition on him rather than an opportunity to pose for a picture and promote himself. He is dark against a light background, lit from the side in the style of Julia Margaret Cameron, which makes him look shrouded and mysterious before a bright world. I tried to use this photo to create an image of Jasper that emphasizes his reserved and contemplative side, so that we would perceive him with respect to his chosen future, rather than his present. The mystery of the future hides his face somewhat and obscures the world around him. We don't get much of a sense of who Jasper is now, or who it is that he wants to become, because he reveals very little of himself to the camera—only his attitude towards having his picture taken.

Jasper Z, Matthew à la Rejlander

Matthew Zellman is a recent transfer student to UC Merced. His field of study is focused on the topics of political science. He wants to dedicate his knowledge in the studies of the relationship between political science and psychology and in addition to the interaction of human emotion and thought that influence their behavior in politics. As part of study and work experience, Matthew has attended many talks in the subject area of his study (poli-sci), occasionally he also participate in the filming of the talks. Clearly, he knows a few things about filming and he is very experienced in terms recording and documenting scientific talks or presentations. On his free time, Matthew likes to relax with calm and soothing music. Whenever he has time he like go out and enjoy the fresh air and the panoramic view of the beautiful nature that surrounds him. It would even interest him more if he could take his bike out and ride around the attractive scenery that instantaneously awe and inspires him. He likes also to attend baseball games. The soft feeling of the fine sand beneath his cleats give him a sense of harmony, while playing catch with his friends until the sunlight retreats from the field. Like many others in History of Photography upper division art class, Matthew is still struggling and exploring the techniques of photography. Also like many of his peers, even though Matthew is still struggling with the diversed function of his digital camera, he is self driven and extremely motivated in learning and producing great photos.