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TheEffectingEye  > Visual Essay 2 > Visual Essay 2 (Spring '08)
"Identity, Mediated"

Paired up randomly, students take two pictures to represent their partners after interviewing each other.

The black & white portrait imitates the style of one of the following photographers whose work we have discussed in class: Julia Margaret Cameron, David Octavius Hill, Oscar Gustav Rejlander, Matthew Brady, Alexander Gardner, Etienne Carjat, or Gaspard Félix Tournachon Nadar. Students choose their own style and approach they deem appropriate to portray their partners in the color picture.

Students are encouraged to use the essay to help the viewer understand who their partners are, or the essay can even contradict the way their partners are portrayed in their photographs. Alternatively, the photographs and words can give their partners a constructed identity that might be different from their own perception.

*Students: when commenting on the b&w pictures, think about whether or not the evocation of a specific photographer's work is successful. Consider how much effort the photographer/model put into staging the shot (dress/costume, props, lighting, etc.) and what you think should have been done to make the picture better. Consider the composition, contrast, saturation, and image/text relationship when commenting on each photograph.

(Note: the texts and comments have not been redacted, edited, or corrected for typos or errors)
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TheEffectingEye > Kevin A.
Ashley à la Cameron
TheEffectingEye > Kevin A.

Some would abandon the idea of ever going through their daily lives in exertion and dealing with other daily hassles. Dredging through her active lifestyle of a world, it is a complicated ordeal for her to uncover moments where she can relax and find quietude and tranquility. Struggling with and juggling twenty hours a week dedicated to service, it is not easy for her to place a smile on her face. To even find the time to merely reflect on how busy her life is, is really unusual and unordinary. Stress would be the best candidate and can single-handedly define the life of this extremely active individual.


But amidst all of the chaos that ensues in her daily life, there is still room for composure. Keeping cool and in control has always aided in the success of every accomplishment achieved. It has been nine years since a horse?s whisper carried through her life and kept her sane. There are not a lot of things she can call her "saving grace" other than the grace of a horse to whisk her away and keep her serene and in the scene. It is a comfort to know that at the end of the day, everything- from her emotions, to her presence, and even her tact are still intact. To understand how this fresh face can undertake the daily demands of our society is to completely understand what strain and anxiety entail; this is something worthy of applause.
TheEffectingEye > Ashley D.
Kevin à la Cameron
TheEffectingEye > Ashley D.

	We live in a world in which there are many things in need of change. In order for these changes to occur we need brave people to take a stand for their beliefs. Revolution comes in many forms, some of which are violent, some passive, and all varying in size. The key to a successful revolution is the way in which it is held. 
The one thing in life that can never be stolen from us is our ability to share our beliefs with others. Music has been an effective way of spreading messages for quite some time. It is the perfect mix of both expressive words and contemplative sounds that are sure to hold the attention of almost anyone.
 In my life time I have seen many different ideas being expressed through music. There are many different musicians we can turn to for inspiration. But those unwilling to accept idolization often take things into their own hands. It doesn’t take fame or fortune to express your ideas for a brighter future. Inspiration can be found anywhere. Simply take a moment to look around and appreciate nature to the extent to which you will realize its survival is truly necessary.
TheEffectingEye > Emily W.
Jian à la Nadar
TheEffectingEye > Emily W.

An Ode to No Such Thing…
	
	John Mayer once wrote,

“Take a seat, take your life, plot it out in black and white.  Well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings and the drama queens.  I’d like to think the best of me is still hiding up my sleeve.   They love to tell you, stay inside the lines, but something’s better on the other side.” 
		John Mayer. “No Such Thing”, (2001), Room for Squares.

	Jian Salcedo says, “This song is all about being true to what you want life to be.” For Jian, the most important step in this journey is being yourself and “not wasting energy on being angry, over analyzing and obsessing over the little things.” Jian is a science major at UC Merced on his way to becoming a nurse, a guitarist and an artist, laid back and calm.  As he played ‘No Such Thing’ in the library in our mutual rebellion against the silence of the morning, I couldn’t help but see why it’s his favorite song…

“So the good boys and girls take the so called right track
Faded white hats
Grabbing credits
Maybe transfers
They read all the books but they can't find the answers
And all of our parents
They're getting older
I wonder if they've wished for anything better
While in their memories
Tiny tragedies

…I wanna run through the halls of my high school
I wanna scream at the
Top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
Just a lie you got to rise above” 
			John Mayer. “No Such Thing”, (2001), Room for Squares.

Here’s to showing the best of us hiding up our sleeves…


***Special thanks go to John Gottshalk and the staff of Gottshalk Music Center on 355 West Main Street Merced, for the use of the guitar room and guitar for the color photograph***
TheEffectingEye > Jian S.
Emily à la Hill
TheEffectingEye > Jian S.

Behind a peaceful thought lies a war between structure and flow. 
                Who said writing a song is easy?
             While Emily thinks of verse after key, 
Her mind completely clashes with the melodies that conflict it. 
    Word by word she hears colors and writes sounds she sees, 
                  Willing to let the battle be. 
From an outside point of view there seems to be peace and calm,
                  But look deep within her mind 
         and you will encounter a battle that rages on. 
                       Words versus Melodies
                   each struggling for advantage.


                   But when the song is finished,
                  White flags appear on both sides,
                   Each surrendering to each other.
     There is peace once again with new focus on ivory and sound,
            Steel strings with hammers and dim lights found.
    Now there is a new force taking over that screams to be heard,
               Her hands in rhythm, her voice in time.
                  Microphone check, three, two, one.
TheEffectingEye > Michelle G.
Sherwin à la Carjat
TheEffectingEye > Michelle G.

In the relatively short amount of time I spent with Sherwin Alo I learned quite a few things about him.  I do not want to reveal too much about him partly due to his own asking and partly due to the fact that if you spend any time with him at all you would learn these things yourself – which is what you should do.  He’s a genuine, kind and interesting person you should try to get to know.  He also indulged me in many strange requests in trying to capture his essence.  So, until you are able to meet him, I hope this description and these images will suffice.
	Balance is a delicate tension.  In meeting with Sherwin I found him walking that fine line.  On one hand he’s very serious and thoughtful.  He shows a warmth and tenderness that is very insightful.  On the other hand he is the extreme looking for the next adventure.  He has come from the busy city life of L.A. and found respite in Merced.  He continually seeks out the quiet nature that surrounds us and yet is always looking to the mountains for a snowboarding escapade.  He still has family he visits down south but has found a home here in the central valley.  His journey through education has been another seeking encounter where he finds focus and tries to minimize distractions.  He seeks out balance in his life and has found that delicate tension all around him.  His continual seeking of opportunities is reflected in these two portraits of Sherwin.
TheEffectingEye > Sherwin A.
Michelle à la ???
TheEffectingEye > Sherwin A.

The sun was shining through the window. It seems to be empty, empty of students that had previously been in the room. Most of the chairs were all over the place, with no sense of order, enthalpy they say. A table seems to be out of place, turned to its side with an obvious damage to its foot. This is the place we chose to do our work, a kind of art Baudelaire famously criticized. The room, with all its chaos had the qualities for a perfect photo session; a window with just enough light, and a background  for portrait photography. A retractable curtain was present in the room which offered a instantaneous fix to our varied lighting requirements. The room happened to be  classroom building 113.

The camera was ready, the weather was perfect, and the time was right. With a slight push the camera triggered a quick shutter  capturing an image frozen in an instant in time an space. Clouds floating on a background of blue was projected onto the camera?s light sensitive silicon sensor. The image of nature captured in a machine created by man. This a fusion of both worlds projected onto a screen  enables our ability to comprehend the importance of saving something we ourselves cannot make.
TheEffectingEye > Conor M.
Inger à la Hill
TheEffectingEye > Conor M.

Books

A book is an amazing thing. It can have so many functions. It can entertain, it can teach, it can inform, it can enlighten.  Books can open us up to worlds unknown and wondrous.  While films can do this as well, only books allow us to utilize our imagination in an effort to picture the worlds therein described by the text.  Because of this active effort on the part of the reader, no book can be read and interpreted exactly the same by two different people.

Books have the power to change, not just a person, but an entire people.  Thanks to the advent of the printing press by the forefather of the modern text, Gutenberg, books and the act of reading finally became accessible to the masses and knowledge and information were now being spread on a major scale.  With this surge in reading and, as a result, knowledge and curiosity, those who lived in poverty and submission were becoming educated and scientists were able to share ideas and discoveries, eventually bringing about the Scientific Revolution.

Since then, people have seen books that have the power to devastate and to create; to make us laugh and cry; to unite and divide.  With so many books in the world, one cannot help but to wonder what’s out there (in the literary spectrum) that she has yet to discover.  The best solution is to dive right in and read whatever you can: because you never know when you might read the next book that changes your life.
TheEffectingEye > Inger B. 
Conor à la Hill
Ashley D.
Kevin à la Cameron
TheEffectingEye > Ashley D.
Kevin à la Cameron
Ashley D.
Kevin à la Cameron
Camera: Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak Dx7630 Zoom Digital Camera) |
more details: exif |
original size: 2292px x 2142px |
Current: 482px x 450px |
Other sizes: S • Medium • L • O |
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