Lens Blog - Variety

The photo that has the most variety on Lens album "Documenting the Blues" is this one.

There is so much action in the photo. There are pots, buckets, woods, tires, blankets and boxes. Your eye is drawn to many different things which adds to the variety of the photo. There is so much happening - which makes it, in our opinion, have the most variety.

Half Past Autumn - Part 3 & 4

1. What is your definition of successful?
          My definition of being successful is doing something you love for the rest of your life, and for                 me I haven't found that passion quite yet but when i do, that's when I would consider myself               successful.

2. What have you given up to become successful?
           I've given up a lot to try to become successful. I given up friendships, relationships, short-                        term happiness, hangouts - a lot of things. It's worth it to me though. It's worth it to me.

3. What did Parks give up to become successful?
           Parks gave up much of his family time with his wife and children.

4. .Who was Genevieve Young's father?
           Her father was one of the founding members of the UN and VK Wellington Kok.

5. How much was Parks advanced to write his first book (and eventual best-selling autobiography)?
           Parks was advanced 10,000 dollars.

6. How much money did Elijah Muhammad offer Parks to do a story on The Nation of Islam?
            5000

7. Why did Parks refuse the money?
           He did not have the same ideals as mah boi Elijah.

8. What was significant about the movie The Learning Tree?
           First time in Hollywood history that an african-american had directed the movie

9. What was significant about the character Shaft?
            It was the first black superhero. It was their role model and idol to look up to.

10. What was Gordon Parks' choice of weapons?
            His choice of weapon was a 35 mm camera.

11. What reason did Genevieve Young give for the divorce?
            It was like living in a washing machine. They rarely saw each other; the phone was constantly                 ringing; the whole marriage had degraded to a few visits now and then.

12. In 1984, Parks directed Solomon Northrup's Odyssey. What recent feature film told the same story?
            Twelve Years a Slave

13. Who was Gordon Parks, jr?
             He was Gordon's son who died in a plane crash.

14. What is your favorite Gordon Parks photo?
             My favorite Gordon Parks photo is the one with the maid with the broom and the mop in                            front of the American flag. American Gothic is my favorite photo.

15. What will you remember about Gordon Parks in ten years?
             I will remember his success, and how he went from nothing to almost everything.

Elements of Design - Repetition

Original:

Edited:

- black&white
- increased contrast (+25)
- added vignette

I chose this picture for repetition because of the repeating lines on the garage door. This differs from pattern because this uses the repetition of the pattern in the picture.

Principles of Design - Pattern

Original:

Edited:

- added vignette

I chose this picture for pattern because of the repeating lines that are patterned on Haroon's shirt.

Principles of Design - Movement

Original:

Edited:

- lowered temperature (-7)
- increased exposure (+0.45)

I chose this picture for movement because the chandeliers along the ceiling draws your eyes towards the back of the hallway.

Half Past Autumn Pt. 3

1. How did Parks become a writer?

           He was told to write a book

2. How much was he advanced to write his first book?

           10 Thousand

3. Who was his editor?

           Mrs. Young, his third wife

4. In the 1960's, what story did Parks create for Life Magazine on Segregation in the South?

           Muslims

Half Past Autumn Pt. 2

16. When did the FSA shut down?

            The FSA shut down in 1946.

17. After Gordon moved to New York, what magazine did he shoot for?

            Gordon shot for the fashion magazine Vogue.

18. Who was the picture editor of Life Magazine when Gordon walked into the Life Magazine office?

            The picture editor was

19. What was the first major story Parks covered for Life Magazine?

            The first major story was on the Harlem Gang Leader.

20. Who were some of the artists that Gordon Parks mentioned influenced his work after he moved to    the Paris Life Magazine bureau?

            He was inspired by Picasso, (Moliere, writer), Prokofiev, Debussy, Bach, Ravel,                                         Rachmaninoff, Pablo Neruda and more.

21. How did Parks shoot fashion when he lived in France?

            He allowed the models to move around to get action, and he kept the model in focus while                       moving with the model.

22.Where was Parks' concerto performed?

            The concerto was performed in Venice

23. Who was Parks' second wife? (Who was her father? What did she do?)

            Parks' second wife was Elizabeth Campbell.

24. How old was Flavio de Silva when Parks met him?

            Flavio de Silva was twelve.

25. When did Parks meet Flavio?

            He met him in 1961.

26. Where did Flavio live when Parks first met Flavio and his family?

            He lived in Brazil in the slums.

27. How is Gloria Vanderbilt? Who is her famous son? Who are her ancestors?

            Gloria Vanderbilt is an artist. Her son is Anderson Cooper, the anchor of CNN news. Her                         ancestors are Vanderbilts (almost aristocratic), and her parents are Gloria Morgan and                         Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt.

28. How did Vanderbilt describe their relationship?

            Vanderbilt described it as being a meeting with someone they knew from ages ago. They                       didn't have to act with the usual formalities of meeting a person in the beginning.

Principles of Design - Structure

Original:

Edited:

- increased exposure (+10) and contrast (+9)

I chose this picture for structure because of the architecture of the building that leads the vision to M.C.

Principles of Design - Balance

Original:

Edited:

- changed it to black and white
- photoshopped the figure on the right out

I chose this picture for balance because the three lines balance each other out creating a sense of unity in the picture.

Elements of Art - Texture

original:

edited:

- increased exposure (+4)
- added vignette

I chose this picture for texture because it shows the lines on the leaves and the fuzzy texture of the flowers.

Elements of Art - Color (Green in the Bottom Right)

Original:

Edited:

- increased the exposure (+3)
- lowered the temperature (150)
- enhanced the green (+4)
- added a vignette

I chose this picture for color because based on the twister color we were given, which was green in the bottom right. The green from the plants in the background is shown in the bottom right of the picture.

Elements of Art - Space

original:

edited:

- increased brightness (+2)

- added vignette

I chose this picture for space because the branches of the trees exposes the background and adds to the depth of the image.

Elements of Art - Form

Original:

Edited:

- increased brightness (+3)

- added vignette

I chose this picture for form because of the flowers add a three dimensional element to the picture and focusing on the plant and blurring the background also adds to that effect. Form differs from shape because it is 3 dimensional rather than flat and 2 dimensional.

Elements of Art - Shape

Original:

Edited:

- made it black and white

- increased contrast (+25)

- lowered brightness (-6)

I chose this picture for shape because it contains many different interesting elements, such as the shape of the leaves and the flowers.

Half Past Autumn Questions

1. On the day Gordon Parks was born, how did the doctor save Gordon's life?

            The doctor put Gordon in cold ice water and rubbed his back w/ ice.

2. Where was Gordon born? (what state?)

            Fort Scott, Kansas

3. What did Gordon's class adviser, Ms. McClintock, tell him about college?

            She told him not to waste his parents' money going to college, especially since going to                         college was rare for a black student.

4. How old was Gordon when his mother died?

            Gordon was 15.

5. Where did Gordon move after his mother died?

            St. Paul, Minnesota

6. Did Gordon graduate from college?

            He didn't graduate from college; He got an honorary doctorate

7. How did Gordon begin his fashion photography career?

            He photographed for a woman's clothing store owned by Frank Murphy.

8. What is a "double exposure?"

            It is when the photographer layers one exposure on top of another to create a single image.                     (For Gordon, it was a mistake)

9. Who was boxer Joe Louis?

            He was the husband of Marva Louis who told him to move to Chicago.

10. What instrument did Gordon play?

            He played piano.

11. What was the purpose of the Farm Security Administration?

            The FSA educated the public especially about poverty.

12. When Roy Stryker hired Gordon for the FSA, what was Stryker's first assignment for Gordon in Washington, D.C.?

            Stryker told him to get himself a topcoat, go to a restaurant for food, and watch a film,                           which came out to be impossible because Gordon was a Negro.

13. Who was Ella Watson?

            She was the African American maid whom Gordon photographed. She had glasses and posed                in front of the American flag with a mop and broom.

14. What was the inspiration for Grant Wood's American Gothic?

            "Maid in America" by Gordon was the inspiration for Grant Wood's American Gothic.

15. What did Gordon learn from Stryker about photography?

            He learned to approach people. Also, the people who were being photographed were more                    important than the photographer.