UST-AB Photography: Interpreting a Photograph - Hunting Dog and a Duck

UST-AB Photography: Interpreting a Photograph - Hunting Dog and a Duck  
Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB Am Band 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Now and then I receive from Time-Life rare photographs such as this one, which I find very useful in my photography class. This time the lesson is photo interpretation. There is a saying, "You and I may lie, but the camera doesn't lie." Well, with this photo, whoever coined the adage may have missed something, and it could be the essence of the photo itself. Let's see what the photographer and the publisher have to say.   

You know those times when you glimpse a photograph and you think you know what’s happening in the picture, but then something indefinable about the shot plants a seed of doubt, and you look again, and you find that your first impression was absolutely, utterly, totally wrong?

For a lot of people, this 1949 Loomis Dean picture is one of those photographs. At first glance, it looks pretty straightforward: a hunting dog, soaking wet after going into the water to retrieve a duck blasted from the air by its master, sits with the dead — or perhaps mortally wounded, but certainly doomed — waterfowl in its jaws.

But wait a second. That duck doesn’t look injured. In fact, judging by its still (apparently) vibrant eye and, especially, its rapidly fluttering right leg, the duck is most definitely, emphatically alive.

The priceless look on the dog’s face, meanwhile, is hardly that of a ghoul. In fact, if anything, the dog looks downright embarrassed — as if it simply can’t help sitting there with a live duck stuck in its mouth.

What is going on here?

We’ll let the caption that accompanied this picture in the LIFE book, The Classic Collection, clear up any lingering confusion.

“Don’t worry!” wrote the book’s editors. “The duck’s fine!” And that is why this photo is funny, and not tragic. Here’s the story: 

"One day in 1947 the Olson family in Yakima, Wash., brought home a duckling named Donald (of course). Donald instantly became friends with the family dog, to the extent that Donald emulated everything the dog did, including chasing children and other dogs from the yard. Donald actually became quite a nuisance in the neighborhood, so the Olsons gave him to a rancher a dozen miles away. There he became pals with a Chesapeake Bay retriever named Trigger. Now, whenever the rancher tossed Donald into the pond so that he could be with the other ducks — in other words, his own kind — Trigger would immediately dash in and retrieve him. Trigger was as gentle as possible, as we can clearly see here, but ultimately it was decided that Donald would be best back with the Olsons."

Mystery solved. That’s one lucky duck.

UST-AB Photography Review: Apply the Human Attributes and Multiple Intelligence through Photography

Dr Abe V Rotor  

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM  8 to 9 evening class Monday to Friday

                 

The Camera and the Computer revolutionized Photography, from an exclusive, sophisticated technology to a popular one. Almost anyone today – young and old, irrespective of educational attainment, creed, ideology, status in life, canhave access  virtually to these magic duo. The Cam-Comp however is a mechanical-electronic tool, a machine, complex as it may seem. Its potential efficiency still lies on the man behind the lens: the human person as thinker, builder, player – and as praying man. Who has the faculties in eight realms of intelligence. Photography requires man’s both  attributes and faculties, which guide him in the use of photography in communication and in arts.

ASSIGNEMT: UST Faculty of Arts and Letters

Photography

Identify what Human Attribute, and Realm/s of Intelligence, each of these photographs applies.  Explain. Give the sub-title of each photo. (printing the photos is optional)  (Handwritten on a short bond)  

(1) 

(2)

(3)

(4)

All of us are endowed with a wide range of intelligence which is divided into eight domains. It is not only IQ (intelligence quotient) or EQ(emotional quotient) or any single sweeping test that can determine our God-given faculties. Here in the exercise, we will explore these realms. With a piece of paper (1/4) score yourselves in each of these areas. Use Scale of 1 to 10, like the previous exercise

1. Interpersonal (human relations)

Sometimes this is referred to as social intelligence. Leaders, politicians excel in this field. “They exude natural warmth, they wear disarming smile,” to quote an expert on human relations. Name your favorite person. I choose Nelson Mandela, Condolezza Rice and Henry Kissinger.

2. Intrapersonal (inner vision self-reflection and meditation) Priests, nuns, poets, yogis, St. Francis of Assisi is a genius in this domain. Didn’t Beethoven compose music with his inner ear? Didn’t Helen Keller “see” from an inner vision?

3. Kinesthetics (athletics, sports, body language, dance, gymnastics)

Michael Jordan excels in this domain. Now think of your idol in the sportsworld, or in the art of dance. Lisa Macuja Elizalde is still the country’s top ballet dancer.

4. Languages or linguistics

There are people who are regarded walking encyclopedia and dictionary. The gift of tongue in the true sense is in being multilingual like Rizal.

 (5)

 (6)

 (7)

 (8)

 (9)

 (10)

 

 (11)

(12)
5. Logic (dialectics, Mathematics)

Marxism is based on dialectics which is a tool in studying and learning. Likewise, this realm includes the intelligence of numbers – math, accounting, actuarial science, etc. This is the key to IQ test. Einstein, Newton, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle are my choices.

6. Music (auditory art)

Mendelssohn, Mozart, Chopin, Abelardo, Cayabyab, Lea Salonga – name your favorite. Beethoven is one of the world’s great composer, yet he cannot dance. I like to listen to Pangkat Kawayan play Philippine music.

7. Spatial intelligence (drawing, and painting, sculpture, architecture, photography)

The great artist, Pablo Picasso, was robbed in his studio. Hog-tied, he carefully studied the robber, the way an artist studies his model. After the incident he sketched the face of the robber and gave it to the police. The police made a 100 arrests but never succeeded in pinpointing the culprit. The sculptor Rodin wanted his subject to look as if it is melting. What could be a better expression of poverty for his masterpiece, The Burghers of Calais?

8. Naturalism (Green Thumb, Relationship with the Natural World)

There are people who are said to have the “green thumb”. Their gardens are beautiful even with little care. There are those who can predict weather, and tell you if the fish bites, or it is a good hunting day. They pick the reddest watermelon, fullest macapuno nuts, just by feel and sound. Good doctors, I suppose have the green thumb too.

What are your top three? Can you see their relationships? Relate them with your strength. On the other hand, in what ways can you improve on the other realms?

Make full use of your strength. And remember there are early and late bloomers. Nothing is too late to be able to improve on one’s deficiencies.

Maybe you lack a good foundation to explore your talents in a certain domain. But why don’t you catch up? Do you recall late bloomers who succeeded in life? As you reflect on your scores I’ll play for you on the violin On Wings of Song by Felix Mendelssohn. Fly, fly high and be happy like the birds. Just don’t be Icarus.

Reflect on the following:

1. Your strength and you weakness

2. Your “idols” and models

3. Resolution and affirmations ~

(13)

(14)

(15)

UST-AB 3CA 1 2 3 4: Photography in Advertisement Exercise in Photography in Advertisement

UST-AB 3CA 1 2 3 4: Photography in Advertisement Exercise in Photography in Advertisement 
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday [www.pbs.gov.ph]

Example of a good advertisement.

One of the worst ads.

The relationship of photography and advertisement is like horse and carriage. Photography is the medium and advertisement is the message (to patronize a product, service, idea, etc.)

Advertisements in print and broadcast create demand of many products and services. There are brand names that are well known, they are imprimatur themselves to many people. They build personalities, fashion, institutions, relationships, and even loyalty.

There is more than visual and audio parts; advertisements dig deep into logic, psychology and emotion, and spiritually, too. For this reason, the effects are both positive and negative.

The purpose of this exercise is to evaluate present advertisements: printed, billboard, radio, TV and the Internet. The main guideline is values.List down the best (5) and the worst (5) local advertisements and give the basis of your decision. How did photography help bring about such effects?

Present the advertisements as they are originally presented. If not feasible, briefly describe the advertisement and critique on it. (Use two ordinary bond.) ~

Part 2: Photo and graphic ads. Here are some examples. Study them and relate each one to current issues. Prepare similar ads for class presentation and discussion.

Part 3: All about smoking - good and bad. More and more young people develop the habit of smoking. On TV there is this chain smoker kid who would demand cigarette with tantrums. Doctors unanimously agree smoking is bad to health, yet cigarette is one of the most in demand commodities in the world. What's the role of advertising?Whatever this is, it is devoid of good taste and decency. Many products lose their market this way. 
There's a local brandy advertised this way, "Nakatikim ka na ba ng kinse?" (Literally, "Have you tasted a 15-year old?") Sales plummeted. The company lost its good public image.

UST-AB Photography Reading Assignment: Creative Photography

UST-AB Photography Reading Assignment: Creative PhotographyMatthew Marlo R Rotor

Vortex in the Sky, Sony Cyberspot digital camera, 2009

A night owl is hidden among the leaves of a narra tree. It is motionless, but it is aware of the movement of its prey, small mouse playing on the ground below. The photographer had just set up his special infrared camera with automatic electronic flash. He himself is hidden in camouflage. The owl stirs, then swoops down on its victim, its powerful claws clamped in a deadly squeeze. The shutter releases: one. two, three shots in succession. The flash makes detail images of the bird's plumage and watchful eyes, and the victim's writhing in hopeless struggle. You could almost hear the pitious cry of the prey. Result: these three photographs are among the final entries in a national photo art contest on nature.

A photographer suspects four men who entered a bank one afternoon to be robbers. Using a telephoto, he trains the lens at the scene. Just as he had made a good position where he cannot be seen, the photographer waits for action. The robbers move. There is pandemonium, shots ring, people run for their lives. Policemen arrive and exchange fire. The photographer gathers courage. Result: six photographs documented the daring bank robbery. These photos were published in the newspapers, and helped the police apprehend the culprits.

These are two dramatic cases whereby photography is used to capture and present subjects and events which are of special human interest. The events however, are contrasting in emotional appeal and theme, even if the common subject is conflict. Here conflict is shown as biological and social phenomena. One spells survival, the other depicts irrational social struggle.

Setting aside the philosophical aspects of these two sets of photographs, I wish to convey the message that photography is a tool, one for the arts, and the other, for documentation. Photography is used to express the creativity of a person behind the lens. Creativity is the very essence of art. The night owl photos are an expression of that creativity. On the other hand the bank robbery photos are documents, and they have no direct value as work of art in spite of their significant and practical importance.

What then make photography an art? Like a painting, a photograph may be considered an art if it possesses the following attributes:

1. Subject - What is it about? What particular topic does it show? Convey? This leads us to the theme.

2. Theme - What does the photo mean? What is its underlying meaning? What is the interpretation of the viewer? In short, what is the message.

3. Message - With the subject and theme provided, what does the artist wish to convey? Does it tell a story, or just present a situation or scene? Is the message concrete or is it abstract?

4. Perspective - The eye moves and searches. Where is the focal point? Where do the lines converge? Is the vantage point at the foreground or background? Is the perspective diagonal, inverted V-shape, X-shape, parallel? To fully appreciate the perspective, take note of contrast - light and shadow, and contrast among colors.

5. Contrast - Here light and shadow show contrast. So with cool and warm colors. If the lines are bold the figures appear distinct. Are the lines parallel and repetitious? Or, do they cross? What time of the day was the photo taken?

6. Colors - The use of colors in today's photography is important. Seldom is black-and-white used now. As a rule, the clearer and distinct the colors are, the better is the photograph. But there should be harmony.

7. Harmony - This means unity of parts. Every part is integral to the whole photo. As a result the photo exudes - like music - a fine tune of colors and lines, shade and light, and finally, balance.

8. Balance - Be sure the photo is not heavy or light at any side. The eye is not trained at a particular part. Symmetry is the key. Even assymtrical subjects can show balance. Imagine an enlarged amoeba, a shapeless one-celled creature.

Photography sessions under an expert are a must for those who engage in photography as a hobby. Workshop with modern photography tools and equipm,ent are likewise a must. It taps talent and hones it with the touch of art. In the process he becomes trained as an artist-photographer - and subsequently, and artist himself.

Art lies in the person behind the camera - not the camera per se even how modern and sophisticated it may be. State-of-the-art in photography still lies on the person.

Today, film cameras are very seldom used. They have been replaced by digital cameras. And the uses of the camera have tremendously expanded from micro photography for microorganisms, scanning electron microscopy, nano photography, to satellite imaging, heat-sensitive imaging. Telezoom cameras are a thousand times more sensitive than they were a decade before. Hidden cameras are everywhere. And anyone today can operate a camera. Just point-and-shoot, then edit the photo with the computer. And the computer is equipped with scanner, enlarger, and transmitter to any desired destination through the Internet.

In spite of all these developments, the basic rules of creative photography remain the same. ~

Photography: Exploring the World through Photography (Communication and Humanities)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Camera, camera everywhere.

Fault not and beware;

Wear a Janus mask, its brighter side

To trust and to abide.

It's the third eye of modern man;
To see even the unseen,
Real images or just imagery,
And those behind the scene.

But don't let privacy die in vain,
If you must, be it a cause,
The lens more powerful than sword,
Like pen against abuse. ~ AVRotor

Why photography in the first place? Explore the word with this tiny gadget. Here are some applications.

1. Photojournalism - picture in the news.

Squatting and road obstruction

2. Creative photography - cultivating the right brain, seat of imagination.

Monster in the sky

3. Documentary -reliving the past and recording the present for tomorrow.

4. Photographic art - pictures into paintings

Water reflection

5. Photography in research - in pursuit of science and technology

Marine biology: brittle star

6. Photography and Nature - preserving natural history

Landscape

Philippine crocodile, Malabon zoo

Return of the martines bird, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

7. Photography and Religion - bridging man and his Creator throuigh faith

Buddhist temple, Bangkok

Religious icon Angels' Hill, Tagaytay

8. The hidden eye - application of photography in business, security, GPS, etc.

9. Media network - print and cyberphotography, Internet

10. Probing space - in search of other worlds

Solar eclipse and sunspots

11. Photography and culture - preserving cultural heritage 

Obusan Dance Troupe presentation

Commemorative Sculpture, Ateneo de Manila University

Halloween, NFA QC

12. Photography and Ecology - preserving the environment

Are we in the sunset of our species? SPUQC

Air pollution

13. Photomicrography - revealing the world of minutiae

Tubercolosis bacteria under electron microscope

14. Photography and architecture

Neo-Gothic chapel, Parañaque MM

15. Photography and Education

AB students' practicum at the UST Publishing House

16. DevCom Photography - Development Communication - advocacy in pictures; photos as ideas and medium of change.

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Living with Nature-School on Blog is purely a voluntary effort to help conserve the natural environment, and to bring functional literacy to millions who lack access to formal education, and to augment formal learning and experiential knowledge. - Dr Abercio V Rotor