Staring at the sun

Response to Leni Riefenstahl

After reading the New Yorker article, I have come to dislike Riefenstahl. Partly, perhaps due to how the New Yorker portrayed Riefenstahl as seemingly seeking art for the sake of making money. It seemed as though she was good at what she did, there didn't seem to be an objective behind it, except to make money - as New Yorker notes the money machine lovers that financed her films, selling photographs that weren't necessarily ethical of the Nuba that allowed her to take photographs of them, but "when they didn’t, she used a telephoto lens." She seems to be the very definition of deception, as she lied seeing the living conditions of prisoners to lying about her age to be certified for scuba diving. Furthermore, her frustration at Muller for not filming her being pulled from the helicopter crash is another sign of her obsession with personality, and not art.

It is interesting however, how in the end, it was the Americans who opened their arms and praised her and her work, despite the past controversies. I think it is something to be said that they were (by and large) unaffected by the period of when Triumph of the Will was filmed, and that they see her for her art, rather than what she stands for.

The author questions her "genius" in the end, and it does seem so - was Riefenstahl just a pretty face that got by because of her beauty, was she just at the right place at the right time, or did she truly make a work of art? I don't care much for her work with the Nuba, it is no different than the work of an anthropologists', except she lacks the very basics of ethics - by photographing the tribe when asked not to. Though she seems to have learned about the tribe, there does not seem to be much other research or opinions, other than what she has observed.

Response to Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz's work is famous, brought on by the fact that she chooses to shoot popular and famous subjects. Her portraits suggest things about the person that the viewers, by and large, seem to already understand, and then there are some that seem to shed new light. I've read in the past that she thrives on having some sort of relationship with the subject, and it is that understanding of the relationship that really carries through the photograph. For example, the photograph she took of Yoko Ono seemingly as one with the tree, is something that the public is aware of - the peacefulness, at-one-with-the-nature was largely publicized in the media, but the photograph of John Lennon and Yoko, where they were shot together, but Lennon was naked and clinging, where as Yoko was not, seemed to paint a completely new picture of the couple that the public may never have known.

It's also interesting to note the difference between the photographs she took of celebrities vs. the photograph of Susan Sontag, her supposed lover. Sontag's photograph was very pure, it didn't seem to characterize her with any of her works. Leibovitz has succeeded in bringing a form of art in an otherwise much criticized artless world of commercial art. She does really bridge the gap, with her subjects being the main reason. 

Animation and Free Shoot Response

I really enjoyed the animation collaboration, and thought it was a great way to explore concepts and focus on how I look at things. It especially forced me to think about how I wanted to photograph, before I did it, which is something that I don't necessarily do often in the class shoots. In the class shoots, I normally look or construct something that is fitting with the theme. However, with the animation, my concept developed over time, and I think that is something that I want to clearly map out before I make my next animation.

I would definitely like to make another animation for my final project, but I think without so much of a narrative this time. I really enjoyed piecing together all the photographs and constructing something out of it. I have been thinking about the idea of making photographs to music, and possibly making a music video. But I'm also intrigued by exploring spaces and especially time with animation.

I really enjoyed the class shoots, mostly because it gave me something tangible to work with. But I was always very happy when we got to do free shoots, because it was almost like a vacation of not having to work under any constraints. I think I would have liked to have a more equal mix of both. I felt like my work was a bit more concrete when the subjects were less abstract because then I could only focus on taking the photographs, whereas I felt like with more abstract concepts, I didn't have time to come up with ideas that I would be able to photograph well.

My other idea for the final project came to me by mistake today. I accidentally printed two photographs in the same side of the sheet and thought it would be interesting to layer two photographs and see how the colours would come out.

Prints

Castle in the Sky

Stop Motion Stills