With looking at a situation that may have had an issue with one of these ethical concept is the Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky sex abuse accusations at Penn State University. Sandusky was accused of sexual charges to minors over his years coaching at Penn State. Many faculty and coaches admit to seeing Sandusky sexually assaulting kids before. With Joe Paterno being the head coach and being aware of this why wouldn't he speak up? In a interview he was asked and said "I didn't know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was. So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn't work out that way." With all of this falling out to the public, with reading articles where does the public relation aspect step up? I dont believe that they were being honest with people when all of this was happening. For people to be able to find out the truth was too much for them to lose. They knew that with doing that it would hurt their reputation even more than what already has happened.
Building Transformed into Prison Cells in Orange Is the New Black PR Stunt
What happened in this case is that the people of Orange is the New Black and the people of Netflix did a good job of luring people into watching the show. With the show being extremely successful in the first two series, they took a break with releasing the third series. While people were waiting, they promoted the third series in Paris that grabbed the attention of many. It was even said that they branded the buses in Paris and the buildings with OITNB and Netflix
Analysis:
My thought on this approach is that it was very smart. I believe what they did was strategic in the way that they gave people time to talk about the series and want more. With doing that you keep people on the edge but you don't want to wait too long to the point where they lose interest. With them doing the promotion of series 3 it just made people even more pumped. So in all i thought that what was clever in a promotional point of view.
In this class we will be posting to our blogs about current events that are taking place around the world. We will be taking information from other sources while giving credit to them but adding our own spin to it. We will also be able to analyze information and interpret it to others in a way that makes sense. Ultimately in the end i want to become a better researcher and be able to critically analyze political articles to a level of my understanding.
For my creative experimental exercise i decided to take on the challenge of getting the best photo's at any given time at your work site. It was a last minute decision because of money resources for a camera. I found it interesting though that there were so many angles i could take images that i became overwhelmed.
Photo by: Devonte' Dillion
Photo by: Devonte' Dillion
Photo by: Devonte' Dillion
Looking back on what I wrote
in my introduction phase in this course, I feel as though I was right on with
what photojournalism is. I said Photojournalism can be envisioned as many different things, that
including combined photos that tell a story, a collage of historic photos and photos
that are in actual reality. Although I had a good idea of what it was, I must
admit I look at it different. I am now more knowledge about truth and non-truth
photos that are taken. You start to analyze photos differently once you see
many photos throughout the camera era. Comparing my own experimental part to what i now know about the history of photojournalism, it makes you appreciative. Simply for the reason that with having my phone i was able to take pictures immediately and able to see them immediately. For example, if i had a camera that needed to go through the whole process of being converted at a store i would not be able to make last minute decisions like this.
It’s
important to see the history of photojournalism because you truly see the founders
of certain techniques, the ultimate risk takers and modern day photojournalist’s
motivators. You start to see things in a way you wouldn't before. I feel as
though without knowing about the history you would not know about famous photojournalists
who put their lives on the line every day. A good example would be Robert Capa.
I didn't know who he was before this course but now I know his significance and some of his well-known photographs.
A
significant moment during this course was when I found out online newspapers
were first published. I found that out through finding information during a
blog post. The first online newspaper came out in 1980 and prior to this course
I would have thought it was the early 90’s. Simply because older people now a day’s
always consider hard copy newspapers old fashioned, it makes you wonder if they
ever had the option of online newspapers like how it is today!
I said before that photographs do change the world. Such
as an image that Heather posted. Although it can be altered and be taken in a
way to specifically make you feel a certain way, it does make a difference. It
may not be by much, but photographs do cause slight change in this world. A
counter argument to this could simply be that photographers take millions of
pictures of starving children in Africa and nothing is done to stop it. Looking
at Crystal’s post as well, she touched on how photos actually speak 1000 words that don't have to be said. At the same time it can be
argued that some people will be affected by these photos and decide to donate.
Lastly looking at Stephanie’s concluding blog post the very first photo I saw
is a perfect example of viewers feeling a certain way to a photo. Automatically
looking at this photo you feel a sense of loving.
Subject
Expression: In this image, the expression on the
faces of the people draws questions. Dith Pran is the man in the front who
appears to be crying. Around one of his shoulders is a woman who looks
emotional as well and I feel as though this image depicts his story.
Quality
of light: The quality of light is this image is great. Its not
overwhelming to the point where it takes away from the image. And with the
quality being so good its very easy to see the expressions that each person
here is showing.
What
feelings does the image create?: This image makes me
feel worried. With knowing his story and all that Dith Pran has lost in reference
to family and friends you wonder who these people are. They may have been close
with him prior to his escaping and happy to see him free. The emotion in this
image is immediately felt and you wonder why they feel the way they do.
Dith Pran was a photojournalist during one of the
history’s worst genocide. As far as the state of photojournalism at this time
it was very popular. He was not the only one to be taking images of situations
that were of this extent. Photojournalists such as Robert
Capa is a name that many are familiar with that have taken gruesome photos
as well.
In
or out of focus: The main subjects of this image are in
focus and the background of the image is in focus. This is a good technique to
use because you allow the background to compliment the main subjects and that
is what this photo does. You also are allowed to see that this woman is holding
a small child and if this photo made the main subjects out of focus you could
possibly miss that.
Contrast
appropriate: The contrast here in this photo is good
as well. It’s not too high or too low, where the viewer will not be able to see
the subject’s expressions.
Abstraction:
The
abstraction in this image to me is the background. Although it is not the main
focus of the image, it plays part in the meaning of the image. It’s hard to
tell what exactly it is in the background but you can tell this is just a
rundown area.
I don’t believe that Dith Pran was bias in any way
with taking his photos. I feel as though the only way that he could appear to
be biased is in the sense that he wanted to only capture images that would explain his experiences, but that would be clear with seeing what his
motivations were as a photojournalist. To inform every one of his experiences
so that they don’t forget it and not allow it to occur again would mean that he
would have to take these sorts of pictures that speak 1000 words.
Rule
of thirds: This image uses the rule of thirds
technique extremely well. In each third of this photo there are different
levels being used. And with doing that it makes the viewer eyes follow each
level.
Depth
of field: The depth of field in this image is maximum depth of
field. The image just keeps going seeing that the whole image is in focus even
going all the way to the back. With a image like this, you notice more and more
as your eyes travel.
Black
& White: With this image being in black and white
it doesn’t allow the viewer to be distracted in any way. You see the simple
meaning of this image which is conflict in a battlefield. With having colors,
it may cause viewers eyes to focus more on one section more than the other.
His Impact, Viewpoints and Connection to my Major
Impact:
His images affected society because it was a way for people to be informed
about what was occurring in Cambodia. “Part
of my life is saving life.” Pran wanted to express himself through his
images and he did just that. Many people look at him as a hero to this day.
Viewpoints: Dith Pran personally to me was viewed as a hero to everyone. With what he had to overcome you have to respect his courage to keep going. With losing all that he did, and remaining strong says a lot about him. And with finding out more about him, he was for the people. He wanted to affect the lives of others in a beneficial way, since it would make him feel better at heart. Leaving a legacy as he did was one that many photojournalists were not able to do.
Connection to my Major at AIC: My major here at American
International College is communications and I see some points of Dith Pran’s
career relating to my major. I see it relating to my major because the way that
he’s getting his message across is through pictures. And with this major, that’s
one of the basic ways of communicating. Today, that is one of the many ways to
get a message across but it’s still used. Now there is video, voice recording,
email, gadgets through smart phones and so on. With his main focus being on
telling his story through his images, it connects to my major because I could
get into digital photography through my major if I wanted to.
Background
compliments or detracts from composition: The background
of this image compliments the composition in every way. The meaning of the
skulls behind Dith Pran is of the death’s that took place due to Khmer Rouge.
This clearly isn't all of them but to see a small visual is different from
reading it.
Obvious
main subject: It is clear what and who the main
subject is. With having the main subject clear, you’re allowed to analyze his
posture and expression. And looking closely, you see the hurt in his face.
Texture:
For the texture aspect of this image, there are many things in this image that
has a lot of texture. The skulls show great texture, the walls, the ground, and
even the wood piece he is sitting on. Texture allows the image to have a sense
of reality to it and this image does exactly that.
Xyza Cruz Bacani is a Filipino female photographer who has
an interesting perspective to her. She
was once a main in Hong Kong and now is a scholar for New York-based
photojournalism foundation. Many people have different reasons as to why they
pursue their dreams, but her perception was heart-felt. “I want my photographyto be able to help people, to me photography is a very powerful tool to changesomeone’s perspective toward an issue.” And seeing where she has come from,
allowing photography to be apart of that will make people more aware of similar
stories. What I see through her motivation is that she wanted to tell her story
through her profession. And that will carry with her through life because there
will always be stories going on throughout the world.
Philip Jones Griffiths was known as a war photographer for
the Vietnam War., and he left with his
final words of how he wanted to be remembered. “There’s
a issue with photography in general, I want to be somebody who takes real
pictures for real people. That’s what my ambition in life is.” With that
being said this just goes to show that people have been fabricating pictures
for a long time. This isn’t something that has just happened, but there are
people who are true to what they want you to see. In his situation you can see
that he wanted to be original, you learn that he was true to his work and
wanted people to see that.
With looking at my motivations and comparing them to photojournalists
I find some differences and similarities. With the similarities, I noticed that
with the photojournalists, their motivations come from very old experiences. For example, XyzaCruz Bacanilived a difficult life growing up so she was motivated to
capture the experiences of others in similar situations. And with my motivations
it’s the same way because I live threw the past in the sense that I just need
the reminder to not let something happen again in the same way it did.. The differences
are that these photojournalist’s motivations pertains to their occupation,
while my motivations is simply towards being successful at this point in my
life. I feel as though once I get into my career though, I will still have
these same motivations to keep me fueled.
When
I look at this image I see sadness, I see struggle and pain. Immediately when I
look at this picture I notice this man crying and he’s in a suit. Without
reading the caption I wouldn’t know what he is or why he’s there but its clear
that he’s the only African American in the picture. I interpret this image as a
down moment but yet disgusted. With looking at the people in the background
there’s a women who appears to also be crying while there are 5 other ladies
that are giving him a confused/disturbed look. This image to me just shows
another moment where others are looking at African Americans in a questionable
way. There isn’t another African American in the frame and just with the looks
being shown it’s very powerful. But looking at this picture further, I can see
how people may view it differently. And as said in the course module, “Might your truth be different from mine,
which might be different from that of my neighbor?” What this image uses to
the best of its ability in the photographic, Artistic and Compositional
Principals; it’s the use of Black and White. The Black and White connects with
the emotion of this image, with it being a emotional feeling seeing that the
main subject is in tears. Also the rule of thirds, the photographer doesn’t
have the subject directly in the middle where only you could see him. If he did
that, it would take away from this image because you wouldn’t be able to notice
the faces of the women in the background. And the last principle that this
image used which Is apparent is Subject Expression. Ed Clark, the photographer
captured the picture at the right time. If you caught the image when the man
wasn’t in tears you would think it’s just a regular picture. But with how he
captured it, it draws many questions and you sense the atmosphere.
With looking at
this image you immediately feel a sense of sympathy. Observing the surroundings of this image, you
almost know that someone wouldn’t fabricate this type of image. I come to this
sense through logic/reason. “You
know certain things because you can apply logics and reasoning.” With using
my own prior knowledge I come to a judgment of what’s truth and what’s not. But
as Professor Nordell said, it “depends on what
message you want to get across.” I believe that this photographer was clear
with what he wanted to get across and did.
(Principle 1)
Depth of Field- with looking at this image the main subject is in the
foreground. And with all the tombstones creates the perfect maximum depth of
field. And with doing that it connects perfectly to the next principle.
(Principle 2)
Use of Lines- The use of lines in this image is through the tombstones. And
ultimately it’s captured well because it makes your eyes follow them it almost
appears as if it will never end. And with the subject being on the ground it
just a beginning point for your eyes.
(Principle 3)
What feelings does the image create? – The image as I said in the beginning is
saddening. You feel a sense of sympathy because facing death of anyone you know
personally is devastating. So looking at this image immediately you come to a
sense of common courtesy.
(Principle 1)
Black and White- This image uses black and white, and it allows the viewer to
put their own meaning to it. When I look at this picture, its as if the child
is alone. If the picture was in color, I don’t feel that it would have the same
meaning to it. Colors in the background could easily take away from the main
subject.
(Principle 2)
Quality of Light- The lighting in this image is used appropriate and smart. The
photographer casted the light right on the child’s face and even caught the
glare in the eyes. Also the photographer darkened the hand in the top right, so
that didn’t take away from the image as well.
(Principle 3)
Keep it Simple/Subject’s Expression- with keeping it simple; using black and
white helped a lot. Also with having the subject right there centered it
doesn’t allow you to get distracted. Also with the expression the child’s face
it appears to be relaxed, so that makes the picture seem settled and organized.
B.For
certain situations this varies, because in the image it may seem like you can
help but truly you cannot. For example, war images with little kids. There’s
only so much that we know through the image, the “innocent” kid could have a
bomb strapped that the camera doesn't show. But as far as this “doomed” image, I
could be wrong but it seemed like someone could have helped. Like said in an
article, “Sickening
rubber-necking front page from the New York Post. Imagine how this man’s family
feels.” Thinking of it in that way really makes you think, imagine seeing a
close one of yours being on that front cover.
C.With some of my views being a volunteer, optimistic and level headed , looking at
this controversy, it’s challenging. It’s one thing to talk about it and another
to be in that situation. Being in that circumstance that would just be a
natural reaction for me to help, the last thing to be honest would be for me to
take a picture. Just thinking of taking a picture like this is calling for controversy
in my opinion. It’s also saddening because you know that you could have changed
the result.
D.And
simply comparing this controversy with my personal ethics, this guy did not
make any attempt to help. Instead he took the picture, although this was his
job but with him doing that he ultimately witnessed a death. With my personal
ethics I would have went to help even if that meant I wouldn't capture a picture at all that day but I know that I saved a life. That’s satisfying
enough and truly I feel that people would be happier with me coming away with
that rather than a front cover photo. Honestly there isn't anything that I could
compare my ethics within the controversy that this photographer took part in.
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