Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

Choosing a favorite exhibition between Lewis Hine, Zoe Strauss, and the JFK was a very hard choice for me, but there was only one that really made me wonder.

The Lewis Hine exhibition definitely made me think about the past. As I was looking at the photographs, I was very intrigued in the subjects. One, I kept trying to interpret what they were thinking at the moment the photograph was taken. From the serious children looking at the camera to the hard workers not even noticing the camera, I was very tenacious to go back to that time just to ask, “What are you thinking about?”

Now, to choose between my favorite photo is different. I honestly didn’t have a favorite photo in this exhibition because in my opinion, I felt like they conveyed similar aesthetics and themes (not that’s a bad thing, I just couldn’t really identify something favorable). However, I can say the photos that portrayed child labor really stood out for because of it’s honesty and intensity.

Overall, I would love to go to the ICP again when these exhibitions are over just to see the different stories that are added.

Walking into ICP I thought the photographs on the first floor were pretty cool with the vibrant colors and the random shots taken I guess they were supposed to have a deeper meaning and in some of them I took the time to find out what that deeper meaning was. But where I spent most of my time was downstairs in the JFK 50th anniversary exhibit. I like history so I thought the display of the shots during JFK’s assassination were pretty amazing. They were probably the only photographs of the event so I really examined them to see if I saw anything different in each one of them. What I also thought was different and interesting about this exhibit were the photo’s they displayed of average Americans TV sets during this time in history. For example there was a picture of a television image of Kennedy’s flag covered casket and another television image of JFK’s accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald being transported moments before being fatally shot by Jack Ruby. I loved that they decided to put these television set photos up because it caught more than just the moments but it captured the affect JFK’s death had on millions of Americans. The fact that the people watching the funeral or the other events that were photographed on television sets took the time out to photograph and use precious camera film to capture these moments show how important these events were during this time in American history. It’s not like how it is now where everyone has a high digital camera in their pockets and can take pictures anywhere and everywhere, these photos were unique in the sense that during a time when there was much less technological advances, these people found a way to capture the moment making the pictures all the more impacting.

My post is about the snapshot photo we were supposed to take on October 11. I frequently take the ferry since it’s the only way I know of to get to Manhattan from Staten Island. On the ferry, I often see tourists, more than anywhere else. When I think of the ferry, I think of photos. So it seemed to be the best place to take a photo since everyone else thinks so. I chose this photo (which I put below) because it was supposed to be about NY and the most “NY” place I know of is NYC. I decided to combine the two… and that’s how this photo came about. The reason I love this photo is probably the sky. The way it looks like a  ” storm is brewing”. To me the best photographs are the ones that incorporate nature or even architectural components. I personally dislike pictures of people or faces (I don’t mean to offend anyone). So, having all those components in this photograph just made it so much better, the sky, the water, the boats and most importantly, NYC.

Taken from a ferry perspective

Right when I entered the ICP, I began to look around, moving from photograph to photograph trying to locate the “perfect” one. The one that captured my attention and was the most unusual of all the others. I’m not sure if I even found this photograph or if one even exists because the word “perfect” is different from one person to another. As I walked around looking at the photographs, I noticed that some of them didn’t seem like the type I would have expected to find in the ICP. They seemed plain almost, like one that you could find anywhere. I was surprised at that because I had thought all the photographs there would be a “masterpiece”, ones that you could never imagine taking yourself. I doubt that everyone thought the same photograph was plain, to some they probably had the opposite effect. They made them think, almost mesmerizing the viewer. Still, other photographs really caught my eye. One that almost immediately comes to mind is the Chandelier, Springfield, PA. This photograph seemed so unusual to me. It was a normal photograph of the sky, but in the middle a chandelier was emerging. I began to wonder how the photographer could have taken such a picture or even why he took it? Even now, this photograph is still in my mind and I am still unsure as to the purpose of it. It might actually have been the goal of the photographer to make us ponder this photograph or to let us decide what it’s purpose is. I’m not sure if all of you felt the same way about this photograph and I highly doubt it. I added it below, ENJOY!

The photograph that really struck me was The Jewess by Lewis Hine. I think what first struck me was the name-“Jewess” being an archaic word for a female Jew. What I found interesting about the photo was the fact that she is not looking directly into the camera, or at the viewer. She is looking slightly off to the side as though she does not really care whether or not her picture is taken and seems to be concerned about something else. I think that this also an example of how the subject of the picture can b centered and the photo can still be a very good one. I noticed that while she covers her hair out of modesty, she does not do it completely like some of the Sicilian and Slavic women did. I also noticed how the light falls on the subject. Half of her body is covered by light while the rest is in the dark. I think that in black-and-white photographs use of light is even more important because it adds to the myriad of possible colors that you could use. Overall I really enjoyed the picture because of its simplicity.