Visual Journal 8

I learned that there is more than meets the eye with any work of art. 

I learned that there is beauty all around us, we just have to open our eyes and look. 

I learned that a picture is worth a thousand words, you just have to be willing to read it. 

I learned that sometimes you don't have to know the significance of a picture to know that it is significant. 

Dyer Reflection

Reading the Dyer essay, the biggest thing that I took away was how people like to stereotype people into set social categories but the reality is that these categories are actually fluid. It made me think about how someone would categorize me if they just saw pictures of me. If they saw these pictures, would they think that I am a jock and therefore probably not smart? Would they see that I am going to a good college and therefore are most likely smart? Would they see that I am playing Division 3 sports and think that I am not actually a good athlete? Would they look at me and say that I am too short or too white or not skinny enough and therefore not beautiful enough? I think Dyer makes a really good point that these categories are fluid because any number of these things could actually be true all at the same time and I think if everyone realized this then we would in turn realize that we are all more alike than we think and are differences are not what divides us but what can make us stronger together. 

Visual Journal Entry 7

When I think about misrepresentation in the media the first thing that comes to mind is the misrepresentation of women in ads. There are so many companies that use the idea of "sex sells" to sell their products, and sadly it works. But they are not just selling sex and their product, they are also selling the idea that women are subordinate and are here to please men. This has been a common theme for decades and it limits how people see women and what they think that they can accomplish in their lives. No only does it misrepresent what women can do, but it also misrepresents what women look like. In all of these ads, the women all look the same. They are skinny, beautiful, lengthy, dark haired women. This is not the average woman yet this is the woman that we see the most. This is the woman that other women compare themselves to and it sets an impossible standard for representations of beauty. 

Visual Journal Entry 6

Bell Hooks Reflection

Hooks' reflections on her father's photo and its importance to her made me think of this photo of my grandparents. I was obsessed with my grandfather growing up and he was my best friend but he died when I was 6 so I really didn't get to learn that much about his life before my mom and uncle came along. Looking at this picture not only reminds me of all the good times that I had with him but it makes me think about the great life that he must have lived before I even knew him. It a little weird to think about but he was my age once and seeing how happy he is here makes me think that he was just as carefree and loving as me when he was a young adult.

Visual Journal Enty 5

Reading the essay and thinking about how Hooks cherished her image of her in her cowgirl outfit because it represented her and her true self and who she liked to think of herself as, I thought of the image of myself that I think those things about. The first image is how I really feel inside. I am a outgoing and wild and crazy girl with a loving family but I think sometimes that gets lost with all the stress of everything going on in my life. Looking back on it now, it makes me smile and makes me hope that one day I can get back to being that girl. 

The second picture is important to me because it shows me how photography can turn back time and allow you to remember even the smallest of details. When I look at this picture I remember everything about that day. I remember I caught more fish than my sister and that it was cloudy and there was a nice breeze so I didn't realize that I was getting the worst sunburn of my life and that I fell asleep on the car ride home in my Perry the platypus hat. This picture made me realize the importance of photography in preserving time and memory. 

Barthes Response

When I read the essay I thought a lot about advertisement and how a lot of times you need the words to figure out what they are trying to sell. I thought about this fragrance ad and realized that if it were not for the words "fragrance for women" I would have absolutely no idea what this ad was trying to sell. It looks more like it's advertising apples than a fragrance so this image really does depend on the words included on it.
On a denotation level we can tell that there is a man and a woman and apples, one of which is obviously fake. We can also tell that it is a fragrance ad because of the print "fragrance for women" printed on the ad.
On a connotation level we can tell that the advertisers are trying to sell attractiveness and sex. The look and in the woman's eyes and the way her mouth is parted along with the way the man is gazing at her suggest lust. The use of the apples also adds a seductive aspect, mirroring Adam and Eve. The advertisers are not just trying to sell a fragrance, they are trying to sell the idea that wearing the fragrance will make men more attracted to you and lustful towards you.

Visual Journal Entry 4

Mirzoeff Response

Reading this article two sentences stuck out to me and reminded me of a picture that I took last year. Mirzoeff said "When ordinary people pose themselves in the most flattering way they can, they take over the role as artist-as-hero. Each selfie is a performance of a person as they hope to be seen by others." I read that and immediately thought of this selfie I took and how that was the exact reason I took this picture. 

Annie Leibovitz

I think what makes Annie Leibovitz's portraits portraits is the story that she tells through them. She does not just take a picture of someone smiling, she tells you something about the person through the picture. Whether it is joy or sorrow or angst or fear or indifference, you can picture a story in your head when you look at the portrait.

I think the one thing that stands out to me in her portraits are the eyes of her models. I do not know what it is about them but when I look at one of her pictures I am immediately drawn to the eyes and what they are saying. It makes me feel as if I am looking into that person's soul, that I can feel what they are feeling.

I think if I were going to do a portrait in her style, I would really focus on the eyes of my model. I would make sure that all the emotion and the story came from their eyes. I feel like so much can be depicted from just the eyes and I think that she does an amazing job at capturing that and I feel like that is what makes her so successful. When I look at one of her pieces, it just draws me in and encapsulates me. I do not want to look away and I think that is a hard thing to do in art but something that is so important.

Visual Journal Entry 3

A Portrait of Happiness 

A Portrait of Peace 

A Portrait of Disgust

Dillard Response

When I read Dillard's essay, the one thing I got out of it is that sometimes we look at things but don't actually see them. I walk by the muddy river every single day and never really stop to actually look at it. But last year I did and when I did I realized that when it's snowy and frozen over it looks exactly like the river that went through the middle of Christmas village that my dad put up in our house every year. It made me realize how often I don't actually see the things around me in life. 

Visual Journal Entry 2

These pictures are my favorite pictures from home. When I think about home, I think about the calmness and quietness that was my house. I also remember the beauty that I ignored for so long and how the sky glowed with the rising and setting of the sun. When I look at these pictures, the one word that I think about is peace. 

Visual Journal Entry 1

When I think about dialog, I think about what a picture of piece of art makes you think. I look at something and try and figure out the story behind it. The dialog I come up with in my mind is my thoughts on what is going on. With this picture I tried to tell a story and evoke the inner dialog within each person that see it.