Armando Merino's Art 240 Blog

                What's the difference between a selfie and a self-portrait? A selfie captures a picture of one's self at that moment in time, while a self-portrait captures a photo of one's self, but it captures the personality or nature of the person that takes it. A self-portrait is a form of art, whether it is photography or painting, it expresses the artist itself to show who the artist is and their sort of style and vibe.               The photo I included above is just a normal photo of myself just relaxing; although it gives it more of a selfie vibe, it captures the sort of person I am. Self-portraits are always up to the artist to decide how they want to express themselves and what they feel is the best representation of themselves. That is what I did above; I showed myself as I go on with my daily routine to show that I can be efficient; whether it is artistic or not is up to those who view it....

  Fifth Avenue, New York City, USA, 1984               As I was going through the Magnum gallery and seeing many photos from talented photographers, the above photo caught my eye. The photo above was taken by Bruce Gilden, a well-known street photographer who travels around New York City and takes pictures of pretty much anyone or anything. Gilden's photos are unique and funny looking due to his method of taking photos which makes them more intriguing.               Gilden's main attraction throughout all his photographs would be flash, or specifically a flashgun. Flash is prominent through his collection, capturing people and moments that only happen once in a lifetime. The main thing that stands out from his other pictures includes going up in front of people and taking a photo while using the flashgun at them. He mentions how he goes in front of random people's faces in the streets of New York City a...

          In October, I had the opportunity to attend a trip to the George Eastman Museum Trip for my History Photography class. I witnessed some very interesting and cool exhibitions, including nature forces, war moments, contemporary photography, and the head of Kodak's mansion (George Eastman). I'll be writing about my favorite photos displayed in the gallery that they had, my first thoughts, and why I enjoyed them the most.                 The first photo above was taken by Edward Burtynsky, titled Old Factories #9, Fushun Aluminum Smelter, Fushun City, Liaoning Province, China, 2005. When I first saw this photo, I was intrigued by the perfectly symmetrical photo that was taken, seeing how an abandoned warehouse can look so distinct. After reading the description, this building is an abandoned aluminum smelter in China to shows how an industrialized setting is affected as time passes. Seeing the rus...

      Color in photography has to be one of my favorite aspects when taking photos. The purpose of color in photography is to create a visually pleasing subject, illustrate a mood, and provide attention to the color overall. Color relies a lot upon light, allowing color to pop up more when light reflects on a subject, allowing it to stand out. Using color sparks creativity because color is something everyone sees and enjoys; using color gives pleasing vibes to things that aren't meant for it.     Color is a unique feature in photography; an example can be in dark sort of areas, color and light are heavily relied on. That's why I enjoy color in photography because I want to use any color light in dark areas to improve the subject's uniqueness; like in the photo above. Color photography does more than representing a subject; it also creates an impact or gives a feeling to a photo.     The photo above I took at home during Christmas, and I feel that it re...

  "The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph, it is no longer a fact but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth."- Richard Avedon.     When I think of photography, I see it as a person capturing a moment in time that represents art and gives meaning. What Avedon states in his quote seems more of the opposite of what I first said, to a certain extent. Avedon states that there's inaccuracy in a photograph, meaning that a picture doesn't truly represent the subject it shows. Looking deeper into it, Richard Avedon is a portraiture photographer. As he takes photos of his subjects, the photograph is accurate because it captures a moment in which we can convey how we see it.      " The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph, it is no longer a fact but an opinion."  This line, what I believe, means that any photo that has meaning is, late...

      What I think of what a surrealistic photograph is I think of something that is imaginative or something that doesn't seem real. What's interesting about surrealism is that it tends to separate what's real and imagination, giving it a sense of dreaming.     The photo above illustrates very well what surrealism really is. What makes it surrealistic is up to others to interpret and let their imagination see what is happening. It is surrealistic because it looks like meteors falling down or maybe shows some sort of being approaching, like aliens of some sort from movies and tv shows. In reality, the photo is fireworks, affected by light exposure when the color flames disperse and create that sort of line when falling. It fulfills the purpose because we see something other than what we expect, making it unique and special.     This is what I believe surrealism does because it is the idea to illustrate imagination within something that's real. I also f...

  "I strongly believe in documentary photography, in taking pictures of real life. When I looked at the pictures from our photographers (he means other Magnum Photographers, A.R), there were some that were wonderful or clever compositions, but they emphasized the artistry in photography rather than telling the story. We didn’t put those pictures in this book. I don’t think they belong in this book because they do not serve its purpose, which is to bear witness. In a moment like this you must be very humble. When something like this happens, nothing you do can adequately respond to the monstrosity of the event." - Magnum Photographer Thomas Hoepker     The criticism of documentary photography is that people tend to believe that nothing is being solved by taking a picture of some tragic moment. Given the tragic event of 9/11, at that moment, there wasn't much to do but just watch. It is a catastrophic event that can't be changed at that moment. Thomas Hoepker explains t...