Baron Wolman: Photos of Rock (Assignment 6)

Baron Wolman is probably one of the most famous photographers of the rock and roll years. He is infamous for his photographs of people like Jimi Hendrix and other revolutionary musical artists. What started out as being the chief photographer for a new magazine known as Rolling Stones in 1967, he has claimed some of the best and most recognizable photographs as his own work. He started out just doing your average photography around the house. It became a hobby for him. In fact, he did not do anything professionally until he got recruited by a friend of his as a photographer for Rolling Stones magazine.

Baron Wolman took pictures of music artists in his studio. And when at concerts,  he took pictures of music artists singing and rocking on stage while he was waiting for that moment where the rock 'n roll artist perform his best stunts. Getting the respect and recognition by most music artists gives Baron Wolman the privilege of tasting fame at first hand and made him part of it than being branded as a paparazzi. 


While Baron Wolman is most well-known for his works with the Rolling Stone magazine that was relatively short lived. He decided to leave Rolling Stone only after a few years to pursue other photography endeavors. There are no other works that are as popular as the early rock and roll photography that he has done, but he says he is equally proud of his later work. Here are some samples of Baron Wolman's work.

Jimi Hendrix. Photo by Baron Wolman

Joni Mitchell. Photo by Baron Wolman

Mick Jagger. Photo by Baron Wolman

The nice thing about taking pictures even at an amateur level of people dancing and singing, and “rocking ‘n rolling” is that the photographer may always get carried along with its intensity and vibe. And this probably what Wolman had brought him into the business.

Rocking Out! Photo taken by Lizard

I think photography should be as enjoyable as rock ‘n roll. A picture of a guy pretending to be playing a real guitar, funny as it may look, is still a demonstration of art in photography. It is inspired by how Wolman wants rockstars should pose in front of a camera. 

Electric Guitar. Photo taken by Ex Trident

Musical instruments play a huge factor in taking pictures of rock ‘n roll. Although not necessarily required, it is always been the concept of this kind of music by most photographers and a lot of Wolman’s photos show these kinds of pictures.




 But working as a photographer in a magazine industry requires a combined skill of an art photographer and a press photographer. Baron Wolman did this by masterfully taking photographs of Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger doing concerts. It is like watching MTV but on still cameras. This has inspired concert goers and amateur photographers from bringing their cameras and taking shooting at a best angle and exposure as much as possible. Here is a picture taken by a photographer in a concert.

Anthrax. Photo by Haje Jan Kamps

Brad Paisley. Photo taken by Mdrtoys

Concert pictures have always been perfect pieces of art of how music artists express themselves. Pictures of rock concerts always reflect to the kind of music the artist is playing. If the music is about love then you get pictures like this. 

Limp Bizkit. Photo taken by Kevin Mazur

And if it is about hate and violence, then it doesn’t need to be explained just by looking at the picture. 




In today’s age where almost all people can afford to purchase small and sophisticated digital cameras, musicians began to distance themselves. They feel like they have to protect themselves from the photographers. In fact, they will consistently try to avoid them. This is probably the paranoia led paparazzis that always seems to follow them. Only few of them nowadays have the class that Baron Wolman did with his photography subjects.

Baron Wolman still is an active photographer who enjoys his work. He likes changing it up and doing different things. He even had a new interest in nude photography. Baron actually ended up teaching a class on the subject at the collegiate level. He is passionate about his work, and that separates him from many of the other average photographers.





References:


Graham (2011). The Rolling Stone Years - Baron Wolman. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from: http://lubin.co.uk/?p=1010


Bathke, John (2011). Baron Wolman and the Rolling Stone Years. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from: http://johnbathke.wordpress.com/tag/photography/

EMP Museum (2011). Every Picture Tells a Story - Baron Wolman. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from: http://empmuseum.org/calendar/index.asp?categoryID=37&m=7&d=30&y=2011&eventID=914

Press Photography vs. Art Photography

The main difference between press photography and art photography is obvious. Though there are similarities with regards to the hardwares and equipments (i.e. cameras, scopes) that both press photographers and art photographers use, but the kind of presentation and purpose are different. Press photography focuses on spontaneity rather than techniques. All the elements are intact taken from a real life situation without being changed or manipulated by a photo editing software (see Fig. 1.0). The photographer has to immerse him/herself in the event while considering all the possibilities that could be encountered.

(Fig. 1.0) Palestinian Territories by Mohammed Abed

While press photography is immediate and unplanned, art photography on the other hand is all about setting up a stage for the person to play and act according to his/her role. An art photographer can achieve an ideal photograph through rehearsals and retakes, and using photo editing software to make the colours look more vibrant (see Fig 2.0). The photographer can also erase some unwanted elements and textures if it pleases him/her.

(Fig. 2.0) Russian Woman by Ekaterina Pokrovskaya

Both press photographs and artistic photographs can always stir the emotions of people looking at it. But it boils down to which one delivers the truth and which one is plainly for entertainment or aesthetic purposes. I doubt that the woman by the beach is actually lonely or not, just waiting for someone to accompany her. The purpose of art photography is to captivate our eyes, nothing more, nothing less.










Some art photographs can be funny, disturbing, or saddening like this picture (see Fig. 2.1).

By Victor J. Palagano III

And again, art photographs are edited by a computer software. As you can see the wall behind this man is glowing, making it more dramatic and more neat-looking. Altering art photography is ethical and acceptable because its whole purpose is to present beauty and the artist's skill in manipulating and enhancing the photographs.

Altering press photographs can be unacceptable and unethical. The photographer must provide pictures with accurate details without displacing all the important elements needed for the public to know the truth. Dishonesty, deception, biased and unfair conduct are terms usually used to press photos that are altered in journalism and that is why this should be avoided.












Ethical practices in art photography is different in press photography. Press photographs that are meant to be viewed by the public should be less provocative. Art photographs on the other hand are sometimes made available only for adults. Certain viewer discretions are imposed in art photography especially when it contains nudity and extreme violence all for the sake of art. But nothing could possibly get ourselves intrigued than having real people in real situations doing real actions as done in press photography (see Fig 1.1). In press photography, the real world is the canvas where a photographer has only one shot to capture those random yet great moments.

Guinea Bissau by Marco Vernaschi

Photo Manipulation (Assignment 2)

A lot of beginner didn't realize photo editing is important. Most of them including me didn't even bother to edit our photos before we shared with others. But here’s why photography, in my mind, is not just about taking good pictures, but also about solid editing.

In past, I always thought why my photo not sharp enough, color not deep and etc is due to my DSLR camera (Canon EOS T3) only a beginner model. Yes, indeed an expensive DSLR camera can minimize the need to edit a photo, but this means we have to invest on such camera that easily cost us RM 5K or even more? The answer is no if you know some photo editing skill.

I am using my camera for shooting sceneries and people either indoors or outdoors. This is the result of a photography done by my camera to Chloe, a friend of mine who agreed to have her picture taken (see Fig. 1.0), and as you can see it is still unedited; lacking sharpness and resolution. The surrounding light and space around this person may have been the cause as to why this photograph is altered. But you can see it is not that really bad even though this photography is unedited, I just want to make the image more stunning, neat and crispy for the sake of art and beauty.

 

Fig. 1.0. Original Photo






Fig. 1.1. Photo Edited by Picasa

(1. sharpen, 2. color saturation, 3.fill light)



So I have been using this editing software called Picasa to fix and configure photos especially for Chloe’s photo, which she is excited about. Picasa is free photo editing software from Google that makes your pictures look great. It improve almost any picture with Picasa's one-click fixes for common problems like red-eye, color, and lighting. Or, use tuning and effects to make your best photos look even better.There is a link below that will lead you to where you can download the software and use it. I would like to show you the tasks I have done that made this picture more beautiful (see Fig 1.1). First, I sharpen the photo by probably 5% to 8% from the original one. Second is adjusting the color saturation and balancing the colors of the photo. And lastly, the filling of light by reducing the shadow at the background. The reasons why I made these changes on the original photograph is because I want the details to be more visible by sharpening it, and that is why you can almost see every strand of Chloe's hair, and see her skin to be a bit brighter. I adjusted the color saturation and balancing to make the red colors in her dress and the ballon she is holding more neat and crispier while reducing the shadow by "fill light", thus exposing a little more detail to that ballon behind her and making Chloe the whole focus on this photo. Picasa makes me learning life easier.


So start to edit or enhance every single shot you take if you not yet do so. 
I am sure your skill will improve when you practice and repeat until you get thing perfect.



 Link: http://picasa.google.com/



Why the world loved first photographs?

Assignment 1: Activity 2

Just like any ingenious invention emerging to popularity, photography in its early days were loved by people and it is still loved and even more useful up to these present times. But the photography of today is quite relatively different than the ones back in the mid-1700’s where owning portraits of a painting or the more advanced of daguerreotype and calotype photographs are like owning top class vehicles. In fact with just a simple portrait, a person’s status in the society would be recognized as belonging to a level in the middle class. I’m not saying that paintings or photographs can change a person on how he/she should be viewed and treated in the society, although it might but it is rather more of a personal desire- something to boost someone’s self-esteem rather than gaining societal acceptance and going with the groove. Probably around those times, nothing could possible make a person happy than to see him/herself in a portrait with all the specifications that follow each feature and contour of his/her face for that main reason. Belongingness and “the feeling of being remembered” by a family member or a love one follows through.


Sample of a physionotrace photograph



For me personally, I think paintings and miniature drawings of myself are not out of fashion; it still delivers a kind of sophistication and beauty that takes you back to the old times like travelling in a time machine. We can only imagine how exciting it must be get a first glimpse of you in a painting or a photograph. Whether it is done through physionotrace, daguerreotype, calotype or the modern day techniques, it is but exciting like a child opening his first Christmas gift and that is why I think (in my opinion) that is the reason why the world loved first photographs.



Sample of daguerreotype photograph



Who were the first photographers? Is there any of them that inspire you?

Right now, I own three digital cameras and this has nothing to do with being inspired by those first photographers back in the 1700 and 1800’s. Needless to say, most of their names doesn’t ring a bell not until I read some information in wiki and articles from an excerpt by Lemagny & Rouille about its history. Having been into the modelling career, I have friends who are professional photographers and having learned their techniques and style is truly amazing for me to demonstrate it on my own with my own camera. I believe this is the reason why I love cameras and things that are related to photography. But learning about those people that invented the techniques in photography makes me appreciate the whole process rather than just taking pictures and editing it using softwares. From Louis Daguerre to Fox Talbot until the invention of a much modern version by Herbert Berkeley, none of them could have been made that step without its first discovery by Joseph Niepce. He is for me the “Charles Darwin” of photography. The person inspire me the most not only because of his brilliant invention, but because it had me thinking that maybe there is a lot to discover in photography than what we have learned today. The man should be an inspiration to anyone who owns a camera.



Modern Photography



Photography changes who we are; Photography how we choose to represent ourselves.

Assignment 1: Activity 1

In a society where people are benefitted by freedom of expression, it is important for us to know the tools we are able to use to send a message out to the public of how we should be addressed, respected or just being identified as someone that is existing in the neighborhood, and photography is one of those tools which effectively show how we choose to represent ourselves.

As I was reading the article titled Photography Changes How We Represent Ourselves by Barbara Buhler Lynes which is about Alfred Steiglitz’s photography on Georgia O’ Keeffe, I was amazed of how we can manipulate and sort of control the minds of people just by mere pictures and how something as simple as a picture could create a social impact towards either being repulsive or something as amiable as the pictures of Georgia O’ Keeffe, in my opinion. How could a person appreciate the beauty of the picture without indulging him/herself to knowing the story of the woman and find the meaning behind the nudity? Georgia O’ Keeffe being symbolized as a sexually liberated modern woman are proofs how photography works not only by flatly describing what was taken in the pictures but also knowing the story of the people behind and may permanently change their public image forever.

I once asked myself how I could convince people to believe that I’m an outdoor person, and love boxing and some martial arts, while this task may not be impossible to do, but the images of me being this girl in a modeling business still retained into those people who know me and saw my pictures. Even though I left the modeling career a long time ago, it still remained that I am this woman who walks the ramp in high heels and don’t know how to be rough and tough. Call it “the stereotype for supermodels”, but that is the first impression my family and friends have been showing me. I shouldn’t have showed them the photos but there is nothing I can do at this moment.

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I  D O N ' T  B L E N D  I N ,  I  S T A N D  O U T !

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My name is Frenzie

I am a first year student in the Pre-Health Program at George Brown College.  Photography: Shooting the truth is my first chosen elective.  

I have a great deal of experience when it comes to photography and i am hoping that this course will help me improve my techniques and strategies; to take better photographs and teach me how to use my creative potential to the fullest..

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chocolate truffles makes me smile like this ^___^

"sweets" by: tracy meyer

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I spent better half of my life cooking. I find happiness "connecting with myself" through my taste buds and every tasteful dish i share with my love ones is a spoonful of happiness added to my being. 

"lugaw" by: me and prel ocampo

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I am a believer in "law of attraction",(everything you have in life now, has been attracted to you through your mind). I am also convinced of that the only thing you should concern yourself with is your own intentions, if they are good--everything will always turn out for the best in the end.

MANILA: Shutter Day Project by: John Bong So

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I will be using this blog to post my assignments so I welcome feedbacks. I thrive on your inputs, suggestions, and valuable advices.