Visual Symposium: Photography

Thoughts on the Presentation:

• The presentation was very difficult for me to hear, so most of the information I received was via the slides on the screen, so next time the use of a microphone would be much appreciated. I enjoyed learning some facts on the artists he presented, though. 

What I Learned:

• Photography goes back all the way to around 500 BCE, and fixed image photography started about 1839. The first documented self portrait was also taken in 1839. Francis Frith was one of the first photographers to be sent to document with explorers, and surprisingly enough, back when it happened, the Queen of England had them take along a sketch artist to verify his work. Its use directly influenced other mediums.

What It Means to Me:

• This presentation didn't really change my view on photography at all, unfortunately, but I was still happy to learn some new information. It gave me some artists to look up for reference, though and I'd actually love to look into slit scan cameras more in the future on my own time, so it wasn't a waste.

PLACE: The Kansas City Zoo

My place in Kansas City was the zoo, and I chose it because of the diversity of people that visit there daily and their different reactions to the animals. Out of the 700+ photos I took between Saturday and Sunday afternoon, most of them focused on the children and families looking at the animals, and it cheered me up when I saw the parents and other patrons gushing over the younger kids in awe.

To fit the perimeters of the assignment I had to exclude a few pictures of low quality, but I still included those in another post; I hope you take the time to look at those as well.

I can't place where exactly I took this one, but it was one of the first. Their happiness was something I wanted to capture, because while I found similar expressions numerous times, getting a time frame of more than a few seconds was considerably harder than I thought it would be.

Both of these top photos are from the petting zoo with the goats; I was hoping to showcase the joy that the children got feeding them/ being able to be so close. The little boy in the second was especially happy to pet the largest goat, though he was a bit hesitant at first because the goat kept putting its hooves on the railing.

On Saturday, there was a group of trainers with their service dogs, and both humans and canines were excited to look at the exhibits. This one was taken by a monkey exhibit and the trainers were trying to keep the dogs from jumping on the railing. 

A father and his two daughters were taking a break from walking to look out at the zebras.

A little boy and his older sister were waiting anxiously for the lions to get up. When they finally did, both of the kids moved too fast for me to get there reactions.

The Sky Safari was one of the attractions at the park, and the second photo is what it's like to wait in line for a ride. People were anxious at first, but most calmed down once they were in the air.

I didn't get to take the boat ride because of time, but it seemed fun, and the people riding it looked like they were having the time of their life.

A family was looking at the tiger pacing back and forth; the baby was more interested in me, though.

The elephant closest to the trainer was making customized paintings, everyone couldn't keep their eyes off of what it was doing.

This is definitely one of my favorites. The tram had stopped as we were walking by and I caught the trainers taking selfies with the dogs.

A little boy in the penguin exhibit was pressed up against the glass. His parents had to tell him it was time to leave before he detached himself.

One of the few times people tended to not be wrapped up in the moment was around the snack areas. I believe that that is also important to peoples' experiences so I was bound and determined to include it.

The little girl wasn't happy that the animal was only eating leaves from the little boy.

There are a couple pianos scattered through the zoo, and everyone was having a blast listening to her play.

On my way through Africa, I saw this family looking out on the small lake.

This was at the end of Sunday. People were waiting patiently for the next tram. It then took us to the entrance tot eh park so we could leave.

Ribbons- Cropped

Ribbons

Juliana's item was a roll of yellow ribbon, and she likes them for their aesthetics, so I wanted to do something extremely simple to showcase it. I went for a simple grey background, and I like how the vertical white in the wall and the horizontal pipe balance out the movement of the ribbon. She's still looking for herself and her inspiration, so I think having her looking away from the camera was the way to go; Juliana is also somewhat easygoing and humble sounding, so I didn't think having her in an aggressive or in your face pose would fit her personality wise. In this second picture, I saw her determination and passion come through more, so I'm torn between which is better for this particular assignment.

Juliana Garcia- Artist Bio

Juliana Garcia was born on March 5th, 1997, in Virginia. She is know for thinking outside of the box, utilizing various mediums and items to create a cohesive and unique piece of art, but her preferred mediums are mixed media and oil paints. She is still finding herself, using her roots and other things to inspire her works. Her favourite colour is aqua, because she finds it to be calming to look at, which is interesting considering she does not like blue and green as separate colours.

When asked who her favorite artist was, Garcia responded almost immediately, smiling as she said Frida Kahlo. She admires that Kahlo stayed true to herself and her culture, and that she didn't let stereotypes or the "proper" way of doing things keep her down and define her. Garcia herself dislikes labels and the stigma that comes with them, so that might contribute to her admiration. 

Garcia hopes to have a career as a designer for magazines or for commercials, with writing on the side. To pursue this goal, she has worked rigorously in school, taking IB art programs and applying to KCAI. As for her major, Garcia believes illustration would help her towards her dream the most.