The definition of 'the selfie'.
A photograph that someone has taken of themselves. Typically with a phone, smartphone or webcam and then would normally be posted and shared on social media.
How i feel about selfies.
I have mixed feelings on selfies. I don't take that many selfies because i'm more of a video person. There are many things you can do with selfies. You can, save them, delete them, post them on social media, keep them to yourself, or you can send people them. I think selfies have become so popular because they can make people look good with, different lenses, filters, colours and lighting from screens cameras and the sun. However i feel as if there is a downside to selfies. Selfies can go anywhere on the internet after you have posted them on any social media. Anyone can get hold of them and do whatever they want with it because it'a beyond your control after.
More Maier - Exhibition.
Describe the challenge-
For this task we had the chance to get into partners, Alisha and i worked together to make an exhibition on Vivian Maier. The exhibition we was making was about the photos Vivian had taken before she died. We were given a selection of different pictures by Vivan and had to lay them out on an A3 piece of paper and do what we wanted with them. We had to choose a title for our exhibition and an explination somewhere on then paper of why we decided to do what we did. After having 40 mins to work together and create our piece and after had to present it to the class afterwards.
Explain-
Alisha and i decided to select all the black and white pictures Vivian had taken and placed them out in a checkered lay out however it wasn't completely straight and in line. We chose to call our piece More Maier. At the bottom of the page we had a short paragraph explaining a bit of information about Vivian Maier and why we chose the photos we chose and looked into her personal life. This is what we wrote on our piece:
This is our exhibition of vivian Maier. We picked out a variety of black and white photos. Vivian lived a very lonely life and we think the reason why she took so many photos is because even though she had a private life, taking photos was her way of connecting with people and in a strange way socialising with others.
Evaluate-
Me and Alisha, I personally feel as if we worked together well and was able to put our ideas to together and listen to each other to make our ideas better. We had a few ideas before we finally stuck the pictures down, but I feel as if we came up with some thoughtful and unique ideas to put into our work. I think our exhibition makes sense to others looking at it and reading it as we stuck to one theme and based it all around the pictures she had taken with either other people, herself, of pictures with shadows. It was scary presenting it in front of the class because everyones eyes are on you and everyone is listening to you. Everyone listened well however and I think Alisha and I managed to put our message across to the class. The most challenging part for me was definitely having the courage to get up in front of all the class as it's not my strongest point. It was also choosing how we were going to lay out the pictures and what order or pattern we was going to do as me and Alisha came up with some creative fun ideas. If I was to do it again I think I would change the lay out of the pictures to something unique that no one else has thought of and would amaze the crowd looking at the exhibition. I would also make it more colourful and add different colours to make it stand out from others.
I was really impressed with your presentation. The exhibition had been thought through carefully and you were both able to explain your decisions. I felt that you had learned a little about the job of a curator and the work of Vivian Maeir. Well done!
-- Mr Nicholls
'The selfie' Homework-
Research.
The art of selfie-expression, and more specifically self-portraiture-the godfather of the selfie- goes back centuries. Since the earliest times, we as humans have loved to let people know what we looked like through art. Yet it wasn't until the early renaissance, in the mid-15th century, that the trend really started to grow, The shift in artists experimenting with self-portraiture was brought on by mirrors becoming better and cheaper to get hold of and the advent of panel painting the technique of painting on a flat panel of wood rather than on walls, which were often using vellum.
It became an opportunity for artists to depict themselves as the main subject , as heroes in their own stories. Even today its still seen as an opportunity to capture a version of yourself nobody else sees. The difference though, is that a digital selfies is much more instant way of creating a self-portrait, it's reach is far bigger than it even as, and there's more of a danger that it can be manipulated not just by the creator , but by other people. It's uncertainty that ha perhaps led people to talk about the deluge of selfies and the motivations behind them more in recent years.
Whatever the method, weather it's oil on a canvas or a snapshot made up of pixels, these parallels suggest a need to look at the artists that have used self- portraiture in their work over the years, to pinpoint key moments, developments and motivations.
It became an opportunity for artists to depict themselves as the main subject , as heroes in their own stories. Even today its still seen as an opportunity to capture a version of yourself nobody else sees. The difference though, is that a digital selfies is much more instant way of creating a self-portrait, it's reach is far bigger than it even as, and there's more of a danger that it can be manipulated not just by the creator , but by other people. It's uncertainty that ha perhaps led people to talk about the deluge of selfies and the motivations behind them more in recent years.
Whatever the method, weather it's oil on a canvas or a snapshot made up of pixels, these parallels suggest a need to look at the artists that have used self- portraiture in their work over the years, to pinpoint key moments, developments and motivations.
I chose these self-portraits and selfies because i thought they were all different in their own ways
Some disadvantages of selfies are Even if smartphones are made private, there are still security risks and threats everywhere. Hackers are always present and virtual viruses are potent. Smartphones are vulnerable to these threats when you access the internet. Thus, you need to be extra cautious of opening sites and links.there is a disadvantage in easy access to information and the internet. People, especially children can see, intentionally or not, the uncensored content including violence, , etc. If you have children, make sure you regulate their use of smartphones. However advantages are-selfies can promote happiness. The researchers conducted exercises using smartphone photo technology and assessed participants’ psychological and emotional states. They found that taking daily pictures of one’s self and sending them to others can have positive effects.
If you’re racking your brain for self-portrait ideas, start simple. Sometimes, everyday scenes can be brought to life just by looking at things from a different perspective. Find a picture-perfect spot with decent lighting—it might be under a tree at your local park or by a window in your bedroom—and experiment by framing yourself via unusual angles and distances. You can use close-ups (and even ultra close-ups) to draw your viewer’s attention to a particular body part or facial feature that you would like to highlight. This creates a greater sense of intimacy and offers a different take on the traditional self-portrait. We have all seen plenty of mirror selfies, but don’t overlook the potential of this Tinder favorite. You can create a truly beautiful shot using a mirror or other reflective surface.
If you’re racking your brain for self-portrait ideas, start simple. Sometimes, everyday scenes can be brought to life just by looking at things from a different perspective. Find a picture-perfect spot with decent lighting—it might be under a tree at your local park or by a window in your bedroom—and experiment by framing yourself via unusual angles and distances. You can use close-ups (and even ultra close-ups) to draw your viewer’s attention to a particular body part or facial feature that you would like to highlight. This creates a greater sense of intimacy and offers a different take on the traditional self-portrait. We have all seen plenty of mirror selfies, but don’t overlook the potential of this Tinder favorite. You can create a truly beautiful shot using a mirror or other reflective surface.
Kenneth Josephson.
In todays lesson we looked at a photo taken by Kenneth Josephson. We analysed a photo that we had taken. We then were given a piece if card with a circle cut out in the middle. We had to go out and use that card to take some interesting pictures.
These were some of the pictures i took during the lesson.
End of year assessment.
During yesterdays lesson we looked at three different photographs. We looked at photos by Lee Friedlander- New Orlands, Louisiana, 1968. Francesca Woodman- From angels series, and Kenneth Josephson -Chicago. In lee Friedlanders photo we can see, the silhouette of him in a reflection of what could be a shop window. To the right of the photograph you can just about make out a reflection of what could be a shop door. Behind we can see two cars, the closest car has a man standing in front of it. We can also see a large block of buildings behind. The photo has as well been taken in black and white; making different parts of the picture stand out more than others. In the second photograph taken by Francesca Woodman, we can see, a door frame with a room behind it. In the room we can see thus figure. Almost as if someone is wrapped in bubble wrap and have only their feet sticking out at the bottom. Next ti that you can see a piece of wood, on the wood is just the silhouette of a hand. As if someone is behind the wood but is only showing their hand. The final photo by Kenneth Josephson is a strange picture. The centre of the photo is a car. In the right hand corner we see Kenneth's arm. He is holding a small square shaped card in his hand.,with another square cut out in the middle. In the middle of the square is a hand leaning out of the car window. On the car we can also see Kenneth's shadow.
In all photos the photographers have all used some sort of trickery with the camera. For example, all pictures have been made to look like something they are not. Some people may say by looking at From angel series it has been taken in a mirror. They might think thus because the dark outline of the door frame looks like a mirror. They may also say for the Chicago picture there has been a photo of someones hand put into the middle of the card. This shows each photographer has been creative with their ideas and have chosen their photos to be like this on purpose.
I would say i enjoyed looking at From angel series the most. Probably of the idea pf the photo. As the title had the word 'angel' in it i thought the hand and the piece of wood could have been a relation to it. I think it's showing that the angel is there, they just cant see it. This has influenced me to think more outside the box while taking photos and make them look more like something they are not.
In all photos the photographers have all used some sort of trickery with the camera. For example, all pictures have been made to look like something they are not. Some people may say by looking at From angel series it has been taken in a mirror. They might think thus because the dark outline of the door frame looks like a mirror. They may also say for the Chicago picture there has been a photo of someones hand put into the middle of the card. This shows each photographer has been creative with their ideas and have chosen their photos to be like this on purpose.
I would say i enjoyed looking at From angel series the most. Probably of the idea pf the photo. As the title had the word 'angel' in it i thought the hand and the piece of wood could have been a relation to it. I think it's showing that the angel is there, they just cant see it. This has influenced me to think more outside the box while taking photos and make them look more like something they are not.
Well done Emi. This was a difficult task and i'm impressed by the quality of your descriptions and responses. Very thoughtful.
The 3 selfies.
Back to the future selfie-
V-J day in Times Square, a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt (below left), was published in Life magazine in 1945 with the caption, "In New York's Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers". This iconic photograph (along with other famous images) has been transformed into a Selfie by an advertising agency (below right) in order to publicise a South African newspaper. How does this advert work?
Self portrait-
A self-portrait is a work of art featuring the artist as subject. There are examples stretching back to ancient times. Self-Portraits in art can be 2 or 3 dimensional. As artists became more professional and independent, during the Renaissance period, they began to make more self-portraits as a way of celebrating their own status and individuality. Today, the self-portrait is a thriving genre, perhaps one that has been given an extra impetus by photography. It's important to remember that, when photography was 'invented' (the 1830s) it was largely influenced by painting and other 2D arts. Photographers would look to the examples provided by the history of painting in the way they composed their images. Since self-portraiture has a long history in art, it's no surprise that self-portrait photographs share some similarities with painting
The selfie
Selfie is slang for Self-Portrait. It is used today to infer a photographic self-portrait taken on a mobile device and shared via social media. In 2013, "Selfie" was word of the year in the Oxford English Dictionary. The inclusion of front facing cameras on smart phones and the popularity of social media sites like Instagram and Snapchat have made the posting of Selfies increasingly popular as a form of photographic self-expression.
The selfie book.
As part of a project for homework we were asked to make a selfie book. We had to print out a load of photos and make a self made book to stick our pictures on. We were also then asked to take pictures of the progress we had been making during the time of creating the books. Here are a few examples of the selfies i chose: