Week 7 EOC: What Makes A Photograph Great?

While watching The Bang Bang Club, a film about the group of photographers that documented the Apartheid movement in South Africa during the 90's, the question was asked: What makes a great photograph. The photographer being questioned was really at a loss for words for an answer. Truthfully, there are so many variables and conditions that go into the making of a photograph that it is nearly impossible to determine what exactly makes it "great," without being subjective. Things such as composition, lighting conditions, facial expressions, subject interaction, etc. are all considered when determining its greatness. In the case of war photography, photojournalism, and sports photography, the decisive moment is key. To quote an article from takinggreatpictures.com, "The decisive moment happens when the action reaches an apex, when a subject portrays the perfect expression, when the [subject] conveys a special look, when the light becomes its most dramatic."

Week 7 EOC: Adult Content

After having just watched Gentlemen's Relish, a BBC historical film about the emergence of pornographic subjects in photography during the late 19th century to early 20th century, I can say that I think it seemed to accurately represent the attitude towards such "titillating" photographs during the period of Edwardian Society in London. Such suggestive subject matter was understandingly not very overt, however it did surprise me just how widely accepted it was for that time period.

Week 6 EOC: Art Changed Me

When I first started attending the Art Institute, I was majoring in Audio Production, which is a very dry and technically oriented degree. After seven quarters of being unhappy of where I was going, since I was a musician who wanted to be able record my music and other people's music, I decided to switch majors to Digital Photography. This decision was made after taking Principles of Photography as an elective class, and it totally woke me up. After years of having a fun little hobby of taking pictures of landscapes and family, I finally realized that I could further explore this passion and eventually turn it into a career that I could enjoy. Further exploring photography as an art gave me a whole new perspective on how to look at it, analyze it, and enjoy it. Finally, although quite a bit off-topic, I feel I cannot end this post without mentioning the single most important thing of art that has impacted me: Fugazi. Not only their music changed me but it was also their ideals and do-it-yourself determination to do things the way they visioned, without any compromise, that I believe has further shaped my approach and attitude to being a professional in the photographic industry.

Week 4 EOC: Plans for Photography Shopping

The photography store I plan to visit this week is Casey's Camera of Las Vegas. I have been there a few times before and the staff seems to be pretty knowledgeable and friendly. I have also been to Ritz Cameras but their staff seem unknowledgeable about some of their products and the store does not have a good variety of merchandise. Casey's offers all the latest cameras, lenses, and other photography gear, as well as equipment repairs and film processing. They also offer student and educator discounts and hold workshops regularly. They, along with B & C Cameras, are one of the last few remaining independent photography stores in the Las Vegas area.

Week 3 EOC: My Commitment

The business plan I have chosen to commit to is a professional sports & events photography business. This business, named Aperture Digital Productions, will be located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, which is an area loaded with sports activities ranging from youth to professional, as well as the numerous hotels and event centers that are found throughout. The service ADP provides entails the documentation, in the form of photographs, of special events, whether they are sporting events or conventions, as well as creating media that will later be used for promotional and/or product purposes. I would ideally have around five or six other photographers on staff to provide the most coverage area on any given day where there happens to be multiple events going on simultaneously. As for equipment, each photographer would be armed with two bodies of the Canon EOS-1d X camera, the ultimate tool for our needs as a business. As for the distribution of the final product to our clients, ADP has a few different options: private password protected image galleries on our website, CD discs, and prints. We believe this variety gives our clients plenty of choices and will ultimately lead to their satisfaction with our finished product. 

Week 2 EOC: La Dulce Vita

After watching just a small portion of Fredric Fellini's film, La Dulce Vita, I came away somewhat unimpressed. It seems to have a very uneventful, mundane plot that focuses on the "empty" lives of an Italian journalist and other celebrities. A quote I found on imdb.com sums up my brief experience with the film: "this movie moves along at a snails pace with no plot whatsoever while subjecting you to smug pseudo-intellectual conversation about nothing." I suppose this movie could be considered a masterpiece to people who like the style of realism, but it really does nothing for me. The acting/dialogue seemed a bit awkward and forced at times, although one must remember that Fellini's films featured a lot of dubbing. Visually, the film is okay, with plenty of interesting settings, props, and choreography, however the plot, or lack thereof, is its biggest downfall. Having said all this, I did not see the film in its entirety so my opinion of it could very well change.

Week 1 EOC: Stallions not Unicorns

     I am the owner and chief photographer of Aperture Digital Productions. ADP is a professional Sports & Events photography business, located in San Francisco, CA. My company’s main focus is on Sports Photography, at every level from youth-recreational to professional levels. Another area I specialize in is Event Photography, usually taking place at the various convention centers and hotels throughout the Bay Area. The types of cliental that I attract are professional NFL teams such as the Oakland Raiders, youth leagues, high school & college athletic programs, convention centers, and major publications like the San Francisco Chronicle. I will have up to ten staffed photographers working underneath me, in the case of multiple events going on at the same time. ADP utilizes two different camera systems depending on the situation. For sports, a Canon 7D professional camera is used in conjunction with the latest 70mm-200mm telephoto wide-aperture zoom lens. For events, a Canon 5D Mark II high-resolution camera is used with a wide range of professional zoom lenses, depending on the situation.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

     My name is Andrew Rigney, and I am a professional photographer located in Henderson, Nevada. I enjoy all fields of the industry, however, my main areas of interest include photojournalism, sports, travel, and fashion photography. I am currently on track to obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Photography and have previous educational experience in the field of Audio Production. Always eager to learn, I stay up-to-date on the photographic industry’s ever-changing state of the art technologies and techniques by reading leading publications and doing my own thorough research. One of my favorite aspects of photography is the ability to capture a decisive unique moment in time—whether it be as exciting as the scene of a football player leaping towards the end zone, arms outstretched to score a touchdown as a defender reaches out to tackle him, or as simple as the image of a man leaping over a puddle on a busy New York sidewalk. Once I graduate, I plan to move back to the San Francisco Bay Area where I am originally from and start up a sports & events photography business.