Advanced Digital Arts

Joe Decker Photographer

2009-04-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

I was first interested in Joe Decker's work because of the photographs that I saw of the California Coastline. I was immediately captivated by the surreal, dream-like quality of many of his shots. I also loved the high contrast and vibrant colors that he captures, which make his work appear very emotionally charged. This is a good example of the level of photography I would love to achieve.

I was surprised to learn that Decker and Atkinson worked together in the past, and that Decker was mostly self-taught in the beginning of his photography career. He has won many awards for his photography, and he teaches photography workshops in the Western part of the United States.

Bill Atkinson Photographer

2009-04-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

I was pretty impressed when I came across Bill Atkinson's work. He photographs nature with a great eye for beauty and style. Atkinson was actually one of the original members of the Macintosh team at Apple Computer, and he took part in creating a lot of the interface and artistic software. Now, having been part of the development of such technologies, he is able to use the digital technology for his own creative endeavors. Many of his photographs are of rocks and stones, but he also does a lot of site photography in the outdoors, which is just as impressive.

I really appreciate Atkinson's work because of the obvious attention to small detail, which is something that I strive to achieve in my own work. He is able to capture intimate details that they eye may fail to see, and produce a work that appears to have a very abstract quality. His work inspires me, and makes me want to have access to better equipment so that I can attempt to create something as beautiful as his photographs.

Entries For Funes Art Competition

2009-04-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Daley Ranch

2009-04-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

On April 9th, I had the morning off of work, so I decided to go on my trip to Daley Ranch. Unfortunately, I decided to do this somewhat spontaneously, so I was unable to go with anyone else. That was fine though. I was glad to have the time to myself so that I could really focus and enjoy the quiet. It was a pretty cloudy day. It actually looked like it might rain, but by the time I got to Daley Ranch and began walking around, the sun started to come out a bit more, creating a really great light for photographing.

As I walked up the dirt path toward the trails, I decided to head right. Honestly, I chose this trail because the other one looked like quite a work-out, which is not what I was there for. There weren't too many people around, so most of the time I had the trail to myself. I also had many close run-ins with dog poop, which could have turned this trip into quite an unpleasant experience.

I think that the best part of this field trip for me was seeing all of the yuccas. There are so many at Daley Ranch! I got to see them in all of their stages of growth. I hadn't ever realized before that the blooms are so beautiful. I really like the big, white flowers that bloom from the tops.

The wild cucumbers are another one of my favorites. All of the spiraling, twisted vines remind me of the art nouveau style. The little white flowers and spindly green pods are really fun to photograph as well.

I definitely enjoyed this trip to Daley Ranch, and I had a hard time pulling myself away when it was time to leave. I started to drive away, saw another thing that I wanted a picture of, and pulled back into the parking lot to steal a quick shot of it before going home. On my way down the hill, I also noticed a lot of tree tobacco where the road meets the avocado groves.

Quail Botanical Gardens 4/3/09

2009-04-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

Over the spring break, I decided to use some of the little free time I had to head over to Quail Botanical Gardens. I was somewhat concerned about the weather when I left because it was very cloudy in San Marcos, and it's usually even more overcast towards the coast, which was the direction I was heading. I prepared by bringing a jacket in case it was raining in Encinitas. The night before, I had fixed the camera settings just the way that I wanted them, so the camera was ready to go when I left home.

Upon arriving, I was shocked to find that it was bright and sunny in Encinitas, and it gradually got warmer throughout the time I was there. It would have been a great day to go to the beach, if I was the kind of person who liked going to the beach.

I easily found the native plant area at the gardens. Their maps and directions were easy to follow, and I never found myself losing my way. I also appreciated all of the signs that marked the type of plants that I was looking at. There had been so many plants whose names I was unfamiliar with, that the signs were quite necessary. I was happy to find so many different varieties of plants as well, and the conditions for taking pictures of them were excellent. By the time I got back to San Marcos, the sun had made its way through the clouds, and it was a beautiful day there too. This was definitely one of my favorite trips this semester.

Cleveland Sage (salvia clevelandii)

Wild Cucumber (marah macrocarpus)

Lemonadeberry (rhus integrifolia)

Mountain Mahongany Rosaceae (with bugs all over it :p)

Eriogonum Fasciculatum, California Buckwheat, Polygonaceae

Ceanothus Tomentosus, Ramona Lilac, Rhamnaceae

Polypodium Californicum, California Polypody, Polypodiaceae

Chalk Dudleya (dudleya pulverulenta)

Flannel Bush (fremontodendron) -- Sterculiaceae Chocolate Family (I thought that was interesting)

The images at the top are the plants I was unable to identify.

Indian Rock Native Garden

2009-04-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

March 23 turned out to be a great day to go on a trip. The weather was great. I started preparing to go to the Indian Rock Native Garden by checking out a camera from the school. Once again, unfortunately, I did not get the camera that I had hoped to get. I got a Panasonic again. Nevertheless, I was optimistic about using this camera and taking some great photos. Since Andy lives in Vista, we decided not to carpool for this trip. I left the school and drove straight to the site in Vista. I drove right past Indian Rock the first time down the street because I was looking for it on the wrong side of the road.

When I arrived, I started taking pictures immediately. The rock was really cool to see, and everyone was climbing around it. The battery in my camera went out quickly, so I went to my car to switch it with the other battery. When I came back everyone had gathered to listen to our speakers. I was amazed at how much they new about native plants! And I thought it was neat that this site served a ceremonial purpose in the past. I always wonder about what the area that we live in looked like in history, and it was very interesting to have that curiosity satisfied in one way. Once they finished telling us about the plants and the site, we were able to shoot some more pictures, now well informed about what we were seeing. Some of the most interesting to me were the yucca ("Our Lord's Candle"), white sage, black sage, lupine, elderberry, and lemonade berry.

Andy, Cameron, and I stayed near the rock for a while after everyone went down the hill to eat. It was nice to have the chance to take more photos while it was quiet up there, and there weren't many people around. It was a really fun field trip, and I really enjoyed the clear, concise information that we were given. On a less positive note, I was very disappointed when I got home and found that my pictures were all very grainy because something was set wrong on my camera. What a waste of so many good pictures and such a great opportunity! I did the best that I could to recover them in my editing, but there was only so much I could do.

Rincon

2009-04-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

On Monday, March 16, our class took a field trip to the Rincon reservation. That afternoon, I began getting ready to go. I put on some clothes that I didn't mind getting dirty, since Deborah had told us ahead of time that we were going to be planting some native plants. I would have brought a shovel with me, but I didn't have access to one. After I got my things together, I left home and headed over to the school campus. I parked and walked quickly to ARTS 239 so that I could check out a camera. When I got there, Zane was also getting a camera. He got the last Canon, so I had to go with something different: a Panasonic. He waited until I was finished, and then Zane and I walked back to the front of the school. He was meeting with his carpool group and the turnaround, and I had to go meet up with Andrew in the lower parking lot. Andrew was already there when I drove down, so I parked and jumped into his truck.

The drive there took a little longer than we expected because of traffic, but we still managed to get to Rincon in time. Our directions were a little bit confusing as well. We didn't have too much trouble finding where to go because other students from our class were driving near us.

When we arrived, we unpacked and headed over to the site where we would be planting. After everyone showed up, we were given a brief introduction and instructions for how to design our landscapes. We were divided into groups, and then we began planning where to put our plants.

It really turned out to be a fun experience. I couldn't even remember the last time I had picked up a shovel before that day. Zane and I helped each other plant close to half of the plants that our group was given, and we had a really good time. Once our group had finished, Deborah took a few of us on a walk to look at native plants near the river, which was dry at the time. I am having trouble remembering all of the native plant names, but I know that we saw Mule Fat, Wild Mustard, and Tree Tobacco among others. There were also still some burnt tree trunks on the hillside left over from the 2007 wildfires.

Soon, it was time to clean up and head home. We were given mugs from the reservation as gifts for helping out. Andy and I got walked back to the car and headed back to the school campus. We were both exhausted and ready to go home to a nice dinner! All in all, it was a great trip, where I had the opportunity to do something that I'd never imagined I'd be part of.

Pechanga

2009-03-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Last week, on Monday, March 9th we took a trip to Pechanga. I went to the school campus a bit early again to check out a camera. I ended up with the Canon Rebel again. I like this camera because it's proven to be pretty simple for me to use. I met up with Andy a little bit before 2:45. I had forgotten to bring a jacket with me, so we stopped back by my apartment on our way to the I15. We took Deer Springs Rd. to the I15, got off at Temecula Parkway, and turned onto Pechanga. We found the gas station easily, and Deborah and some of our classmates were already there waiting. Andy and I went inside the gas station to buy some snacks.

It was so windy while we were waiting! I was worried that I was going to get too cold, even having stopped to get a jacket. It took quite a while for everyone to show up, but once they did we all boarded the shuttle, and we were off.

Our first stop was at the Great Oak. It was really neat to see something so huge that has been around for at least 900 years. I loved the way that the light came through the branches. The huge limbs reached down to rest on the ground. I was a little disappointed at how difficult it was to take pictures of the tree without having a bunch of people in them, but it was a really cool thing to see.
We all piled back into the shuttle, and our next stop was at a small pond. Here, we got out and walked around for quite some time. Willie Pink talked to us about the camp that takes place there every year, and all of the structures that they build and tear down every year for that occasion. There were two different types of structures that they built. It was interesting to walk around and see all of the native plants that were growing there. I especially liked the wild cucumber, which has a pretty, little white flower, but I also saw white sage, mojave yucca, deergrass, and a small, yellow flower that I didn't catch the name of. I didn't get any pictures of it, but I also enjoyed hearing about the ringing rock. I had no idea that something like that existed.
We got on the shuttle once again and our last stop before going home was at the nursery. By this time I think we were all freezing in the wind as the sun went down. After Willie Pink showed us several things there, we got back on the shuttle and we were dropped off at our cars. Andy and I were both pretty tired and hungry at this point, so we just decided to get home as fast as possible. Luckily, it was still relatively light on the drive back because of the time change the day before.

I was really grateful for the privilage of going to this site and hearing Willie Pink talk about all of the native plants and trees. It was a great experience.

Sally Mann Video

2009-03-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

To be perfectly honest, I don't care for the work that Sally Mann does very much. I think that a lot of her projects or subjects are either morbid or inappropriate. Despite that I do have a huge appreciation for the type of techniques that she uses for photography. I think that in a way she is preserving an old practice, and I think she may be one of very few people who still take photographs that way. I love the types of effects that she can generate, and it was interesting to see her work with her camera and the glass plates. The whole process was neat to see. I admire the patience that she maintains as well. These days everyone wants things to happen as fast and easy as possible, and digital photography is becoming more and more capable of making that happen. Mann takes the time to practice an almost lost art, which takes a lot of patience and dedication to the art.

Quiz #1: Black & White/Frame

2009-03-02T16:43:00.001-08:00

Quiz #1: Two Up

2009-03-02T16:42:00.001-08:00

Quiz #1: Sepia Tone

2009-03-02T16:41:00.001-08:00

Quiz #1: Perfect Color

2009-03-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Quiz #1: Split Tone

2009-03-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

Tierra Miguel Farm

2009-03-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

On Monday afternoon, last week I began preparing for our class trip to Tierra Miguel Farm. Before leaving for the farm, I went to the Arts building on campus to check out a camera. I got lucky, and there was one Canon left, so I checked that one out. Then I walked back to my car and drove down to one of the front parking lots to meet Andy. I drove for our last trip, so he had offered to drive this time. I pulled into a spot and looked around, but I didn't see Andy's truck, so I started putting the farm address into my iphone so that I could navigate. A few seconds later, Andy walked up to my door. Oops! He had been there when I pulled up, but I hadn't seen him because he was driving a different car. I quickly apologized, and we got into his car and left.

It turned out that it wasn't really necessary for me to navigate because Andy knew the way, and he did a great job of getting us there! We arrived right on time at 3:30, but we were a little unsure of whether or not we were at the right place. We didn't see Deborah or anyone in our class at first, but when we walked inside we saw Deborah and realized we were in the right place. We picked up some informations from the table, and then we sat down for the presentation.

Once the rest of our class showed up, Beth Ann Levendoski began her presentation about the farm and agriculture. It was actually a lot more interesting that I had anticipated. I thought that it was very cool that the organization purposes to have interns and to teach students about agriculture. Their idea of creating a foodshed report to show the processes of how food goes from the fields to our homes and grocery stores was very helpful, and it could be a very good source of information to find for efficient ways of growing and selling produce. I also like that the farm maintains and conserves space for migratory birds. I learned many things about agriculture that I had no idea about before this trip.

After her presentation, everyone headed out onto the rest of the farm to take pictures and learn about everything that they grow there. The first thing that we photographed were the strawberry plants. They weren't producing any fruit at the time, but I could identify them because of the pretty little white flowers and the distict red and green leaves. When I was young my family had a little patch of strawberries in our backyard. I remember picking them to eat and admiring the flowers. We also saw some pretty pink flowers on some of the trees. I think that they were either apple or peach trees. The flowers reminded me of cherry blossoms although I think they were quite a bit bigger and there weren't very many of them. The light was still bright enough to take some good shots of them. I was happy with the lighting because it gave a warm glow.

Many of my photos didn't turn out very well because the light was fading fast, but I really liked taking pictures of the mountains in the background. Palomar Mountain looked great, and at one point had a sort of purple tint to it as the sun went down. As Andy and I were walking to catch up with the group, he mentioned that it would be cool to spot a lady bug or something like that. Just as he said that I looked down and saw one! What a coincidence!! Unfortunately, my pictures of the lady bug didn't turn out very well at all. Like many of my pictures, they were just too dark to brighten up without sacrificing most of the image quality. I did get one to turn out halfway decent though.

When we caught up with the group we found them plucking up a purple-colored vegetable, but I didn't catch the name of it. I thought it's colors were gorgeous though. Many people tasted it, but I guess I just wasn't brave enough to try it. Later some of us also pulled carrots out of the ground, and everyone said they were amazing. Very sweet. We also saw parsley and a bitter type of green that is used in salads. It was cool to see how these things are grown.

By the time we got ready to leave the sun had disappeared behind the hills. It had been even darker than before and it just got harder and harder to take good shots. Andy and I left around 6:00. The drive home was nice and quiet, and I couldn't wait to get home, eat, and check out the pictures from my camera.

Sepia Tones and onOne Frames

2009-02-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

The tutorial on sepia tones was really interesting and helpful. I've never been taught to create a sepia tone this way, and I like it a lot because it gives images so much more depth than just a flat filter or color wash would. The frames were also fun to use, but I would rather learn how to make my own frames with brushes. Regardless, I was very happy with the way my images turned out.

Edward Burtynsky Screening

2009-02-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

I think that the subjects of Edward Burtynsky's work are very unique from most photographers. His interest is in manufactured landscapes and landscapes that have been, you could say, renovated by man. Photographing this type of subject seems to have been a great learning experience for Burtynsky because of all of the research that goes into finding the sites (such as mining sites or quarries), getting permission to photograph there, and actually learning about how the sites came to be the way that they are. It was interesting to hear from Burtynsky how he initially began researching these manufactured landscapes.

When I first saw the image above, I thought it was a drawing or some sort of illustrated image. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust before I realized and could see exactly what I was looking at. I enjoy that quality about Burtynsky's work. With many of his images, I tend to feel a curiosity towards the subject of the photo, and because of that it's nice to hear his narrative along with it.

Tree of Life Nursery

2009-02-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 31, I woke up early to get ready to head up a little ways north of San Diego to the Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano. Andy and I met up in the school parking lot at 8am to carpool there and back. When we got there, he put his things into my car, got in, and then we left. So far it was looking to be a really beautiful day. The sun was bright, and the sky was clear and a deep, blue color. Even along the coast on the drive up the I15, there were no clouds in the sky.

Andy and I were the first people to show up besides Deborah. She showed us around for a little bit, naming native plants for us. The three of us came across a great manzanita tree, blooming with white flowers and full of humming birds. The morning light shining in on the tree was really nice. We pulled out our cameras, and began shooting, trying to get a shot of the humming birds without scaring them off. Unfortunately, I did not have a nice enough lens to get a close up shot of them, but I think that I have some nice ones of the tree, and you can see the tiny birds in some of them.

From there, we continued to photograph other native plants and things around the nursery. Many more manzanitas, sycamores, and other plants and trees. I found a thorny bush entangled in barbed wire, which I thought was an interesting composition as well. Andy, Cameron, and I even took pictures of one of the dogs that was hanging around the nursery. He was adorable, and it was kind of cool that he had two different colored eyes.

At 10am, everyone gathered up with Abe Sanchez to hear him speak about basket weaving. I thought it was very interesting to hear what he had to share. He is very determined to preserve the native traditions, which includes basket weaving. Never had I realized how much work goes into basket weaving or how hard it is to accomplish. Sanchez had some beautiful baskets and other woven things with him that were great for photographing.

Shortly after hearing Sanchez, Andy and I headed home. Heading back down the I15 we were both relieved and glad that we had gone up early for the field trip. First of all because the morning seemed like such an ideal time to be taking photos, and second because the traffic going north on the I15 was almost completely stopped! What a bummer that would have been. I think that we both enjoyed the trip quite a bit and caught some really interesting shots.

Mark Dion Video

2009-02-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

I thought that Mark Dion's work was very intriguing because it brought up a few different issues that have become very relevant today. In the process of relocating the tree to serve as a sort of sculpture, Dion had to duplicate the conditions of the trees original, natural habitat. It seemed like he did an impressive job at this. I thought that the contrasting relationship of the man-made environment to the tree said a lot about globalization and how are technological advances in society are having an effect on all of natural life. These days it seems like technology is trying to reproduce everything in order to make it better, faster, or more efficient, and I don't think that the best that technology can do would compare to the natural progression of life. I was facinated by how complex the man-made habitat was that Dion created for the tree, and how it supported so many different forms of life.

Dion also brought up that this piece was a living work of art, which means that it is something that takes constant commitment and maintenance to keep up. I have noticed that a lot of art is currently an ongoing process. Artists seem to be more interested in interactive and ever-changing works of art rather than final completed pieces. Art is becoming more of an ongoing process and experience, which parallels with our society's obsession with gaining experiences.

Scott Calhoun: A Lake Of Pure Sunshine

2009-02-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

Scott Calhoun's narrative of his trip to Lancaster to photograph wildflowers was a very entertaining read. Not only was he specific about the types of native plants that he encountered, but he also delivered a humorous account of his experience.

I enjoyed the way that Calhoun wrote about the Joshua trees especially. I remember the first time I ever saw a Joshua tree. I was spending the weekend in 29 Palms with my best friend's sister and her family. If you have ever driven out in that area, you know that there are thousands of Joshua trees all over the landscape as far as you can see. I usually don't think of the desert as an interesting place to see, but between the windmills and the Joshua trees, there is always an interesting view in that area. It was easy to relate to Calhoun's description of the Joshua trees as well as the other plants that he came across.

I think that the images that Calhoun chose to post with his story complemented it very well. It was great to have such a description of what he saw that was less technical and more subjective, and then to see the actual image. I really liked Calhoun's style of writing and I actually enjoyed reading this although I didn't initially think that I would have any interest in it.

An-My Le Video

2009-01-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

I thought that An-My Le's work was different because of her interest in the relationship of people's activities to different landscapes, specifically in the area of military and war activity. She is not so interested in the psychology of people, and the way that she photographs almost builds people into the landscapes through different techniques. In the photos that she took of actors reenacting war scenes the actors become part of the wildlife in a way because of the way that she frames them and how they blend in. I liked that she shot those in black and white as well because it related the photos more to the history, and I'm sure it would be difficult to distinguish those from actual historical photos. I also appreciate her choice of shooting in color at certain times and not at others. I agree that at times color can bring out much different things in a photo than black and white would. I think you can really change the meaning and focus of a photograph simply by choosing either black and white or color to shoot it in.

Robert Adams Video

2009-01-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

The Robert Adams video was very interesting for me to watch because I want to learn more about photography and how to capture photos that can be considered fine art rather than for practical use. Adams seems to truly enjoy his work, and his subject, nature is something that he is very close with. I think that in order to take good photographs you have to have some sort of passion or connection to the subject of your photography like Adams connection with nature. He does a good job of bringing out the character that he finds in different sites and seeing things through the eyes of a camera, which is as he says an improvement on what we can see plainly with our eyes. He also creates a lot of contradictory images by capturing human influence on nature, such as the beer can sitting on the tree stump. It was interesting that he photographed the industrialization and deforestation of land, which he hated, but he ended up very happy with the photographs because of they way they portrayed the sites.

The Removal Act Video

2009-01-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

I thought that this video successfully got the message across that was intended. The lyrics made sense with the footage that was in the video, and it was actually very interesting to see some images that I hadn't seen before. It caused me to pay attention to some of the poor ways that Native Americans have been and are treated, and that is something that I wouldn't normally pay attention to because it doesn't affect me. I liked that it drew me into the perspective of a Native American, and from there I could sympathize with the things that they have experienced. It was an entertaining video as well. It made me wonder where all of the footage was shot and what was going on at that time. I thought that the use of footage of the mistreatment of bison was very symbolic of the way that Native Americans were mistreated and moved out of their land.