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Everyones an Artist

Jacob Smith

ERWC / Period 3

10/14/16

Table of Contents

I. Part One: Description.......................................Page #2-3

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II. Part Two: Research.......................................Page #3-5

III. Part Three: Reflection.......................................Page #5-6

IV. Part Four: Works Cited.......................................Page #6-7

V. Part Five: Annotated Bibliography.......................................Page #7-8

Part One: Description

Coming into high school, it really wasnt ostensible as to what I wanted to do with my

life. I experimented in almost every academy until I found my love for photography, which I

havent digressed from since. Before I found photography, my life felt very morose, but
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finding this passion has been my renaissance, my genesis. For my project, I wanted to focus

in on the photography aspect of my interest. The goal for me to to create a portfolio or gallery

of everyday objects in my life from interesting or abstract perspectives rather than the typical

urbane, because peoples ideas of photography are very aloof and I want to bring people to

realize that photography can be interesting no matter what the subject may be. I want to

emphasize the importance of the shot itself, not just how well you can edit a picture. Also,

when adding constraints to a project it forces you to be creative in ways you normally

wouldnt be, which really warrants the use of unconventional editing. Coming away from my

inviolable methods and pushing myself out of my comfort zone will help me in the long run.

Everyday objects can be pretty lackluster so finding interesting shots will be a fun challenge

for me. With that being said, I will research what appeals to people in photographs and how

artists capitalize on this. I might also research how a raw photo differs from a edited picture

in the eyes of the viewer and what appeals to us visually as consumers of the media.

For example, the SFX designers for Destiny, a video game made by Bungie, wanted

the levels to feel open for exploration yet have a sense of direction so they used ambient light

within an inherently dark and wry area to attract the players eye. It is my creed as well as

theirs that our goal is to leave the viewer pleased with what they saw. The goal is not to make

tawdry work, but make art that is inspiring. This research is going to be done before I shoot

my photos in order to gain an understanding of what appeals to people which will aid in me

choosing a theme that people will enjoy. This project is going to provide a great artistic

challenge because I will have to find cohesive scenes to shoot and/or create these scenes to fit

my needs. I expect there to be down points in the process, because finding inspiration is like

catching lightning in a bottle for some (myself included). As I shoot these photos, Ill put

them each into one folder in Google Drive or on my computer, hopefully coming out with a

yield of 25 or so pictures that I like the best out of them all to print for a portfolio or gallery.
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If we decide to do a gallery, I would have to find a classroom to set up the pictures in for

people to view.

This will be a test of my skills as an artist in certain ways that wouldnt normally

come as an arduous task with editing. This might include having a keen eye for inspiring and

creative subjects to photograph as well as determining what settings to use on the camera

itself to turn these pictures into something truly fascinating. This will help prepare me for the

future because in a job, you dont always get to do what youd like to do but you still have to

make it work and do a good job with it, however uninspiring. Rather than being peevish, just

doing a great job can make you feel good about yourself and make the project more tolerable.

It also helps being able to find inspiration in the most minor things you might find in the

world around you. This project for me really represents a test of my creativity, determination,

and passion to prosper in this field and possibly even be a vanguard for the community given

that I am personable enough. My passion for photography and graphic design has been cast

into shadow for a decent amount of time, so I want this project to be a spark for the flames

and rekindle my passion that I simply havent been following. I want to set myself right and

happy, knowing that I aspired to do something I have a real passion for. This I am adamant

about, because finding something you truly love that can also be a career is often sporadic.

Part Two: Research

First off, the topic I wanted to look into was how we can get people who arent

artists to feel or see our art in a way that we want them to. This goes into the subject

matter of the piece as well as the composition. I want to focus specifically on photography for

this, because I feel that photography is really something that deserves this challenge, in order

to test how powerful a photograph can really be. One thing that comes up with this
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conversation is What makes a good photograph? Most people in photography classes

would tell you what makes a good photograph in artistic terms, like balance and shape and

composition. These do, in theory, make a good photo, but what about from the viewers

standpoint? Say youre someone with no artistic knowledge whatsoever, and you go to an

photo gallery. What evokes emotion, and what catches your eye? Thats what I want to find

out through this. I want to know what goes through the viewers minds when they see an

image, and what kind of imagery gets their gears turning rather than being resolute about

what they like.

The whole purpose of art and photography is to portray something. The subject can be

capricious depending on the artist. What I want to know is; if were all different as artists and

we all have our own style, then what is it that people look for in all pieces of art. From a

survey I made, the majority of people look for color in art. I did this survey because it is

obligatory to know what people want to see in order to be successful, at least by my

supposition. This, along with my research sources, will help me shoot to my best ability in

order to draw in an audience and peak peoples interest in interesting ways. Knowing what

your audience is looking for is a good guide to shooting good photos, because if you can

capture their interests then you can capture their attention as well. The goal is to be appealing

with their interests and not be so blatant with the colors and to get to that goal without being

arbitrary. Approaching this project with a prudent mindset will help me in the long run

My first source is more of a series of interviews, asking several photographers one

question: What makes a good photograph? While this might be biased, its exactly the

knowledge I need in order to shoot good photos, and it was saturated with great insight. I

need to know what grabs people, as well as what makes a photo good based on composition
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and technique. The answers varied widely from things like its ability to evoke emotion

(Mott, Top Photographers Answer, What Makes a Good Photograph?)

to light (lAnson, Top Photographers Answer, What Makes a Good Photograph?). This

information gives me a good route to take but is still commodious enough for me to do my

own thing.

My second source talks about why people even bother to look at or retain interest in

photography. This is crucial in my opinion because it gives me a real understanding of what

the whole purpose of shooting photos is. Its not just about shooting a photo because it looks

nice, theres the whole other side as well where your photos tell a story. I really wanted to

understand the thought and emotion that others feel when they see art or photography.

ONeill states that photographs can be small pieces of a jigsaw that complete the larger

picture of our lives (6 Reasons Why Photography Matters), which I find very poignant. The

fact that photographs will outlive any of us and that some person nowhere near my proximity,

decades or even centuries from now will see it and wonder what our lives were like compared

to theirs.

My third source kind of does what both of my other sources do, in the sense that the

author talks about composition as well as emotion. She covers pretty much all of the

information that I need to drive me through with the project. The hallmarks for my project are

creativity, focus, and story which she nails down pretty clearly and in depth. The information

she covers answers several questions including; Is there a clear center of interest? Is the

image composed well? Is the focus tack sharp and is the exposure appropriate? Does the

photo tell a story? Does the lighting enhance the subject and message? Is the approach

creative? (Lowrie, What Makes a Photo Good?: A Quick Checklist for Evaluating Image
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Quality) The actual bias in this source is negligible, and she uses all of the typical

photography jargon.

Part Three: Reflection

I expect this project to turn out nicely, given that I have a nice variety of data from a

survey I made. Theres definitely a trend that I can work into my photos, which Im happy

about, although I may tweak what they want slightly. Not being artists, most of them

probably dont know what they actually like due to their precociousness in the subject, but I

dont want to lacerate their ideals either. I dont want the viewers to feel belittled or

subjugated but I also dont want them to feel omnipotent either. If I were to be flippant or

cantankerous as an artist, people wont want to look at my work which is not good

whatsoever. I think my projects strengths will be that its unique in the subject matter. I dont

think a lot of artists really stop to ask themselves what the viewer actually sees in their work.

Hopefully others will be as interested in my project as I am. When I presented my concept to

Mr. Torti, he seemed to be excited about my idea and wanted to see it come to fruition. I think

more than anything, what I want to achieve with this is to get people to see things in new and

interesting ways, even though the subject matter may be boring. The fun part about the

project, however, is the fact that its difficult to make monotonous subjects interesting. If you

can make an uncanny photo out of an everyday object, then you can safely assume that youll

As far as problems are concerned, I think art block is gonna be a big one. Art block is

just a naturally occurring thing for me and I just get stuck for a while. The gallery could also

not work out well. I can solve these problems by potentially going to my mentor for help and

or advice. I think if I encounter any problems, my adeptness at solving problems and my

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quick thinking will help me a lot. That is one thing that you need to have as an artist, is the

ability to think pragmatically in case you encounter an issue. I also have my dad that I can

talk to, who also has an amazing knack for solving problems. Even if I have an issue that he

doesnt understand, I can paraphrase it in a way that makes sense to him and then hell be

able to help me come up with a solution. I think that having someone congenial to consult

for help on a day to day basis who is also very candor is a great advantage for something like

this, because its hard to be motivated and think on your feet when youre alone, obstinate,

and festering in your own frustration. To be aloof would ultimately be my downfall.

I feel comfortable with the project, and Im excited for all of this to unfold as well as

create my legacy. I feel well versed in photography now so Im excited to use my newfound

skills to shoot for this project and put together a really neat gallery. I think also having a

professional photographer as my mentor will help a lot because he has the experience in the

field to help me along and complete this with a really strong portfolio. Having a fellow

photographer that I can concur with also helps leaps and bounds. Im really excited to work

on this because by the end Ill have a lot of pictures to use for my portfolio for college

admissions, and if its a really good portfolio then that will be the advantage that might put

me ahead of others in their acceptance list.

Part Four: Works Cited

@goseewrite. "Top Photographers Answer, "What Makes a Good Photograph?"" Overland

Travel Adventures from Go See Write. N.p., 25 July 2013. Web. 08 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.goseewrite.com/2013/07/top-photographers-answer-what-makes-a-good-
photograph/>

Lowrie, By Charlotte. "What Makes a Photo Good." What Makes a Photo Good. N.p., n.d.
Web. 09 Sept. 2016.
<http://wordsandphotos.org/Commentary/WhatMakesAPhotoGood.htm>
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@digitalps. "6 Reasons Why Photography Matters." Digital Photography School Comments.
N.p., 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2016. <http://digital-photography-school.com/6-reasons-
why-photography-matters/>.

Part Five: Annotated Bibliography

@goseewrite. "Top Photographers Answer, "What Makes a Good Photograph?"" Overland

Travel Adventures from Go See Write. N.p., 25 July 2013. Web. 08 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.goseewrite.com/2013/07/top-photographers-answer-what-makes-a-good-
photograph/>
The source asks a manifold selection of professional photographers What makes a

good photograph? While the information is very biased, given that its 100% opinion, it

contains a lot of good insight on the subject because its coming from 13 different people

with different perspectives. A majority of the people who were presented the question

responded with something regarding emotion. The information also feels thought over by the

photographers, not just retorts.

Lowrie, By Charlotte. "What Makes a Photo Good." What Makes a Photo Good. N.p., n.d.
Web. 09 Sept. 2016.
<http://wordsandphotos.org/Commentary/WhatMakesAPhotoGood.htm>
The source presents information on what makes a good photograph good and why.

The author focuses on the artistic aspects of the photo such as composition and exposure. The

article isnt biased which is a good aspect. I personally dont see any negative factors to this

source, given that the information is pretty pliant in its uses.

"What Makes Products Great?" Design-Inspired Innovation (2006): 1-25. Web.

This presentation summarizes the overall look of things in media, especially in the

way that products are presented to the public. It does cover some good information, but it

wasnt nearly as useful as my other sources.

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@digitalps. "6 Reasons Why Photography Matters." Digital Photography School Comments.
N.p., 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2016. <http://digital-photography-school.com/6-reasons-
why-photography-matters/>.
This source is written by a professional photographer in New Zealand. He talks about

the impact that photographs have on peoples lives and how photographs outlive them. He

also talks about how photography helps us to share and communicate, and is very powerful.

Hall, Jeffrey L. Elements That Influence Visual Appeal in Photographs. Thesis. Bowling
Green State University, 2007. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
This college thesis covers what appeals to people in photographs, and covered some

good information. The information presented was rather technical, which I didnt really want

to use because it would be hard to present to people that arent artists in a way that they could

easily comprehend it.