Thursday, May 5, 2011

Eric Sonera -- Final Photography Project

War is one of the most complex subjects in photography. Many photographers have conveyed their thoughts on war, and/or attempted to take an objective stance on the issue, through photography of the enterprise itself. (Robert Capa would fall under this category.) Others have chosen to use stand-ins to communicate themes related to war. David Levinthal is one such photographer, and I draw inspiration from his works: specifically, "Hitler Moves East", and "IED: War in Afghanistan and Iraq". In this photographic series, I attempt to explore the relationship between the ideals of war's application and conduct of soldiers, and how it is carried out in practice. The POW Code of Conduct (which is required memorization for the Armed Forces) is appropriated and used in my images as a metaphor for idealized warfare in the abstract, while the photographs themselves represent the practice of war and are contrasted with the text of the Code. Much like David Levinthal's use of dolls to create true-to-life scenes, I use army men toys to stand in for soldiers, and stylized lighting, focus, and sharpness to produce distinctive images. - Eric J Sonera




An American standing on a rock in front of several casualties. Here, the American's apparent jubilation after killing enemy combatants is contrasted with a snippet from the 6th Article of the Code stating that as an American, he is "responsible for [his] actions".


The following American is shown surrendering to the enemy troops in the background. The text from the 2nd Article ("I will never surrender of my own free will") begs the question of when surrender is appropriate.


Both the picture and the text show the burden of leadership. The picture shows a sergeant leading troops into battle, and the text from the 2nd Article ("If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist") remind us of the emphasis on the leader.


The Americans shown here are being led to a POW camp. The text ("If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners"), which comes from the 4th Article, is reinforced by how overwhelming the enemy is in such circumstances.


Two Americans being shot illegally by enemy combatants. Here, the text ("If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available"), which is from the 3rd Article, is at odds with the total lack of power that a POW truly has.


The aftermath of a skirmish (all troops American). The final sacrifice alluded to by the text of the 1st Article ("I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give up my life in their defense.") is apparent in this image.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Lighting, Line, Unity, and Texture

Lighting


I chose to explore lighting for this image. The center of the image is changed completely by the presence of natural light behind the mask. This light both creates a halo effect of sorts around the mask, and peeks through the mask's "eyes". This seemed visually interesting to me, because of the contrast between the natural light and   the lower half of the image (which is much darker). This picture was taken in class during class near the Art building.


Another image where I explore lighting. Here, the light in the center of the image is bright enough to obscure part of the top of this structure. This is interesting to me, as is the dull yellow in contrast with the bright light coming from the sun. This picture was taken in class during class near the Art building.


Even more fun with lighting! Here, there is a light in the center of the image, and one building on either side. I find this image interesting because the light seems to meld both buildings into one. This picture was taken during class near the Art building.

Line



Here, I tried experimenting with line. The gray parts of the image are parts of a bench, and the object (a rubber band ball) and rest of the picture is at ground level. I liked this picture because it seemed like a line was formed between where the ball intersects with the bench in the image, and the top of the image. This picture was taken at the Rec Center over a bench.


Another image where I experiment with line. In this picture, the ball is on the sidewalk near the Rec. The lines here are more obvious, and form something close to a plus sign. I liked this image because in addition to the already present lines, the yellow line on the rubber band ball can be visualized to extend outside the frame, like the other two lines do. This image was taken outside the Rec.


The last image where I experiment with line. Here, there are three parallel lines dividing the image into four unequal parts: the first two from right to left are already there, and the third extends up to where the ball is, and seems to continue upwards. This image was taken at the Rec Center's climbing wall.

Unity



This is an image where I experiment with unity. Here, there are two balls (my object and a volleyball near the Rec volleyball courts). The theme of unity figures both in the shapes, and in the way that both objects are similarly partially submerged in the sand. This image was taken near the volleyball courts.



Another image where I experiment with the concept of unity. Here, I use the same two balls to produce an image wherein the object in the center is partially obscured by the volleyball, which is partially outside the frame. Again, the concept of unity in shape appears, but this time, as half-circles instead of circles. Taken near the volleyball courts.


My last experiment with unity in this image, and it's similar to my first image. Here, both balls are this time aligned diagonally so as to form a straight line with the sun (as you can tell by the shadows). Again, taken near the volleyball courts.

Texture


One of my initial experiments with texture. Here, the ball is placed on a sidewalk painted blue. It is interesting to compare the frenetic texture and color of the object against what is very nearly a monochromatic background. Picture taken outside the Rec.


Another experiment with texture. I was lucky enough to find what looked like a "ripple" in the sand, and put my object at the center. I like this image because, while the sand is not monochromatic, the ball stands out quite clearly. Taken near the Rec volleyball courts.


My last experiment with texture. Here, I arrange some elements in the environment to form a decorative circle, and the ball is in between a sidewalk and a rocky area. I like this picture because the difference between the three textures (the ball's, the sidewalk's and the ground's) is interesting and immediately apparent. Picture taken in the Rec rock climbing area.

Photographic Perspectives