Random Roll #4 - Macro (January)

Photo Essay Planning

What is my environmental concern? - Dairy products

Why is it important to me? - Because it is something that many people in North America consume daily and it is bad for the environment, our health, and the cows producing it

Negative effects on the environment:

• Trees must be cut down to create more room for factories
• The factories pollute the air, producing a significant amount of the world's greenhouse gases
• The large amount of cow waste produces high amounts of methane and nitrate
• Nitrate pollution from the factories enters the land, polluting the soil and water
• Water wastage; it takes 1200 litres of water to make one litre of milk

Negative effects on animals and humans:

• The calves on dairy farms are taken away from their mothers and fed milk re-placers so humans can have the milk
• Female cows are crowded into confined spaces and are slaughtered after 4-5 years, or when they develop diseases or reproductive problems
• Male calves are chained in tiny stalls and not allowed to move for 18 months, when they are then slaughtered for veal
• Cow's milk causes food allergies in infants and children
• The dairy industry claims that milk is healthy and helps your bones, when it may actually increase a woman's chance of developing osteoporosis

Ideas for shooting subject:

Worm's eye view

Rule of thirds

Repetition

Framing

Contrast

Leading lines

References

• http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/680970/what_is_the_environmental_footprint_of_megadairy_farming.html
• http://ecopolproject.blogspot.ca/2011/11/how-does-your-local-dairy-farm-affect.html
• http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/cows-milk-cruel-unhealthy-product/

Blue Random Roll (Snow Day)

Bernd & Hilla Becher

Bernd and Hilla Becher are a married couple from Germany who travel around and take pictures, some of their projects lasting for years at a time. There projects consist of various photos of the same objects, all from different places and sometimes eras.

This particular series of photos (above) was taken from 1983 - 92; although the subjects are slightly different, they are all of the same general objects (gas tanks), and they are taken using the same lighting and composition.

The Becher's style of photography has inspired many modern day photographers, one significant person being Idris Khan. Khan is a British photographer who has done many projects inspired by a diverse assortment of cultural sources (art, literature, previous photographers, etc.).

The photo below was done in the same style of the Becher's gas tank photos, but with a twist; Khan took multiple exposures of different gas tanks and made sure that every layer could be seen, creating one photo.

I think that Idris Khan's approach to this photo was really interesting. He expanded on the style of the Becher's contact sheets and created one photo more unique to himself.

Depth of Field - Digital

TED Talks Ft. Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer who specializes in landscape photos. He has created a project of images depicting humanity's impact on the world, with the hopes that his photos will help persuade millions of people to become more sustainable.

I have chosen the above photo because I like how it looks, and for some reason it stood out to me. Upon further examination, I realized that it's actually a really ugly scene. It shows how people are going to far with urbanization, and it is affecting our planet in many ways, including pollution.

These images make me think about what we can do to try and solve our worldwide pullution problem. If we all just incorporated little everyday changes into our lifestyle, it could help in the long run. People can stop buying bottled water, or try car pooling. For me, I want to stop buying items that contain palm oil; the worlds rainforests are being clearcut and replaced with factories, destroying the ecosystems and lives of the organisms living there.

I appreciate the fact that Burtynsky has taken the task of trying to convey this message to everyone who views his photos. His photos are visually appealing, yet shocking in so many ways.

TED Talks Ft. Paul Nicklen

In this project, photographer Paul Nicklen is depicting the Arctic through the pictures of the animals who live there.

In the first photo, Nicklen dived under water to confront a leopard seal in order to get this shot. People seem to have the perspective that these animals are viscous because they have to kill to get food, when really it's just their nature.

The second photo is of a mother polar bear and her 2-year old cub drifting on a piece of ice. This is just one example of the effects global warming has on animals, like polar bears, who need the ice in the Arctic to survive

I think these photographs are great because they are visually appealing and they get the point across. These photos make me think about what we, as humans, are doing to the environment, and how it is affecting these animals. I admire that Nicklen has so much passion in doing this.