Julio Diaz

Julio Diaz 

Todd Hido, #3737 

2005, Archival pigment print 

 Todd Hido is best known for his photographs of haunting suburbia in "Homes at night". Hido uses only available light and long exposures that make these saturated images come to life. He gets inspiration by driving around at night taking pictures on anything that captures his eyes. The reason why I decided to pick this image because it has horror elements. If we take a look around at the photograph we see horror elements such as the long lonely road, cloudy with rain, and the sense of loneliness. It didn't just catch my attention because of the horror aspect but the more I started to stare at it, I felt as if my journey will be long and tiring. As of right now I am stressed and can't get enough sleep. Looking at this picture makes me feel like the road ahead of me is going to be long, but yet worth it. As if the light at the end is what I am trying to reach. 

Alex Aquino

 

Alex Aquino
Clara E. Sipprell, " Moment of Life"
1966, The John Day Company

Clara E. Sipprell was born in Canada in the early 20 century. She was well know for her pictorial landscapes and for the portraits of many actors , writers, artist, and scientists. When I was looking for the perfect photo I was in the state of sensibility. People think that have my life together or I'm always happy. Sadly, it's the opposite of what I always feeling inside. I have this pain in my chest that not able to breath because I'm not able to be my truth self in front of two people that I love the most my parents. Every time I come from school I lay on my bed and start crying and screaming my pain away. It's the only cured for my soul and able to survive another day in hell . This is one of the reason this photograph hit likes home/soul and all my roots in my entire body. The reason may ask why I'm not looking for my happiness in the moment is because I'm not ready for my other consequence can bring my freedom. I'm trying my best to work for it and i will never going to give up on.

Daniel Siguenza

Daniel Siguenza

Richard Kalvar, "Woman looking at herself in store window."

1969, Silver Gelatin Print

Looking through Richard Kalvar's book, this is the first photo I encountered. Kalvar focused a lot on street photography and combined timing and framing into his work. This photo of a woman looking at her reflection caught my attention for that reason. The way the photo is framed is interesting, almost centered perfectly. There is a fire hydrant only visible in the reflection. The photo makes me think of analyzing oneself, taking a look in the mirror. It also sparks curiosity in me. Is she analyzing herself? Was she studying her face?

Nestor Raigoza

Nestor Raigoza
Martha Cooper, "Banksy The, The Bronx"

I choice this photo because graffiti has big impact on me. You can express what's going on the world by graffiti art. Banksy is a big street artist and he came from Europe. He does painting on the walls of what's troubling the world. Martha Cooper took this picture in New York, The Bronx. This work of art in this picture has a lot meaning to it. Ghetto for life it showing how there's a lot of people that are growing up in poor areas. This painting has a unique drawing to it has butler serving spray cans. Butler are not usually working for the poor class. The couch on the picture wasn't always there. Martha Cooper added the couch then had someone seat on it and take a picture with him on it. Some people were getting offended with the painting because people weren't moving into the Bronx to be ghetto.

Arianna Gilmer

Arianna Gilmer
Sharon Core, "1885"
2011, Chromogenic print

I choose this image ,because it challenges the idea of photography that subconsciously been ingrained in my head from childhood. Popular photography is often classified as "pretty image" that is to be what the masses want to see. However, Core challenges her audience to view the stereotypical flowers in a pot image in a different lens. The picture captures the moment of the flowers beginning to wilt and and go limp in the black pot, this being the point in which people are to discard the flowers. Growing up my mom loved the idea of hanging flowers to dry around the house and eventually them into wax. For me the image evokes a nostalgic memory of the flowers drying around the house in my childhood .There is beauty to be seen at every stage of life a flower goes through and Core does a great job of capturing the beauty in the chiaroscuro of the image.

Elijah Collins

Elijah Collins
David Jackson, "Emmett Till"
1955, Medium: Gelatin Silver Print

A huge part of the reason, I chose this photograph over many was that the relevance to today.
When I see this photo, I see pain, I see a mother and father who just lost their 14-year-old son
off of assumption. In1955, Emmett Till, a black young man from Chicago, was visiting relatives
in Mississippi when he went by a Grocery store. The store owner Carolyn Bryant, a white
woman accused Till of flirting with her and whistling at her. A couple of days after the alleged
issue, The white woman's husband Roy and his half brother, J.W. Milam, took the boy from
his great-uncle's house. The two then beat Till until he was unrecognizable to his own parents,
shot him, and dumped the lifeless body in the Tallahatchie River. Although that is bad, it only
got worst when a white jury quickly acquitted the men of the massacre. When Till's mother
Mamie came to identify her son, she told the funeral director, "Let the people see what I've seen."
That is the reason for the open casket funeral. This touches deeply with me because although
this was taken in 1955, this is essentially the same violence that is happening to my people,
where they are being accused of something or just even going about their day as normal
and are beaten and killed by law enforcement and anyone. Just like Emmett Till who died
for nothing and received no justice is the same way that Black people are dying in 2019 and
the people who are killing them are white and they are continuously being acquitted
of these wrongful deaths.

Grace Scott

Grace Scott
Anne Brigman, "The Breeze"
1910, Warm-toned gelatin silver print

I selected this image because it speaks to me about female empowerment. When I look at this photo I see a woman standing tall, proud and nude in nature, which makes it absolutely beautiful. That is who Anne Brigman was though, she loved the nude female figure, she used women to represent mythical spirits and sprites. Anne would usually photograph herself or other female photographers because models would refuse, they didn't want all of their flaws on display. The scarf/ shawl flowing around her shoulders represents, to me, the complete freedom this woman feels in being so exposed in nature. The fact that you can't see her makes her seem as if she is a spirit in another world. This photo has taught me a lot about the effects light and a filter can have on an image, they can make an image appear to be something completely different than what they truly are.

Jonathan Cortez

Jonathan Cortez
Dave Jordano, "Ben, Southwest Side"
2010

I selected this image because it reminds me of my childhood when I was growing up. Growing up in East LA in a common Hispanic community, all I saw were lowriders every Sunday strolling down Whittier blvd. What caught my attention most about this picture was that it reminded me of my uncle who passed away a couple years ago. It reminded me of him because he had the same exact car in the same exact color which really tripped me out. This picture simply just takes me back to my childhood days.

Faiz Hussain

 

Faiz Hussain
Joe Rosenthal " Marines Raising the Flag On Mt. Mirabachi at Iwo Jima"
1945

This photograph has a good history behind it. This photograph shows five U.S. Marines and a Navy sailor raising the American flag over the battle-scarred Japanese island of Iwo Jima. It was during the World War II, it was one of the flag that was raised during the war. Earlier that day they raised a small American flag, but because of the size troops were not able to see the small flag. Then, they have to raise this flag that was a lot bigger in size and it took six soldiers to raise it.

This photograph made me feel safe and protected. Because this photograph shows how U.S. Army is standing for us and protecting us day and night. They are sacrificing their life for our safety. And this picture also shows unity, how we all together to raise the flag. I think we all should appreciate and be thankful to them for what they all are doing for our safety.

Kimberly Mendez

Kimberly Mendez

Duane Michals, "Heisenberg's  Magic Mirror of Uncertainty"

1998, Gelatin Silver Print

When I was selecting am image to post, I came about this one and it showed me the different sides and faces a person can have. There is always the one face that you see when you are first introduced to each other, then as time goes by you start to see the good, bad , ugly, and the pure. Is she deciding what face she wants the world to see that day? Or is she still trying to figure out who she is as a person? Its just up to you as the friend/spouse/ or even your own self to decide what kind of face you see yourself wearing that day and if its the one you want to be known for wearing. 

Leslie Sanchez

Leslie Sanchez
Authur Fellig "Their First Murder"
October 9, 1941, printed 1950, Gelatin silver print

This photograph was very eye captivating for me, especially because of the various emotions displayed. At first, I was confused trying to depict in what was going on. Also, their reactions do not match with what I would have expected someone to react after just seeing someone die. Especially the little boy that looks like he is smiling. At the same time their reactions are very raw and human. Everyone has different reactions, yet they are all valid and real. The way everyone is positioned it is very chaotic. The girl off to the right looks like she is being punched in the head. This makes me feel uneasy wondering if they are okay or is the little girl okay. It is also timeless in that where people are absorbing the fact that someone just died and someone is taking a picture of them. It makes me think of the exact moment where I'm taking in a news I heard, and my reaction. Authur Fellig, or Weegee, would photograph crime scenes before any emergency services would arrive. He also had other work like taking pictures of people kissing in the theater, thinking they were not seen.

Emily Vail

Emily Vail

Arthur Leipzig, "Chalk Games"

1950, Silver Gelatin Print

This photo, I feel is a unique one – especially for its time. The 1950's was the golden age for television, and in a city like New York City, it is astonishing how these kids are still finding the fun in being outside with each other. The flamboyant drawings that are drawn into the street made me originally think that this photo took place in a creativity hub like the 1980s. This photo keeps my attention mostly because of the fact that I am trying to decipher what the drawings are. It can truly help the world understand what was interesting to the American child during the 1950s. The composition of Leipzig's photo is interesting because of how he kept it in black and white to give it the historical effect, even though it is an artistic based photo. From the old cars, the matching outfits of the kids, the bird's eye view of the street, and to the unusual sense of peace in this photo: everything seems to work together. That is why this photo is so captivating.

Riya Israni

Riya Israni

Jerry Uelsmann, "Apocalypse II"

1967, Gelatin Silver Print

Jerry N. Uelsmann produces composite photographs through the use of multiple negatives and hours of darkroom work. Unlike most photographers, he does not use multiple attachments. Instead, he uses a single camera, and several enlargers. Uelsmann approaches his work with the belief that mistakes are simply a part of the creative process. Uelsmann's work also utilizes recurring imagery, as the negatives he uses may appear as a focal point in one piece and as part of the background in another. I chose this particular image because I believe it holds a sense of mystery and surprise, while simultaneously providing a clear example of the intricacies that Uelsmann is able to achieve with his complex process. In addition, the tree-like form provides a sense of danger, while also providing beauty. I also like that there is no clear interpretation or meaning to the image—it is completely up to the viewer.

North Vincent

North Vincent
Friedrich Seidenstücker, "Berlin, Winter"
1947

I have always had a great interest in history as well as scenic beauty, and this image seems to combine these aspects very well. The artist, Friedrich Seidenstücker, was a German photographer and sculptor known for his images of post-war Berlin. This is a photo of a bombed-out building in Berlin two years after the second Word War ended. It was taken in black-and-white, although even if color was added, there would likely be no difference. Snow covers every surface, allowing the building parts to jut out and break the uniform white. The structure, almost looking like a castle from medieval times, sits in the very center. Above, the sky shifts from grey to white, showing the texture of clouds. The image is very still, with absolutely nothing in motion; this is helped by the fact that there is nothing alive in the photo. This might have been done on purpose to show how much of the city was literally left lifeless after the war.

Veronica Bautista

 













Veronica Bautista

"Wennjie Qiao-Solar Eclipse"

August 21, 2017

Photography allows your mind to be creative and a wanderer. What I took out from this esthetically pleasing photograph from Wennjie Qiao is the passage of time; time is something our eyes cannot depict as well as this picture can. This photograph of the solar eclipse made me understand how often we may forget that our time is running out and we need to enjoy everything in life, family, nature and to remember that even the sun needs a break. That brings me to conclude and ask what are you willing to do with your time as of now? Will you be more loving? Will you try to do something you've always wanted to do? Will you be able to see the next solar eclipse? Photography can take us to whole different worlds and thoughts, but are we willing to see what is depicted?

Alexa Daffern

 

Alexa Daffern
Leonard Freed, "Muscle Boy"
1963, Vintage Gelatin Silver Print

I selected this picture because it moved me and reminded me of a topic that is very near and dear to my heart and that I have become very passionate about. In this photo, you see a handsome little boy lifting his arm and flexing his muscle, but you can very clearly see his ribs underneath while doing so. This reminds me that many kids growing up aren't blessed with the same privileges that we are. Many starve, many don't have clothes, and so many don't have a place to call home. It makes me take a step back, reflect on my life and all that I have, and remind me that I should be grateful for the life I've been blessed with. So many people on the other side of the world or even in more run down cities struggle more than me and people who have more should make more of an effort to help those who are less fortunate.

Ernesto Alcaraz

Ernesto Alcaraz
Hiroshi Sugimoto "Radio City Music Hall"
1978, Gelatin silver print

"Suppose you shoot a whole movie in a single frame? " In 1976, Sugimoto experimented on what it would look like to do just that and the results were spectacular. The process of how these images are made adds to their beauty. The long exposure causes the screen to look completely white and in most of the other theater photos the people watching the movie will not appear in the photo. The light blooming through the rows keeps your eyes moving through the image. Although there are many other photos by Sugimoto of theaters, this one intrigues me and stands out from all the rest because of the architecture of the hall and how the people are still visible watching the movie as if they were watching a blank white screen the entire time. This provides an underlying mystery to whomever is viewing the photo and allows them to create their own narrative.

Hayley Allen

Hayley Allen
Keegan Allen "That's life. I enjoy the rainy days."
2015, Digital

I chose this photo here made my Keegan Allen in his book "life. love. beauty" because the image captured my eye. I was flipping through his photo book in his New York section when I found this. The reflections from the lights bouncing off the ground, the blurry cars, and the main focus of the broken abandoned umbrella really caught my attention. I visually really enjoy how the subject of this photo is placed at the center bottom of the image, not directly in the middle. I like the harsher focus on the umbrella making the New York City background blurry. This picture makes me question its previous owner. I wonder at what point walking in the rain someone gave up and chose to get wet instead of trying to salvage their umbrella… makes me wonder.

Nomar Alonso

Nomar Alonso

Diane Arbus "Masked Woman in a Wheelchair"

1970

I chose this image because it was the first one that caught and held my attention. I had been scrolling through a book of Diane Arbus' photos and this was the only photo that made me question what was going on. It is such a simple photo, yet there is so much missing. Was the woman simply moving along with the mask? Was the mask given to her for the photo? Was she posing for the photo or hiding her face from the camera? where was she going?

 I read a little About Diane Arbus and found in a short documentary that she felt different emotions when she looked into the glass of a camera. No matter what happened on the other side of that glass, she was simply amazed. I think thats what I want this photo to mean to me. I want to run into a situation like she did in this photo and I want to experience what she experienced.

Karina Blanco-Johnson

 










Karina Blanco-Johnson
Stuart Palley " Meadow Fire"
2014, Unknown

This photo is about the 2014 wildfires at Yosemite National Park. What you see is it raining at the end of the wildfire in the meadow around Half Dome ( the rock formation on the left side of the frame.) in the morning. At first I selected this picture because it seemed to show a message telling us that nature works in mysterious ways but it will correct itself or the sun will always come again. Not only that but all the contradictory in the photo is what started to pull me in. The fire being put out by rain while the sun is rising. It seems like a made up story. Technique wise, I liked how the details of the sun rays and rain streaks were able to pull through and how the green trees at the bottom center added a little more color to seem less dull. After researching the story behind the picture it made me truly believe the messages that I first thought when seeing the picture. This fire started because of a lighting strike that hit a tree and spread quickly because of high winds. A helicopter flew tourists off of the top of Half Dome while backpackers on hiking trails in some areas were told to leave the area. After 700 acres burned the fire finally died out.

Tristan Stumpf

Tristan Stumpf
Sam Shere, The Hindenburg Disaster
1937- Gelatin Silver Print

This photo is one of great infamy taken by Sam Shere on May 6, 1937. It depicts the fall of the Hindenburg zeppelin moments after the hydrogen, meant to keep it afloat, caught flame. Out of the 97 people on board, 36 were killed. That is a surprisingly high survival rate for the crashing of a metal balloon filled with flammable gas and civilians. However, this photo, almost single handedly, brought an end to the use of airships on a global scale. It was not due to this being the first tragedy of its kind; in 1933 the USS Akron went down over New Jersey killing 73 people. October 5, 1930, had the crash of the British R101 over a field in France killing 48 people. These are only a few of copious amounts of crashes that occurred prior to the Hindenburg; so what makes the crash captured by Sam Shere more powerful than one 4 years prior with over double the casualties? Perhaps it is just the fact that it was captured at all.

Logan Bik

Logan Bik
Danny Lyon ""Building Shakedown, Ellis Unit, Texas"
1968, Gelatin silver print

I chose this image because it provides an insight into the prison system of the 1960's. In the image we can see the flow of prisoners through the halls—naked. The guards peering down, grimaces on their faces. The photographer, Danny Lyon, used a slow shutter speed causing a blur effect, allowing for the viewer to fill in the gaps and see amount of prisoners compared to guards.

This idea of power is one that is prevalent in the justice system. Although we are all human, when someone is given the idea that they hold more power, they begin to act as gods, ones that unearthly compared to the prisoners.

In the past, Danny had photographed a prison rodeo where he had met some inmates who encouraged him to make photographs at the prison. Lyon later moved to texas and spent 14 months going to 7 of the 13 Texas prisons documenting life behind bars, often creating friendships that lasted till death.

Romina Romani (updated)

Romina Romani
Annie Liebovitz, "Meryl Streep, New York City"

1981, Archival Pigment Print

Movies are a huge part of my life. The happiness, the sorrow, the laughter, the joy it brings me when watching a film. Movies have the power to take you away from reality all while also teaching you about reality. When watching the Annie Leibovitz documentary, I was so inspired by her body of work, I bought one of her books that showcased her artwork and the image that stood out to me was the photograph of Meryl Streep, the goddess of the Oscars and film in general. What first caught my attention was the white on her face and the action of pulling her skin. It is a very peculiar photo. Questions popped in my head and my first thought was she is hiding either something or herself and the white paint is a type of mask. The meaning behind this photograph is the life of a woman working in the industry. Women are expected to undergo mutations and change themselves to be what society expects them to be and wants them to look like. The balance of color plays out well with the lighting. The close-up shot captures Streep's emotions through her eyes, a smirk forming in her face as if she knows she is going against the norm and wants viewers to know it. This image struck me because being a woman working in the industry, specifically dance, some teachers have told me I have to be a certain way if I want to be a dancer and what happens behind the scenes is a great representation of a dog eats dog world.

Kobe Siy

Kobe Siy

K.C. Allen - "LA Times Baseball 2019 Season Preview"

Published Sunday March 24, 2019

For my "One Minute One Image Project," I chose to present about the image on the front cover of the "LA Times Baseball 2019 Season Preview." This was published on March 24, 2019, which was the Sunday before the start of the 2019 MLB season, which began on Thursday of that week. The image shows two star players from both Los Angeles baseball teams. Mike Trout of the LA Angels and Justin Turner from the LA Dodgers. This image really inspires me because #1) I love baseball; and #2) I am a huge fan of both of these players. The reason why these two were selected to be on the front cover is because of the impact they make on their team. Turner, who is 34 years old, is one of the leaders for the Dodgers. At his age, most people tend to say that he's in the decline stage in his career, however he is not showing signs of slowing down, as last year, he posted a .312 batting average and is trying to lead the Dodgers to their first World Series title since 1988. The photograph was taken by K.C. Alfred, who is a photographer at the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Marilyn Escobar

Marilyn Escobar

Christina Fernandez, "1945, Aliso Village, Boyle Heights, California"

1996, Gelatin Silver Print 

The photograph spoke to me because it is a woman going off to work in what seems to be a maid uniform.This photograph just reminded me of all the hard working women in my life because they immigrated here. Christina Fernandez, series Maria's Great Expedition, is photographs of herself as her great-grandmother Maria Gonzalez who immigrated here, was personal to her but she made it about everyone and the immigrants experience specifically the women. All the women in my family when they arrived they started off as housekeepers. I chose this images because, it represents all the hard working immigrant women. Christina Fernandez is representing the immigrant women and their sacrifice for their kids and family who had to be left behind, just as my family has to be able to provide for them.

Marvin Guerra

Marvin Guerra
James Nachtwey, "Famine in Somalia"
1992

I chose the image Famine in Somalia because it spoke to me on different levels and really made me feel something that I never felt from an image. The image made me really sad because I feel like people take food for granted in the states and in other places people never really know where their next meal is coming from. The photograph really shows how bad the food crisis in Somalia was at the time because the woman is being carried to a feeding center because she could not walk. From the photo you can see the man or woman sitting on the ground with their back faced to us and it is scary to see how much their bones are visible. These people probably would do anything to just eat but at the time prices on food skyrocketed and was not affordable. It really makes you think about all the things we take for granted and how good we have it here in the states.

Kevin Moreno

 

Kevin Moreno
Candy Hansen(JPL) and Carolyn Porco(University of Arizona), "Pale Blue Dot".
February 14, 1990, Digital

I selected this image because it helps me put life into perspective. In this image Earth is only one small pixel. Earth looks so insignificant and so do our problems. This image highlights that everything we use to divide ourselves, such as race, religion, political affiliation, and sexual preference, is just meaningless. We are all humans living in a speck of dust in this vast universe. As bleak and dark as this sounds, it is meant to free us. Learning how insignificant and unimportant we are can help us realize how beautiful and delicate the world we live in is. This image is about understanding our place in the universe and to not take what we have for granted. This image and its message is more relevant today. We are seeing our lawmakers put greed and self interest ahead of our planet, not realizing that this is all we have.