This is a self-portrait I took of myself. On this day, I was in a state of extreme happiness. I attempted to capture the feelings I felt that day. I think the blurriness of this photo contributed to my feeling. It shows that my emotion was fluid and in motion. On this day I felt like there was this light just shining on me and everyone around me could feel this happiness. 

This was my attempt to be artsy. As you can see, I failed. But I still like the photography. Lately, my computer has been my best friend. Although, we have a love hate relationship. I love to play music, watch videos, and chat with my friends but I hate writing papers and doing homework. It is so odd to me how the same object can generate two different feelings. 

This is a picture of my friend, Mark's, hat. He turned around and I read the back and absolutely fell in love with it. I have been dreaming of living in Colorado for as long as I could remember. All through out high school I constantly found myself thinking how much I would rather be where I am now. This is a fond memory because now all I think of is how much I love Colorado.

These people are my adoptive family. We all live on the third floor. We possess a special bond in that we all are interested in being a well people. We were all getting ready to go to dinner together as a family would. I am so blessed to be surrounded by some really special people. 

This photo was taken on a retreat I went on with my wellness class. We went to Pingree park up in the mountains. When we woke up it was snowing and miserably cold. But I took a nap then woke up and went out side to see this amazing site. It was a gorgeous site. I feel like the mountain air is easier to inhale. I sat outside for a good hour just breathing in this sweet air. The mountains put me in a joyous mood. I am so lucky to live here. 

Shirin Neshat's "Allegiance with Wakefulness"

            As I perused over the photographs at the Denver Art Museum, I was feeling relatively uninspired by the images surrounding me. That is, until I gazed upon Shirin Neshat’s “Allegiance with Wakefulness.”  The elegance and vividness of the photograph strikes me in such a way to awaken my eyes to another culture. There is brilliance in this photograph that resonates within my mind.

            The photograph shows two beautiful, pale, feet that look as if they have been covered and protected their whole life. The feet seem innocent, small, and well kept which leads me to believe that they are woman’s feet.  The soles of these feet are blanketed with some traditional Iranian language. It is a heavy contrast to the light color of the pale feel. It provides emphasis on the words that cover the soles. Between the two feet, a barrel of a gun genteelly sits almost as if it were in the resting position.  You can see that is the person whose feet look so fresh is holding the gun. It is my inference that the darkness of the gun is used to contrast the paleness of the feet. We can see two polar opposite objects. The compassionate feet and the cold hard gun which work in tandem to demonstrate feeling in this image. The title of this photograph is “Allegiance with Wakefulness.”  The feet consumed with the traditional writing indicate the allegiance aspect. This woman still practices traditional Islam beliefs. However, she is alert and vigilant which the gun exhibits.

            This photo is part of a series of photographs known as “ Women of Allah.” In her native country of Iran, her photos have been forbidden to show and tell. She hoped to remove violence from its traditional setting and display it in a feministic way.  She does so by using feminist poetry as the writing displayed on the body parts. Women in her society were repressed and restricted, so she hoped to awaken the sense by using them as models. These photos were a way for her to express her concern of the violence that occurred after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

            Shirin Neshat used photography as a way to push the boundaries that were traditionally set in her country. Her feministic eye shed new light on the violence in the Iranian society. Her work displays an unfavorable truth at that time. These photographs rang out a message of freedom from oppression and violence.

Annie Leibovitz: Life through a Lens.

Chances are if you have seen a photograph in a magazine in the last twenty years, Annie Leibovitz shot it.  She has been on the scene as one of the great portrait photographers of the 20^th century.  Many popular cultural figures describe Annie’s work as one of a kind. She puts her own stamp on the photograph that makes it distinguishable from any other photographers.  

            Annie formally studied photography at the San Francisco Art Institute, but she would describe her experiences as a life-long learning process.  During her time at the art institute, Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson inspired her in their use of self-portraits. She made her début in Rolling Stones magazine in 1970. She quickly earned a name for herself from her powerful portraits of bands. Annie also influenced the look of the “look” of the cover page of magazine.  She frequently shoots for Vogue and other famous fashion magazines.

            When looking over her portfolio, I was particularly drawn to the photographs she took of John Lennon for Rolling Stone Magazine. She had the unknowing privilege of photographing John and Yoko just hours before John’s untimely death.  Yoko is stretched out on the floor and John is lying next to her naked, exposed, and natural. He cradles her head and kisses her cheek, all the while is completely comfortable in his skin. These images captured the essence of the love that surrounded this couple. The rawness of the photograph contributes to its power. It was this image that graced the cover page of Rolling Stone’s. It was not accompanied by the logo or other premier stories. All you see is the connection that, until days earlier, consumed their lives.

           

After reviewing her work, I am impressed, inspired, and emotionally moved by some of her pictures. She has a way of capturing people’s souls in a still image. Her photographs have had a lasting effect on society. Her brilliance in artistic view is clearly demonstrated throughout her work. Annie Leibovitz has the extraordinary gift of generating photos that truly represent the person’s soul. This is why she is one of the greatest self-portrait artists of our time.