An artist statement is a short narrative that helps the viewer get inside your mind and understand the purpose of the work. In other words, it should be personal, interesting and make you sound like you take your work seriously. It can by about just one of your works, or all-encompassing like the one on this website about the work of Victoria Sambunaris. Be sure to read her statement carefully and see how her artist statement connects to her photographs.
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Photo 1
- Faux Photograms
Practice making photograms - Know how to hold a camera
Camera shake is avoidable. Don't let it ruin your pictures. - Great quotes on photography
Find quotes that inspire you. Then research the photographer who said them. - How to make a pinhole camera
Links to lots and lots of pinhole camera enthusiasts! - Wendy Ewald
Wendy Ewald has spend over 30 years teaching photography to children and different people all over the world. She considers her work collaborative, and much of it explores the idea of our human identy. Who is she? What is she famous for? What work typifies her theme best to you? What speaks to you the most? These are the questions you need to have answered on your art criticism this week. - Taku Aramasa's Pinhole Photographs of Cherry Blossoms
This pinhole photographer's work will convince you that there is no limit to what you can photograph no matter what kind of equipment you are using. - Eadweard Muybridge
Here is the man who gets the credit for the invention of motion pictures. It all started with a bet with Leland Stanford that had something to do with horses.... - Ansel Adams
This is just one of many links on California's own great photographer - History of Photography
Go to How Photography Began and follow the links - Jackson Pollock Master of Abstract Expressionism
It's not as easy as it looks.... (Ask me how abstract expressionism relates to photography.) - Claudia Smith
Claudia Smith is a Sacramento resident who has a world wide reputation for her pinhole photography. - Hand Photographs at the Guggenheim
Why photograph hands? What's there to learn from this? - The Importance of Family Photography
When the house is on fire, what do people run back in to get? Family photographs are one thing. Read this article to develop your interview with someone in your family about the way your family uses photographs and what kinds of pictures they have stored away in albums and boxes. - The Golden Rectangle and the Golden Ratio
Although 35mm film was not invented until the 20th century, it's shape, similar to the golden rectangle, goes back to Pythagoras and the ancient Greeks.
Of interest to photographers
- Prix Pictet
These photographers all show stories that are worth telling. Read the artist statements and look at each photo. - Tips for Portraits and Self-Portraits
Here are some good suggestions for portrait and self-portrait shooting. - Copyright Law
Read this to understand who is the owner of a photograph. The law is specific. - Self-portraits
Why do artists make self-portraits? How is a self-portrait different than a picture someone else makes of you? - Cathy Brown
Cathy Brown's photos show interesting use of juxtaposition. Her self-portrait series "Footprints" is also worth taking a look at. - Bob Miller's Light Walk
A light walk with Bob will change the way you see. - Photo Quotes
Some of the simplest quotations give you great insight into a photographer's intent. - US Patent Office
What laws protect a photographer's copyright? - "No Picture Tells the Truth. The Best Do Better Than That"
Daniel Okrent's article from the New York Times
Local Photography
- Viewpoint Gallery
Viewpoint Gallery is an excellent place to go to see good photography. Check out their website for information on what's up and coming that may be appropriate to write a gallery review or chalk up some bonus points. Remember to pick up a flyer to include with your write up. Be sure to take your Mom, Dad, sibs, friends. We need to drum up more support for our medium! Word of warning: art is not always "appropriate". Turn your head and walk away, leave, or explore questions you have about the work to learn more about yourself. - Second Saturday Art Openings
The second Saturday evening of every month, art galleries all over Sacramento open their doors to show the lastest shows. This is a great way to have fun and to fulfill your Gallery Visitation requirement. Bring friends and family. - Photo Source
If you get behind in your printing, you can go to Photo Source to rent darkroom space. - Crocker Art Museum
The Edward Weston show is a "must see" for devotees of serious photographic art.
Photography Tips
- Safety in the Darkroom
This site from the University of Arizona gives you some good guidelines on chemical safety in the darkroom - Digital Photo Tips
- Fodor's Tips
Everyone loves to take pictures of their travels. Here's a great site for learning to take great shots of your unforgettable adventures. - Taking Great Pictures
Kodak's website is rich with technical information, but these tips for taking good photographs are a good start for making nice compositions.
Reference Sources on Photographers
- Aperture Magazine Blog is a fantastic resource!
- Depth of Field Tutorial
This is an excellent introduction on using aperture control to control focus in the foreground, middle ground and background of your photograph. - International Center for Photography
The best of the best... - The George Eastman House
For info on Eastman, go to Collections and choose Legacy - Masters of Photography
This site is a very familiar resource to photography lovers, but it doesn't cover all the greats. We will use this resource in class. When you want to find out about someone who is not on this site, use the Google Search Engine and type in a name or keyword. - Library of Congress
The king of US libraries can be found in Washington, D.C. A virtural treasure trove of American history can be discovered here. This is a site you'll want to show your own children when you are a grown-up.
Elements and Principles of Art
- Reading Photographs
- Visual Elements and Principles
The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis has put out a website that will help clarify any questions you have about this area of study. Composition consists of arranging elements in a multitude of ways to create the picture effect you are after. They're used in drawing and painting, ceramics, animation, photography, dance - even music uses certain elements. There's no escaping them, they're everywhere. Have fun looking for them.
Photo Albums
Standards and Benchmarks
- Standards and Benchmarks
Have you ever wondered why teachers teach what they do? Check out this EGUSD website and scroll down to whatever photo section you are in, or whatever other class tickles your fancy.
Camera Club
Advanced Photography Links
- Handmade American Photography
- Rose Window of Chartes Cathedral
- Seydou Keita
Keita was a portrait photographer in the mid 20th century in Mali. His work has become highly collectable and his negatives are extremely valuable. - History of Pop Art
- Tseng Kwong Chi
The work we will study is the self portrait in front of the Statue of Liberty. Be sure to read the biographical information. - Gees Bend show in Atlanta
- Infrared Photography
Infrared is difficult to handle, but once mastered you can achieve unusual and beautiful results. - Barbara Kruger
Kruger's work deals with gendre issues and stereotyping. Her style is known for combining words - usually bold bright red type - with grainy photographs that have a magazine-like quality. - Abelardo Morell
Morell is among the favorite photographers in the photo program at SHS. Be sure to see his camera obscura images. - Roger Vail
If you are thinking about studying photography at California State University, Sacramento, check out Roger Vail's website. Not only will Roger's work set your head to spinning (no pun intended), he will tantalize your taste in photography by taking you through a spiral of photo history that weaves pinhole, digital, and everything in between into a realm of unlimited possiblilities for making art. - Lori Nix
Lori Nix is a still life photographer who recreates stories from the newspaper that she remembers from childhood. Be sure to read the essay and look at the photographs! - Collage
This site is a good entry point for studying the variety and depth of work that is made through collage and montage. Photography is frequently used as a collage element. Often photographs that don't turn out the way you expected them to, lack impact, are flawed in some unsightly way, can be used as a basis for a fantastic collage masterpiece. - Quilts of Gees Bend
Use these site for background on your quilt collage. Be sure to explore the quilts themselves as well as the history and the makers of the quilts. - David Hockney
Which is more real: a painting or a photograph? Read the interesting viewpoint of David Hockney. Hockney is well known for both his painting and his photography. - Florence Henri
Photo 2 students please study this photograph as an introduction to still life. Florence Henri's masterpiece shows off he skills of illusion, use of depth of field control to get maximum focus in foreground, middle ground and background, and outstanding use of light and shadow. - Man Ray
Some history about solarization (or Sabbatier Effect) for you advanced photography students.
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