Sunday, April 15, 2012
William Eggleston's Guide- Willian Eggleston & John Szarkowski
0 comments Posted by Rhinoa at 9:53 PM
Rating : 3.0/5
Number of Pages : 112
Format : Non Fiction, Photography
Reason for Reading : Course Reading Material
At the moment I am studying colour as part of The Art of Photography and my tutor recommended this collection to me to look through. From some other reading I've been doing, Eggleston was a pioneer as in the 1960s colour photography was mostly used only by advertising and publicity companies. Eggleston began to use it in his work and this collection was shown at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. To quote "Photography A Critical Introduction" edited by Liz Wells "His subjects were mundane, everyday, often trivial, so that the real subject was often seen to be the colour itself." I've included the two pictures that stood out to me the most below.
Huntsville, Alabama - I love the pose of the gentleman, casually stroking the bright orange plane. I wonder if he piloted one when he was younger, was he part of the US Air Force or does he just have an appreciation of planes? It's composed with lost of empty space to his left maybe to emphasise his long past as he is now past his youth. It has a sense of nostalgia.
Huntsville, Alabama - I love the pose of the gentleman, casually stroking the bright orange plane. I wonder if he piloted one when he was younger, was he part of the US Air Force or does he just have an appreciation of planes? It's composed with lost of empty space to his left maybe to emphasise his long past as he is now past his youth. It has a sense of nostalgia.
Memphis - A real Memphis belle. Going back to earlier modules this picture is full of shapes (Eggleston did study Cartier-Bresson I believe). There are lines, diagonals, curves and brian;es plenty. Your eye is drawn also to the contrast between the yellow of the wall and her hair with the dark blue of her dress.Overall I wasn't a big fan of many of the pictures. I'm not sure if it's because they didn't mean much to me being taken before my time of places I haven't visited although that doesn't seem to cover it. The colours were a little dull for my tastes. If you are going to do colour, then do colour! I understand this was a seminal collection so perhaps going through again in a week or two will unlock some more understanding in me. What I did love was the essay by John Szarkowski. I made a note of a few quotes which I hope to use in my assignments moving forwards and it is worth the price of the book for this alone.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Rating : 4.5/5
Number of Pages : 167
Format : Non Fiction, Photography
Reason for Reading : Course Reading Material
Another collection of photography work by Henri Cartier-Bresson. This time all of the photographs were taken around Paris. Some were in the Europeans collection, but most were new to me. The introduction by Vera Feyder read more like a poem than an introductory text which fitted the pictures nicely. It gives a little bit of background about Cartier-Bresson and mentions his "decisive moment" which I keep hearing about.
What I especially liked is that these are not simple tourist snaps. They are well thought out and beautifully composed. In the introduction it quotes Cartier-Bresson as saying "You see, photography is nothing, it's life that interests me. Life, do you see?" which is definitely what you notice immediately form opening the collection. Not as many pictures jumped out as the Europeans collection, but it was still a beyond excellent collection and I have learnt a lot form looking through these over the last few days. Below are two of my favourite pictures from this collection that weren't in the Europeans edition.
Porte d'Aubervilliers (1932) - The young boy looks straight out of Oliver Twist despite being in Paris. Another of his shots that is full of shapes. Lines on the sheds, diagonals of the roof, triangle of his arms and feet as well as the pavement. The light picks up the top of his hat nicely.
Champes-Elysees (May 1968) - The sun is beautiful shining through the flag which is held out so straight by the girl balancing on then back of the bicycle. The bicycle is placed parallel to the broken lines marking the lane. I really like the white of her legs against the dark bike and male.Thursday, March 29, 2012
Rating : 5.0/5
Number of Pages : 232
Format : Non Fiction, Photography
Reason for Reading : Course Reading Material
This book was recommended to me by my tutor before getting started on the second part of my course (Elements of Design) and as soon as I started going through the images I could see why. My studying has been focusing on lines, shapes and patterns and all of these photos are filled with these ideas. Beginning with an introduction by Jean Clair, he sums up the collection as "a closely woven portrait of Europe after the war: accumulated ruins and the marks of hunger and woe on people's faces still appearing very clearly." This is certainly the case for many of the photographs, but there is also a sense of abandon and joy to be found as well. The best to describe this is simply to show you some of the photos from the collection.
This was taken in Rome, Italy and shows instantly HCB's grasp of design and the play between light and shadow (a theme that crops up in many of the photos in this collection). He times his shot perfectly with the girl running through the patch of light on the ground, illuminating her and drawing your eye in despite her only being a small object in the frame.
Another of my favourite shots taken of a Guard of Honour at a ceremony commemorating Leningrad's liberation in the USSR. The line of the guards and in particular their feet really stands out and I love the shapes. Your eye is really quickly drawn to the young girl in the bottom left, peeking out and holding flowers. The flowers are dropping and form a curve against the straight line of the guards giving the picture a sadness.
Possibly my favourite of all in the collection is Aquila, The Abruzzi taken in Italy again. The mixture of curves and lines is really striking here both between the man made stairs and fences and the women and children. There is also a line of men in the background parallel to the far metal fence. This really does capture a moment for me when everything seems to come together all at once. His patience must have been astounding!
Another of my favourite shots taken of a Guard of Honour at a ceremony commemorating Leningrad's liberation in the USSR. The line of the guards and in particular their feet really stands out and I love the shapes. Your eye is really quickly drawn to the young girl in the bottom left, peeking out and holding flowers. The flowers are dropping and form a curve against the straight line of the guards giving the picture a sadness.
Possibly my favourite of all in the collection is Aquila, The Abruzzi taken in Italy again. The mixture of curves and lines is really striking here both between the man made stairs and fences and the women and children. There is also a line of men in the background parallel to the far metal fence. This really does capture a moment for me when everything seems to come together all at once. His patience must have been astounding!
Highly recommended to anyone interested in either photography (particularly street photography) or design. I have printed out some of my favourites which I have put in my notebook to use as inspiration both now and in the future. Interestingly when I was in Italy last October in Bologna, I stumbled across an exhibition of his which I spent a few hours looking around. I didn't know who he was at the time and hadn't started formally studying photography yet, but I did recognise some of the pictures from the book from the exhibition. Funny how life is symmetrical at times. Friday, February 24, 2012
Rating : 4.0/5
Number of Pages : 247
Series : Oxford History of Art
Format : Non Fiction, Photography
Reason for Reading : Course Reading Material
This is my first text book since starting my photography course with the OCA. I know it seems daft, but I haven't really paid much attention to the discipline of photography besides actually taking pictures. This seems such a massive oversight on my part and I am doing my best to start making up for lost time. In this regard this is an excellent place to start. There are over 120 photos by a wide variety of photographers with many more referenced. Lots of further reading is needed and inspired.
It covers all the bases with chapters on how photography got started, landscape, the city, portraits, the body, documentary and fine art photography. There is also a chapter on how to read a photograph which I found incredibly useful and it's something I am working on and trying to start putting in to cohesive words why I do or do not like a particular photograph.
The one section that was really difficult was the section on documentary photography. I need to think about my personal ethics here. I am not sure I could distance myself to whatever was going on around me to take photos and not want to get involved and help out. In particular photos like "People to be Shot" by Robert Haeberle where he asked the firing squad to pause so he could photograph four adults (three women) and two children before they were killed in Vietnam. Everyone has their own levels of what they can accept and these pictures are very powerful, I'm just not sure I could be the one taking them. It is important to challenge peoples ideals though and the pictures in this section have stayed with me the longest after finishing reading the book.
This is definitely a book I will come back to and refer to as my learning and studies continue. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to make a serious start in photography.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Rating : 3.0/5
Number of Pages : 294
Series : #4 Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon
Format : Urban Fantasy Novel
Reason for Reading : To continue with the series, 12 in 12 Challenge
I went straight into the fourth book after reading Darkling and this time the story is narrated by Camille. She's a witch dedicated to The Moon, but as she's half human her spells have a tendency to backfire. Her story is a little complicated as she is a little free with the men. Her main partner is Trillian who is absent on a dangerous mission for the majority of the book. Along with Trillian she has a triad with Morio, a fox demon. Her third lover is Smokey who shifts into a dragon with whom she has a pact. In this instalment he finally claims his first night with her and she gets to "ride a dragon"!
The main plot centres around Camille receiving a visit from a unicorn and the legendary black unicorn horn to help in the fight against Shadowing (the main over arcing villain) and a powerful Earthside demon named Karvanak who is after a newly surfaced spirit seal. Also in the background you have Morgaine trying to resurrect the Faerie Courts and become Queen herself. If it sounds complicated, it is. This was one thing I disliked about the novel, there was too much plot and not really enough time to sort through it all.
Camille is my least favourite of the three sisters. I don't really get where she is coming from which I think is part of the problem. She is half strong and powerful, owning her sexuality. On the other hand she seems quite happy to let her men control her and tie her down. Every now and then she will throw a hissy fit and one will be there there little Witch, don't get your knickers in a twist. On the plus side the book had a unicorn in it (he could have been in it more though, again too much plot and not enough time to spend with the characters besides Camille) so I'm sold!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Rating : 4.0/5
Number of Pages : 290
Series : #3 Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon
Format : Urban Fantasy Novel
Reason for Reading : To continue with the series, 12 in 12 Challenge
The third novel about three sisters who are half-fae and half-human. Camille is a witch with malfunctioning magic, Delilah shifts into a tabby kitty (and now sometimes a black panther) and Menolly was turned into a vampire. The series is written (so far at least) with a different sister narrating the story. This time it's Menolly so there is a vampire focus throughout and her vicious sire Dredge looks to be back ready to inflict more torture, pain and death to those she loves.
See this isn't your Twilight kind of tale. When Menolly was turned she was caught spying on Dredge and his cronies for the powers that be in Otherworld. Instead of just killing her, he subjected her to life scarring mutilation all over her body excluding just her face, hands and feet. He then raped her repeatedly and as she was on the brink of death he made her drink his blood. Returning to her unlife full of violence and blood lust, Dredge then sent her home to feast on her family. Luckily she had enough wits about her to hide and begin the slow process of regaining her shattered mind.
Of the three sisters, so far I have warmed to Menolly the most. She's quite cold and shuns physical relationships (partly due to her new vampire nature and partly because of her horrific past), but I still wanted to get to know her. She didn't get much air time in the previous two books either. As part of her challenge in destroying Dredge she has to relive her turning so she can understand and heal what was done long ago which was pretty harrowing.
One thing I wasn't sure about is that she has two sexual experiences in the short space of this novel after giving up sex for many years. It seemed a bit much but then I suppose she is supposed to be healing from all old injuries caused that night, but still it didn't sit quite right. The first one made complete sense in the context of the story, but not really the second one which seemed more just to titillate readers and it didn't feel right for the character to me. Overall though an enjoyable read and I can't wait to get back to Menolly's story again in the series.
Friday, January 06, 2012
Morning blogging world. I thought I would share a personal note with you all today. After a lot of deliberation I signed up for a distance learning degree course and my course materials all arrived today. I'm really excited and keen to get stuck in. It will mean less reading as it will take up 8-10 hours each week for the foreseeable future, but I aim to still complete the challenges I am signed up for. You may notice a change in the type of books I read and review outside of challenges but I hope that's ok.
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Rating : 4.0/5
Number of Pages : 376
Series : #1 Halting State
Format : Science Fiction Crime Novel
Reason for Reading : Recommendation from my husband
In a nutshell it's a science fiction crime drama about a robbery in a virtual MMO world. Unexpectedly a bunch of Orcs storm the main bank in the game and make off with €26 million worth of items which is supposed to be impossible. Sorting out the mess is Scottish Police Sergeant Sue Smith, Forensic Accountant Elaine and Programmer and Gaming Expert Jack. It's their job to find out what happened, track down the items and generally save the day.
It's set about 10 years in the future from now. Technology is similar to what we have now but just taken to the next level. People use their phones to order taxis, get around and many other useful tasks. They also wear glasses that enhance their vision and connect them to the technology grid. You can totally see a lot of the ideas coming true in a few more years. Anyway, back to the plot. It seems there is much to the robbery than the item theft. Could it be a cover up of a much larger conspiracy? How far does said conspiracy reach?
It took me a little while to get into the novel as it's told completely in second person e.g. you enter the room and in front of you is a white desk with a computer monitor on it type stuff etc. It reads like either a choose-your-own-adventure or an episode of Knightmare (anyone else remember this awesome tv show?). Once I did though I actually enjoyed it much more than I was expecting. The characters (especially Elaine and Jack) were really well developed and I cared about what happened to them. The plot was quite complex but to be fair it wasn't solving the crime that kept me hooked. It was more getting caught up in the world and the techno speak. A lot of it went over my head, but some of the references to geek culture were awesome! It made me feel more intelligent just reading it.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
It was a good year for reading challenges. I completed all of them yay! The only one I formally wrapped up was the RIP V Challenge here
Manga Challenge 2011
Challenge runs throughout 2011 and is to read 6 mangas.
Fairy Tale Challenge
Runs throughout 2011. Read/watch any combination of original tales, modern tales, or films, resulting in 12 total selections.
Runs from 1/1/10 - 31/12/11. Finish the following series:
Read 3 books in 2011 suggested by Nymeth.
Challenge with Mariel
Read 3 books in 2011 suggested by Mariel.
Read 3 out of 4 books suggested by Kailana in 2011.
2. Fingersmith - Sarah Waters (alternatie I'm aiming to read in 2012)
Graphic Novel Challenge 2011
Runs throughout 2011. Expert level, read 10+ graphic novels.
iChallenge 2011
Challenge runs throughout 2011. Read 10 witchy, were, vamp and fae books.
Runs throughout 2011. Read books in the following categories:
Non Fiction
Mind Body Spirit
My Friend Says
Eh Aboot
We've Been Waiting so Long
The Tube
When I Wish Upon a Star
Fantastical Realms
Just Beause
Too Young to Know Better
1,2,3,4 Can I Have a Little More
Monday, January 02, 2012
As you can see it was a great reading year, but not many have links to reviews. I have so many favourite books from 2011 and one that I really didn't like at all.
Favourite Overall Book in 2011 :
Favourite Series : A toss up between Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Favourite Graphic Novel : Fables v14 Witches - Bill Willingham
Favourite YA Book : Immortal Beloved - Cate Tiernan
Worst Book in 2011 : The Luck Factor - Richard Wiseman
2. The Summoning - Kelley Armstrong
3. Angelic - Kelley Armstrong
4. Blackbird House - Alice Hoffman
5. Green Witch - Alice Hoffman
6. Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics - Ted Naifeh
7. Doctor Horrible and Other Horrible Stories - Zach Whedon
8. Bizenghast v7 - M Alice LeGrow
9. So Mote it Be - Isobel Bird
10. Poison Study - Maria V Snyder
11. Four Years Five Seasons - Peter S Beagle
12. The Happy Prince and Other Stories - Oscar Wilde
13. Fragile Eternity - Melissa Marr
14. The Awakening - Kelley Armstrong
15. Demon Dopplegangers - Charmed
16. The Reckoning - Kelley Armstrong
17. Foiled - Jane Yolen
18. The Book of Flying - Keith Miller
19. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
20. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
21. Merry Meet - Isobel Bird
22. Shakespeare - Bill Bryson
23. Hurricane Hex - Charmed
24. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
25. Radient Shadows - Melissa Marr
26. Wicked Lovely Desert Tales v1 - Melissa Marr
27. Wicked Lovely Desert Tales v2 - Melissa Marr
28. The Guild v1 - Felicia Day & Jim Rugg
29. The Dark Mirror - Juliet Marillier
30. Wicked Lovely Desert Tales v3 - Melissa Marr
31. Graceling - Kristen Cashore
32. The Beach - Alex Garland
33. Incantation - Alice Hoffman
34. The Last Unicorn - Peter S Beagle
35. Magic Study - Maria V Snyder
36. Fire Study - Maria V Snyder
37. A Touch of Dead - Charlaine Harris
38. Second Sight - Isobel Bird
39. Twilight's Dawn - Anne Bishop
40. House of Mystery v1 - Bill Willingham
41. Ember Fury - Cathy Brett
42. Nemi IV - Lise Myhre
43. Xxxholic v1 - Clamp
44. Xxxholic v2 - Clamp
45. Frost Bite - Richelle Mead
46. One Day - David Nicholl
47. Hatter M v3 - Frenk Beddor
48. Baba Yaga Laid an Egg - Dubravka Ugresic
49. Fairest of All - Serena Valentino
50. As Puck would have it - Paul Ruditis (Charmed)
51. Return to Labyrinth v4 - Jake T Forbes & Chris Lie
52. Legends of the Dark Crystal v2 - Barbara Randall Kesel
53. The Young Merlin Trilogy - JaneYolen
54. The Book of Biff v1 - Chris Hallbeck
55. Marked - PC & Kristen Cast
56. Immortal Beloved - Cate Tiernan
57. Betrayed - PC & Kristen Cast
58. What the Cards Said - Isobel Bird
59. The Safe Keepers Secret - Sharon Shinn
60. Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs
61. Howl's Moving Castle - Dianna Wynne Jones
62. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead
63. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami
64. Fables v12 : The Dark Ages - Bill Willingham
65. Fables v13 : The Great Fables Crossover - Bill Willingham
66. Fables v14 : Witches - Bill Willingham
67. Chosen - PC & Kristen Cast
68. Darkest Mercy - Melissa Marr
69. Untamed - PC & Kristen Cast
70. In the Dreaming - Isobel Bird
71. River Marked - Patricia Briggs
72. Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom - Tef Naifeh
73. Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday - Ted Naifeh
74. Storm Glass - Maria V Snyder
75. Scarlett Dedd - Cathy Brett
76. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
77. Fables v15 : Rose Red - Bill Willingham
78. Ring of Light - Isobel Bir
79. Hunted - PC & Kristen Cast
80. To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis
81. Death Note v9 - Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
82. Blue Moon - Isobel Bird
83. Buffy 8 v8 : Last Gleaming - Joss Whedon
84. Tempted - PC & Kristen Cast
85. The Shadow Dragons - James A Owen
86. Xxxholic v3 - Clamp
87. Xxxholic v4 - Clamp
88. Xxxholic v5 - Clamp
89. Burned - PC & Kristen Cast
90. Yellow Blue Tibia - Adam Roberts
91. The Truth Tellers Tale - Shannon Shinn
92. Awakened - PC & Kristen Cast
93. The Five Paths - Isobel Bird
94. The Dream Maker's Magic - Shannon Shinn
95. When God was a Rabbit - Sarah Winman
96. The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan
97. Godmother - Carolyn Turgeon
98. The Dragon's Apprentice - James A Owen
99. Blood Promise - Richelle Mead
100. The Luck Factor - Richard Wiseman
101. Enthralled - Various
102. Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead
103. The Dead-Tossed Waves - Carrie Ryan
104. Graveminder - Melissa Marr
105. Tooth and Claw - Jo Walton
106. I Luv Halloween Ultimate Edition - Benjamin Roman & Keith Giffen
107. Sweet Talkin' Demon - Laura J Burnes
108. The Dark and Hollow Places - Carrie Ryan
109. The Last Sacrifice - Richelle Mead
110. The Witches - Roald Dahl
111. House of Shards - Micol Ostow
112. Shoulder-a-coffin v1 - Satoko Kiyuduki
113. Shoulder-a-coffin v2 - Satoko Kiyuduki
114. Phoebe Who? - Emma Harrison
115. Dark and Stormy Knights - Various
116. Spirit of the Hare - Karen Cater
117. Through the Veil - Isobel Bird
118. Red Glove - Holly Black
119. Making the Saint - Isobel Bird
120. The Vinter's Luck - Elizabeth Knox
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Happy New Year everyone! I decided that this year I would have a drastic template change and move away from the black background I have had since I started at blogger a few years ago and give a white background a go. The last two years I have been pretty crappy at blogging and one of my resolutions is to blog about every book I read in 2012 as well as to make a concentrated effort to keep up with my reader feeds. Yes I know I said the exact same thing last year, but this year I really mean it...
I will wrap up last year in my next post and start back again at the beginning for 2012. I will be updating more of the blog soon and changing how I do things. I hope to put my challenge books on a separate tab as well as my yearly reading and keep the front page much cleaner. I will also be keeping this just to books and films as I have another blog for randomness. Despite being a rubbish year for blogging, 2011 was a great year for reading. I read over 120 books and had my best year of reading yet despite all the other stuff going on in my life. This year though may see a massive decrease as I am contemplating doing some studying and if I decide to go ahead with it, it will take up a large amount of my free time as I work full time.
I hope everyone had a great 2011 and I look forward to reading all your blogs in 2012!
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