Final Photography Project - Mary Ellen Mark

Savannah Grisoglio

 After learning about the American photographer, Mary Ellen Mark, I was inspired by the photographers work and style of her work. She is known for her photojournalism, portraits, and advertising which is something I am really interested in. I choose Mary Ellen Mark's photography because after seeing her photograph, "Amanda and Her Cousin, Amy Valdese, North California," it inspired me. It was such an amazing photography that it made me really appreciate her style of work. I like Mary Ellen Marks work mainly because it shows social issues that are common throughout the United States in the colors of black and white making the images more dramatic and showing more concern of the issues she is trying to put out. This artist I believe is the most effective within the genre of documentary photography because a lot of her work is done as portraits of people or certain things, like said before, portray social issues that should be brought to peoples attention throughout the United States. Mary Ellen Mark's photography is very unique and displays a photograph that speaks for itself, in my attempt to recreate her stylistic approach it will be similar in the way of the color of black and white and the general idea of her social issues that she recreates in the people she photographs. My photographs will be different in the way that my images will be more modern and new while some of her images look older and experiencing events that are not as common anymore. Other than the change of time within the photographs and the usage of only one person to document in different events and styles, my images will be pretty similar to the work of Mary Ellen Mark.

My photographs explore the black and white color that Mary Ellen Mark uses in most of her photography as well as the social issues or sadness or troubles within people that she uses to portray certain themes or events that occur throughout the United States.

This is one of my favorite photographs that I took out of the series. I think it says a lot through his body and facial expressions. Once again I explored the black and white theme that Mark uses in her photography and the abandon parking lot. The face is confused, worried, and troubled all at the same time. He is not looking at the camera or at anything else, his face is just blank. His body is positioned in a way where he seems tired and struggling to even sit up right. This photography explores troubles within a human and that is exactly the type of people Mark photographed. 

This is another photography I explored in the sepia setting. This photograph is taken in an abandon parking lot. The person documented once again looks lonely and confused about what to do. His face is looking off into the distance as if something around him is making him think about his own life and the way he is sitting makes him look as if he is thinking hard about something or worried. 

This photograph was one taking during the daytime, exploring once again the black and white theme. This image was taken at a bus stop here in Tucson. I tried to make the person look sad and lonely with setting him up alone at a bus stop with nothing around him. Since the photo is taken from a distance you cant really see facial reactions but his body tells a lot by the way he is sitting and kind of looking down. I explore loneliness because of the way Ellen's image always document people who seem lonely or sad. 

This photograph takes a turn from the black and white setting and is changed to sepia creating more of a dramatic touch. I choose this to be one of the photographs because it makes you think because the person documented is not showing any facial reactions just body actions in the way he is sitting. It makes you think about where he is and what he is doing there. Once again this photograph was taken at night creating more of a drastic photo.

This photograph is done in the same scenery but explores more of the persons facial reaction. This image shows a man looking out into the distance, smoking a cigarette once again, thinking about "his life" and struggles that go along with it. It is once again in black and white, with a heavy dark background showing the time of day and secluded area with a bright image of the person.

This photograph explores Mary Ellen Mark's style by showing the documentary side of her images. I choose to photograph one person and show them in different periods of the day and night. This photograph shows the night time in a secluded area smoking a cigarette. Most of Mark's photographs are people smoking cigarettes because they are a sign of stress or "addiction." I also explored the black and white photography that Mark uses a lot throughout her images. 

Emphasis

Emphasis was a hard technique to follow, although I think I understood the basic concept. Emphasis is described as the focal point, where your eyes go first. In the images I choose there is a basic focal point on each. In the top one the emphasis is on the entire plant with the background image as the rocks, in the middle one the emphasis is the rocks with the plant as a background, and in the bottom on the pointy edges of the plant is the focal point with the rocks as the background. I believe having a focal point in photography is essential, it gives the viewer something to basic the opinion of the photograph on.

Balance

Balance was hard also hard to show in my photographs. I choose these images because there is a clean balance between the rocks and the plant. The focus is on both objects in the photograph. I believe that the placement of the plant makes a balance between the two objects and shows both images in a different perspective but balancing them out.

Texture

Texture is an important part of photography as well. It brings the image to life, showing you what you can't see unless your standing in front of the object. I choose these three photos because not only does it bring out the texture in the plant with the pointy edges, it shows the texture of the little rocks surrounding it. I believe that texture brings the image to life making it look more realistic not so much like a photograph.

Lighting

I believe color effects an image the most, it brings out the natural light or light that is used. The photos I choose to develop color were 2 darker ones and one lighter one with more shadows. The day I took these photos it was sunny and bright outside, playing around with the camera settings let me change the color to a darker form making it look more like a cloudy day and maybe even casting some shadows on the image.

Photographic Perspectives