SWDZINE'S Graphik Den

Photography - Document Assignment 9

2008-05-23T14:09:00.000+01:00

Documentary >>>EMPATHY / OBJECTIVITY <<<>> FLY ON THE WALL

This last assignment 9 of 9 was to make use of the camera as a recording mechanism, and a story telling device.

Here are a few examples of what I felt fell into this assignment.

" Blinded by the light "

This image was a spur of the moment image that I saw for a few seconds. I thought that the lighting and the surrounding where prefect and decided to document this image.

I think it has come out very well, better than I expected, and you can really get a story from the tramp eyes, and that is also backed up by the dogs surrounding him.

" On the Last Tube Home"

I have always wanted to take a photograph like this before I started doing photography because I wanted to get a sense of loneliness on a tube with only two or three people on board. I found my opportunity and took the chance, and it has turned out very well.

Photography - Event Assignment 8

2008-05-23T13:57:00.001+01:00

Decisive Moment.....Document.....Insight....Story

A picture is worth a thousand words! Composition is still key, but added to this we have " THE DECISIVE MOMENT".....

Have a look at the following images and decide for yourself whether it falls under the header of an event or does the images captured present drama, excitement, atmosphere of the event.

London Market

What Did I like about my images?

The thing that i really liked about my images that I took for the London Market, is the use of vibrant colours, the different angle in which I took them. I think the images do tell a good story about people being at a market, with all the hustle and bustle that comes with it when you are haggling for items or you just looking around at items.

I particularly liked the last image of the market, it makes you feel like that your an outsider that has intruded on someone stall, and they are giving you facial expressions that you are not welcome if you are not buying anything.

Overall I think they have worked really well and I am very pleased with the outcome of the photos.

London Marathon 2008

What Did I like about my images?

The London Marathon was a fun place to photograph, with all different races, religion and dressed up in fancy and fun clothing for this large scale sporting event.

The colours are ranged from bright bold colours to soft colours. I think I could have taken some more pictures for this event as there where loads of things that I could have picked up on. But I felt that these pictures that I have put up are good enough to tell a story of the London Marathon.

Photography - Motion Assignment 7

2008-05-23T13:37:00.002+01:00

What is Motion....//?

Its Shutter....

Speed....

Frozen.....

Blur.......

Photography is ideal for capturing and "FREEZING" objects in motion.

A long shutter speed opens up all sorts of creative possibility for the photographer.

Below are some examples that I feel have captured the moment as its frozen in its action and time :

With this assignment I enjoyed being in different environments to take these motion pictures. I think the motion is creative on all my photos and gives a sense of creativity from each one. The ones that I think have worked better are my first image, the ones when I went to Japan and ate at a Japenese restaurant and the train image. I think the motion has worked really well as you get a sense of the action being captured and frozen in time. I think I can work on this and be able to produce better motion photographs in the future.

Photography - Still Life Assignment 6

2008-05-23T13:06:00.001+01:00

Control...Composition...Concept

This assignment is the photography of inanimate objects purposefully lit and arranged.

The group experimented with the use of light to manipulate the balance of the composition.

I didnt particularly feel that this assignment went well, I think I could have taken more time with the arrangement of my objects a bit better. I think I should have concentrated a lot more on the lighting as this has affected the end result of the images. I am proud of what I have produced in the time given to me, but if I was allocated more time, then I would take the lighting into account more as I feel the compositions have worked well and the lighting was the downside to the images.

I think the objects we had where great as we could put them into totally different compositions and make each photo look different. I particular like the last one, even though it looks upside down, I intended to make the composition look like that as I wanted to take a different angle to photographing still life.

Photography - Portrait Assignment 5

2008-05-23T12:45:00.003+01:00

"Artificial lighting in the studio allows the photographer creative control over both the light entering the camera and that illuminating the subject"

This assignment involves becoming a photographer, photographer's assistant and the subject.

Below are the portraits of my group that I have taken in the studio.

Out of the 9 assignments that I was given, this was one of 2 assignments that I throughly enjoyed doing. It made me think more about lighting and the compositions of my model and how I wanted them to be standing. I think the portraits that I have taken have come out better than what I wanted. There are some parts where I could have improved on like make the lighting better, but overall the exposure on my models have worked well. I look to taking the skills I have learnt from this an produce better lit model portraits.

Photography - DOF Assignment 4

2008-05-23T10:07:00.001+01:00

"The aperture setting on your camera controls the amount of light entering the camera"

The Main focus on this part of the assignment was to make an arrangement of patterns or to find patterns in my surroundings and to take a series of shots:

Below is a collections of different colours, patterns and materials used for the DOF assignment

This assignment I enjoyed doing as it made me think about different patterns that I could photograph. I feel I have produced a wide variety of patterns that have worked well to fit in for this assignment. I have used a range of colours and textures for this part of the assignment.

Photography - Composition Assignment 3

2008-05-23T09:49:00.001+01:00

"The difference between a snapshot and a artistic photograph is simply a matter of composition"

In this assignment I learnt about relative positions and sizes of objects in the frame and how it can be changed to produce a more visually pleasing effect.

As you can see some the work below we had to use the rules of thirds and decide whether the composition of the image fell under it. The red lines indicate the grid of the thirds and the white/greenish colour indicate the main lines of perspective.

Below are a few examples of composition, do you think they fall under the rules of third?

Here are the original versions of the photographs without the lines

This is another assignment that I enjoyed working on, I think I have been able to produce good photos for the rules of third. The images that I have photographed have worked well and you can see that from the red and white lines of the images from the top. I think the composition of each image is different from one another which I am very pleased about on how they have all turned out.

Photography - Light & Dark Assignment 2

2008-05-23T09:27:00.000+01:00

In this assignment I had to understand the meaning of light and its qualities. I had to change the exposure settings of each shot to show the right exposure, the middle and the over exposed.

Here are my attempts below to justify this assignment :

Example 2 of Light & Dark

And now my final piece

Photography - Time Assignment 1

2008-05-21T16:50:00.001+01:00

The first assignment involved me taking photographs of my trip to The Guardian Newsroom Gallery.

Below are a few shots that I have picked out that I felt where good.

First I took the journey from Barbican Station to reach the The Guardian Newsroom.

My Second Picture is of the The Guardian From the Outside

My Third is the Trip to the Barbican Gallery

My Fourth is inside the library of the Barbican Gallery

Then an aerial shot of the road leading to Barbican Station

and then it finishes off with my journey home on the train.

I enjoyed this assignment very much as I have never worked in black and white film before. I think the images and compositions have worked well. I feel a story has been built from the images that I have taken. I have learnt a lot from this assignment, in terms of angle, close up shot and in general to make the photo capture the moment.

Timeline Project from 1945-1955

2007-11-12T10:13:00.000Z

Here are 3 images of timelines that I have created on Photoshop to present the main events that have taken place for each month during the years 1945 through to 1955.

I have created 3 different colours for the background as I wanted to show the different events more clearly, and also there where many major cultural events that too place during my time period so i wished to show them in these different timelines.

Freedom&PartitionOfIndia

2007-11-12T08:46:00.000Z

The reason as to why i have chosen Mahatma is because he falls into the 2 years in my time period which was crucial to the steps in freedom and partition of India

Mahatma Gandhi advised the Congress to reject the proposals the British Cabinet Mission offered in 1946, as he was deeply suspicious of the grouping proposed for Muslim-majority states He then viewed this as a precursor to partition. However, this became one of the few times the Congress broke from Gandhi's advice (though not his leadership), as Nehru and Patel knew that if the Congress did not approve the plan, the control of government would pass to the Muslim League.

The two year time period in which this falls in is between 1946 and 1948, over 5,000 people were killed in violence. Gandhi was vehemently opposed to any plan that partitioned India into two separate countries. An overwhelming majority of Muslims living in India, side by side with Hindus and Sikhs, were in favour of Partition. Additionally Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League, commanded widespread support in West Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and East Bengal. The partition plan was approved by the Congress leadership as the only way to prevent a wide-scale Hindu–Muslim civil war.

Congress leaders knew that Gandhi would viscerally oppose partition, and it was impossible for the Congress to go ahead without his agreement, for Gandhi's support in the party and throughout India was strong. Gandhi's closest colleagues had accepted partition as the best way out, and Sardar Patel endeavoured to convince Gandhi that it was the only way to avoid civil war. A devastated Gandhi gave his assent.

He conducted extensive dialogue with Muslim and Hindu community leaders, working to cool passions in northern India, as well as in Bengal. Despite the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, he was troubled when the Government decided to deny Pakistan the Rs. 55 crores due as per agreements made by the Partition Council. Leaders like Sardar Patel feared that Pakistan would use the money to bankroll the war against India. Gandhi was also devastated when demands resurged for all Muslims to be deported to Pakistan, and when Muslim and Hindu leaders expressed frustration and an inability to come to terms with one another.

He launched his last fast-unto-death in Delhi, asking that all communal violence be ended once and for all, and that the payment of Rs. 55 crores be made to Pakistan. Gandhi feared that instability and insecurity in Pakistan would increase their anger against India, and violence would spread across the borders. He further feared that Hindus and Muslims would renew their enmity and precipitate into an open civil war.

After emotional debates with his life-long colleagues, Gandhi refused to budge, and the Government rescinded its policy and made the payment to Pakistan. Hindu, Muslim and Sikh community leaders, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Mahasabha assured him that they would renounce violence and call for peace. Gandhi thus broke his fast by sipping orange juice.

Gandhi'sFaith

2007-11-12T08:44:00.000Z

Faith

Gandhi was born a Hindu and practised Hinduism all his life, deriving most of his principles from Hinduism. As a common Hindu, he believed all religions to be equal, and rejected all efforts to convert him to a different faith. He was an avid theologian and read extensively about all major religions. He had the following to say about Hinduism:

"Hinduism as I know it entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being ... When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of tragedies and if they have not left any visible and indelible effect on me, I owe it to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita."

Gandhi Smriti (Mahatma Gandhi's house, New Delhi)

Gandhi wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita in Gujarati. The Gujarati manuscript was translated into English by Mahadev Desai, who provided an additional introduction and commentary. It was published with a Foreword by Gandhi in 1946.^[31]^[32]

Gandhi believed that at the core of every religion was truth and love (compassion, nonviolence and the Golden Rule). He also questioned hypocrisy, malpractices and dogma in all religions and was a tireless social reformer. Some of his comments on various religions are:

"Thus if I could not accept Christianity either as a perfect, or the greatest religion, neither was I then convinced of Hinduism being such. Hindu defects were pressingly visible to me. If untouchability could be a part of Hinduism, it could but be a rotten part or an excrescence. I could not understand the raison d'etre of a multitude of sects and castes. What was the meaning of saying that the Vedas were the inspired Word of God? If they were inspired, why not also the Bible and the Koran? As Christian friends were endeavouring to convert me, so were Muslim friends. Abdullah Sheth had kept on inducing me to study Islam, and of course he had always something to say regarding its beauty." (source: his autobiography)

"As soon as we lose the moral basis, we cease to be religious. There is no such thing as religion over-riding morality. Man, for instance, cannot be untruthful, cruel or incontinent and claim to have God on his side."

"The sayings of Muhammad are a treasure of wisdom, not only for Muslims but for all of mankind."

Later in his life when he was asked whether he was a Hindu, he replied:

"Yes I am. I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew."

In spite of their deep reverence to each other, Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore engaged in protracted debates more than once. These debates exemplify the philosophical differences between the two most famous Indians at the time.

On January 15, 1934, an earthquake hit Bihar and caused extensive damage and loss of life. Gandhi maintained this was because of the sin committed by upper caste Hindus by not letting untouchables in their temples (Gandhi was committed to the cause of improving the fate of untouchables, referring to them as Harijans, people of Krishna).

Tagore vehemently opposed Gandhi's stance, maintaining that an earthquake can only be caused by natural forces, not moral reasons, however repugnant the practice of untouchability may be.

FamousGandhiQuotes

2007-11-12T08:41:00.000Z

Gandhi became the symbol of the Indian struggle for independence in the first half of the twentieth century. Apart from the Indian nationalists who rallied under his leadership, he inspired writers, political figures, and filmmakers.

One of the most famous works inspired by Gandhi was the 1982 Richard Attenborough movie in which Ben Kingsley starred as Gandhi. If you have watched the movie you will definitely remember a Gandhi quote or two. Here are some more inspiring quotations by the great man. Each Gandhi quote in this collection abounds in practical wisdom.

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world -- that is the myth of the atomic age -- as in being able to remake ourselves.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
God is conscience.

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.
If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior.
No power on earth can subjugate you when you are armed with the sword of ahimsa. It ennobles both the victor and the vanquished.
Nobody can hurt me without my permission.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.
A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.
A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion.
Adaptability is not imitation.

Gandhism

2007-11-12T08:26:00.000Z

Gandhism or also known as Gandhianism this is a collection of inspirations, principles, beliefs and philosophy of Mohandas K. Gandhi (known as Mahatma Gandhi), who was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence Movement.

It is a body of ideas and principles that describes the inspiration, vision and the life work of Gandhi. The term also encompasses what Gandhi's ideas, words and actions mean to people around the world, and how they used them for guidance in building their own future. Gandhism also permeates into the realm of the individual human being, non-political and non-social. A Gandhian can mean either an individual who follows, or a specific philosophy which is attributed to, Gandhism.

Gandhi stated that “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills."

The pivotal and defining element of Gandhism is satya, a Sanskrit word usually translated into English as truth, whose literal meaning is 'what actually is' (deriving from the root verb as meaning 'to be'). Truth must pervade all considerations of politics, ego, society and convention. Gandhi did not consider himself to be a pacifist, socialist or on any definable spectrum of politics. He professed to adhere to the pure, existing facts of life to make his decisions.

Gandhi’s commitments to non-violence, human freedom, equality and justice arose from his personal examination.

Truth is interpreted subjectively. Gandhism does not demand that its adherents agree to Gandhi’s own principles to the letter, but in spirit. If one honestly believes that violence is sometimes necessary, it is truthful to believe in it. When Gandhi returned to India in the middle of World War I, he said he would have supported the British in the war.

It would have been wrong, according to Gandhi, to demand equal rights for Indians in the Empire, and not contribute to its defence. On the other hand, by the time of the advance of the Japanese in World War II, Gandhi had given up notions of fighting alongside the British and argued for nonviolence instead.

Gandhi developed his vision, thought and way of life by his constant “experimenting with truth” — a phrase that formed the subtitle to his autobiography. He was prepared to learn through trial and error, often admitting to mistakes and changing his behaviour accordingly.

This was particularly notable when Gandhi stopped all nationwide civil resistance in 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident. He would forsake political independence for truth — believing that Indians should not become murderers and commit the very evils they were accusing the British of perpetrating in India.

Gandhism is more about the spirit of Gandhi’s journey to discover the truth, than what he finally considered to be the truth. It is the foundation of Gandhi’s teachings, and the spirit of his whole life to examine and understand for oneself, and not take anybody or any ideology for granted.

Gandhi said: “The Truth is far more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction.”

Gandhi’s philosophy encompassed ontology and its association with truth. For Gandhi, "to be" did not mean to exist within the realm of time, as it has in the past with the Greek philosophers. But rather, "to exist" meant to exist within the realm of truth, or to use the term Gandhi did, satya. Gandhi summarized his beliefs first when he said "God is Truth", which his experimenting later prompted him to change to "Truth is God".

The first statement seemed insufficient to Gandhi, as the mistake could be made that Gandhi was using truth as a description of God, as opposed to God as an aspect of satya. Satya (truth) in Gandhi's philosophy is God. It shares all the characteristics of the Hindu concept of God, or Brahman, and is believed by Gandhians to live within each person as their conscience while at the same time guiding the universe.

Gandhi's Struggle for Indian Independence (1916–1945)

2007-11-12T08:23:00.000Z

Champaran and Kheda

Mahatma Gandhi's first major achievements came in 1918 with the Champaran agitation and Kheda Satyagraha, although in the latter it was indigo and other cash crops instead of the food crops necessary for their survival. Suppressed by the militias of the landlords (mostly British), they were given measly compensation, leaving them mired in extreme poverty.

The villages were kept extremely dirty and unhygienic; and alcoholism, untouchability and purdah were rampant. Now in the throes of a devastating famine, the British levied an oppressive tax which they insisted on increasing. The situation was desperate.

In Kheda in Gujarat, the problem was the same. Gandhi established an ashram there, organizing scores of his veteran supporters and fresh volunteers from the region. He organized a detailed study and survey of the villages, accounting for the atrocities and terrible episodes of suffering, including the general state of degenerate living. Building on the confidence of villagers, he began leading the clean-up of villages, building of schools and hospitals and encouraging the village leadership to undo and condemn many social evils, as accounted above.

But his main impact came when he was arrested by police on the charge of creating unrest and was ordered to leave the province. Hundreds of thousands of people protested and rallied outside the jail, police stations and courts demanding his release, which the court reluctantly granted. Gandhi led organized protests and strikes against the landlords, who with the guidance of the British government, signed an agreement granting the poor farmers of the region more compensation and control over farming, and cancellation of revenue hikes and its collection until the famine ended. It was during this agitation, that Gandhi was addressed by the people as Bapu (Father) and Mahatma (Great Soul).

In Kheda, Sardar Patel represented the farmers in negotiations with the British, who suspended revenue collection and released all the prisoners. As a result, Gandhi's fame spread all over the nation.

AllAboutGandhi

2007-11-12T08:10:00.000Z

Full Name : Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Alternate name: Mahatma Gandhi

Place of birth: Porbandar, Bombay Province, British India

Date of birth: October 2, 1869

Date of death: January 30, 1948 (aged 78)

Movement: Indian independence movement

He Was Known As India's "Father of the Nation"

I have chosen from my time period the spiritual leader known as India's Father of the Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

The reason why i have chosen him because he was the major political and spiritual leader of India and the person who brought about Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of Satyagraha— this is the resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, and firmly founded believed in ahimsa or total non-violence—which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

Gandhi is commonly known in India and across the world as Mahatma Gandhi. In Sanskrit: महात्मा mahātmā means "Great Soul" and is known as Bapu in Gujarati: બાપુ bāpu as this means "Father".

In India, he is officially accorded the honour of Father of the Nation and October 2nd, his birthday, is commemorated each year as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday. On 15 June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution declaring October 2 to be the "International Day of Non-Violence.

This is the trailer to the biopic of one of the most powerful people in the world starring Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, see the struggles, the torments, the power of the British and the relisiance of a country from one man, Gandhi.