Reaction Paper 2

Emmet Gowin talked mostly about the photographs he took of his family members. I think he drew my interest in when he talked about how he thought the clear photographs were different to him. Seeing how much the time has changed from his photographs to now strike me again and again. Whenever I take pictures if my pictures turn out blurry, I usually take a new picture, unless the blurry picture is of scenery and not people. There are times when a blurry picture could actually be really inventive, but for the most part I don’t like blurriness. I also found it very interesting when he said, “Rarely am I tempted to speak of originality.) I far prefer the formulation ‘I am the origin of this work’ That simply means that I am responsible for it – that I accept the consequences.” A lot of photographers do their art on their own, in their own style, but most of them have the same style for a little bit. But Emmet doesn’t work like most others, he just does what he sees and that is his art. That is why photography interests me so much; there is really not a “wrong way” to take a picture. All pictures, whether good or bad can be very inspiring to other people.


The picture that struck me the most is the picture of Edith and Elijah, Pennsylvania 1974. This picture is my favorite of his not only because she is pregnant, (which is why I want to go to school, to be an O.B. nurse) but because she seems so comfortable, and although this picture would probably not be allowed in this new time because of their son being naked as well, this picture can speak so many words. It also caught my attention because this picture is using the circular lens as well. It is cool because it almost is as if you are taking the focus of the picture and enhancing that later after you already created the picture, for a more dramatic effect, but the camera he used did it all on its own.