Intro & Chapter 1

One of the sentences in the introduction sets the president for the rest of the book: "It challenges the traditional stereotype of photography". That is contemporary photography, challenging everything we thought we knew about photography, giving the audience something new. I also like the that the introduction recognizes the fact that the photographs do not necessarily fit into one chapter (one type of concept or idea). Photographs are always a combination of different ideas and categories. Often they are more obviously one type of theme, but there are always different ideas interwoven in every photo. This is true of all types of photography, but especially contemporary. I especially liked the story of Stephen Shore. The age at which he started I feel points out that contemporary photography and its art is beyond traditional photographer and camera, and is instead about concepts.

Discovering how photography began to be used for displaying ideas and themes, versus just being used to document, was very interesting to read about. From the highly theatrical and idea oriented works of Melanie Manchot to the more comedic works of Tatsumi Orimoto, there is unity in all of these different photographers in that they all push the boundaries and ideas of photography. My personal favorite is Gillian Wearing's, "Signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say." I already love signs and using written words in a photograph, and this concept takes it to the next level. The idea of letting a person have a voice, and say whatever they want-through a photo, is incredible. The interaction that brings with the subjects is great. This whole chapter is a great first chapter to contemporary photography.

Media Blog 2

One of the reasons American culture has skewed views on certain topics is because we often trust media as a reflection or window into who we are. The media shows us a specific take on life and to think that what we see in the movies, music, and even online is what real life is has really shaped and affected our cultures view. One of the concepts that the media has portrayed in a light that is very skewed is fundamentalist Christians. fundamentalist Christians stress certain core beliefs, such as the inerrancy of the Bible, the literal nature of the Biblical accounts, the Virgin Birth of Christ, the bodily resurrection of Christ, and the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross. However most people in America do not perceive fundamentalists in this way primarily because of the media and how it portrays them.
The article “War of the Words” by Molly Marcot is an example of the medias portrayal of fundamental Christians. The article talks about how 200 community members stood against a rally that fundamentalist Christians had protesting homosexuality. The students standing against the Christians were chanting "Black, white, gay, straight, we're together fighting hate!"
Meanwhile, the Christians were standing on Northwester High School in Hyattsville with signs that said: "Fags Doom Nations" and "Mourn for Your Sins." The Christians that were rallying were the Westboro Baptist Church, a very radical, fanatic church. They are seen to be fundamentalists by the media, as shown in this article, however many of their beliefs are not biblical. The older sister of a student at Northwester, Julia Ruth, said, “It's very disheartening to see a church group trying to spread hate. Why would these people want to come here? There are so many loving people here." The media sees fundamentalist Christians as those who hate those who don’t believe the same way they do.
However, from a Christian view, a fundamentalist Christian is something different. Dale A. Robbins in “What people Ask About the Church” explains that the world may view believing the virgin birth and believing the bible is the inspired word of God is not in fact radical as the world sees it, but instead is very basic to the Christian faith. Robbins says that “From the Christian perspective, fundamentalist has traditionally referred to any follower of Christ who believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and who believes in its literal interpretation and fundamental teachings.” Essentially, fundamentalists are Christians who are uncompromising and who take their beliefs to the max. Robbins recognizes that in current society “fundamentalist” has come to be used for extremists and radicals. The media portrays them as fanatics, but according to Robbins a fundamentalist is simply any follower of Christ who holds to what the Bible says one hundred percent.
The idea of fundamentalism seen in chapter 4 of “Quoting God” is interesting in light of how the media portrays specifically Christian fundamentalists. The author of the chapter, Corey Flintoff says that it is difficult to “introduce modern standards of journalism in areas where repressive regimes or religions have held sway.” Flintoff makes it obvious that he thinks the view of fundamentalism is something that should be loosened, and that is what he tried to do while dealing with the Mongian fundamentalists. Obviously, through this chapter and through the media, fundamentalists are portrayed as something different than what they are viewed as by Christians.

Chapters 4 & 5

My idea and perception of still life was broadened immensely by chapter 4. I was surprised by how most of the artists discussed in this chapter did not set up their still life, but rather found most or all of the elements already set up, and simply captured it. Orozco's idea of using art as a vehicle for ideas in relation to photography and still life intrigues me. Through photography we are telling the viewer that we took the photo of everyday items for a specific reason. Photography forces the viewer to look at what we want them to look at, and through that gives average or mundane things a very purposeful quality. While the "visual pun" idea of Richard Wentworth's work was interesting, photographing signs and debris of urban streets seems very cliche to me. However, I really enjoyed Tracy Baran's photo "Dewy". The almost heavenly feel of this ordinary scene is radical to me. In general, I loved seeing all of the different artists ways of making me look at ordinary life in a little bit different way.

One of my favorite aspects of intimate photography is the fact that it is raw and real. Mistakes and imperfections are left in, and that makes it real life. Real life is not perfect, and it seems that intimate photography captures that in such an intriguing way. However, this type of photography is very graphic and explicit, and honestly it was something to get used to in reading through the chapter. I can't say that I liked it, but I appreciated it. The work of Juergen Teller and Corinne Day I find very interesting. The idea of "pulling the curtain back" on the fashion industry is great. Also the life in Ryan Mcginley's "Gloria" is interesting as well as his story in bringing a new step to this genre of photography.

Media Blog 1

Sociologist Christian Smith argues that “evangelicals operate with a very strong sense of boundaries that distinguish themselves from non-Christian and from non-evangelical Christians.” (Badaracco, pg. 27) No matter how un-biased and objective view a journalist or reporter attempts to attain, there will always be something of themselves and their views in the articles they write. It is impossible to be completely un-biased, simply because we are human. This is true of faith and religion as well. When a reporter or Journalist has a certain faith, it will at some point show through in their writing.

Cal Thomas is an example of someone whose religion penetrates his journalism. Three of the articles that demonstrate this are “Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Care”, “Explaining Evil”, and the very explicit example of faith in “What Revival Looks Like.” In each of these there are obvious examples in the way that Thomas has faith and allows it to come through in his writing. At times it seems that he purposefully lets his faith be obvious, and other times it found to be more subtle. But either way Thomas’ belief in God can be seen through his writing.

In his article “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Care”, Cal Thomas talks about how President Obama has told gay rights groups he intends to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military. The beginning of the article comments on the fact that the Pentagon poll touted by Gates and Mullen was "rigged," and later he talks about the arguments made by the Obama administration for repealing the law. But eventually, near the end of the article, Thomas begins to bring up the question of morals and ethics. He asks why we are seeing so many challenges to what society used to all agree on was “right” and “wrong”. He says, “It is because we no longer regard the Author of what is right. Loosed from that anchor, we drift in a sea of personal ‘morality’”

Thomas’ article “Explaining Evil” explores the natural questions that come from the aftermath of the “senseless wounding of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona, and the murder of six others, including U.S. District Judge John Roll and 9-year-old Christina Green.” He looks at the fact that blame is being thrown around and questions are being asked such as; is the clerk at the Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson

partly to blame for selling Jared Lee Loughner the Glock 19 9mm gun? He quotes John McCain in a statement about the situation where he blames the shooter, and says that he was "a wicked person who has no sense of justice or compassion." After this, Thomas uses as sentence with words that point towards his belief in ethics. He says, “That is moral clarity. It places blame where it should be, on the shooter.” He also says later that “evil exists and a few are possessed by it.” He then goes on to quote C. S. Lewis.

Perhaps one of Thomas’ most explicitly faith based articles is “What Revival Looks Like” in which he dives into the topic of American Christianity and revival in America. Thomas looks at how revival has started in the past, explaining that they did not start with the mobilization of large crowds, but instead from people humbling themselves and praying. Prayer is what started revivals; that, and genuine repentance and a confession of personal guilt before a holy God.

Cal Thomas, just like any other reporter or journalist, is not completely objective in his articles. His faith bleeds through, and his belief in God is evident.

Chapter 2 & 3

The idea of photographic narrative really appeals to me. Story telling through photos is one of my passions, I love setting up a scene and then capturing it. (One of the reasons I want to do album artwork) Jeff Walls work is interesting in that it has almost a photojournalistic feel to it, yet it is still staged. Even though a lot of work went into the scenes, and they are very interesting, I tend to prefer the works of Gregory Crewdson and Izima Kaora which are very obviously staged. I love the fact that an idea can be portrayed so well through a photo narrative, such as Yinka Shonibare's "diary of a Victorian Dandy".

Before reading the chapter 3, I assumed that deadpan only included people and their faces. (Such as Thomas Ruff, and Hiroshi Sugimoto) It is interesting to see the extent that deadpan aesthetic. I personally really like Andreas Gurskys work and how the originality within this type of photography. (even though hes not the only one) This style is really interesting both in the photographs with people, and with scenery.

Blog 2: Philosophy Interview

It’s interesting how you can ask someone deep probing question after deep probing question and they are happy to answer, but when you ask any question involving God, walls go up and the talking shuts down. I interviewed a photojournalist from a well-known newspaper in San Diego who requested to be anonymous. For this reason we will call her Penny. This friendly, chipper woman answered the first several questions I had with no problem and in great detail. However when I got to my first question about God, I was on shaky ground.

When asked why she did the job that she did, Penny responded immediately with,

“That is a really good question to ask, especially these days.”

She then went on to explain her duties as photojournalist,

“Various requests come into the photo department for photos for whatever section, the requests are deemed worth shooting or not. They are assigned to whatever time they need to be happening.”

Penny works from 8am until 4:30pm and things that come in during that time she can be assigned to shoot.

“All photographers shoot everything. We all carry boots and water.”

I asked her why she believed what she did matters. She responded,

“Because people need to be informed.”

She explained that many working people are too busy to find out important information about the world around them that greatly affects them.

“If you are busy then they rely on people like us to let them know if their city officials are corrupt, or if a natural disaster hits.”

Penny answered the question “is what you do connected to the larger trends in the 21^st century journalism or public relations?” with insightful answers.

“Qualified news organization matters even more now than it ever did, because there are so many ways to get information form twitter, or facebook but obviously that will be coming from a particular point of view. And hopefully your news organization gives you both sides of the story.”

Up until this point Penny’s answers flowed freely and my questions seemed fairly easy for her to respond to. However my next question gave her trouble. I asked what she thought God’s role was in this world, if she thought there was a God. She paused for a second, and then talked about how she saw God in the her relationships with people.

Then after doing her best to answer the questions, she stopped suddenly and asked in a defensive way,

“How are these journalism questions?”

After I explained that I was in a philosophy of journalism class, she went on to say,

“I think religion doesn’t necessarily have a place in journalism. But the concept of religion needs to be better explained, now more so than ever.”

Even though she answered the question, bringing the idea of God into a situation put her on edge to say the least. God is a touchy subject, however as Christians it is our job to bring Him up, even if it is uncomfortable.

Blog 1: Conflict of Interest Interview

Name: Bernardo Alts
Photo Editor
St. Gabriella valley newspaper group

Working journalists in the field whether they are a photojournalist, a writer, or a reporter all face the same moral and ethical problems almost every day. There is a fine line between the freedom and need for truth and honestly in the media, and crossing over into displaying truth that can hurt or offend the public. Justice fits into this ethical dilemma also because, as Plaisance says, “What we refer to as justice now embraces a range of ideas and theories, including the claims that we have certain rights, that these legal rights are based on moral theory and obligations, and that justice also is linked somehow to ideas of fairness, of equality of impartiality and to a notion of social good.” (pg. 75) What is fair and just when it comes to topics covered? Is there such a thing as shedding too much light on a subject? Even if something is wrong does not mean it should necessarily be displayed for the world to see, even though sometimes that seems like the most just thing to do. Edward Wasserman of Media Ethics Magazine talks about many ethical dilemmas in his article “Threats to ethical Journalism in the New Media Age". He says that readers are “still entitled to honest, independent reportage.” But also that “plainly the rules governing conflict of interest need to be re-examined.”

Ethical problems and conflicts are important, not only because it has to do with morals, but also because it is something that journalists deal with often. Bernardo Alts of the Whittier Daily News is a journalist who comes into contact with this conflict every day. Alts is the photo editor for not only Whittier Daily News, but St. Gabriella Valley Newspaper Group. Born in Brazil, Alts has always loved photography.
“I have my BA at the university of Sao Paulo. I came to California in 1981 I had already done it (photography) in Brazil. I knew exactly that I wanted to do that.”
“I was a staff photographer before, I moved into the photo editor position because we didn’t have anyone. I love photography and I love story telling, it’s a natural thing I’ve don’t it since high school its what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Alts has a passion for photojournalism, but also understands the ethical dilemmas that face journalists.
“Almost every day we are faced with stories that have the potential of hurting someone, we have to weigh it carefully to see you come up against that all the time.” When asked about whether or not journalists should cover certain a
There should always be freedom to cover it, but I would definitely not publish it. (speaking about tough issues) There are certain things that even though they are true, you don’t need to put it out there.”
However Alts realizes that in the end it is not the journalists who decide what gets covered.
“Everyone complains about stars getting harassed, yet everyone buys the inquirer. In the end readers determine themselves what get covered.”