When I decided to take formal portrait for my Facebook friend, I tried to find someone who lives in Columbia, MO, so that I would be able to meet them quickly. I found out that there were two people that I've never met them before. However, we were friends for a year. The first one is a Chinese student at Mizzou. He added me as friends one year ago. Maybe we had three same friends so he added me. Then I contacted him on Messenger yesterday when I finished my art education class. He was happy to meet me and to talk with me. He said he would be available tomorrow. Eventually, I went to the office in which he worked this morning. Then I took his formal portrait. I just known that he is the minorities in China. It was amazing to meet him. The second one is also a Mizzou student. I used the way to contact her and I got the message from her quickly. We planed to meet near downtown. When we met this morning, she was a beautiful girl in reality. I saw some her photos posted on Facebook before. However, I thought she was more beautiful when I met her face to face. Then I took portrait for her. It just took me one hour to do these portraits. However, it was deserved to do these things. I was happy to make friends online but more delighted to meet them in reality. It was wonderful to listen their stories even if we just known each other in a short time. But this was a good beginning for me and for them to know people around us. I really appreciated this assignment.
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This my photography project. I think it could be a big idea investigation focusing on history.Back in 1930s, as the No.1 Far East metropolis, Shanghai definitely deserved to be the top fashion city in China. All the latest fashion originated here, and the degree of openness at that time even surpassed today’s China. In fact, it was a very liberal society with several European Concessions. Shanghai cultural symbols have been spread and become known all over the world. The Shanghai style cheongsam is the most striking symbol, which is the most charming clothing for Shanghai women. In dim light, a beauty dressed in luxurious cheongsam with wavy hair and exquisite mouth and makeup, will attract the attention of many people. In 1930s, Shanghai was flourishing. However, with the invasion of Japan, “Shanghai Dreams” came to a halt just as it was approaching a climax.
“Shanghai, Shanghai night, you are a city that never sleeps……” Modern Chinese people have a good memory of 1930s’ Shanghai. I do miss living in that glorious, intellectual and spontaneous time of history, the 1930sIf one day I could travel back in time to 1930s’ Shanghai, what would I see? One night, I was watching some photos about 1930s’ Shanghai celebrities, such as Lingyu Ruan, Xuan Zhou. Because I was sleepy and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in an old studio, holding a vintage camera. At this time, there came a beautiful lady with a fascinating smile. She told me she just got married, and her husband was on a business trip so she came here to take pictures by herself. While we were taking pictures, she shared her love stories. From her eyes, I read in her eyes that she was a newly married Shanghai women living a simple life with happiness. In a few moments, there came a beauty wearing a beautiful cheongsam. If I guessed right, she is a famous Shanghai socialite. Sizing her up, I saw a fashionable, mature and confident Shanghai women. However, from her eyes I could read something deeper -- a women shuttling between vanity and shyness, which is hard for us to understand. When I was about to finish shooting, there was a charming lady coming to ask me whether I could help her take some portraits as a memory gift. I glanced at her appearance, guessing that she should be a prostitute. However, she seemed to come from a wealthy family when I observed her deportment. During the shooting, she told me she was “sold” to a pimp by her relatives when her family went bankrupt. From that time on, she became a prostitute without any alternatives. During the entire shooting, she was a little bit depressed, however, she was beautiful and charming. I quietly watched a view of her back disappearing in the crowd. I wished she could meet someone to love and live in a happy life. While the only thing I could do was to give my best wishes to her. Soon, I had the fourth guest. It was a little girl who was approximately 15 or 16 years old. She told me that today is her sixteenth birthday. According to the local custom, people here would take a group of pictures to commemorate their adulthood. During shooting, she was very cheerful. She said she was living in Stone Warehouse Gate which is a traditional Shanghainese architectural style building combining Western and Chinese elements that first appeared in the 1860s. She liked the unfettered life, but she did not know how long this kind of life could last. I sincerely hoped that she would always stay in this happy moment. When I was about to close the door of this studio, a young woman came to ask me if I could photograph some pictures for her. She wanted them to be buried in her husband’s cemetery. She told me that her husband died in the war just a few days after they were married. making her a widow. She said she hated the war, but she could not change her fate, even while sobbing silently. I did not know how to express my feeling. There was something joyful, and sorrowful at the same time Indeed, this was a complex era of history with many facets. This was an era of fashion, grace, and charm, however individuals were struggling with their fate. In one word, these five women embodied the different classes in the greater Shanghai 1930s. Art assignments might be as same as the ones from other subjects at school. Instructors either just assign homework verbally, show the slides on which the assignments are written, or write the assignment down on the blackboard. Before watching the Art Assignments Video, however, I have never imagined that the assignments can be set by videos. Even having a filmmaking undergraduate major, I have never thought about assigning homework by a visual and auditory means. When watching the videos, students could understand teachers’ ideas and requirements quickly and clearly. Moreover, it is essential for students to dig into the background such as the relevant history and figures related to the topic. As a result, students would cultivate their personality and expand their horizon by understanding the background. Having watched the six videos, News Photographer, Photo a Friend, Body in Place, Paper Weavings, Embarrassing Object, and Expanded Moment, I would choose Photo a Friend as my favorite. I am impressed by the topic because that if I am assigned to teach, I might just let my students take some selfies or teach them some important skills of photography while ignore the meanings behind the assignment. I am fond of photographer Tanja Hollander’s idea. Since 2011 she has been on a mission to photograph all 626 of her Facebook friends in their homes and to take their formal portraits. She travels around the world to visit her friends, acquaintances or someone she barely knows. In the video, she further explained her idea clearly and how does she accomplish the idea. What’s more, this video provides some ideas and opinions about the topic, thus the students could take them as reference. Followed with the opinions is the introduction of a photographer, Sander. He has taken hundreds of portrait of German citizens and categorized them by occupation. His photos, like Tanja’s, put audiences in direct eye contact with his subjects, offering audiences the feeling of familiarity, despite the distance of location or time. However, history is a very crucial subject, we cannot teach art apart from history. When watching the video, students would be aware of the importance of history, and would look for some information related to photography history. The 21st century, which we also call it the era of internet, has changed human beings’ daily life. It seems that people visit each other less, even if they live in the same city. Although in some case, when people sitting face to face with their friends, they would still use their phones chatting with others. It is obvious that the relationship among people is getting paler in the society. However, Tanja’s idea is meaningful. She contacts and visits her friends, and acquaintances by taking formal portrait regardless of they are close or distant. This is an effective way to get together and to cultivate friendship. Obviously, the big idea embedded in this art assignment is friendship and relationship. Relationship plays an important role in our life, and it deserves us rethink the relationship among people in this day and age. By means of Sander’s and Tanja’s ideas, we might have a better understanding of the extension of relationship.
I never dreamed that one day I would be a Mizzou graduate student focusing on Art Education. It was a long journey when I decided to apply for the master degree. I was suffering the pain from taking TOEFL test which I took SIX times to gain the good result. I am a lucky girl and finally I was accepted by the University of Missouri and I am one of the tigers now. |