{"id":6953,"date":"2022-10-25T20:15:06","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T20:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/liberatinglens\/?page_id=6953"},"modified":"2022-12-11T21:02:36","modified_gmt":"2022-12-11T21:02:36","slug":"gaty-nicholas-charles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/liberatinglens\/gaty-nicholas-charles\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaty, Nicholas Charles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Thesis & Background<\/h2>\n
\n Joel Meyerowitz is both a photographer and a writer. Meyerowitz is also one of the first photographers to make a successful transition from black-and-white photography to color photography (https:\/\/www.icp.org\/browse\/archive\/constituents\/joel-meyerowitz?all\/all\/all\/all\/0<\/a>). In his photobook, Cape Light (1978), Meyerowitz traveled to Cape Cod in Massachusets, an area he states that he previously did not know of, in order to answer some of the questions about photography that he was encountering in life (Interview. Sullivan, Constance, https:\/\/americansuburbx.com\/2010\/03\/interview-interview-with-joel.html). Traveling to Cape Cod opened Meyerowitz’s eyes, as the majority of his photography has been done in the city, such as New York City, and not knowing what to expect from Cape Cod, as he did not know what it looked like either, but what is even more magical about Cape Cod to Meyerowitz is that he states, ” I hardly made any pictures on the street. Everything else seemed to call to me.” (Interview, Sullivan, Constance, https:\/\/americansuburbx.com\/2010\/03\/interview-interview-with-joel.html) The slow life and quiet life of Cape Cod captured him, just as he captured Cape Cod. I will be primarily focusing on nature-influenced photos, as I feel as if I can relate to Meyerowitz in how I was initially awed by nature after living around the suburbs and city for the majority of my life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This image stood out the most to me. The opening to the seemingly boundless sea and beach grants an almost serene feeling to the viewer.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This photo I love this for the lighting he was able to capture, which even makes me question how he was able to capture such a fast occurrence. The warm orange hues and the bottom half of the dutch door being open gives a welcoming feeling, staring off into the sea. <\/p>\n\n\n

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This next photo is very close to me, as when I felt the most lost, I found comfort in the night waves and night sky. Here, I like how he makes the lampost slightly off center, it is something I find unique. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Meyerowitz’s work is truly eye-catching in the sense that every photo is so serene, day or night, people or not, there is something to pick up on. May it be the boats in the sea, people on the beach, or stores, Meyerowitz displays these coastal cities beautifully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meyerowitz seems to depict houses and the properties they own, which might just be fascinating to him due to the compactness of New York City, along with how empty and unoccupied a lot of the scenes he pictures are, showing how different Cape Cod is to New York City. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>

Methodology<\/h2>\n
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Looking through Meyerowitz’s photo book, you can begin to catch what and how he pictures the images in the book. Firstly, there are very few photos that actually involve people up close, and if my counting is correct, I counted maybe 5 photos. A lot of the photos include people from a distance, or no people at all, just what is in front of him. Compared to his earlier photos in New York City, the capturing of a minuscule amount of people is very different than what he found here, so the photos of people found in Cape Light are very much contrary to the photos he took of people in New York City. When it comes to people, as I stated above, he either took photos of people from far distances, or very up close, and to what I could tell, they were likely almost never staged. Below are some photos that go to show how he pictured people in the Cape Cod area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s difficult to tell, but in the photo below there is a person standing on the part of the beach that reaches out into the sea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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It seems many of Meyerowitz’s photos are candid, capturing the motion as it was at that very moment in the photo and not really waiting for anything to happen. A vast majority of his photos also include houses and the amount of space they and property they have, including how they overlook the ever-expanding ocean. To me, it almost seems he is also capturing the difference between New York City and Cape Cod<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel as if I can relate to this in a way that I have grown around Detroit my entire life, and being in Ann Arbor and so close to rural parts of Washtenaw County, I find myself taking pictures of landscapes I have never seen before. I wish to portray the same style in my photography.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>

Photo Analysis<\/h2>\n
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Gallery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I pondered how I would take my photos, inspired by Meyerowitz, I did not know where to start. How could I compete, or even mimic a professional? I found the answer to be simple, being to capture what I thought was amazing, and what I thought needed to be captured. I learned that it was not about waiting for something to happen to capture the moment, it was purely, and simply, capturing the moment as it was happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photographing nature is not new to me, however, looking through Meyerowitz’s Cape Light <\/em>opened my eyes, and improved how I take my photos. It opened my eyes to the importance of taking photos at different times of the day, lighting, and other photography techniques such as using objects as center points of the photo. While it doesn’t occur all the time, when I looked at Meyerowitz’s photos, I saw that he at times focuses on objects, or specifically will incorporate objects into his photo to add to whatever scene he was picturing. I also noticed that Meyerowitz would go into town to take photos of the town, rather than just taking photos of nature and landscape. I figured this was him comparing the traffic-jammed New York City to this quiet Provincetown. I decided to do the same, including a few photos of the city. I am glad I was able to analyze the photos of a professional in a field of photography I find interesting and give my attempts at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marquette, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan. Around sunrise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan. Before sunrise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan. Around sunset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan. Game day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan. Game day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tawas City, Michigan. Around sunset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan. A while after sunrise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Munising, Michigan. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Munising, Michigan. Pictured Rocks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Near New Berry, Michigan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Luna Pier, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Monroe Michigan. Inside Sterling State Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Mackinac Island, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Mackinac Island, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Monroe, Michigan. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Mackinac Island, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Au Gres, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Au Gres, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Just outside of Chelsea, Michigan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Wyandotte, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Marquette, Michigan. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ann Arbor, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the photographs I chose to display (which I intend to add more along the way), I only intended and waited to take one photo, which is the photo of the lightning, as there was no way I was going to randomly capture it. Being in Washtenaw County, I wanted to picture as many different types of themes as possible, the countryside, along with the city, with a mix of my own photos I captured around the state to show equally as unpopulated parts of the state in comparison to Ann Arbor. I tried to capture both the day, as well as the night, the trees and the water, and the city, and its events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking more into my pictures, there is a bunch I did not notice before. Such as the photos with the three birds and the sunset, which I did not notice until I looked into it, is how the path almost leads to the sunset, a symbol I find happiness in, and to me, it’s almost like a path to happiness. There is also a large difference between some of these photos that is very noticeable. Some are taken with my old phone, only coming in at 12MP, while some were taken with my new phone, coming in at 48MP, a 4x difference. It truly shows as well with how the photos come out when other factors such as light and darkness and bright objects are included. Such as the photo of the streetlights and graveyard at night while it was foggy. I really like how my camera was able to pick up on the fog as well as the light and how it came out crystal clear. Through my pictures, I tried to recreate the excitement and almost “woah” feeling I felt when I came across each scene. Adventuring out on my own was something I picked up during 2020 to cope with the emotions I felt during the lockdown (primarily the summer before my first year of undergrad). I would travel all over the state and sleep in my car. One of these photos is the 10th photo (counting down, left to right). This was at Pictured Rocks in the Northern Peninsula. The hike was amazing, littered with the sounds of birds, kayakers below, and boats in the distance. With the forest to my right and the seemingly boundless and blue Lake Superior to my left, I felt calm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Selected Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This photo was taken at Tawas State Park, at a little part of a beach I found going off-path, and it was taken on the same path I took when I went to the Upper Peninsula. The suns reflection almost looks like it creates a path along the water that grows larger and larger, a scene that looked unique to me. As it sits right above the clouds, it also allowed for visible beams of light to extend out of the clouds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This photo was taken this year in September. It was entirely staged in the sense that I stood outside with my camera pointed toward the sky waiting for something to happen. What I saw in this picture when I began to look at it is how it almost looks like the lightning mimics the roofs of the houses below it. Other than that, this is one of my favorite images as the time it took to take it, and after that, how amazing it was to look at. Seeing the main arc break into two, and then those two breaking into many other arcs truly was fascinating, especially near the bottom where it splinters into many different arcs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grand Haven, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This photo was taken over Thanksgiving break during a day trip I took to Grand Haven, Michigan. It was taken from outside my car in a parking lot just a few hundred feet from Lake Michigan. I went for the sunset, and what I received is now to me my favorite photo I have ever taken. The pure pitch blackness of the ground, the silhouettes of the fence posts and trees, the blazing red hues, and the moon, I feel as if this image is my best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slideshow 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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