Group Portrait

(from left) Leftrick Herd, Anthony French, Aden Zurita, James Kelly and Dani Monreal discuss their photojournalism assignment, Wednesday March 30, at Pima Community College West Campus

I liked this project because it allowed my classmates and I to use our newly learned photographic skills to take a group picture that was interesting and story telling. I personally enjoyed this photo because it accomplished a sense of urgency and communication my group members had in trying to finish the assignment diligently and promptly.

Albert S. Southworth was born in 1811 in West Farleigh Vermont. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover and became a pharmacist in Cabotville, Massachusetts. It was there where he learned of the daguerreotype, which was the first publicly announced photographic process in 1839, through a former classmate, Joseph Pennell, who invited him to New York to learn the process from Samuel F.B. Morse. By May of 1840 he became partners with Pennell and said, ”I can now make perfect pictures in one hour’s time…that would take a painter weeks to draw”(britannica.com).
Southworth and Pennell worked to perfect the daguerreotype process for portraiture. In 1841 they moved to Boston in Scollay Square with intentions of becoming society portraitists. Pennell left the partnership and was replaced by Josiah Johnson Hawes. “They worked together with the exception of two years from 1849 to 51, when Southworth participated in the California Gold Rush.” (photographymuseum.org)
Hawes was born on a farm in East Sudbury, Massachusetts in 1808. At seventeen he worked for a carpenter for six years, which he gave up to be an artist. “I purchased books, colors and brushes and commenced the study of art, “I practiced miniature painting on ivory, likewise portraits in oil, landscapes, etc. with no teacher but my books” (photographymuseum.org). In 1841, after seeing a daguerreotype for the first time, he said, ”it changed my course entirely… I gave up painting and commenced daguerreotyping” (photographymuseum.org). He studied the process with Daguerre’s student and agent, Francis Fauvel Gouraud in Boston.
In 1843 he joined in partnership with Albert Southworth in the newly established Boston studio. In 1849, he married Southworth’s sister, Nancy Niles Southworth.
During their 20 years of collaboration, Southworth and Hawes catered to Boston society and the famous. Their approach was to create a distinction between the appropriate styles for personal versus public portraiture. Southworth and Hawes avoided contrived poses and painted backdrops. Instead, they gave each customer personal attention, making spontaneous portraits that revealed the personality of the sitter. “Among their sitters were Louisa May Alcott, Lyman Beecher, Benjamin Butler, William Ellery Channing, Rufus Choate, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Charlotte Cushman, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Dorothea Dix, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edward Everett, William Lloyd Garrison, Grace Greenwood, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sam Houston, Thomas Starr King, Louis Kossuth, Jenny Lind, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Horace Mann, Donald McKay, Lola Montez, George Peabody, William H. Prescott, Lemuel Shaw, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charles Sumner, Daniel Webster, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Robert C. Winthrop” (Wikipedia.org).



Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1857. (Wikipedia.org)

Southworth and Hawes most impressive accolade historically is arguably capturing the ether anesthesia delivered at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1847. Dr. William Thomas Green Morton administered ether to a patient and removed a tumor from a patient’s neck. Morton's public demonstration of general anesthesia was therefore historic. To commemorate this momentous event, Southworth and Hawes were asked to daguerreotype the operation. The photograph would have taken place, but Hawes was squeamish about the blood, and they photographed a re-enactment instead. On April 3, 1847, Southworth and Hawes were called upon to record an actual operation, again with the patient under ether.


Southworth and Hawes preforming reenactment of ether procedure, 1847.

The two men also made daguerreotypes of landscapes, cityscapes, and scenes that were not then accepted as proper subjects of photography, such as hospital operating rooms. They worked together until 1861 when Southworth ended the partnership. They are renowned for their revolutionary creativity and innovation in photography.


The Longfellow Family.
Longfellow with his second wife Fanny Appleton and two children.
Date 1849(1849)


Title: Ralph Waldo Emerson
Date: ca. 1857
Medium: albumen print, coated


Title: Rollin Heber Neale
Date: ca. 1850

Works Cited
"America's First Masters of Photography: Southworth & Hawes." American Museum of Photography -- View Great Photographs Online -- History of Photography Exhibits. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. .
"Biographies: Southworth & Hawes." George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, NY. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. .
"Southworth & Hawes." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. .
"Southworth & Hawes." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. .

"Rocketman" closeup of neon artwork at the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, Pima Community College, March 23.

This picture is enticeing for a number of reasons in my opinion. THe photo implies a sense of motion with the toy man being rocketed into the sky by his fellow toy men underneath him due to the blur. I love the neon ring around the men as a reflection of light as well how it compliments the circle of men as a "launch pad". The color is very complimentary to the neon circle.






The "Leaning Chair of Balance"piece of art at the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, Pima Community College, March 23.


This photograph is my favorite that was taken due to the ironic still implying unbalanced motion. The photograph captures the message of the photograph which is the world revolving ever so fragile around the worlds orbit. I also like the shadow aspects of the backdrop and the globe on top of the chair.







David Andres (far right), the creator of the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, explains specific works, Pima Community College, March 23.


This photograph was chosen because it captures the creator of the gallery along with students eager to photograph the works and listen to the explanations he was giving. It also encapsulates many of the works at the gallery which was the most difficult part of the shot .

"Diffused Light Portrait"

James Kelley stands over Pima Community College on a sunny day, March 2.

I liked this exercise because it has challenged my photography skills more than any other assignment. I tried getting close without invading James' personal space, but it wasn't close enough on the aperture priority rating of 2.8. Now I know how to get as close as possible to concentrate on the details of the portrait to the best of the picture's ability. My favorite aspect of the photo was the depth of his facial features with reflected light and shadows.

Depth of Field

Looking through the fence of the Pima West baseball field in the afternoon Wednesday, February 23.

I like this photo because it definitively pleases the depth of "field" assignment. The simplicity is my favorite aspect of the photograph and the encapsulating characteristic of the diamond baseball field. A player or multiple players on the field would have been ideal, and incorporating a more details as such in my photo would be my priority next time to have a more intriguing photo for a journalism story.

Action Shot

Ilya Bryzgalov, goaltender of the Phoenix Coyotes, attentive of incoming pucks at Jobing.com Arena during the evening hockey game Sunday, February 19.

The photograph captures the story of the game. The Coyotes lost 4-2 and Bryzgalov was a major reason the game was that close. The picture itself is very simple, much more anticipation of action rather than instantaneous action. The aspect of this photo that I like best is the simplicity and direct story telling capability. It symbolizes the teams efforts, especially Bryzgalov's in a losing effort. I may try to get a photograph of a goal scoring or celebration next time that will better explain the story to a reader, especially if the home team wins to exemplify celebration.

Brianna Bloodworth enjoys a laugh with a costumer at Santa Rita Cafe at Pima Community College during an early afternoon shift on Wednesday, February 9th.

I enjoyed doing this assignment because I was very nervous about communicating with people that I intended to take photographs of. Luckily, Brianna Bloodworth was pleasantly excited about getting her picture taken. She greeted me once I walked in Santa Rita Cafe and we immediately struck a conversation about my assignment which resulted in her basically volunteering to be my subject. Being cheerful and charismatic, Brianna was extremely photogenic, so I decided to capture her interacting with a costumer. My favorite elemental aspect of the photo is the action because it emphasizes Pima's great attitude with personalization of Brianna's individual personality. During my next assignment that involves interaction with people, I intend to vocalize my goal to the subject more to optimize the chance of an ideal shot.