Photo Essay: Cause and Effect of Outsourcing

I strayed quite a ways from my original idea with this set. I decided to focus on another timely and prevalent issue in our current society: outsourcing and the demise of the manufacturing industry in the United States. I was looking at many of the objects I own and nearly every single one says “Made in China,” “Made in Taiwan,” or some other distant place. One of the only things I found in my apartment that was “Made in U.S.A.” was a pair of scissors.

I began by going out to the Port of Milwaukee and capturing the shipping containers. This is the main entry for goods to enter into the Milwaukee area. Places like Wal-Mart capitalize on these cheap foreign goods to maximize profits with the illusion of doing a service to the community and saving the consumer money. The end result is the demise of small business and the manufacturing industry in the United States. I traveled around to industrial areas and found numerous abandoned buildings. One was actually proposed to be the future site of a Wal-Mart. The picture I have included of this site is that with the debris and waste on the gravel. This site was actually only about 5-10 miles away from an existing Wal-Mart. Other buildings were in the midst of being torn down.

The final two pictures in the set are sites for small retail and business establishments. In the second to last picture you can see there are three openings “For Lease” all right next door to each other. There is also no one coming in or out of the existing establishments. In the final picture, the entire bottom floor is empty and available.

The full set can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mms10/sets/72157605704673149/

Portraits

For my portrait project I wanted to take more unconventional portraits. I believe that photographs do reveal something about a person. I choose to take candid portraits of two people doing normal daily activities. I took photos of the person I knew, Amanda (shown above), in private situations in her home. The other photographs of the person I didn't know as well, Ryan, were all in public places and situations. These photos show intimate moments in one's home and the places the other chooses to go on a daily basis. You can learn about Amanda by looking at her surroundings and how she chooses to decorate her home and room. Ryan's photos and daily activities inform the viewer about him. For example, in one of the photos, Ryan is reading a book. The viewer can see it is a book about Ireland, informing them that he is interested in the country or possibly even of Irish descent. It was actually quite difficult to get the subjects to relax in their surroundings when they knew a camera was present.

The full set can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mms10

Document

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word document as "something that serves as evidence or proof." Photographs often serve this purpose, whether it be proof of an event, proof of a lifestyle or period of time, or even proof of a life. This lead me to think about other ways in which a person attempts to leave a mark on society or proof that they once existed. After a person has passed on and memories fade, what is left to remind us of their existence? Some are lucky enough to make such a name for themselves that no one will ever forget due to their success, contributions to society, or fame. Others have no problem only living on in the memories of loved ones. Each person chooses to leave their own individual mark.

In our society, one way to remember and honor a loved one is through a grave site. Cemeteries are filled with a variety of stones and vaults that commemorate a person's life. This variety ranges from the most gargantuan statues to tiny unidentifiable crosses. Grave stones are chosen by a variety of people as well, so it is not apparent whether the deceased chose to honor them self with such a stone, or someone else chose for them. Either way, the stone easily affects the perception of the "mark" made by the person it represents.

I had many interesting discoveries while completing this project. All of the photos chosen were from a Catholic cemetery. The first surprising fact I discovered is that the largest and most elaborate stones where the on the grave sites of the clergy. I thought this was very contradictory to the vow of poverty most clergy are expected to take within the Catholic church. The only statues that compared to that of the clergy were monuments that represented a whole families' plot. There was no other individual with a monument as intricate and momentous as the clergy members. Also, in the section with the clergy, there were a few stones that were extremely simple and looked almost insignificant next to the other monuments. I thought it was interesting to see these smaller stones dispersed among such an arrangement.

The graves of the clergy were all gathered in one section extremely close to the chapel. The whole area was up kept extremely well. The other surprise I discovered was the least kept and what appeared to be most insignificant area was a section reserved for children. Many of the grave stones had fallen apart or disappeared among overgrown plants. One of the images I took shows that the road is no longer even paved in this section. These graves are also the furthest away from the chapel. My set of photos on Flickr start out with the most elaborate graves, finishing with the simplest unmarked graves. My favorite image is the final image of an angel with flowers. This was a child's grave with no year, no name, and no markings whatsoever. There was just a simple angel statue that has begun to disintegrate over the years.

The full set can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mms10/sets/72157605446061591/

Light

After completing this project, I discovered that my favorite time of day to photograph was at sunset. Some of my best images resulted from photographing at this time. The sky becomes a mix of gorgeous blues and oranges. The lighting conditions are often a bit darker, so in order to get a clear photo the photographer must use a tripod. The overall effect results in a calming serene image with vivid colors during the summer season.

In my own work, I see that framing is a recurring idea. I am very purposeful in what I decide to choose to include in the image along with my main subject. I also often choose to frame the picture so that the composition is off center. In my mind this creates a more interesting composition and allows the eye to enter and move around the space better. I am also fascinated with the ability to immobilize time and how that relates to the subject matter in the image.

The full set can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mms10/sets/72157605446061591/