The Photography Realm

by Barbara Cardinale

We are over half way into the semester, with less than 600 pieces left to photograph.  During week five I was able to learn more about the photography realm of the project.  I was really intrigued by the Oscar Bailley works, not only because they were shot on USF property and produced at Graphicstudio, but also because of the interesting way in which the photographic prints were created.  My favorite piece by Bailley was titled Ed Ruscha because of the way in which the photograph was taken.  I learned that there are two different types of cameras that capture a panoramic view.  A cirkut camera takes a 360 degree shot, whereas a banquet camera only takes an 180 degree photograph.  Ed Rushca was taken with a a cirkut camera.  What is so unique about this technique is that the lens of the camera and the film in the camera run in the opposite direction of one other to create the wide panoramic picture.  The lens and film run slow, so artist Ed Ruscha is seen multiple times in the picture, sometimes in full form, and in between him are ghost-like images of himself moving down the line of the image.  As he moved, he displayed a different book that he wrote, one by one as he walked.  Words can't really capture the magnificence of this piece, but I feel so fortunate that I had the opportunity to see it and learn about this amazing, photographic technique.