Activity 4: Montage

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• Find two examples of photomontages that are either from a commercial source or from a fine art background. Discuss in what context they have been produced and what techniques they share with political photomontages. 
• What messages, if any, are communicated through these photomontages and how effective do you think they are? Consider different ways that each image could have been tackled by the artist and come up with an idea for ‘another in the series’.

I think the techniques and context being used is too of course always bring some kind of message to the attention of the person looking at the photos. These two images totally contradict each other as you can tell, I think the left is portraying that we are destroying our earth. We actually are and it is our fault that we are. It may seem like it'll take forever to do but it's happening quicker and quicker. The right is trying to give itself a nicer day with light. You can tell he's using wallpaper to get rid the of the clouds and darkness. These photos can have a different effect on people but the effect could and seems like it should be strong to everyone no matter what the effect is. I think the left picture can be portrayed also a different way but the idea has been used. These two pictures are really good and i wouldn't see any other way to portray their messages.

Activity 3: Montage

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• As editors exercise their ever-increasing power over information control, what limits would you impose on them as to the extent to which they can manipulate the photographic image? 
• Devise a series of guidelines that will control the release of images that have been constructed for media use so that the public is aware as to the extent of the manipulation.

I think editors don't have a lot of limits besides, of course simple stuff as in not over editing. Making sure it looks clean and having the ability to edit certain things for our sake. Other limits would be not ALWAYS making us look like the number one hero and give others to look good but of course make sure we look just as good. They edit tons of things on pictures to make sure it looks the way they want it so that we cannot see certain things as society, only what they want us too and they have that ability. Guidelines for checking the manipulation is easy. You can always tell when a picture is messed with, yes this editors are professionals but its easy to spot things. If a video is to go with the picture you can tell how the original set up was. For example these pictures, the left is edited the right isn't. If there is a video watching them and Obama was walking in the front we would know okay the left picture was changed drastically. Also for photoshop of the body, everyone is made to look thin when we have possibly seen these people in person or on video. Its so easy to tell when a picture is photoshopped, and knowing many of the government and people who work with it are corrupt, nothing is ever the way its shown to us.