Guest Speaker - Jocelyn Michel

 

1. Name of the speaker:

 Jocelyn Michel - Advertising photography

1. How you describe this person? (ie…spontaneous, intuitive, engaging, researched, dark, moody…)

I would describe Jocelyn as engaging, laid back, spontaneous and very creative. 

1. Describe a moment in his presentation that stood out for you and explain why?

I think the moment, that stood out the most for me, was when he talked about what he wanted to be before he got into photography. Him saying that he originally wanted to be an engineer but deciding he wanted to do photography stood out the most because I cant relate to that. Before deciding that I wanted to do photography (it was just a hobby at first), I was in a different program at Vanier. After realizing the program wasn't for me, I took a gap year to figure everything out. So hearing that his original schooling wasn't photography really stood out to me.

1. What is the genre/discipline that is associated with his style of photography (advertising, documentary, news)?

The genre that is associated with his style of photography is advertising.

1. Was he engaging and why?

I think he was engaging just by the way he talks, he's very chill and laid back. He has a way of talking to people, almost like he wants to make friends with them, while also staying on topic. Explaining how he got where he is was also helpful, because we got to understand him and his work further.

1. How would you recommend this person’s work to someone who knows little about him?

I would probably start off by slowing introducing his pictures to the person, get them used to the pictures while also explaining who Jocelyn is, and what is style of photography is. Seeing as his photos are very spontaneous and creative, slowly introducing his photos is how I would recommend Jocelyn's work.

1. Has he changed your understanding about this type of photography?

I didn't really know much about advertising photography, as I tend to focus more on nature and architecture. So seeing how wild and out there advertising photography can be, did change my understanding of it. I expecting advertising photography to be very calm and laid back, but now I see it can also be very wild and thrill seeking.

1. Do you think his character or personality had anything to do with her success?

I think his personality definitely has something to do with his success, because he's not afraid to speak his mind. He says what he's thinking and doesn't let much stand in his way, while also remaining true to himself. 

1. In about 300 to 500 words, select and talk about a photo that stands out for you.   Make sure to list elements that may contribute to a deeper understanding about his process in photography, or a deeper understanding about photography in general. As well as describe other elements, such as what is it about this photo that attracts your attention?  Perhaps it reminds you of another photo by someone else….

I think this photo stands out to me the most because of my love for nature. I watch a lot of nature documentaries and such, and this almost looks like a still shot from one of those documentaries. This kind of photo and scenery is what I wish to take when I'm old enough and have enough money, I want to be able to travel and take pictures of the scenery around me. I like that in a way the bird almost looks like a shadow about the mountains, rather than just the outline of a small bird. The bird almost looks like it could be gigantic because of how dark and shadowed it is. It gives the image a hint of surrealism with how dark the silhouette of the bird is as opposed to everything else. I like that the image is in black and white, because it leaves you to imagine the colours. How blue was the sky? How crisp white was the snow? Were the trees dark green or in between light and dark?