Final Reflection

Consumed. (Future Tense)

     This image is representative of my creative development in that it combines many aspects of composition—subject matter, angle, framing, color story, etc.—in communicating a theme. The burnt matches as subject matter fall very obviously into the title theme consumed. Equally effective, however, is the angle of the image, which creates an affinity between the subject matter and the background, as the combusted matches appear almost to emerge from the black abyss. The framing of the shot also accentuates this dissolution of the photograph as the viewer's attention travels from bottom to top; while the blue color bloc in the photo is very clearly bounded on the bottom edges of the image, the farther edge dissolves softly, such that it, too, seems to be sliding into the blackness of the background. In addition, the photo has a very distinct color story that accentuates this tension between sharp foreground and dissolute background: The bottom of the image is dominated by blue, the top by black; but the black extends into the blue bloc in the form of the burnt matches, and the blue extends and ultimately fades into the black. The interplay of these photographic elements to convey my title theme, I believe, shows my growth as a photographer.

Silver and Light (Kill your darlings, Fibonacci.)

     This image stands out for me—and represents the development of my photographic skill—because of the successful abstraction of my subject matter. In my view, the photograph has been reduced to the intersection of three distinct bodies or blocs: the arcing form of the lamp stand, the oblong expanse of the wooden table, and the dip of the wicker chair. The negative space between these distinct blocs is plain black: the photograph captures only basic forms, not distracting background details. What this photograph does so successfully is to capture the intersection of the three bodies (lamp, table, chair). The form of the lamp represents a break in the arc of the photograph, as it quickly fades to black as the eye moves left to right. The intersection of the chair and table as the former passes below the latter also adds interest to the photograph. The single most important point in this photograph is where the arc of the chair meets that of the table and passes behind the lamp: it is the point where the tree bodies of the photograph intersect.

3. My least successful work of the year was my stop motion project. I learned from this project the ultimate necessity of taking consistent, quality photographs. My final product was not pleasant to watch because I did little to stabilize the camera, so that the subject shifted around within the frame. The framing of the photographs, too, was distracting to the viewer, as extraneous objects could be seen along the edges. The lighting of the photos, in addition, was an element I did not consider, and which was a detriment to my project, because the photos were too dark, had to be corrected in photoshop, and appear somewhat unnatural. If I were to redo this project, I would standardize the intervals at which the photos were taken, so that the movement between each frame is consistent and the final result does not seem so jerky. I might also make use of an off-camera flash if I could not find a more suitably lit space in which to photograph.

4. I consider my greatest skill in the photography classroom setting my methodical nature. Photos can be enormously improved by simple patience and small adjustments in angle, focus, zoom, etc. I have often taken ten photographs of a particular subject matter before finding the combination of these photographic elements setting a single photograph far about the others. My methodical process was especially helpful while Defying Ms. Seal, because the quality of the photographs was extremely important if I was to combine them in a collage, and I therefore took long series of photographs with minimal adjustments until I found the correct angle and lighting.

5. My effort in this class was really focused on the presentation of my photos. I was often unengaged in the process of actually taking photos, but I genuinely enjoyed the post-shooting presentation process (e.g. the photoshopping in House in My Mind, the use of transparencies in Future Tense, and the studio lighting/digital "collaging" in Defy Ms. Seal). When I was involved in these sorts of presentational endeavors, I was very engaged and was always excited to get back to the digital media lab. In the actual act of taking photographs, I was less methodical about my art, so that my progress was not as evident. I also at times became frustrated when my project did not turn out the way I intended, especially in the stop motion project, and my effort would lapse.

6. I am excited about mastering the use of lighting in my photographs in the future. I witnessed several of my classmates who were able consistently to take beautifully lighted photographs, and I was envious of this ability. I would really like to be able to focus more on the effects of lighting angle, aperture, shutter speed, etc. in composing photographs. In addition, I am always excited to do more work in photoshop. It is an extremely rewarding tool to master, as it provides the photographer with greater post-shooting initiative in composing a work. However, I want to be sure not to sacrifice the quality of my original photographs in favor of post-shooting manipulation.

7. In the course of Intermediate Photography I have become a more autonomous learner. There are few formal demonstrations in this class, and it is therefore easy to languish in one's artistic skill unless one takes the initiative to teach oneself. For me, the self-teaching process often took the form of trial and error, but it was extremely instructive because I came to understand how I had arrived at final result, rather than be led there by an instructor. This is a skill that I believe is underemphasized in other academic settings, and which is an extremely important tool in fostering non-dependency in the greater spectrum of life's interactions.

Defy Ms. Seal

This project forced me to deal with the technicalities of what makes a good photograph. In previous projects I had been able somewhat to ignore the use of lighting, aperture, etc., and simply leave these elements up to chance, but my lack of technical skill was very obvious at the outset of this project. Because of the white background and straightforward composition of the photographs making up this digital collage, bad lighting was very obvious in the color of the shadows, the brightness of the photographs, and the tint of the background. Because I had to normalize every photo to create a homogenous collage, I became more aware of these elements, and became more adept at photoshopping to remove these discrepancies.

Future Tense

REPETITION

Sample Images

paintbrushes 

vicegrips

matches

shingles

tasses

I printed these images and others on transparencies and assembled them into a book, depicted below:

The transparencies can be lifted off of their white backgrounds.

the binding of my book

the cover of my book: A transparency against a background of the text

REPEATREPEATREPEAT

I intended to explore in my book the relationship of the parts with the whole. Each image captures several of the same item, so that the success of the image cannot depend on any one of the objects, but on the way they interact. Thus the reader is forced to see the image as a whole. To create an intriguing whole, I employed several distinct techniques: symmetry, focal depth, oblique lighting, etc.

My images are all set against a simple background. They are nearly all deliberately crafted to point out the details of everyday items; that is, I staged the photos rather than capture a preexisting moment. Many of my photos capture the subject in such a way as to obscure its identity: it is not obvious at first what the subject is. None of my photos have a natural subject; I avoided documenting the repetition found in nature in favor of the repetition man creates.

It is very important in attempting such a project to be deliberate with one's lighting and one's arrangement. The objects in and of themselves are nothing extraordinary, but their arrangement and the composition of the photography create interesting interplay between them to create intriguing wholes.

Reflection: Kill your darlings, Fibonacci.

I developed my photographic craft in the course of creating and killing my darlings by experimenting with the deliberate capture of small details and variations in light as abstract concepts, and not for their overt meaning. That is, I composed my image of a lamp to convey its interesting physical and tonal textures, rather than to create an overt association with a lamp as a source of light.

I encountered problems with the contrast in my photos. Many of my images contain striking contrast, to such an extent that the composition of the images were, at times, obscured. I therefore strove to include a sense of movement in my photos, to counteract the stagnancy caused by the almost monochromatic quality of some of my photos. To this end, I deliberately used curves in several of my photographs to draw the eye around the image.

I wanted to convey a sense of melancholy through my photos. To do this, I tried to capture images showing imperfect light patterns, such that a sense of transition is conveyed, rather than stagnancy. I also tried to imbue my images with a sense of mystery.

I killed a photo of an enormous redwood tree silhouetted against the sky. This image was, if not a darling, very dear to me. I appreciate the turbulent quality of the subject in contrast with the flat background. In this way, the image of a simple tree seems to convey a wealth of melancholy emotions.

The image I chose for display in the foyer is intriguing to me because it is very pattern-based. The old brickwork, the vines that stand in contrast against, and the shadows cast by afternoon light combine to create an intricate image. I think the emphasis on pattern in its composition makes it a good contribution to the class's series. The images we chose seem to avoid overt subject matters, and rather are meaningful in their contrast and patterns.

I was interested that my peers did not share my opinion of my most successful photographs. The photo of the curved lamp stand, which I found most successful, passed without comment by my peers. They appreciated the photo of my feet, which I had previously dismissed as too contrived. My peers were intrigued by a series of my photographs shot looking straight down. I have come to see, with their help, the difference this change in perspective can make; the arrangement of objects is rarely considered when viewed from an oblique angle, and the vertical framing makes an interesting change.

Stop Motion: Give into Your Groove!

matthew from Ms. Seal's Art History on Vimeo.

1. My project's narrative is the conflict  between the discipline and order of the classic schools of dance, and the pure energy and enthusiasm of which dancing is the expression. The moment of crisis is the moment when the ballet dancer (Sarah) must decide between following the style of dance laid out for her, and trying to express her own emotions.

2. While Sarah is the only figure on the screen, the images are black and white, and occur at longer intervals, in order to emphasize the restrained, somewhat rigid nature of her style of dance. When the second dancer (Ally) enters, the pictures are suddenly in color; the music becomes more upbeat and jazzy; and the images begin to flow faster. These are the technical decisions that support the experience of the film that I intended.

3. The music choices are a strength of their projects, because their contrasting style is indicative of the contrast between dance styles. I think the choppiness of the project's first segment was also a successful device, and the transition from black and white to color is a strong moment. A major weakness of my project is the lack of clarity of movement in the second portion. I misjudged the amount of photographs that would be necessary to convey the narrative.

4. I would be sure to take more pictures per second, so as to ensure the fluidity of the video.

Mind in My House

The project was to visually represent our mind as an analogy to a house. In order to represent such an abstract subject matter, extensive image manipulation in Photoshop was necessary. My intention for this project was to direct my work not by conscious and laborious comparison between a given room's function and the functions of my mind, but by attempting to induce a particular mindset in my working environment, such that the visual work acted as an extension of this mindset.

     The success of my project was the direct result of my ability or inability to put this habit of mind into practice. My two most successful images were those that grew organically out of my mind, whereas the less successful images were those I attempted to consciously plan. I believe that, in my more successful projects, my craftsmanship was quite refined, because I did not limit my manipulations to those few that I could logically explain in the framework of my house-mind analogy. As a student of art, my image manipulation skills grew greatly in the course of this project. I believe that my growth as an artist in conceptual matters was somewhat limited by the limitations on my image library; my concept for the project was securely tied to the few images I had available to work with. Below are the visual allegories to my attic, bedroom, foyer, and salon, in that order:

my attic, featuring Luukie meditating

one of my less successful images, though Luukie redeems it somewhat

my bedroom, somewhat successful,

though it is limited by the degree to which it was planned

the highly contrasting leaves represent the phantasmagoria of dreams,

while to look through the polaroid frame is to see the real world, muted in comparison

my foyer, quite successful

this began as a simple study in Photoshop manipulation, but became my foyer, because it leads people into my unrestrained mind as the foyer of a house welcomes guests inside

my sakib, the most successful by far

Wowie! Check out all the materials I've transformed!

My goal for the Transforming Materials project was to photograph mundane materials, not in a form that is familiar from everyday life. The goal was not to hide the material within the photo (in fact, they feature most prominently in many of my photos), but merely to appreciate the materials for their qualities and not for their intended uses. I found the best results with tin foil. I experimented with parchment paper as well, but under the time constraints I found it harder to manipulate with the subtlety required. Four photos of tin foil transformed are shown here.