Works in Progress Critique Project 5

Here is my image for our in class assignment on incorporating 3D images, scans, and photos of ourselves in another image. I finally figured out how to do it! Yes! It doesn't look like much, since my whole objective was just to learn the techniques, but the general concept is just memories of my trip to Austria last summer, juxtaposed with my tired-self during the school year, bogged down by work. The memory was the biggest part, so that's why the notebook is largest, but I wanted to convey a feeling of space, so I made the figures small. Being fascinated by all the snails there is one of my earliest memories of the place too.

Blog Prompt #25

Well, there are quite a few photographers on this list, so I admit that I didn't get to look through them all, but these seven stuck out to me before I even made it to the bottom, so I'll work with these...

To include in my gallery:

Erik Sumption

It was the bold colors and forms of Sumption's photographs that first caught my eye. I especially love the reflection photo--the saturation of the colors in the reflection make the photo abstract, and almost like a painting, which I'm always dawn to.

Keith Lewis

Here again it was the painterly quality of the photographs that appealed to me. The subject matter seems to take its inspiration from romantic and classical paintings of nudes, and the lighting in each is both diffuse and richly warm.

Chris Sembrot

This artist only submitted one photograph, but the wealth of detail and texture in the image makes it one of my top pics. A fish eye lens must have been used, as it looks distorted in that way. The horse nearly blends in with its wild surroundings, and the man almost looks suspended, the single, softer-looking element in the midst of the ruggedness.

John F. Martin

I think I just really like costumed portraits, that, while covering up the true nature of their wearers, still express something about them. I love the detail of these "characatures" ; these fantasy personas. It's as if they're all characters from a single play, and the job of the viewer is to construct the story from viewing them.

Ljubodrag Andric--favorite!

I love the "airiness" of these photos. Each is so clean and simple, with small figures placed in open sky, fields....open spaces, in general. The environment is surreal, and the figures are alone, but not lonely. They seem in harmony with their environment, and comfortable despite a slightly uncomfortable vastness.

Justin Borsuk

I feel like this is a simple technique--take multiple shots of something, and then layer them over one another--but Borsuk manages to do it in a way that feels new. His photos convey motion, but at specific moments in time, rather than a continuous blur of action.

J. T. Burke

The thing that draws me to Burke's work is that they don't look like photos--they look they illustrations. They're very unique, and I have no idea how he accomplished making them, but I like that they're surprising in that way. And of course, I like illustrations. :) There's a kind of symmetry to many of them that reminds me of chinese paper cuts, and pop-up books. Yet, if you look closely, you realize that they're not actually symmetric, but each part is uniquely formed. Pretty cool stuff.

Blog Prompt #24

a) One way you could recreate the photos of Eleanor Antin would be to make a kind of diorama tableaux, using things like army men or plastic people. Like her series on Helen's Odyssey, the use of Barbies could be representative of an idealized representation of femininity. Placing objects that are normally small within a landscape could also be disorienting. I like the idea of creating opera scenes in real life as well.

I like the idea of the Arthur Tress fish tank sonata series as well. In fact, using fish tanks as background is interesting, because so many people like to recreate scenes on land underwater. Taking small glass containers, any number of "fish tanks" could be placed in various locations. The photos would have to be taken outside, in order to get the lighting right. The trick would be finding things small enough to put in the "fish tank"--of course, if the container appeared to be regular sized, the appearance of a giant penny or something else could be quite disorienting.

b) I haven't really thought too much about the final project yet (I'm still trying to get this most recent project underway) but I really like the idea of this constructed reality stuff. One of my favorite things to study is folklore, so I think it would be neat to create images that have an ancient, almost magical feel about them. Every culture has folklore, and every individual has a personal folklore, or at least, a unique, personal interpretation of their culture's. When I was a kid, my brother, cousins, and I made up an imaginary world in the forests surrounding their farm, and we played in this world almost every day. It was real to us. Now when we go back we like to reminisce about that time, and even like to come up with "what happened" to this land after we "left." I think it would be cool to go back and photograph this world, and through editing, return some of the magic to it. Another idea I've had in the back of my mind for some time now is to take portraits of my friends wearing tribal-esque costume created from their possessions--a way of constructing their identity through their surroundings, and the way material possessions can sometimes come to define us, or smother us. These are just ideas though.....

Recreation: Constructed Reality

The top image is my recreation from Eleanor Antin's "100 Boots" series. I originally wanted to use 100 shoes, but couldn't obtain that many on such a short notice. I chose to use running shoes, and set them up in a similar, linear arrangement, all traveling in the same direction. My image is more dynamic however, due to the vertical composition, and the attempt at making the shoes look like they were actually moving. The boots appear to be traveling, but I really wanted to emphasize the idea of going somewhere....instead of everything remaining in horizontal planes, I tried to create vertical and diagonal movement across the strong horizontals of the steps.

Unlike the boots, the shoes are more individualistic--each shoe is different, each is at a slightly different angle. They are less of a unit of like things and more a grouping of unique personalities, traveling together, but each perhaps bringing something new to the whole; not unlike my own team. The shoes "become the protagonists of a narrative," and, like any good story, represent different characters instead of a row of identical "personalities."

Project Four Written Statements: Media

I guess I'll start with the two dress photos. Compositionally, these two photos are very similar; in the foreground is the dress and tree roots, placed off-center toward the right. In the background is forest, and the roots of the tree reach out and past the frame of the image. In the top image, more emphasis is placed on the draped cloth of the dress, while the second image places emphasis on the roots and dress as a whole "figure." Natural lighting was used for both, but contrast and clarity were manipulated more in the second image, producing a darker, slightly more foreboding image.

These two images address the idea of fashion photography. So many designers assert that fashion photography is not about the model, but if this is so, why do we put so much emphasis on who is modeling, and why use people at all? Here, tree roots serve as the life form on which each dress is "modeled." The top image seems more relaxed, as if the "figure" is leaning back against the tree, and the dress takes on a less literal form due to the draping effect. The image is lighter and more balanced, and perhaps more approachable. The second image is, in my opinion, much more interesting to look at, because it feels more surreal. The angle is slightly skewed, and the image is darker overall. The greater contrast between the ground and the roots makes the roots appear even more leg-like, since they seem less a part of the tree and more like deformed legs.

To make these images, I trekked out into a forest back in my hometown, and searched around for trees I could either draped the dresses in, or hang from. I had brainstormed a bit beforehand, trying to think of ways that clothes could be "modeled" without human figures, or if that was even possible. Clothes are, obviously, made for people, and that's why we model clothes on them; but a lot of fashion photography does place emphasis on the model (otherwise there wouldn't be such high standards of beauty for them), and I wanted to play with the idea that if designers assert that the model is not the emphasis, then why not model on other natural forms? What I ended up finding were roots, and so I placed the dresses carefully over two particularly leg-like roots and took some photos. Back in the lab, I saturated the colors in the orange dress (which actually wasn't orange at all, but red), and brought our some of the greens. The other photo I darkened and increased contrast in. I learned a lot more about manipulating colors in Camera RAW by experimenting with different looks.

Like I know I've said before, my intention was to create an interesting image that would cause one to question ideas about the modeling and fashion industry through a surrealistic, surprising fashion image. The conventions of modeling are tested, and if what the designers tell us is true (that the models don't matter and are simply hangers for clothing), then a tree should work as a model too, since it can serve the same function. Yet, the result is strange.

These two photos relate to the work of fashion photographers in general. The clothing is the thing that stands out in each image, and the "product" is placed in the foreground. However, the obvious difference is the use of the tree as a model, rather than a human being. Both are living things, but only one truly works, and designers should just admit that in fashion, there is as much emphasis on the human model as there is on the clothing. In the West, we have certain standards of beauty, and fashion advertisements sell not only a product, but a standard of beauty in general. When you remove this standard of beauty, we are left with only the product, but is it sell-able at all without that standard? Can fashion stand on its own in advertising? These are the ideas I was thinking about as I took the shots.

The third image is an advertisement, either as a poster or in a magazine. A lone figure stands centered in front of a dark background. Contrast was heightened to bring out the back muscles of the athlete, and the figure is framed by text on the top right and bottom. The lighting was actually a fairly dim light issuing from overhead florescents, but with a darker background the figure was able to pop a little more.

My image, as an advertisement, is about the struggle of an exhausted athlete. She has either just come from a disappointing or trying race or workout, and she pauses, hands on hips, breathing. Her gesture is one of either frustration or determination; a light shines down on her, highlighting her back, and revealing her strength despite those disappointments. She faces away from the camera, but by doing so, she becomes every athlete--a symbol of determination in the face of a daunting task. The words, a quote I found online, hierarchically place the most emphasis on the word "greatness," while the word "difficulty" seems small in comparison.

This was actually an older photo that I didn't get to use from one of our previous sets. I was shooting a picture of an entire scene, and caught this girl in a corner of the photo. In black and white, the shine on this figure's muscles really stood out, and I knew it would work well as an advertisement. I cropped the photo, enlarged it, and using burning and dodging, highlighted the girl while blacking out the background. This is probably the first time I've been able to successfully use this technique, so I was really happy with the result.

My goal was to create a motivational image; the advertising aspect of it came later. A lot of the Nike ads that I've seen don't even show the shoes anymore, since the brand is so well known, they only need to make a powerful image and stamp their logo on it. People know what it's advertising. That's why it was so easy to make this into an advertisement.

This work relates to the world of athletic advertising, and more specifically, to Nike advertisements. Most athletic advertisements emphasize power, strength, and victory. This is where mine differs. My ad emphasizes strength, but through difficulty, which is something that most advertisements try to skirt around. It's a much more realistic look at athletics in general; buying an athletic product won't automatically help you to win. It's about strength of character, and by allying itself with this kind of athlete, I think this push in advertising could give Nike and the world of athletics a fresh, less elitist self-projection. Things in this world quickly become institutionalized; what once began as a fun past time has become a lucrative business, and the pressure to do well, the idea that you can't be a success without winning, without outward success, is an idea that has all but ruined the original intention of school athletics. Athletics are an arena (forgive the pun) where we personally grow, and no one has the right to tell us that we haven't been a success just because we didn't win.

The last photo is not a Nike advertisement, but meant to be a billboard of sorts for some sort of campaign to encourage women to join a sport, and promote good sportsmanship. A line of people stands in the background, while a blur (a female runner) occupies the foreground for the most part. A single girl is highlighted, her eyes on the runner, a look of awe on her face. The image is dark, but the blur and shoe of the runner, and the person of the girl, are highlighted, creating a connection between the two. Lighting is natural, but highly manipulated in order to create the most drama.

This image is about women and athletics. A young girl (and if you look closely, several younger girls) watches an older athlete race by her, a picture of speed and strength. It is thanks to women athletes like the one running that a trail has been paved for younger athletes to follow. This image is about women athletes inspiring younger ones to reach for greatness, and although there is a difference in age (shown physically by their distance from one another), there is a singular connection.

I always loved this photo, and although it's a tad blurry, I've wanted to find a way to use it for a while now. This assignment gave me that chance. At the time, I was simply taking photos and testing different shutter speeds, but I began to think about the image with respect to this assignment, and I figured that a similar approach to the Nike ad might be interesting. This photo was entirely experimental in that sense. In camera RAW and photoshop, I darkened everyone in the photo except for the little girl at the end and the blurry runner, since I liked the distance it created. This took a few tries to get right, and I even experimented with highlighting various other girls as well, but the one girl seemed the most dramatic. This was another one of those images where I finally successfully used burning and dodging.

My goal was to create an inspirational image that would encourage women to go out into arenas formally dominated by men and inspire younger girls to follow after. Emphasis is placed on both the girl and the runner, and I suppose that they reciprocate that inspiration; the older runner inspires the younger to strive to become something great, while the younger inspires the older, in that she sees that what she is doing has a real impact on those around her.

This photo relates to the work of sports photographers and advertisements. It strives to make a bold statement like an ad, and to catch your attention, and it's highly dynamic--so dynamic that you can't quite make out the runner. In concept, it relates to more than just advertising though. So many advertisements play on stereotypes and the objectification of women, and although this has gotten better in recent years, there is still a double standard since the parameters for what kind of women appear in ads are more constricting than those for men. There is a special connection amongst athletes, and especially among women athletes, since for so long women were not given the opportunity to compete, and to this day women sports do not get the same recognition as men. This is what I hope to rectify to some degree through this image.

PART II

The two fashion images were, for the most part, interpreted as such. People seemed to love the concept, or idea, and one even mentioned that they reminded her of Harry Potter. They felt that the images were about personification, which is kind of what I was hoping would come across. Some felt that the images evoked fairy tales, which I'm happy about as well, since I really like fairy tales, and I know what they mean--there's something fairy tale-like about them, but I just can't put it into words. The ad images were read as ads, and most people thought they were both very powerful and dramatic.

For the fashion images, color is definitely working. People responded especially well to the "orange" dress one, and thought that the tree-as-figure concept was a great concept to work with as well. There wasn't a lot of critique about either; personally, I think I would have just liked to do more of these images. Had it not started hailing, I definitely would have! I was so disappointed I didn't get to search around for more tree roots! For the ads, people agreed that the lighting was very effective in both in creating drama, and that the text was well-placed. The compositions of each were strong too, but there seemed to be a general consensus that the highlighted figure of the girl in the "Inspire" image was perhaps a little too bright, and that the runner should have been highlighted more. I think I would tone down the girl a little too, considering how dark it printed, but not too much, since my intention was to put emphasis on the girl and connect that to the runner. Some thought that the font was hard to read, and I think if I had made the font a little lighter it might have stood out more, but I liked the font being a mid tone rather than white.

The fashion images would definitely make a great jumping-off point for a series of fashion shots using natural "models." Again, I would love to push this idea further. The ads could almost branch off into a series of inspirational posters themed around women and athletics--which could turn into a fun personal project for images to hang around our locker room :) .

Semi-Contemporary Photographer: Eleanor Antin

The Triumph of Pan (after Poussin) from "Roman Allegories" (2004)

The Tourists from "Helen's Odyssey" (2007)

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blog.art21.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/blog-antin-odyssey-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blog.art21.org/2008/06/12/eleanor-antin-helens-odyssey/&usg=__LABYYRyVUWo9aztcgYikJDBLQnE=&h=257&w=500&sz=34&hl=en&start=8&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=a1FSuwmGi9u6tM:&tbnh=67&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3DEleanor%2BAntin%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=dWSOTaz3KtKP0QGh0cDICw

Eleanor Antin was born in 1935 in New York City. Her parents immigrated from Poland because they were not only Jewish, but also communists. Antin attended Music and Art High School in New York , and then attended City College in New York where she majored in writing. From 1955-1958, she worked as a stage actress and modeled for painters. She returned to CCNY to obtain a degree in creative writing, where she met her husband, and after marriage the two moved to California, where she taught at various universities, and continues to do so.

A storyteller as well as an artist, Antin became known first for her 100 Boots series, which used the US Postal service as a means of distribution. Antin's photos of 100 boots in various locations were mailed to other artists and institutions, and the result was an endearing narrative. Antin was also known for her performances and creation of different characters, and this can be seen in her photos as well. Antin's work questions the identifiers of identity, while visually telling a story. Her work draws heavily on history, and deals with how history is reinterpreted throughout time.

Each of the photos above takes both history and baroque representations of that history as its inspiration. Figures are bright and animated, and towards the foreground of the photo, giving an impression of a shallow space. Emphasis is placed on the figures, and the lighting is bright, providing clear images with high contrast. Having taken baroque images as inspiration, the photos preserve the balance of the original paintings.

In the center image, the various conceptions of the perfect woman throughout history are laid side-by-side, in conversation with one another. Presented in one image, on the same level with one another, Antin takes each ideal out of context, highlighting the transitory and sometimes ridiculous notion of a "perfect Woman." The image below is part of a series that portrays the differing conceptions of Helen of Troy not only across different cultures and time, but in the ancient world itself. This image highlights the unaware, perhaps even ditzy portrayal of Helen, as a woman who simply observes the horror going on around her, unconcerned and sheltered from any real tragedy.

To create her images, Antin combines several photos, and uses large stages. Her images are productions in themselves, and after taking photos, she combines many figures into one frame, sometimes making them different sizes.

As a person concerned with identity, the Helen photos show two sides of the ancient Helen of Troy, as both worshipful and beautiful, and worthy of blame for the Trojan War. She weaves an interesting narrative about these two sides of Helen, showing the same scene but with different "Helens." Antin strives to make the viewer question history and its authenticity in recording the true nature of a person, and the feminine identity in general.

What I like most about her work is her ability to tell a story. I love her bright lighting, and the way she can so clearly narrate through imagery. I also love her subject matter, since I'm a big fan of both history and older art. I wish I had a big studio with professional lighting; I would love to make tableaux like this.