Self Proposed Final: Shifted Gravity

My concept was to capture the appearance of shifted gravity.  The idea behind shifted gravity was how people view the world differently.  This is a concept that is always present when considering photography as an art form.  Photographers attempt to capture abstract ideas and feelings and present them in images of the physical world. In this way, photographers are able to share their perspective, although viewers maintain their freedom to interpret images as they choose.  Especially as prints, the perspective of an image can be changed easily, for example; simply by changing the orientation.

When shooting these images, i attempted make it appear as though gravity had shifted to the wall by posing people and objects against walls/different orientations.  I chose to leave other identifiable objects/setting in normal gravity to create a bit of confusion. We often focus our attention on what is directly affecting us, and neglect to notice other occurrences/people.  We also tend to ignore the existence of different perspectives, or presume that we are understanding of all other views. The change in gravitational toward one person/direct object is representing this idea.

When displaying the compositions, i hoped to place them on a wheel that could spin easily and display the different perspectives of each photo to emphasize the concept, however, the final product was not as clean as i had hoped and did not spin freely.

Popular Media

The concept behind this photo was to capture the shapes and curves of the vehicle to create an ad-like photo.  I chose to frame the image utilizing the 2/3 rule so that the viewers eyes would be drawn to the car.  I looked up one of volkswagon's slogans to enhance the ad-like feeling.

Most of the feedback i received on this photo was encouraging.  Everyone agreed that the photo looked and felt similar to volkswagon ads.  VW ads are known to be simple and clean, and this was mimicked in the photo.  Some commented positively on the lighting of the image, as it was in a parking ramp and the editing reflects artificially composed lighting.

This was another of my attempts at an advertising photo. My attempt and hopes were that the hand reaching to grab the milk chug would emphasize it as a great product. I placed the milk chug inside of a refrigerator and placed the camera inside.  I was inspired by Alton Brown's refrigerator/oven cam in his show Good Eats.  The face and body of the figure is hidden behind the door and in the shadows because i felt that exaggerating the size of the hand as it reached toward the camera/milk would enhance the products appeal.

This image was viewed as an advertising photo, however most criticized the  angle of the milk chug.  Most agreed that it would have been much more effective as an advertising image if the label was turned toward the viewer.

The concept behind this photo was to recreate a billboard image.  This image was taken on a whim, and it reminded me of billboards that deliver facts and public messages.  I decided to write in a fact about dental health, with the idea of an ad for a dental clinic or health plan in mind.

Others interpreted this image as an ad or billboard.  The font used was positively receieved, however most agreed that the word "brush" should be moved up slightly so that it does not blend together with the white sink.

This image was taken with the idea of a snapshot or a polaroid in mind.  Though it's wider horizontally, in the printed presentation, i left a large space on the bottom to enhance the snapshot feel of the image.  I utilized the flash to create a somewhat nostalgic feel, as it creates a halo around the subject.

Others stated that they were somewhat confused by the image at first.  The vertical lines to the right threw some off at first because they looked like legs.  Following that comment, some thought that it would be a good idea to redo the image with someone wearing the slippers.  A jumping off idea that came from that point was to shoot images of different people wearing different shoes of all types, or perhaps different body parts.

constructed realities

The framing behind this came from an idea about a deflated/abstracted human.  I chose to place four side by side in such a manner to create a topsy turvy feeling with the various angles of horizon lines in the back.

I created several different figures by draping various articles of clothing on a chair, couch etc.  and settled with this particular "person" who seems to be at a party setting.  There is a cigarette pack and bottles visible on the table. initially, i did not intend to follow this idea, however the results reminded me of the anti-drug commercials about marijuana. 

Others interpreted my image similarly to my interpretation after the execution.  Most felt that the composition of the four images was a bit distracting and confusing, and stated that they would have prefered to see the images separately.  Perhaps different "people" together as a series, but not together in such a manner.  Some suggested a black border around each photo to create some separation in the composition, while maintaining the unity.

The idea behind this image was aspects of my personality.  Many people perceive me as a girly girl, weak, and superficial.  I began with this shot hoping to create an image utilizing makeup to convey the strong side of my personality.  Later, I added a goofy mustache to enhance the idea of my more "masculine" side.  Some questioned my decision to defile my own face...My decision to add the mustache was in part for the humorous affect, as I value humor and laughing, in another aspect, it was to convey the strong presence of what I learned in psychology to be "penis envy".  My family is comprised of my mom and dad, who is the only son in his family, my three sisters, and my little brother.  Ever since the day my brother was born, much of our immediate and extended family's attention has been focused around him.  I have often experienced dreams where i am watching from the POV of a male main character.  I also think of myself as a person who is and strives to be strong and independent.  This photo is an expression of my contradictory feelings about myself.

Others questioned my mustache placement and choice.  They also found that my background story behind it would be an interesting jumping off point to create a series of self identity photos.

The framing for this was focused to create emphasis on the swollen hand.  This was the narrative piece, and the inspiration for it came when i was hanging out with a friend who just recently broke his hand.  The swollen hand comically reminded me of the hamburger helper mitten. 

I asked my friend to let me take a photo of his hand, and he posed with both hands to show the difference between the swollen one and the normal one.  I then followed up with a series of candid ones of him icing it.  The flash created an effective halo around the hand, emphasizing the main point of the story. 

The order that i printed the series was reversed, and during critique, many commented that it confused them.  I chose to reverse the order in this posting because in hindsight, I find that it is much more effective as a narrative.

blog response #25

Write a detailed description of your “motivations” for your final self-proposed project. Why are you interested in this subject? What do you want to convey? How do you want viewers to respond? Why are you inspired to make these images/this project? Do you want to evoke emotions in viewers? Shock viewers? Make them laugh? Make them think? Inform them? Reveal something about how you see the world? Reveal something about yourself, a person, a place, a feeling, a memory, a moment in time? 

I'm interested in the concept of anti-gravity because of the aspect of distorting reality.  I want to convey a different way of looking at the world, everyone has different perceptions and it's often hard to fully accept the idea of different perspectives.  Obviously, anti-gravity isnt necessarily how people view the world differently, but i think it's an exaggerated representation of how radically different the world can look through someone else's eyes. I would really like it if these images could evoke a bit of confusion and thinking in the viewers.  Grapple with what is real and what isn't for a moment, and then come to grips with what they are seeing.

Blog Response #24

A. Pick two images from any of the “constructed reality” photographers presented in class or linked on the assignment sheet. Describe how you could recreate these two images on a “smaller scale”. 

Alexa Meade
her images could be created on a smaller scale, perhaps by choosing just one body part to focus on, or maybe painting objects instead of human figures.

John Kriwol's paper realities
his images could be recreated on a smaller scale by using actual magazine pages and small objects/figures instead of people.

B. Describe your plans for your self-proposed final project (if the plan is the same as before, paste it here again and give a bit more detail). During the final critique for Assignment #5, you will discuss/present these ideas to the class. 


Anti-gravity
create and shoot compositions that create the illusion of antigravity, or distorted gravity.
ex: place subjects lying on the ground as though standing on the wall.
      create still lifes/props to enhance feeling of anti-gravity

Blog Response #23

1. In what ways do you “construct” your identity? In what ways do you “perform” in your daily life?

I believe that your identity is being constructed/molded every day.  Through daily experiences and the way we deal with emotions and events, we are growing and changing every day.  Our interactions in society, the impact of media, and random incidents are all factors that stimulate thinking and self discovery. I think we are always performing in our daily lives except when we are alone.  No matter who/what the person/environment is, if there are others or the potential of others seeing/watching, everyone filters their actions and words thus putting on a "performance.

2. Describe some ways in which your personal culture and social environments are “constructed”.

social environments are constructed by group psychology and expectations.  People as a whole tend to be moved by what the group decides/thinks, so everyone treads cautiously in social environments, "constructing" the dynamic of the moment.

3. Describe some ways in which your physical environment/space is “constructed”.

not only are physical environment/spaces literally constructed with building equipment and materials, but they are also constructed by our projections of our identity.  Everyone personalizes and "constructs" physical environments and spaces by making it their own.  We project ourselves into our surroundings, thus "constructing" a totally unique environment.  Perhaps they are entirely different to others than they are to ourselves, making the construction even more interesting.

4. In your daily life, what would you consider to be “real” and what would you consider to be “constructed/fabricated”?

I consider the sky, and myself to be real, when I am alone.  I believe that all other things/people are at least a little bit constructed or fabricated.  The food we eat is created by a cook, social situations of all magnitudes are constructed by expectations and unspoken social rules, the land we walk on has most likely been altered at some point. The only things that cannot be tampered with are my own existence and actions when i am alone with no judging eyes, and the expanse of the sky/space.

5. Describe a narrative tableaux that you might create to be captured by a photograph. A narrative tableaux can be defined as “Several human actors play out scenes from everyday life, history, myth or the fantasy of the direction artist” ( Constructed Realities: The Art of Staged Photography Edited by Michael Kohler , 34).

 I might attempt to create a narrative tableaux that depicts not the physical happenings of a moment, but rather the vibe/feeling/mood that is experienced by each person.  Perhaps the use of abstract dress/pose/space around each individual could be altered/molded to convey the vibe/feeling/mood of each person.

6. Describe an idea for a photograph that includes a miniature stage or still life. A description of such an image is “The tableaux reconstructs events as in the narrative tableaux, but in miniaturized format, using dolls and other toy objects” (Kohler, 34).

 it might be interesting to photograph a tiny world in comparison to the big world. Set up a tiny miniature world in grass, where the grass is huge in comparison to the tiny figures and buildings in the set.  Then photograph the image focused on the tiny world, but also framing the real world around it.

Historical and Contemporary Photographers

Henry Peach Robinson
b. 9 July 1830; d. 21 February 1901

 Fading Away, 1858
This image is the composition of 5 negatives, in which the girl is shown dying.  Many criticized this image as being inappropriate.  It was also highly discussed because of it touched on the boundaries between science and art.  Though it is a joint image of 5 negatives, many who viewed the piece would never realize that it wasn't one image, although some who viewed the piece up close could see the "joins" of the negatives. 

http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/robinson.htm

Boyd Webb
1947

Harvest II 1983-2006
Boyd Webb was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he studied at the Ilam School of Art.  Later moving to London to get his MA in sculture at the Royal College of Art.  His photography depicts impossible/surreal images, and i was intrigued by this particular constructed space because of how the figure is casually reaching up to trim the plant, as though she is not sitting under what is seemingly the ground level.  I also like how the figure is nude, adding to the feeling that she is one with the earth.

http://www.artnet.com/Galleries/Artists_detail.asp?gid=139120&aid=17598