dsdn 144 | project 3 hand-in

The push to impose our ideals of beauty and femininity starts at a very young age. I confess I am resigned to letting it happen to my three year old daughter (I even occasionally encourage the invasion of the princesses - maybe because it is nostalgic for me) but it was a graphic and unsettling shock to me when I merged the two images for this photographics project. 'Would you let you daughter go out looking like that?'

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

dsdn 144 | project 2 hand-in

Project 2 started out as an exploration of the growth and development of my three year old. I was going to do a stop motion video of her clothes but when I started to shoot it I was not very inspired and it didn't feel like I was going anywhere with it.

I had some really great images from my infancy that I was interested in incorporating into my design work so after seeing some interesting precedents and discussing my ideas with Matt and Linda I decided to work on a collage process. I was inspired by Ava Seymour and Fra Angelico (see below in presentation)

Touching up the original photos particularly the 3^rd birthday one (where many of the objects were very familiar) felt like I was touching objects and people long lost to the past. It felt like a form of time-travel. Hence the name of my project. 

Technically I had a few hitches with my first attempt. I got a bit trigger happy with the blend options in Photoshop, especially on the interior shots. Here are some process images to illustrate my point. It wasn't right and I needed to choose between 'in-your-face' collage technique and 'Photoshopped-to-death' fake snapshots. I then received some helpful feedback from Matt that got me back on track.

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

The most successful image at that stage seemed like the newborn image of me with my dad (and Rory's face placed over mine) but I needed to incorporate an element of something shot specifically for this project so I kept going with my quasi-religious theme and incorporated an outstretched hand. (Which was mine.) Even though I tried to inject humour into my images, this immediately felt a little poignant for me since working with this image made me feel a bit sad about the fact that my dad and Rory will never meet and yet, after a little digital tampering, here was my dad as he held my little girl. I am a self-confessed agnostic and therefore do not identify as a christian but I like the idea of angels and feel like this image expresses the idea that my dad and daughter are MY angels. I stopped short of giving dad a golden Fra Angelico-esque halo though... I am sure that would've been something he would not have been comfortable with.

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

These are the final images I submitted. The presentation that follows contains the original 'vintage' images as well.

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

© luckiestwomanalive 2013

dsdn 144 | process for project 2 (time)

I was really wanting to make a stop motion video but feel like time isn't on my side. I did make something the other day that captured the nostalgic feel I was trying to achieve. It helped me to understand how important it is to me to underline the role of my daughter as a 'muse'in these two projects.



So back to the drawing board...

dsdn 144 | the genius of photography

dsdn 144 | hony

Since we are talking photographics...it wouldn't be right not mention this guy.

Humans of New York

dsdn 144 | precedent

Sherrie Levine - appropriation art

I am quite interested in the work of Sherrie Levine whose work I find quite anarchic. Her work, for example After Walker Evans, (fig. 1)  that focuses on photographing or reproducing existing photographs or sculptures, is so subtle that it's easy to miss the point. (Google Sherrie Levine images and you'll see what I mean). When you realise what the artist is doing, (i.e. rephotographing others work and presenting it as her own) you may be surprised at how you feel next. I was slightly annoyed the first time. I am not often annoyed by contemporary art. But in this case I think it's because it feels like a trap. A practical joke (I don't much care for those either). But there's an excellent piece written about her retrospective held at the Whitney in NYC in 2012 that properly engages with what's at stake here and it sits really nicely with the Time project.

Fig 1. Sherrie Levine: After Walker Evans, 1981 (Evans/Levine)

Don't worry fellow DSDN'ers, I am not going to turn in a project of other great photography shot by me, but it does fit with some ideas I have had about photographing old photos from my childhood or of my elderly mother who I am unable to see very often. Perhaps using a collage method or in a photo album. Interesting.

ddsdn 144 | precedent

I am a big fan of Bill Henson. Can't think of a way to apply his techniques to my projects but want to post something as inspiration. I find his work very beautiful and sometimes quite disturbing. My eye seems to always be very pleased by heavy outlines, strong contrasts and the illusion of depth in art. The chiaroscuro technique that is employed by Henson in much of his work helps achieve this effect. Henson also prints his own work and almost always shoots on film because of the depth of tone this produces.

Time Magazine's LightBox series has a nice collection here (definitely click on 'view full screen')

The one I like most from these is:

Source

dsdn 144 | precedents

Searching for precedents for my projects produced a wild variety of images, here are a couple...

Nick Brandt

Found the following image on Huffington Post and on clicking through found a really powerful series of black and white animal images that really moved me. I find those images and this one (which is from a series he shot at a lake in Africa that has literally calcified these birds) really satisfying. His subject matter and composition seem very controlled and the result is surreal but he must anticipate this reaction as he comments that they were taken and placed just as they had been found and that the intention was to create a 'portrait in death'.

Source

Cindy Sherman

I have always really loved Cindy Sherman's work. Having grown up a part of the Madonna Generation (my term - I have literally grown up and old with her and feel she is one of the most influential identities for women of my age) I can see many similarities between the two women in terms of their output and their public personae. Even though she has made a career out of self portraiture and self-transformation it's almost impossible to know who the real Cindy Sherman is and I feel like the same can be said about Madonna. One-upping oneself is key to the evolution of each artists' work. (i.e. 'You thought that was shocking/amazing/cool - take a look at this') Pop culture and its underbelly feature throughout. It's like a never ending diary of the stuff we notice. Both have produced imagery that is highly staged and manipulates the viewer. I am interested in exploring Sherman's work for my second project. In particular she made a stop motion video in the mid-seventies that depicts her as a paper cut-out doll (see below). Really interesting for me as inspiration for my own stop motion video that would depict the passing of time through Rory and or her clothes and toys...watch his space.  Here is the image that triggered my interest:

Source

dsdn 144 | test for time clip

Here is how I am going to depict time as per my proposal...

dsdn 144 | time experiment

Just trying out the illusion of time moving with two images that I have placed in layers - the top one at 60%.
It is interesting the way it shows my group of friends both engaging with the camera then not.

I decided to post it because I like the end result.

©2013 Helen K Williams

dsdn 144 | practice composite image + weekly task

I used this shoot to experiment with the ideas used in the blog post here.
I used image No. 1325 (time: 5:38 p.m.), No. 1327 (time: 5:45 p.m.), No. 1329 (time: 5:54 p.m.) and No. 1331 (time: 6:08 p.m.) to make a composite image using the marquee tool and layers in Photoshop. It took 20 minutes to shoot this image. Exposure: 1/64 sec;   f/5.6;   ISO 200.

©2013 Helen K Williams

In order to work on my weekly task, I also shot this image from a similar place in my kitchen at 5:29 a.m. That's the moon in the sky. It would otherwise be dark looking out over the water at this time. The moon was extraordinarily bright that night. The little light in the middle is a lighthouse that is situated on the South Island. I used a tripod. Exposure: 20.0 sec;   f/5.6;   ISO 200.

©2013 Helen K Williams

I also experimented with using an ultra fast shutter speed and here are the results:

The below image was taken at night at a 1/4000 shutter speed. I wanted to capture the movement of the water as I scrubbed the bowl. The result was very 'noisy' as I didn't have enough light. I decided to try again the next day. Exposure: 1/4000 sec;   f/2.8;   ISO 6400

©2013 Helen K Williams

The image below was taken outside on a brilliant sunny day (also with a 1/4000 shutter speed) ...I may have overcompensated with the light this time but I still managed to capture a good 'moment' in time. The white balance needed to be corrected a bit in Photoshop. Exposure: 1/4000 sec;   f/4.5;   ISO 1600

©2013 Helen K Williams

dsdn 144 | precedents - time

I have started looking for photographers who have used composite imagery to convey the passage of time. The first I have found is Fong Qi Wei.

His series, Time is a Dimension, explores the idea of time being split into fractions and the difference between each fraction is represented by the intensity and colour of light present at the time of the image being taken. His work results in single composites 'made from sequences that span 2-4 hours, mostly of sunrises and sunsets'. (Wei, 2013)

Source

This is interesting to me as inspiration for my project. Can I use clothing to achieve the same effect as the 'slices' of sky? Even though it could be perceived as a literal translation of the passage of time, I like that the artist is using this method to push the boundaries of his ideas.
I also like the collage effect which relates to my intention of making my project look arts and crafty.


Wei, F. Q. (2013). Time is a Dimension
Retrieved from http://fqwimages.com/time-dimension/

dsdn 144 - inspiration

dsdn 144 | project 2 - proposal

For this project I will express the passage of time via photography by taking a series of images of my young daughter’s clothes from birth to present day (she is now almost 3 and half). 

I will present the work using time lapse photography with the items of clothing placed using a technique similar to stop motion animation. I want to show how emotional these inanimate objects can be when photographed in this context.

I will use a simple background and one light source. From past projects I know how important it is to keep the lighting consistent so I will probably shoot in my garage. I want it to feel like a craft project – there needs to be a sense of homeliness.

I am interested in exploring the use of the Premiere Pro/ After Effects plug-in Twixtor to move through the changes of clothes in a really smooth, slow-motion way. I am interested in building on my Premiere Pro skills which I have recently been using to do an assignment for one of my second year papers.

As part of the process I will put together a short clip of images showing my little girls's face undergoing the transformation from new-born to young child. This will accompany my final hand-in.

dsdn 144 | my own work

I have been mucking around a bit with my new camera and have two images that I haven't been able to get out of my mind.

The first is the very first photo I took with my new camera. I feel like this banana is lurking in the shadows. Like it's capable of murder. I really like the light reflecting on the top. (Shining in a way that a banana really shouldn't).

I shot it with a macro lens on our kitchen bench at night.

©2013 Helen K Williams

The other is this one that I almost deleted as it was part of a series I shot for the stop-motion exercise. When I went back to look at this, the first shot of the series, I was almost regretful I hadn't used stairs as a subject for Space (project one).

I like the play of the shadows on the stairs. The backpack off to the left (descending the next set of stairs). The different textures. How linear/geometrical the image is.

©2013 Helen K Williams

I decided to add a black and white layer in Photoshop. Just to contrast the two. I prefer the colour one. The B & W seems a little dull.

©2013 Helen K Williams

dsdn 144 | weekly assignment... stop motion

Somthing went wrong with my images of Cuba Street yesterday so I shot some images on the train this morning and have used Photoshop (in the absence of Premiere Pro at the school) to animate it...

Paremata - with 0.5 sec delay

Paremata - with 0.2 sec delay - I feel like this is the more successful speed

dsdn 144 | panorama

I have recently acquired an app on my iPhone called 360 which produces really amazing 'flat' panoramas as well as giving you the ability to view a space in the round via the web-sharing platform.

Here are a couple of flat ones:

©2013 Helen K Williams

©2013 Helen K Williams

Here is my panorama using Photoshop and the 'place' command...

©2013 Helen K Williams

dsdn 144 | final hand in

Here is my presentation and the series of four images I chose to hand in.

©2013 Helen K Williams

©2013 Helen K Williams

©2013 Helen K Williams

©2013 Helen K Williams

©2013 Helen K Williams

Evaluation

 In undertaking the first project for photographics I have, first and foremost, acquired my own digital SLR camera so I have been afforded the luxury of being able to use my own equipment and start really learning how to use the camera.

My first efforts also made me remember how difficult it is to photograph a small and enclosed space in a way that is new and/or interesting. This was always the challenge for me when I owned my business and nothing has really changed. Previously I nearly always resorted to photographing tightly composed images because of this difficulty and by returning to the challenge of focusing on the space aspect rather than the object I have had to confront that issue.

I am satisfied that I have concentrated on portraying the space I was shooting better although there were many unsuccessful attempts as evidenced in my contact sheets.

I found an interesting narrative in choosing the space around the basin to create my theme. I would like to develop that more in my own time. It would make an interesting study as it reveals information about the personality of the owners of the sinks such as their sense of order and need for abundance. There is a psychological study awaiting further exploration in this area.

I tried to shoot at different times of the day and in natural as well as synthetic light and while I had a few issues with white balance settings (and failing to think about that) I was able to produce some interesting final images that required minimal to no further intervention in the way of Photoshop.

One important thing I feel I learnt was to look at all the space in the frame of the image before shooting. I found myself becoming much more conscious of this and it helped improve the quality of my work.

dsdn 144 | fifth shoot

I am finding the older bathrooms more interesting. The best part is that even though I am finding the resulting images much less clean, the idea of glamour and purposeful order is still there. The faux marble in particular is really pleasing to me.

This bathroom is about to be renovated and I have thinking about it including it all along so I managed to get these just in time. I love the faded seventies glamour of this bathroom. It is always very nostalgic for me to enter this space. For some reasons I have always liked its extra long bench top too. I am excited to see the new bathroom but will miss this time machine.

©2013 Helen K Williams

dsdn 144 | fourth shoot

By now I was keen to photograph some older style bathrooms with a little more history and patina.
There were two bathrooms in this house - I ended up using one of the guest bathroom in my final series of four which is the only one in my series without a mirror behind but I was intrigued by how still this space was (which is exactly how this house feels whenever I visit it) and thought it had a place among the others. It also evokes a powerful feeling of times past for me. The soap on the dish looks as though it may have been there for years. I still experimented a little with my idea of depicting forgotten space but have shelved it for later.

©2013 Helen K Williams