Assignment 3- Instillation utilizing projection of imagery or light.
I really like the whole sports idea for photography so I am going to roll with it. The location I have decided on is the field hockey locker room. During our season, we have a different poster for each game up on white brick wall. They include pictures, opponents, quotes, and different blurbs from years past games. After each competition, we write the final score on the poster. After the season was over, our whole wall was totally crammed with these posters and it was a way to look back and reflect on our games. It brings back memories because I remember seeing the posters before each game, and writing on them after each one. We took all the posters down now, because we are in a new season now, spring; but I still think about them when I look at the blank wall, and remember our triumphs and struggles and can visualize the posters that used to be there.
I am going to project images onto this wall. They aren’t really there because they are being projected, but they would make me think of the memory of having them there. I need help deciding what exactly to project. I have a couple different ideas. First, I could use the portraits of the athletes from assignment 2. What I would do is shoot several different players from my team and project their portrait on the wall; because each and every one of us is responsible for the outcome on the wall. I could also incorporate the titles of the opponents we versed, and the final score somehow. On the other hand, I could use the opponents from our upcoming season to show that the wall is blank now, but in August of this year, it will be filled up again with brand new posters and a brand new season, with all new outcomes. I really like the concept I have come up with, and how it relates to me personally, but I don’t have any real solid ideas of imagery to project. The location would be perfect because it’s in the MAC on campus, and I will get permission from my coach to have the class come in the locker room.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Lighting Techniques Proposal
Assignment 2:
must use lights on location, use strobe settings, photograph a person, and direct shoot.
I have two ideas for this assignment. I would like to do both anyway, but for the proposal, maybe you can tell me which one makes the most sense with the assignment. At first, I thought I would do an athlete portrait sitting on location of their respective sport field. My two ideas that I would be able to do without too much trouble are field hockey and baseball players. I will take a travel light out to the field and shoot an on location portrait of the athlete. I will take in to account their location on the field (circle, end line, goal cage, pitcher’s mound, dugout, bench, etc), and their outfits (practice clothes, uniform, winter or summer outfit workout clothes, hat, gloves, shin guards, etc). I would bring out the lights for dramatic lighting, and shoot probably earlier in the morning or at dusk for extra side lighting. For field hockey, I could do a series with a group of players on the baseline, ready to sprint before the whistle blows. This would make sense to shoot in the early morning as the sun comes up because that is when we usually have running tests. I could also shoot more still portraits that show the ‘inner athlete’. I would try to capture emotion in the athlete’s stance, and facial expression. Ideas for the baseball player would include dugout single athlete shot and a bat over the player’s shoulders to show defeat. I would like to change up the camera angle. I think shooting closer to the ground would be good if I am trying to make the player look intimidating and tough.
I still would like to try this, but I think a more experimental and interesting project idea would be to try a time exposure and freeze action with the strobe. I am pulling inspiration from Harold Edgerton where he photographed tennis, baseball, football, golf, and lacrosse players. What I see happening is taking 2 travel lights to the field hockey field at night, and capturing fast action by firing the strobe. I will have a team mate come out and take shots and lifts and I will set up the lights and have my camera on a tripod. At first I will have to have the model light on so I can make sure that the action will be inside the frame. Then, I’ll turn the model light off, put the shutter speed on 10 seconds, press the shutter, say go, fire the first strobe, then the second, and if they power up quickly, I will fire them again.
This is just the general idea that I have; I think that it will turn into something different once I am out there experimenting. Of course I won’t be able to take as many repetitions of the strobe as Edgerton, but if I can get the athlete to slow their action while maintaining form, I will do that and then fire the strobes more than once. I will have to wait to start this assignment because I can’t plug in the strobes at the field.
must use lights on location, use strobe settings, photograph a person, and direct shoot.
I have two ideas for this assignment. I would like to do both anyway, but for the proposal, maybe you can tell me which one makes the most sense with the assignment. At first, I thought I would do an athlete portrait sitting on location of their respective sport field. My two ideas that I would be able to do without too much trouble are field hockey and baseball players. I will take a travel light out to the field and shoot an on location portrait of the athlete. I will take in to account their location on the field (circle, end line, goal cage, pitcher’s mound, dugout, bench, etc), and their outfits (practice clothes, uniform, winter or summer outfit workout clothes, hat, gloves, shin guards, etc). I would bring out the lights for dramatic lighting, and shoot probably earlier in the morning or at dusk for extra side lighting. For field hockey, I could do a series with a group of players on the baseline, ready to sprint before the whistle blows. This would make sense to shoot in the early morning as the sun comes up because that is when we usually have running tests. I could also shoot more still portraits that show the ‘inner athlete’. I would try to capture emotion in the athlete’s stance, and facial expression. Ideas for the baseball player would include dugout single athlete shot and a bat over the player’s shoulders to show defeat. I would like to change up the camera angle. I think shooting closer to the ground would be good if I am trying to make the player look intimidating and tough.
I still would like to try this, but I think a more experimental and interesting project idea would be to try a time exposure and freeze action with the strobe. I am pulling inspiration from Harold Edgerton where he photographed tennis, baseball, football, golf, and lacrosse players. What I see happening is taking 2 travel lights to the field hockey field at night, and capturing fast action by firing the strobe. I will have a team mate come out and take shots and lifts and I will set up the lights and have my camera on a tripod. At first I will have to have the model light on so I can make sure that the action will be inside the frame. Then, I’ll turn the model light off, put the shutter speed on 10 seconds, press the shutter, say go, fire the first strobe, then the second, and if they power up quickly, I will fire them again.
This is just the general idea that I have; I think that it will turn into something different once I am out there experimenting. Of course I won’t be able to take as many repetitions of the strobe as Edgerton, but if I can get the athlete to slow their action while maintaining form, I will do that and then fire the strobes more than once. I will have to wait to start this assignment because I can’t plug in the strobes at the field.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Portfolio Option 1 for Black and White Photography
For my portfolio long term project for this class I am going to continue along with the same theme as Sequence as a Story. However, I am going to go much more in-depth with my shooting, and focus on water to the fullest. I am pulling inspiration and ideas from these three artists: Clark Little, Harold Edgerton, and William Neill. I would like to use my camera as a way to capture images that we don’t normally see with our naked eye.
First, time exposures offer endless opportunities to get interesting and cool results. I am interested in shooting time exposures of moving water as it glides over rocks and sand. Ocean, lakes, rivers, bays, puddles, rain, clouds, fog and ice are all variations of water I would like to explore. Because this is a semester long project, I am able to show all of these different stages of water, from ice to warmer water. I like William Neill’s images of moving water. They give off a ghostly feel which I would like to imitate.
Clark Little shoots most of his images from in the ocean. That concept interreges me, and I would like to try something similar. This isn’t going to happen in February because the ocean temperature is around 36. In April, temperatures should reach a high of 50, so I will attempt this later on in the semester. I understand that he shoots in Hawaii where the water is beautiful and clear and colorful; this is why I won’t be doing underwater shooting, but shooting above the surface. I will try to go out with my wide angle lens. I will use like five of the best plastic bags I can find, and cut out around the lens opening and duct tape.
Finally, I will use Harold Edgerton as inspiration because I want to try to ‘stop the action’ of water. I understand that he used fast strobes in his work the pause action. First, I will try to just take images using a faster speed film and as fast of a shutter speed as the light will allow. After that, maybe I will try to bring some flashes into the images to freeze the frame.
All of my concepts are involving the interaction of light and water. How does the lighting situation change the look of water? How does the shutter speed change the look of the image of water? How does the result change with shooting position change from in water to out of water? These are questions I would like to look further into and answer using photographs. After I have taken film shots, I think it would be fun and beneficial to scan them and manipulate them digitally. I am using these three photographers as inspiration to develop images similar to their; however, I want these starting points to branch off and grow into my own ideas and impressions of light.
First, time exposures offer endless opportunities to get interesting and cool results. I am interested in shooting time exposures of moving water as it glides over rocks and sand. Ocean, lakes, rivers, bays, puddles, rain, clouds, fog and ice are all variations of water I would like to explore. Because this is a semester long project, I am able to show all of these different stages of water, from ice to warmer water. I like William Neill’s images of moving water. They give off a ghostly feel which I would like to imitate.
Clark Little shoots most of his images from in the ocean. That concept interreges me, and I would like to try something similar. This isn’t going to happen in February because the ocean temperature is around 36. In April, temperatures should reach a high of 50, so I will attempt this later on in the semester. I understand that he shoots in Hawaii where the water is beautiful and clear and colorful; this is why I won’t be doing underwater shooting, but shooting above the surface. I will try to go out with my wide angle lens. I will use like five of the best plastic bags I can find, and cut out around the lens opening and duct tape.
Finally, I will use Harold Edgerton as inspiration because I want to try to ‘stop the action’ of water. I understand that he used fast strobes in his work the pause action. First, I will try to just take images using a faster speed film and as fast of a shutter speed as the light will allow. After that, maybe I will try to bring some flashes into the images to freeze the frame.
All of my concepts are involving the interaction of light and water. How does the lighting situation change the look of water? How does the shutter speed change the look of the image of water? How does the result change with shooting position change from in water to out of water? These are questions I would like to look further into and answer using photographs. After I have taken film shots, I think it would be fun and beneficial to scan them and manipulate them digitally. I am using these three photographers as inspiration to develop images similar to their; however, I want these starting points to branch off and grow into my own ideas and impressions of light.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Clark Little
I first came in contact with Clark Little's work in Sierra Magazine. He says:
"I enjoy the power and beauty of the thick bombs that roll through. Now I can capture some of those heavy moments without getting slammed. Well, most of the time." His url is: http://www.clarklittlephotography.com/
I absolutely love his work. I think its stunning in every way. I think it would be great if I could do similar work, but NJ water is a lot different looking than Hawaii. He had to 'suffer' sometimes for his shots. I don't know if that makes them any more valuable to him or others, but I think it makes them more unique because a lot less people would be willing to gets shots like these, which is probably why they are so special and unique.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Lighting Techniques: Harold Edgerton
http://edgerton-digital-collections.org/galleries/iconic-----
this is where all the images I talk about are coming from.
"While electric lights were used with some success as early as the mid 1900's it was with the Harold Edgerton's 1930's invention of "Stroboscopic" photography that controlling light and time became a photographers greatest tool." I am totally intrigued by his work with strobes and motion in the studio. His athletic portfolio of work is stunning especially considering the time period. The strobe fired rapidly to capture the people's movement. He captures things that we can't see normally at all. He invented to strobhttp://edgerton-digital-collections.org/galleries/iconic/athleticse light and combined science and photography. I like the tennis players because it shows the motion of the racket and the ball. Another kind of actin photography he did was Stop-action. In the photo of a man hitting a softball, he shows how when a batter hits a softball, the bat bends and the ball caves in around the bat. This athlete had an additional challenge. The photo was taken in a darkened room, with the sound of the ball hitting the bat triggering the flash.The golf swing is amazing also because it shows the entire swing of the club and the rotation of the athlete.
Every image I go to I am constantly saying wow! Because these are stop motions that we can't see with the naked eye. I like the diver because it shows each change in direction he makes and shows his athletic ability. His most famous images include the bullet going through the apple. I like the one where the apple is being split, and then in the next image, the apple is exploding. He freezes the motion to show us something we have never seen. I keep saying this, but I think it's main reason for his work. I am also interested in his water droplet series. It isn't just 1 photo, it is a series of images that create motion; each one has been frozen in time. The playing cards!!!! wow, this is amazing! the cards appear to be flying through the air from one hand to the other! I def. want to try to recreate some of his works. It can be called copying, but I want to see how he does it!
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