Question of the Week, vol.3
"A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into." ~Ansel AdamsWe are often our own worst critics, but what is your favorite photograph that YOU have taken in the past 6 months? chantal says:I think my own self-criticism actually hinders me, sometimes, from fulfilling my potential. And as far as my "best" or "favorite" photo...it doesn't exist.
My best photo is always my NEXT photo, the one I've yet to create, the one that's in my head right now.
There are a couple, though, that I am particularly fond of. I just came back from vacation, and I don't even have all of the film back yet from processing, but those that I do have, I am pleased with. These images, along with many others will soon be posted onto my personal photo-blog.
Another image I am happy with was posted here before. This multiple exposure image was about a year in the making. I had it visualized in my head, but could never actually shoot it the way my mind saw it. Then suddenly one day...magic. I created what my mind saw. You gotta love when that happens.
QOTW vol.3 cont'd
DJ says:Once again... a great question... but...I am going to change the assignment, at least for me.
These images were not taken in the last 6 months, but actually rediscovered in the last few weeks and I have been manipulating them to achieve an image closer to my original vision.
A person without eyes cannot see, but seeing is not required to have a vision!!!
The first two images represent a series I have been working on for years, and still continue, that involves folding or rolling paper and then shooting the unusual shapes and using strong, directional lighting to create these images. sometimes the images can become quite busy and lose their impact as a visual element and people start to try and analyze the image too much.
The third image is my personal favorite... it is an image that is very simple, not only in visual impact, but also in it's elements and the amount of time to create the image. This is one of those images that just jumped into my face and said, "take me". I really like the hard contrast between the black and white and also the curved edge between the two tones. In my opinion, a straight line would have lost the dynamics. I shot this image using 35mm Polapan slide film, instant develop. This process creates a positive image that I scanned hi-res and then manipulated slightly. I am not sure this is a film you can still purchase or is even manufactured.
Let me know what you think...
QOTW vol.3 cont'd
Melanie says:These are my current favorites -- One black and white and one color. They were taken while Nick and I were on our vacation in Europe a few weeks ago.
- The black and white I took while were walking around the smaller streets and alleys in Florence, Italy. (Ilford 125 ISO, f/8 and I let the camera adjust the shutter speed). I really like the perspective -- I got down low so that the buildings would be exaggerated and the bike would be the main focus.
- The color photo is from when we were at Westminster Abbey in London, England. (Fuji 200, f/16 and I let the camera adjust the shutter speed). I just like playing with perspective. The sky was a gorgeous blue, and the clouds were arranged just perfectly so that the lions take center-stage. Without the clouds, I don't think this photo would be as striking.
A Cool Mistake
This is what can happen when we don't pay attention to what we're doing. I had been out shooting multiple exposures and forgot to reset my camera when, a couple days later, I went out again to shoot with my Lensbaby.
The result is kind of cool though. Very unexpected, very surreal.
(double click to view larger)
Makes you wonder...Are there such things as 'mistakes' in Art?
There are more Lensbaby images on my site, here.
Multiple Exposures
A lot of us here at the Fotogroup are just slightly obsessed with the idea of multiple exposures. It all started when we collectively discovered the work of Freeman Patterson. Jodi and DJ had much better results right away, I've been practicing on and off for about a year before I finally got an image I was happy with. (Either I'm just way too slow, or way too critical of my own work--maybe a bit of both!)
This image was taken using 6 exposures- 3 or 4 out of focus, the remainder were in sharp focus.
~~chantal
Chantal's first Lensbaby attempt
This image was taken using a Lensbaby. The great people at Lensbabies.com were awesome enough to send me my very own Lensbaby for product review. Over the next few weeks I will be posting many of the images I shoot using the lens, and then writing a product review which will be submitted to various publications, online and off.
A Lensbaby is a selective focus lens for SLR cameras--both digital and standard. It allows you to bring one area of your image into sharp focus, or 'sweet spot', surrounded by a graduated blur.
So far, I'm enjoying shooting with my Lensbaby. They say on the website, that it may take a little practice to achieve your desired effect, I'm seeing that this is true. Since I use film, I'm limited by how quickly I can get my film processed, before I move on to the next attempt. I'm shooting one roll of film at a time, and keeping track of all of the variables so that I know what works for me, and what doesn't.
I'm not very happy with the image here. The lens comes with various aperture rings that you can change manually. I'll talk about that more when I write the actual review. For this image I used the f/4 ring, and I also used one of the macro filters (from the macro kit they sent me!). I wanted a very up-close, tight image, which I got, but it's obviously ineffective. I probably shouldn't have used the macro, that way more of the background would have been in sharper focus. The image is also slightly overexposed, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact, I often will purposely overexpose many of my images, but again, here, it's just not very effective.
Oh well.....gives me reason to try, and try again!!
Question Of The Week, vol.2
Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.~Tony BennAll artists are influenced and/or inspired by others, but not limited to the same medium. Who are some of your favorite photographers/artists?
from Jodi Hoye:My main form of creativity has been in quilting. I love
Jinny Beye's unique approach to quilting.
I also love picking colors and putting them together in rug
hooking and knitting.Freeman Patterson is my favorite photographers because he can do unusual things with the normal, and make it beautiful and unique.
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from DJ:Most events in a persons life begin with a certain amount of background, or a succession of events; then they work on finding closure based on what has come before as a foundation. As far as our ability to build on these foundations; our ability to speak has been built by years of remaining silent, babbling and finally speaking; so, too, do photographers have to build an image by laying thought upon thought, vision upon vision, and incident upon incident. This is perhaps the most natural way to create an image. This is also probably the safest way to create the image, because the photographer is creating, whether consciously or unconsciously, in a straight-line. Problems that surface are easily fixed, because in theory the photographer can step back and see where the problem started and take a different path. Not that images don't exist that can be created using this process, there are quite a few, and effective ones at that. Still, the strongest emotion a photographer can invoke, is when the vision is clear. Sometimes, a less common strategy, which is to begin the image creation process by first looking at the end. Rather than creating the image in a linear fashion, the photographer can adopt a more organic approach, where images LEAP from the print — to support. Images built in such a manner, support the main emphasis of the subject. An image should not attempt to provide an answer, but to prompt the viewer to ask a question that needs an answer. The image can accomplish this in endless ways. Instead of proclaiming the subject matter of the image, the image should quietly address the answer and let the viewer determine the question. The motive of this, is bringing the viewer back to the question they themselves asked upon initial viewing. You cannot affect a persons memory, but only affect it in hindsight. By changing a persons thoughts about past events, which by definition are unchangeable, a persons thoughts can never truly become a memory.
So... how does this relate to the question at hand... believe it or not, or at least in my chaotic mind, it does. I try not to focus on a single artist or style or art. I like to think I am a well rounded artist and by trying not to focus on a single concept or individual, I will remain free of getting stuck in a rut. I like to make the viewer think deeper than they have ever thought before and make them keep coming back to the image for one last, or so they think, glance at the image. anyway... hope this clears up nothing and provides clarity, none-the-less.
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from Cindy May:I enjoy and am inspired by the works of artist
David Hockney and photographer
Martin Parr (whom I have met and have gotten his autograph). I had never heard of David Hockney until I saw an advertisement for an exhibit of his at the National Museum in Cardiff (Wales). My husband, a friend, and I all visited and I was hooked ever since! Probably the most impressive work was a whole wall taken up with overlapping photos (called ‘joiners’) of the Grand Canyon. It was the next best thing to actually being there (and I have – twice!).
I had never heard of Martin Parr either, but he was listed as a guest lecturer at a photography seminar I attended quite a few years ago. That was also the first time I had ever heard the term ‘documentary photography,’ which is a style I’ve adopted and practiced for most of my life. Last summer when I was in Paris my husband and I visited the Museum of European Photography. Unbeknownst to us, there was a Martin Parr (& Charles Close) exhibit on. The most impressive work was an installation where Parr decorated a room to look like his family’s living room circa about the 1950’s. There was an enlarged photo (of the window) in place of where the window would have been, but otherwise everything else was authentic. Although it wasn’t so much about photos, it was a really clever installation complete with a TV and radio spewing programs from the time period.
I also very much like the impressionists – Monet, Van Gogh, Rembrandt to name a few. I have visited Monet’s house in Giverny (France) and seen the garden which was the subject of so many of his lovely paintings. It’s always interesting to see where artists get their inspiration.
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from Arthur Weeks:Here are some-
Robert Frank
Heinrich Riebesehl
Fay Godwin
William Eggleston
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lois Conner
Toshio Shibata
Roni Horn
Minor White
Joseph Beuys
Lee Friedlander
Bernice Abbot
Hans Hofmann
Diane Arbus
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from chantal stone:I like to draw my inspiration from various mediums. I go through phases where I really try not to look at other photographer's work, for fear of being too influenced by them. I like to see what other people are shooting, and of course, to learn new techniques, and gain new ideas. But I've seen where sometimes other artists become so influenced by those of the same medium, they tend to copy too closely. Call it my own insecurity.
I really feel that I do live and breathe my art. But it isn't always practical to be shooting day and night, which is why I like to write and occasionally paint and draw. And I find that I am more inspired in my photography, when I am most active practicing these other art forms. Therefore, it seems natural to me, that the vast majority of my influences come from fellow writers and artists, but not necessarily photographers.
A line of poetry, a beautiful melody, or lyric from a song, the raw emotion felt through a skillfully acted performance in a film. These are the things that inspire me, that motivate me to do what I do.
A few of my favorite artists and writers include Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Klimt, Emerson, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Tamon Van Scoy, John Spivey...among many many others.
