Today I had a meeting with my Thesis committee and they pointed out that 2 out of the 5 images I presented had a different feel to them. The 2 weren't dirty enough to follow along with the other 3. It was actually kinda funny. Ben said he felt like he was a mouse traveling around these small, dirty, and forgotten spaces. I really liked that idea and maybe thinking like a mouse and maneuvering around like one might help me to find new spaces. Wayne said he also agreed that these images could go bigger. Yay! I'm not going to put these in fancy mats. Jane suggested just putting them on foamcore and letting them float off the wall. I feel this would be more true to the images. A nice white border would contradict with these dirty and shadowed spaces. Wayne also said that a glossy paper makes the images more appealing, that these spaces are scary yet intriguing.

Oh and I'm not going to use 2 out of the 3 images I first selected to write my paper on. So that kinda stinks because I already had the outline done but at least the paper will be more coherent if all the spaces depict this dirty forgotten industrial space. I still really like the roller image but only on a color and shape basis. I'm really happy that I've nailed down my subject matter and strategy!

On Track!

Today we all had another meeting with Jane. My crit went really well. Kinko's printed my photos out on nice glossy paper and on an actual inkjet printer! They were 11 x 17 but Jane suggested and I totally agree to go bigger. I'm going to print at the lab but I forget how so Sarah said she would help me. The quality will be much better. I am having some trouble with my own computer reading Raw files which is an unnecessary headache. Content wise, I'm playing around with placement of small objects and lighting. Visually each picture is very different but they all resonate with the scale and volume aspect I'm exploring. I asked the people in my crit to guess what the images were and their guesses were almost correct. It's fun in this way. We discussed that I should probably title the images what they really are in order to achieve that "A-ha!" moment. For a while I was afraid that I wasn't going to reach that moment but I'm okay with the titles being obvious to support that realization. The depth of field I have been shooting is very shallow with selected parts being in focus. This Friday I intend to rent the pinhole cap for maximum focus and possible distortion.
I've already chosen the three images I will discuss in my paper for Senior Thesis. They are from the images I had shown today. It is definitely a lot easier to crank out these photos now that I'm sure of my subject matter and content. I'm also a little curious to what we will be working on next semester. If we are supposed to have our paper done and most of our work already done then what work will we have left to do?

So I've been working with my new lens and it has come in handy. I'm also going to rent the pinhole thing from the cage. I have also become more engaged with my environments such as moving things around, changing the lighting and sometimes even blind shooting. My house is getting a little boring so I'm off to new locations! Shallow depths of field really help with the scale sometimes. I'm not going to introduce small recognizable objects into the scene. It would be too plain and obvious. I also plan on going to the Great Frame up in Milford to see what kind of options they have for framing. And let's hope this time FedEx doesn't print out ugly photos.

Good news! On Friday I ordered a Canon 50mm macro lens and it has already shipped! It should be arriving in the next few days. This new lens will def. help with my close up photos.

Wayne Enstice is on my Thesis Committee and he suggested that if I find that I can not reach the "A-ha" moment where the viewer realizes that what they are looking at is not what they originally thought, then I should introduce small recognizable objects withing the frame. For example, putting a penny or a paper clip somewhere in the frame. This idea almost reminds me of Where's Waldo puzzles but I think it's fun. I'm going to try this as soon as my new lens comes in.

Last week when the class handed in our first exercise project I was amazed at how wide spread the "like" pins were. At least each size of the photograph had two or more pins. This definitely makes it hard to decide which size is best for my photos. However, I am still planning on going bigger than 8x10. If my print was small, it would totally defeat the purpose of visually enlarging the space.

Also, this Friday I plan on purchasing a macro lens for my dslr camera. This will def help with the focus and aperture. I just hope that it gets delivered asap.

The more I photograph, the more my eyes are trained to seek out these small spaces. It's very interesting to hone in on. Last night I ventured into the storage section of my basement, which is basically a pile of seasonal stuff. I took lots of photos of shadows and cobwebs. I'm leaning towards a more industrial feel in my photos. The rain and snow makes it difficult to go outside and look under brush. I also plan on photographing the nooks & crannies of my car for more industrial spaces. I have yet to obtain the "aha!" moment of realizing that the photo is and is not what it appears to be but I feel with more exploration and shooting I will get there.

Change in Direction

As of Tuesday I have decided to stop what I was doing and try something else. With the "screen" project I didn't feel as if I was really getting anywhere, much less coming to a conclusion. There wasn't much for me to say. Plus I don't really like photographing people. So instead I have turned to something I know I already enjoy. I will be photographing small spaces (nooks & crannies for an idea) in color and printing them in a large scale. I would like for these spaces to appear volumous and life size almost. Honestly, I want to trick the viewer just cuz it's fun. There would be more dialogue and discussion as to what one was looking at. Also, there would be numerous things and areas for me to photograph. The environments could be controlled and/or constructed. Within the frame, there will be a focus on depth of field, layering forms, color, light and shadow. It feels good to be doing something I really enjoy and constantly have inspiration for.

Originally for my senior thesis, I began with a broad concept of comparing how much times have changed, say from the 1940s to current. We have all witnessed how much technology has grown and how events have changed the world. I want to continue with the idea of showing how technology influences us, as well as how dependent we are on it. This is still kind of broad and I'm really interested in what I call the "zombie" expression on people's faces when they are involved with the screen of a tv, laptop, etc. So my next step is to bring the camera in closer to my subject. I'm going to utilize color in film and digital formats. The screen will be the only light source and the human face will take up all of the frame.