Shutter/Aperture Project

What adjective did you choose?

I chose the word "solitude" to inspire my photographs because I was intrigued by the different directions in which the word could be taken. Solitude could be synonymous with loneliness and imply a sense of abandonment or sadness, but it could also be synonymous with independence and a sense of contentment. I photographed a variety of different objects that stood alone and tried to convey not necessarily a sense of sadness but rather solitude by choice, as the objects functioned by themselves and without the help of other objects. They could stand alone by choice, which I found intriguing. 

This photograph illustrates "solitude" because I found this bench to be very peaceful and interestingly lit. The photograph is interesting because it shows the bench from an unusual angle and captures the sense of abandonment without looking melancholy. I believe that the light prevents the object from appearing ominous and the peaceful nature of the bench creates a certain solitude. This photo utilizes a somewhat shallow depth of field because the front of the bench is more focused than the back of the bench and both are shown in closer detail than the foreground. The rule of thirds is also employed because the main part of the bench occupies the center vertical third but not the upper horizontal third, creating an intriguing composition. 

The photo represents solitude because although the plant is alone, the sunlight streaking the top of the photograph provides a sense of warmth and calm, bringing the photo from lonely to simply solitary and at peace as opposed to troubled. The background is very out of focusing comparison to the subject, placing emphasis on its details. I used aperture to ensure that the plant was the center of the composition. I think that the light also played an interesting role in capturing the mood of the photograph. The rule of thirds is slightly broken with the placement of the plant, as it is between the second and third vertical thirds, but the light streaking in from the sun occupies the center vertical third to create an interesting contrast. The foreground is far more detailed, but the background is also interestingly lit. 

I find this photo to be slightly eerier than the other photographs yet I believe that the vegetation in the corner provides a more cheerful mood despite the solitude of the iron fence. The fence sits in solitude but not in a way that exudes loss or lack of companionship. There is a shallow depth of field, focusing on the center curl in the iron fence. The fence portions behind and in front of this curl are not as focused, and the background behind the fence is very unfocused, placing special emphasis upon the details of this center curl. The rule of thirds is employed in that the fence does not occupy the left vertical third and there is focus placed on the portion of the fence within the center vertical third. 

This photo demonstrates my theme of peaceful solitude because although the background is dark and empty, the flower lying in the foreground is blooming and alive. The flower does not require other elements and stands on its own in a calm independence that I would describe to be solitude. The flower is placed in the center of the vertical middle third and the horizontal middle third, immediately drawing the eye towards it. The photo has a very shallow depth of field and all emphasis is placed upon the flower petals and core. There is slight activity in the lower background but the foreground is most in focus, relating to the shallow depth of field. 

Pinhole Camera Reflection

Conceptual IntentionsWhat did you find meaningful about the process and practice of this project? Where does your voice and style as an artist emerge in this project? If you did not find the practice and process meaningful or you do not feel that your voice emerged in this work, why not?

I felt the project was meaningful because I was able to actually create my own camera out of household materials and take successful and interesting photographs using very simple technology and creative thinking. I was able to show my voice through varying my use of photograph locations and in designing my personal camera to fit my personal preferences. I was able to take photographs that demonstrated my compositional skills using the camera that I created. 

Stretch and ExploreWhat challenges did you face over the course of this project? what changed over the course of your project?  What opportunities or occurrences led to these changes? Given what you know now about building a camera, how might you have changed your concept or approach to working?

I had trouble with effectively creating my camera so that my photos were not overexposed to light. I had to experiment with various photo locations in order to find those with optimal light and shadow in my quest for a successful photograph. Over time, I chose locations with more light because darker locations did not produce photographs that were as interesting or effective as those with bright lighting. I would have probably chosen a paint can or other cylindrically shaped object because from the experiences of my classmates, it seems that objects in this shape make the most light-tight cameras. I used a box and although it worked effectively eventually, I had to work much harder to create a light tight environment than my classmates with cylindrical cameras.  

Formal IntentionsHow have you deepened your understanding of photography in this project? Describe your pinhole prints. Please upload at least three examples to your blog. 

This project helped me to understand the importance of light and composition in photographs. I gained a better understanding of aperture and how to use it efficiently and successfully. I also learned to take photographs of locations with interesting and diverse compositions in order to take complex and unique photos. In my first two pinhole prints, I took photographs of a darker environment and ended up with lighter and less successful prints. They prints were more blurred and out of focus. After changing my location, I was able to take more focused and contrasting photographs of Maxwell Music Hall. I was more pleased with this location and was able to take successful and interesting photographs. 

Photography Still Life

Reflection

Light

Three Or More Objects

Close Up

Final Art Reflection

Final Art Reflection

Natalie Turner

1) Which project do you consider your most successful? How did you develop your craft with this assignment? What tools, methods and materials were essential to your success with this project? What ideas, feelings or meanings did you want your piece to express? How did you go about expressing it? 

     Personally, I consider this most recent Landscape photography project to be my most successful piece. I enjoyed using the dark room to print aesthetically unique and interesting photographs. I also believe that my work in this project was successful because I felt very inspired while taking photographs during our trip to Phoenix Lake. I really enjoyed experimenting with lighting and framing and I think that I was able to successfully capture unexpected moments within simple landscapes. The cameras that we used were essential to my success, as well as the dark room development process. Using different camera settings with the digital camera helped me to achieve the desired effect with different photographs. Also, experimenting with my developer in the dark room helped me to create unique and successful dark room prints. Having the ability to make appropriate adjustments to my photographs using Aperture on the computer allowed me to make the colors in my photos vibrant and interesting while emphasizing certain aspects of the photos.
     The feeling that I was trying to express through my photography was a sense of serenity and peace. Although there is tension in my landscapes, I find the overall aesthetic of my photographs to be relaxing and serene. This was also the effect that I was going for in my dark room photography. I repeatedly used water in my digital photographs that was settled or moving slowly in order to portray this feeling of serenity. The natural elements present in my photographs also helped me to show peace, as I find the outdoors and natural world to be relaxing, especially when captured in a still photograph. 

2) Which project was the most challenging? Look at your brainstorming or original intentions for this project. How does the final work(s) resemble your preliminary sketches or plans? What changed? Why did you make the changes that you did? What problems emerged in the creation of this project? How did you solve the problems? 

     For me, I found the plaster sculpture project to be the most challenging for me. My final work very vaguely represents my original thoughts and ideas. During the brainstorming process, I found it difficult to transfer the three dimensional concepts that I had visualized in my head into a two dimensional sketch on paper that sufficiently expressed the idea I was going for. I found it very difficult to draw the different angles of three dimensional figures that I could conceptualize but struggled to physically plan out. I solved this issue by beginning my process with a two dimensional drawing and then forming the idea of the three dimensional final piece around the drawing, rather than the other way around. I found that this way made it easier for me to make sketches that accurately illustrated the effect that I was going for in creating the sculpture.
     After handling my initial conceptual struggles, I also found it difficult to work with plaster. I had never carved with the medium before and I did not expect it to be as labor intensive as it was. However, through trial and error, I was able to successfully develop methods of carving and smoothing that made an aesthetically intriguing final piece. Throughout the physical execution of my idea, I struggled both with the medium and with successfully portraying my conceptual intentions. However, through experimentation, I found that I was able to create a sculpture that represented my ideas and concepts of strength and potential motion in a smooth and fluid plaster sculpture.

3) Please discuss three new strengths you've discovered or deepened this year. One formal strength (your ability to work with things like composition, balance, rhythm et cetera), one technical or media-specific strength (working in a specific medium or honing a specific skill) and one conceptual strength (your idea development in the specific project). 

     To begin with, I have become stronger with expressing rhythm through my work this year. At the beginning of the year, I typically preferred working with symmetry and balance in my work. I preferred all of my artwork to be very realistic and detailed. However, through the exploration of new mediums and the development of my technical skills, I became more adept with using rhythm to make pieces flow in a logical manor. I found that utilizing rhythm within various pieces allowed me to better communicate concepts and ideas while creating a more interesting final work. I found rhythm to be particularly important during the photography portions of the course and while utilizing Photoshop to create digital media pieces. Paying attention to rhythm helped to make my digital and darkroom photographs more intriguing to look at, as it created more of a sense of movement and interest. Also, when creating digital artwork using Photoshop, I found rhythm to be a key element in making a cohesive and complete-looking composition.
     I have developed a strength in Photoshop. I had never used the program before partaking in this class, and I originally found Photoshop overwhelming and difficult to navigate. However, after a basic tour of its features and functions, I was able to play around with the program and experiment. Through experimentation, I learned to better use Photoshop and all of its useful features and tools to create intriguing digital pieces. The variety of Photoshop projects that we had allowed us to have a certain freedom to explore the program and play around with it for awhile, which I found was key to my success when creating my diptychs and my texture collage.
     I found that my idea-forming and conceptual development processes became much more thoughtful and complex throughout the course of the year. Due to our focus on conceptualization and brainstorming for many of our projects, I had clear intentions set before I began to work on a project and this helped me to efficiently create meaningful compositions. For example, during our wire sculpture unit, as opposed to wandering into the project without basic framework, the conceptualization processes that we participated in allowed me to experiment without losing sight of my eventual goal, and it aided me in my focus on specific technical skills. Drawing several human figures repeatedly helped me to decide what it was that I wanted to represent with the wires. Eventually, through conceptualization, I was able to create a wire sculpture that conceptually emulated that photograph that I had brought into class. 

Texture Block Collage

Landscape Photography

Sculpture Reflection

Sculpture Final Reflection

I first began to draw my conceptual sketches while looking at a photograph of a woman in the process of running. I was intrigued by the configuration of her leg muscles as they were tensed to take a running step. I traced and sketched some of her leg muscles in various repeating patterns until I found a pattern that I found interesting and then I developed upon this sketch to create my final concept. My concept was based upon the power and explosive potential held in her leg muscles and the ability that they had to create movement while they were not currently in motion. I used the curvature of leg muscles in my sculpture and made the final piece very smooth to represent the compactness and curves of the muscles. I saw the muscles in the picture to be very smooth and curved, and I considered both of these qualities when forming the texture of my final piece.

     At first, I found plaster to be very difficult to work with once dry. My plaster was very crumbly and I found it difficult to be precise, which was frustrating to me because I can be quite a perfectionist. I was not eager to use big hammers and chisels to make a detailed and precise piece, but I eventually learned to use the tools gently and carefully in order to create the precise details that I wanted to create. I learned to tap the chisel lightly with the hammer, as hard hits would shatter parts of the piece. I also learned to be very precise about the angles I used with the chisel so as not to carve too much of my sculpture off with one hit of the hammer. 

     I was un experienced with plaster carving before this project, as I had never used it before. I thought that it would be softer and flakier but found it to be dry and dustier and more difficult to carve exactly. I did not originally intend on creating a completely smooth piece, but after some experimentation with the buffing tools and the sandpaper, I decided that I enjoyed the effect created by smooth curves and lines. Next time, I would ideally use a more complex concept when carving plaster because the majority of my piece was smooth indents without big changes in texture or form. I would like to create a more complex and adventurous sculpture in the future using plaster because I found it overall enjoyable to work with, despite being tedious. I found the carving experience relaxing and I enjoyed smoothing the sculpture. However, I believe that making a more complex or interesting sculpture would have a more pleasing visual effect.