Week 4 Progress

This week I tested out printing to see how my final product would look. I printed on both glossy and luster-glossy paper finishes. While there are appealing aspects to both types of paper, and both are very similar, I think I would like to print on glossy finish paper, because that shows the highest contrast of color in the picture.

My prints will be 11 x 17 or larger, depending where I can buy the paper, and hopefully I can print some copies to show next class. Here are some new portraits for this week:

Week 3 Progress

I have been continuing to take photos, and finding as many subjects as I can that will pose for me. Here are some more portraits from this week:

I want to concentrate now on how I will be showing my work. I'll be printing the photos on either a satin finish or glossy finish photo paper. I was turned away from glossy at first, but the extra shine might really make the light in the image pop. I will have to do some experimentation with this before I commit.
I'm still playing around with sizing, but 18 x 24in, maybe a little bigger seems a good size to make my subjects appear life-size.
I won't be framing the photos, I don't want any borders to distract from the photo itself.
I will still be shooting as long as I can still find willing subjects, but I want to get started printing right away. Next week I plan to experiment a little with the different types of paper and see what I like best for the final product.

Week 2 Progress

After the critique of week one's progress, I decided to take my project in the direction of portraiture. I was given the idea to tie in the cell phone I'm using as a light source into the overall projects by photographing my contact list as the subjects. My contact list is made up of friends and family, some of whom I talk to everyday and others I haven't spoken to in years. The first respondents to my project inquiry have acted as my guinea pigs in experimenting with this light portraiture. Here are some of the results of my first few subjects:

I really like the results of this, and I'm going to continue with the theme of photographing the contacts in my phone, then illuminating them with my phone.

Project Update - 2/7/12

I decided the best way to start this project was to just start shooting and figure out how it all works exactly. I set my camera to a 10 second shutter speed, and got in front, using my iPhone as the light source. I downloaded a 'Flashlight' app which allowed a bunch of different colors to light up my dark hallway.
Here are some shots from my first couple of takes:

As you can see, I haven't quite mastered technique yet. I have discovered some valuable information that will help me along with my photo series. In light painting, there is no 'picking up the pen' so everything you do is in one stroke...UNLESS you manage to cover up the light, or turn it off before proceeding to the next part of your 'painting.' This seems easy in theory, but is pretty hard to accomplish in a 10 second period. I also discovered the process of trying to make shapes, which can be very difficult if you can't see the strokes as you make them, you can only see it in the end product.


Now that I know the logistics of how to accomplish light painting, I want to develop my idea a little further and figure out the story that will go along with the light paintings. I also want to try shooting a subject along with the light, and for that I will need another light source shining on the person/object.

Since these are the very beginning stages of my project, I am still making discoveries and working out the development of my idea. Any sort of general feedback is welcomed and encouraged!

Project 1 Proposal

My first project for Art 350 will be a photo series focused on "Light Painting". Light painting takes the concept of a still frame capturing motion, through the use of a very slow shutter speed. Here is an example of a light painting:

I want to do a series of photograph with a subject interacting with the light paintings. I haven't thought through a solid concept yet, which is something I will be working on in the next couple weeks, however I want to start shooting to see how to actually shoot in this medium, and find out what my limitations are. That being said, my first step in the progression of this work will be experimentation.

Here's a link to some other cool light photography: http://lighttheunderground.com/gallery.html

Breakfast - Final Project

My final project is a sound and image compilation titled 'Breakfast'.  This is my first attempt at a stop motion, and it really made me challenge myself with how to make a stop motion work cohesively. The work shows the cooking of breakfast, except all the items have minds of their own and are cooking themselves. I was inspired to create Breakfast after watching Jan Svankmajer's 'Meat Love'. My own work mimics Svankmajer's in the way the inanimate objects are animated and take on personalities, and both can be viewed morbidly as the living food starts cooking itself. The sound to Breakfast includes natural sounds of cooking, and the musical tract is one that I created in Garageband.

Wafaa Bilal - Artist Lecture

Wafaa Bilal is a multimedia artist from Iraq who gave an artist lecture presented by the University’s Department of Art on October 27^th.  Bilal creates pieces that are sometimes interactive, and his work is highly based on the political conflicts between Iraq and the United States.

The first project he discussed was called Domestic Tension, which he started in May of 2007.  The basis of this project is that people can go online to shoot paintballs at Bilal at any time of the day.  Bilal wanted to portray the dehumanizing effect on US citizens about war and combat zones.  He said he thought of this project as being a combat zone versus a comfort zone.  I think this project shows the willingness of people to shoot at someone they don’t know for entertainment value if not for political grudges.  Bilal discusses that he was terrified during the project, each time the gun would click meant that someone was on the other end about to shoot him.  For me, this project acted as a small-scale reenactment of what the people in Iraq face.  Bilal’s purpose is to bring awareness to people who live their day-to-day lives not knowing what is happening elsewhere in the world.

Another project I found interesting was the video game Bilal created that was essentially a hunt for George W. Bush.  There was a lot of controversy over Bilal showing his video game on college campuses, and many people called him a terrorist.  His rebuttal is that art is not terrorism, and he is creating work to evoke thought that is not linked to terrorism.

Bilal also made an artistic and political statement with a tattoo on his back.  He got a map of Iraq, with dots in certain places to represent the number of Iraqi deaths in that area.  The whole tattoo was done in invisible ink, which is a comment on how Iraqi deaths seem to go unnoticed.

Bilal’s last project, which is an ongoing project, is a camera in the back of his head that captures images everywhere he goes from the back of his head.  One audience member raised the question that he may have started this project because of a sense of paranoia, and that he wants to keep a visual of what is happening behind his back at all times.  I think Bilal is trying to make a statement that he is watching you, even when his back is turned to you.  You can see Bilal’s latest project at www.3rdi.me.