My Concentration

Over the past few weeks, my concentration has been all around the world. I decided to shift my concentration to light movement and I have the pictures to prove it

Urban Archeology

In the article on Urban Archeology that I recently read in Aperture, I saw and read about the work of Andrew Moore. I like the pictures of the buildings mainly because of what happened in those places rather than giving credit to the photographer. The photographer may earn some credit for finding those places and coming up with the idea of taking picture of such ruins, but I think the buildings themselves have their own character and story to tell. I was amazed that the buildings were torn and I can imagine that when the buildings were first made, they were very detailed. I also find how the theater building was so colorful. It was also interesting to me how Moore said that a friend of his used the stage to practice his routines. The picture of what seemed to be like a garage, at first glance made me think that it was a drawing rather than a photograph. the icicles gave it an interesting look. The angle that it was taken at made it seem as if the building was taken at a slant...

My Work

I have recently finished my mixed media project, and in it I cut up two pictures that I took of my cousin running and jumping. Then I used them as stencils to draw harder cut-ups of the shape. After that I placed them on a large sheet of paper and have the shape going from a jet black in the center, out to a lighter gray, then to the picture. After this to fill up the empty space, I painted it with water colors.
For my concentration, I am using a holga to capture movement in a series but on the same image. I plan on using the holga to capture dance and the different steps between it. It should come out nice and should look interesting. I also plan on shooting sports and other human actions, but I want to challenge myself to try and capture movement between different objects. Maybe looking into a ball bouncing, or a water balloon popping. Something interesting like those ideas, because you can only do so much with people.

my photos

Paul Outerbridge

In an article I read on Paul Outerbridge, it says that he was taught to experiment with different aspects of photography such as: lighting, vantage points, and framing. These different photo qualities interest me because it helps influence the viewers perception of a photograph. By using different vantage points, one can emphasize a specific point or object in a photography which is something I plan on doing in my concentration. Lighting is also important because it also helps influence the viewer. Shadows are important in photographs because they give the picture depth and it can also add a sense of mystery to it.
In his color photographs, he used colors that are often seen near each other on a color wheel which I thought was interesting. In a photograph he has of a woman in a shower behind a blurry shower curtain, it is comprised of mainly cool colors like blue green and a hint of yellow on some parts. In another he has of a woman smoking a cigarette, it is mainly warm colors, including the woman's outfit. Colors like: red, yellow, and green to help the other colors stand out.

Concentration

Movement Photography

My concentration for my portfolio is on movement. I find a deep interest in this because I find the movements that people make mid-motion are interesting. People do not often capture or realize certain poses that we make when we are in movement, so I feel it is my job to bring it to the common folk. In this concentration, I am looking to capture may different motions. I am considering using a Holga camera to show the change in movement. I want to capture movement in sports, moving objects, and recreational activities.

Dr. Harold Eugene Edgerton is one of my influences for my photography. I admire how he used a high-speed camera along with a strobe light in order to capture different images like a bullet moving through an apple, or a ball bouncing many and the camera capturing the different stages of the ball’s movement. His images capture exactly what I am trying to achieve with my photos of exhibiting what the naked eye does not always see when things happen within a hundredth of a second.

Eadweard Muybridge captures another aspect of my concentration which is on the movement of people. Muybridge was known for capturing images of people doing simple actions like walking or running. In my photos, I focus more on complicated movements like those one would make when interacting with others like in a sport. Muybridge captured all the movements and arranged them in a series to show the sequence of events. I am capturing these movements but I select one that best exhibits what I am trying to show.

Summer Photos

Over the summer, I shot photos in Chicago and there have been some very interesting pictures that I will be posting here soon. My favorite picture that I shot from over the summer is a picture of Anish Kapoor's "Cloud Gate" or "The Bean". I took a picture of it at night from an angle where on the left of the bean, you can see part of the Chicago Skyline, and on the other side you see lights and other things from another part of Millennium Park. I have looked up some of Anish Kapoor's images and he does a lot with mirror images. Here is his website: http://www.anishkapoor.com/index.htm