final shots and thoughts

Soooo...here are the final four images that I decided to go on. I really had a hard time deciding which shots to use because I had so many to choose from, on top of that I think that I got some really good shots this time. Let's see...

composition, content, method, motivations, & context:

self portrait:

I have these three mirrors in my bathroom and I was looking at them one day and thought, "how cool would it be if I took a picture with the reflection from these as the main subject. I tried to get good contrast in this shot which was a little challenging because of the whit wall. I think that the contrast is mainly in the frames against the wall and the shadow that they create. I wanted the emphasis to be on the reflection even though it was less substantial than other things in the picture such as the darkness of the frames against the white wall. I tried to make sure that you could see a part of the image in all of the mirrors, this shot was extremely hard to balance because what you see reflected in the mirror is not what the camera sees. I used the light from the overhead light (mirror light) and as an additional source, a small desk lamp pointed up from the floor.
After looking at it again and again, and talking to various people about it, I think the concept is what you see versus what you get. Meaning that we all look at people and see an image of them that we have made up in our own minds. We see bits and pieces, not the whole scene, this is a play on that thought.
It took so many shots to get this done! I just started shooting, no reference to a drawing or anything but I did had an image in my head. I had to try it from different perspectives like up high and lower and at eye level. In the end the best shot was taken when I let go of the tripod, moved closer to the mirror and took the shot holding the camera out of frame.
The goal was to create an interesting self portrait without a lot of other stuff in the frame to distract the eye. I learned that you have to be very patient when trying something different, this shot still doesn't look like the image in my head!
I don't think my photo references anyone's work. I didn't research anyone or anything. But I guess I kinda got the idea from one of Anglea Straaheim's photos, the one where the father and son are getting ready for church. Although it looks like they are looking in the mirror, they are really staring intently into the camera. I guess if I had to pick a genre to place it in the category would be social issues, you know identity and stuff like that.

backlit subject:

For this composition, I wanted to focus on the face of the subject because I like the story that one can derive from the emotions displayed. I also wanted really high contrast, white against black kinda like a power struggle as I expected to get a huge range of emotion from the subject. In a way that's kinda what this shot is about, the regrets, thoughts, and things that bother us on a daily basis. The only light source was a desk lamp placed behind the subject which emphasizes the emotion on the face of the subject. Again this one would probably fall into the social category. I didn't use any references, just started talking and shooting.

perspective subject:

I was really just trying to get a shot with a lot of contrast in it, framed in a way that could make the same subject a little more interesting or make the viewer want to know what he was thinking. the lighting is from a floor lamp directed in front of the subject and then I took the photo from a different angle. The message is similar to the other, in fact I'm thinking of putting these together and making them a series. No references from other artist.

intimate person:

In this photo I wanted to focus on one of the things that I like the most about my intimate person. I didn't want a shot that shouted intimacy like someone kissing or something like that, so I thought about what it is we do with our imitate person like look into their eyes and such. This is a shot that would be hard to get with someone you don't know because the idea of a camera being shoved in their face would probably throw them off making the shot seem posed and stiff. I just used the light from the overhead lamp and placed him against a plain white background. I referenced my sister's photo, he had on glasses in that shot though and she was not as close. This also goes in the social category.

Part II

For all of the images the interpretation was what I intended it to be. I wanted to show a look into the side of people that you rarely see if you are having them pose for a picture. I wanted to have viewers look at the intensity of the facial expressions and leave with their own meaning on what was going through the mind of the subject. All four of my pieces accomplished that task. There were things that worked better in some images than in others. For example, in the last shot it was suggested that perhaps making the aperture smaller to increase depth of field would make the eyes pop out more and give a better focal point. In the third photo I would pay more attention to the detail of the shadow as it can out a bit weird, if I re-edit it, I will fix the smudge like effect on the bottom portion. Other than these small technicail problems, my group all agreed that my images were "working" in the way intended. If I used these for a jumping off point, I would make it into a series of deeper understanding. A way to reaching in and ask questions about whatever and photograph the thought process and such behind making a decision or coming up with a course of action.