week 7

WHAT I DID: NOT A LOT! but i always feel like i didn't do enough. i thought i would connect with people aka find subjects to photograph over break but i didn't. i spent like an hour contemplating what to put on my timeline draft, and then another hour writing it out, then scribbling out parts and moving them around, then staring at it and wondering if i can actually accomplish what's on there or if I'm being lazy and should add more, then typing it up. hi- I'm Lauren, the professional worrier- nice to meet you. I spent studio time talking to people and explaining my project. I've been getting very different feedback about who my subjects should be. In response to this feedback i decided that for my December review I'd like to get through the whole process with 2 people. if it turns out to be more that's great. I'm going to start with a girl I've seen before who is a similar age and will be open to modeling. I've talked to her once before this project, about myself- not her and she is not in IP. I set up an interview with her tomorrow. since I've seen her before i already know what my first impression photo will be and through talking to her I'll find out what the second photo will be. this is the method i originally planned to use when i thought of the idea. the second person i use i hope will be an older male outside of the school environment and i plan to do my method in reverse. this means i seek out someone with a specific hobby, then find out another aspect of them, possibly their day job if they aren't lucky enough to do their hobby for a living- but this is a more difficult task to pull off. I felt guilty for being too chicken shit to seek out someone during break, so today i mustered up some bravery and went into the Harley-Davidson dealer!!! i know i look like i could be a biker sometimes, but I'm not so it is a really big deal. i guess i did do some things in the last 2 days- yay for guilt.

WHAT I DISCOVERED: i discovered that talking to strangers IS scary. but i knew that. it's not as scary as it is in my mind, but it's still scary. I'm pretty sure it was obvious i was nervous. they were pretty nice to me for the most part. most of the staff said they'd be willing to get their portraits taken and gave me their business cards so i can explain further via email. i had a couple guys who immediately said "no,no, no I'm not photogenic" ha ha. here's what i hate about this kind of stuff:
-when you try to explain your project and people just stare at you funny and then go "why would you want to do that?" which happened with the owner.
-when people project onto you what they think you're project should be such as "ooohhhh you know what would be soooooo cool? if you got us all in a row and did like a big group shot!" because i don't want the job of bursting the bubble of the people who are willing to help me with my project by saying "no, that's not what i want- you don't get it."
The owner said he would be willing to participate but kind of acted like "why can't you just take my picture now, and then it's done" he looked at me like I'm insane when i said i wanted to meet with the same person 3 different times.
I guess he leads meetings of people who are into harleys and there's a meeting this Sunday. He said it wouldn't be appropriate for me to come but said he would ask if there was anyone interested in participating in my project which is awesome. if i got someone who is super into bikes but has a totally different day job - that would be exactly what I'm looking for.
so here's the problems:
-I have a man speaking for me that doesn't really have any understanding of the project i want to do, but he's reaching out to a group i wouldn't have access to if i hadn't met him.
-i have all these biker mechanics who are totally willing to participate (i think) and might be confused/disappointed if i never use them. It's possible that if i explain the project further via email that they won't be interested anymore though... but unless i get a club person or search another venue i might not have the liberty to be choosy.
-lots of people thought maybe i should immerse myself in a subculture and reveal that though they look similar, they are very different people. that wasn't my original idea, but this biker world seems like a rich environment, and when i left the place i had this feeling like picking just one person to represent the biker stereotype is kind of unfair. my favorite novel was written by a photojournalist who did her Harvard senior thesis on strippers... i like strippers but spending 4 months photographing them seemed the opposite of appealing. When i met these guys today, i felt excited and intrigued, and REALLY REALLY AWKWARD. hopefully whatever my project manifests into i get more comfortable with it otherwise it'll be miserable.

HERE'S MY TIMELINE: which I'm sure will change :)

10/22-10/26 Make contact with two subjects

Interview subject 1

10/27-11/2 Interview subject 2

Shoot 1^st photo for subject 1

11/3-11/9 Shoot 1^st photo for subject 2

Plan & prepare for 2^nd photo for subject 1

11/10-11/16 Shoot 2^nd photo for subject 1

Plan & prepare for 2^nd photo for subject 2

11/17-11/23 Shoot 2^nd photo for subject 2

Review and edit all photos

11/24-11/30 Print all photos

Prepare presentation

12/01-12/07 Continue preparing presentation

Practice presentation

12/08-12/14 Meet with subjects to give prints as gift

Continue practicing presentation

WHAT'S NEXT: my meeting with subject 1 tomorrow, emailing the Harley store owner so he has my contact information and waiting to see if i get replies after the Sunday meeting. If not, then emailing the employees a project explanation and hoping to get volunteers. also, scheduling and shooting the first portrait of my 1st subject. SEE LAUREN TALK TO STRANGERS... NOW SEE LAUREN FOLLOW HER HANDY DANDY SCHEDULE...........

what a mood I'm in...........

week6

WHAT I DID: This week was the first week where I didn't go out and shoot pictures. I focused on thinking about my idea and my proposal. I got a lot of feedback from my family and other students. This week was a lot of thinking and wondering which feels slightly unproductive, but is also necessary sometimes. I'm the person who thinks and thinks and feels like it's not getting me anywhere, and then while I'm doing something unrelated like taking a shower or cleaning my apartment, a light bulb goes on and it all makes sense. That's kind of what happened with deciding my idea- I was so frustrated, and then one day it made sense.
WHAT I DISCOVERED through the thinking this week is that my proposal was fairly clear. It seemed that it was easily understood, and liked- I didn't have anyone that didn't get it, didn't like it, or didn't understand it. The feedback I got was a lot of questioning about what I expect or want to happen in different scenarios. Since my project is dependent on the participation of other people, there is a lot of curiousity about "what if they don't want to participate?" or "what if you don't get what you need?" or questions I haven't figured out yet like who I want my subjects to be and what I'm going to ask them. I made a list of potential questions but that will continue to change I'm sure.
WHAT'S NEXT: At this point I've done all the thinking I can handle at the moment. It's time to get back to the doing while I wait for that lightbulb to turn on in the shower. It's hard to account for time spent thinking- because it never stops. I wake up in the middle of the night and thats what I'm thinking about. I chose this project because it's something that's very interesting to me, but it's way outside of my comfort zone to talk to people I don't know. I hope that this project will help me grow as a person and get over my fears, but it's possible that I won't be able to make myself do this and end up changing or modifying the project. I hope that trying to push myself turns out to be rewarding, even if I plan to take 5 steps and end up only taking 2. It's time to attempt to talk to a couple people and see how it goes. That is my weekend homework.

Here are some creative portraits I like that I found this week:

By Philippe Roy

By Simon Green
By Igor Motl
By Annie Leibovitz from her "Stars in Wonderland" series

week5

WHAT I DID: This week I wanted to continue exploring images that were still in my head which are the photos in the previous post titled "night photography." I took those of the Huron River at night. I thought putting the ring of glow bracelets under the water would create more of a blurred glow effect, but it didn't. I also made word lists and mind maps of interests in an attempt to figure out a subject matter that stands out to me. I think the process was healthy for me but I did not have that all important moment of clarity. I received my book "Night and Low-Light Photography: Professional Techniques from Experts for Artistic and Commercial Success" by Jill Waterman. This book has a lot of great advice in it from techniques and equipment to things like bringing plastic shower caps to cover equipment and a good book for long exposure times :) My project will not focus around this type of photography, but it may be included or I would be interested in exploring this on my own either now of after graduation so it is a good resource to have living on my bookshelf. WHAT I DISCOVERED: I discovered that I am interested in many things that are not related at all. They could be related if I chose to make them, but that desire does not exist yet. I learned that there are many things to explore but I may not be ready to focus on them for this project. I have felt really lost this whole time as far as content. During my conversation with Shay I was talking nonstop about how lost I am, how frustrated etc. and maybe I just needed to get that off my chest more than I already have to other people. Sometimes I discover things when I'm thinking out loud and the act of having someone sitting silently and just listening helps me somehow work things out in my head. She asked me what photo work I've done in the past. I responded by saying "oh just a lot of journalistic stuff of people I'm not attached to in high school and a lot of pretty but meaningless abstract stuff in college, except for this one project...." and in the description and discussion of this particular project I discovered a subject that is really close to me. This solution includes both in the moment, journalistic portraits, and the potential for more creative, fabricated situations and lighting. I always thought I had to choose, but this idea includes both, and the comparison of the two and dual existing truths. You will understand further when you read my proposal :) WHAT'S NEXT: Through trying to write the first draft of my proposal and the group talk today, things I need to think about further were brought to my attention such as who my audience is, what subjects do I want to use, how do I choose them, more details about my process etc. I'm not sure the best way to discover these things! I'm guessing that after I'm finished revising my proposal for tomorrow night, I might have a better idea of what my weekend homework should be.

Night Photography

WEEK 4

WHAT I DID: This week i explored night time and long exposure photography. I am not done and intend to explore this more in the coming week. I have done light painting but that was the extent of my night photography in the past. I intimidates me because I don't have experience, I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't feel confidence that success will happen. Others seemed semi-impressed by my first attempt so I guess there's hope for me. I have seen many examples of this kind of photography, but never actually tried it. I decide to give it a shot because I am very interested in it and it's something new and uncomfortable. The pictures posted above are a few of what I took this week.
WHAT I DISCOVERED: That I have a lot of learning to do. I read about exposure times that were a number of hours, but discovered that the settings on my camera go from 30 sec to bulb. Meaning that I normally don't take photos under 1/60th of a sec and most are much faster so the pictures I took this week were no more than 30 sec exposures. I'm not sure if there is a special setting on my camera to do longer exposure times since on bulb i'd have to sit there and hold the trigger down- but i want to figure this out. 30 secs is a lot of time and so i'm having trouble visualizing an hour long exposure (other than stars) since i only read about it. I read about a guy who used a pinhole camera to do a 6 month exposure because he was interested in recording the pathway of the sun. I like the idea of long exposures because you get to see this hidden world within the real world that you're used to. If it weren't for the camera this wouldn't be possible. Its like this fantasy world hidden in the real world- not something I fabricated.
WHAT'S NEXT: Realizing my lack of technical knowledge in this subject and seeing that the information is slightly difficult to find online, I ordered a book which should be here the beginning of next week. I realize that a lot of finding success in this is trial and error, so more experimenting is in order. I will do more photos this weekend and see what happens. I also read about the use of filters to block the majority of light so that longer exposures were possible but the name of the filter wasn't mentioned. Maybe Huron Camera would know...

WHAT:
I would like to explore the passing of time through pathways made by the movement light, nature and living things in order record the changes that time creates.

I would like to unveil the beauty of fantasy worlds hidden inside the real world
I would like to open up the lives of people who have made a career out of saving and rescuing those who don't have a voice: animals, and share their experiences with the world.
WHY:
It is hard to notice change unless it is recorded. Seasons make the same land look like a different place. One walks into physical places like the white houses and wonders who has stepped in the exact place. It is intriguing to record these things on a small scale.

Night and lighting transforms surroundings into places that seem scary or magical. It excites me to show images of worlds that people walk by and don't realize that they exist.

I am personally interested in who these people are and what drives them to do what they do. I feel that they are mostly anonymous to the general public and I believe my desire to tell their stories will give them recognition they deserve, make them feel appreciated and educate people who view my work.
HOW:
By recording people and places evolving and moving through time using photography- long exposure and visitng the same people/places multiple times in intervals.
By the use of night and long exposure photography

By making contacts with people, places, and organizations related to the subject and photographing on the job actions shots, portraits, and audio recording interviews with the intention of creating a book of photos paired with feature stories.

Question: Are we ever going to get feedback on our summer homework assignments? I feel like I put a lot of thought into those ideas and I've been waiting to hear thoughts about them.