What happens in Whistler...

Description: Clean compostitions (a.k.a. not too much clutter) with obvious focal points.

Intentions: Travel log photo documentation

Good/Bad: Lighting conditions could have been more dramatic, although with the overcast day I had to work with a diffused glow of reflected sun that spreads evenly over the scene. I enjoy the focal length chosen because I've decided to included more of the world in my framing and only use the 70mm DSLR lens (equal to 105mm SLR) if the scene warrants a close-up.

Evaluation: Moments in time are caught by the activity of archiving- I feel compelled to capture the scene-exactly as I see and feel the environment to be without adding more shadows or lightening up the shadows too much. I want subjectively accurate reproductions and feel I've achieved this goal on my trip out West.

Critique over the Break

Ralph Gibson's photo of Mary-Ellen Pucci

Description: Dramatic intensity, the viewer is drawn into Mary-Ellen's eyes.

Good/Bad: The triangular-geometric patterns of shadows falling across the subject is minimal in it's composition which compliments the busy graphic design of Pucci's shirt and curly hair. The part I like the minimal background also bothers me at the same time- I'd like to know more about Pucci by what background she chooses to place herself in.

Intentions: To create an image of tension where we think we know Pucci by being able to see her eyes although we really don't know anything about her character and preferences.

Evaluation: Gibson is able to compose an image that's minimal in it's complexity and seems as if he hasn't worked to get the shot- which I know is a false assumption because to get a dramatic photo one has to put alot of pre-planning and production energy into the shoot!

Jennifer Delgaty's photo of Marie Penner
at Whistler Mountain 2007

Duchamp-ish and Found Art

Description: Found art items that were discarded on the sidewalk really intrigued me. The snow that reflected in the mirror contained more detail than the 'actual' snow gathered around the light pole.

Intentions: To disrupt the viewer's definition of what is art- I'm following in DuChamp's greatly grooved path of finding everyday objects and seeing them as extraordinary and worthy of archiving in a photograph.

Good/Bad: The monochromatic colours within this image almost make it a black and white- except for the wood backing for the mirror which is showing, due to some careless or violent actions that lead this mirror and toilet to be discarded for the endless heap of unwanted consumption we term, a 'dump.' My point of view or vantage point could have been heightened in intrigue. Now that I see the framed image I'd want to re-shoot with my back or front on the ground looking upwards at the toilet and mirror to make them larger than life, and possibly catch my reflection in it's surface to add tension to make the shot more interesting.

Evaluation: The image is a bit bland and washed out due to the high presence of midtones, so I've included this secondary image which has more contrast and tension around the stains of the toilet and the stained snow behind the abandoned bowl- gross! Also, the brown mucky water in the street's gutter, behind the bowl, is reminiscent of toilet refuse and junkyard rain water as it collects and molds around the discarded 'gems and jewels.'
























One person's trash is another person's beauty. This bird died... how? Was it a car, a window, the cast iron fence I found it laying in front of, or an animal that got at it's neck... who knows, it was there for only 2-3 days before I suspect some local dog had a nice snack!

Wild Card- Anything on Web

Description: Man Ray has amazing aesthetic and his surrealist art is an inspiration- along with other photographers of the time (Margaret Watkins- Cnd). His use of negative space is ingenius as he crops his hair, hand and arm to create interesting spaces of solarized grey in between his solid body that takes attention away from the solid subject.

Intentions: To have the viewer's eye be torn between the negative and positive spaces that his form creates within the frame. Also, he's experimenting with the printing process of solarization to achieve an effective blown background while still keeping detail in the whites and skin texture of Man Ray.

Good/Bad: Very effective and interesting as tension and interigue are created in the frame. I can even notice the tripod he was using for the shot just under his thumb.

Evaluation: I see this portrait as showing Man Ray intent in his work, he must have been a driven person who didn't sway from his chosen path unless given a good push. I would like to see his eyes, although I don't feel like I'd get any more information than I learn from seeing him work with his camera. I see his eyes as being represented by the camera lens, so the viewer is forced back into analyzing Ray's work to gain insights into the man himself.

Self-Portrait with Camera, 1930
4.25 x 3.25 inch
(vintage solarized silver print)

PS Experiment

I'm practicing with layer masks in Photoshop and have used this idea as a trial for the merged (3 in 1) shot for Photo Tech II. I originally wanted myself to be getting into a fancy dress although my unwillingness to expose my whole body and face on camera increased, until I decided to work with the sweater idea instead. I find this image has a lot of problems with lighting consistency as I moved my light source around in between frames to capture the best 'mood' lighting as possible on my face and arms. The two back people are full of volume and have a medium amount of contrast between highlights and shadows although the front face (fully clothed) lacks depth and volume (i.e. flat light) so it breaks the mood and continuity of the image. I'll have to watch this shifting, changing light pattern for my final shoot!
The composition is effective as the folds of the sweater guide the eyes around the frame in a clockwise direction. I enjoy having myself floating in space (i.e. black background) because it enforces the idea of surrealism since it's unlikely that photographers could capture, within 1 frame the movement of dressing, without the image being a long exposure- therefore soft focused with trials of motion. I also had issues with soft focus, on the front face, but for another reason- being forced to use a slow shutter speed, due to lack of light, and my inability to hold still for the length of the slow shutter speed caused a soft-focused face.

House of Mirrors

This image by classmate Carolyn Desilets seems to be a homage to Hitchcock's film aesthetic- the trapped bird, characters with split personalities and reflections of random possibilities to paths in life that the character might choose as their future path. The endless reflections represent: the multitude of possible directions one must take in life, and endless characteristics that emerge throughout the life of one human, or even the amount of tasks one must accomplish in their time on Earth. The tight framing increases the feeling of panic as life's struggles close-in and crush the trapped human.

The formal aspects result in a very graphic, med./close-up, wide angled image that centers on repetition and pattern. The image is almost monochromatic with splashes of red, yellow and green to the right of center which grounds the eye and allows the viewer to wander around to see all the faces and the different expressions each holds due to opposing angles of reflections.

By including the lens and camera in the image this adds an extra level of information for the viewer- having the tool in the final product alludes to the process of how the artist achieved the result. Also, the camera almost becomes the focal point of anxiety for the reflected faces seen in the background. Whereas the face looking at the viewer is full of surprise and anticipation about what will happen next, to the viewer, as well as to the subject trapped in the house of mirrors!