As discussed throughout this module, I feel like I have been shooting two different assignments throughout.  The images of the marbles with them being the sole subject are much stronger in my opinion to our deliberate set builds which often featured the metallics.  Throughout the series, Black and White worked as our base colours with Blue as the main subject colour with splashes of Red from the varied light sources.  The metallics take away from the smooth tones and graduations of the pallet which reflect the curves and tones of the marbles themselves.

By isolating them at this time, I feel there will still be a way to bridge the gap and bring them back into the exhibition but as a standalone assignment, I feel they would be best left out, a shame due to the time and work added into them but needs must.

Secondly, I have isolated the white backed images from the sets as there were too few to create a set with an even distribution or make the substantial enough to feel part.  The black backgrounds give a stronger sense of space travel, going back to some of the key  words associated with this, Xenomorph and space.

As well as an exhibition and book I can see life in each of these images as their own image.  The joy of abstract is there are no set uses.  My music photography fits, advertising, publications and journalism mainly where as these can easily fit, stock, advertising, art, product and to be honest, as far as a designer might see them go.

I have intentions to submit them to agencies and see if I can produce income from them as standalone images to work towards the funding of the book and the exhibition.  They don’t fit in with this module due to the timings Joseph and I could match with them but I will carry that through to the next module.

Strangely, several of the images have stuck in my mind as t-shirt print designs.  I feel 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8 can stand on their own with a black t-shirt backing them.

 

Not wanting to sounds like a scratched record but once again we were looking at metallic items.  Joseph had spent time building all of these from the remains of one of our previous shoots and framed them all tight together.  It was an interesting task trying to make variation in what is technically the same thing.

Changing lighting definitely helped, lighting from bellow and above giving such different images.  Coming in from the side to try and enhance the contrast brought the metallic back but adding a little natural light through the curtains brought a hint of red into the ambiance which gave this great gold.

Shooting from above seemed to give uniformity but hints of variation throughout.  Because of this, I chose to go with a one x one crop so that the uniformity is reflected up to allow the differences to stand out.

It really interests me how the tonal range can vary, creating such warm but also such cold colours from exactly the same materials.  Because of this, I can see these having space in both the blue set and the metallic sets.

With the straight lines now working so well, when positioned with the cardboard, we wanted to try and utilise them once more.  The cardboard left to many gaps within the marbles left to much to show.  This was we can bring the subjects within the images closer so they become the focus with little distraction for the viewer.

By controlling the light, I feel we can control the opacity, texture and reflective nature of the backgrounds and subjects to completely confuse the viewer from what they are actually seeing.

Okay so I wasn’t certain on these to start with and I am still unsure now but part of working in a collaboration is to share ideas and evaluate together.  These are an interesting set of pictures but I am struggling to see them in the final set.  Once again I go back to the idea of the dioramas looking to staged to fit with the abstract but there is a surreal aspect to them, not the automation though.

I am almost thinking that the metallic pieces throughout could create a small standalone set and build into a narrative but maybe I am being to strict on the work, maybe I am looking for to much of a connection in the narrative rather than just free hanging works. I was trained to go for the tightest edits possible, even if that means just one image but here, I am struggling to allow looser images which to me, rules these out.

Of them all, it is the last image which I do see strength in, and even the one before.  The last images takes all context from the subject.  In doing so it leaves the viewer asking what made those time and what was in the rotation.  The pause in the previous image cause the light to lock in come of the detail which builds a gentle confusion in the context, but still leave some information.

We have said that we will be focusing on what we have to hand and what we can recycle throughout these images.  The recycling has been lost a little in recent images with the focus going back to the marbles and more construction.  Until now, we haven’t edited any marbles themselves, just their locations, surroundings and positions. Whilst I have been distracted with work and family this week, Joseph has been working on a more constructed diorama than we have been using so far.  I am a little apprehensive of this going by how the original constructed images have not always worked well so far and hence why I have been researching them so much to help benefit them.

Going back to the xenomorphs which we have not focused on directly yet this section, we wanted to bread life into our subjects, rather than their environment.  We will be reusing the foil and boards we had before but we will also have a use for the other half of our polestrine sphere which we hadn’t found use for before.   With the fear of it looking to constructed, I will look to see what I can do to add an abstract nature to the work.

Iconic film sets!

 

I feel it would have been wrong for me not to address this great scenes created for the cinema.  So much of what we see on the screen and take for granted as being massive budgets or CGI are often reduced in their size using perspective to give a false sense of size.

Whilst studying my degree I watched students complete set building modules on the BA Photography course in the studios.  Lumping in large props, building walls and furniture pieces, isn’t always necessary.

Industrial Light and Magic, part of Lucas Film Limited have been doing this for decades.  Lucas Films tried to deviate from constructing sets during the Star Wars prequels and switch to CGI but it did loose that magic, hence why they recently went back to creating hand built sets for the new recent films.

Jackson Pollock

https://www.jackson-pollock.org

The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through”      – Jackson Pollock

To produce in Jackson Pollock’s ‘action painting’, most of his canvases were either set on the floor, or laid out against a wall, rather than being fixed to an easel. From there, Jackson Pollock used a style where he would allow the paint to drip from the paint can. Instead of using the traditional paint brush, he would add depth to his images using knives, trowels, or sticks. This form of painting, had similar ties to the Surreal movement, in that it had a direct relation to the artist’s emotions, expression, and mood, and showcased their feeling behind the pieces they designed.

I am sure many people would disagree with my choice to cross reference my work with that of Jackson Pollock but I can see similarities between the automation of his work and the automation in an earlier section from this project.  Although the images I am featuring here are from the earlier module, they are current to the final hand in of how this will all collate.
Jackson tried to take himself out of his work but in turn he discussed that every good artist paints what he is.  The marbles in these images have found their own final resting place on the black velvet.  Pollock directs his brush into a selected area but it is the paint falling from the brush which chooses the final position on the canvas bellow.
The consistency of the paint, determining how much paint falls from the brush to the canvas and the quantity determines the with that will deposit.
When we dropped the marbles upon themselves, they rolled and spilled where they could.  The higher the pile the fall upon the more velocity they will achieve as they roll away, alternatively they may find a blockage and stop, there final pace being partially out of our control.

Working alongside this, the marbles creation makes each one slightly different so the light passing over will depict the finally colours and tones in the image.