Letting go of the Big Picture

I often find, when I work with teenagers, that generally, they are very focused on the big picture; at capturing the "whole" of something, but by the time they have figured out how to capture what they think of as the whole of something, they have often produced a dull, and ordinary image.

Part of the beauty of photography, for me, is to be able to capture the small, meaningful and beautiful details that make up the "whole". As the saying goes, we are a sum of our parts!  I find that looking for the interesting details help me to compose photos that are concerned no only with representation but also with the application and exploration of the elements and principles of art and composition.

I think that an excellent activity to do with students early in a photography class is to send them out with their cameras to capture photos which exemplify one or more of the elements or compositional strategies without representing anything in it's entirety.

Before students go out, review and show examples of the elements: Line, Value, Shape, Form, Space, Colour, Texture (Glatstein, Jeremy. (n.d.) http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/how-to/from-theory-to-practice/formal-visual-analysis.aspx) as well as compositional principals / strategies such as the types of balance: (symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial),depth of field ( ie. how much of the photo, and which part of the photo is in focus ), juxtaposition of elements, repetition, pattern, movement, etc... I suggest letting students choose a set number ( say 5 or 6 ) from a list you could create in class during your review of what they know / remember about design and composition, so that students will focus on creating quality photos which exemplify their selected elements rather than rushing to complete 12+ photos.

There are many artists who work with isolated elements of their subjects in order to create effective compositions and beautiful photographs which would be excellent resources for this type of assignment. Here are a few examples I enjoy:

Suren Manvelya, Kramer's Parrot,
http://www.surenmanvelyan.com/eyes/animal-eyes-2/ 

Armenian Artist ( and physicist! ) Suren Manvelya has worked extensively with macro shots of human and animal eyes that are lovely examples of the use of radial balance, texture, concentric shapes, and, at times, colour and contrast. (Manvelya, Suren, Eyes, http://www.surenmanvelyan.com/eyes/)

David Gray, (n.d.) Retrieved from:
http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2007/08/13/less-is-more/

John Voos, at Photographer's Blog, shares a nice article about the power of well composed images which are made from close-ups or isolated areas or elements of a bigger picture. One example he points to is David Gray's image of the hands of a chinese worker that speaks volumes about working conditions and offers up not only a good example of compositional techniques, but techniques for developing interesting narratives or developing social commentary through photography.

Even our own Scott McMaster's photography demonstrates how close-ups inanimate objects / architecture can be rich and beautiful!

Scott McMaster, (2012) P1070150.
http://untitledartist.com/2012-2/ 

Assignment 1 Reflection: “The shadows that things make, the things that shadows make” Les Rudnick (2011)

 

“Photograms for many artists are constructions based on realistic imagery. I prefer the abstract nature of the image shadow based on partial transparency, translucency, and the presence and absence of material such as lace or mesh.” (Les Rudnick, (2011). The Photogram – A History. Photograms, Art and Design.  Retrieved from: http://www.photograms.org/chapter01.html )

Blown Away - Photogram, 2014

After revisiting photograms this week, I have come to relate very much to the quote above from photographer Les Rudnick. You see, traditionally, I explore a lot of narrative in my own work. I like to concoct all matter of fanciful tales to fuel the making of images.  I tried to apply the same type of thinking to my photograms; but at the end of the day the results of my process fell short of my imagination.  Initially I approached the photogram too literally, like an illustration from a book rather than an experiment with light and shadow.

Cutting Edge - Photogram c. 2000

When I was in high school I was lucky enough to be able to take a photography class. We started with photograms and I loved the results. When I try and consider what was different then, compared to now, I realize that I was engaged more with the experimentation of it all. What would objects look like after exposed? What kinds of patterns and intersections of objects would be pleasing to the eye?  I was not trying to tell a story or to engage with a complex issue, I was experimenting with light and shadow, and at the end of the day I feel like the results were more pleasing. 

So, after reflecting on that, I returned to the darkroom with a renewed sense of experimentation.  I tried to focus on working with refracted light to create shadows balanced with opaque forms of solid objects. I found that this approach was much more rewarding, and in the end, the images are actually more thought provoking and complex than the more illustrative ones from my initial return to the dark room. I tried some multiple exposure photograms but found that my objects shifted too much for me to enjoy the results.  I may try doing a few more of those in the future though because the process intrigues me. 

Cardinal Points, Photogram, 2014

Something else that I have re-discovered is how much I enjoy the results of my test strips.  I find something about the long, narrow format coupled with the cut off and intersecting objects to be terribly interesting.  Perhaps the idea that I am able to imagine what happens off the edges of the paper speaks to my love of narrative, but I really enjoy the images that do not include the entirety of the forms used to create the images.

Test strips

Pedagogically, I think photograms are an excellent project to start off with in a photography class because they allow students to become familiar with the basics of the darkroom; its parts and processes, without the added steps of working with negatives, and everything that comes with that.  It is a great way to have students think about positive and negative space,  and to begin to think in terms of how light works in relation to the processes of photography and darkroom developing.  

Challenging Tradition Around The World: JR

JR.(2009) 28 Millimetres: Women Are Heroes,

Action in Kibera Slum, General View, Kenya

http://www.jr-art.net/projects/women-are-heroes-africa

This week I would like to talk about the work of photographer JR (http://www.jr-art.net/), an artist whose work I feel connected to because of how he challenges the relationships between the viewer and the subjects of the work, as well as the intricate psychology behind it.

Initially, I thought I was going to use JR's work to talk about the roles photography can serve… then I thought maybe I would talk about the role of the viewer… but his work encompasses so many different, and amazing, discussion points I think I am just going to go where the wind takes me on this one.

 JR is a French artist who uses his photographs to raise questions, confront issues, and engage viewers. He has travelled all around the world creating large-scale, black and white photography which he then pastes on buildings, walls, roof tops, etc…  Initially small in scale, his “sidewalk galleries” have become much, much more.  Much of his current work highlights the under-appreciated and/or unseen inhabitants of the places he visits. He shows the faces, and provides spaces, for the voices of the people, beyond the conflicts, negative reputations, and news images.  It is work rich in meaning and message.

I do not think I have mentioned it here yet, but I teach students who are in the International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) at my school.  The pedagogical approach of the IB programme focuses on international mindedness and “intellectual challenge; encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and to the real world.” (International Baccalaureate Organization.(2014) What is the IB Middle Years Programme? Retrieved from http://www.ibo.org/myp/)

JR.(2007) Face2Face: Israel & Palestine,
Separation Wall, Palestinian Side In Bethlehem
http://www.jr-art.net/projects/face-2-face

I think JRs photographic installations would be highly appropriate to an issue-based, IB curriculum (an MEQ curriculum as well!)  and would provide a wonderful opportunity for students to engage with not only a variety of art and photography centered issues; but also, to investigate issues from around the world.  There would be a strong potential for interdisciplinary units of study if joined with the Quebec Ethics, Religion and Culture class.  Not only could this type of partnership enrich the discussion, once you are in the classroom you quickly realized that time is short supply, and if you have the opportunity to share class time with another subject it will only benefit the students in the end!

I like the idea of looking at the bigger picture of world issues, then bringing the conversation back home and challenging the students to create photo installations to deal with those issues in their own schools or communities. Has anyone tried something like this? How did it go? What was successful / challenging?

Back in the Lab...

Although I have had an ongoing, if inconsistent, photographic practice for many years, I came to realize with the beginning of this new class, that it has been 13 years since I stepped foot in a dark room  to develop my own film / print my own photos. Ouf! Time sure does fly!

Recently, I came across my high school photography binder. Full of the trials and experiments of using both a manual camera for the first time as well as using the darkroom. I had planned to use some of that work as fodder for my first post here; however, in the midst of all our packing, storing and cleaning while our house is for sale, that box of high school books is currently, nowhere to be found.

I do have something else related to the topic of revisiting memories though.  Earlier this week, I saw some very intriguing work by Japanese artist Chino Otsuka.

Otsuka has taken analog photos of her childhood and digitally inserted her grown-up self into the pictures.
The results are often seamless as she has taken great care to match all aspects of the photo as closely as possible to the original including the colours, contrast, shadows, graininess of the film etc...
In creating these mash-ups of these photos, Otsuka offers herself the opportunity to remember the past and reflect on the present, as well as to process the space in-between the two.  

Chino Otsuka, 1982 + 2005, France

Speaking of her work Otsuka says, “The digital process becomes a tool, almost like a time machine, as I’m embarking on the journey to where I once belonged and at the same time becoming a tourist in my own history,” said the photographer.

Source: chino.co.uk ( Image and Quote Retrieved from: http://www.demilked.com/double-self-portraits-chino-otsuka/ )

I really enjoy that Otsuka has positioned her grown-up self in a variety of ways within her digital collages. At times she becomes a second subject in the work, while at other moments she is merely a passer by, a seemingly accidental inclusion in a snap shot taken by a doting parent while on vacation.

In the description for the book from which this photo series is taken, Photo Album (2013) published by Dewi Lewis Publishing, Otsuka speaks about her move from Tokyo to Britain at the age of 10 and how her work is highly influenced by the ideas of home, identity, memory, displacement, loss, and belonging.
" For Chino, tracing back and recreating the past is a way to deal with such issues. The imagined and the real, reflection and projection, past and present..." (http://www.dewilewis.com/products/photo-album)

Although there are advanced technical components to creating this type of flawlessly reconstituted photograph, I think the idea here has so much potential for use within the classroom or community setting.  Technical aspects aside I love the idea of having students reflect on their past and to revisit them through their artistic practice. Guiding questions such as " If you could relive this moment today, would you change anything? " or " If you could tell your 8 year old self something at the moment this photo was taken, what would it be? " could help students think about how they might interact with their past selves.  There is potential for a lot of fun here too - what about photo-bombing your own photos! It could be a lot of fun, just image all the laughs!

From a technical stand point, as students become increasingly proficient at using editing software by the minute, I think this type of work will become quite accessible, and with a few tutorials on adjusting things like grain, levels, and hue/sat. I think it would be possible to use this effectively within a high school or community setting.

Imagine doing this as a high school leaving activity with a photo from grade 7 or kindergarten? It could be really fun and very meaningful!... I think I am off to pitch some ideas to our grad committee :)

Introductions

I've had a romance with photography for many years.

Untitled, France, c. 2004

In high school I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to take an analog photography class. I was also lucky enough to have been able to buy myself a Canon A-1 SLR so that I was not limited to borrow the school's cameras.  Although I took photos of many different things - landscapes, architecture, plants, I have, from the beginning, been most interested in capturing the human form.

Taylor, c.2010, digital portrait

I will admit that my initial flirtation with portraiture with my film SLR camera did not yield the results I was hoping for, though I did use some of those photos as the basis of work in other media.  The process of using my photographs to inform my work in painting, drawing and printing is something that has continued to this day.

Shield 2, chalk pastel, c.2005

In university I began taking photos with a digital camera. It was just a Nikon Coolpics point and shoot but I found ways to trick the sensors for the automatic flash using electrical tape and just about every lamp in my studio apartment to create the type of lighting effects I was going for. At first I did a lot of self-portraiture, but after joining a photo-based community on Live Journal I eventually began doing portrait sessions for friends.  Of course I have updated by arsenal to include a digital SLR camera, backdrop stand and some updated lighting. For a few years I did portraits and some commercial work on the side, although these days it is definitely more of a hobby.

Emilie, c.2009, digital portrait

Although balancing work, university and family has cut into the time I have to take photos, I still lug my camera with me often.  I take time to do head shots of the students on our Arts & Drama team every year and of course my son has become the frequent focus of my lens!


 

Luca, c. 2009

Luca, c. 2013

I am looking forward to getting back into the darkroom 
and revisiting film techniques!

Luca & I, c.2009