hair cold grid experimentation

When looking at making these into grids i was looking at what i thought would work well together, image wise, and thinking of the overall grid.
Thinking about it, i think a 2 x 2 grid would be optimal for this project, i didnt want them overly small, as i wanted to see detail in the way the hair falls and looks, the shapes and patterns it makes.
the obvious and simple  2 x 2 gride focusing on just the darker images to create a connection, here i used one where u can see past the hair and see the background and the shadows but im very unsure about.

i did also concider using a grid with different colour hair but i dont think it looks as impactual as the grid before.

though in all honestly my fave grid here would be the one below, just  a plain and simple grid with all the same colour and it allows u to focus on the hair and the shapes and contoritons its making.

Hair/cold shoot 3 and 4

Shoot 3, was actually just sort of accidental, my hand ended up covering my top mounted flash gun as it went off and created such an ususual result! the colour change is the most apparent, but i do also like the effect it has on the hair texture and contrasts in the images.

 Shoot 4 was more to try and remove some of the reflections in the hair caused by the use of the mounted flash by adding a thicker diffuser to the flash. however it really doesnt have that much of an overall effect except maybe picking out more of a colour then just black and white.

I think overall the ones that work best are the flash mounted ones. and maybe i should experiment abit with the idea of grids and how they would look overall?

Hair/cold shoot 2

While the use of no flash (see previous blog posted shoot) i tried with the use of a diffused top mounted flash with the following results. U can see alot more of the detailing on the hair. some of the reflections of the light depict more detailing on the hair, and allows the patterns created by the hair to be more prominant in the images. I think a grid pattern with the hair images would look good, allowing the audiencce to pick out the texture and detailing in the pattern.

John Baldassari- use of text and imagery

Expressive artist Jon Baldassari is famous for his expressive use of colour, outlandish ideas and use of text to create stories for the audience. What im most interested in is his use of text how it impacts the audience. He uses combinations of words and text to impact his photographs. There are two main examples of his use of text. One uses basic images, portraits of people with the addition of text to add to the personality, or suggest something about the person to the audience.

While the other style is more fun in a sence that he uses text to create storys around the images, often rather mundaine or images of inanimate object or objects that we take for granted, most famous prob:

i really like Baldassaris use of text, both the little story he creates, and that where just a single word influences the whole take on an image.

Hair/cold shoot 1

One of the things i stated about the problems with this shoot would be getting the lighting right, and so ive had to sort of experiment to get it all right. the first experiments i did, i took in a fairly light room, natural and floresent. however i didnt originally want to use flash to begin with. So here, i did without flash however nothing really came out, with a faster shutter speed, i lost to much light, and with a slower, i lost detailing.  They do look soft and it does create an unsual look but loosing all of the detailing is not really what i wanted so it was abit of a general loss.

More old wives tales?

i think i need to include more old wives tales, as i only seem to have one in comparison to the other superstitions that i have.
The one that springs to mind is this idea of wet hair leading you to catch a cold, i know i always used to be told this as a child.
and while there is no medical link that it causes u to catch a cold, its still passed down as true.
Ive always been fasinated by the look and feel of wet hair, and how it looks, the shapes it forms and the pattern it creates so i think there is something that can be done here to show this superstition.
The thing i would need to experiment with would be the lighting, as it would be difficult to show the detailing with such a fine thing as dealing with hair.

Naglaa Walker - On physics

Naglaa walker originally a psysist, turned photographer, has a very unusual use of text with here images.  Each image is paired with a corrisponding psysics equation to which refers to something in the image. It makes the audience think about the image and how the equation may be related, as well as thinking about the deeper meaning between what is preditermind and what is not. The images work well together and while most of the images are not similar in a sence, what brings them together is this use of photography and text which is rather unusual. I like this idea of the text being the same size as the image itself and actually in a  photograph of its own, just clearly wrote on a blackboard, which is also symbolic of schools and learning which suggests the audience are learning more from the addition of the text. The images themselves are somewhat plain images, the examples below the top one is far more hard hitting and the bottom is far more 'pretty' in the sence of subject matter and shooting style.

Newyears superstition Shoot 2

 

These images are for the idea of the new years supersition. i found these very difficult to try and get right with the white balence (the lights were very florecenty orange) that and getting the shutter speed right for it.
some of the images did come out better then others. and i like this idea of just the light peeking through the doors and the effect it creates this ideal that there is something trying to get through the door, or there is something waiting on the other side. the darkness reinforces the idea that it is midnight.

Paul Quinn- Untitled rooms

When thinking of the new years eve superstion, obviously the first thing that comes to mind is this idea of doors opening and closing. It reminded me of the work of paul quinns- untitled rooms. The accompanying text to his project is:

Every room has it’s own history which is shaped and written by the individuals who live there. Rooms often show what marks and stains a life. They serve as a container for memories of what is left behind.

This idea of leaving behind also relates to this idea of closing one door and another one opening.  The images show views from the outside of rooms looking inside, through or just at the doors. They are very structured and the enfisis is very much  on the effect of lighting And what is perposely seen in the images.

Personal superstition

One of the susperstitions me and my family grew up with is a rather more unusual superstiton and many people ive asked have not even herd about it.
On new years at midnight u have to: open your backdoor to let out the old year, and open ur front door to let in the new year. If u dont do this it will be bad luck!

So initial ideas for this is to show a door just slightly adjar to see how that turns out?
Maybe a photo of front doors/ back doors, but alas it would be shot at night and going out at night is not such an idea?
just abit of experimentation is needed i think for this supersition. 

Shoes on table shoot 5

 Once again i took influence from the shoes as to the location of the shoot. The shoes were womans black heels, and so where better then a bedroom? i REALLY like some of these images just for the style. Again some look like they are straight out of a magazine or adverstisment for shoes, which i really like. I think one of these images would suit very well against one of the other images of the shoes by the window from a earlier shoot. they would fit well together and not distract from eachother but compliment with similar colours and style. I also like the lighting in here. it just adds to the effect of the images.

step on crack images more grids

Shoot 4 grid:

Once again i actually really like the effect this creates, while it looks alot less random as the others due to the blanks all being in one row but thats more due to that theres only so many alternatives that i can do. I really like how these grids are coming out. and how they would fit in well with the use of text i have mentioned before.

step on crack images more images- 2

Shoot 4:

Shoes on table shoot 4

Shoot for i combined revisiting the shoes from shoot2 and also experimenting with mans shoes, as so far i have been focusing on womens shoes, namely because its what i have access too. It was very difficult to place the mens shoes i found personally, and i dont think they are very strong images. However the reshoot with the womens shoes i actually really like the effect u get with the silhouette of the shoes, the symatery with the shape of the vase, and the general structure of the image. I think i could use this in my book as it does have that almost catalogue/fashion style feel to the shoot which is what i wanted.
It has drifted more away from the idea that the shoes are animated like the 100boots but i dont think that nessisaraly important at this stage, and maybe with the addition of text this could be changed.

Shoes on table shoot 4

once again this was a slightly different approach, relating the 'flip flop' shoes to obviously the garden and a summers day. The only problem i find with these images are the framing was rather difficult with so much to take into concideration, as well as the fact the shoes blend in far to much into the table of the same colour. I like the idea of the relationship between the two but idealy i still need the shoes to be more standout then they are in these images.

Steve Pyke- grid images and composits

Steve Pyke best known for his work photographing a wide range of different portraits, from homeless people to WW1 veterans. His style is very classic. Focusing alot just on headshots, or close ups. He often forms composits with his images. Unlike Patrick Mccoy's mutliples, Steve pyke does not use a reoccuring back drop or setting. The only thing linking these images are the way they are shot, and generally who they are. He tends to catagorise images into groupings for the kind of peoples in the shots. From babies to Cyberpunks. While they are all different, they still have that feeling of fluidity that allows the audience to group the images together and look over them as one body of work.

Some of his more interesting grids are actually his non portrait shoots and composits.

Shoes on table shoot 3

After the very bad attempts before i desided to relook at the idea and what i wanted to achieve from it. I want something rather highclass and modern, with a twist of story to it. With a connection between the location and the shoes, the style the shape, and how it fits into the location.  I also wanted revist the idea of having it as a pairing, with a close up of the shoes.

I think this just solidifys my idea that the dyptic may not work with the detailing on the shoes, however these images are far more like what i want from my images then the previous shoots. the brightness was abit of a problem with this images, trying to get the white balence correct as these images were rather monotoned. Here tho, i dont think the shoes stand out as much as they could. they seem to blend into the background abit. I want to experiement abit more with location and positionings.

shoot2 and 3 grids - crack/back images

 Shoot 2 grid:

 

Shoot 3 grid:

I very much like these and they fit very well in with the other images and grid that ive done so far. The shoot 2 images are better in my eyes with the addiction of the strong shadow and the effect it creates on the grid and the images individually. I also like the randomised grid and think it was best for this kinda grid with the addition of 'blank' images

step on crack images more images- 1

I just realised ive not uploaded some of the other images that i have done for the 'step on crack, break ur mothers back' superstitions, i guess as my mind has been focused on devleoping new superstitions to add to my book.

Shoot 2:

Shoot 3:

Once again, i am going to use these to create randomised grids (besides feedback told me that the random grids worked better) with a mix of images of people stepping on cracks and not. and even blank ones. The addition of the text will allow the audience to make the link and focus more into the images. I know there is no real crack over these images, but as discussed before i like the use of the repetition in the flooring and i dont feel it works as effectively in the grid with the cracks on the floor.