final project: images

In my final project, I wanted to emphasize both figures in each picture. I also wanted to make the subject’s settings obvious, giving the viewer a clue as to what each subject is engaged in. The meaning behind this project is to depict the feeling of being removed from reality and wanting to be somewhere else in time. This was an expansion of a previous project and was created in a different way. To form my images, I took an in-focus image of a subject and one “ghost” image by using a slow shutter speed. I put these images together to form my final compositions. My goal for these images was to capture a normal feeling. We may not want to admit it, but we all have felt removed from our daily lives. My images can relate to every viewer, especially during finals week.

#25

  My motivations for my final project were to capture the feeling of wanting to be somewhere else. We all have felt trapped in something, whether it’s a job, homework, or every day tasks. I wanted to show subjects losing interest in a normal activity, removing themselves from reality. This project was an extension from a previous project where I had “ghosts” of my subjects. I wanted to have viewers relate to my project in that wanting to be somewhere else is a normal feeling during finals week. This project also comes from the feeling that the majority of us are never happy with what we have. Every so often I have to force myself to live in the moment and stop focusing on what is next. American culture is very timed and fast paced, we always need to be somewhere and can rarely focus on what we are engaged in. I wanted to show this through my photographs, relating to our every day lives.

final: in progress

crit response- assign. 5

Image 1
The play on reality is working in this image. It’s an illusion that my subject is not a real person. It’s also unclear as to why she was placed in a pumpkin, not knowing if she broke free or stumbled upon it. From here, pairing small figures with normal sized objects could create a series of illusions.

Image 2
Many interpreted this image as gloves or other leather objects. It was not recognized right away as boots, which is what I was striving for. The unique composition is working well in that it abstracts the boots. More contrast could have been used and the background is a little over exposed. From here, a series of abstract still lives could be created.

Image 3
Not many viewers realized I placed a figure in an advertisement. They though I took the picture of the girl looking down and photo shopped another figure next to her. Since this is what I wanted to accomplish, the play with reality is working well. A series of subtle disturbances of advertisements could be instated.

Image 4
My narrative was well interpreted, as it is pretty straightforward. The series of pictures and humor behind them is working well in this image. It would be interesting to add in a photo to let the viewer know where the magnet is, by adding a finger putting on the clothes or an idea of where the background is. A series of the David is normal day life could be created, humanizing the magnet.

final project idea

(image found on Google)

web gallery

www.msu.edu/~boothtar

final images- assignment 5

In this image, I constructed an unusual scene. It is unclear whether the girl is coming out of the pumpkin, or if she found it as is. The emphasis is on the girl, which was cut out of a magazine and pasted onto cardboard. I used natural light and balanced the subject between the smashed pumpkin. I wanted this image to play with reality. The viewer is to determine which is normal size, the pumpkin or the girl. To create this image, I cut open a pumpkin, spread its innards everywhere, and put my subject in the middle of the scene. The background is obviously a pumpkin, so my goal was to question reality. Through this image, I was channeling many other photographers with constructed scenes. One of the artists I researched played with reality as I did by using subjects that appear to be real humans, but are not.

This image was a response to a “still life” prompt. To create this image, I set up pairs of leather boots on the floor and took pictures at different angels and depths. I wanted to have a unique perspective, since still lives are generally depicted with a straightforward viewpoint. It is hard to tell what exactly was photographed in that the boots took on an abstract shape. Since still lives are easily recognizable, it was interesting to create an abstract scene. Morandi, an Italian painter, is known for his simple still life compositions. To differ from his work, I photographed my subject in an unusual way, making the viewer question what he or she is looking at.

This image was a subtle disturbance in a place or setting. To create this one, I cut out different body parts to form the figure on the left. I glued the figure into a magazine ad and photographed it. The girl on the right is part of the original ad, while the girl on the left is not. I wanted the viewer to be unable to tell which figure is real and which is not. I tried to mimic the original girl’s body language in my composed figure, making it fit with the ad. This could also be taken as a social statement in that we change into who the world wants us to be. Especially with tools such as cosmetic surgery and airbrushing, it is hard to tell what is “real” and “fake.”

This was a narrative I created by using a magnet my friend brought back from Italy. The emphasis is solely on David and his clothes, due to the plain background. I wanted this narrative to be about why David is naked since he is such an iconic figure. I photographed him, putting him in different combinations of clothes each time. My goal for this image was simply to solve the mystery of how David got to be sculpted without clothes. I put a modern spin on this classical piece, tying in art history to today’s world.