Here's my favorites, old and new.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Rachel Craddock
So, I left this meeting feeling pretty good about my images and the work i'm doing. However, there is one problem I seem to be coming across over and over again and that is, do my images work together as a series? When I began this series I was shooting all my images using the exact same method and point of view. I liked the results I was getting but after a while they started to look the same and I began feeling as though they were too repetitive in their formal composition. This worries me because I don't want my audience to get bored looking at my images but I want to make sure that I stay true to the intent of my project. Just in case you forgot, my project deals with the historical areas of Richmond and in showing the evolution of the city over the years. I would love any feedback on how my images are working together, or if they aren't working, why? Please post any other comments you have, there is always room for suggestions!
Here's my favorites, old and new.
Here's my favorites, old and new.
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6 comments:
I like the newer work you've come up with so far Rachel. My favorite part is that you've been experimenting with a lot more locations, lighting and angles. It seems that every image feels completely different but you can tell that they're all from a specific area, which makes them feel cohesive. Your 3rd, 4th, and 5th photos have to be my favorites. The intertwining bridges has to be the most interesting out of the images, theres just a lot going on which keeps me looking for more intricate details. The cemetary overlooking the city is also nice, showing multiple layers of scenary. I was thinking you may want to dodge some of the details in the foreground though, such as the tree and part of the cross. Its up to you though. The tree with the sunlight shining through is also a really good one, i've always had a thing for dramatic lighting and shadows, which seems to make this photo. Overall, I'd say these photos have been really successful compared to the finals you had showed us last semester, i'm impressed.
I really like the more residential photographs that you have added. It looks like you have really payed attention to the lighting and shadows, as well as the angles. Although I love the bridge photographs Im not sure of its place within the rest of the images. Maybe its just a matter of picking at choosing what you put in the final series, and pulling out some of the residential shots and adding more of the architectural aspects.
I don't have a problem with the new images, at all - I do think that the perspective is different from the previous series, but the new images are all consistent within themselves. The first 5 images all have a similar aesthetic. Each image has a middle ground - something that is not a part of the scenery, but a road, or sidewalk, or something to guide your eye to the center. There is also a lot less foreground in the new ones, but I think the change is refreshing and still composed interestingly. The only image I did not feel fit with the series, was the second from the bottom. Especially when I was scrolling down through the images, the composition was different and did not seem to sync with the other images. I know you might be concerned with there not being a variety of different angles within the images, but I feel it is effective because it ties them all together seeing that they are all different locations.
I think they work together just fine. I think it is important to mix things up a bit, as far as angles go, to keep the project interesting. I think that there are enough similarities between the images because of the way that you shoot, that I don’t think anyone would question the intent of the project. One thing that might help is to look at some photographers that did similar documentary projects in the past. The VCU library has a book you should look at called “This was Virginia, 1900-1927: as shown by the glass negatives of J. Harry Shannon, The Rambler" by Stuntz, Connie Pendleton. Shannon did a similar project in the early 1900s, and some of the angles he shot at were really weird, but there is no question as to his intent. Another good source for you might be the WPA’s “Virginia Historical Inventory” which was a similar statewide project during the 1930’s. The Library of Virginia has the whole project online (http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/VHI/subjects.html). You should check it out, as it probably could answer some of your questions.
I just want to say quickly to keep thinking about how much interesting lighting can help your series. The ninth one down (with the sunlight coming through the trees and shadows of those trees on the road) is an image that captures my attention and makes me want to look more. Keep it up.
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