1. RESEARCH AND CONTEXT:

 

  1. Initial Research:
    1. A combination of portraits indoors and outdoors that tells the narrative of what families are doing while quarantined in suburban neighborhoods. The photos are meant to be lighthearted but represent a more political statement of what life in exile is like during a global pandemic. The photos may cover a mix of both nature and  society— depicting kids outside on bikes or parents on walks, juxtaposed with teens inside playing video games or binging TV shows.
    2. The images pinpoint a moment in time that is unprecedented and will be looked back on in the future. The subjects are people living their daily routine by exploring in nature or spending time in the household.
    3. The photos will be a mix of documenting and storytelling, by documenting the current state of society while simultaneously telling the story of what life is like in spring 2020.
  2. Conceptual framework:
    1. My research interests are to find photographers who are especially good at capturing raw images of people and families in their natural state. The photos are also representative of the period of time when taken, or the demographic of the subjects, simply by the location where the photo is taken, or of the style of clothing they’re wearing.
    2. My question is how these artists are able to take photos of people/strangers in their natural state without it being creepy or weird, or how to make people feel comfortable with a camera around.
    3. My goal is to capture the mixture or serenity and anxiety that people may be feeling during this time of isolation. As well as showing what people have been doing to keep busy during time at home while not working.
  3. Technical aims:
    1. To start I plan on capturing the kids in my suburban neighborhood who are riding bikes, playing basketball or drawing with chalk in a portrait-style in springtime daylight from a distance,  to capture them naturally.
    2. I will use photoshop to adjust any composure or coloring issues, and help enhance the photos or emphasize the message.
    3. The process of creation may hinder my ability to take photos of people or strangers depending on the ability to social distance and capture photos from farther away. Also by having to ask permission to take photos before randomly snapping pictures of strangers.
    4. I will produce the outcomes by taking as many photos as possible and then narrowing down to the best/my favorites and then editing the final contenders in photoshop.

 

  1. 3 Artist References:
  1. Sebastian Meyer: https://www.sebmeyer.com/photographs#/coshocton-oh/
    1. Born in 1981, American.
    2. Bachelor’s degree from Carleton College
    3. Meyer works in the field, across America, Europe and the Middle East. Uses a traditional DSLR, travels light when taking photos during wartime.
    4.  His technical and conceptual aspects show how less can be more. A bunch of high-tech equipment is not always necessary because the more simple the methodology, the easier it is to capture natural moments that tell a story.
    5. After reviewing Sebastian Meyer’s work from my first task, I want to model and style my photos after his album from suburban Ohio. His photos are extremely raw and dainty in detail, showing the basic reality of midwest America.
  2. Bill Owens: https://billowens.com/
    1. Born September 25, 1938, Owens is an American photographer, photojournalist, brewer and editor living in Hayward, California. He is best known for his photographs of suburban domestic scenes taken in the East Bay and published in the book Suburbia (1973). (Wikipedia)
    2. Studied visual anthropology at San Francisco State College, finished his education at Chico State College, and served in the Peace Corps.
    3. Owens works in the field, using little to no equipment other than a camera, then processes the images himself.
    4. The technical and conceptual aspects are fairly simple and raw, but still inspiring nonetheless.
  3. Holly Andres: http://www.hollyandres.com/humans-1
    1. Born 1977, Andres is an American photographer and writer based in Portland, Oregon. Andres’s work focuses on flamboyant, movie-like scenes which draw inspiration from her experiences as a child. Andres has said that she views her photo subjects as protagonists within a larger narrative.
    2. Andres was originally trained as a painter. She earned her Bachelors in Fine Arts from The University of Montana in Painting and Drawing and her Masters in Fine Arts from Portland State University in Cinema Studies.
    3. Andres works in both studios and in the field. Her photos are mostly staged and posed, but still find a way to capture people in a natural state that tell a narrative.
    4. She uses props and sets to make a certain scene, using different technology and mediums to make her photos.
    5. Her technical and conceptual aspects are inspiring because she creates her own stories though her settings and subjects, finding a way to bring a scene to life with lots of colors and many faces.