Final Project – Self-Directed

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1 William Floyd Parkway, Shirley, NY 11967

The inspiration for my project came from Eliot Dudik. He is a photographer who travels around and documents history and the characteristics of each place that he visits. His series almost creates a story that the viewer can get information from. Although he primarily focuses on the history, Dudik has captured the essence of each place that he photographs, almost creating a lens for the viewer to know exactly what each town consists of.

I decided to photograph nature and landscapes. I chose to photograph the characteristics of one of my favorite places, Smith Point County Park. This place is so important to me because of the many memories throughout my life, whether fishing, camping, or hiking. I wanted to photograph the essence of this park and what somebody might see when visiting, whether it be the nature or the people that go there. I took pictures on multiple days to show the different dynamics of the park and how it can change due to weather. It shows many characteristics not only of Smith Point County Park, but of Long Island’s ecosystem.

I chose to take my pictures during the time of sunset. I chose this time not only because it creates a beautiful glow on the subjects, but because of the feeling that this time creates. It almost feels as if all time stops during sunset and there is a certain peacefulness and serenity. I think that my series embodies these feelings and I hope that I can convince whoever sees it to visit nature more often, especially during the time of sunset.

I titled my series the address of Smith Point County Park because I believe that it best reflects the feelings and activities that occur there. For some, it’s an address to visit. For others, it’s a home.

Peer

Fishing

Fishing II

Fishing III

Float on

Dock

Osprey

Curious

Hungry

Look Out

Altered Perception – Dementia

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Introduction: I decided to focus on the altered perception that a person with dementia can experience. Although not every person with dementia perceives the world the same way, there are multiple common symptoms that I’ve focused on. These symptoms affect their perception through sight, touch, and many other different ways. I used my sister who is 26 as a model for my project. “It is rare for someone under 65 to have dementia, but it does occur at younger ages and we call this ‘younger onset dementia'”. Source: https://yourbrainmatters.org.au/about-dementia/who-gets-dementia

Blind

“Problems with the recognition of objects, faces and colors start to begin”.
Source: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20064/symptoms/110/perception_and_hallucinations/3

Unlearn

“Both speech and writing can be affected and might be slightly puzzling or difficult to understand.”.
Source: https://www.caring.com/articles/early-signs-and-symptoms-of-dementia

Tunnel

“Changes to visual field, the periphery vision when looking straight ahead become narrower, so people are unable to see things going on to the side of them”.
Source: https://www.thegoodcaregroup.com/news/sight-and-perception-in-dementia/

Avoidance

“Dark-color area rugs can be seen as holes on the ground and become a barrier to crossing for someone with dementia”.
Source:  https://www.alz.org/cacentralcoast/documents/15-Perception-_When_seeing_is_not_believing.pdf

Sight

“An all-white object against an all-white background may be difficult to be recognized by a brain suffering from impaired perception related to dementia”.
Source: https://www.alz.org/cacentralcoast/documents/15-Perception-_When_seeing_is_not_believing.pdf

Habit

“Patterned carpets can cause confusion as patterns such as flowers can also be deceptive, as they could believe they’re actually seeing real flowers on the floor”.
Source: https://www.unforgettable.org/blog/how-to-make-floors-safe-for-someone-with-dementia/

Grasp

“Dementia can cause difficulties with orientation. This can lead to difficulties reaching for things , such as a cup of tea or door handle”.
Source: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20064/symptoms/110/perception_and_hallucinations/3

Portraiture

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Self-Portraits

The Bluff

f/5.6 1/500 ISO 100

The Boardwalk

f/7.1 1/800 ISO 100

The Dock

f/6.3 1/320 ISO 100

 

Portraits of Someone I Know

Walk

f/5.6 1/125 ISO 100

Ponder

f/6.3 1/2500 ISO 100

Wander

f/6.3 1/1200 ISO 100

 

Portraits of Someone I Don’t Know

Ocean

f/6.3 1/640 ISO 100

Bay

f/5.6 1/100 ISO 400

Harbor

f/5.6 1/120 ISO 220

 

As a portrait photographer, I discovered that I really enjoy integrating photography with nature. I love the outdoors and any activities that I can do within nature. I like capturing the innocence and natural behaviors of people that occur in the outdoors. Also, I discovered that I enjoyed incorporating nature with landscapes while doing the portrait assignment.

Color Portraiture

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During my interview with Amy, I noticed that she particularly likes color within nature. She’s a photography student at School of Visual Arts in NYC and focuses on nature, landscape photography. She’ll take any chance that she can take to be outside in the wilderness and I thought that this picture of red flowers against the Swiss Alps during my time in Interlaken, Switzerland would make a great color portrait for her. She is a redhead so I identify her with objects that are colored red. I thought that the red flowers would represent her well. The flowers symbolize her because of their delicacy and their strength from their thorns.

 

Through my interview with Jen, I noticed that she put a lot of importance in color with food. I chose this picture that I took during my time in Marrakesh, Morocco. Jen explained to me that the more vibrant colors are, the more joy they bring to the viewer. In Morocco, the entire cities are filled with color. I thought that this picture of dried foods and spices would make a great color portrait for her. The vibrancy of the picture can demonstrate different tastes, moods, or memories to the viewer and it perfectly represents how Jen feels about color.

Portraiture Study

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Catherin Colaw’s series of self-portraits, Original Sin, is an exploration of vulnerability and sexuality. Her series exemplifies the separateness between the dismemberment of the female body and the landscape in which the photographs are shot.

Source: https://linusgallery.com/juried-exhibitions/the-naked-truth-artist-catherin-colaw-fog/

Teju Cole – “The Image of Time”

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16 Works: Selected Images 1967-2000 , Printed 2000-2001

Teju Cole’s “The Image of Time” focuses on William Christenberry (1936-2016) who was a prominent photographer known for his series photographs. He primarily focused on landscape photography that interested him from his hometown, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He was drawn to the Southern American aesthetic of shacks, simple churches, barns and makeshift building, as well as the red dust and wild vegetation of the region. Christenberry was self-appointed as historian of many sites in Hale County. This was not because of the great importance of the sites, but because they “called out to him and elicited from him a sense of responsibility”.

In a typical photographic series, there are usually different subjects depicted. However, in Christenberry’s photographic series, what is different is not the subject, but the time in which the photographs were taken. These photographs employed time as a narrative. Christenberry believed that time was photography’s illusion and expressed this through his series. Although an audience may be able to tell that photographs within his series were not taken at relatively close times, they are unable to tell exactly how long the length of time was between the photographs. Christenberry’s work seems to effortlessly pin down the central concern of human life: the passage of time.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/magazine/the-image-of-time.html

Still Life – Landscape

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Part I: Camera Study Images

Exposure:

f/5.6 1/50 ISO 1600

f/10 1/250 ISO 1600

f/4.5 1/4000 ISO 1600

ISO:

f/6.3 1/1250 ISO 3200

f/6.3 1/25 ISO 100

White Balance:

f/5.6 1/250 ISO 100 Auto

f/5.6 1/250 ISO 100 Tungsten

f/5.6 1/250 ISO 100 Shade

Depth of Field:

f/6.3 1/60 ISO 100

f/6.3 1/60 ISO 100

Shutter Speed:

f/16 1/125 ISO 200

f/20 1/13 ISO 200

Angles:

f/5.6 1/125 ISO 100

f/5.6 1/320 ISO 100

Part II: Cohesive Series of Images

The Jungle

Stripes
f/6.3 1/160 ISO 1600

Rain

f/6.3 1/800 ISO 1600

Vines 1

f/8 1/30 ISO 100

Vines 2

f/5.6 1/2000 ISO 1600

Bark 1

f/8 1/320 ISO 100

Bark 2

f/5.6 1/1000 ISO 100

Cameraless Photography

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Cameraless photography is a practice of photography without using an actual camera that dates back to 1843. The most popular practice is by placing objects of light-sensitive material and directly exposing it to light. Techniques include cyanotypes, photograms, rayographs, chemigrams, digital c-prints, dye destruction prints, gelatin-silver prints, and luminograms, etc.

A cyanotype is a type of cameraless photography that involves an object placed on paper, treated with ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide, after which is exposed to sunlight & then washed in water, leading the untreated areas of the paper to turn dark blue. This practice was used by Anna Atkins. The work was made with the same process as architectural and engineering blueprints. This was considered the first work of photographic illustrations.

A photogram is a type of cameraless photography also known as early “salted paper” or “photographic drawing” used writing paper bathed in a weak solution of table salt, dried, then brushed on one side with silver nitrate, which created a light-sensitive solution of silver chloride that darkened when exposed to light. It was a practice invented by William Henry Fox Talbot (photogenic drawing). The photographic paper appears black, the objects which receive no light appear white, and the semi-transparent objects appear gray in photograms.

A rayograph is a type of cameraless photography invented by Man Ray, inspired by the technique of Photograms. This is a photographic image made by placing objects directly onto the surface of a chemically-sensitive paper & exposing it to light. It’s similar to X-Rays. Man Ray’s technique focused on the unexpected effects of negative imaging, variations in the exposure time given to different objects within a single image, and moving objects as the sensitive materials were being exposed.

A chemigram is a type of cameraless photography invented by Pierre Cordier. It consists of a photographic image made by painting onto light-sensitive paper, resembling a watercolor painting. Cordier’s technique consisted of using resists to block the chemical reactions of developer and fixer on photographic paper. Paper put into developer that hasbeen exposed to normal room light for varying periods of time will turn black, except where a resist blocks the chemical reaction.

Contemporary cameraless photography consist of many modern elements while still including traditional methods. Contemporary artist, Thomas Ruff, reinvents the traditional photogram in his recent works. Ruff posted a want ad on a forum about 3-D imaging, in search of someone who could create light refractions. After getting a response Wenzel S. Spingler, Ruff set off on a two-year journey to realize his new “Photograms” series. His photogram series depict abstract shapes, lines and spirals in seemingly random formulations with varying degrees of transparency and illumination. He is known for using technologies, both new and old, to create his photograms.

Sources:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/camera-less-photography-techniques/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Man-Rayhttp://www.alternativephotography.com/the-chemigram/https://www.widewalls.ch/photogram-artists/pierre-cordier/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/thomas-ruff-gagosian-gallery-beverly-hills
http://www.publicdomainreview.org/collections/cyanotypes-of-british-algae-by-anna-atkins-1843/