Portfolio Update

so this has turned out to be extremely difficult and i find myself going into different directions with it. i am trying to figure out the kinks.  there is a lot i could do with the text and im  experimenting with how the projector and the camera can work together. here are some test images i have done. Im thinking i may not mind the text blurred from movement however i need to maintain proper lighting on my subject while still using different ways to hide the model's identity. the following shots are experimentations. seeing how the text can wrap around the subject and disguise it as well. i have rented my own projector from I.T. that i will have on tuesday so i will be able to have more control over the text (opposed to the projector attached to the ceiling)let me know if any of them spark ideas. thanks.

Ok 3rd times the charm

Trash portraits, and diptych portrait ideas are on back burner for now. Still life trash sculpture money idea is whats happening now for the final.

Shooting with Mamiya. Plan is to create as many images as possible and hopefully find a coherent story/theme with them.

so this is what I've shot so far. It not close to what I want. I plan on using the Mamiya for a shallower depth of field and the fiber-optics for selective lighting with a dragged shutter. These photos are just basically examples of what my boxes look like. I plan on having six boxes and will be shot the same way.

There's a jug band on your toes?

Okay so here is one of the images I shot last class. I just shot this as an example image. I'm still debating whether I want it to be this high key, or if I want the images to be more dramatic. I didn't have time to shoot a more dramatic shot, but I can see it in my mind, and I'm thinking that with the other miniature set ups, a more dramatic, almost a sort of a side rim light falling on the model, would work better. Right now, I'm leaning more on the dramatic side, but this picture is an example of my original high key idea. My final images will be a little more risque then this, I do plan on having a model to shoot nude for class on Thursday. I do hope to have a some humor in my final images.

Meat, Eggs, Carrots...

Here are my three models for my final, all of whom will be mercilessly tortured for the sake of photography. I have some props that I've ordered that will be here soon, and I'm getting some fishhooks tonight for the meat.
These images don't really correspond with the direction I'm taking my concept in. Each food will be "processed" or tortured in a different way in a 'sterile' environment.
Anyway, I hope I can get some images I want tomorrow during class.

Final

I wanted to do a series with very dramatic lighting of mob torture scenes. I have found models that I think will work good for this mood I am trying to set up. I will approach this to make it look as realistic as possible yet making sure nothing can harm the model at the same time. I did some research of possible ways of torture that will work good photographically. I was planning on using snoots, cookies.

Final

I have always been interested in American 1950s culture.  I Love the film, photography and style from the time. I have decided to photograph my little sister in the studio as a girl that grew up during the time. I plan on dressing her up and using props that would be seen during the 50s. I will most likely build small sets that I can put together and take down the same day. I may also use other models in some of the photographs to help build a sort of story about a little girl growing up in and some of the things  that children had to do differently during that time. 

Nude + Miniature

Alright, so I've decided to combine both the nude female figure with miniatures. I want to use the curves of the female form to set the scene for my miniature figures. I want it to be high key, where only the shadows of the nude body define its form. and place emphasis on the miniature figures (which will be darker). I think I want to try shooting with the Mamiya to get better detail in the textures of the skin and figures. I have my model, I just have to wrangle me some miniatures.

My goal is to play with size relationship between the human figure and the miniatures, and how the female figure's curves act almost as a landscape for this miniatures.

Here is a reference shot I found online of the size relationship and cropping I want to play around with.

Let me know what you think!

Final

So far the portraits I've done haven't been the most interesting. I want to work on that. My idea is basically an in camera diptych. I would take a low key portrait of an artist working on one side of the camera and on the other side (dragging the shutter) give the artist a flashlight or other light, and let them draw me in a pose that they choose. It would basically be a 30 second gesture drawing of me with light.

I plan on using a tripod and turning out the lights and looking through the lens and when they shine the light I can find the boundaries for them. Also I can take a few test shots for them to realize how different movements affect the final mark making. (When you cover it up it changes colors, when you turn it sideways it creates a more narrow line)

Thanks

Since I find it hard to really be comfortable in the studio and with the work that I produce in the studio, I am building 6 small boxes to photograph. I just want to make visually beautiful pictures that have a lot of visual depth. In the boxes I am using paper to create somewhat geometric/uniform backgrounds and then I am using flowers and other organic objects to contrast with the background. I'm going to utilize shallow depth of field so the forms are a little ambiguous. I also plan to experiment with using a pen light and long exposure to "paint with light".

Final Idea

im really interested in greek/roman mythology. So, for my final i was thinking about creating a series of portraits, each representing a sort of "modernized" version of the most famous greek stories, such as Pandoras box, the story of Narcissus, Apollo and Daphne.. just a few ideas. id love any feedback you guys have. thanks!

also, heres a photographer i found yesterday. some of his stuff is pretty cool i think.
http://www.cartright.com/

SPORT

Since my last project went a ways out in terms of lighting, I feel I really need to spend the rest of the semester refining my studio lighting skills.

I generally get a little bit uncomfortable shooting portraits of people, so I want to challenge myself and do a series of portraits, using people who I feel innately look like artists and dress them up in sports attire.

As you all know, I'm a big fan of humor in art and I tend to always find something to chuckle about, so it's important for me to work with irony, absurdity, and awkwardness. I want to have these people wearing jerseys and baseball caps and whatnot, looking very fierce, like they are putting a "game face" on, cheering in a crowd, upset because their team lost a championship, etc.. Just having an intense expression to show how attached people get to sports.

Final Idea

My idea involves portraying the use of dining tables as more than just a place to eat, but a place for safety, creation, and death. I want to give a different view on the common american family dinner table through the use of different tables for each image, for the different tables will fit in with the specific scene. I am also going to build backdrops for the tables to further enhance the image. Let me know what you think

Idea for Final

I find old botanical anatomy prints really simple and beautiful, and plan to draw a lot of inspiration from them. I want to make my theme something about animal cruelty, it will heavily depend on the kind of animals I can get.
For example, I would like to get my hands on some taxidermy animals, then I'd like to label the basic anatomy on small signs hanging from strings around it, and add in labels like "easiest bone to break" or "worth the most money." I really hope I'm able to work something out with the folks at the taxidermist where I can use their animals without paying full price (cheapest bird is usually $120, yikes). Example:


If I can't get the birds, I would like to adapt this to a version for specific flowers, vegetables, and fruits and play up the pesticides and chemicals we use to keep them alive and working to our advantage, by again labeling the anatomy.
Here are some more examples of prints I'd like to mimic.


I appreciate any feedback.
-Caroline

Conceptual Idea

Well my final idea was to do a series on suicide and the effect that is caused on everyone, not only the person who commits suicide. It would be done with location lighting and a series of models, to show the cause and effect, so i was thinking about using diptychs to show that with a photo of the actual act and then a photo of the harm it has caused on a close friend or on a family member. Let me know what you think?

Thank You

-Ari Gabel

Final Ideas

I'm trying to narrow down ideas I have for my portfolio.  I was thinking about doing it on people's secrets.  I like working with people and trying to photograph them in a way where you can see what they are feeling at that moment.  I was thinking about having a person stand with either a white or black backdrop.  I want it to be implied nudity with them either holding a white board in front of them or a white sheet.  Im leaning towards the board.  Then I haven't decided whether I want to hand write on the board or have projected text on it displaying whatever their secret is.  I will give them the option of showing or hiding their face.  I am thinking about whether or not I want it to be very short and concise text or if I want more of a long journal feel in which case i would enlarge or capitalize important parts of the text so it can be emphasized and more easily read.  Sorry I dont really have and reference pictures to post.

Ok, so one idea I've had for the series for our final portfolio is: I walk around looking for photos a lot and I recently decided to try to take interesting photos of trash. It's everywhere and ugly. But it is someone's disposable art (sometimes not meant to be I guess) but anyway I'm thinking of using photos I make of trash and printing them out and incorporating them into portraits in the studio of figures that relate to the trash. Maybe a similar gesture. Also Joseph and I spoke about bringing in the trash and photographing in the studio then bringing in models and photographing them and splitting the images half figure half trash. Also another avenue is using a projector to relate the trash projected in/around the figure. The last possibility that I've been thinking about with this is after photographing the trash, printing it out and making props/clothing for the model or actually buying the product/or using the actual trash with the model as clothing.

Whew! Thats long. Thanks for reading and hope this sparks some conversation.

Ryan

PS These aren't necessarily the photos I would use, but give a general idea of where my mind is at.