Saturday, March 28, 2009

Final Photography Project!

So, here are the images! They're presented here in the same order I presented them for crit, only in a vertical order due to the blog. I call this series Urban Arithmetic. I was looking at the additions and subtractions created in urban spaces, additions and subtractions that seemed like they didn't belong.

Urban Arithmetic Series, digital print, 11x16", 2009

Like here. While many focus on the tree in the arch-way, for me the photo is about the space above it, where it looks like a chunk of the wall has just been torn out of the building and nothing is being done about it. I also like the implied sense of human presence created by the junk on the ground and the crossing barrier. I think the photo is more powerful by having human objects but no people.

Urban Arithmetic Series, digital print, 11x16", 2009

The same can be said of this photograph. The focus seems to be on the end of the alleyway, but for me it's all about the emergency stairs and AC units that look like they were just slapped on the walls. It's almost like retrofitting. I like how the graffiti shows that someone was there, but isn't anymore. The grimy colors play off of the green of the AC units. These two images were presented vertically and made taller in order to play off of the verticallity of the two scenes I was shooting.

Urban Arithmetic Series, digital print, 11x14", 2009

I really like the duality created in this photo. The hue is so warm and soft, but the focus is entirely on the dark doorway at the center of the image. It seems so foreboding! The focus for me was the doorway in this image, but the garbage and the signage and all that other junk floating around just enhanced it. It all seemed to be protruding into the space. I love the flattened pop bottles laying around the mud. Seems ominous!

Urban Arithmetic Series, digital print, 11x14", 2009

I love the winding stairs in the photo, and they're the focus for me. The brickwork is so old and worn, with graffiti all over it, but here are these pristine looking wooden stairs! They look like they grew over the building, it's fantastic. Had to touch up the sky in this photo because it was getting late and the sky was pretty much blah white. However, I like how it turned out after burning the sky and leaving the rest of the image (virtually) the same. The stairs look punchier with the additional contrast.

Urban Arithmetic Series, digital print, 14x11", 2009

I've always found this little Asian dry-cleaners interesting. I liked the winding stairs, again, but it was mainly the fact that it looks like it just sprung up in between these two bigger buildings! It just doesn't look natural! That's why I shot from a low angle, to emphasize the size and depth of the buildings sandwiching it. I had to wait FOREVER for people to stop fiddling with their cars. It was annoying... Again, had to mess with the sky so that the buildings weren't engulfed by the shadows.

Urban Arithmetic Series, digital print, 14x11", 2009

Final one! I liked the small light at the back of the building from the windows. Kind of like the light at the end of the tunnel, but what's waiting before? That's played up by the pylons and the mesh fence.

Ultimately, I like this project because I'm going to keep going with it. I've set up constraints in such a way that my subject matter is focused while still allowing me to roam all over the city. Summer should make it easier to do, since the weather won't be the misery that is Spring in London. As a study of urban growth and development, it's something that I'm interested in (but not in an arty-farty way, I just like thinking about how people interact and how the surroundings reflect that.... but again, not arty!).

Still waiting on my mark for this one. But the Prof liked it, so hopes are high!

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