Week 48: Flesh.

After seeing Rineke Dijkstra, August Sander and Thomas Streuth's work in the flesh, I was drawn into a sense of direction concerning my work. Viewing a digital image is a completely different visual activity compared to seeing the actual print. I didn't really think about it whilst I was there but the after affect was brilliant. To see Dijkstra's prints of the Mother's after childbirth with so much detail was truly awesome, there was so much that I hadn't noticed before. For example, two out of three of the women were wearing wedding rings. This was quite a significant indicator since during labour the wedding ring is normally removed and kept off for at least a few hours after. So the middle photograph [http://www.heyhotshot.com/blog/blogimages/qa_with_hot_shot_cara_phillips/dijkstra.jpg] made me think; was she single? Or was it directly after the birth (you can see the trickle of blood, without any padding or aftermath pants like the first mother) [http://www.hildebrand.me/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Dijkstra_New_Mothers.jpg]. There are many other possibilities that aren't indicated through a picture, but it is an action of viewing the original print that triggers our imagination the most.



Once again, this is a filmic self portrait, very much inspired by Sherman. It is a constructed piece that contains signifiers that your eyes may just pass over at first glance. However, now that I have mentioned this, you will seek to notice. This is where text can be paramount to seeing the actual print. 5x4 transparancy also helps by expanding the amount of light that hits the film and enhancing details.

Song listening to right now: Do It All Over - Cocoa Tea

Week 47: Direction

I haven't really looked at architectural photography for a few years now, it's not what I enjoy. However, over the past few days I have been thinking about maybe changing my direction in the industry or at least expanding it a bit more. I may have to give up what I enjoy to make it in the industry. I am determined to get to where I want to and I'm not afraid to work hard at it. I will strive through difficult, frustrating and mundane tasks for years to actually get somewhere in the end.

Thanks for reading.
Daniel.



This was captured in Nice back in 2008. So it's not a recent photograph but it has a very relevant point. I have been waiting for something to come into view, to change the direction of my lifestyle and it has finally started to look up. The photograph does it's best to represent it.

Song listening to right now: Lies - The Junglists

Week 46: Replacement.

I have become pretty jealous of my parent's lifestyle during the years before I was born. To travel the world and earn a living whilst doing it would be ideal for my mindset. Images are a reflection on times that may or may not have been better. Nostalgia is therefore a powerful tool when you are wielding a camera. This week I have been looking at the representation and the reinterpretation of images.

Thanks again.
Dan.



I fully intended to keep the situation the same, but the mannerisms had to be my own. These photographs weren't posed as such, just so I could just handle the situation in my own way. Everything else in the photograph had to be constructed to replicate the situation my Father was in.

Recently, we had a guest lecture with Tom Hunter which, at first, I was a bit skeptical about. Turns out, I really enjoy his images now. I knew that they were modernized versions of some of my favourite paintings, and at first I thought he had done a terrible job of it. What I did not realize was that they were concerning stories that were local to him and he had a personal connection to his art. However, I do not wish to remake an image in my own style, I intend to replace the individual but keep the situation the same.

Song listening to right now: Seasons of Man - Yes

Week 45: Engagement II.

I like making eye contact now, I don't tend to make eye contact with people I am speaking to usually. But now I feel it is relevant and engaging. Conversation flows so much smoother and you can relate with the opposite party.

D.



This photograph is of Leanne's cat; Socks. There was no real reason why I took this, but it is an engaging stare and if you notice it is looking straight at the camera. Point a camera at a cat and it will normally just look YOU straight in the eye.

Song listening to right now: Strutter - Kiss

Week 44: Bribery, Blackmail and Blasphemy.

A fine is a rich man's bribe. Getting to where you want has never been so dependent on social status or family background. It frustrates me to the point where I fail to see the reason in it. Sometimes, bribery can help a third party more than the two mitigating parties that are primarily involved. I will try to demonstrate in visual form, but first I must explain my reasons behind this week's post. A few negative things have hit me this week, that a few of my peers are aware of, that involve blackmail and situations of quick thinking. I also have a recent photograph of mine that coincidentally suits the happenings of the past week.

Thanks.
D.



Whilst traveling through Portabello Market my Father was approached by a begger asking to give him a ten pound note (or something ridiculous). My father offered him a small amount of money if he would let me take a photograph of them both. He agreed. I noticed a small wink from my Dad, as if to tell me that I should not be phototgraphing the both of them. So I adjusted the camera position and focus subtley; thus cropping the picture to highlight the begger. My father's bribary did not benifit him or the begger, but instead it benefited me photographically. This is a point that must be remembered when looking for the right path to get what you want. Social status and economic backgrounds are both factors that play a huge role too.

Song listening to right now: Absolute Sweet Marie - George Harrison

Week 43: Curiosity.

People have always said that I have had an Achilles heel. I seem to give in to curiosity every single time it crops up. There are certain sayings and idioms which state that curiosity ends up with negative consequences. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Curiosity killed that cat" are constantly nagging at the back of my brain, nibbling at the fleshy nerve endings that satisfy my acquisition of knowledge. Anyway, enough of the fancy embellishments and ridiculous analogies. My argument is against ignorance being bliss, and that curiosity is a good thing.

This past week's experience has led me down a lane where I have been finding out things that are involved in my personal life, things that some people would normally wish that they never knew. Yes there is, at first, a temporary sting and rush of blood that makes me slightly angry, but I learn to put that in the past very quickly. Have you ever seen that scene in Disney's The Lion King? Where Rafiki is talking to Simba about learning from events and then putting them in the past.

He smacks Simba on the head with his staff and then there is this bit of dialogue:

Simba: "Ow! Jeez. What was that for?"
Rafiki: "It doesn't matter! It's in the past."
Simba: "Yeah but it still hurts."
Rafiki: "Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it."

This is one of my favourite moments in film history; Rafiki then takes another swing at Simba, and consequently he adapts quickly and dodges it. The point I'm trying to get across goes with the saying "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Personally I have always found that my curiosity acts as a trigger to gain knowledge and educate myself. It is not a bad thing to satisfy your curiosity. Yes, there may be pain that could stay with you for just a few seconds or for the rest of your life, but you will need to adapt and evolve your reactions sooner or later. Curiosity ends up with positive consequences and as human beings we learn from what we find out.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks post.

Daniel.



This photograph was taken about a year ago, I will let you try and spot why it is related to the subject of "Curiosity". It's quite a broad and open photograph, although it can be seen as referencing social status (which you would be right to assume) but there are many more aspects to it. Curiosity is certainly one of them.

Song listening to right now: Age of Revolution - The Duckworth Lewis Method

Week 42: Late.

So this one is a few days late due to unforeseen circumstances. Have you ever seen the film Changeling? Around eighty percent of the most stunning stills are executed by using the doorway technique I have concentrated on recently. They sincerely frame the individual and subject well. Everything that is seemingly important is placed within the door frame and everything outside is nothing more than trivial. This illusion shows persuasion from the cinematographer to the audience and sways the viewer into believing what is important and what is unimportant.



This photograph was taken on 5x4 transparency and cross processed as colour neg. It highlights what is important to the way I think.

I ingest and inhale an absence; and so I digest and exhale a presence.

Song listening to right now: Out of the Tiles - Led Zeppelin