wrt photo essay final 1
DESCRIPTION
Photo Essay By Emily BockTRANSCRIPT
Losing My Mind
Photo Essay by Emily Bock
Introduction
When we think of “losing” or “loss,” the first couple things that come to mind are usually losing keys, a wallet, a piece of jewelry. Losing these material things seem like the end of the world when we think about the measures we have to go through to replace them. What about the things we lose that are much harder to replace, even impossible? Or things that that are not ours to lose such as momentum, patience, time. The images in this essay have a literal and also an abstract quality to them, which can be interpreted in different ways. The majority of the photos are focused on items or experiences that are lost that can no longer be found, or difficult to regain. The different interpretations of loss are captured in each image. Throughout each photo, the subject in the photo may be representing the loss in a more literal way, such as a cemetery representing the loss of life. However, it may also be represented in an abstract way, with human figures embodying a different perspective of loss. The concept of loss can be understood in different ways, according to the viewer of the image. While the photographs do have captions to connect with the theme of loss, the audience is encouraged to interpret the picture in their own way.
Losing My Religion
Losing Youth
Losing Control
Losing Patience
Lost In Space
Losing Money
Lost in the Echo
Lost in the Crowd
Losing My Voice
Lost in Translation
Losing Life
Losing Control
Losing Time
Finding Happiness
Photo Analysis The photos in my photo essay are focused on the concept of loss. The effects and strategies used while photographing the pictures are all unique and different. There is a somber and serious tone to the pictures since the idea of loss is to not have something anymore. I chose to focus on each picture separately regarding effects and techniques used to take and edit the pictures. Some photos have a staged quality to them, such as “losing life” and “losing my religion.” Others were either taken spur of the moment or during experiences that associate with loss. While the pictures are not cohesive in techniques, they are bonded in captions of different types of losses, each specific to its title. I used my iPhone camera and Nikon Coolpix S9200 to take the photos. Both cameras were used because some days, I would capture a picture and only have my cell phone handy and vice versa. The flash and exposure settings on my camera helped achieve looks of movement and blurriness that I didn’t want to edit out. Some of the pictures that were taken in the dark have a natural vintage quality such as “losing money.” I used iPhoto to edit the pictures. Most of the pictures are either lightened or darkened to highlight or contour shadows of the photos. All of the pictures except the last one are focused on loss. I chose the last picture to be titled using the word finding. The opposite nature of losing something and finding it can be taken literally as losing a piece of jewelry and finding it again. Some things we find have a less concrete nature to them, while being just as blessed to discover them.
Image Analysis I chose the image of the clock because I liked the idea of photographing “losing time” or running out of time. The picture is taken in a more literal, concrete sense. This picture was more staged than the other photos in the essay. When choosing the clock for concept of “losing time,” I wanted the photograph to seem fuzzy and unclear. At first, I tried photographing the clock with the long exposure on the shutter speed, however the black and white features on the clock were not taking to the effect as I wanted. Then, I used the technique of putting Vaseline on the lens before photographing. This gave the picture an effect of confusion and unclearness about the time. Although I did use the grid axis (rule-‐of-‐thirds) on my camera, I wanted to tilt it and make it blurry. I softened the focus of the picture by putting the sharpness all the way down to blur the image even more. I think the blurry and unclear nature of the clock portrays movement. Seconds becomes minutes becomes hours and moments that pass quickly as we move throughout our days and lives.