Proposal Final Project

Photography, Otago Polytechnic School of Art, Dunedin

2011

Final Project, Due November

The Photo Book

Introduction-

We have been asked to produce a body of work to be displayed in a public space as an exhibition. We are too find out own space to display this body of work. I have used the Frankie Photo Album Book as my main inspiration for this project and want to produce my own book of similar style photographs but would like to present my photos as Polaroids. I want my photos to reflect the style of the photos in the Frankie book which is very simplistic photos using very light colours, nothing to bright, bold and high contrast. I want all my images to flow from one to another and to make sense when they are displayed together. I aim to have around 100 final images either displayed as one big full piece or separate grids or sequences. I want to take photos like these as I feel as if Frankie’s photos and magazines target audience is people like me. Also some of their photos are fashion based which is one of my favourite styles of photography.

Influences-

I intend to do more research on the pop culture movement and also on other artists that take photos of the indie pop culture and some of the things that happened when this movement was happening e.g. the fashion, music. Some of the artists I have researched already for this project are Sally Mann, Ava Seymour and Cindy Sherman.

Bibliography-

-The Photo Album, Frankie Magazine Volume One, 2009.

-www.artnet.com

-www.cindysherman.com

Practical Considerations-

-Around 100 final works, enough for a book.

-Polaroid size (4x5 inches)

-Display in 10x10 grid or in book form.

Proposed Budget-

Since I am planning on producing so many images I will have to have them printed at a small scale but will place them together into a final large work. The average amount I want to spend in $100. I am hoping the printing will cost around $50 and mounting $50 as well. Am not sure on the price of getting a book printed so will have to do some research on that. Hanging material should cost around $20. I am friends with an owner of a interior design shop in Roslyn and I feel as if my work would go perfectly in her shop and this would be free of charge for me.

Timeline-

*Week One- Research

*Week Two- Bringing ideas together start deciding on a work to start on.

*Week Three- Proposal and start taking photos.

*Week Four- Week 12 Continue research and taking A LOT of photos.

*Week 13- Start deciding on final images and display techniques.

*Week 14- Install final work/ Advertising exhibition.

*Week 15- Assessment due in and Gallery opening to the public

Appendices-

Caitlinameliabarnett.blogspot.com

Reflection

I took my camera to a few get together dinners with my friends and took snap shots of people while they weren't looking like what some of my artist models do. I liked the more close up images of people as I feel as if they make more dominate strong images. I decided do use black and white as otherwise there is too much going on in colour. I feel as if the images could be seen as border line fashion as everyone in the photos are all dressed up, not in their everyday clothes.

Final Photos

First Photo Shoot

The Edge of Documentary

Richard Billingham-

-British Photographer that photographed his alcoholic father, large mother and unruly brother 1990-1996.

-On one hand his work as read as a political documentary targeted to the upper middle class and addresses the working class poverty of the 1990's.

-On the other hand with the 1990's witnessing a rapid expansion of reality television culture, was interpreted as an entertaining drama.

-Billingham would exploit is family for is career.

-"After I did the family pictures , I soon realised that people like the family pictures for reason that I never intended ... there are very few people, I think, that get beyond the subject matter and can identify the artists intention... they just like to look at my mum's tattoos or the stains on the wall paper or the dirty floor" Richard Billingham.

-If the viewer sees poverty in his images they are not reading the images the way he intended, he wants boredom and addiction to be seen.

-The reason I like these images if because Billingham doesn't care if his family is going to be judged because of the photographs, he just wants to show what a day in a life in his family is like even if his family or the images aren't perfect.

Philip Lorca Dicorcia-

-Uses hidden lighting.

-Initially he photographed close friends and family members in low key intimate situations, looked real but strangely lightened.

-Mood or atmosphere is important in all of his images.

-Hustlers series, posed real life rent boys in locations he had chosen. Images looked oddly innocent and day dreamy, they make you wonder about identity. The illusion of innocence was contradicted by his decisions to include in the title captions the amount he had paid them for their time.

-His Polaroids are not as dramatically powerful or intellectually challenging as his bigger works, but they cast light on his intensely cerebral decision making and the instinctive ebb and his flow of his art. And, as artifacts, they possess a singular beauty in and of themselves.

-I like his work as when seeing an image you are questioning weather it is staged or reality.

Weegee-

-Photographer and photojournalist known for this Black and White street photography.

-Was a press photographer in New York City in the 30's and 40's.

-He developed his signature style by following the city emergency services and documenting their activity.

-Main themes were life, crime, injury and death.

-Some pictures were staged some were reality.

-He was a self taught photographer and developed his photographs in his homemade dark room in the back of his car.

-Naked City 1945 was his first book of photography.

-Reason I like his work is also because you are left guessing weather it is staged or not, also the black and white I feel makes the images more emotional especially when they are of injured or dead people.

Other Artist Models-

Robert Frank-

Dorothea Lange-

Final 6 Images

Ideas & Selecting Images

After doing my photo shoot I realised the images were no longer of 'A day in the life of a student' they were more like of an everyday teenager being hungover which is what New Zealands drinking culture has turned into. I then had to select the images I thought conveyed that message the best. I came up with 6 final images. The first three images showing the hungover girl in bed in her dress from the night before, make up still on and bottles next to her bed. The other three images of her spending all day being bored and doing nothing. There are some black and white images and some colour also all of the images are portrait apart from one which is landscape, having the images different like that some how for me conveys the feeling of being hungover as you usually feel confused and disorientated and when seeing these images you wonder why they are not the same therefore conveying these feelings.