Refer to www.the-unspoken-art.blogspot.com/.
Final photos used:
"(Don't) Look At Me"
"She Cries Surreal Tears"
Assignment 6
Click on image to see a bigger picture.
Do note that this blog only consists of my interpretations. Take a look at xinying's blog for her take on the picture.
Warning: Word intensive!
The picture was chosen because it was outstanding – the colours, the composition, the entire feel of it. Perhaps it is also because as one matures in years, the inkling of nostalgia begins to stir and a longing for one’s childhood days emerge. This picture is brimming with elements of ‘Old Singapore’, and even though it doesn’t mirror the one I grew up in, the emotion portrayed is one and the same.
It doesn’t just stop at the surface though. There are many whimsical elements within the picture – like the reflection of the old man in the mirror – that are each established signs, as well as certain little details that only pop out at you when you inspect the picture closely, like the manner in which the old man is standing begets amusement because it is such a ‘Singaporean uncle’ pose.
The single most prominent aspect of the image would probably be the shophouses across the road, or in particular, the manner in which they are framed by the windows of another shophouse. Other then being the brightest part of the image, they also provide the greatest contrast to the dark interior of the shophouse. The windows and the shophouses then produce a striking reminder that we see neither in modern architecture, and this casts an appropriate light unto the picture – that something antique is framing another antique.
The significance of the window do not stop there however. The three different portions that make up a single window frame – the decorative portion right at the top, the open space in the middle, and the grid at the bottom – all produce signs and meanings of their own. The inclusion of the entire window frame is particularly significant in the picture, as the photographer could have easily left out one or another of the various portions. Despite being the most intricate carpentry out of all the three, the decorative portion is placed the highest, partly because practically, it allows the least ventilation, and would block the airflow if placed in the middle or at the bottom. Perhaps a different interpretation would be how the generation past viewed such things, that decorations are meant to be placed high, out of harm’s way, as an art, or even a pleasant surprise for someone who takes time to observe the place. The middle portion, an open and always moving canvas of sorts, is there not only because it allows for the best ventilation, but also maybe because it offers the most unobstructed view of the outside world, as it is where most people would look out from. The last portion then, is there for safety’s sake, to prevent people from falling over when standing at the window. It must be asked then, why a grid of sorts, infused with its own pattern? It could have just been a solid board, no doubt which would have been safer. This way however, it offers the viewer, and the resident, a different and I daresay a more unconventional view of the street and all the things outside. One can either see the grids in their totality, or observe it piece by piece, a little like a live version of Hockney if I can say as such.
Here's some examples of other window shots:
Can you see how an open window frame is like a picture in itself?
It's about the same as the frame we put on our photographs when we display/present them, just albeit a lot more natural and ever-changing.
The 'real-life Hockney' type of window. The grids cut the picture into smaller pictures of their own, giving the viewer so many alternative viewpoints.
An example of decorative windows. You can't really see out of them, but they're still nice to look at anyhow.
As mentioned in a previous paragraph, there are many details in the picture that will be missed with a casual viewing. This is a shot of the old man’s life in his home – the shophouse – and having lived in it for such a long time, there must be elements scattered around that make this house his home. The clothes, the table…all of these may be overlooked in comparison to the brightness of the shophouse across the road, but they are still there nonetheless, and offer the viewer a brief glimpse into the old man’s life. Similarly, the picture as a whole has a Singaporen context to it; and people unaccustomed to our culture will probably not read the significance that Singaporeans will accord to it, and take it simply as a pretty picture instead.
It must also be noted that different individuals have different interpretations of the same scene, hence, Xinying has done her own detailed analysis of the picture, which will be combined for our presentation.
Yet, despite all that I feel the picture represents and all that I interpret from it, at the end of the day, not only may it differ from what others may think of it; it might differ as well from the photographer’s intention. Our previous assignment is evident of that, especially when it came to formalistic or expressionistic shots.
Self-evaluation:
I would give my group 90/100, because we definitely chose a picture that was well-composed and that drew the viewer in; and we utilized what we had learned from previous assignments as well.
Labels: a6, hockney, singapore, windows
Assignment 5
Realistic
Formalistic
Expressionistic
About:
My interpretation of creep was a rather...unorthodox one if I may say. I saw 'creep' as water, creeping both into and out of our lives. We use large amounts of water everyday, and on pretty but wasteful things like fountains; and one day, our water supply may run out. Water creeping into our lives is shown by the water sloshing around on the wooden platform, and moving nearer towards to people and the stores.
Peer evaluation:
I think the shot that got commented about the most was the shot depicting expressionism, and I can probably understand why. The straight-forwardness of the shot distracted many from the overall theme, which was the contrast between current and future generations, and if there would be enough clean water for them in the future. I had suggestions of hiding behind a bush and taking the shot, or behind something, and making the shot seem as though it was a 'sneaked' one instead of a posed one. I didn't know who they were though, so it was a little hard to blatantly direct them in that sense; I kind of let them to their own thing while moving around and shooting them.
Self evaluation:
85/100!
I like my first two shots, but I should have been a bit more daring and taken more adventurous shots with my last, especially since I had already asked them to pose for me.
Labels: a5, creep, expressionism, formalism, realism
Assignment 4
Click to enlarge
About:
The airport changes everyday. Flights and people come and go, and the next day, you can find yourself somewhere else in the world, or missing someone who just sent off. This is my concept for 'the day after'.
Peer evaluation:
Got feedback that I should have taken either 1)a wider shot to show the surrounding area as well or 2)some form of movement (i.e. people) to further enhance the feeling of 'the day after'
I kind of only took the departure board for a reason, but I understand that yes, it can be quite static as the board is flat, and I think I can improve on it by showing people moving past the board, instead of below it so that I can still stick to my concept of 'only showing the board'.
Self evaluation:
80/100.
I like my dimensions and I like the blend of colours, but I feel that I can still improve on it by shooting from lower angles and perhaps inserting some moving people into the shot as well.
Assignment 3
About:
Traffic lights and tombstones. The contrast between life and death was what I wanted to bring across. One sees continuous movement and a hurried lifestyle, the other only stillness and a peaceful decay.
How:
The traffic light shots were taken using a shutter speed of 25-30 seconds, which I found out in class wasn't required to take 'movement' shots.
No editing was done on the graveyard shots, the colours were due to the camera and the sky that day.
Printed the traffic light shots on glossy and the graveyard ones on matte to bring an even further contrast to them, but after getting fingerprints and dust prints on my glossy prints, I have decided to form an affinity for matte print instead.
Peer evaluation:
Quite a few people commented that the traffic lights shots didn't bring across the message I wanted to send, and suggested that I include in elements that would enable the viewer to recognize that this set of pictures were connected, instead of 2 separate sets of photos.
Got tips about long shutter speeds, and that I can actually control what is processed by the film. Didn't know that a shutter speed of about 5 seconds was enough to get about the same image. No more standing around like an idiot unnecessarily!
Self evaluation:
Giving myself a 70/100.
I could have done a lot better. I'll be trying to see if there are any traffic lights that are near tomestones/graves, or I'll be trying a completely angle for the traffic light photos.
Labels: a3, life and death
Assignment 2
About:
Even though photos are static images, they can evoke a three dimensional feel if taken from a correct angle. Ever heard of the phrase 'looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses'? Well, this is a blue-tinted world for you.
I didn't read the email about 'no flash' until it was too late, and I couldn't burn away the flash part as it occupied too much of the picture space, with the light dispersement and all.
I liked how it came out though, because the details in the background are clear and there's a lot going on within the picture itself, but not so much so that you get a headache spotting all the little details. Just enough to intrigue. :)
How:
Being a first time photographer, I was seriously experimenting with the camera, and was taking pictures through all sorts of surfaces; and I chanced upon this glass 'tunnel' that was a closed path down to citylink mall near the war memorial.
The blue is also from the glass itself, and the shape of the tunnel gave the picture a natural 3d-isque feel to it.
Myself appearing in the picture was due to a complete accident on my part, but I liked it, so I kept it there.
About:
The contrast of a man-made creation versus a creation of nature is something that is not uncommon in Singapore. We're such a steel and iron society, yet we attempt to soften it by planting flowers and trees and shrubs to deceive ourselves that nature is still very much a part of our lives.
How:
I had to use a rather fast shutter for this shot due to the wind and the promise of rain.
Though I originally had no idea how I achieved the 'blur foreground, focused background' look, after fiddling around with the camera again, I realized all you had to do was to do a manual focus, where you adjusted the focal length yourself and decided which parts of the pictures you wanted to be in focus.
Hopefully, I'll be able to make this my trademark, but I acknowledge the fact that 1)some people might think that I'm focusing on the wrong thing and 2)it doesn't look good for all shots.
Peer evaluation:
Someone suggest cropping the image to cut down the focus on the flower. I went home and cropped it a little, and I think that it looks much better.
Self evaluation:
For the first picture, 85/100.
Even though certain elements were present due to pure coincidence, I just have to know how it happened so that I can replicate it again right?
For the second picture, 90/100.
I really like the colours, and I like how the focus is on the building instead of on the flower - a picture with an atypical focus.
Labels: 3d, a2, contrast, flower
Assignment 1
For our first assignment, we had to create a picture using a flatbed scanner, and the above is (obviously) the piece I selected to present to the class.
About:
The picture reflects my personality and my personal style rather evidently. I enjoy wearing prints, be it geometric or otherwise; and I adore colours (maybe except orange and certain pastel shades).
How:
I think the hardest part of all was actually selecting which clothes to scan in, because I had so many to choose from! After which, I arranged them to form 'strips' on the scanner, taking care to allow certain folds here and there so that the image wouldn't be entirely static.
I tried several combinations, varying the number and the patterns, and I finally decided upon the one above, because it appealed to me the most aesthetically, and following a random survey among my friends, they preferred this one as well.
It must have looked pretty weird to my dad who came home to see me piling clothes unto the scanner, but he wisely chose not to comment.
Peer evaluation:
I got a mixed response, some liked it, one guy thought that it was too 'jarring'. Not to sound defensive or anything, but when it comes to colours/patterns and the like, I believe that everyone has different preferences, and it's not complementary most of the time.
Self evaluation:
I'll give myself an 85/100.
I put a lot of effort into coming up with the concept, and am rather satisfied that it came out bright, happy and eye-catching.
