The concept for my interpretation of the Old is New Again project is inspired by the visuals from the 1985 film series Anne of Green Gables which was set in the late 19th century. The series was later turned into a Netflix series known as Anne with an E. Anne was an unconventional and energetic girl for the time period she lived in, so I decided to take an unorthodox approach to my imagery. I wanted to create a scene that felt a bit more free-spirited and natural than the portraits taken during the mid to late 1800s, while also keeping elements of the time period in the scenery. I put together a picnic set with antique dishes, a basket full of flowers and myself reading a book as the main subject. In addition to the details created by the brushes in Photoshop, to push the narrative of the time period I incorporated the imagery in the background and the edge of a photo on the left side from the Library Of Congress.
The landscape photographic work entitled Brianna with an E by artist Brianna Schriever has turned a contemporary image into a wet collodion plate. There’s an image of a woman figure that is laying down on a blanket to what seems to be outside. She’s laying on her back with a book in her hand with a basket of flowers near her head. The figure is also laying next to what seems to be some grapes and some clear cases that both sit on top of doilies. She is wearing what seems to be a white nightgown that women would wear back in the 1950s. As far as the background, she seems to be on open land with some trees in the far distance. The angle of which the picture was captured was an upper diagonal to where you can see the back cover of the book but can still take in the side of the figure. And finally, the picture is clear enough to where you can see the facial expression engaging with what she is reading or seeing in the book above her. As a final touch, there’s a warm filter on top of the black and white tone with some black marks around the edges of the image with some scratches and dots along the bottom right hand corner of the image.
ReplyDeleteBased on the elements described in the photo, there seems to be a calming sense of relaxation throughout the image. I would think that it is about a woman deciding to have her own little picnic to what could be on the outside of her house . Since she is wearing white dress or what could easily be a nightgown which makes it look more personal. Because of the food and cases she has there along with the basket of flowers and the blanket, it seems to be a nice case of a relaxing hobby. Because of the facial expression, it seems to be something that she enjoys doing or that it’s something that can be reliable for her to go back to that brings her sense of belonging. Because of the filter color that lays on top of everything else in the photo, I see it as a hand held photograph that would be brought up again years later to show a joyful memory that the figure captures. The overall meaning for what the photograph shows is almost a dream-like idea of where she would like to be if she wants a reminder of being at peace.
After looking at the specific parts of what the photograph entails along with the possible idea of what the meaning behind the photo, there can be a connection to the techniques of how it either benefitted or challenged the true meaning of the conveying story. The use of a monochromatic image but with the sepia print on top helped with the tone of the narrative expressed. Removing the background of the original image to replace it with something that has a better depth of field helps strengthen the meaning but because of the angle of how the figure was placed, you don’t get too much of a sense of depth. The covering on the left side of the image with some kind of tape or paper running off the image works well of giving the imagery of this being an old photograph. However, the use of blurring didn’t seem to be showcased in this when it should definitely be used for the arms and books and the pages. There’s some blurring on the pages to indicate that she’s turning it but to give off it being an older image, the arms should be blurred along with the book (since it would be a long exposure of taking the image and the arms would shake while the image was being taken). Lastly, the scratches and black smudges on the border of the photo are done well to give the idea of time and the concept of memory. I do think the use of more scratches or paint splotches should be on the skin or dress since it’s such a clear area that could give off the illusion of passing time.
ReplyDeleteAs an overall understanding of what the photographic work entitled Brianna with an E by artist Brianna Schriever is creating a warm feeling of open space of enjoyment and relaxation. I think that she wanted to show a mini picnic of herself enjoying some light snacks with a book in a backyard or field. After reading the description of the concept from the artist, I believe the interpretation of something being more natural and more emotionally intriguing for the viewer was done nicely. The placement of the items and the changing of the background helped with the imagery really well. However, I do think that the actual technique of how the process of how these photographs are taken were missing in the final look. Regarding how people would think about their position so that they can take the image without moving was a huge part of the process since it defines if something is clear or blurry. Since she’s holding up her arms, I think it would be difficult to keep your arms in that position without it shifting either left or right. So I do think there were some areas that were more of a challenge than others. But when looking at the brush work, I think it was done convincingly well to wear the marks that are easily seen as a taking of the image process when done years ago. The overall narrative of the story is portrayed nicely, the items picked into the photo was smartly done for context, and the markings of the edges and tone of the filters worked nicely for the project. Well done!