For my image, I wanted to explore landscapes and states of distress based on the environmental effects that golf courses leave on natural habitats. I took a photo of a golf course that was in my neighborhood and added in images from the Library of Congress that included large distressed states of the wet plates and composited them into the image as a way of conveying the harmful effects and damage to the natural environment from golf courses.
This untitled landscape, crafted by Troy Vong Nguyen, places a focal point on the winding, paved path of a rumbling pass, as well as its descent into nothingness. The path grounds the image, taking the eyes on a journey from the bottom central edge, veering to the left and eventually blurring into the flat break between trees. The shot is framed on the left and right by a grid system of tall, lanky, likely mass planted trees. The photo is distorted by fine cracks and displacements, bordered by blown out blackness and the hint of wet plate bounds. Overall, the image lacks saturation and encompasses a very worn appearance.
ReplyDeleteBased on my dissection, I can semi-confidently say that the concept of this piece touches on isolation or the idea of eternal damage, as it depicts a bare, winding path with no end. The leading path dissipating into the reaching horizon pulls the viewer into the photograph, inviting them to feel the lonely path ahead. I found the placement of the cracks and scratches quite effective, slashing the sky and ripping the path at its foot. This could be a metaphor for a rough start and a destructive end.
Several elements were used to manipulate their original photograph to resemble the evidence of a wet plate collodion process. Between a lack of saturation, a shallower depth of field, and an overexposition of the sky, the characteristics of a collodion are evident. Through the addition of cracks, scratches, grain, uneven edges, overlaid black strips and distortions, the evidence of the process and its age reveal themselves. The subject of the image itself is perfect for a wet plate collodion— something that doesn’t move at all. I admire the way that the path in the foreground of the photo pulls the spectator within the bounds of the landscape. I believe this is what makes the overarching concept so successful, even though I may have had a different take away than the creator intended.
This digital image successfully emulates the wet plate collodion process through multiple manipulation techniques and invites the viewer to step into the frame to experience utter loneliness.