During the 3rd age of Middle Earth, in J.R.R. In Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam come across a camp of Wood Elves who are leaving Middle Earth on their way home to Valinor. Having never seen elves before, Frodo and Sam are mesmerized by them and capture this scene of the elves and their camp within the forest near Woodhall. This of course is ironic since there were no cameras during the 3rd age of Middle Earth. For this fictional, digital wet collodion image, one wood elf is casually posing around the campfire while three others are going about their daily routines within the camp. The concept of my image stems from my current work around “wanderings” and how one can mature in their personal self-discovery by engaging in wanderings of many kinds. For many people, wandering can seem like a daunting or frightening prospect, however, with positivity and a strategic structure in place, wise wanderings go from concepts of treacherousness to an extraordinary mosaic of adventures.
To make this image look very old and worn, I decided to use aspects of a variety of images from the Library of Congress including a campfire scene by Highsmith, President Lincoln’s box at Ford Theatre, 17th NY Battery, and an Unknown Union Volunteer in the Civil War. To capture the subject matter for my image, I photographed myself in a variety of elvish capes and poses in the woods around my home using my Sony a7IV camera and 24-70mm lens. I also incorporated a few images from previously attended Renaissance festivals, which included the two tents and horse. For my apertures, I used a range of f/2.5 – f/5.6 to get a wide variety of focal depths. Finally, I incorporated some textured brushes to increase the blotches, blur, scratches, etc. around the figures and edging of the image. In all, this image is made up of 26 individual Photoshop layers.
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ReplyDeleteThe way you set the scene and combined all of the components is very convincing. The light and darker areas seem fairly balanced. The background adds lots of texture and depth. The color along with your expression and poses give the notion that this is their everyday life. The image overall has a casual tone.
ReplyDeleteWithout the provided description, I wouldn't have known the meaning or story behind this image. The emotion and addition of the wet-plate elements first led me to think this was a real-life historical reference. It’s clever that you framed the image from the perspective of fictional characters, and they view this scene as something marvelous. That context makes it easier to connect your “wanderings” concept.
Your inclusion of attention to the focal depth, edges, and composition makes this a compelling image. The blemishes and cracks are less noticeable toward the center of the image. The only thing I think you could push further is the blurring of the horse. I don’t think we would be able to see it that clearly.
You have an interesting concept and it's executed effectively. The various image sources are integrated well and the resulting image is cohesive.