For this assignment I wanted to do something fun and more on the whimsical, magical, and imagination side. I felt this was appropriate because in the process of taking these photos our task was to capture the things we normally don't see in photos or with our human eye. I wanted to use this to my advantage and make something more make believe. So I decided to use my flash light as if it were a bubble blowing wand. To create the bubbles I did many different exposures and in the end uses 4 different exposures. To create the bubble pop I just increased the speed at which I moved the light during the exposure. As I was taking my exposures I noticed that the faster I moved the less the camera captured and the slower I moved the more it captured. So I took this knowledge and used it to manipulate my results and in doing so I got a bubble popping effect. To retouch my images I used the color picker and the paint brush tool in areas such as where the current bubble I'm blowing connects to the wand so it creates the effect that the bubble is stretching and slowly being blown off the wand. All of these photos were taking in my bathroom midday and I simply masked out myself and all the bubbles I photographed. After bringing them into photoshop I used a color balance filters and changed the colors of the bubbles to make it seem more magical and make believe. As a finishing touch I added the glow from the bubbles using their corresponding color on to my face to make it look more realistic.
The work entitled Night Prowler by artist Nikole McCahill uses the techniques of long exposure to create a visually expressed image with lights. Visually looking at the vertical image, there are four elements throughout the composition, the figure, the exposure of lights, and the background. From the foreground, there is a female figure (image of the artists) that seems to be making the blowing action while holding what seems to be a flashlight in her hands. She seems to be wearing a black shirt or attire that blends in with the dark background to highlight her face and the action of what she is doing. Coming directly from the flashlight, there are multiple little dots that shape into almost a bubble-like form. The actions of the bubble-like forms repeats itself three more times but with different colors. The one from the flashlight is yellow, the one slightly above to the right is blue, the one directly above the yellow one is pink, and the lost one almost directly above the blur is purple. The last purple bubble is almost simulating the action of it being popped because the multiple little dots are more spread and distinct for the viewer to see. With all of the figures and exposed light, they all sit behind a pitch black background.
ReplyDeleteBased on the elements described previously, I think this work was about the idea of being playful in times of the dark. Considering the figure is making a blowing-of-the-mouth gesture with her lips, she is giving the audience the idea of her being outside and playing with bubbles as if it were the day time. The reason I would say bubbles is because within the bubble shape of the circle, there consists of little lines that express the reflection of the bubble against the environment. And as it leads your eye from the figure to the top, they look as if they are floating throughout space and then eventually, like normal bubbles, they eventually pop with soap bubbles. I think the artist wanted to show that same concept of fun bubbles with the use of the exposed lights plus because the background is pitch black, it gives the viewer a chance to really see the bright colors of the bubbles along with the highlighted image of the figure.
Looking at it overall with the placement of the lights and the figure, I think that there is some high potential with a piece however, I think there could have been some aspects that could make it a little bit stronger. As far as composition, I think it was very placed naturally, making it easier for the viewer to either start from the figure up to the bubbles or vice versa as an easy straightforward line. As far as technique, I think it was on the simple side of things as far as exploring with the use of exposure, especially with the lights. I think that shaping them into bubble-like shapes was a very fun idea and having it show the action of being popped at the end was very nicely done. However, because the artist made the background completely dark, I think there was a missed opportunity to add more exploration with exposure. Since the artist is showing that kind of playfulness with the bubbles, I think it would have been interesting if the artist also showed the imagnay movement line that the bubbles go through as they float in space. Especially with the reflected light aspect from the idea of a bubble, I think it would have definitely brought out a more interesting composition. Overall, I think the composition was put together nicely, easy to flow from one thing to the next, and gives off a vibe of friendly playfulness but as far as technique, I think it can be explored a little bit more.
As far as the bigger picture of the work, I think that the piece is meant to explore the actual lighting of captured space before it’s realized into the environment. I think that the idea of still finding the beauty within the darkness was definitely explored throughout this piece and how the enjoyment of doing child-like things is still something that we can appreciate. Because there are very few parts of the composition to work on, it’s a little difficult to tell what the bigger picture is regarding the world we live in and the piece itself. But as I am seeing it, I interpret it as something that gives a new perspective of light being casted onto bubbles/soap which is generally something we don’t typically see in the normal way of light.
ReplyDeleteWith much depth analysis of understanding this work titled Night Prowler by Nikole McCahil, I think it does a great job telling a playful narrative of something we usually don’t see in the light but I feel there was some missed opportunities as far as technique. The composition of everything places was generally smart with the bubbles and figure creating this flow from top to bottom or vice versa. The best strength of the piece is definitely the overall vibe of the work where everything is getting the feeling of doing a young child activity that can still bring wonders into the world of stress and harshness. But the biggest weakness of the piece is the lack of technique throughout the space. I think the black background was almost a negative effect on the work because of the amount of elements and some more exploring with the idea of exposure could help with the overall concept of the work. I suggest making some curvy lines connecting to the bubbles and figure to help create a more easily read narrative for the viewer and actually use the background as an advantage to use of light. Nevertheless, good job on the piece and I hope this was very helpful to making your work stronger :)