Empowered Women
My project is based on the perspective of women throughout history. The primary image is a photo of my daughter who serves our country as a Staff Sergeant in the US Air Force. She is an amazing role model and prime example of a woman who is taking charge of her life and empowering herself. Her servitude and dedication to the armed forces is a testament to her moral standards, love of country, and the commitment to the people who reside here.
The second image is from circa 1890 and is a group of women from the Women's Relief Corps. These women dedicated themselves to providing service to the wounded and the sick, as well as the wives and children of the men who served in the Civil War. They were also present for widows and orphans that were sadly left behind when a soldier didn't make it home to their families.
For my project, I wanted to have my daughter in the foreground representing the present with the women (and girls) in the back honoring the past. Having two generations of women being depicted in a single image juxtaposes just how much things have changed, but also shows how strong and dedicated to fellow mankind women have always been.
I utilized several LOCC images to create the effect of colloidal wet plate, distressed and aged marks, and did my best to align the images to give the appearance that they were one photo. I wanted to elude to her sitting on the steps that lead up to the lawn of a house where the group is sitting. The obvious differences in attire, hair, and even the cell phone (which could pass as a book in the image), gives the irony of the ages being blended together.
-Kim
To read more about the WRC:
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/lilj/item/2019631457/
https://womansreliefcorps.org/a-brief-sketch-of-the-wrc-by-kate-sherwood-july-26-1883/
https://guides.loc.gov/grand-army-of-the-republic/auxiliary-allied-organizations/womans-relief-corps
https://womansreliefcorps.org/a-brief-sketch-of-the-wrc-by-kate-sherwood-july-26-1883/
https://guides.loc.gov/grand-army-of-the-republic/auxiliary-allied-organizations/womans-relief-corps
This work by Kim Ballinger is composed in a ratio very in tune with the Collodion Wet Plate. Its use of Sepia tones and slight imperfections like slight vignetting really helps to drive that vintage aesthetic. The scratches and tonal irregularities also help to emulate the look of the collodion wet plate image, along with the tearing and smudging of the sides so as to relay that of a human touch when producing this image.
ReplyDeleteFrom the elements in the frame, I get a sort of “to the women that came before me” feel. I think that the woman on the steps and the steps leading up to the women that came before her really carries a strong message of empowered women helping one another. It also feels like there is a sense of community, almost trying to say that the woman on the steps is backed up by and supported by the women who came before her. This may be a stretch, but I also think the smudging on the sides that aren't affecting any of the women pictured, can be interpreted as the strength of these women and the power and poise they maintain even while imperfections and outside stressors surround them.
As a woman I enjoyed the feeling of empowerment that this image provided. I think that the use of not so crisp, and not super clear images really helped emulate an image that could have been created using a collodion wet plate process. The only minor critique I would have is the overall technicality of how this image could have been taken during that time with a collodion wet plate if the women above were not present considering the time difference with the women in front having access to a phone. However, I do want to applaud the way this image was structured so as to maintain a similar depth of field throughout its entirety even though, as mentioned in the description, several images from the LOCC were merged together to create one cohesive final image. I think that the slight wet emulsions and leaks really work well with the image and replicating that of a collodion wet plate.
This photo emulates the classic look of a collodion wet plate image with its distinctive, vintage aesthetic. The overall effect is one of timelessness, capturing the essence of 19th-century photography. The use of smudges and emulsions further push the narrative of this being produced as a collodion wet plate image. Moreover, the construction of the image truly conveys a message of empowered women empowering new generations of women.