For my project I wanted to create a dreamscape out of a mundane everyday task. I chose dishwashing as I have a large metal kitchen sink, that I thought would reflect the lights well. I filled the sink with various dishes (cups, silverware, etc), plastic gloves both empty and filled with water, waterproof color changing LEDS and glow sticks. I turned off any overhead lights and took photos of this including long exposure of water running into the sink and put my phone into a plastic bag to get some underwater shots. I then used a long string of glow sticks and took photos of it while i moved it around to create swirls and loops of color. I sorted through the photos and combined a choice few of them to make the final product. I positioned the gloves to make it look like hands washing dishes in water, but also kept the composition somewhat abstract to make it seem dreamlike.
For the project I wanted to work with water and light. I did this by utilizing both my kitchen sink and shower. I took photos both above and below the water in the sink (by putting my phone in a plastic bag), and took photos of the water stream in the shower. One of the things that didn’t work well was the water in the sink when it was left for too long. There are a few good photos that I didn’t want to use, because the water had been in the sink for a while and had accumulated dust and cat hair that was visible in the photos. I had to drain and refill the sink multiple times throughout the process. Another thing that didn’t work well was the pictures of the water stream from the shower. I wanted to try and create something cool by shining an LED light on the water stream and using long exposure, but it just ended up looking blurred. One thing I think worked well was the movement of the strings of glow sticks which gave me some cool shapes. Another thing that worked well was the way the light in the sink reflected off the metal and glass dishes.
ReplyDeleteIf I was looking at the piece from the view of another person I think I would definitely pick up on the water aspect from the color and ripples throughout the picture. And I think I would come to the conclusion of using dreamlike imagery to abstract the photo's meaning. I don’t know if I would immediately connect the fact that it was supposed to be an interpretation of a dream about dishwashing. I think in the final product the dishes weren’t as clear as I wanted them to be, and the hands might make it seem like someone is reaching up and drowning or something similar.
I think that I could have added more contrast to the picture and included more dark areas. I was having trouble trying to keep a good balance with contrast and including all the elements I wanted to. I could have improved on the technique a little by taking slightly crisper images, which was hard sometimes when I was taking the photos close to or under the water. I think the piece addresses the assignment well as it includes nighttime photography, long exposure, and the use of light to “paint” certain aspects (the glow stick marks).
Nighttime is obviously when we sleep (unless your sleep schedule is really bad), so I thought dreams were an interesting route to go. I also wanted to use water, since in the darkness the water would reflect the light in an interesting way. The reason I chose a dream about a mundane chore is because these are often common dreams people have. I know I often have stress dreams about completing simple tasks like driving somewhere or getting to a class, and I wanted to bring that aspect in.
The work that stood out the most to me was Ximena’s. Her composition looks very magical, but also natural, and I think she did a great job of having a clear theme portrayed. I think the composition and use of negative space are something I can learn from as they are very balanced and pleasing to the eye. I also want to ask her about her process of taking photos to see how her entire process went.