Assignment 1_with Tutor Feedback
Assignment
Brief
Part 1 Use traditional ‘cut and paste’ techniques (scissors/scalpel and glue) to produce a series of simple photomontages using elements from two to five original or found photographs. These can be found images and/or images that you’ve shot yourself. Re-photograph your finished photomontages and present the work in your learning log as a digital file.
Part
2 Using digital montage techniques (Photoshop or similar image-editing
software) produce a digital montage using elements from a minimum of two and a
maximum of five digital files. Use components that you have shot yourself
rather than found images for this exercise
Part 1
The first 4 images are cut and paste montage images. This set of 4 benefits from a process improvement I detail below
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Part 2
This image is a digital montage
Image 1
Reflections
These are originally portraits I've taken of my nephews. Though of varying ages I see them all as playful and as mischievous as kittens and getting them all together still enough for taking images and also entertained is indeed much like trying to herd kittens.
In my younger days I do remember in possibly 2 pubs out of a very large number visited there was a set of paintings which had cats and dogs in human like attire performing the activities that humans in a pub would e.g. drinking, smoking, playing cards, playing pool etc.
I've not been able to track these down in terms of the artist but I do remember being fascinated by them at the time and the paintings always had more action / activity within it that initially met the eye e.g. there were elements the viewers needed to discover and that made viewing the image quite exciting.
Research as part of this assignment led me to Arthur Sarnoff and his illustrative images. I can't quite recall if these were the same ones I saw all those years ago but they are very similar in theme
Photographer Julian Wolkenstein used images of real dogs to try and recreate the scene "Hustler", originally created by Sarnoff.
The Hustler by Arthur Sarnoff
The Hustler by Julian Wolkenstein
Photographer Sebastian Magnani produced a series of portraits called Undercats where he replaced the owners faces with pictures of their pets faces.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2678444/Photographer-scores-cat-trick-Computer-trickery-turns-owners-feline-pets.html
I've approached this assignment in a very simple way and leaning toward my thoughts when taking the portrait images I've looked to produce something of fun and humorous avoiding at this point something complicated and over worked. Its not say I wont attempt this going forwards but I felt something clean and simple could also have an attention holding element within the final production as well as one complicated with hidden elements.
Artists
of influence have been Hannah Hock with her simple almost rough presentation of
photomontage and Kurt Schwitters almost confused presentation of elements
within the image.
As I
started looking at work produced by artists mention is the module so far and
others such as Raul Hausman it opened a world of expression and creativity that
I did not know really existed other that what I may have created in my earlier at
school in art classes that has long since been forgotten or perhaps remains gently
slumbering.
I think my home printer is not of the quality for printing images that one would expect for this type of work. I noticed with my printed images and then cut and pasting cat heads and re-photographing the end result that not only was I losing a lot of quality from the original but the final image was very flat. I repeated the exercise this time putting underneath each a slight "paper spring" which I glued to the A4 image and behind the cats head giving it more of a 3D effect to the final image. I think I need to experiment more here perhaps but I feel it did give the final photographed image a slight 3D effect and somehow perhaps makes it a little more believable.
I've produced the images as mono as I wanted to maintain a simple aspect to this work and I feel without colour it further simplifies the final result
I found there are pro's and cons to both digital and paper cut and paste montage methods and both have a lot of potential. Whilst digital montage at a low personal Photoshop skill level is not new to me, the cut and paste montage has throwbacks to my early school years but of course now brought up to the digital world and advantages that it has
I have
initially questioned whether this digital artistry type of art still falls under the genre of
photography and in the OCA forums asked the open question and what point does
the photographer become a digital artist and so should this limit the degree
that digital processing should be kept in check. The answers I received were
quite fascinating, warming and maybe even troubling. I think they key one I
took was that using or combining additional methods should not matter, it
should merely need to be justified by your intentions.
As a
result I have also contacted Sebastian Michaels who runs a series of Photoshop training
course known as Photoshop Artistry. I have decided to look into these courses to
both increase my understanding and application potential of Photoshop and
follow this alongside my DIC module.
This
excites and also worries me in that my skills may lead me to fall short of my
vision and intent. I suspect all
accomplished artists have had this concern and through experimentation, practice and exposure to accomplished artists and experimenting artists I can
progress my understanding goals.
So in
reflection I have attempted something with a nod to illustrations from my
younger years that I can still recall and also initially with a desire to keep
things simple. I believe my challenge will be to accelerate my skills and
presentation so that these can get close to my imagination and intent.
Overall
Demonstration of technical and visual skills
My skills with a camera and lighting for portraits though perhaps average outweigh my Photoshop skills. Looking at the work of other students I am perhaps in need of development and hopefully participating in some of the Digital Artistry tutorials run by Sebastian Michaels can help increase my current skills and allow me to experiment and develop much further
Quality of outcome
Its a mixed bag and I have learnt a fair bit and also quite enjoyed myself. I think developing my Photoshop skills will allow a better quality product and with more confidence take more risk going forwards
Demonstration of creativity
Perhaps stifled by my current skill set but then this is why have chosen this module to progress myself and expand upon my currently small abilities. There is some humor to my series of images which is interesting but I think going forward I would like experiment much more. Increasing my Photoshop skills will help enable my creative vision to become more attainable.
Context
I have understood the work by the many artists whose work I have looked at and though my approach has been simple, this can also be effective. I do want to explore other artist's work that will allow me to contextualise my work at the same time as exploring the multiple facets of digital artistic imagery. It appears to have less boundaries than traditional photography and so I think will be less constrained as a result.
Feedback on assignment
My comments in green
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome,
Demonstration of Creativity
• Sources: Please read P12 - Separating the wheat from the
chaff.
• Referencing: please read p13 in the course guide - ‘Referencing
Your Reading’.
• Compare and contrast – could you have made more of the
difference between the two processes?
• Artistic intention – if you use appropriated imagery, always
include your reasons and your sources. Try not to infringe
copyright, even for student work.
Yes thank you for making this point
Coursework
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of
Creativity
Ex 1.3 - There is an element of humor in the collages I have produced
which reflects the childishness of their exchanges - good – please
develop this ‘thinking through’ in future, using research to justify your
position as much as you can.
Research
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
Well done for diving in with Ritchin. Academic skills are learned not
innate, and I’ll argue that with anyone!
Learning Log
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
How about a front ‘landing’ page with one of your own images that
reflects your DIC learning journey?
I have updated my blog format and made way for an image. I have placed a temporary image here pending something I create along my journey
Suggested reading/viewing
Context
A research tab on the learning log please, and looking forward to a
post on Ritchin.
Yes, I have a tab ready and waiting. I will do a review of my learning / understanding of the book "After Photography" by Fred Ritchin which I am currently reading
Pointers for the next assignment / assessment
If you haven’t made a photobook before it’s going to be quite a steep
learning curve Warren. Please don’t get bogged down in perfection,
we’re more interested in the ideas.
Three months per assignment is ok?
Yes 3 months is fine, I have also confirmed by email
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