claremartinez-ars281-fall2023

[claremartinez-ars281-fall2023]

If sadness were a constellation…

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Experimenting with camera-less photography.

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Experimenting with Pictorialism.

ISO 400, F 20, SS 1/160

Shot during golden hour 4 April 2024

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"Influence: Sailing Long Island"

1. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/1916s

2. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/1996s

3. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/1916s

4. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/5051s

5. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/4367s

6. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/4808s

7. ISO 20, F 1.8, 1/3831s

8. ISO 20, F 1.8, ss 1.3831s

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The Gallery (Artist's Statement & Revised Final Proposal). "Light and Shadow"

Artist's Statement:

My photo essay seeks to unveil the soul of artist creations within a gallery using Light and Shadow. Inspired by the American photographer W. Eugene Smith, I tried to capture the essence of the art while still making it my own  through the timeless medium of black and white photography and in some cases inverting the shades.

In this series, I explore the subtle nuances of the gallery space, capturing the shadows cast by the artist's creations. Each frame is a choreography of contrasts—bold shadows that become their own image and gentle highlights that reflect into some of the work displayed becoming something present but ephemeral.  I hope the absence of color heightens the drama, allowing the viewer to see through my lens what was unnoticed with the naked eye.

Smith's use of light and shadow was my influence. His ability to transform ordinary scenes into poetic narratives resonates with me deeply.  I am drawn to the way Smith's photographs convey emotion, not just through the subjects themselves, but through the interplay of light and shadow. 

I used Adobe Photoshop to alter the color images that I captured on a ProCamera app As in the hopes of honoring the legacy of W. Eugene Smith. Through my camera App, I aim to tell stories not just of the art on display but of the unseen narratives that unfold in the dance of light and shadow.

Positioned appropriately 6 of the 8 images were chosen to represent the “grey” that is American Democracy.

Real, Peace (American Soldiers wear digital camoflauge), Stars (representing US), hanging tree (representing women who were hung, and African Americans were hung unjustly, elephant (republican icon), chaotic image (democracy chaos).

Revised Proposal

I intended to document the inside of an art studio where students are challenged to create their projects using materials and concepts that they bring to the room. The room morphs from this vacant bare space to a hub of creativity and back to an empty space. In the time between its barren emptiness and the time the artists finalize and present their project there is a lot of activity and much of it is visually poetic. I had to change plans because the room wasn't lit enough to cast the array of shadows needed for my final. New concept involved shooting the effects of light and shadow on an exhibition without using flash.

I attempted to apply the techniques exemplified by American Photographer W. Eugene Smith. Smith, a renowend U.S. photojournalist. Smith is considered to be the most important American photographer in the development of the editorial photo essay. His major photo essays include World War II photographs, the visual stories of an American country doctor and a nurse midwife, and the pollution which damaged the health of the residents of Minamata in Japan. His work was in Black and White. He liked to, in his words, "sink into the background to record the human condition." I think artists have a similar advocation. Some of Smith's photographs are so powerful that they challenged perceptions of history. Artists do it to...and I want to show the space and the process they use.

Outcomes:

8 photos taken in an Art Studio/Gallery at SBU Staller

Series of photo's showing effects of light and shadow in a studio/gallery

4. Methods and Material:

Raw images shot on ProCamera Photo App on I Phone

Photoshop for editing

Student consent for their shadows to be photographed while they create their art /Gallery consent for Exhibits to be photographed

5. References:

Tomoko_Uemura with her mother in bath house, and Tomoko's hand are two examples of how W. Eugene Smith used compelling images, light and shadow to tell the story of the impact of Mercury poisoning in Minamata Japan.

Brick ISO 25, F Stop 1.8, SS 1/29s

Copper ISO 100, F stop 1.8. SS 1/67s

Hanging Tree ISO 20, F Stop 1.8, SS 1/106s

Elephant ISO 400, F Stop 1.8, SS 1/67s

War and Peace ISO 20, F Stop 1.8, SS 1/29s

Globe and Stars ISO 200, F Stop 1.8, SS 1/67s

'Real', ISO 20, F Stop 1.8s, SS 1/67s (Note: Didn't cast shadows, but the lighting created extra boxes that didn't exist in the artist's original work).

Inverse "Faculty Exhibition" ISO 100, F Stop 1.8, SS 1/14s (Note: This work didn't cast shadows, but the lighting created an imprint in the artist's original work creating an illusion that it was intended to be part of the design). Didn’t use as part of exhibition. Just a tribute to the Faculty at SBU whose work I appropriated to create my own narrative about Democracy in America.

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"Influence Project"

Proposal for "Influence" Project. I will choose a spot on Long Island or somewhere in New York that shows New York is more than it's 5 boroughs. The Photographer Thomas Heaton, is a UK based landscape photographer, who focuses on areas where he lives and around his country to capture nature. He often endures the elements in order to ensure he is in the right place, at the right time, to capture the selected place in the right light. His shot compositions follow the traditional rules of photography: rule of thirds, leading lines etc but he's creating images that reflect endurance, tenacity, will and purpose, without really including people in his shots. He tells his story on Youtube and gives vlogging advice about what camera equipment to use and clothes to wear. As a former Soldier, I'm perfectly happy to get into a set of fatigues and hunt for the perfect photograph.

Outcomes:

6 photos taken around Long Island/New York

Mostly golden hour or after Dark

Posted on Tumblr

4. Methods and Material:

Raw images shot on Fuji Flim X -T0 Mirrorless Camera 45-200mm lenses

Camera Raw and photoshop for editing

Tripod

5. References:

"Influence: Sailing Long Island"

1. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/1916s

2. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/1996s

3. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/1916s

4. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/5051s

5. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/4367s

6. ISO 20, F 1.8, SS 1/4808s

7. ISO 20, F 1.8, 1/3831s

8. ISO 20, F 1.8, ss 1.3831s

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Mid-term: Golden Hour "Mill Pond" (Photo Essay)

On the Road ISO 100, F 4.5, SS 1/50s

2. Welcome to Mill Pond ISO 100, F 20, SS .50s

3. Mill Pond Spectators ISO 800, F10, 1/280s

4. Mill Pond Long View ISO 100, F 20, SS 1.50s

5. Leaning Tree ISO 100, F 7.1, SS .8s

6. Mill Pond reflections ISO 800, F4.5, SS 1/640s

7. Pebbles and Stones at Mill Pond ISO 100, F11, SS 1.50s

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After Dark Bonus Shot

ISO 100, F10, SS 30 seconds

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"Mother Spider" Version 2

Lens 153mm , ISO 200, F Stop F/11, SS 1/125

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After Dark (continued)

Redline Photo/Make a car disappear ISO 100, F18, SS 1 second

(Extra Random Road Shot: Same ISO, F Stop and Shutter Speed but I accidentally bumped the tripod)

Rose Colored Fence line ISO 100, F 22, SS 25 seconds

White Colored Fence line ISO 100, F 10, SS 30 seconds

Trees in the Dark

Extreme Close Up ISO 100, F 6.7, SS 30 seconds

Close Up ISO 100, F 10, SS 30 seconds

Motion Blur Tree Close up ISO 100, F 10, SS 30 seconds. I deliberately grabbed the tripod and moved it while the camera shutter was open.

Photo Essay is on little things in Nature that are often driven by unseen. That fenceline and tree are parallel to the road I took motion blur photos of cars as they happened by.

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After Dark ISO 100, F/11, SS 1/8s

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After Dark Photo Essay of Knoll Top and Christian Road Intersection in Stonybrook. ISO 100 F 18/ Shutter Speed 1 sec. Adjusted quite a bit. Exposure +5, Contrast -52, Whites/Blacks +100 Temperature and Tint. Used tripod, 50 mm lens and Photoshop.

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Class on Shot Composition: Leading Lines and Concentric Circles

Lens 50mm, ISO 200, F Stop F/16, SS 1/125

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Class on shot composition: Framing

Mother Spider version 1

Lens 107mm, ISO 200, F Stop F5.6, SS 1/125

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Choice 2: High ISO/Low Light ISO 800, F/22, SS 1/15S

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Choice 1: ISO 250, F/6.2, SS 1/250

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HIGH ISO: ISO 800, F/22, SS 1/4