So every semester for my photography course we work on a concentrated study, which is a series of eight (or more, if you're an ambitious artiste) images with a common theme.
I will probably do a separate post on my CS from this past semester, with which I was far from satisfied. The second semester hasn't even started yet and I have already figured out my idea and shot 2.3 rolls of film. That's right, I've decided to shoot my images in film, which is time consuming on a ludicrous level, taking into consideration all my other commitments as a junior.
MY CONCEPT IN A NUTSHELL:
I am taking between eight and twelve black and white film self portraits; some are rather lucid, some are more obscure, and all will create scenes that embody my anxieties, insecurities, and the horrible feeling that seems to come out of nowhere and send me into a dark place from which it is difficult to return.
I've found that I really, really enjoy self portraiture. A part of me feels a bit narcissistic or self indulgent, but this sub-genre of photography allows me to incorporate acting, which is one of my other favorite artistic mediums. In sophomore year we were required to take self portraits as an assignment, and I shot them in film to force myself to be extra decisive with my composition. Also black and white film is just timelessly beautiful in every way.
The upper right-hand image won a Silver Key in the Scholastic Art Competition last year, I'm rather proud of it.
So today I took an epic trek on the Nu'uanu Judd Trail with my perpetually patient father who lugged around a messenger bag full of vintage, dilapidated reading lesson books, as well as my tripod. He did a wonderful job of not falling and cracking his head open on the slippery stones as we crossed the Nu'uanu stream. We hiked passed a group of teenage ruffians, several of which stared at me as I waited for my father to catch up, as if they'd never seen anyone hiking in a pleated skirt and knee-high socks before (the nerve of some people).
He helped me take photos in a spot where I previously shot pictures of Sarah Garica:
My friend Ilana and I appropriately dubbed this section of the trail "the Twilight forest," and we often run through the trees at the breakneck speed of an ironically sardonic Robert Pattinson
I took pictures of myself using these old books and, with a dirt smeared face, attempted to convey my frustration in learning and retaining information that ranges from the profoundly interesting to the profoundly mundane. Such is the life of a typical high-school student, but it severely weighs me down when I'm not able to put the time and effort into classes that I genuinely enjoy. When I find myself falling behind in French because I have to spend copious time in extra help for Chemistry in the Community (aka Hoodrat Chem), I start to feel completely unsatisfied with my educational situation.
I didn't bother wiping the dirt off before sauntering into Foodland
to pick up shrimp and tortilla chips.
I took a few other images which included being tied to a tree with
sheer fabric and almost setting a strip of negatives on fire.
Fun stuff. I can't show any of it here because I shot it in film, of course. It's a good thing I started everything so early, for it will take me a long time to process and print my images. So far, I am the only photography student who has used our downsized darkroom, because we shifted our program from starting out in film to primarily digital. I REFUSE to shoot digitally all year long. Shooting in film is extremely satisfying to me, and we have free access to film and processing equipment. Why no one else has taken advantage of our darkroom this year, especially now that the foot traffic has been drastically reduced, is beyond me.
And thus ends Blawg Post #3
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