Final proposition

The continuing of the Continuing deaths of Mister Jennings.

Taylor Prather, Final Assignment

For my final assignment, I'd like the final product to be an amalgamation of a number of my skills. I'd like to do panoramic portraits of models, in the studio, then composite the images together and create very large, low depth of field portrait prints. Whether or not I paint the depth of field in photoshop is up in the air at the moment, though I'd prefer to do nearly everything through the lens. I've been constructing, and hopefully will complete soon, a neck brace which should keep the models nearly completely still (as utilized in old time daguerreotypes). I plan on shooting the faces in sections using the panoramic head, a 5D, and most likely the 50mm fixed (most comfortable with that lens in this scope atm, may change in the future). The final prints will be square format, 20x24 minimum sized, which is also subject to change. If I end up printing larger and need the use of print services, then I plan to work with Iva one on one on color correction.

As for the actual portraits, I think I'd like to photograph each model in a state of transcendental ecstasy. Not entirely sexual, but more an exaggeration of how we all feel when we experience a transcendental moment (existential realization, a moment of heightened self-awareness co mingled with joy, etc). I'd like to do a minimum of three, but no more than five.

Jay Van Dam, Proposal

I think for my final I am going to play more with portraiture with the viewcamera. But this time with a twist. I would like to take the white background stands and transport them to different "open" locations of significance. I would like to concentrate on the relationships between the figures along with the white backgrounds within the space. I'm hoping to evoke a sense of detachment with these pictures. Consider Richard Avedon's 'American West' portraits, but with a wider scope.

Matthew Holler, Final Proposal

For the final assignment, I would really like to expand on the ideas I had in mind for the open assignment. I feel like I never accomplished what I was going for there. I'm still obsessed with the idea of taking fashion/portrait images of women on the street, in areas which don't look like Sarasota, or the US for that matter...Joseph suggested my ideas reflect escapism. I think the truth is, this area bores me...which is why I am looking for any trace of European architecture or any small reflection of European lifestyle for which to place my model. I've spoken to several models already about their attire and hair and makeup. I would like to produce at least 5 final images, retouched, shot with a 4 x 5 view camera.. I'm kind of inspired by the photographer Paolo Santambrogio in the way in which he takes his models into the street the way Avedon did, and working in a way which makes the background as relevant as the model but not overbearing.

http://www.paolosantambrogio.com/

Monica Bello, Final.

I am going to continue with my 4X5 Assignment. I feel as though this will force me to complete the work and to complete it well.
Right now I am at a standing point. I am debating whether or not to destroy the negatives more. I will most likely continue by destroying them with fire. The burnt negatives scanned with an aesthetic that the other unburned images do not have. The most recent negatives look too similar to me next to each other and I think the point of destroying these negatives was to leave their outcomes up to chance. There is minimal control in what happens to the negatives. With my most recent negatives I feel as though I was resorting back to attempting to control what was happening to them. It shows. I wish I knew other ways to get burnt, cracked, disintegrated (?) edges better. So it is back to the experimentation board for me. I know the work is not complete yet and will not get done to the degree I had hoped for if not still worked upon. All together there are eight images, but I find that I end up enjoying certain 'mistakes' more than others, therefore I enjoy some photographs more than others. When I look at the images, it is becoming more about what happened to the photographs/ negatives and what made them that way. I don't even care about the portrait anymore, I feel like maybe people will ask, what happened to the photograph? Whether it was an accident or on purpose.

Proposal

So i have 2 ideas. One seems like it'd be rather impossible to do without taking apart some of my home utilities though so I'm leaning more towards food + macro + panoramics.

Plan A)
Shoot the interiors of my oven, my dishwasher, my trash bin. They're areas we never inspect too much. Sure we clean them now and then (or at least should) but how much time do you spend looking inside of them? I want to expand the history that lies inside of them. if I can get at them WITHOUT taking doors off and such I would love to look at other people's as well.

Plan B)
Shoot food in a scientific manner. Find things that are similar. Mougel gave the example of a carrot and a hot dog. Take the age based off of the rings in the carrot and find something in the hot dog to work off of. This would basically just be an easier way to shoot them like I did with the 4x5.