One minute sculptures

Our objects:

I actually really quite enjoyed this mini-project. We had a lot of fun finding different positions and ways to hold the objects, and though we worried at first of other people watching us, I felt that I started to get comfortable because I thought of it as a performance and I slipped quite easily into the role. I wouldn't mind trying this out with other, more interesting objects, or creating something with more shape or meaning.

Box of Brutality

Photography: Corinne Day

Corinne Day was iconic for creating a 'grunge' style photography that was more hard-edged than the then-accepted styles of fashion photography. She was also the photographer who helped make Kate Moss the extremely successful model that she is. She was well-known for her more candid and personal photos of many of her sitters, who she maintained close relationships with.

Our objective for the end of the class was to have created a series of photos of a peer in conversation in the style of this series by Corinne Day of Kate Moss:

Capturing natural expression in photography when the person knows they are being photographed is incredibly difficult because with the presence of a camera there also comes a presence of self-awareness that can make the sitter look awkward or unnatural. This is why the job of a model is actually surprisingly challenging, and it is clear not everyone can do it. I found that my sitter, Natasha, was actually rather comfortable with talking and acting unaware of the camera and lights, and her expressions were pleasantly genuine and unhindered by a gawky awkwardness that is often present in other people I have photographed previously.

15 Years That Changed Photography

An interesting article about the Photo League of New York.

to do

• attain tshirt photos
• blog about them
• post about yorkshire sculpture park

Fine Art Photography

We have been exploring photography as a form of 'performance', much in the style of Thorsten Brinkmann, whose collection 'Portrait of a Serial Collector' is made up of self-portraiture shots wearing various items of clothing and household objects in distinctive poses, with his head covered. We were given materials and random objects with which to dress our partners and directed the way they positioned themselves to ultimately create a (dramatic) photograph.

I personally quite enjoyed this particular project and would be interested in future photoshoots with the face of models covered. I think it would be a good idea for fashion related shoots, especially when using amateur models etc. who may be uncomfortable in front of the camera or who struggle to vary their facial expressions. It could remove the awkward element and also give way to other artistic ways to create interesting images.

Kedleston Hall

I actually enjoyed this college trip more than my peers seemed to. It was surprisingly less miserable than I expected it to be, given the weather, and the grounds and interior of the house were very beautiful. I am definitely the sort of person who finds older architecture generally more impressive than its contemporary counterparts. I enjoy a place with history, somewhere slightly weathered and made of old stone, whose imperfections give it character and expression. I had a conversation with a man who worked there who was more than happy to talk about the building and he shared little stories about the reasons behind some of the designs inside the house (extra deadbolts on the doors so that privacy could be found by people using a room without worrying about a maid or guests using their spare keys to enter, or entrances designed to mimic famous pieces from other countries etc.). It is a place I wouldn't mind returning to by myself, unhindered by classmates or time frames.