20200415-Project 2 Masquerades-exercise

Is there any sense in which Lee’s work could be considered voyeuristic or even exploitative? Is she commenting on her own identity, the group identity of the people she photographs, or both?

It looks like a sense of both to me. An almost kind of look at me and you should be looking at me. Some are easy to understand others id had to look twice and try and understand her concept. Her concept of a point and shoot camera I think works well only due to her being in character. Had this been a studio type set up I don’t think she would have had the same overall effect.

36f7e0cf38a1e9bd12986e7ae40c9d5d — © Nikki S. Lee *Untitled, From the Seniors Project*, 1999

Voyeuristic

relating to or denoting sexual pleasure gained from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity.” women as objects of voyeuristic pleasure.”
- deriving or relating to enjoyment from seeing the pain or distress of others.” the voyeuristic pleasure of spying on relationships under pressure.”

Exploitative

making use of a situation or treating others unfairly to gain an advantage or benefit.” an exploitative form of labour.”

Would you agree to Morrissey’s request if you were enjoying a day on the beach with your family? If not, why not?

Yes, I think id be open to the suggestion, although I do find it a little strange, once she had explained it I would find it rather intriguing to see the final image.

Morrissey uses self-portraiture in more of her work, namely Seven and The Failed Realist. Look at these projects online and make some notes in your learning log.

There are some compelling images within here works. Some I find quite disturbing in a way, I’m not a huge fan of portraiture and at times find it hard to see what a photographer is trying to show, this is the same when I look at portraits in an art gallery whether they are oil or watercolour pictures. Some I see the person some I wonder what it is I’m looking at. The ones I find that hold the eye are her failed statement. There is a sense of fun I see in these images from trying to work out what they are before reading the title. Had they not had a title, then I wouldn’t have understood them to be honest.

Bibliography

Creators. (2010, July 21). Photographer Nikki S. Lee Can Turn Into Anyone. YouTube. Retrieved April 15, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI8xpJItPVI [assessed 20200415]

(n.d.). Trish Morrissey. Retrieved April 15, 2020a, from https://www.trishmorrissey.com/index.html [assessed 20200415]
(n.d.). Trish Morrissey. Retrieved April 15, 2020b, from https://www.trishmorrissey.com/works_pages/work-sy/workpg-01.html [assessed 20200415]

(n.d.). Trish Morrissey. Retrieved April 15, 2020c, from https://www.trishmorrissey.com/works_pages/work-tfr/workpg-01.html [assessed 20200415]

(n.d.). Trish Morrissey. Retrieved April 15, 2020d, from https://www.trishmorrissey.com/works_pages/work-front/workpg-01.html [assessed 20200415]

20200414-Assignment 3 initial series COVID-SOLATION

The above has been edited in both Capture One and Photoshop.

Why have I chosen black and white over colour?

These have been dark days over the last few weeks with what the world is experiencing

, yes using colour would be cheerful but I believe black & white has more drama and ambiguity to them. After placing a few onto the student forum for some critics (something I didn’t do quite so well during EYV) I see I have got a few good comments. One in particular in how my head is slightly wonky. I will go back into PS and correct this, I don’t find it detracts me but I have a feeling if he has seen it then others may do, especially when this comes to assessment. Practice makes perfect I suppose should be the clique used here. I have a few more ideas to play with then I will start to construct my final selection and send to my tutor.

20200414-learning log diary entry

Another day another daily walk. I love walking into Windsor town centre just to see the emptiness of the place during this lockdown process. It’s great to see areas where I’ll fish for opportunities with pools of light or sharp shadows.

It interesting to see how light travels when there’s a minimal amount of people about if any. Simple iPhone shots.

We are still in intriguing times with no real endstate set out as yet. Majority of the shops and restaurants are still closed for business. Time on your hands is time to learn new skills. I’ve been using photoshop more to see how my current wip series for assignment 3 can be enhanced. I’m not sure whether I keep them as single images or add text to it on a separate page or within the image like a book page. Page one shows the title page two the image.

20200411-Learning log diary entry

10398929_14201061353_8541_n (1) — Isolation somewhere in the Helmand Valley province

There comes a time when you just want to tell someone to “Shut up and get on with it”. Standing in the queue for Tescos recently, I’ve begun to listen to how people are so-called struggling with life and being told to stay indoors. I find some of this quite funny to listen to as background noise while queuing up to grab some supplies.

You have to, at times, count yourself lucky. Yes, people are dying, and that’s just a fact of life. The NHS is doing some excellent work to defeat this horrendous virus COVID-19. But the simple message is to stay indoors simple instructions. The weather is good, and people think its a time to go out and enjoy the sun. Think of it as if you were in a country fighting against an enemy that you rarely see when being engaged by machine gunfire. COVID-19 is the enemy today. You can not see it let along fight it. The defence is an excellent weapon in times like this, we can stay put and hide from it, or you can go outside on mass and try to fight it. Let’s add some common sense here. You cant see the virus so how do you fight it. You fight it by avoiding the contact in the first place…. common sense you’d think.

Exercise is great as I’ve said before, but sitting in large groups drinking and eating enjoying the sun is opening yourself up to be engaged by this deadly virus.

If we could at times stayed inside our patrol bases and not gone out to secure areas or dominate no man’s land, maybe we would of all come home. The enemy hides in all sorts of places where at times you think you are safe. Until that day, when you hear a massive explosion or gunfire, you know you are in the wrong place and the wrong time. Your Luck runs out, and your time will be up.

20200409-Assignment 3 WIP going well

So today i put together a series of images I plan to submit for this assignment. The idea of isolation and self-portraits I think will come through. Seeing my street photography within my self portraits especially at this strange time. I’ve tried to incorporate what’s going on in Windsor and the world today with the COVID-19 outbreak.

Working at home

20200408-keep learning

What have I learnt whilst being at home during COVID-19

Try need ideas
Keeping things simple
Be open to new ideas
Search YouTube if you’re not sure
Keep trying new ideas
Keep trying new styles
Start reading smaller chunks to take it in

Time spent on recce is seldom wasted is something I had said to me during my career. Recce is all about information gathering though intelligence. Using your brain to think outside the box to make the plan work.

20200408-Ass 3 new idea WIP

Since I’ve started to look at this assignment, things have changed. Or this should read guidelines have been put in place by the government. Simply put, we are staying indoors until told otherwise.

I’m currently on easter leave from work, but this is still an unknown whether it is going back to Kent or working from home until we know more.

Today I tried my hand with self-portraits using the 50-140mm f2.8 lens on the Fujifilm XT3 along with some cheap lights I brought during EYV. After trying to see how the sun would be and a black backdrop. I changed to a light coloured sheet attached to the blinds.

Using the Fuji app with my xt3, I’m able to adjust everything from my phone and not run back and forth to the camera.

The idea is to be creative and think outside the box. The previous notions of using layers and different pictures to create one picture are still the direction I’m going. However, this time I’m using myself as in the portrait and some of my isolation exercise images I’ve been capturing during this lockdown with COVID-19.

Youtube has been a wealth of knowledge, seeing how I can blend layers and use multiple images to create one. I’ve used double exposure during this course and EYV, but never experimented with layers in photoshop like this. Yes, I’ve added things like in previous exercises and just the other night after the super moon.

By blending the layers and dodging and burning to empathise certain areas of my face so you can still see me as a portrait.

20200408-Learning log diary entry

Hmmm day…… Well it’s the 8th April today anyway. I have been out on the bike to get some exercise and fresh air. Still we see people not doing as they have been told. What is it they do not understand?

You should try living in a hell hole of a place deep in the middle east or the tribal lands of Helmand Afghanistan if you think staying at home is hard. You have food, water that’s both hot and cold fresh running water, Tv, SKY, Netflix internet and wifi. So many choices and your daily exercise which is in a relatively safe environment. You’re not going on a patrol with the thoughts of im I coming back alive and secure with both my legs.

It’s not hard to listen to advice when it’s given. The hard part is practising it!

Stimulate the mind do something constructive and learn. This time is great for trying new things and seeing how you can progress. Last nights full moon and watching too may StarWars films on sky.

20200405-learning log diary entry

When the sun shines you see who’s taking note of the government guidelines and staying at home—so many idiots about over these last two days.

You can still find locations for future reference while out exercising, but why do people feel the need to stop and sunbathe?

Other things that start to wind you up is the amount of face masks and latex gloves that are just thrown on the floor, put them in the bin or better still take them home.

Who face has been hiding behind this mask?

20200403-Learning log diary entry

Another day in so-called lockdown. Daily exercise is one good for the body and two suitable for mental stimulus and clearing the mind.

During this state of mind and emptiness of the streets, you’re able to see things with an open yet almost confused mind. When you’re used to seeing streets busy with people and only see yourself is this a form of self-portraiture or just happen to be the only one in the frame.