PDF LINK: Final Triptych
Which artists have inspired your project and how?
Ernst Haas inspired my project because his style encouraged me to take colored photographs of urban areas. He also inspired me to use the formal element of focus because he used this formal element in many of his photos in “New York in Color, 1952-1962,” which had stunning effects.
How do your images link to your inspirational images?
My images link to Ernst Haas’s images because they are vividly colored photographs that consist of multiple focal points. Furthermore, they are taken in the bustling places of urban areas.
What have you experimented further with to help you develop your ideas for the project?
I experimented with different saturation levels to see which lighting best enhances my photos.
How have you built on what you have done before?
I built upon my skills with snapshots. During the first time in photography class, I learned how to use sport mode to capture objects in motion. The first two photos in my triptych have distinct moving objects. The moving objects are slightly blurred because it wanted to create more contrast with the focal points in the photo. In addition, it also gives the photo a surreal vibe.
What is the idea behind your final series of images and how does it bring together the best parts of your previous projects?
The main idea in my final series of images is the transition from day to night and the transition from suburban to urban. Starting from the photo on the left of the triptych was taken in the afternoon at around 4-5 pm from the inside of a car. I was entering the city at that point, and the sky was still blue, and the sun was visible. Then, the middle photo was taken around 7-8pm in the middle of a crosswalk in downtown Beijing. Lastly, the photo on the right was taken at about 9-10 pm in a populated commercial area. Overall, my final series of images illustrates the transition from day to night because of the chronological order in which the photos were taken; the transition from suburban to urban because of the change in location of where the photo was taken. To answer the second part of the question, my final series of images brings together the best parts of my previous projects because it was the outcome of learning and improving from set 1 and interpreting the style of a new photographer. All in all, my final series of images demonstrates the best of my photography for now.
How did you create your final series of images?
First of all, I was quite puzzled about which photos to choose for my final series. Since I was interpreting the style of Ernst Haas, all of my ‘good’ photos had a variety of main focuses. There were some photos that contained the same objects; however, they were not the best photos to display the influences of Ernst Haas. After finishing my red selection, I looked at the photos to see if there were any connections. After rearranging the photos to see if there was a pattern, I noticed that there was a common idea of transitions in three of my photos. Essentially, that’s how I came up with my final series of images.
What are the overall strengths of your project and why?
The main idea is quite intriguing because it makes the audience interpret a relationship between three seemingly unrelated photos.
What are your areas for development – what do you need to work on in future projects?
I would need to learn more on how to use aperture and exposure, so I can use them right in the moment of taking the photo. This way, I can take quality photos that are more specific to my statement of intent. Also, I might focus on taking more photos of a single scene or object, so I have more to choose from in the end.
