March 13

SET 2

Ahmed Thabet

He was another one of the contestants at the Minimalist Photography Awards 2022. He is an Egyptian doctor by profession who made an unexpected career change and became a photographer. His exceptional photographs tell stories of artificial structures, glorified by a photographer’s sharp eye.

Ahmed Thabet’s photographs 

(more AMAZING Ahmed Thabet’s photographs )

(My favorite picture in Ahmed Thabet’s photographs, one of the series of “Oculus”)

Ahmed Thabet’s “Oculus” particularly inspires me. It was taken in New York City to the beautiful (transportation hub) named the Oculus, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, in a very abstract approach, delving into details more and more, diving into curves, trying to get the best of it. His philosophy regarding his work is to “focus on a preconceived idea in my mind.” He usually puts it into a series of shots with the same architecture. Although working in a series is usually challenging, he considers architecture a beautiful model. He mentioned that getting lucky shots out of a series of shots is hard. He believes an artistic vision can only be fully expressed through a series with different perspectives. He also said, “I do not accept the norm in art, my image should convey emotions and thoughts to the viewers.” This was a very motivational quote to me because I also agree with it and agree that the most boring thing we do in arts is being expected. Thabet also mentioned that he usually uses long exposure monochrome, abstract, minimalism, creative editing, etc., to make his photos look revolutionary.

In set 1, I focused on the lighting and color. However, for set 2, I want to alter my vision and focus less on the lighting and more on the pattern, shades, and textures.

 

Pictures I took:

            

The images above is my response to Thabet, I am pleased with this out-come because it demonstrates my understanding of how Thabet is able to use techniques such as long exposure monochrome, abstract, and minimalism. My aim was to alter my vision and focus on capturing the pattern, shades, and textures of objects and surroundings.

Best 3 pictures

I chose these pictures as my final product, and I am pleased with these images. I produced this picture by setting specific places focused. I am trying to remember the type of camera I used, but it was a camera that takes close-up shots; it was tough to handle. After I took a bunch of photos, choosing three of them was extremely hard. I chose those pictures as my final product because it overall seems balanced as the objects all have a horizontal line.
What went well in this photogram was the balance between the textures, patterns, and shadows. Moreover, the monochromatic color scheme made the pictures produce a cold and calm vibe. One challenging part while taking this photo was removing the distracting objects in the background and focusing on specific things. I could have improved these images if I had taken pictures (such as buildings) outside to make the pictures look more abstract because it was more complicated than I thought to find places with specific little patterns in our school. Overall I am pleased with these photos because I like the mood it produces using various techniques.

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March 9

Statement of Intent

Title: [Insignificant but Precious]

Looking at the pictures I took, I want my audience to feel miserable. Although my message is to seek the insignificant subjects preciously, my most significant intention in taking abstract photos is to make them think and observe the techniques and “how” the photographer made it look abstract. For set 1, I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that show different techniques, such as Shirine Gill’s photograph. For set 2, I will focus on taking abstract photos that effectively include patterns and shades. Hence, I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking at Ahmed Thabet’s photographs to find the beauty within the ordinary. 

Category: photography, SETS: Take and evaluate pictures, Statement of Intent | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 6

SET1: Take and evaluate pictures

Shirine Gill 

is a nomadic artist who uses Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), which is processed by moving during the exposure to create a creative effect.

 

Shirine Gill’s photographs 

5 Characteristics 

“I do not like to work in any specific work-space. A studio creates anxiety in me. I am a nomadic artist. Working digitally enables me to work anywhere. My environment and the evolving available materials, inform my work. Discovering new materials is an exciting part of the work’s unfolding.” – Shirine Gill

I chose this photographer because her photos were interesting and made me wonder what Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) is. Through this photographer, I want to learn the techniques and steps she took to take these photos. Moreover, I chose this quote because it emphasized what and how a photographer works.

I chose this image because I really liked the texture (the white lines and the blurriness), the greenish-white color, and overall the auroral feature of this picture. Thus, this abstract photography makes the viewers focus on form, color, texture, perspective, movement, and light rather than the message it conveys. The most important element in the Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) is light, which creates line, repetition, shape, and texture. Using a long shutter speed, the photographer can deliberately move the camera to paint with light and accentuate the subject’s tone and texture, creating a stunning abstract picture. To adapt this style in my photography, I found a place that is dark but has a limited amount of light so that it can capture the light. When I tried to highlight the vertical lines of the trees, it was hard to achieve a correctly-exposed image during bright daylight hours. 

 

I am willing to take pictures that make the viewers miserable of the intention; therefore, I focus on the image’s form, texture, and color. I will take photos in the style of Shirine Gill, which uses Intentional Camera Movement (ICM). I am particularly inspired by Aquatico Series 2009 and will try to take pictures that express patterns (lines), colors, and textures (blurriness).  

 

Pictures I took:

          

 

Best 3 photos

Taking pictures using intentional camera movement taught me how to take abstract photographs. I accomplished to take intentional camera movement by intentionally moving the camera during exposure to create a more abstract rendition of the subject. Instead of recording a sharp, lifelike image, I effectively painted with my camera. One notable thing about using ICM is that it enables me to capture a picture in a unique and personal way that cannot quickly be produced using other techniques. When I tried to take pictures using ICM, I first began to find places that offer vivid colors, lines, or patterns. Additionally, I used horizontal and diagonal movements to pan the camera, proving equally effective. According to other websites, I found out that forest, especially during the spring and autumn seasons, is a good ICM location. The parallel lines provided by the trees and the vibrant colors of nature lend themselves to a vertical camera movement shot. The scene produced unique forms, colors, textures, and interests. Moreover, because there is no right or wrong, all that matters is that I create an image that I enjoy and that reflects my vision.

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