The title of my project is “Life Doesn’t Have That Much Audience”, I have developed my own individual approach to this title by capturing the contrast between the stillness of the main character and the blurry movements of the people around her. This juxtaposition emphasizes the themes of isolation in crowded and indifferent environments. Through my photos, I emphasize the point that although we live around us, moments of introspection and personal experiences often go unnoticed by others.

The artists that have inspired my work most are Alexey Titarenko and Trent Parke. Alexey Titarenko inspired me to use motion blur to depict the transience of life and anonymity in crowded spaces. Titalenko’s ability to transform everyday urban scenes into poetic and emotional stories encourages me to use similar visual contrasts, emphasizing the disconnect between the individual and the surrounding environment. Trent Parke’s use of light and shadow has had a profound impact on my composition and atmosphere of my photographs. His high contrast black and white images inspired me to pay more attention to tone and lighting in my work. Parke’s ability to find beauty and emotion in the ordinary inspires me to explore themes of loneliness in busy environments, creating images that balance realism and artistic abstraction.

In order to develop my ideas for this project, I tried long exposure photography and editing techniques to achieve a balance between the clarity of the central character and motion blur in the surrounding environment. I also explored different perspectives, compositions, and lighting to enhance the emotional impact of my images. After experimenting, I gathered the best parts of the project and created my final image series by improving the balance of the on focused character and the blurry backgrounds. I also focused on maintaining the emotional atmosphere of photos. To create my final series of images, I carefully guided the positioning of the central character relative to the moving object. I also fine tuned the image during post-processing to highlight contrast and texture. By changing the shutter speed to a low number (1.5), I can successfully capture the blurry motions of the passing by people. In order for the main character to be sharply on focus, I let her stay still so that the residual shadow can’t be seen on her. This was taken in an indoor environment, so I can’t control the lighting. However, I did change the ISO to around 400 so that there’s not much exposure. I also edited the photos to make it black and white. I did this because it fits my overall theme of loneliness and by doing this, there’s a contrast between the main character and the surroundings. I also cropped the photo so that the residual shadows cna be emphasized which fits my theme that people are passing by you and then they fleets away.

I chose to work this way because I want to convey a sense of emotional disconnection while highlighting stories that are not visible in daily interactions. The stillness of the central character creates a focal point for the audience, contrasting with the movements of others and representing the chaos of modern life.

Overall, I think the strengths of the project are its ability to evoke emotions and the strong visual contrast between stillness and movement, effectively conveying the theme of loneliness. The technical execution of long-term exposure photography also adds an artistic dimension to storytelling. In future projects, the area I need to research is exploring lighting and incorporating more diverse environments, as these elements can add more meaning and complexity to my work.

The title of my project is “Life Doesn’t Have That Much Audience”. The title reflects the view that most of the beauty and meaning of life are presented without recognition or an audience. My project aims to explore the quiet, unobserved moments that typically define human experience – those private, primitive, and sometimes fleeting moments.

I hope my audience can feel profound introspection and empathy when interacting with my photos. My goal is to evoke an emotional response that encourage the audience to pause and reflect on their own lives and moments they may have overlooked. My goal is to emphasize the beauty in loneliness, the strength in vulnerability, and the meaning of ordinary experiences. By focusing on aspects of human life that have not been mentioned, I hope to challenge the audience to reconsider their values.

I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by searching for photos of Trent Parke, which showcase his extraordinary ability to turn ordinary into extraordinary. Parker’s works often capture emotional moments, using light and shadow to create depth and cinematic quality. His photos often explore themes of loneliness, memory, and the passage of time, which is consistent with my vision for this project. I also plan to explore the technical aspects of Parke’s photography, such as his use of high contrast, unusual perspectives, and the interaction between light and dark. Most importantly, his use of low shutter speed to emphasize the motion of the by-passers and putting sharp focus on the main character connects with my overall theme. These technologies will help me shape my visual language for this project.

Alexey Titarenko

Alexey Titarenko was born in Leningrad in 1962, he is a Russian photographer known for his black and white photographs that explore themes such as time, memory, decay, and the passage of time. He developed an interest in photography at an early age and conducted academic research at the Leningrad Academy of Film, Drama, and Music. Titalenko captures the landscape of post Soviet life through prolonged exposure and motion blur, creating ghostly and dreamlike characters in urban environments. His groundbreaking series of works, such as “City of Shadows” and “Black and White Magic of St. Petersburg,” document the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the immortal spirit of his hometown. Through his poetic yet unforgettable imagery, Titarenko deeply contemplated the brevity of life, earning him international acclaim and exhibiting at renowned institutions such as the International Photography Center and the National Library of France. The photo in the top left corner depicts a black and white theme of portraying long exposure technique, capturing motion blur in the movements of people. The contrast between the blurred movement and sharp focused objects adds depth and a sense of motion to this photo. Compared to blurry characters, the central character appears slightly static and may attract the audience’s attention in chaos. The black and white format enhances the atmosphere, endowing the image with an eternal and contemplative quality. This ambiguity evokes a sense of transience and impermanence, reflecting the fast-paced modern urban life.

Trent Parke

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I placed the dried leaves on the lighting backboard, and changed to a low ISO. I also cropped the photos so that the details can be emphasized. By using these materials, the textures on the leaves can be presented clearly. Every leaf is different, which makes each photo different in some ways.

For this set of photos, I focused on taking close-up pictures of elder people on the street. I let them perform their normal life and capture the daily lives of Beijing citizens. The ISO was high since it was bright outside, and and put the focus on people’s faces to show the details of their facial expressions and their facial textures.

I played around with shutter speed to create residual shadow of the people’s moving hands. These photos portrays an artistic activity, through focusing on the details of Mandela and its creating process, it can illustrates Mandela’s cultural background and meticulous art history. 

The title of my project is Amplification of Time. I have developed my own individual approach to this title by exploring how human perception of time changes based on emotions, environment, and experience, and how these factors amplify our sense of time. My approach revolves around the subjective experience of time – moments of discomfort feeling. This ‘amplification’ varies from person to person.

The artists that have inspired my work most are Edward Muybridge and Michael Wesely. Edward Muybridgehas inspired my use of using motion and sequences to represent time. Muybridge’s work in capturing motion through continuous photography showed me how to combine individual frames together to reveal subtle differences in motion.Michael Wesely has inspired the way I explore long exposure photography and showcase the passage of time in a single image. Wesely’s long exposure photos, some spanning months or even years, capture subtle and continuous changes in the scene. His works have shown me how a single framework can show a longer period of time, integrating the past, present, and future.

In order to develop my ideas for this project, I experimented with movement created just by body postures. In my first practice with this theme, I tries to have my model moving quickly, and captured their movements by using long exposure and low shutter speed. The results were not strong enough so I changed it. After experimenting, I have brought together the best parts of my project to create my final series of images by various lighting, exposure times, and compositions, carefully selecting those that could amplify the impact at each moment. To create my final series of images I used fabric to create a flow in the background and just let my model sit in front. I had one other person waving the fabric from different angles. I used a really low shutter speed (around 5) so that I can clearly capture the move of the fabric. I placed the lighting on the top right side of my model so that the light would only be on top of one side of my model. I also changed my photos into black and white, in this way, the feeling of suppressed and the passing of time can be emphasized well. By leaving the background and not crop it, it made a contrast between the main character and the background, which further emphasizes the main character. I had two different age groups to participate in my photo, by photographing two people of different ages, I can emphasize of the passing of time feels like in different stages in people’s lives.

I chose to work like this because I want to explore the complexity and fluidity of time, capturing its various levels and dimensions in ways that cannot be conveyed by a single, direct image. By using long-term exposure techniques, I can represent time as a series of an extended experience. This method allows me to feel the contrast between movement and long exposure, which is crucial for my ‘amplification of time’ theme. I hope the audience can experience the tense relationship between stillness and movement, short and long in my series. By juxtaposing these techniques, I hope to create a more immersive experience that reflects the richness of our perceived time – sometimes rushed, sometimes stretched, always with hidden details.

Overall, I think the strengths of the project are visual impact and conceptual depth. The long exposure images creates a strong visual contrast, attracting viewers to think more deeply about how to experience time in multiple ways. I used different techniques to express different perceptions of time can enrich the exploration of the theme. I challenged myself to ask for other people to be my model other than people that I know already. The areas that I will need to work on in future projects are to improve technical consistency and narrative fluency. Sometimes, the transition feels sudden, which may disrupt the audience’s experience. I also realized that developing a smoother narrative flow, with clearer transitions from one image to another, can enhance the narrative aspect of my work. For improvement, I would also ask my models to do a variety of facial expressions so that the emotions can be expressed more visually. Working in these areas in future projects will help me to support the overall theme.

In this experiment, I took the photos in the studio. Different from last time, I let my models to wear a specific kind of cloth to fit my theme. I also added props such as fabric. I let another person doing different movements with the fabric and used a really low shutter speed (around 5) to capture the movements of the fabric. I let Annie to show a feeling of suppressed, reflecting that time is passing really fast. I changed the lighting for each photo to see which one works the best, all the lights is placed on the right side to reveal a depth on Annie’s face by creating shadows. By using side lighting, it evokes a sense of depression and low energy. I used a high ISO because the setting is really dark (around 1500). I tried 3 colors of fabrics, and I found out that black and white looks the best on my theme. I tried a new skill on this set, the right one on the 5 row and the last two photos. For these three photos, I used a low shutter speed, and as the camera is taking the photo, I move the camera to the right or left. For next time, I would try photographing different people in different age groups, and also change the appearance of the fabric (maybe making the fabric come from all sides). I also zoomed in for some of my photos to emphasize the facial expression of Annie, and making a better composition.

I took these photographs in the studio with a dark surrounding. To take these photos, I used a low shutter speed at around 10, and changed to a higher ISO so that Annie stands out in a low light setting. I want to emphasize the movements, so by using a low shutter speed, I can capture the residual shadow. I also tried different lightings, some photos have a black background because I set the light in front of Annie, which can also avoid shadows. This set of photos expresses the release of suppressed emotions.

The title of this project is “Amplification of Time”. This series will explore the changes that occur in our world and within ourselves as time moves forward. The societal issue that I want to explore with my photographs is our relationship with time — how we see it and how it influences us. People are constantly under pressure to move fast under today’s high-paced environment. Through this project, I hope to provide a reflective pause, encouraging viewers to consider the beauty of time.

I want my audience to feel a deep sense of reflection as they examine their own lives and surroundings. My intention is that my work will elicit feelings of nostalgia and serenity as viewers are reminded of the fleeting nature of all things. I want to visually show the idea of time’s quiet yet profound presence by using techniques like long exposure and decaying settings. A key component of my work will be long exposure photography, which enables me to capture quick action in a single frame. I will also experiment with multiple exposures and layering techniques to create a visual metaphor for memory by blending moments together as they overlap in our minds.

I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking at the work of famous photographers who have studied time and how it affects the world. For example, Edward Muybridge, who captures actions of movements, creating sets of photographs of a magnified movement. And Michael Wesely, who uses months-long exposures to capture the protracted time. Their unique use of time as both a topic and a tool in photography that inspired me and helped me to achieve this goal.

Through this project, I will reflect on the idea of how time passes quickly. My aim is to create a dialogue with the audience, inviting them to think about their own experiences with time, and how it affects their lives. I aim to engage my audience in a meaningful exploration of time’s effects on both the physical and emotional aspects of life.