Link to my creative mood board: Street Photography creative mood board 

In my mood board, I tried to get photos of Wynn Bullock, my artist of inspiration. I also tried to gather photos that show different techniques and concepts that we have learned in previous lessons such as portraiture, abstraction, etc. (specific example: Intentional Camera movement, tone and lighting, etc.)

This is my link to the mind map: Canva Mind map 

As for my second mindmap, the website did not save, so I could not upload the link to my mind-map. However, In the mini-mind map, I found some photos related to the vision that I want to pursue. In my first mindmap (the mind map with the link), I tried to document my entire process of getting inspiration, and taking photos in this unit, and I also tried to document my process of choosing which type of photography I want to pursue.

1. In my photos, I wanted to photograph the facets of daily life, specifically photos of infrastructure and nature that we see everyday, and take and edit the photos, to include a little bit of everything that I learned during this course such as formal elements of photography, abstraction, and portraiture. My success criteria were, in the photos that I take and choose, I should 1. Include the different techniques, while focusing on the facets of daily life 2.Match and try to emanate the photographic style of Wynn Bullock, and 3. Make my audience reflect on the hidden rhythms of daily life, and in the four photos that I chose, I think that I did a remarkably good job of taking the photos that I wanted to take, and initiating my success criteria. My photos included modern infrastructure, different aspects of nature such as trees and plants. I successfully included those elements in my photographs to a sense of abstraction, for example through repetition, and delivered ideas that allowed for reflection using the elements that I learned from portraiture. As for the second criteria, I believe that I emanated Wynn Bullock’s style of photography very well. Wynn Bullock was a passionate man, trying to deliver creative aspects and the extraordinary of everyday to his audience through photographing various subjects and backgrounds. Although the subject that I could take photos of were limited, I was still able to get the same amount of diversity that Wynn Bullock had in infrastructure, and nature. In the same way that Wynn Bullock’s photos show the wonders and beauties of the world, allowing the viewer to look and marvel at, my photos set a calm and quiet aspect, revealing the hidden rhythms of daily life, allowing the viewer to reflect, and think about the world that they live in.  I also emanated Wynn Bullocks lighting style, as he often adjusts the tone of the photograph to convey a strong contrast in the photos, allowing the viewers to focus purely on the subjects and background itself, rather than judging the color.
2.  The artist of my inspiration is Wynn Bullock. Born in Chicago Illinois, Wynn Bullock developed his interest in photography during the late 1920s while living in Paris. Originally pursuing a career as a concert singer, Bullock became fascinated with the works of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters, which led him to discover the photography of Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy. This exposure sparked an immediate affinity for photography as an art form uniquely based on light and as a creative means to engage with the world. He bought his first camera and began taking pictures, marking the beginning of his photographic journey. Taking a look at his photos, it is clear that tone and lighting is his forte, as he alters the tone and lighting to convey a sense of abstraction and creativity in almost all of his photos. We can see he also finds creative ways to engage the world with the setting or subject of the photograph. The settings of his photo aren’t just a specific genre or field, it is rather anything that comes to his mind. An apple, mountain, dinosaur skull, you name it! He has taken photos various places around the world, which is a method/technique that I admire, and is what I tried to emanate as much as possible in this unit.
3. I think that I indeed explored the theme of “working the scene” in this unit. This is because, when I was traveling around Shine, everything was random. Everything seemed wrong and out of place in my eyes, and I did not know what photos I should take in order to get the best out of each and every one of them. So, I just took random photos, whatever came to mind still considering the fact that I needed to focus on my theme, and the concepts that I created. And, suddenly, out of pure chance, photos began to appear. Out of pure randomness, all the techniques styles and different concepts that I had explored in my months as a photographer began to appear. Some only had one technique, or style, while other had all of them. I think that in my trip to Shine, I took some wonderful photos with wonderful techniques, which I did not know would happen at the start. I think that I “worked the scene” and made the best out of it.
4. As for the display, I am planning to display 3 of my best photos in a tryptich, or have 4 “best” photos that I took. I have 3 really good photos that have modern infrastructure, or nature as a background with a touch of portraiture, to establish a powerful sense of connection with the photo to the audience. However, I also have a really good photo that has modern infrastructure as the background, and has an empty road, with an endless, and quite road that leaves the viewer in reflection about the hidden rhythms of daily life. I think that I could do 4 photos, the first three being the portraiture-related photos that establish a strong connection with the audience through different subjects, and end with a quite endless road, full of infinite possibility, leaving viewers reflecting and wondering about the hidden beauties and rhythm of everyday life.
5. As for things that are personal about my work, I really enjoy taking pictures of modern infrastructure and nature, so that made a big impact on my decision of which facets of daily life that I want to photograph. The second thing that is personal about my style of photography, is the calm setting, that does not have a lot in the image, allowing the viewers to sit back, reflect, and focus on the small part of the photograph, or in my interpretation, the “small parts of life” that really matter. I like to photograph this way because it reminds me of when I was really young, and me and my family would go to quite urban cities in Korea and Japan. The quite ally way, with the sun shining down in the late afternoon, just allowed me to sit back and reflect on what I have and the beauties of life, and I really enjoyed that experience. So, I am also trying to emulate that aspect through my photography in this unit.
6. I hope that my viewers would understand and reflect the rhythms of daily life. One of my photos named “by-passer” has a picture of a statue staring at all the buildings and modern infrastructure, allowing the viewer to watch with him all the beauties of daily life, the clock in the photo symbolizes the endless passage of time, and the routine-like events of our daily lives. However, the photos later on, have nature, peace, and calm in them. By looking at my photos I hope that my viewers could understand that no matter how some days seem, there is a moment of peace, a moment of calm allowing us to reflect on the beauty and hidden rhythms of daily life, and I hope my viewers can also understand that they should be thankful for these moments in life.
7. If I had more time, I think I also would have liked to try experimenting with shadows, and how they could affect my photographic style of everyday life. Shadows often symbolize darkness, and could portray an aspect of darkness, and the bad events that we experience in everyday life. Another thing that I want to try is trying to have the subjects in my photos expose their face a bit more, (which is very hard in street photography) that will allow more analysis, and better interpretations of the photos that I took.

How I chose the photos: In  my green and yellow contact sheets, I tried to categorize the photos that I took to reflect different facets of our daily lives. As I was going through my contact sheets, I felt like the photos that involved some aspect of portraiture were my best photos. The essence of the subjects in the portraiutre-street photos captured my attention. Through the use of various photographic techniques, they allowed me to see the hidden rhythms of daily life, the extraordinary in the ordinary. These are four of my best photos that I chose at the Shin trip.

Photograph Name: Passer-by

The photograph masterfully employs abstraction and juxtaposition, both important aspects of Wynn Bullock’s approach to street photography. By capturing the statue from behind, it invites viewers to see the world from its perspective, blurring the line between observer and observed-a technique reminiscent of Bullock’s fascination with perception and reality. The statue, dressed in a trench coat and hat, becomes a stand, in for the everyday passerby, gazing up at the clock tower, a universal symbol of the passage of time and the routines that structure daily life. The composition is carefully balanced: the strong diagonal formed by the statue’s arm draws the eye upward, leading naturally to the clock tower, while the modern storefronts and parked cars anchor the scene in the present. The use of black and white enhances the sense of timelessness and abstraction, stripping away distractions and focusing attention on form, light, and shadow-a technique Bullock often used to reveal deeper meanings in ordinary scenes. The interplay of the static statue, the fleeting presence of people, and the ever-ticking clock subtly comments on the rhythms and anonymity of urban life. Through these choices, the photograph not only documents a moment but also invites contemplation, echoing Bullock’s belief that photography can reveal the unseen dimensions of everyday existence.

Photograph Name: Shadows in Motion

The photograph thoughtfully blends abstraction with elements of portraiture to capture the quiet poetry of everyday life, echoing the spirit of Wynn Bullock’s work. The subject a middle aged man, partially turned away from the camera with his face obscured by shadow and a cap, embodies a sense of anonymity and universality, allowing viewers to project themselves into the scene. The use of black and white heightens the abstraction, reducing the visual world to patterns of light and shadow, and emphasizing the textures of the tree bark, the man’s clothing, and the sunlight on the ground. The vertical lines of the trees create a rhythmic backdrop that both grounds the composition and introduces a sense of order and repetition, reminiscent of Bullock’s fascination with the interplay between structure and chaos in nature. The inclusion of the dog, partially hidden in shadow, adds another layer of narrative and connection to daily routines. The man’s gesture-his hand slightly extended, as if reaching or guiding-introduces a subtle emotional resonance, a hallmark of effective portraiture. Altogether, these elements work in harmony to transform an ordinary walk in the park into a contemplative study of light, form, and human presence, mirroring Bullock’s ability to reveal the extraordinary within the everyday. The title encourages viewers to consider elements such as light and shadow, movement, human-animal interaction, and the interplay between subject and environment. It leaves room for interpretation regarding narrative, technique (like black-and-white photography), and emotional tone.

Photograph Name: Passing by

The photograph skillfully employs techniques that both abstract and illuminate the rhythms of daily urban life, resonating with the style of Wynn Bullock. The use of black and white strips the scene to its essential contrasts and textures, allowing viewers to focus on form and composition rather than the distraction of color-a hallmark of Bullock’s work. The arrangement of bicycles in the foreground, some upright and some askew, creates a dynamic pattern of lines and shapes that abstract the familiar sight of a bike rack into something visually compelling. The lone figure riding away on a cargo bike draws the eye into the middle ground, serving as a subtle portrait that captures the anonymity and universality of city dwellers. The vertical lines of trees and urban architecture in the background further layer the composition, adding depth and a sense of structure. The interplay between the static, parked bikes and the motion of the cyclist hints at the constant movement and change inherent in city life. By framing the scene to include both the intimate details of the bikes and the broader context of the cityscape, the photograph reveals the extraordinary within the ordinary, echoing Bullock’s fascination with perception, abstraction, and the hidden beauty of everyday moments. The title encourages the viewer to interpret motion, fleeting moments, and the transient nature of urban scenes.

Photograph Name: Standstill

The photograph employs abstraction and minimalism to reveal a unique facet of everyday urban life, resonating with the visual philosophy of Wynn Bullock. By choosing black and white, the photo strips the scene of color, focusing attention on the interplay of light, shadow, and geometric forms-a technique Bullock often used to heighten abstraction and emphasize the underlying structure of reality. The composition is dominated by strong leading lines: the white lane markings and the perspective of the buildings draw the viewer’s eye deep into the frame, creating a sense of infinite space and possibility. The symmetry of the empty road, flanked by modern buildings, introduces a contemplative stillness, transforming a typically bustling street into a stage for reflection. The traffic lights, frozen on red, and the absence of cars or people evoke a moment suspended in time, inviting viewers to consider the routines and pauses that shape urban life. This abstraction of the empty city street, encourages us to see the ordinary in a new light, much like Bullock’s work, which often sought to reveal the extraordinary within the everyday. Through these choices, the photograph not only documents a city scene but also invites viewers to meditate on space, silence, and the hidden rhythms of daily life. The title “Standstill” implies a temporary halt, both literally (red lights) and metaphorically (life on pause).

In this set of photos in my contact sheet, I wanted to take pictures of roads, and means of transportation, which is another important aspect of daily life. From most of the photos that I took, I can see two characteristics. One is that often times the roads and cars are juxtaposed next to a line of trees, creating a pattern and a sense of repetition in the photographs. The trees also create shadows in the photos, which I think if I change the tone and lighting of the photos to create a strong contrast in the different elements in the photo, could convey a sense of abstraction. Another set of photos that I like in this set are the pictures of the roads. I like how the white organic rectangles are lined up along the road, creating a uniform structure in the photo. One photo that I really like from the pictures of the roads is how an orange truck is juxtaposed to the road. The orange truck juxtaposed to the road does not go well with the rule of thirds, thus making the photo: “wrong”. However, I still think that this new element adds a sense of complexity to the photo, and allows the viewer to interpret the photos from a different angle. Another photo that I really like is the lady riding a bike interposed between the two set of roads. After applying greyscale to add a strong contrast to the photos, this photo conveys a peaceful feeling to the audience, allowing them sit back and reflect on the subject, background, and different techniques being used. In conclusion, I feel like this is another set of photos that shows the audience another facet of daily life. I am deciding whether or not to selecting some photos from these set of images for the final evaluation. (there was an error in Lightroom Classic that did not put a photo into the sheet)

This is my Yellow contact sheet. In this category of my contact sheet, I tried to select the photos that show an aspect of nature in our daily lives. As you can see, most of the photos were taken in natural settings such as a park, and the subjects involved in them are natural elements such as trees, flowers, etc. The thing that I like about this group of photos is that the elements in the photos themselves convey a sense of abstraction. For example, the images of the long trees in the park are taken in such a way that the trees are lined up, creating a pattern, and a sense of repetition. I feel like if I were able to change the tone and lighting of these photos so that the subject and the background convey a strong sense of contrast along with a sense of repetition could convey a sense of abstraction to the audience. Another important element in most of the tree related photos are the people. These people were not planned to come into the background, they were here when I arrived. For instance, I saw an individual meditating in the park next to a set of trees. The way that the trees were aligned and the way that the woman was juxtaposed next to those elements conveyed a sense of randomness and abstraction to me, so I decided to take a photo of it. I think the photos that I took of the woman and the trees reflects the beauty and the randomness of street photography, of all the techniques and different elements of photography coming together just by pure chance. Another set of photos that I took in this section was a picture of the road in the park interposed to two set of trees in the park. Not only do the juxtaposition of the different trees convey a sense of repetition, but you can also see that the photo can clearly be divided into three different parts, which follows the rule of thirds. Personally, I really enjoy these set of photos because the photo of the road laid out so unwaveringly in the photo. The third set of photos that I took were the photos of the flowers in the photo. The yellow color of the flowers and the way that they are spread out so neatly in the photo conveys a sense of abstraction. In retrospect, although these are not photos related to my statement of intent,  they are another aspect of daily life, something that we see everyday and admire. I selected these photos as my sets to show just how much variety of techniques and elements you can capture in street photography, where you have to work the scene. I am deciding whether or not to selecting some photos from these set of images for the final evaluation. (there was an error in Lightroom Classic that did not put a photo into the sheet)

(There was a bug in Light Room Classic that did not feature some of the photos)

The title of this project will be “The World” because I will be taking pictures of various places that I can think of and make the best of each and every one of them by applying different concepts and formal elements that I have learned in class. The concept/story that I want to tell with my photograph is to spread creativity around the world, and show people viewing my photos the diversity that our world has to offer. The artist that I took inspiration from is Wynn Bullock. He takes pictures of various places/objects around the world, and alters the tone and lighting of the photo, often using greyscale to convey a strong contrast in the photo. His purpose when I first started to enjoy photography was to spread creativity around the world. There is no pattern to the subjects that he likes to take photos of, and I like his style of photography a lot. This is primarily because his style of photography fits in with our focus of the unit, street photography, or making the scene. My intent or goal for my style of photography is to have that same amount of diversity as Wynn Bullock has in the selection of the subjects of my photos, but edit the tone and lighting to convey a deeper message in each of the photos, instead of only using greyscale to convey a strong contrast. Another important detail that I should mention is that I want to focus on a concise topic: everyday life, specifically, the places that an individual is likely to visit in everyday life. I think that I will have different tone and lighting for each of the photos that I take, because the subjects of my photos will vary, and I will have to make the best of each of them by adjusting tone and lighting, and focus on adding different formal elements to my project as well. I want my audience to feel a deep connection to the photograph; I want them to feel that each photo resonates with their own personal experiences in life. So my other goal is to make the photos that I take as relatable as possible, or take a photo that immediately demands a strong emotional response from my viewer. As for the photographers that I want to take additional inspiration from, I would like to take inspiration from photographers that really focus on tone and lighting in their photographs. Some examples are: Sara Latif, Dean Chamberlin, Fan Ho, and etc.

The artist of influence that I chose for this unit was Wynn Bullock. His style of photography suits my interest and my own style of photography, which is why I chose him as my photographer. Born in Chicago Illinois, Wynn Bullock developed his interest in photography during the late 1920s while living in Paris. Originally pursuing a career as a concert singer, Bullock became fascinated with the works of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters, which led him to discover the photography of Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy. This exposure sparked an immediate affinity for photography as an art form uniquely based on light and as a creative means to engage with the world. He bought his first camera and began taking pictures, marking the beginning of his photographic journey. Taking a look at his photos, it is clear that tone and lighting is his forte, as he alters the tone and lighting to convey a sense of abstraction and creativity in almost all of his photos. We can see he also finds creative ways to engage the world with the setting or subject of the photograph. The settings of his photo aren’t just a specific genre or field, it is rather anything that comes to his mind. An apple, mountain, dinosaur skull, you name it! He has taken photos various places around the world, which is a method/technique that I admire and want to pursue in my trip. I want to take photos of various settings to pursue my own interest in photography, and communicate a sense of creativity with the people viewing my photo. Another technique that I admire in his style of photography is that he likes to work out the scene. He tries to find the formal elements of photography or any specific technique that he can use that will best enhance the quality of the photograph. His way of inputting various techniques into his photographs without a clear pattern whatsoever really inspires me to think outside the box as well when looking at the techniques that I could use in street photography. In conclusion, I really like the way that Wynn Bullock takes photos and uses techniques, so he is my artist of influence for this unit. Here are some of the photos that Wynn Bullock took for further reference:

Image of inspiration: Del Monte Forest (1969)

 This photograph, “Del Monte Forest” by Wynn Bullock, was taken in 1969 and exemplifies Bullock’s mastery of black-and-white landscape photography. Using large-format cameras, Bullock captured the intricate textures of tree bark, ferns, and mist with remarkable clarity, relying on natural light and atmospheric conditions to create a sense of mystery and depth. His careful composition centers a weathered tree stump, framed by vertical trunks and enveloped in fog, drawing the viewer into a contemplative exploration of the forest. While not street photography in the traditional sense—since it lacks urban life and candid human moments—Bullock’s approach shares the street photographer’s intent to reveal the extraordinary within the ordinary. Both genres demand acute observation, patience, and an ability to find meaning in the everyday environment, whether on a bustling city street or in the quiet depths of a forest. I feel like this image in particular shows just how Wynn Bullock’s style of photography aligns with the ideas of street photography that we are learning.

Work Cited

I mentioned in my mind map that I wanted to use the techniques and methods that Wynn Bullock uses, and apply it to my interests, and my style of photography. In this assignment, I chose everyday life. This was actually a photo that I took a while ago on my trip to Taipei during the spring break. It was a photo of an organic object. In his photographs, Wynn Bullock likes to take photos of different scenes around the world, often focusing on natural scenes. and often uses greyscale adjusting the tone, lighting, and strengthening the contrast of color to convey a sense of abstraction and deliver his own message. I did choose an organic object, and adjusted the tone and lighting from what I found in everyday life, but there are some key differences to the style that Wynn Bullock photographs, and the method that I did in this photo. Unlike a certain scene in our world, my main subject is an organic object. It is a luxury item, made and crafted only for pure enjoyment and entertainment to the few amount of people that come across it. Unlike a piece of paper, an onion, or a toilet this is a rare organic object that few people can see, and my visual interpretation of this object further emphasizes this message. This object seems to be the embodiment of luxury. The jagged points on this object seems to symbolize the sharp disparity between the people who are able to see this object, and the people who can’t, the sharp disparity of the people who get to enjoy the beauty and benefits of luxury and those who cannot. The shadow that is juxtaposed with the organic object seems to symbolize, that while many people think that they live luxurious lives, it is only a shadow, a mere illusion to the true beauty and glamour of luxury that only a few people can experience. There is another aspect of my photo that uses a different method compared to Wynn Bullock photography. As mentioned before, Wynn Bullock creates a strong contrast in the photo to convey a sense of abstraction. However, I wanted to use the tone and lighting to deliver my message and my interpretation of this object to the people that are viewing this photo. I altered the lighting to be cold, and rigid, again emphasizing the cold reality that luxury something that anybody can enjoy. (Note: I am not saying this in a negative way. I just wanted to deliver this message to the people that are viewing this photograph.) In this photo, I used the techniques and methods that my artist used and altered these techniques slightly to fit my perception, and my interests in photography, and this will be my vision for the rest of the unit.

The message that I want to deliver in this photo is that you should focus on yourself rather than thinking about others. My main subject in this photo is the man walking across the hallway. You can barely notice him right? The photo seems wrong! People are everywhere, and is “something” that anyone can see in everyday life. The person is walking past the corridor. I adjusted the exposure, turned on greyscale, decreased the warmth, using the techniques and methods that Wynn Bullock uses to make the feet and legs of the man barely noticable. I wanted the main subject to “blend in” to the photo. I wanted to deliver the message that the friends that you share your life with, the people that you meet, is like the morning mist. It comes and goes. As time goes on, people leave you and forget about who you were, and what you meant to them. As time goes on, you will have met so many people in your life that all of them will just become a blur, something that blends into your life. If they become like that, why spend so much time thinking about what others think of you and how they view you? The second subject that I incorporated into this photo is the painting on the wall with ducks, people, and a green pasture. They too have become blurry. I blurred them out as well to show that life is a blur. At one moment you’re young and healthy, and bam!, you get a cold. Life passes by quick like a sudden blur, so we should cherish every single moment that life offers to us.

This is a photo that I took using Wynn Bullock’s techniques, and showing my past love for football, and my current love for the sport of track and field. Analyzing Wynn Bullock’s photos, many of them are pictures from nature, and it is evident from these photos that that is what he values the most. To emanate the setting and the technique that he used, I tried to find a place with a natural feel, with different types of trees, plants, and etc. While I copied his techniques, there are some slight differences that I made in contrast to his techniques. Although I tried to imitate Wynn Bullock’s feel of setting in my photos, I chose the setting based on my interest and the message that I am trying to communicate with the audience. In the setting of the photo, you can see that the track is juxtaposed to a soccer field. Soccer was a sport that I enjoyed in the past, but is something that gave up on because my friends started getting better at it than me as time went on. Track and field was a sport that I picked up this year, and was something that I am prefer over soccer know which is why the majority of the photo (the bottom half) is a picture of the track. Like Wynn Bullock, I created a strong contrast in the photo with the use of greyscale, creating an especially strong contrast with the track and the soccer field to show that track is something that I like and want to pursue in contrast to soccer.