Our final project! Finally! :) It seems like we have been doing SO much work lately! But really, we have been quite busy; finshing up our daily assignments, our last major assignment, picking photos for our class slideshow, choosing photos to submit for the Gallery showing, printing photos for our wonderful host Marios, PLUS putting together this last assignment.
Not to mention, we've had our final lessons and oral exam for Greek this past week. We've been extremely busy! ...All while having fun though. We've also kept busy with day trips, our weekend excursions, LONG hikes, and many more exciting things.
Hopefully I'll be able to upload a few more blogs for you to read about all of that. But, for now I want to explain my final project for you.
This is how Tamara explained our project as we first began working:
For this assignment, we needed 30 images that would illustrate our perception of Santorini. They would need to be placed in an order that reflected a sense of narrative.
For each image, we needed to provide a title.(The text helps to bridge the gap between a narrative that is solely in the artist’s mind and one presented in the photographic image.)
Elements that we were to consider as we approached constructing our photo essay about the island of Santorini:
• The shapes (lines/patterns/textures/layers)
• The colors (in architecture/clothing/graffiti, etc.)
• The food (culture/restaurants/traditions)
• The landscape (geographical features, cityscape, rural)
• The people (faces that inhabit the island/characters of the story)
• The soul of the island
• Quality of light (at different times of day/different locations/the shadows and the light)
• The illusion vs. the reality of Santorini (its beauty vs. its darkness)
Considering this all together, we needed to figure our the story we most wanted to tell about the island and our experience of it. We were asked to call on our imagination in combination with raw lived experience in order to tell a story that would draw in our viewers. Keeping in mind as we constructed our photo essay how to create a sense of narrative progression as well as consider how color crafts a sense of cohesion.
We were also asked to put to work all the different elements that we’ve been working with across the past month in order to construct a sense of narrative/to shoot cinematically with an eye toward capturing moments worth freezing for eternity: rule of thirds; framing; composition; point of view (various camera angles—above, below, from eye level, from the subjective point of view); perspective (spatial relationship between objects, depth of field--aperture, establishing shots, long shots, medium shots, close-up, macro, use of various lenses if possible); capturing action (use of shutter speed for correct exposures); quality of light (to shape atmosphere and sculpt subject); correct and creative use of white balance; use of color (to create emotional impact and tension).
Sounds kinda tough right? Well, it wasn't easy! That's for sure. I'm not even sure I did it right :( BUT, I will explain to you the story/theme that I tried to create; My experience here on the island that I wanted to share with you..
I choose to do a daily life type of photo essay. Why? Well, I've been "living" here for a month and it began to feel like a new home after a while. I wanted you to see my life here; the things that I saw, the things that made me feel at home, and the similarities between (my) life here and life an entire world away from here...I had a daily routine, (like I do back home), I encountered many of the same people every day, I woke up in the same bed, went to the same grocery store, spent my free time with my Santorini family; it became home for a while. I felt comfortable, safe, and part of a community. After a while, I wasn't just another tourist here for a vacation. People on the boardwalk recognized us, greeted us, and always asked how we were doing. (And how much time we had left!.) I think you get what I'm saying!
So, I start this photo essay with what I feel is a strong image..one that creates for you a new life and takes you through what could be a day, a week, or even a lifetime, at home; not just some beautiful vacation destination. As it closes, I hope that you get a sense of what life here in Greece is like; Probably very close to your day back in your home but also special in the same ways you find home special to you.
The last photo may seem a bit odd to you, but I felt that the older style, flannel, night wear could help you create a sense of age from the first photo to the last.
Just follow this link...
Not to mention, we've had our final lessons and oral exam for Greek this past week. We've been extremely busy! ...All while having fun though. We've also kept busy with day trips, our weekend excursions, LONG hikes, and many more exciting things.
Hopefully I'll be able to upload a few more blogs for you to read about all of that. But, for now I want to explain my final project for you.
This is how Tamara explained our project as we first began working:
For this assignment, we needed 30 images that would illustrate our perception of Santorini. They would need to be placed in an order that reflected a sense of narrative.
For each image, we needed to provide a title.(The text helps to bridge the gap between a narrative that is solely in the artist’s mind and one presented in the photographic image.)
Elements that we were to consider as we approached constructing our photo essay about the island of Santorini:
• The shapes (lines/patterns/textures/layers)
• The colors (in architecture/clothing/graffiti, etc.)
• The food (culture/restaurants/traditions)
• The landscape (geographical features, cityscape, rural)
• The people (faces that inhabit the island/characters of the story)
• The soul of the island
• Quality of light (at different times of day/different locations/the shadows and the light)
• The illusion vs. the reality of Santorini (its beauty vs. its darkness)
Considering this all together, we needed to figure our the story we most wanted to tell about the island and our experience of it. We were asked to call on our imagination in combination with raw lived experience in order to tell a story that would draw in our viewers. Keeping in mind as we constructed our photo essay how to create a sense of narrative progression as well as consider how color crafts a sense of cohesion.
We were also asked to put to work all the different elements that we’ve been working with across the past month in order to construct a sense of narrative/to shoot cinematically with an eye toward capturing moments worth freezing for eternity: rule of thirds; framing; composition; point of view (various camera angles—above, below, from eye level, from the subjective point of view); perspective (spatial relationship between objects, depth of field--aperture, establishing shots, long shots, medium shots, close-up, macro, use of various lenses if possible); capturing action (use of shutter speed for correct exposures); quality of light (to shape atmosphere and sculpt subject); correct and creative use of white balance; use of color (to create emotional impact and tension).
Sounds kinda tough right? Well, it wasn't easy! That's for sure. I'm not even sure I did it right :( BUT, I will explain to you the story/theme that I tried to create; My experience here on the island that I wanted to share with you..
I choose to do a daily life type of photo essay. Why? Well, I've been "living" here for a month and it began to feel like a new home after a while. I wanted you to see my life here; the things that I saw, the things that made me feel at home, and the similarities between (my) life here and life an entire world away from here...I had a daily routine, (like I do back home), I encountered many of the same people every day, I woke up in the same bed, went to the same grocery store, spent my free time with my Santorini family; it became home for a while. I felt comfortable, safe, and part of a community. After a while, I wasn't just another tourist here for a vacation. People on the boardwalk recognized us, greeted us, and always asked how we were doing. (And how much time we had left!.) I think you get what I'm saying!
So, I start this photo essay with what I feel is a strong image..one that creates for you a new life and takes you through what could be a day, a week, or even a lifetime, at home; not just some beautiful vacation destination. As it closes, I hope that you get a sense of what life here in Greece is like; Probably very close to your day back in your home but also special in the same ways you find home special to you.
The last photo may seem a bit odd to you, but I felt that the older style, flannel, night wear could help you create a sense of age from the first photo to the last.
Just follow this link...
Hi Aimee :)
ReplyDeleteYou always provide such eloquent blog posts to go with your assignments. I really enjoy reading your thoughts! Your photo essay has a nice sense of theme. I like how you look at the parallels between daily life in Santorini as a refracted image of your life back home. Images such as "A Life of Work," Same Argument, Different Day," The Garden's Enemy," and "Afternoon Break" are especially evocative given your creative use of framing, color, and perspective as well as the invitation for the viewer to participate in the narrative as a result of your apt titles. Overall, good work on this project :)