Assignment 4

Grade:
95/100 after hearing what others say about my second series.


Assignment 4
Some thoughts…

My computer was giving me problems, have no either if it is the blogspot problem or internet connection, I couldn’t log in to my blogspot for the past few days, Mr Reddy forgive me =)
First of all, for the Kampong Glam series, it was inspired this picture from PhotoVideo (magazine), it shows a old shop house with a new architecture as the backdrop, so I decided to head down to Kampong Glam to get some real nice pictures. Unlike some of the others themes and concepts, mine change series is more about depicting a story about a change, rather than showing same subject matters in all the photos. I think so far from what I can remember Mike and I use this concept (using a series of photos to form a change) er.. am I right Mike?
Mr Reddy has his point about without my explanation, people probably won’t understand what I am trying to portray. And in the photo essay should allow room for the viewers to connect to our photos. Yet at the same time I should not tell the viewer uprightly what I am telling them. Hmm this sounds tricky doesn’t it? Well, this is really subjective.

Grading my works

Ok I guess I wanna give myself full marks for my story and concept, at least I have Mike to agree that he love how the story folds together with the tombstone photos. Maybe at 7/10 for how I link the story and making sense to the audience.

For my second series, I wanna give more thumbs up, 9/10 for overall concept, creativity and techniques. It was great fun playing with my duo tones photos and colored ones. One of my challenges is really the lightings and weather, how sometimes there is this great object to take, but the lighting is not great and the photos will appear blur, and by adjusting higher ISO will mean developing more noise in the photos. Another challenge is taking photos of old people or rather people as a whole, I think I should try to dress like tourist so they will be more willing to let me take photos =p.

One of the memorable happenings, was when I was trying to take a picture of this old man in wheel chair, half hidden behind a shop, he refused to let me take a photo of him, every time I try to snap, he will turn his head away, and when I finally managed to snap a picture, the picture wasn’t clear enough and I am left feeling damn guilty about it. Another one was the picture with the trishaw man, this nice Malay uncle suddenly appear while I was taking a picture of his lovely, instead of stopping me, he started to tell me how old his trishaw. I replied “Good, good the older the better!” So I told him this is for my school assignment and he happily posed for me. He is so proud of his trishaw!

Others’ works

I love Ivy’s work- I am giving her 10/10 for her concept and creativity, 7/10 for the techniques (aiya cos ur photos blur). I like how she linked the photos with a poem. This photos also speak out a lot to me, cos I use to do all the painting stuff back in my arty farty JC days and I am still painting now. Initially as a painter, we are bounded by rules of what is a good painting, nice rendering and blending etc, we have master still-life sketching and all that. We do that to pass our art exams because the definition of what is good art is ABC, so we better keep to that, not that we don’t anything creative, but we make sure in our conceptualizing works we show the markers we know how to paint and draw damn well. When we are not bounded by all these, we start to explore and try all sorts of things. The older generation you seen in Ivy’s works, there are bounded by the impressionist influences. The dabs of paint and bold stroke, become their signatures. They are accomplished artist. I think when my generation of artist grow old we will have our own signatures.

Michelle – I love her construction works, the old with rows of red chairs at the foreground. Nice composition!

Paul – I saw the ones exhibited in CNM office, I think Mr Reddy mix the old people and ur back alley series, I thought that was a great combination. Adding more humane and live to your series. HAha I noe Paul was struggling to not stay in his comfort zone, you have found a new style- Old people! They are great for B&W!

Yikang- I love the last 3 photos in the series, esp the last one. They have more depth and contrast than the previous photos. The 8R size one looks nicer, check our CNM office.

Suggestion to Class

I think it is time for CNM department to start a campaign to raise funds for our photo developing and cost of buying our mounting boards =p I was really wondering if there is chances that Mr Reddy could invite some guest lecturers like Russel Wong!