im really trying to figure out how to process the questions i have for the black and white final. i know that answers will be given to me while i shoot. i just know that this project has potential to be as awesome as i want it to be. so the things that i've started changing this time around.
i want to give choice back to my subject:
in the first set of images i told the subject where to stand and how to dress. this took away all control from them and forced them to be completely vulnerable. when i started shooting today i decided to allow them to have some choice back. they could decide whether they stood up or sat down on their bed. i've also been thinking about allowing them to wear extremely tight fitting clothes and all in the same color.
the questions:
i think i need to come up with a set of questions to ask each person. the problem is that i automatically think of this whole project in a book form. so i kind of want to create the questions as if they're introducing a chapter... i think that the theme's i want to group the images in are your own perception of your body, societies influence in your idea of your body, and i'm not sure what else yet. i think that the questions are a really important part of the images. or are they? i'm pretty sure they are but then again do i want to direct someone's interpretation that much?
problems with the last set:
not enough left open ended? i'm beginning to see that this is a definite thing. i told people what to look for when looking at the images therefore taking away the possible questions a viewer should have when looking at them. this isnt what i want at all, of course. so now my duty is to bring back the questions into the images.
i guess i need to keep shooting and ask more questions.
I think if you want to address the whole "not enough left open ended?" question... well maybe you shouldn't tie your project so tightly to just body image... maybe have a set of different questions (body image should be one of them, death, etc, really anything super personal)... I mean your photographing each subject in their room, so they will be comfortable (their sharing a very personal part of themselves by letting you in in the first place)... Like I said in studio, facial expressions are very telling, I guess you could ask a different personal question to every one you photograph and then record how they deal answering it (i'm sure you would have a range of emotions) ... and then you could title each image with a word or two revealing what sort of question/concept their addressing, this would give the viewer context on why the subject looks the way they do etc etc. This might solve the whole "what they wear" problem/dilemma as well because each person should look unique, for each are faced with answering a different question... like get into those uncomfortable silences, force everyone to answer, you say i'm asking you this and it can develop into a convo but we will sit here in silence for 30 min at least even if you refuse to answer the question. I'm rambling now, just threw my cents in, let me know if you want me to reexplain myself face to face, might be easier to understand hehehh heh
ReplyDeleteanother idea...
ReplyDeleteThe interview part is really important, however, when you presented last semester, us viewers didn't even know you talked to your subjects until you said so. You could record everyone's answers on your laptop or a cassette tape, this would allow you to revisit each session and then in turn you could use quotes from the interviews as descriptors for the images.
I think you should keep the overall theme constant (body image), its something your very passionate about, so in my opinion I don't think you need to make it broader, stick with your gut. Maybe rework the questioning part and even the whole clothes on or clothes off thing (like I said before, I'm not sure if its necessary to have people in their underwear, I really think it will be apparent by their facial expressions and what they say).
Oh and I was thinking, it might be nice to throw in two more constants - 1) have everyone sit/stand in a similar area of their rooms. It would be cool if say you had everyone sit on their beds and 2) maybe keep the cropping/framing of each subject similar (I guess I'm kind of thinking about our group project last semester, having more controls might be helpful in really getting your point across especially if you decide to leave clothes on).
Well lord the ideas are really endless, your on to something great!
bahhh I LOVE YOU
ReplyDeletei was actually thinking about recording their answers and finding a way to play them with the images. but i really like the idea of a quote accompanying them. i think giving them the option to sit or stand also shows a little bit more how confident each person really is. it's also about the way they're standing and sitting, hunched in or sitting straight up. i think that could add something really interesting to the images.
again it's all about movements and expressions. and giving them some sense of control back would be a way to get all kinds of different reactions. because when questioning them i will be taking the control away again.
yeah man sounds great!
ReplyDelete