Chlorofemina, Loup Garou. Louviere and Vanessa 1999
- Use of scale immediately drew my attention
- Subject is made of human parts but has a monstrous, scary quality to it that makes it familiar but uncomfortable
- The enlargement of the leaves on the ground is done extremely well – somehow blends seamlessly with the figure and foreground
- Size of the bird is normal but still seems abstracted when you look at the entire photograph
- The main background makes me wonder if those were also montaged or if it was one photo in the back because of how natural it looks
The Espolón, from the Ciudad Gálvez series, Oscar guzman, 2005-2006
- The lighting and direction of movement in this piece is compelling because it is a bit intriguing. It looks as if it shouldn’t be possible but also makes sense since the photo gives off a dream sequence sort of environment
- The building structure is an extremely unique one and makes me wonder what context it has in the real world in the first place
- The lines on the right of the building looks like a structure but them continuing the building looks like a shadow – I wonder what this is in real life as well.
Nov 8th:
I wrote down some notes today on possible directions I could take my montage in. My immediate thought was of Lehigh’s architecture on campus and how the gothic style buildings would all flow together elegantly in a montage. I also had the idea that photos from my trip home to Florida could be nice because of the contrast of subjects, panoramas and color temperatures compared to previous projects this year which have all taken place in the fall/winter of the northeast. I’m not sure how this would work with my timeline so I will probably start with the campus direction first.
Nov 15th: Mind map of initial ideas in sketchbook
Nov 21st:
Around my neighborhoods there are a lot of interesting entrances – both private and public- to beaches as well as places to sit and overlook the views. They are all similar but also unique in small ways. I want to see if I can combine a bunch of pieces from different communities around me into a montage that fits all together in a town like aspect.
Nov 25th:
I like the idea of using the contrast of environments with each other in one piece. I photographed a lot of beach and ocean views as well as subjects in this area, and then captured some great greenery and plant life as well. I also want to make sure that I place some objects that are common things I use or come across in my life when I am in Florida – such as bikes, flip flops, birds at the beach, signs on my local walks.
David Hockney, Pearblossom Hwy. 11–18th April (Second Version), 1986. Photocollage – 71 x 107 in. Courtesy David Hockney Foundation (c)
I found this piece when researching artist’s montages and it reminded me of my approach of wanting to include artists I would usually find along the paths I photographed. I liked that this montage did exactly that even thought all of these signs and objects on the side of the road were most likely not in this close of positions to each other in real life.
Nov 27th:
Right now I’m arranging all the beach entrances – which usually look at the same view- behind one another, extending the path that is usually down one flight of stairs or walkway, into a multiple part path, pushing the ocean a bit further away than normal. I am having a lot of trouble with the greenery portion of this piece and making it cohesive with the ocean and beach portion. I think from here I will just try and make it a bit abstract in the way that there is more than one ground plane but all leading to the same background of the ocean.
Here are some alternate versions of my montage mid-editing
Nov 30th:
As most of my montage consists of layer masks and deletions, I tried to add in more specific layer work with drop and cast shadows. I also worked for a long time on the ocean of the piece because it is combining to different hues of the water from separate shots. I also did the same with the clouds in the sky.
Dec 2nd:
I am happy with my final edit of this montage; it is heavy on the bottom and open on the top portion, but it also represents how I feel that I see these sights in real life which I appreciate. The sky is so open at the beach and if you think about it, the ground in front of me there only takes up 20% of the view, so I don’t mind that my montage is layered in this way. I really like how I placed the sign and bicycled in this piece as I think they make perfect sense where they were when they were never in either of those places in real life.
Overall concept and approach:
My concept for this piece is to bring the views that I am so used to at home to life in a much different way. As I explained throughout my journal, a lot of these pictures are in similar or very close location but from different viewpoints and perspectives. Most layers on the left side of the piece represent this well – such as the front wooden stairway, the beach walkout pier, rocks, family sitting and the ocean. The layers on the right side of this piece are much different locations and were a way to bring in the greener side of Florida that people don’t usually think about. There are many unique and native plants that I wanted to showcase in this piece, but in a way that presents them in a less natural state. With this, my approach isn’t exactly realistic, but an abstract form of realism. I wanted to present all these layers in an organized matter in terms of where they usually sit in real life, while also sizing them in an intriguing and playful way. One that seems natural while also allowing the eye to see that some things aren’t exactly “right” here.