Exercise 2 Flick through a photo album – yours or someone else’s. Pick out any photos that you consider to be artistic. In your learning log, note down what it is about these particular images that makes them more like artworks than some of the others. Is it because they capture a particular moment or event that you’ll never be able to re-create, for example? Is it the background, the light, or the effort that you know went into taking it?
After a thorough scroll down in my archives, trying to decide which pictures to pick for this exercise, I have decided to use pictures that mean a lot to me and my family: they are either artistic, unrepeatable or they just capture a special moment.
Ready for school; it was my son’s very first day, and the trousers are long. His face expression says it all.My daughter was just born. This is their first photo together along with my happy wife. I love their expression! everybody is reacting in a different way.I love the vivid colours of that particular photo! Again, my daughter looks curious,were my son proudly holding his sister and is staring at his mum.Our first selfie together. I love our facial expressions.It is very interesting how the sun light is ”embellishing” this photo. Her Christening day. A very common picture that is in almost every Greek house. Everybody is enjoying their time together except my daughter!My son is pushing my daughter’s swing. I like how their shade looks on the grass.A unique moment for us. My father, my late mother, my sister, and myself. Happy days before her vicious disease.Our first summer holidays in the island of Crete. On a boat enjoying the breeze.family selfie on the boat.I love my son’s expression in this one! Love the colours, love the frame.
Looking back again at my photos, I can’t really justify their artistic competence. But they are special to me and to complement the brief, the idea of my children and family members being younger and posing for a photo, is enough for me to be characterized as special and unique. My children are a lot older now. So going through all the photos, is like having a glimpse of the past. These photos are my family’s treasure now.
If you wish, go out and take some shots in your local neighborhood. Take some that are purely ‘utilitarian’ – to show someone who lives elsewhere what your town center looks like, for example. Now try and produce something more‘arty’. What did you do differently? Show your images to a friend or family member and ask them to comment. What adjectives did they use?If they said ‘arty’ or ‘artistic’ were they referring to the ‘right’ images? Reflect on this exercise in your learning log.
Human activity: the traffic lights create an illusion, where the fence is creating a perspective.Human activity: I’ve made this one as monochrome. I find interesting of how the cement looks as well as the silver car. The parking space live gives a sense of perspective again.I have experimented with filters in both of them photos. The outcome is quite interesting. The top one is more dramatic wheres the bottom one looks bleached, clean.Over the fence…Humans driving by getting on with their lives and the lens is an observer capturing moments.I liked how these trees are standing opposite the railings. Its like they observing another world. In between, humans come and go. It is interesting how all these old window frames are stacked together. They are ready to be disposed;they served their purpose and they will be history soon.I love how the clouds are creating a cocoon around the area. Cars are passing by ignoring the sight. Sometimes that’s the photographer’s purpose. To capture such wonders and bring them to the public.
Reviewing the outcome, I find that this a was very interesting exercise. Working with the lens you can have very interesting findings. You can capture moments you could never think of. Moments that make you feel can make you dream or wonder. That’s the charming part of photography. You don’t create. You capture.
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