Art From Scratch

Spoken word poet, occasional singer, and full time Photography and Art student at Laguardia Community College. I have been tasked with conveying my photographic journey through various assignments. Throughout this platform I hope to show my artistic mediums while showcasing positive art forms broadening my networking skills.

[callmechelecian]

[callmechelecian]

These are my final pic for my portfolio for my intermediate photography class. I reshot my natural lighting photos and my these are my edited contrast photos.

[nidisthoughts]

image into words —

with each day that passes

i feel myself losing

more and more of myself,

to this

t

h

i

n

g

that was

never mine

to begin with

[callmechelecian]

This picture although interpreted differently by my classmate, sets almost the same tone as my own interpretation. The difference in our interpretation of this image lies not only within the structure but also within the concluding message/thoughts. While I explored the gloominess of this picture and ended on a lighter message, I noticed that my classmate continued with the tone she started with. It makes me wonder what came to mind as she wrote her poem. During my writing process I pictured myself as the subject, rising for work on a cloudy/rainy day; I pictured myself wondering if the job was worth it. While placing myself in the moment of the picture I thought about what I would say to myself and how I once normally went about a work day. Through these thought process I constructed my poem.

[callmechelecian]

To feel, rather than hear,

Speak more than you can listen .

But your time is life.

Spend it Wisely - Haiku Poem by: Chelecian G

[callmechelecian]

Who are you?

I know your name, but who are you?

Same question different day.

Crafted with greatness,

A flower ready to bloom, lurking in the shadows of the fading moon.

You reached for the light,

Rising by faith, readying to fight,

You stalk this prey called life.

Another night, turns to day

Goodnight moonlight, Hello Sunshine.

Arise.- Poem: by Chelecian G.

[callmechelecian]

Assignment 2 : Contrast control/Natural landscape The Wood, Water, Stone, Fauna requires that you photograph 4 different natural subjects at 3 different levels of contrast, high, medium and low.

Notes/Experience

Feeling uninspired in my environment as I took on my next assignment for school, I decided to venture a little ways from home to hopefully reignite my passion for photography...well it was more the need to complete the assignment requirements; but that’s besides the point. I decided to stay in the city. Manhattan was far enough from my rather dullsville neighborhood but close enough to small attraction and scenery . The change of environment within the comfort of my own home.. That’s New York Baby!

I took pictures of the sunrise and the sunsets from my hotel room and then the next day went to the Central Park oo. Side note: I almost got attacked trying to photograph a bird; NEVER leave your flash on in a safari like habitat (lol).

I took maybe 600 photos that I narrowed down to 40. From those 40 pictures, I chose the 5 pictures I felt were diverse in content, met the assignment requirement, and what I thought to be shot in low, medium, and high levels of contrast.

Upon my first critique, I received notes and feedback from my peers and my Professor. I decided to re-edit the photos, but I wanted to make a side by side comparison to see which version stands out the most or is most preferred. On the left are the photos taken with my previous edits(minimal retouch) and on the right are the pictures re-edited.

Repost/Comment which version you prefer! All Constructive Criticism Welomed!

[callmechelecian]

[callmechelecian]

http://www.vivianmaier.com/about-vivian-maier/

About Vivian Maier | Vivian Maier Photographer

Information about the Photographer Vivian Maier, a person who fit the stereotypical European sensibilities of an independent liberated woman

“A free spirit but also a proud soul, Vivian became poor and was ultimately saved by three of the children she had nannied earlier in her life. Fondly remembering Maier as a second mother, they pooled together to pay for an apartment and took the best of care for her. Unbeknownst to them, one of Vivian’s storage lockers was auctioned off due to delinquent payments. In those storage lockers lay the massive hoard of negatives Maier secretly stashed throughout her lifetime.

Maier’s massive body of work would come to light when in 2007 her work was discovered at a local thrift auction house on Chicago’s Northwest Side. From there, it would eventually impact the world over and change the life of the man who championed her work and brought it to the public eye, John Maloof.

Currently, Vivian Maier’s body of work is being archived and cataloged for the enjoyment of others and for future generations. John Maloof is at the core of this project after reconstructing most of the archive, having been previously dispersed to the various buyers attending that auction. Now, with roughly 90% of her archive reconstructed, Vivian’s work is part of a renaissance in interest in the art of Street Photography.”

Maier’s photography is effortless yet thought provoking. Many of her photos look like Candids and I often look through her portfolios and wonder about the date and time that she lived in. How did she come to capture the photos? How did she approach these people at random.There are so many rich historic details that are left in her portfolios and a few of my favorites are in her self portraits.

For my personal project I will be doing a self portrait theme based off the late Vivian Maier. I plan to find various locations and attempt to take a clear self portrait while also capturing another perspective in the background. The dual imagery within a single picture reminds me of a collage. I just love how Maier is able to capture herself in surroundings!

For the next six weeks my plan is to attempt self portraits using my camera timer, my tripod, and my surrounding.

[callmechelecian]

Clyde Butcher is a well known landscape photographer as well as an environmental conservation advocate. He is a master developer and his wisdom of film development is shown in this short demo. I find it so intriguing the way Butcher speakes about the developing process. I find it even more fascinating watching him use such a late model camera and then realizing that such a camera was once considered modern at the time of its invention. It would be such an experience to work with this model and develop a large print of my own

Through this video, Butcher continues to further teach his audience how he mastered developing large format films. Butchers simplistic explainations of each step of the developing process along with his demo has helped me gain further understanding on developing film in general. It also inspires me to one day develop my own film.

Notes from the video

Developer: Creates the negative onto white paper

Stop: An acid that Neutralizes the developer and stops the film from coming out too black

Fix: Gets rid of the excess silver.

Second Fix: Makes sure that the that the excess silver is completey gone

Sledding Tonining : Replaces silver with silinium for archival preservation , making the picture permanent whilst making the blacks rich and that much more eye catching.

Use separate trays for each process, and be very definitive with your movements during the developing procedure. There are many mistakes that can happen but as long as you understand what your doing you can master this process.

“All it takes is four years experience.., if your gonna do it right”

-Clyde Butcher

[callmechelecian]

One of the photos from my natural lighting assignments. This photo of best friend is not only bold, eye catching, and empowering but it is a regular tone which she embraces on her social media. I regularly take photos of her where she fiercely emphasizes every curve in her body. Most photos and minor photo shoots I take are for social media platforms and in a way, they are my specialty. They are raw, in the moment, and quick. I love capturing pictures where people can express themselves freely and feel confident sharing them with others!

[callmechelecian]

Strong knees is a must in this field... that or a foldable chair, lol. Shooting pictures for me has changed drastically in the span of a year. Last year many of my pictures were taken on my old trusty iPhone. Now I’m learning and mastering an actual camera. Everyday I learn, and develop; taking and mastering all my failures one click at a time.

[callmechelecian]

As the summer comes to the end what are some of the memories you have of this summer? This stressful year has been challenging to say the least but thinking back, this year has also taught me so much. Many times over the year I have found myself reflecting in a state of gratitude. What are some of the things you are grateful for.

[callmechelecian]

I overheard a Photographer once say that taking pictures of children are some of the hardest pictures to take. My beautiful, adventurous, and highly rebellious god-daughter proved that statement true during her mini birthday shoot. I’m just glad I could capture one decent picture of my god daughter on her birthday. 

[callmechelecian]

In every heart; there is a good, a bad, and a piece missing

Chelecian .G

[callmechelecian]

“I never have taken a picture I've intended. They're always better or worse.” -Diane Arbus

For class we were asked to choose a quote and respond to the quote with our thoughts. Arbus, an accomplished photographer, made the quote above and it spoke to my photographic process. Most of the time, when I take pictures they are like science experiments and I am my toughest critic. I find that the pictures I love the most are Candid’s. Many of the Candid pictures I’ve captured are almost 100% unplanned and the challenge of capturing those moments are make for a huge accomplishment. To seize the best of a persons everyday motions and/or movements are the picture I find most rewarding; many times those pictures are better or worse.