#aaron roe

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Narrative Photography Assignment--Recreating a Myth: Daedalus

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COWGIRL

Aaron Roe

This photo was taken at one my first paid family portrait sessions several years ago. It reminds me to look for unexpected angles. The family wanted me to get a shot of the girl’s boots and spurs. I composed the photograph in a manner that would express movement and lend itself to narrative. I used a triangular composition to convey movement. The girl is placed in the far left, and her heel closest to the viewer is lifted as she steps toward the lasso on the ground. I took advantage of the harsh sunlight and used her shadow to form a line to the lasso. The rope loops toward the viewer then trails off into the background. I increased the clarity and saturation in editing. I think the vignette is a little too heavy for my tastes now, so I would reduce it if I were editing it today. There are many photographers I admire, but I chose this photo to remind myself that I am capable of taking interesting photos.

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https://www.aaronroeart.com

Aaron Roe

CV Aaron Roe Born 1972, Fort Worth, Texas Education University of Texas at Dallas Exhibitions 2019 Upcoming: September 2019, Preserva

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Artist Statement for Final Project

In my collection of photographs, entitled Still, I have explored the versatility of still life photography. I approached the genre of still life photography by concentrating three ideas: the use of objects not typically used together in the still life, the implied narrative, and the altering of the object or image physically or in post-production.

Still lifes feature natural and manmade subjects. Though they commonly incorporate the use of dishes, utensils, tools, food and flowers, the subject matter is unlimited. Toy photography is growing in popularity, particularly among collectors. I chose to group objects to create intrigue, such as the silhouette of a stork in front of an illuminated old bottle. Narrative in the photographs was intentionally left ambiguous and unresolved. I created miniature landscapes for these scenes to take place. A female figure stands in a dark field of posts. The shadow of a red tricycle is cast by an unidentified lightsource. Many of the images are the result of manipulations physically and/or digitally. Many photographs were used in the creation of the photograph I call “The Storyteller.” First, a photo was taken of the old bottle illuminated by an LED lamp beneath it on the edge of a table. The planetary objects floating above were taken as a group, but individually to achieve sharp focus. These are wood balls suspended with wire and thread. After having photographed these with individual focal points, I made a composite and removed the thread in Photoshop with the cloning tool. I then selected, copied, pasted and rotated the balls above the bottle. I later decide to include the cowboy figure, so I used Photoshop to add him and the rippled reflection in.

One of my favorite photographs is “Sunday Painter.” I like the tones and different textures. Unlike other still life photographs in the collection, I chose to include my hand. This photograph is a composite of two. I took one with my hand holding the knife and one without. I then remove the area behind the frame where my arm was visible. It was really a quite simple trick, and I’m not pretending otherwise. It achieved the concept I was after. In a related photograph, I altered a pear by sticking a branch into it to create a subtle effect in the manner of Rene Magritte.

I drew inspiration from multiple artists: Man Ray in his transformation of ordinary objects into objets d’art; Rene Magritte in his presentation of surrealist scenes as perfectly normal occurrences; and Laurie Simmons for her photographs of miniature interiors and “walking objects”.

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I’m working on the theme for my final project, which is going in the direction of surreal scenes. I don’t know if this will make it to the final cut.

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Midterm Project Conclusion

My “Possessions” photography project was a good exercise in focusing on a particular theme. I got 20 followers within this short timeframe. The closeup photo of the Atari 2600 system got 11 likes, the most likes of all my posts. I believe this had to do with the numerous tags I attached to it: video games, Atari, retro, antique, dof, B&W. Some of the likes were obviously bots and people wanting me to follow them back.

I will likely continue this project because it provides subjects to practice different lighting and staging techniques.

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“Words for the Wind”

2007

collage

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“The Thief”

2007

charcoal