Photography 101 - Week 7 (FINAL)

Well, we are finally at the end...the very last assignment of my "fake" photography 101 class. I'm lucky that it is a fake class, because I've been so busy for the last two weeks, this assignment has sort of sat idle. I have been thinking about it really hard though.

Assignment: The surrealist aesthetic: composited and constructed realities

The reason I've thought so long and hard about this assignment, is because the professor asked the class to produce a surrealist image using an online image construction tool. My primary problem with that was...the link was dead. No tool. My second problem with it though was that it didn't have anything to do with photography! I didn't come here to learn art per se (already have a minor in Graphic Design). I didn't come here to learn how to make wacky images in photoshop either (I've already been doing that for YEARS!). I came here to learn photography!

Well, truth be told, I almost skipped this assignment. I even spent one evening looking for alternative assignments that were actual photography. But, eventually I came to the realization that if I'd actually taken the class, there'd be no getting out of doing the work...so I went ahead and did it. Sort of. Since the image construction tool was not available, I sort of had to wing it.

You have to systematically create confusion, it sets creativity free. Everything that is contradictory creates life. ::: Salvador Dali :::

"Surrealism is an artistic, cultural and intellectual movement oriented toward the liberation of the mind by emphasizing the critical and imaginative faculties of the "unconscious mind" and the attainment of a state different from, "more than", and ultimately "truer" than everyday reality: the "sur-real", or "more than real"

We were asked to look at the work of Dali, Magritte, and Man Ray as well as read a couple of articles on the surrealist movement and Man Ray specifically. So I did those things, then spent a couple of hours surfing for "surreal photography" on ye olde Goggle image search. I pretty much tortured myself trying to come up with ideas. I had some good ones that I just couldn't execute for one reason or another. (Don't really have the time or money to fill my bathtub with Barbies this month).

Another thing about this assignment, I didn't stick with the self-imposed rule I had about all original shooting. Like I said, I've been fantastically busy the last couple of weeks and on top of that...now I have a killer head cold. So, I've included some of my surreal pieces that I'd done before I even knew about this assignment. They are pretty recent works though, so I'm cutting myself some slack!

Okay, enough of this blathering...Let's go!

This assignment only called for one "best" with 6-10 additional. Here's what I think is my best...

What I like about this one is the apathetic look on the girl's face, the strong diagonal running through the composition, and the tension between the swirls in the lower half and the ripples in the upper half. It's got that dream-like, almost haunting feeling. Pretty proud of this one.

Here are the rest...

This is one I did for a friend about a month ago. One of the things I like the most about it is that even though the image is mostly white, bright and colorful, it's got a dark feel too it. Ominous. Yeah, one of my favorite images that I've created ever.


I think this is my next best one. I created the composite specifically for this assignment, although the photos were done earlier this year. I was shooting for a hopeful ecological image...almost a forest sprite sort of feel. Innocent eyes with hope for things that are green. I think I over saturated it a bit though. May have to revisit at some point.


Another one that I did for my friend's project back in August. The metal sculptural elements overlaid on the exam room scene really evoked a science fiction feel. Stark, clinical...and metallic. Yeah, I'm pretty pleased with this one.


I'm going to have to give Nikki and Shawn a lot of credit on this one. I sent them a rough concept and they art directed me toward this image. Not sure I would have gotten there without their input. Again, all my photography, but pulled up from the archives.


I want to believe! Okay, well, it's not my strongest, but I like the composition and it has a haunting, X-files feel.


Eh, it's okay. Not the most inspired work, but not too shabby either. I especially like the altered color palate I used on the leaves here.

So folks...that's it! My Photography 101 class is complete. I'm pretty happy with the results! In fact, I think I'll give myself a B+! Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback and pointers!! It really has helped me tremendously! I owe a couple of you some prints...I haven't forgotten.

Now...off to find my next course!