I’m starting to take notice of light a bit more now that I have four photography classes down. This week we had the first part of a workshop on lighting. I've seen some of the equipment involved and the amount of time and effort that goes into a well-lit photograph. It’s like two hours of setup before you even take your first photograph.
The magazine project hasn't quite captured my attention or interest yet. There’s interesting subject matter abound but it’s just not at the front of my mind. My partner Chris Turner and I have been working on cover concepts to help dictate the personality of the magazine.
The quick deadline of my illustration project has kept me nimble in my other classes. Compared to where I started on the project my pattern has evolved a ton and I'm happy with the outcome. On Thursday February 7 my instructor is having a gallery opening at Art Central with all the patterns made by my classmates and myself.
Opening postcard
The sushi project has been exciting. And research is fun and tasty. The class has really taught me how to present an idea clearly and quickly and that skill has applications outside of school too. I forget who said it or where I heard it but if something can't be explained in two or three sentences it's probably too complex. That's a pretty broad statement that could be disproven quite quickly but when it comes to communicating an idea quickly it seems to work.
“Research”
After class on Friday Brittany and I visited the Glenbow Museum to see Fred Herzog’s photography exhibit. I admired his use of colour in street photography and was amazed at how he isolated subjects from a cluttered background. And then there were some great lines used in the advertisements he photographed such as:
Time tunnel
Sacrifice price (this was a sign on a sledgehammer)
Special value
Best value
Pontiac: for the best of everything
7up your thirst away (imagine this line if it said Coke instead)
Army and navy: where the masses shop
Brittany admiring a photograph
Homework is starting to pile up and most of my hours have been dedicated to school. I can't deny I'm looking forward to the days when I can be lazy on a Sunday. But I still reflect on those words I heard at the start of the semester about this thing being a marathon. Keep running.