Building upon your ever growing knowledge of a "visual vocabulary", design an image which evokes a mood of mystery, ambiguity, uncertainty, threatening, or maybe just weird. The image can be either serious or humorous.
1. More than anything else, this project is to encourage exploration and imaginative examination of familiar situations. To develop a sense of the "photographic" vision. Through the guise of making something out of nothing, it is hoped that the creative and imaginative efforts will be pushed and expanded to more sophisticated and individualistic levels. Take a few chances, explore many ideas, try to make a "breakthrough" in your imagery. Breakthrough is often used to refer to a point in one's learning at which the imagery depends less on previously established symbols or cliches, and becomes new, unique, and individualistic.2. Even before you begin to take pictures, make concentrated observations of things, places, events, and anything else you see everyday. Look to see what types of ideas are suggested to you by what you see. What do you think of when you see whatever? How did what you saw make you think of what you thought? Sounds tricky, but it's just thinking about thinking. What and how do certain visual images stimulate and initiate thoughts and associations?
3. In order to make this project interesting, it is suggested that a "free-associations" type of mental attitude be used to help create the imagery. Let the ideas be generated with spontaneity and without regard to previously held conceptions of correctness or "rules". Only when you have come upon an idea that strongly appeals to you, should you start to think about technical problems. The ideas are the most important aspect of an image. The techniques and processes are only important to the extent of how well the ideas are conveyed. If the idea is well conceived and clearly understood, the technical compromises and details become far easier to decide. One can make appropriate judgments based upon whether a technique, visual element, or other aspects of an image should be pursued or forgotten by what value these aspects have in communicating your ideas. In other words, can you do without it and still have the same ideas; or, will the inclusion of the techniques distract and change the perception of your ideas?
4. Some of the most effective types of images are those which concern themselves with very common and simple subjects. The visual effects are relatively simple and straight forward. The effectiveness of the presentation is not so much the actual technique, but the application of unexpected and uncommon associations. Thus the use of different exposures, camera position, camera motion, control of depth of field, control of focus (or out-of-focus), and other simple photographic techniques can provide for very powerful tools to establish moods when applied to essentially mundane common everyday types of subjects. Through the use of the time of day, environment and surrounding objects, and various photographic techniques, develop an image that produces feelings of strangeness, uncertainty, mystery, or other uneasy or unsettled emotional moods.
Example: A doorway may be made to look "mysterious" if it is partly opened and there is nothing to be seen beyond the door. The space beyond can be either very dark or very bright; each giving a different type of uncertainty. Also, the color and texture of the door, walls, and other areas can have very significant influences on the perceptions presented. Inclusion of apparently unexplainable or unexpected circumstances and articles can make for some very interesting images. Shadows, lights, images or things from another time and place, a dead cat, a smashed banana, whatever; are just a few things you might consider as helping support your concepts.5. Don't be inhibited by failure. This is a project where effort expended can make the grade. Try to extend yourself, experiment, and mostly have fun.
6. Submit at least two presentable prints for grading. You may show up to five prints in class. If things don't go well, include other prints so some kind of conclusions about your concepts and procedures can be made. As always, observe your limitations of time, resources, and energy. Develop a sense of proportion as to what you what to do and what can realistically be achieved.