My Imitation of a Nan Goldin Picture

I tried to mimic the low orangey lighting that is typical of Nan's photographs. Jessica was not posed for this but I snapped the picture as she was shaking water out of her hair. This helped add to Goldin's snapshot style that I was trying to capture. I also added a vignette on the photo to center the focus on Jessica and to mimic the circular feel of the photo due to her hand position.

Nan Goldin Essay

Nan Goldin was an extremely influential photographer in the 1980’s. Her dead honest documentation of the underground New York counterculture made her a controversial but staple figure for the future of photography.  Her photos are much an autobiography, leaving the viewer to not only draw their own conclusions about them but to see an honest, fresh portrayal of her subjects.

Goldin’s photographs are a slideshow of her life. It’s much like her private journal because she photographs her surroundings and those close to her. Her photos are intimate and often sensual, but never smooth the rough edges of her subjects. This is why her photography is so interesting: she allows a fresh, low-key perspective of her subjects to be revealed. The first photo of a woman at a bar is Cookie Mueller, a long-time friend of hers. The scene is simple, and seemingly not posed. It is shot with available light from the bar, adding to low key, and hazy atmosphere of the photo. The thing that Nan really brings to this photograph is the expression on Cookie’s face. It’s the look you give someone that knows you, and who you trust. Someone you recognize. This photo lets us know Cookie, but from our own perspective. The less is more rule is omnipresent in her photography, letting her subjects shine. The more her photographs downplay, the more the viewer will be able to relate rather than estrange her subjects.

Nan doesn't do your thinking for you. Her photos embody the simplicity of life, but are not boring because nothing is reserved. She leaves loose ends for you to process. The picture of the lady in the mirror is an example of this. The mirror is filthy and the woman is looking away, seeming distracted and distant. Her hand is delicate and leads you to wonder where she is going and what she might be thinking about. What makeup is she fixing and why? This is what is different about Goldin’s photos. They bring a unique perspective to common subjects, but do not manipulate. You draw your own conclusions from the photos, and almost learn more about her than her subjects in the photos.

Nan’s photos are blatant snapshots of illicit drug use, death and violence and for this she was strongly criticized. However, she merely shed light on the shadows, corners and fringes that were always there, but just dismissed by mainstream culture. Nan’s subjects may if anything be understated in her photos. She portrays everyone just through her lenses, letting their own absurdity steal the show. For example, her picture of the two male drag queens is framed unremarkably and their expressions are open and relatable.

Overall, Nan’s photographs are a testament to her life and perspective, but do not use the camera as a tool to glamorize. The dead honesty and refusal to censor her photos evoke strong emotion from the viewers. However, they do not alienate viewers because they are relatable and show the similarities of being human despite lifestyle choice.

Silkscreen

Here is a picture of Sabrina wearing the giraffe sweater that I silkscreened. I chose to do giraffes because I took this picture at the zoo and thought it was really beautiful. It was ideal for silkscreening because we were supposed to do something using 2 different colours, and giraffes have distinct yellow and black markings. The shades in the picture did not vary too much, so when set with only 2 shades it was still very obvious what animal was on the sweater. I used the traditional colours of a giraffe because I wanted it to be very clear that this was the animal I was silkscreening. It was my first time and was not sure how well it was going to turn out. Thankfully, it turned out very well and I lined up the layers almost perfectly. I really love silkscreening  if I do it again, I think I will do a zebra or maybe a building.

Acrylic Gel Lift

I loved making acrylic gel lifts, so much that I actually made four, but I like this one the best. This is my acrylic gel lift of the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan. This was taken 5 years ago on a family vacation to Japan and Vietnam. This land belonged to a powerful statesman, and when he died a Buddhist temple was erected there by his son. During the Onin war, it was burnt down and rebuilt later. Many claim that it was built an exact replica, but historians doubt that the old one was plated in gold like this one is today. I chose this picture because I remember when we visited there, the whole scene looked just like a postcard. It was so exquisite it didn't even seem real. I wanted to capture that delicate beauty and I thought an acrylic lift would do that. Though it replicates the exact photo, it looks more dreamlike and ghostly, and a bit transparent. Like the temple itself was replicated, I replicated the photo but with a bit of embellishment.

Eucalyptus Oil Print

This is  a eucalyptus oil print that I made of a spider. I took this photo 5 years ago when we went to Vietnam on a family vacation. I chose to do this picture because I know that these prints bleed the ink a bit, and thought that a huge spider could take advantage of that by making it look even more furry and scary. After making the print, I wanted to add some emphasis to the top of the spider because it was quite light so I carefully watercoulored the real colours of the spider into some of the white spaces.I also added a bit of blue to it's legs and face. I think that adding the coulor was a really good way to separate the spider from the backround and define the different parts of it. I was not sure if the colour would even turn out, but when I saw how it turned out I was really pleased with it. 

Breaking the Rules

I took this picture because I was experimenting with different perspectives. People are used to seeing leaves and boots on the ground from  a bird's eye view, so I wanted to show them the way little insects see them: looming, ominous boots and huge leaves displaying every vein. My photo is interesting because it gives a fresh outlook on something ordinary. This is why the fact that it breaks the rules can be excused. It follows rule of thirds but is severely unbalanced. The boot on the right is much bigger and also more focused, and the same for the leaf. The picture is really heavy on the right side of it.

This is Becca showing off her new tattoo and all her belts. I like this picture because I made her hand the focus. Rather than showing off the blingy, detailed belts, it draws attention to a normally smooth, clear and boring surface of skin. You find yourself examining the lines and crevices in her fingers and the cut on her cuticle, which is something that would normally be ignored, especially with the tattoo and belts that could have easily been showcased. This breaks the rule of thirds and is als not balanced. The focus is on the thumb, which is near the middle of the photo, and the belts, though out of focus, tend to make the right side heavy. It is also heavy because the lines do not showcase the object of focus, but actually draw away from it a bit.

I decided to take the photo with the viewpoint from the top of Claire's head.  I like that this photo draws a lot of attention to her hair, and shows off the individual strands. The flyaways help draw your eye around the picture. It breaks rule thirds, and is also extremely off balance. It is much more heavy on the right side. The only thing that balances the head out is her blurry boots, but it is definitely not enough to make it equal.

Playing with Light

I took this photo by setting a camera up on a tripod with the lights off in the dark room. Then I set the shutter speed to 15 seconds and took a picture. Using a different camera, I set the flash off a couple of times to expose Justin's hands in different positions on the bass' neck. I like this photo because it is fun and interesting, but has an actual meaning. It's almost as if Justin is playing so quickly that your eyes can't keep up. The blue glow around his hands and bass strap looks is very bright, and is indicative of his passion for playing bass because he is literally lighting it up. I also like that this photo can convey that kind of emotion without showing his facial expression at all, because I rely heavily on them in most of my photos.