So I've left a few cameras around the traps lately with my usual note, but have only just had a chance to scan everything in today, I wont upload it all at once but I wanted to get this one up as it was left at a Mexican restaurant called El'Sol during a friends premiere of their surf flick "____"There were a bunch of local hooligans around and it was a fun night had by all and as always there were 1 or two shots that i really dug.... but a lot were just your run of the mill happy snap, which totally bums me out, well its a double edged sword... You see i LOVE that people are getting into it and taking photos but I'm not to keen on the standard smiley shot that you'd take and delete 1000 times over on your digital camera...
some shots didn't even turn out because people are so lazy now the think the flash will turn on automatically if you need it... they forget that's not the case with lo-fi photography, you have to judge the lighting and make that decision for yourself, which is one of the things i love most about shooting lo-fi film....which also makes way for one of the bigger disapointments when half your roll comes back black :(
I leave disposable cameras around to remind people how fun it is to give a composition a little thought, put some creative effort into a image instead of treating a shot, any shot like a bunch of nothing pixels you can manipulate and delete.... I want to see bold shapes, random objects and compositions, in saying that I'd hate to discourage shots of the aformentioned smiling faces, but Id like to see a bit of character and energy injected into those faces, much like the dudes above.... now they look like they are getting into it!
Im thinking the three shots above are the best for various reasons but dont take my word for it - To see the rest of the results click here or if you would like to know more about the project itself then i'd click here instead.
Read my note... if you have any suggestions on how i can get people to be more creative with their images please let me know!
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When I was teaching photography on community-based projects, to avoid the type of images you mention, the only rules ('rules' is perhaps too excessive - they could be broken, just used as a guide, which they usually were) were: no smiling and not to take only staged images - observed portraits were encouraged. A list of rules would have to be rather brief in this case though!
ReplyDeletegreat ideas sean, but that is indeed my trouble, i find my noe is perhaps too long already. maybe a should go a little more visual and just stick up 2 shots that get the thumbs up and 2 "dont do this" shots instead... you know.... a pictures worth 1000 words etc etc :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe just be blunt.
ReplyDeleteSay:
Use the fucking flash if its dark.
or
THIS IS A FILM CAMERA. I DONT WANT A BRING PICTURE OF YOUR SMILING MUG. DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE FOR ONCE. THINK!
You know...
haha! not a bad suggestion :)
ReplyDelete