The main objective of this project, “Photography as Documentation: Mapping Time and Space,” was to produce a photomontage or collage of a person, place, or thing that showed movement through time and space, and to grasp the concept of converting a three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional plane. This project also helped us manipulate one’s perspective by condensing, expanding, and modifying reality with the use of photography.
For this project, we were first assigned to find inspiration though photographers that used their talent to create a whole new view of the world. Such artists included David Hockney, Serge Mendjisky, and Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe. The three artists all provide different photography and collage methods. For example, David Hockney uses a tiling method in some of this work to describe movement through a short period of time. Serge Mendijisky cuts his photos into strips to bring together a collage to show space. Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe create seamless collages of landscapes, while adding in one photo from history of the same location to show change over an extended period of time. We were then assigned to find and photograph different locations while considering how we would like our final project to look. We then began shooting ideas for our collages. We were able to experiment with perspective, shape, and form. Out of these images, we created miniature collages using five to seven images. Before printing my photographs, I pieced them together on Adobe Illustrator to see what images and ideas were successful. I then printed out my desired images to cut out and tape together. During a classroom critique on our miniature collages, we were able to decide which ideas were most effective, so we could continue expanding that specific idea. We then went back to shooting at our locations to develop our ideas, keeping in mind on how to manipulate time and space. These images went towards another test college. However, instead of five to seven images, they would be made up of fifteen to twenty images. After another critique in class over these larger collages, we went to either reshoot our photos or refine our collage for the final product. The final product was made up of seventy-five images or more. I had my photographs developed with a matte finish. I organized my photos to form my collage. I temporarily taped them together, so the images could be easily adjusted. After I was happy with the placement of each photo, I glued them together. I mounted my final product on foam board.
“Photography as Documentation: Mapping Time and Space” helped me open up the box of photography. Photos aren’t just two-dimensional images, but much, much more. They are a piece of time, they hold space, and they create a new reality that no one has ever seen before. Each photograph holds meaning and importance. However, they may not hold truth. Like Errol Morris says in his video on photography, there is always a big elephant right outside the photographs frame. This project helped me understand the bigger picture on photography (no pun intended). It opened up my eyes to how I can manipulate images to create my very own world. This project gave me the power to expand space, and even slow down time to see movement. I had a feeling of control during this project, because I was able to alter these things. I liked the fact that our collage wasn’t supposed to be seamless, but was supposed to have some inconsistency to express movement. This project was not only enjoyable, but it also helped me gain a whole new impression on photography.
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