To Do, or Not To Do, That Is The Question ~ Elaine

JohnKokWithAdSLR

This is Elaine

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Artistically Scientific Side of Things

As an artist, my work is about expressing a person’s character using impressions generated from photos and words and piecing them together to form a bigger picture.

Rather than on a per-picture basis, kindly consider my work through an overall point of view.

I am sorry that in the past the presentation of my work may have caused a lot of confusion, so I have decided to try another new way of presenting my work

I would be grateful for any feedback at all as they are valuable for my experiment’s progress. Thank you ;-)



My full work on Elaine is composed of 30 + photos, should you have an interest, please visit my full work on Elaine here

I would really appreciate it if you can let your thoughts be known to me in this thread after you have seen my work

JohnKokWithAdSLR

Experimental Concept

My artwork is about combining all of the impressions from of all of the photos of the model. In every set I have more than 30 photos, all displayed in a specific format arranged to simulate the layout of a Triptych but modified to for website publish

Another example can be those of Egyptian wall art


Other words you must consider all of these photos plus the words in my article about the model for it to work. Its sort of like a macro scale kind of thing.

My experiment is about being able to accurately express a person using this means.


Approach

I capture my subjects exactly as they are despite what she says about herself and what she does in the pictures

I minimize my influence and bias in the subject by providing minimal direction and art guidance, hence minimizing influence contamination.

Everything in the photos, everything in each word and sentence belongs to the subject and none of mine.

All of this raw data is completely up to the audience to process and interpret to their heart’s content =D

Telling me your interpretation will definitely help me a lot ! So please do

As for the background and place i choose, this sort of captures an element of fate to my work. Its like it is fate that we have to shoot at this place at this particular moment ( i hope i am making sense )

Sam

I don't see deep thinking multi-layered thought provoking imagery that shows anything but a cute little girl.

Am image should stand on it's own without words. To show a part of who a person is with photography is doable. One thought that comes to mind is an environmental portrait with your subject involved in his or job, hobby, life, etc.

Lets say your cute little girl enjoys creating pottery. You could take a photo with her hands full of clay working on a potters wheel. Well done with creative lighting in say an artists work shop will provide a nice image to view as well as a little peek into who she is.

Sam

Mitchell

I'm no artiste, so I can't really comment on what you are trying to achieve in your presentation.

I can say that there are some nice photos of a pretty good model. You've captured some nice expressions. The one thing that stands out to me in your photos is that many of your backgrounds are slightly overexposed. This may be your "style", but I find it a bit distracting and would prefer the backgrounds be taken down about 1/2 a stop.

Molotov Everything

This is the third thread I've seen by you with the same artistic experiment explanation. All three were shoots of a pretty girl striking poses in a park, which really doesn't strike me as experimental. Most of the pictures are pretty good but this claptrap about revealing the subject as they truly are, I'm not buying. To really fully capture someone as they are with no influence would mean following her around all day without her knowing, like espionage. The second you stand directly in front of someone pointing a camera at them for a photo shoot they are no longer uninfluenced.
Seems like it would be better suited to really play up what about these girls is unique or interesting about them in terms of their lifestyle, hobbies, etc.

jonh68

Molotov Everything wrote: »

This is the third thread I've seen by you with the same artistic experiment explanation. All three were shoots of a pretty girl striking poses in a park, which really doesn't strike me as experimental. Most of the pictures are pretty good but this claptrap about revealing the subject as they truly are, I'm not buying. To really fully capture someone as they are with no influence would mean following her around all day without her knowing, like espionage. The second you stand directly in front of someone pointing a camera at them for a photo shoot they are no longer uninfluenced.
Seems like it would be better suited to really play up what about these girls is unique or interesting about them in terms of their lifestyle, hobbies, etc.

+1

This is becoming more of a pretentious exercise. There is nothing here that hasn't already been done before. This sounds harsh, but you are presenting yourself as doing something unique or experimentive and it isn't.

Dreadnote

Sam wrote: »

I don't see deep thinking multi-layered thought provoking imagery that shows anything but a cute little girl.

Am image should stand on it's own without words. To show a part of who a person is with photography is doable. One thought that comes to mind is an environmental portrait with your subject involved in his or job, hobby, life, etc.

Lets say your cute little girl enjoys creating pottery. You could take a photo with her hands full of clay working on a potters wheel. Well done with creative lighting in say an artists work shop will provide a nice image to view as well as a little peek into who she is.

Sam

+1

If you have to explain it, then it doesn't work. The old adage says "a picture is worth a thousand words", you shouldn't need a thousand words to explain the picture.

briandelion

If the picture can't speak for itself then what's the point in taking it in the first place?

cornishpete

That seems a bit over-simplistic briandelion. These images presumably speak very clearly to JonKock.... and most of them speak to me on several levels. That he attempts to explain the raison d'etre in making them, whether one agrees with his thinking or not is surely the limitation of our own imagination not his if we cannot understand them.

Sam

cornishpete wrote: »

That seems a bit over-simplistic briandelion. These images presumably speak very clearly to JonKock.... and most of them speak to me on several levels. That he attempts to explain the raison d'etre in making them, whether one agrees with his thinking or not is surely the limitation of our own imagination not his if we cannot understand them.

The OP asked for opinions and thoughts.......he got them.

Sam

Macushla

They seem like snaps taken in the park. If there is anything more there I don't see it.

jonh68

cornishpete wrote: »

That seems a bit over-simplistic briandelion. These images presumably speak very clearly to JonKock.... and most of them speak to me on several levels. That he attempts to explain the raison d'etre in making them, whether one agrees with his thinking or not is surely the limitation of our own imagination not his if we cannot understand them.

The point is not understanding the project. The critique is pretending like this is ground breaking and unique experimentation. It isn't. The OP is trying to present this as an accurate portrayal of the subject. It isn't. Even the title is unoriginal.

Surfdog