Dear Reader,
My name is E.C. Clark. This is my first photography class or attempt at formally tackling the subject. This class excites me, as we shall all produce narratives throughout the semester. I came to Tyler two years ago never doing a single art class before but have been a self taught painter for years. I studied plants and agriculture at university level then dropped out. Now here in north Philadelphia, studying art, I can more easily express these visions of myself & the world.
Hey E.C. nice to meet you. I too transferred from a school to pursue art and kudos for you for before this being a self taught painter, you must have a true talent and passion!
ReplyDeleteI really like your photo and after looking at it I have so many questions. It is interesting that you choose to cover your face as well as take your clothes off for this piece. Faces and expressions can tell a lot about a person and clothes too can give insight into a person. Thus, without both the viewer is left to search for clues for who you are through other details of the room. I also wonder why you choose a tiger mask and if there is significance of if you just wanted to cover your face. Regardless, compositionally the black and white tiger mask works well to jut out at the viewer, as well as the flash on your stomach. I really like the shadow of you the flash produced. You are already a mystery and right behind you is your shadow, another way to show yourself in a minimalistic fashion. Without a facial expression to give me clues, I have no idea what your hand gesture symbolizes, but it oddly enough reminds me of paintings of Jesus with his hands like that, so there's a potentially unexpected comparison!
I search for details in this room to give more clues about who you are, and maybe you do not even know who you are and that is why you are hiding from the viewer as well. I see a slightly messy blanket on a bed as well as a keyboard (?) and plants which is cool, I wish maybe a painting of yours or something potentially more person was in the background, that might have been a cool twist in this assignment!
Overall, great job, I really like this photo and I cannot wait to see more of your work. My only additional comment would be it might have been cool to have more in the background just to give more detail to the viewer about your life!
Hey E.C. I really enjoy this photo because, even though I don't know you, it seems you picked it because it best represents you. I think the black and white as well as the dark shadow kind of gives it this haunting yet comedic feel due to the mask and you just being in briefs. All in all, I think it's super interesting and shot at or cropped at an neat angle!
ReplyDeleteHey! I think this photo stood out to me for a number of reasons. I think the quality and texture of it remind me a lot of a print photograph, which gives it this vintage, mysterious look. The choice to use this as a self-portrait, also says something about your choice to reveal your body but not your face. To me, its less about hiding, and more about proving a point. Whether is that you’re not afraid to be different, or really break boundaries. The composition is striking, and the shadow gives the image depth, in an overall lifeless room. I think you did a great job, this self-portraits leaves me wanting more, with its eerie tone, and strong contrast.
ReplyDeleteHey E.C.! This is my first photography class as well so no worries! I loved the photo you chose for your self-portrait. Instead of relying of your facial expression your personality was expressed through your body language. You seem to be a very fun, light-hearted person and that is easy to see. I think the animal mask and strip down was very ballsy (spelling?) and it made me laugh. On a more technical not, I like that you used black and white. It helped to simplify the photo and make you the main subject. It also created some really interesting shadows and contrast throughout the room. Great work and keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHi E.C., good to know another Tyler student in the class! I had to laugh at your photo at first, it's very comedic in a way at first, but then when you start to look more into it, it seems almost dark in a sense. The choice to mask your face but not your body is interesting and makes me wonder if there is a reason you wore a tiger mask as opposed to a scary halloween mask or just a paper bag. When I look around at the surroundings in the photograph, I see the contents of what looks like a bedroom or living space that is pretty neat, but not too specific; just a general space with some things here and there. I agree with other people in saying that the black and white suits the image concept quite nicely, in that it allows us to focus on the content itself and not the colors of the objects themselves.
ReplyDeleteHi E.C.,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very entertaining and interesting photo. Entertaining because of your choice in wearing just a mask and underwear, interesting for the exact same reason. Even though you present yourself in a considerably funny way in this photo, the use of it being in black and white change the mood from comedic to more a dark mood, just others have pointed out. The dark shadow behind you and the slant of the photo that gives a type of disoriented sense is what mostly plays into this dark mood. Your pose also, at first comical, changes to a bit if an intimidating pose when done the style you are presenting the photo in.
I think you fulfilled the assignment with this work. You portray to the viewer a persona that holds a lot of mystery to it. Without being able to see any facial expressions it is hard to get a lot of information from this, hence getting little information about you. Maybe your intention was to leave your audience in a sense of mystery of who you are, other than what you have given in your introduction.
This is a really great photo that creates a lot of questions for the viewer to think of and try to answer. Pictures like this are always the most fun to look at. You did an excellent job and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work later in the semester.