So these guys are building a house. There are a dozen guys in a tiny house with stuff everywhere and lots of activity and chaos.
Detail
This is an acceptable detail shot I think. I am
going to try for a better one this coming Saturday.
Medium #1
I like the light in this photo.
Medium #2
In this one I like the line created by the wood.
I was actually holding the other end of the piece
of wood so the guy could cut it to length. He asked
me for help. Does this mean I messed with the shot?
Medium #3
I like the details on the window sill with the saw
and operator behind it, outside the window. However,
this is my least favorite of the three medium shots above.
Wide #1 - Dudes Unloading Van
I think this photo does a better job of telling the story
of unloading the van but I think the shot below is a
better photo. Any opinions?
Wide #2 - Dudes Unloading Van
Does this really say: dudes unloading a van?
Wide #3 - Guys cleaning up the work site
Wide #4 - Guys cleaning up the work site
I thought hmmmm... layers? Window frame, saw, crap all over,
dudes, truck, trailer, etc... maybe I can finally make Jerome happy!
I tried. It looks more like a cluttered mess to me but I still have a hard
time seeing layers until someone points them out to me. I am also not
sure I like the saw in the middle of everything in either of the photos above.
These guys were working hard and were wet and cold. Conversation was at a minimum and I could not find any emotion anywhere. Hopefully I will have better luck this coming Saturday. I do not like these photos yet but I worked hard to get them so, again, I'm posting 'em!
Good luck you guys! I am excited to see what all of you did!!!
You're looking for layers and all the PJ artsy stuff Andreas and that makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteWith construction workers you're not going to see them sharing a lot of emotion. But that doesn't mean you need them to have a conversation to capture emotion. Sometimes those situation can capture an adjective or adverb that show busyness or chaos.
In "wide 2" of the dudes unloading the van, you have a shot of one guy coming through the door and it look like he just passed one guy outside the door. That meeting at the doorway or on the porch may have shown some busyness.
Take that idea of them being busy and watch to see what shows that idea. Are they bumping into each other? Find a spot where they always bump into each other. Are there four people working in one room or confined space? Go there and wait for a moment.
In wide 3 & 4, you stated, "Window frame, saw, crap all over,
dudes, truck, trailer, etc..." But you threw all of that stuff into your viewfinder and then hoped for the best. Step back. Square up those edges and make that window frame serves as a visual anchor for the image. Maybe you get a guy working on the wall inside the house and show the guys outside walking by the window or working. That's a useful layer with purpose.
You're looking at all sorts of angles and situations which always help. Now just push yourself a little more to find those scenes and then wait for everything to fall into place.
You're off to a good start on this one Andreas. You just need to work that frame a little more and think about what drew you to that area in the first place and work it.
i like the idea just a few minor details need to be fixed like edges but none the less great job and sorry i flaked out on miget wreseling at the grail i had to save my money for a rock concert i wanted to go to for 5 months now lol but yeah great work cant wait to see finals
ReplyDeleteConstruction sites can be a very very interesting place to photograph. There are always all sorts of angles and geometric shapes, colors, etc. you just need to be able to sift though the mess and find the artistic elements. I did construction for two years and I can honestly say this looked likt a very messy and disorganized jobsite, which can make navigating and photographing in those areas very challenging. It also makes the artsy stuff disappear into the mess. But all that aside I think maybe focusing on the men doing the work may have been more successful. They work with their hands A LOT so getting some rough, rugged hands as a detail would've been interesting. Als, I know that they usually don't appreciate people being around running saws but a close up of a guy with the saw blade going taken maybe at a lower angle could've been a cool shot. And finally, carpenters and construction workers use a plethora of dozens of different tools which are usually really vibrant in color and texture so those could've made some cool detail shots as well. Overall this was a difficult assignment to figure out so good work making the best out of it. Oh! oone more thing I would suggest is to get the story about who they were building the house for and get into the social issue part of it. Afterall we are photoJOURNALISTS =)
ReplyDeleteSolid work on this assignment Andreas. I like your medium shots. You nailed the use of light in the first one and I love the perspective in the second. I think getting in closer (as close as would be safe I suppose) could have improved it even more.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'm wondering, and I did miss the last couple classes, is the connection to a social issue. I understand it's Habitat for Humanity project, but at a glance it just looks like construction workers building a house.
I guess that's where the caption comes into play. I just had a different idea on what would qualify for this assignment, but I like your shots you posted for this.
Oh, and I think framing a shot through a window like you tried could be really cool. Did you try any from outside looking in? I recently saw a photo from the Tsunami aftermath in Japan that was framed through a window which made for a really awesome shot.