before and after/spot the difference weekly task

before(morning)...

after(lunch time)

final images

These are the final images that I have decided to work with on my final product...

The overall styles and ideas are taken from my precedents and also from the idea of contrasting a great night out from and insiders point of view and a bad night out from an outsiders view, just so that the audience can relate to the photos more. The first image is inviting, it makes the audience want to join in with the fun- it's luring us into the party world. This is a perfect example of a 'good time'

The decisive moments...

taking Henri Cartier Brensson's idea of the decisive moments I tried photograph my subjects without their knowledge, just to get a natural, honest view point of the people that were out that night.

This photo is humorous, as the audience identify only a drunk person would make a fool around like this guy here, and it helps show how alcohol effects a person's actions- here there is nothing harmful about a silly pose, but the alcohol has him acting silly already, so this is where the transition begins.

This image is where the 'bad times' begin, here we see, like in Paul Smith's depiction of a good night with a bad end, sadly the consumption of too much alcohol can lead to sickness. This could relate to the audience because some may have experienced this or may want to avoid this happening to them when they drink, so this would definately provoke some kind of emotion from the audience, or else they would at least find this person's bad luck with drinking slightly humorous.

Another way a 'good time' turns to a 'bad time' is when the cops get involved. This picture makes the audience aware of the dangers of excessive drinking and this carries on from the idea that alcohol can effect your decisions, personality, logic etc. like the photo above it brings awareness, or reminds the viewer of their similar 'bad time', or ofcourse the viewer could just find it funny.

This photo is where it gets pretty shocking, and makes us think deeper about partying and how alcohol could be a gateway to more harmful substances. This couple snorting drugs shocks us the same way that Larry Clark's 'Tulsa' pictures shocked us and how our youth behave. I decided to end the project with this picture because it is the most thought provoking- A good time could really lead to a bad time and bad habits. visually the picture is eerie because you can imagine this was in a dodgy looking alley way near a car park, graffiti all over the walls etc and to top it off theres drugs, however it's an outsider's view of this so the audience can judge how they feel about this picture.

contact sheets for project 2

My contact sheets for project 2 can be viewd through this URL:
http://issuu.com/maysali/docs/dsdn144contactsheetsmaysali

artist precedent

Larry Clark

"Some regard him as a brilliant artist who flirts with the boundaries of acceptability; others as a creepy voyeur"- http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/oct/08/larry-clark-paris-banned-photographs
I decided to look into Larry Clark because his 'Tulsa' collection shows the classic rock'n'roll, carefree lives of young people (during the seventies i believe) who are subjects that are involved in drugs, sex and violence. The images are so debated because of their explicit contents and I think what makes it so controversial is that the message in the photographs dont necessarily show the activities the subjects are involved in as dangerous or negative actions, instead the viewer feels as though they are given an insight into a new or different kind of lifestyle. The perspective for each individual audience member could be different, but the overall mood of these photographs dont necessarily warn us about this dangerous lifestyle, but instead invites us to see a story or personality through the many images in this collection, such as a couple being intimate in a bath tub or friends injecting drugs into each other and looking so calm about it- the audience dont see either the bad side effects to the use of the drugs or the  euphoric effects of the drugs, so the photos are quite ambiguous. 
I have mainly wanted to explore looking at how he captures the behavior of young people under the influence of substances and living by the carefree 'life on the edge' lifestyle because I wanted to look at how the exposure of that imagery effects the audience. Looking at different reviews such as the website mentioned above, I can tell that many find it shocking, personally i feel its almost rebelling from traditional art of photography because im left uncertain about how I should feel about looking at the photos, and maybe that was exactly what the artist wanted to achieve so that each individual takes what they want from the images.

artist precedents

Henri Cartier Brensson

image taken from: http://imgs.abduzeedo.com/files/articles/classic-photography-henri-cartier-bresson/henri-cartier-bresson13.jpg

image retrieved from: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2009/7/20/1248104314737/Henri-Cartier-Bresson-New-001.jpg

image retrieved from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6H3DjsfQTw8pbj73ZMnckuPaBxUJ1vkoVklCUIeevwV7s6IidJ_t8A92rldYDOz5n49nu_vvSxb427lD2j76UAGWBb-RGZYYS_aiqT5w4TibBDPQAQUNOWIWhhDrIm5bp2kPxepji5o/s640/HenriCartierBresson25.jpg

I decided to look at this artist's work because he is one of the most popular photographers when it comes to candid photography, and he is often hailed for his ability to 'capture the moment' to give natural yet expressive photos that fit within the 'street photography' imagery. Brensson's photos show people in their natural daily lives, but what makes his pictures so effective is that in their daily lives, the camera captures a moment that is really visually pleasing and almost tells a story. 

The first image captured my attention because it shows a couple about to kiss, and wat makes this image unique or special is that since the couple are not aware of the fact that they are being photographed, the action of kissing looks more genuine and the image portrays the image of a meaningful gesture from the heart, and this un expected moment is a significant factor in his photographs because it is truthful and the viewers look at these images and can relate to them because an ordinary thing like two men sitting may not seem out of the ordinary, but because a particular moment is captured in the image, the audience's view of something ordinary that they can witness whilst walking down the street, open's their eyes to a new way of looking at it, forcing them to see the beauty or importance in the small things. For example, in the third photograph, the viewer will initially see just a young girl sitting and reading the paper, but as the viewer explores this idea and takes in the image, the viewer can develop a deeper appreciation for the subject/s in the photo, for example the viewer could notice the innocence in her pose, or the contrast between the young woman and the older woman etc...

"There's nothing in this world that doesn't have a decisive moment"- Henri Cartier Brensson.

The importance in the decisive moment is that it's only there once- when it's gone it's gone for good, so the artist emphasizes this in his images where he captures even the smallest details because it is an opportunity that could potentially show something artistic or interesting.

weekly tast 1, project 2

fast shutter speed

slow shutter speed

Initial shoots

                                                                         Initial shoots
                                                (these are not all in order)

The night starts off with people drinking, leaving their glasses everywhere, socializing and drinking so that they can get drunk and have a good time.

Lots of money is spent at the bar, people want to use alcohol to induce having a good time

I wanted to show people having a good time at the start of the night, where everyone is dancing, smiling, having fun with friends and inviting the camera to watch them have a good time. The friendliness is luring, it is an image that makes the viewer feel like this activity is fun, it makes the viewer want to have this kind of experience. I dont mind that the subjects are looking right at the photo because in a way it is inviting the camera to join in with the fun and I managed to take this photo while they were dancing so it doesn't look posed or like a fake-fun time.

I took a lot of pictures of people staggering in groups or friends because i though this would create good transition photos from the good times to the not so good times. This is to show the alcohol kicking in and how easy it is to lose control of your composure. 

more pictures of people staggering and having a good time, laughing among each other.

I thought this would give a humorous touch to the series, because hunger and eating quite a lot is something that the audience can Identify with when it comes to drinking, because it's something most people experience whilst or after drinking. Also, this person was all by themselves while they were eating.  You always have that one person that strays from the group, which is something that can really effect your night. This person didn't seem to care so much, but perhaps his friends are wondering where he is and are worried.

For me this was a really eerie sight, where a couple were snorting some kind of substance, and for me this represents the bad times. Alcohol can lead you to make some pretty bad choices and can be a gateway drug to even more dangerous drugs and it's quite a shocking thing for the audience to see how out of control and dodgy partying can be.

Pictures of crowds helps build the 'party life' image and how large numbers are attracted to this idea of fun. The audience can identify with the image because it reminds them of how crowded and suffocating large crowds can be. 

This is an example of a really bad time, when people get to the point where they get sick and drinking no longer becomes fun. Another thing to consider is the fact that not only was this person sick, but she was by herself. This makes the audience feel a little sorry for this person because it makes you wonder how she felt and what happened to her after that point.

Another example how how a good time turns into a bad time is when the cops get involved, Sometimes drinking and partying can lead you to feel more brave than you would do when you're sober, or it just encourages you to do things you'll definitely regret in the morning.

I tried to play around with different shutter speeds and camera settings, and I quite liked the blurry effect on this image and how the centre is focused, because it puts the audience in the mind set of a clubber, where everything is moving fast and drinking sometimes effects your vision.

Theres always that one girl that cries when she drinks, and this is definitely a time where the good times turn bad. the crying girl in the centre has the comfort of her friends but it shows how alcohol has control over your emotions and composure, and this can make the party turn to a less fun time for a group.

Alcohol can sometimes just make you aggressive as opposed to friendly. This example shows that this person does not want to invite the camera into his fun night out because he is not having a good night. He is by himself and you can tell by his expression that I easily irritated him when I decided to take this photo

New proposal for time project

I have decided to change my idea for this project because i was inspired by Paul Smith's collection, 'make my night' where the drinking and party behaviors  of young men are explored in a way that involves the audience through storytelling and documentation. This collection inspired me because it made me question how drinking and partying can have such positive and negative effects for a young person, like me who is surrounded by the idea of a good time is to basically get trashed in town and wake up hungover. Thus, I wanted to look at drinking from a sober point of view and see 'why us young people love to drink so much?', where is the line between a good time and a bad time when it comes to alcohol. I want to show the good, fun times with alcohol, the bad, regrettable times and the ugly-just for laughs!
1) aims/objectives of this series is tow understand what is the difference between a good time and a bad time from drinking and partying in town and find out how a photograph can capture this idea and reflect on how young people drink.
2)methodology: I want the point of views to be different and so therefore I think that different camera techniques will help depict the different perspectives. To show the bad aspects of drinking, im thinking that slow shutter speed settings will add a blurry effect that helps the viewer identify the the perspective is from a drunk person and their view of that night, and this works with how excessive drinking can make everything seem and look strange, dizzy, messy, disordered etc. I also plan to use fast shutter speed settings to capture spontaneous moments such as a fight breaking out, or a person tripping over and so on. This will be more of a sober third person perspective, which will add more of a observational feel to the images, and could possibly make the viewer find it quite funny to laugh at drunk people doing funny and random things. I am trying to use different perspectives to fully explore this idea and allow the many different ideas and opinions from the audience be evoked so that they may relate or identify with the difference between drunk, sober and the period in between the two stages.
3)Rationale: I've chosen this idea for this project because i want to look at how alcohol contributes to a person having a good time and/or bad time under the influence of it. i want to show how alcohol can be the reason for a good time or bad time, and thats the underlaying message behind the series. The audience should reflect on the issue and think about how far is too far?
4)output: I want to present this series through a power point with two sections, one to show the good times, one to show the bad times, I had considered juxtaposing images side by side to show contrast, however i think it makes more sense to group the images so that a transition appears from the good times to the bad.

more artist precedents

                                                              Paul Smith-Make my night

In this collection the idea is to expose the behavior of young men at parties who are under the influence of alcahol. I really liked the idea of this collection because it is quite relevant to younger people in society and the drinking culture that is becoming more popular among young people today. the idea explores masculinity and how drinking is a part of the 'Masculine identity'. "Paul rejoined the discourse with the masculine identity in Make My Night. Ostensibly a record of a very laddish night out, Paul used a similar technical method to that of the previous series combined with the use of multiple self-portraits. As before, he becomes the anonymous everyman but this time is more overtly the narrator as well as the protagonist of a frequently observed ritual.  "" This quote was taken from Smith's website, http://www.paulmsmith.co.uk/portfolio/make-my-night/make-my-night.html, and it describes how the photographer is the protagonist and narrator at the same time. i think that this is very effective because the viewer has different perspectives of the photographs, for example a viewer may judge the people and situation at first but then may relate to the situations or even feel as if it's a new way of looking at the drinking culture  that is encouraged by many young men. for me this relative to time because firstly it is a window into the more liberal and rebellious lifestyles of young people in today's modern world and secondly because it works with the idea of 'good times', and it makes me,a viewer, think back to my good times (which by the way, were not as tragic as these guys'), and this is effective because it involves the audience and makes them think.

image retrieved from: http://www.paulmsmith.co.uk/portfolio/make-my-night/images/condom.jpg

There is an element of humour in these photos, because it almost seems like a parody of the way people party and behave when they are drunk. Everyone laughs at the drunk person, who would probably never wear a condom on his head whilst sober, but as a drunk party-goer would do things he would probably regret in the morning. This helps the audience connect more with the photographs because humour keeps the viewers interested and involves them with the images.

image retrieved from: http://www.paulmsmith.co.uk/portfolio/make-my-night/images/toilet.jpg

image retrieved from: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cY0QFaFf1pI/TPhAfmsU2vI/AAAAAAAAADk/uzIln2sMrx4/s1600/sick.jpg

while the collection explores the high's of drinking and partying as a young man, it also looks at the low's and creates an undesirable outlook on excessive drinking and this almost brings more meaning into the idea of the collection, where the viewer identifies that good times can end up bad. This could even be a way of the photographer trying to portray the message that the effects of alcohol can be unpleasant, even dangerous and shows this to the audience so that they dont take the subject light heartedly

artist inspirations

                               Ground Zero by Slinkachu

retrieved from: http://www.perspective20.com/2010/05/slinkachu/

image retrieved from: http://saharsblog.wordpress.com/category/slinkachu/

image retrieved from: http://saharsblog.wordpress.com/category/slinkachu/

image retrieved from: http://www.perspective20.com/2010/05/slinkachu/

I really like the photographers idea by using small figurines to show unique or realistic everyday situations and makes it humorous at times, such as the figure rowing on spilt milk, or two businessmen fighting like kids. I think that this is creative because it deals with problems or issues in society that we dont see or notice. For example when I look at the last photo, i think that the idea behind this photo is competition in the professional world which has greatly increased after the world's economy crisis that is still effecting society today. This captures the viewer's attention at first because it is witty but as you think about the image you begin to develop an idea of what the photographer is trying to communicate. The photos are often juxtaposed with wide-shots of the space where the small models are positioned so that encourages the viewer to look all over the picture to try to find the small models. This makes me think that the artist wants the viewer to "search" for a hidden message in our seemingly-normal environments and look past the ordinary to find new problems or situations that are over-looked or ignored. I think that it also shows that little problems count too, just because you cant see them, doesn't mean that they dont count.

Ray's a laugh by Richard Billingham

image retrieved from: http://larissagrace.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/richardbillinghaml.jpg

retrieved from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA3LFHTCHYsGq9rQFe5CAr7l92EqG3mEyXehe5pOiQWlFOuaRtStmGHBdIftxUL1I7xvF2ysIXB59OY7i_rZzh2HQ95ekq39WlCDcwkJ8FTvpGncHyF6tK_cjAP0N8g5mshSw_39q3Kk/s1600/richard_billingham_rays_a_laugh_07.jpg

retrieved from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxfJjqa7J9tgOJnwaIpeICQWsuAJEJ1wa7gnNFpDGnpXGxRN4jFdYuAd__mupmxdVVFIGtgwlHixtLufFtPLlJxJY9ihI3p3aP7lZmQNb_WzzZanYU0bNOJvuH96yAVyoPx0OA6vPe6GM/s1600/tumblr_ksreixCuDu1qa90ano3_500.jpg

image retrieved from:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/photography/genius/gallery/images/billingham.jpg

I really like this collection by Richard Billingham because it gives me, the viewer, an inside look at the reality of this person's normal family life and allows me to relate to the situations in the pictures, such as couples still dressed in night gowns, arguing, eating in front of the television etc, which is a more accurate representation of families today as opposed to how families are shown in things like magazines or advertisements where the ideal family lifestyle of the 1950's is copied. This collection is honest and has  character because it is caught in the moment and is not posed, and this makes the collection seem more like a documentation of the families in the world today and how our perception of family life these days have changed from what society had once perceived it to be.  The view point looks like an outsider invited to watch the lives of the family members, like a reality television show. This could say something about the privacy of households in today's society and how families these days dont feel that they have to hide their true nature because the idea of family has changed throughout the years. In a photograph where the family cat is flying mid-air, the photographer would've had to be quick and have his camera set to a very fast shutter speed. This image is one that makes the viewers become more aware of the fact that the photographer is responding as fast as he can to what the subjects are doing and this gives us the impression that the subjects are fast paced, and aren't as peaceful or relaxed as the photos make us believe,

and this emphasizes the modern depiction of a dysfunctional family.

The last resort by Martin Parr

retrieved from: http://www.lvxphotography.net/media/2010/05/martin-parr2.jpg

          retrieved from: http://todayspictures.slate.com/resort/images/LON6977.jpg

retrieved from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLNBoKuMkCBZ3RmoKppYC-iaJHdzW6WPjvnKcPzPruhZPZw_mY2cNdxw2R1i7VSfF1EwC83EdGhW8F6TGAqD6s3jl2GOoJPRv0pWgobVaXFWlmjIXFv948CqOFxzp2u582-lq1BymsJcu/s400/Martin_Parr_The_Last_Resort_1148_67.jpg

retrieved from: http://www.rrr.org.au/assets/martin_parr_the_last_resort_1145_67.jpg

This collection works well with the idea of time because, like the 'Ray's a laugh' collection by Richard Billingham, the photographer tries to capture the moment, and the focus of the image is not about making the picture look aesthetically pleasing but instead let it tell a story or document situations in real life. When I look at these photos, I think that the artist aims to create a nostalgic view of summer, where the kids all want ice cream by the beach, everyone is out soaking up the sun, shops and ice cream bars are packed with que's and families all take their spot on the beach. The people in the photos are at times not ready for the photos that the artist takes and this helps make the photos look like documentations of a classic summer that many of the viewers can look back on and relate to. There are some colour saturations used in some photographs, and this almost makes the pictures look parodic, as the images look more superficial and gives me the idea that we, the people in the beach, create that 'uglyness' or unattractive view that is shown in the pictures almost to say that this is what our modern society is like; rushed, superficial, mass consumption etc...

initial shoots