Artist Statement:

This class was my first formal introduction to photography. It was my chance to experiment, to learn how to use my camera and PhotoShop, and to learn what I like and what I can do in this medium. My work became an exploration of my newfound skills, with my husband and son as my primary photographic collaborators.

My final project is an exploration of "old" meeting "new." During the course, I really enjoyed the Digital Daguerreotype project. For my final project, I decided to employ this style of photo editing to images that are inherently modern and could not have been taken in the era of the original Daguerreotype. In this case, I used images taken on a family trip to Seattle. Familiar scenes of skyscrapers and the Space Needle are re-imagined in this old-time Daguerreotype style.

coursework

Camera Obscura

The assignment was to create a camera obscura from a room or box and then document the image it created. I created a camera obscura out of my son's bedroom and capture an image of the street outside.

The assignment went pretty well, and my five year old was fascinated by the idea of turning his room into a camera! We were able to get an image of the world outside, but I didn't realize that we were too high up to easily get an image of the street. What projected on the back wall of the room was an image of the trees and sky, but I was able to capture an image of the street itself by holding up a piece of tracing paper closer to the light source. My intuition was that I might have had a clearer image with different lenses, and in feedback others seemed to think the same.

Monochromatic Still Life

Monochromatic Still Life

This assignment was to create a monochromatic still life photo using found objects, a natural light source (ie window) and a reflector. I used my sliding glass door as the light source and a large piece of styrofoam as the reflector.

This assignment was challenging for me, and I chose to re-do it in my "re-works" section of this site. There, I incorporated feedback I received about cropping the photo and also edited the photo to get a truer representation of the colors I was presenting. The original image appeared washed out and more pink than the orange color I was going for.

Film Noir

Film Noir

The assignment was to research the "film noir" style and create a series of photos in that photographic style. I produced a series of high contrast photos using a single light source - a flashlight.

This assignment was challenging, but fun. I was really pleased with the photos I created, and it was the first chance I had to dabble in PhotoShop. Placing and securing the light source was a challenge, but once I did, I was very happy with the bright focused light it provided. Obscuring all other sources of light allowed me to get that dark, "film noir" effect.

Found: Space, Place, Landscape

Found: Space, Place and Landscape

The assignment was to create a photo series of found (not arranged) outdoor scenes.

In this assignment, I wanted to challenge the traditional notion of what a photo-worthy landscape could be. Rather than stunning peaks or ocean views, I chose to photograph the everyday scenes I encounter around my house. I tried to get on the same level as my photographic subjects, like a wildlife photographer might do when photographing an animal in its natural habitat.

Digital Daguerreotype

Digital Daguerreotype

The assignment was "to study traditional Daguerreotypes, identify some visual traits unique to this technique, and then use Photoshop to ... visually transform a digital photograph into that of a 19th Century plate photographic image."

I loved this assignment. It was a great chance to explore PhotoShop and start to learn some skills. I overlaid images of a metallic cookie sheet and the front of my stainless steel dishwasher to get the desired effect of a metallic plate.

Final Project

Final Project: Old Meets New

The assignment was to create a series of images around a theme of our choice that represent mastery of the skills gained in this class. Since I enjoyed the Digital Daguerreotype project so much, I wanted to continue this photo editing technique in my final photo series. Rather than creating images that looked old, I wanted to apply this old method of creating photographic images to imagery that could only be modern. In this case, I applied it to images of a family trip to Seattle.

sarah.murali@pcc.edu

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-murali/