Quenbeyan Shoot - 17.3.2010

Quenbeyan Shoot - 17.3.2010

The task for the day was to capture the essence of Queanbeyan. So whilst strolling the streets i considered the task. How to capture the spirit of the Queanbeyan? What does it represent? Who are the people? And how do i want to view it?

As i approached the task i found myself feeling very similar to how i felt in Garema place. A little bit lost. It seems that street/documentary photography is something i will need to learn and i consider it a challenge for myself.


Flight of the Cockatoo



Cracker



Reflected Colours



Mirror



Old Fashion



Riverside



Fake



Wires



Lonely



Directions



Arrow



Wait



The Q

Australian National Zoo and Aquarium 10.3.2010

Australian National Zoo and Aquarium 10.3.2010

Animal and Wildlife photography is an area that i really enjoy photographing. I enjoy the quiet patience required to capture the shot and find that it is something best done alone. The zoo was a good opportunity for me to make use of my Canon 70-200mm f.4 USM lens and i feel that it was a good lens to have for the day even if sometimes i would have liked to get a little bit closer.

1. A Portrait of an animal

Emu


Koala


For my animal portraits i tried to use a close crop to capture only the expressions of the animals. Using a short depth of field to blur the background i tried to create the sole focus of the image on the animals face similar to how i would often capture a portrait of a person.

2. An image expressing the relationship between an animal and it's surroundings.

Inhabitants


Contained


The two photographs i have chosen to depict the relationship between the animals and their environment have a clear contrasting message. One shows the animals freely enjoy their specially created habitat to suit each species particular needs compared to the second photograph displaying the animal caged and not in its natural habitat.

3. An image showing interaction between an animal and a person.

Mates


Feet


Hands


Closer


Animal interaction with humans is an important aspect at the National Zoo and Aquarium, both for visitors and workers. I tried to capture the obvious bond between the Giraffe and his keeper, the keeper appeared to be quite connected with the animal when he gave his brief talk before the giraffe feed. Secondly a more abstract representation of the interaction between keeper and animal. The next photograph shows the interaction between both zoo keeper, animal and visitor. It displays the responsibility of the keeper when handling animals around visitors. The last image shows a young girls nervous joy at her first attempt to feed the roo.

4. An image that can be used on a brochure

Leap of Faith


This was my favourite image of the day. After spending quite a while watching the big cat pace back and forth and the very back of his cage he finally jumped onto a closer rock and posed for a moment before continuing his pacing. I like the image because it was important to find a lot of patience at the zoo and for me this photo was the result of that patience.

5. Any other aspect of the zoo

Personally i thoroughly enjoyed the zoo and loved photographing animals so here's a few more from the day.

Colour


Meet-a-Cheetah


Spots Meets Strips

Sun Studios Talk - 3.3.2010

Enjoyed the talk on Sun Studios. Learnt a lot about the specs of different Canon camera as well as what Sun Studios provides for CIT.

http://www.sunstudiosaustralia.com/

Garema Place Shoot - 3.3.2010

Garema Place - 3.3.2010

Garema Place was my first experience at a documentary street shoot. Whilst it was enjoyable to try something new, i definitely struggled with the different style of photography. Capturing people i don't know i found to be very challenging and i was a bit uncomfortable with the voyeristic aspect. This is something i would like to keep working at and be able to capture a bit better.

Upstairs


Stationary Rider


Mirror


Melody


Knives & Forks


Duplo


Break

Masterpieces from Paris Exhibition - 24.2.2010

Assignment 2: Masterpieces from Paris - 24.2.2010
Task: Are the artists embracing or rejecting modernist ideas. Choose one work; What are the formal qualities that appeal to you? Is there an implied narrative and what might this be? Is the work making you feel or think in a particular way? Write a concise response to the chosen work.

Canberra is luck enough to have the Masterpieces from Paris featured at our own National Gallery of Australia. It features 112 post-impressionist paintings on temporary loan from the Musee D'Orsay in Paris.The exhibition runs from the 4th December 2009 to the 5th of April 2010. It is one exhibition that is definitely worth have a look at. Just last week the Gallery announced that this particular exhibition has had the most people attend out of any exhibition that they've featured at the Gallery. "Never before have so many masterpieces been brought together in one exhibition in this country," NGA director Mr Ron Radford said. (McLintock, P 2009, Viewed: 1.3.2010, www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/10/2651408.htm)

The exhibition had 6 rooms each with a different theme. In room 5 one painting by Gustave Moreau has a particular quality to it that just captivated me and really stood out from the rest. At first glance it was just another painting of a woman but open approaching i noticed that i dismembered head was in fact what she was holding. Room 5 has a high focus on symbolism and so to does Moreau's painting Orpheus. The painting has a sort of mystical quality to it, set in a barren landscape with a woman looking longingly into the head which appears to be placed on a plaque. The general narrative behind the painting is that Orpheus was a musician who was killed by a woman, in the painting Moreau does not depict the act of the killing rather he shows a scene from afterwards of a young woman starring deeply at the head of the dead Orpheus. The artist appears to be rejecting modernist idea's through the mystical qualitites of his paintings. Moreau explored ideas such as mythology, philosophy and dreams through his work creating a very surreal element to his artworks. Featured in his painting appear to be three women playing music which could possibly symbolise the conection to the fact Orpheus was a musician. There is also a spiritual insight and a dreamlike quality to this work. The young woman appears to be very accepting and it almost a personal and intimate moment depicted.

The artwork really appeals to me as it is more than just aportrait of a woman. There are many hidden meanings and symbols behind it and you could spend hours breaking it down and considering all the different aspects of it. The work allows me to see the situation through the eyes of the young woman and interpret her feelings through the artwork. It evokes a feeling of sadness but also acceptance and compells a certain curiousity to understand the depicted scene.



Gustave Moreau
Orpheus
1865
Oil on canvas

Image can be found on http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/moreau_gustave.html