Photography – Page 2 – Karyn Easton

Mar 04

by Karyn in 3d, Experimentation, Final Major Project, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs, Videos 0 comments tags: 3d, Experimentation, Final Major Project, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs, Videos

Visual Exploration #2

Video Exploration of the Mobile – In my first visual exploration of the ‘Balance of Power’ mobile I shot a number of stills using a wide aperture. This was to allow for only a narrow band of focus on each of the images. The goal was to add an air of mystery to the mobile and hopefully leave the viewer wanting to know more? In part #2 of this ongoing visual exploration I shot some videos using my DSLR camera. My aim again was to add an air of mystery to the finished video clips. Below are the experimental results from this endeavour. The Balance of Power – Unity in Bits Mobile This is a complex piece that has many hidden layers to it. Below are some of the key points: The mobile comprises 11 lines of individually hand drawn elements that represent the ones and zeros of binary code. The binary code represented in the mobile spells the words ‘Unity in Bits’. It is a visual metaphor representing how our society is ultimately fractured by computers and their code. For example the harms of social media and the taking of artist work without permission. At least 10 […]

Mar 04

by Karyn in 3d, Experimentation, Final Major Project, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs, Videos 0 comments tags: 3d, Experimentation, Final Major Project, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs, Videos

Visual Exploration #1

Photographic Exploration of the Mobile – Now that my ‘Balance of Power’ mobile is fully installed I can start to experiment photographically. Over the weekend I took a number of stills and I also shot some videos. Editing the videos will take a while longer. In the meantime I thought I’d share some of the stills. I decided to shoot my stills using very specific camera settings. The mobile hides many things, therefore it was important to me to try and capture an air of mystery about it. For this reason I deliberately chose to use a very shallow ‘depth of field’. Indeed I was actually working with an f-stop of 1.8 (A very large aperture). What this means essentially, is that only a very narrow band of my image will actually be in focus. These narrow bands of focus can be seen in the images below. I certainly had enough light streaming in through the windows to enable me to shoot at f-16 (the minimum aperture for my 50mm lens), however, I genuinely feel that the selective blurring adds something a little more mysterious to the images below. I feel that the images are much more atmospheric. I also […]

Feb 29

by Karyn in Little Wins, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs 0 comments tags: Little Wins, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs

Little Wins #8

Images for Exhibition – In my blogpost Little Wins #7 – I was really excited to show more of my work at the Gallery Paradiso. Today I received confirmation of the images that have been chosen to appear in the forthcoming ‘Through the Lens’ photography exhibition at the Gallery Paradiso. Below are the four images that were selected. I am looking forward to seeing these images printed and framed, before I head off for the CSM low residency in London. Plastic Bag Part 1 and 2 The first two images are actually images of the inside of a plastic bag shot with a macro lens. These images were inspired by photographer Vilde Rolfeson. Flowers The second two images selected (and making up the set of four) were two flowers shot using an in-camera double exposure technique. I think that although the imagery is very different, the styles and colours actually do compliment each other. Images of the Framed Prints The images of the framed prints can be found here.

Feb 24

by Karyn in Conclusion, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs 0 comments tags: Conclusion, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs

A Break

Now for Something Different – Today I needed to teach my daughter all about slow shutter photography. She is taking her AS Level photography this year and as part of her personal investigation (course requirement) she wanted to look at a theme of ‘Moments in Time’. She particularly likes the look of silky water cascading from a waterfall. It’s not the easiest of shoots to do but seeing as I would be explaining the technique to her, I thought that I may as well do a few shots of my own. We were very much up against it today, because my camera batteries were running low very fast (probably due to the lengthy shutter speeds) and we only had a couple of hours. It was very cold too which didn’t help. However, I came away feeling that the day had been successful because my daughter picked up the slow shutter concept really well and managed to produce some great shots all of her own. I often wonder if I should have concentrated more on my photography over the last year with regards to my course. However, I don’t think that I would have had half as much fun or challenged […]

Feb 19

by Karyn in 3d, Final Major Project, My Work, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs 0 comments tags: 3d, Final Major Project, my work, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs

Process

Another Full Day of Working – When I first began making my mobiles, I honestly hadn’t realised how much time each element would take to make. However, I am enjoying the process and I’m looking forward to seeing the end result. Today was another full day of making. My plan is to finish my second mobile by the end of this weekend so I can work out my next steps. During this process I have shot a number of time-lapse videos so I thought it would be nice to add some process stills. Process Stills

Feb 04

by Karyn in 3d, Augmented Reality, Collaborations, Experimentation, Photography, Problem Solving, Risk Taking, Unit 3 Blogs 0 comments tags: 3d, Augmented Reality, Collaborations, Experimentation, Photography, Problem Solving, Risk Taking, Unit 3 Blogs

Keep it Moving

Small Steps – Big Changes. I had to write yesterday off almost completely as I had so many non MA activities to complete. These duties ranged from setting up a new phone for a family member, to composing and posting an important letter. However, today was much more productive. I managed to test my concept and augment a number of my mobile elements. Early indicators suggest that ‘all things going well’ – I should be able to realise my vision. My greatest fear was that the mobile wouldn’t augment very well. I also worried that the elements were too close together, and as such would interfere with one another when augmenting. It appears that as long as the user/viewer is careful then each item should augment separately. Up to this point it has been a bit of a risk. Today the concept however was tested and seems to work. Athena the robot continues to 3d print but this activity is also not without risk. Jamie (my collaboration partner’s) 3d printer isn’t always consistent and parts often become loose from the 3d printer bed. This ultimately leads to print failures which is slowing down the project. On a more positive […]

Feb 02

by Karyn in 3d, Ai, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs 0 comments tags: 3d, ai, Photography, Unit 3 Blogs

Athena

Athena the Robot – I decided that I couldn’t launch into my final major project without Athena my robot from Unit 2. As my work now involves looking at Art from the perspective of a computer or robot, I felt I needed some form of robotic representation in my my final piece. I have made a conscious decision not to use text to image AI art in my work. Therefore, it was important to have Athena come to life in a very physical way. Working with 3d printable files from the PIB project. I am collaborating with Jamie Easton to produce my very own 3d printed robot ‘Athena’.

Hanging Around

Choosing a Suitable Stringing Method – Choosing suitable materials and a hanging method for my mobile has to be one of the most challenging aspects so far. I’m way beyond my comfort zone with this! Noah one of my fellow students shared a link by the creative force that once was, namely David Bowie. Im going to put what he said here so that when I struggle I’ve got a point of reference to start things moving again. Today, having produced enough mobile elements to explore hanging and stringing I started running into multiple problems. Some of these included: 1). What kind of stringing method would I like to use 2). How do I arrange the elements neatly enough so that the viewer understands them as binary. 3). What materials should I use to actually string and hang the mobile? 4). Will a smaller prototype actually translate into a much larger one? The problems above were to name only a few. I spent the evening trying to source suitable hanging materials. I managed to source a very good older pdf on the subject of mobile making which helped a lot! How to Make Mobiles How to […]

Nov 19

Epic Making Session

Yaacov Agam Inspired Work – Over many months now I have been wrestling with a myriad of ideas. In my Study Statement I was keen to develop a new form of hybrid human, digital and AI art. I also wanted to include an element of mystery and discovery whereby elements of the work were hidden. During my search for inspiration I came across two artists that particularly resonated with me, namely: Alexander Calder and Yaacov Agam. I particularly liked the idea of movement and mobile art seen in Calder’s work. Indeed I was so taken with his work that I went to visit the Tate Modern to see some of his pieces there. However, Yaacov Agam’s work really did inspire me. In his Artist’s statement he says: “My aim is to show the visible in a perpetual state of becoming”. I think this is a beautiful way in which he describes his work. However, I personally would liken it to, showing the visible in a perpetual state of change. Given the nature of the subject matter that I’m exploring, his work for me very much aligns with this notion of change as well as ‘becoming’. Below is a short […]

Love Letters From AI

Hidden Art – When I first began my MA, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. Ultimately I knew it would be something to do with the hidden or the unseen. Initially I began looking at invisible phenomena such as sound waves and the passage of time. However, nothing captured my interest quite as much as augmented reality. It was this whole concept of a hidden unseen world (only accessible to those ‘in the know’), that intrigued me. While conducting research for my Research Paper I discovered that there is a distinct negative bias towards AI generated art. I looked at a number of strategies to help mitigate this bias. Finally, after a number of image polls, used to inform my project, I created a fictitious robot called Athena. Her name was inspired by the old Athena posters from the past. My research was suggesting that humanoid robots with a sad ‘backstory’ could help to reduce bias and win over an audience when presenting AI art. At this point I began to develop a narrative for my robot. During a visit to Barcelona, I was completely amazed by the sheer weight of graffiti adorning the city walls. I […]