Feedback

Mackenzie,

What I really like about your project is that the ideas you choose to explore are really backed up by your photography. The photos are really cool and unique and give the viewer a sense of your creativity. My favorite photo of yours is when you explore cubism because I have never seen two mirrors mirror each other. Solid job.

- Jake Poxon

Final Photo Project

This photographic series will work to explore the concept of an abstract view to photography along with their ability to create a specific message to the viewer about viewing everyday life. More specifically I tried to show how unusual views to ordinary situations could produce intriguing and appealing images. Abstract art and photography itself has always been interesting to me, I would like to learn and explore the ability of images to tell a story that would otherwise not be created. Furthermore after finishing our research papers I grew to be more excited about looking at a scene with a new outlook, and how it can appear through a camera lens. Taking inspiration from Alvin Langdon Coburn’s work with architecture and his creation of Vortographs, I put to use his idea of vorticism to create the images, as well as be the basis for the series, and specifically the idea of reflection. However, instead of attempting to duplicate Coburn’s work, I went further with some of my images and just used two mirrors to create the same idea of abstract lines and lighting. My other images go beyond his basic concept of vorticism by using the idea of distortion; the reflective surfaces create a lens in which to show an ordinary object that is changed due to the process of taking the image. This photographic series takes into account the history in the idea of abstract photography and where it came from, it uses historic methods with a modern approach to achieve photographs that are new and appealing. It shows the impact of the original photographers such as Alvin Coburn and his influence on how we use a camera to show contemporary visions.

Mackenzie Lee

This image relates to the idea of distortion as well as reflection. I used the lens of the glasses as something to reflect off of, viewing what would appear to be a normal view of a desk through the glasses. Also the choice of lighting impacted the reflection as well as how the desk is scene in the image. 

This image again connects to the idea of distortion because the light post in the reflection off the bike's bumper is elongated due to the shape of the bumper. The reflection of the lamp post also is changed because of the angle the photo was taken, as well as the details of the bike itself. 

This image is interesting relating to reflection. Obviously it is known it is a picture of a car window, however the scene in which it was taken, depicts the tree that is directly to the left of the car and is not in the direct line of sight. The reflective quality of the glass allows the viewer to see something that is not there, which creates an artistic approach to the image. 

This picture is one of my favorites. It has a direct connection to Coburn's vortographs, however it is created using only two mirrors. When Coburn created his work he clamped three mirrors together to create abstract line, I used two and specific lighting to create this image. The funny thing about its creation is that I didn't use anything blue when shooting, the light somehow turned blue when the flash on the camera went off. It created lines that are abstract and the lighting allows for a modern view to a vortograph. 

This image was created in the same way as the previous, two mirrors leaning up against each other and placing the camera in various ways allowed to achieve interesting images such as this one. The lighting of this photo is the same as the other, however this photo was taken without a flash which created the dark areas. 

This last photo was taken with the same idea in mind, the concept of cubism and creating a kaleidoscope effect out of the two mirrors and the flash of the camera. The color of the surroundings allowed for more depth to the photo as well as a kind of arrow look to the lines.