First Crit + Early Exhibition ideas (Experiments & Observations)

 

Figure 1.) Crit display (Click to enhance image size)

The first crit saw both projects, Gone but not Forgotten and Lost and not Found, exhibited simultaneously (see Fig. 1). Drawing from Shirley Read in ‘Exhibiting photography: a practical guide to displaying work’, the exhibition has one main area of focus: “to enhance communication and create a strong visual narrative or storytelling concept”, (Read, S. (2014) Exhibiting photography: a practical guide to displaying your work. 2nd ed. Burlington, Mass: Focal Press.)  Also encouraged by Shirley, I used this crit as an opportunity to explore how my collection of images could be transformed into an exhibition layout.

Figure 2). Reprint on Luster (left), Matte (right) and Matte with post-processing adjustments (middle). (Click to enhance image size)

Combining the presentation of the two projects gave the opportunity to observe the relationship between two projects once the display was merged. Additionally, the crit was inclusive of some development, showcasing reprints of the same photograph (selected from Gone but not Forgotten) printed on different papers, Epson Lustre and Epson Matte (see Fig. 2) This experimentation was conducted with a keen interest in how images printed on different paper types would appear once wearing rose-tinted glasses, a fundamental strategy to immerse the viewer into the image. Interestingly, the difference in paper types did not have a tremendous impact upon the colour difference when wearing the glasses (although a critical difference in saturation compared from screen to paper was noticed, solved by increasing saturation in post-production prior to printing). 

Figure 3). Snapshot of image captured through glass lens. Fluorescent (left) and soft box (right). (Click to enhance image size).

More importantly, the overhead fluorescent lighting in the studio became the determining factor in transforming the tonal range of pink present in the images. With the overhead lighting acting as sole source of illumination, little difference was seen when wearing the glasses. However, If the overhead lighting is substituted for soft boxes, the warm light acts as a catalyst in the transition from an ordinary scene becoming rose-tinted once wearing the rouge spectacles, successfully amplifying the romanticism of the scene (see Fig. 3).

Figure 4). Snapshot of image captured through glass lens using mobile device. Lustre (left) and matte (right). (Click to enhance image size).

This observation is most important when contemplating the potential exhibition layout of this project. Since a warm light (positioned closely to the photographs for an immediate effect to take place when removing or applying the glasses) is a clear necessity in the final display, the risk of unwanted reflections poses a serious danger. Two actions prove a resolution to this dilemma. Unlike luster which gave an immediate reflection, printing on matte paper ensures no glare can occur directly upon the image. Similarly, the framing method for this project is now limited to that available which maintains an absence of glass.  

Figure 5). Same object with varied presentation. (Click to enhance image size).

The early photographs for Lost and not Found was subjected to some constructive criticism. The display showcases two approaches for each object: one photograph demonstrates the object in its raw form, the other include vegetation and other natural materials as part of the presentation (see Fig. 4) Most notably, the choice of background paper (an earthy tone of brown, chosen to mimic the tonal values of their initial location) proved an unsuccessful decision on two accounts. Firstly, the overall result lacked in any aesthetic. Secondly, some of the colours already present in the objects are in a near identical shade to the back paper, causing the object to ‘bleed’ into the background. A too-wide aperture was also observed, causing some parts of each object to appear unsharp.