The Narrowing of Meaning

It is a daunting task to travel from drawing and painting experience to handling a camera. Although I have taken photographs before, a series of 120 photographs around a theme necessitates a completely different mechanical and artistic mindset. That is, to say, I am used to mediums that can need my own hand to dictate composition, line, lighting, etc. With the camera, the functions are automated and dependent on situation. It is much quicker to take a picture (exposing the film to light from the opening and shutting of the lens). A drawing or painting may take months to years to capture all the information that a camera may record in a fraction of a second.

There are many similarities between the mediums as well. I think that I will like the digital editing process of the images best. In Photoshop and Illustrator, I will be able to do what a drawer and painter does. That is use my hand to manipulate the image (considering the image similar to a paper or canvas) to adjust composition, line, lighting. I am hoping to combine typography with photographed images on Illustrator. By placing letters on the image a grid and structure is applied to what might be a circular composition. Along with the consequences of changing the meaning of the image that appears to be in the background, typography on image will provide another layer of meaning. Which, as I am fond of satire, becomes very appealing.