I have chosen to make my final photography project about outdoor lifestyle with a specific interest in the rock climbing sport and culture. I’ve experienced success working in outdoor settings in my photography and I want to take it further by combining the technical aspects covered during the course this semester. This final project is about having a vision and seeing it through to completion. I want to immerse myself in this culture, be a part of it and act as a photographer within it.
I was able to achieve my goals by making a plan and working within it. Other goals were achieved by applying darkroom techniques. Most notably, I was successful by knowing what angles I wanted to shoot from and working with the climbers to make it happen. I climbed to a perched position on a rock climbing route along with my camera. From this position, I was able to capture the expression and state of mind and body of climbers from a more satisfying perspective.
Technical aspects enhanced my goals by planning specific images for techniques during the shoot and after development in the darkroom. Some technical aspects include using depth of field to have a clear focus on my subjects and not on the surrounding environment. This treatment allowed me to inform to the viewer what is important in the image. Dodging and burning in the darkroom also enhanced my goals for this project. I had been challenged by bright natural lighting that was blowing out details in my subjects. Dodging and burning enhanced those details and ultimately provided for more satisfying images.
My final project is about capturing the essence and character of the people and environment surrounding the sport and lifestyle of rock climbing. Conceptually, I planned to stay aware of what the natural light situation was providing me, work with my group of rock climbers and determine the best way to direct them as needed. The people who make up this culture are bright and beaming. They are positive and supportive to friends and strangers alike. I wanted to capture these moments of physical strength for the individual climbers. I want to share the excitement and support these people have within this sport and lifestyle. This project achieves that goal because I able to share it with the world.
I am passionate about rock climbing and photography. I aim to bring these worlds together in my final project. I want to photograph the lifestyle and sport of rock climbing. I want to capture the essence of this exciting outdoor sport. I want to show the motion, expression, and character of my subjects while at the crag and in community as they support each other while between routes.
I want to approach the final project from the direction of all the subsequent projects completed in this course so far while forming a cohesive and rationalized narrative. The series will be comprised of photogram, pinhole camera, unfamiliar territory, distance and motion and portraiture. Additionally, I will apply darkroom techniques learned in class such as dodging, burning, double exposure and stacking of negatives.
I will be required to find a group of local rock climbers who are planning a trip to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch on the weekends of November 19th and November 26th. I will need a shooting plan based on my specific goals and availability of light. It will require me to camp at the ranch the night before or arrive before daylight. This will be critical because I intend to capture landscape and portraiture shots during low angle light times around dawn and dusk. To capture some of the high angle shots I am aiming for I will be required to be on rope and climb to a position above the other climbers. This requires that I use my own climbing equipment and knowledge of climbing safety.
My preliminary schedule for having this final project completed is broken down into different sections. These sections are as follows: planning, shooting, developing, image selection, printing, final image selection and dry mounting. The planning stage will hopefully be completed by November 18th. The shooting will be completed on either November 19th or the 26th. This is dependent on determining if a second shoot is necessary to complete the series. My schedule for developing film for the final project will coincide directly with the shooting schedule. The developing and image selection for the quick critique will be completed on either November 21st followed by the complete series on the 28th. The printing for the quick critique will be completed by November 22nd followed by the complete series on the 29th. The final image selection will occur on December 1st followed by the dry mounting of one image on December 2nd.
I chose this project because it is the crossing the paths of my passion for outdoor sport lifestyle and photography. I want to demonstrate the skills I have learned in this environment where character is expressed in texture, physically dynamic movement and natural lighting in an outdoor setting.
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