Photo Essay: Kristen Nolan & Vanessa Portelli

MAS 110- 'Everyday Aesthetics' Photo Essay: Kristen Nolan & Vanessa Portelli

Theme: Bricks

Sub-theme: Painted bricks

Rationale

The use and distribution of digital photography via online media platforms has altered the way individuals perceive ‘everyday’ objects. According to Murray (2008), images of the small and mundane are increasingly being portrayed in a fleeting manner due to their ability to make reference to more ordinary moments in life. Our photo essay responds to the notion of ‘everyday’ aesthetics as bricks are often known for their practical qualities and are not typically considered beautiful. Therefore we intended to emphasise the beautiful aspects of painted bricks that often go unnoticed.  

Many of the bricks captured display urban beauty through aged, flaking paint. When capturing these images, various close angled shots were used to display depth of field and to emphasis textural elements. The utilisation of Iphoto allowed us to employ various effects to our images. This enabled us to enhance a ‘mundane’ object by drawing upon its beautiful qualities.

Selecting music is important as it ties together the piece whilst reflecting the overall theme and mood. We decided that music containing a strong, syncopated and accented beat would match our selected theme most accurately. Therefore, we selected a ‘Reggae’ piece called Dance Cleopatra by ZamalSka (2009) which allowed us to edit our images in conjunction with the music. This creates interest which reinforces the idea of transforming the mundane.

Similarly coloured bricks were placed together when deciding on the progression of images, therefore establishing unity. Firstly, milder hues were used followed by bold blues and reds to relay the rhythmic consistency and pronounced beats featured towards the end of the music. Lastly, the image at 00:28:20 reiterates our theme and sub-theme by portraying an outcast painted brick amongst a cluster of regular bricks.

Transitional effects were implemented and timed in conjunction with the music to create interest. The mosaic transition at 00:22:24 is relevant as it features rectangular shapes similar to that of bricks. The use of Ken Burns emphasises striking elements and highlights beauty that is often over looked.

Reference list:

Murray, S. (2008) ‘Digital Images, Photo-Sharing, and Our Shifting Notions of Everyday Aesthetics’, Journal of Visual Culture, vol. 7, no. 147, pp. 131-148.

Music:

“Dance Cleopatra” courtesy of ZamalSka, 2009: Available at http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/488291/dance-cleopatra, published under a Creative Commons Attribution, ShareAlike 3.0 Unreported Licence, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, accessed 8.10.12.