Fun with light

It's been a fairly enjoyable weekend thus far.  Today involved a quick trip down to Goodale Park to see The Spikedrivers perform as part of the music in the parks series, and last night was well spent going to Haiku for sushi with Sayak, Amanda, and George, followed by the Gallery Hop with others.  Good times in Columbus.  Amanda and George were visiting from Virginia Tech, and I found with them, as with other visitors, that I had this odd feeling of personal investment in making sure they came away with a good impression of Columbus.  It goes beyond trying to be a good host (especially since Sayak was their host, not me) and enters into this pseudo-tour guide mode of trying to demonstrate that their are worthwhile things to do in the city.  I want people to come away thinking "Columbus is great!"  Not entirely sure why.  I just have pride for my city.  So don't litter, okay?

Anyway, upon seeing Sayak last night I returned his camera to him.  He had lent the camera to me so I could get some practice taking pictures and subsequently make a more informed decision when purchasing a camera, if it comes about that I do in fact purchase a camera for myself.  My reason for considering buying a camera is so that I can augment my blog by doing things like inserting pictures in the middle of posts, like this....

...rather than always waiting to the end and then plugging in some picture found via Google Images.  You know, more of a personal touch, being able to highlight the things I'm talking about (such as The Spikedrivers, or Haiku, or littering) with corresponding photos.

It was in this context that Sayak generously lent me his camera.  Not surprisingly, I still haven't quite made up my mind, but I did take some photos and thought it would be worthwhile to post the better ones.  Here are some of my favorites:

You see how nice it is to be able to do that, posting the fruits of your very own photographic efforts?  It adds so much richness to the post.  You can then take the post content to the "next level" by enhancing the photos with dramatic, thought-provoking captions:

Light

Darkness

Hands

This is, of course, a joke.  These photos are terrible.  The real "good stuff" is below.  I started out trying to do shots demonstrating interesting perspectives, like this...

...but immediately became disoriented to the point of vomiting violently for a steady hour.  This is, of course, a joke.  It's just that taking photos demonstrating an interesting perspective sometimes means you have to make an effort to get into the right position, contorting your body to achieve the desired angle, and let's face it, I'm just not up for that kind of work.  In lieu of perspective shots, the focus of my art became various series of photos, with each series playing on one theme.  Without further ado...

Series 1: Close-ups

In Close-ups I sought to play off of the interesting juxtaposition of three distinct objects: pins, a hat, and a banana.  The pins start the series with a delicate elegance of form, while at the same time highlighting the need for companionship.  There are two pins, not one, and the elegance of the picture is enhanced by the duality that is present.  This gives way to the rawer, darker image of the hat.  Not only this, but as the close-up focuses on the Ohio State logo and the Nike swoosh, the hat seems to serve only as a vehicle for blatant commercialism.  Not to be oppressed forever, the soul returns to basic sustenance, found in the pleasing yellow tones of the banana.  We are reminded of the earlier pins by the same red background, but also more subtly by the reflection of the object off that same red background, bringing to mind the reflective nature of many objects we encounter in day-to-day life.

Series 2: Fitness

Fitness was no less than a labor of love.  At times playful, at times serious, it crosses boundaries in a grand expression of freedom.  The beginning shot of the stability ball sets up the potential for movement while restraining from a full-blown anthem of locomotion.  The shoes in the background provide a gentle preview for this expected summit though, and walk the careful boundary between providing needed texture and overpowering the image of the ball.  The wheel in the second photo moves further down the path of the intent to move from a theoretical point A to point B, and can be seen to represent an evolution of character from the ball.  Finally, evolution blossoms into the form of the shoes, fully intent on ambulation.  The seasoned viewer will note the underlying meaning present in the shoes, as they are "wheels" for the feet, harkening back to the wheel in the prior photo while at the same time being so much more.

Series 3: The Room

The Room is the most peaceful of the four series.  Light is used in all three photos to varying degrees.  We begin close in on the bronze fireplace border, then move back to contemplate the bamboo shade on the window, and finally move even further back to look into the closet.  Looking into the closet should clearly prompt the viewer to ponder the last time they looked into their soul, and indeed the shadow of the artist present in the photo indicates the existence of such thoughts of the "I" in the subject matter.  Not only that, but the room itself becomes a metaphor for the person (in this case the artist), being where they live, and making up the solid substance of order and reality.

Series 4: Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf is the only series of photos that features the same object in each of the three photos of the series.  This causes a more in-depth look at the subject, and being thus familiarized with it allows the viewer to close their eyes, look inside, and let the sound take them away.  Magical?  Perhaps, but more importantly, well-woven.

I'd like to conclude by offering some thanks.  First to Sayak, for lending his camera to me.  Second, to Sayak's camera, for working.  Third, to my red desk, which served as the backdrop for so many of these photos.  Fourth, to classic rock bands, for inspiration.  Fifth, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for the skyhook.  Sixth, to the children of the world.  And finally, seventh, to whole wheat tortillas, for their versatility.

Forgot to thank one other very important person: Randall Cunningham Tackling Buddy, circa 1991.  Randall served as my "on-the-spot" critic to help guide my artistic endeavors.  Randall is actually an inanimate stuffed toy from my childhood, utterly incapable of speech.  It explains so much.