Understand the Problem
The requirements of this assignment are to shoot at least 40 photos that are portraits of shoes. It should tell a story and use various environments, light, colors, and angles. The final product will be a 9 photo montage.
We are shooting photos of shoes to test our creativity, using a simple object to tell a story.
Research and Investigate
Shoe characteristics:
- New or worn
- Brand
- Color, or lack thereof
- Shoes have a soul
- What the shoes are used for
- Are the shoes clean or dirty
Generate Possible Solutions
Shoes to use: Old Nike's (if I still have them), New Balance, Vans, Slides
Potential Characteristics: Worn, Dirty, Clean, Fresh, Colorful, Dull, Simple
How I could utilize shoes: Doing everyday tasks, being worn and used, being cleaned, in motion.
Environments: Garage, work, outside in nature, mud/dirt, water
How light could be used: Exposure and white balance could create different tones, some more joyous and some more somber.
Stories of a specific shoe: Return to owner, escape from owner, trying to get cleaned, general adventure
Select AND DEVELOP Best Solution
Model and Prototype (Create)
Test and Evaluate
I shot 41 photos initially outdoors and I wanted to get some more variation in the daily life of a shoe, so I decided to do some indoor shots. I personally do not think they turned out as well except for the one where the shoes are playing video games. I like the lighting and the balance. Of the outdoor shots the singular shoe relaxing on a chair is my favorite because it is a calm, personal shot that is not as busy as some of the others.
Produce
I made two different montages, one with a symmetrical design and another with an asymmetrical design. I personally think the symmetrical one is better because there is more flow and balance to it. You can see the shoes as they go through the day in a more chronological fashion whereas the asymmetrical montage is scattered and random and interpreted more abstractly. I feel like I needed to focus more on the compositions themselves rather than the story I wanted to tell with the shoes. I put the emphasis on the scene, not the photo, and as a result I have some rather mediocre photos. There are a couple that stand out as good photos by themselves, but the others need context to be worth anything.
