ASSIGNMENT 2 – REFLECTION

Overall I was quite happy with the result of my Assignment #2. This time I read the instructions carefully (!) and gave myself plenty of time to shoot so I could get all the right shots I wanted. We chose Nathan’s story as our prompt observation, and while an intriguing story that was well told by Nathan, it wasn’t ideal for this specific assignment, as it didn’t give much room for abstract experimentation (or at least as easily as a more vague or mundane observation may have). However I powered ahead, and decided while I would capture some more obvious and literal footage inspired by the writing, I could throw in some more left-field shots, that still fit within the general motif and vibe I was trying to get across.

I started by capturing, in as interesting way as possible, some of the images that immediately came to mind when I heard this observation and thought of some possible footage to shoot alongside it. Cars and traffic, traffic lights, footpaths and pedestrians’ feet. While I shot these things, I carefully selected my exposure and focus, as to create the most visually appealing shot. In most cases I went for a photorealistic style, trying to match the natural light outside as much as possible. For others, I closed the iris almost entirely, so as to create a dark frame, with very little light coming in, and giving more focus on the glowing street lights. This was to slightly mirror the idea of blindness and not knowing what is ahead.

I used this similar effect on my shot of the clouds moving past the moon. Although it was the aftternoon when I was shooting, I changed the exposure to such a way that it appeared quite dark. I then got some shots of a bird that was nearby, and did a cool zoom effect on the Design Hub building, which when interlaced with the shots of the walking, created an interesting, kinda unsettling effect. All in all I was happy with the results!