Assignment 4

CHANNEL YOUR INNER EGGLESTON

This assignment is all about slowing down and paying attention to your environment. This is an exercise in seeing that requires patience and imagination to see the potential in the unremarkable. I often find this kind of exercise to be quite meditative, especially when you're walking and really paying attention to your steps, the sounds etc.

SET 1

LOOKING LEFT & UP

Squirrel in the shortcut. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/100s ISO 200) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

God and Jesus, neon cross. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/50s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Window plants. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/80s ISO 200) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Neon coat hanger. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/125s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Oil can. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/30s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

SET 2

LOOKING DOWN

Zip tie. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/30s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Crosswalk. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/80s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Caution tape. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/500s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

On the fence. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/60s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Locked up. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/13s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

SET 3

LOOKING RIGHT & UP

Chemtrails. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/2000s ISO 800) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Open. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/20s ISO 800) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Parking garage. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/10s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Concrete jungle. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/15s ISO 400) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

Crossing wires. Taken on October 14, 2020, Brookline, MA.
f5.6 (1/125s ISO 1600) Lens: EF-S18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS (EFL 48mm)
Photo by Marie von Kampen

REFLECTION

After watching the documentary about Eggleston, it stuck with me the idea that he only takes one photo and then moves on. The concept of using given parameters creates a moment of pause to focus on what you are shooting. It reminds me of the process of letterpress printing in a community space, where you don’t have time to fiddle, and you are also limited by what assets you have accessible. I enjoyed this assignment and realized I did something similar in my pre-pandemic commute. My version documented my walk and bus ride to work using my camera phone to see new things every day. I found it more inconspicuous and faster than DSLR. On the flip side, while the DSLR made me more noticeable (and awkward), there are photos that I could not have taken with my camera phone. Using the manual settings force more time for consideration of composition and to stop and see more. I learned that some of the photos I liked best were the ones I only shot one image of, but the others had multiples as I tried to change settings and get the best exposures. In the future, I would like to do this exercise again, trying other parameters, as it feels to be good practice for composition and taking the time to “see” instead of “look.”