Fifteen.

I think I figured out a title for my series this quarter... I am going to call it Atrophy. Which means to gradually decline over time because of neglect. I think it works perfectly. I am very excited for this series to be printed and to finally see how it all looks together. 

Fourteen.

I went to shoot today. Mostly I was reshooting what I had shot before, but a bit differently then I was before. I think they turned out really great and I'm excited about them. I have been doing death matches and such to make sure they look good and I think they do. 

I have around 64 images overall so that would mean about 32 diptychs to choose from. I think... Anyway. I have options. 

I will post some of the final images tomorrow after crit. 

Thirteen.

I figured out the way I want to display my pictures. I went to the juried show that is currently in the Sarah Spurgeon art gallery and saw an artist that put screws into the corners of her water color type paper. I loved how it looked and decided that is how I am going to display my images. I would like to try to rust the screws as well, so add to the rustic, decaying theme throughout my pieces. I'm very excited about this. 

Here is a bad picture of what it will look like and who the artist is that I am talking about:

Twelve.

I have really been enjoying the idea of doing diptychs and/or triptychs! I think that is going to be how I'm going to put these photos together. I'm very excited. I think my project is coming together really nicely. I haven't quite paired the photos together yet, but I've got ideas a brewin. I'm also planning to go shoot again this week! 

We will see how crit goes today though!

Eleven.

I am still figuring out what exactly I am trying to say in my photos, but I am definitely getting closer. I just love all of the colors and textures I have been finding around Ellensburg. In people's garbage, in broken down buildings, in alleyways. My work has always focused on color and textures and this is something I have written about in my Artist Statement for my senior  show that is coming up. I feel that color and texture helps show that we experience things similarly, but that we can never fully experience the same exact thing or feeling as another person. This has been something I have realized recently, but it's something I guess I've always known. Anyway, I guess that is just my thought process right now. I am just enjoying taking pictures of things that speak to me. I am also enjoying the work I am putting together in the process.

Here are some more images:

Ten.

Oh and when I talked about display ideas, I mentioned that I wanted to hang my photos with clips and wire and I found a good example of what I mean and how I want them to look, only mine would be on a larger scale. 

I think it looks really professional and works great with the raw subject of my shots. 

Nine.

I did some editing on my photos from today and reedited some from last Friday. I upped the saturation on some of them and made them all square.

Here are some more of my photos starting with newly edited photos from Friday and ending with ones I shot today. What did I say about the lovely colors being highlighted by the decay?

Eight.

I went to shoot some more today. I am going to edit some of the photos tonight and see what I got. I think I'm focusing more on an urban/city setting for my destruction this quarter. I'm enjoying the beautiful decaying colors and textures I'm finding. I always look for color and texture. One of the things I'm drawn to when looking for stuff to shoot. I think that's part of why I love decaying objects so much. The deconstruction of the object helps the colors stand out even more. 

I will be posting some pictures of my shoot in a few hours!

Seven.

Taylor and I found a paper that we both like! It is a lovely rough textured paper. I am thinking my prints will look lovely on it. I am excited.

Here is a link to the paper:

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/25003-Innova-Cold-Press-Rough-Textured-Natural-White-315gsm-Inkjet-Paper-24

Six.

I finally have some of the images edited from friday. I wanted to do square prints, but I haven't turned these ones into squares cause I think only some of them would work as squares. I am going to play around with cropping a bit though.

Here are some of the images from friday. I am still figuring out exactly what goes well together. But the colors are turning out really nicely in all of them!

Grungy goodness.

Five.

I actually went to shoot today because it turned into a nice day. I got some shots and I think some of them will turn out really awesome. I'll upload them after I've edited them a bit. I am going to shoot some more in Seattle hopefully just around town while I hangout with some friends. Then I am going to shoot some more Sunday afternoon around Ruby St. in Ellensburg and potentially some other places I scout out.

In other words, post with pictures coming soon!

Four.

I haven't been able to shoot this week because it has been really crappy weather, but it looks like that may be changing soon. I was going to shoot today (and still might), however the cloudy weather is killing me. I am going to try to shoot while I am in Seattle tomorrow and then again Sunday, regardless of the weather. I know that Tuesday is supposed to be slightly nicer, so I already have plans to shoot then as well. In other words, I am trying to work a schedule out. I already have a lot of ideas of where I am going to shoot to find some old broke down stuff around town.

I have been looking for artists that have the vibe that I would like to try to capture in my photography (the grungy, raw feel) and that is how I found Mike Brodie. He shoots a lot of people, but I love the feeling of his photographs. He has this great, raw, real, grungy feel to his work that I feel that I could achieve with my subject matter and work that I want to produce this quarter.

Three.

I also know that I would like to make large square prints this quarter as well. I was thinking something like 2ftx2ft. I am hoping this is possible because I'd really like to make some large prints before I graduate.

The only thing is I haven't figured out how I would display these images yet. I have a lot to think about and I want to start shooting so that I don't feel as stressed out, but right now I am feeling very overwhelmed.

Two.

I am still trying to put together exactly what I want to take pictures of this quarter. I am going to continue looking to other artists for inspiration. However, I am always drawn to things that are damaged in one way or another and I have really gotten into a grungy style of photography that I would really like to play with more this quarter. I am thinking of trying to capture creepy, dark, decaying, grungy wonderfulness. I want to take pictures of my worn out shoes, broken swingsets, gross alley ways, things that I normally take pictures of, but I want to try to see them differently. I want to see them for what they are, an eye sore.

I am also playing with the idea of trying to have all my photos be linked together with color theory as well. I am still trying to figure stuff out, but I think I am getting closer. I would like this series to be a bit different then the rest of my work, but obviously not totally because I am very drawn to the things I am drawn to and I am good at capturing said things, so I don't want to stray too far from that.

However, I really want my work to be way more grungy, creepy feel to my work this quarter because I am very inspired by things that other people ordinarily find creepy or not worthy of their time. I want people to be forced to experience things how I experience them. At least that is what I am hoping will happen with my work. I am kind of just typing as I think, so I don't know if this fully makes sense, but I feel really inspired by the idea.

One.

I am trying to figure out what it is I want to do this quarter. I have a few ideas, but I don't know exactly what they are saying yet. I would really like to do large prints this quarter and I think I'd like to focus on color and texture again. I am thinking about focusing on addiction maybe? Or possibly how depression and anxiety affects ones life. I am still trying to think of the perfect thing for this quarter, especially because it is my final quarter at CWU. I am going to start researching some photographers to get inspired, because right now I feel really limited by my surroundings. I am also trying to find some fun new locations to shoot at. I think I will go on an adventure this upcoming week. I am very excited. I know I am also going to Seattle during the quarter and I am hoping to get some awesome shots while I am there, they may not work for my project though. I am not sure yet.

Obviously I have a lot more thinking, research and inspiration to work on before I figure out what I am going to do. I just know that I really want it to mean something and be my best work yet...