Assignment #4 -"Stay at Home" Challenges

DUE: Monday April 6 - (6) Works In Progress Images, (2) from each of the following three Challenges.
DUE: Monday April 13 - (6) Final Images, (2) from each of the following three Challenges.

“Stay at Home”

Photo Challenges In Response to Covid-19

As of March 30, the Governor of PA has put into place “Stay at Home” orders for most of PA counties for the month of April and public schools are closed indefinitely. We knew this was coming, so it’s not a huge shock, but it is still difficult for us to comprehend. I know many of you have been dealing with similar mandates for weeks now and I hope you and your families are healthy and safe. Because of these restrictions I’ve had to rethink the content of the course and devise new ways to challenge your photographic vision. Here is what I’ve come up with:

Challenge #1 - Inside Looking Out, Outside Looking In & Inside Looking Inside

Create a series of photographs showing both the inside of a space, as well as the outside. You may photograph Inside Looking Out, Outside Looking In (if permissible) or Inside Looking Inside (room to room.) The idea of a Frame Inside of a Frame is very important in understand this exercise. Using your camera frame a Window or Doorway as part of your composition, the window frame or doorway now acts as an additional frame for other subject matter. You may want to pay particular attention to reflections on windows and glass doors, as well as, natural lighting and time of day. Feel free to setup a shot when photographing inside, or if you’d prefer let your image be more organic and just sit and observe what’s happening outside. It’s important the we (the view) visually understand that the image is taken Inside Looking Out, etc….., so be sure to include the window frame, door frame or something that hints to the fact!

*If you are allowed or do go outside, a car window or door will also be accepted.

Emmet Gowin
Edith, Danville, Virginia. 1971

Robert Frank
View from hotel window, Butte, Montana. 1956

Robert Frank
Trolley Car, New Orleans, Louisiana. 1955

Robert Frank
Parade, Hoboken, New Jersey. 1955

Mark Steinmetz
Athens, Georgia. 2018

Challenge #2 - 36 A.M. - A Self-Portrait (kind of)

Your challenge is to Create a series of photographs prior to getting out of bed in the morning. Think outside the normal boundaries of photography and don’t forget about long exposures, movement or other creative devices you have available to you. You may have a number of lenses placed by your bed prior to going to sleep at night and/or a tripod if necessary. Repeat this process over the course of several days if need be. Each day you photograph I ask that you make 36 different exposures prior to getting out of bed.

Try not to think too much about what is currently in your bedroom or space and by all means do not rearrange furniture or anything else in order to create better photos. The idea is that after 5 or 6 frames, you will most likely be bored with your options and will need to force yourselves to see new things, to see creatively with the camera. If the photo needs adjustment, such as a door opened to let in more light and so on that is fine, however the image itself should be executed from the vantage point of your bed.

This assignment is about limits and what we can do with those limitations. Think about those photographers that came before us, or ones that are currently working that limit themselves. These limitations could be subject matter, but they also extend into cameras, film, paper and all other decisions that affect the final image.

The title for this assignment comes from assigning it to students that were using film cameras. They would have been using rolls of film with 36 exposures. So ideally they would finish the entire roll before getting out of bed. I ask that you follow the same limitations and be sure to make 36 exposures before you get up. I mention in the title that it’s a Self-Portrait (kind of.) Meaning that your bedroom is a reflection of who you are, so don’t be afraid to show us that. Additionally, you can turn the camera around and create Self- Portraits to satisfy this challenge!

Challenge #3 – Reminder of the Essentials: Food & Eating

As we learn to cope with these new rules to our daily lives, we are reminded of some of the essentials needed to survive. One of the most important essentials being food! I’m sure that like me, you and your family have stocked up on as much food as you could, in order to minimize your need to venture out. In this challenge I would like you to turn your cameras and focus on the process of cooking and eating food.

These are NOT to be Instagram photos of “look at what I’m eating!” These are NOT to be images of people eating, nor are they to be photographs of your mom cutting up an onion. You are to observe what is happening around you and respond to it in an artful manor. For instance, does a piece of fruit or a vegetable look like the human form? Is the pile of discarded egg shells, carrot shavings, onion skins, etc.. a beautiful abstraction? What does the bottom of the sink look like after doing dishes and with the water drained? And what about that stack of dirty or clean dishes?

This challenge is about spending time visually exploring the little things that we generally take for granted and looking at those things that we generally don’t take the time to look at. Remember, the camera is a license to look at just about anything, so don’t allow your mom or dad, or brother or sister, to cleanup that kitchen so quickly! Oh, and I’m not responsible if you are put on dish duty!