Looking at What I Have

As I prepare for Pull Out Day, I realized I really have to analyze where I am and what I have. While I definitely have enough material for me to survive on Pull Out Day, I realize that during Spring Break, I am going to be doing a lot of work. I have not met personal goals that I set in the beginning of the process, which is worrisome, yet can easily be fixed by putting in a lot of days during the Break. I still managed to look back and see what I had and what I was working with, which was surprisingly a great foundation. I have a few pictures I could use in my book which really show a couple of things: contrasts and emotion.

This is by far my favorite picture. This was taken right off of 125^th, depicting these new beautiful apartments. In the corner, however, is an older black male who isn't quite letting go. He kept screaming things as people walked by, and while I couldn't understand him, he seems to be a usual to the area. People who walked by smiled, as if he was a familiar face in this area. In order to stay discrete and keep the validity of the image (in other words, make sure the image is raw, and not staged), the photo doesn't give a great view of the man's expression or facial details. This makes me think about what lenses I am using. The three I have at my disposal are a 28mm lens, 50mm lens, and a 135mm lens. The 135mm would give me a close up view of the man, but at the same time, I lose the entire background (buildings and architecture). If I use the 28mm, I get everything in one image, but lose details up close. I have to make decisions like this on the fly and ensure that everything I desire to be in the image is in there while still getting all the detail I could possibly fit in one picture.

While this isn't an image that I would want in the final product, I like how this picture shows what Harlem is becoming. The background shows new buildings, while the graffiti covered ones are fenced off, preparing for demolition, and another brand new building will rise. A struggle in this picture was composing it well enough to see the barren ground that now is there while still getting the buildings in the background. Also, I didn't want the fence to be a distraction, but I wanted the viewer to see that it was there. While this photo was difficult to compose, I was still happy with the end result, but don't think that it has the quality or the meaning to really go into the final book.

This picture is the final one from 125^th that I really liked. It really showed the true essence of my project, which is change. While on others I felt as if underexposure (meaning the picture is darker) served the image well, I don't think underexposure in this picture made it any better. I might bump the contrast up in photoshop and mess around there to get the look I want. The images message, however, is the exact one I was hoping to depict to the focus panel.

*NOTE: images are cut off (width). Click on the images for the full pictures*

Start Developin' Those Photos!

I can finally deem this week a successful week. I had my fair share of research this week, which was focused around photography. I then took to the streets twice (Friday and Sunday) for some real extensive photography sessions. I got a few really good shots, however I used another two rolls of film. I haven't really addressed the issue of efficiency of every frame I shoot, however I feel as if I'm going to do this project right, I will have to take over 200 pictures and pick the best twenty. While that seems like a waste, it is the best way to approach this because out of my hundreds of pictures will come a good amount that will having a lasting image on the viewer and answer guiding questions.

I read a couple of articles about street photography this week, which allowed me get in the mindset of a street photographer. While this is the main style I shoot with, I needed to remind myself of the very basics. Everything from camera to what you wear makes a huge difference. I own two cameras that I will use extensively during this project. One is my Olympus OM-4, which should be effective for more obvious "streetscapes". My other camera is a Yashica Autofocus, which is very quiet and doesn't require all of the attention my Olympus SLR does. The Yashica is just essentially point and shoot, which will give a very raw photo. I will use that for more on the street portraits, and will use that when I am being discrete, meaning I will not be looking through a viewfinder. This style is called "shooting from the hip". It gives a different perspective and feel that is much more raw than a staged photo.

While I have only scratched the surface of what is my focus project, I am happy to say that where I am is a great place. I'm starting to grow a level of comfort in Harlem that will allow me to venture deeper into it. So far I have only been to the main parts of it (125th, Frederick Douglas Drive, Malcolm X Boulevard). I feel as if my deeper and more interesting discoveries will be made in spots that I won't expect to look in. While I haven't had any "breathtaking" discoveries yet, I have met a few personal goals of mine, which make me feel really good about my progress.

What is frustrating is my inability to develop my film until Wednesday. I really wanted to show my progress photography wise with my class. What I really need to do is think of an efficient way of storing my negatives for the long term. I used to store my negatives in envelopes, but after a while they got dusty and scratched. I need to start buying plastic sleeves that will safely store my negatives until I get them professionally printed.

Snow Snow Snow

So far, my project has been being ceased by a little something called snow. I have had to cancel interview after interview because snow seems to love Friday's and I get snowed in my house. Unfortunately, Friday's are my main day to do interviews, so I have been getting really annoyed at that. Luckily, I was able to hop into Harlem today and get some nice pictures of 125th. I'm currently waiting to get the film developed, but as soon as that happens, I'll scan them and post them. While I stated in my project proposal I might do a lot of digital, I realize that as an artist, that is not something I want to do.

What I have been really focused on in these last weeks has been the guiding question "is there a depleting culture in Harlem, or have things stayed the same?" My struggles have simply been that I haven't had enough time to see Harlem. I need to start vamping up my visits if I truly wish to answer this question. What I have found through books and research has been quite revealing though. Several sources have been contradicting others, and I think this really calls for me to go to Harlem myself and really analyze this guiding question. Some sources are saying that now a days a majority of whites have been taking over housing and commerce in Harlem, while other sources are saying there are just as many blacks in Harlem, but just a different socioeconomic class of blacks are living there.

Another thing I have had to think about is budget. Through buying all the chemicals, film, camera batteries, metrocards, etc., I figure I have to plan how to use my materials efficiently. In two hours alone, I used two rolls of film, which is good and bad. I figure that it is good to have a lot of photos, but at the same time, I don't know if I can afford to keep up that pace for too long. I need to plan a way to make more of each picture I expose.

The snow days have hit two of my Friday's, and I was sick one, causing me to lose three. It is extremely frustrating to lose such a key day. This makes the whole process frustrating because I haven't been getting enough data to analyze and make conclusions from. What I need to learn is to how to use the hours I have more efficiently. As with the my film and photography, time needs to be used just as carefully. I feel as if when I'm in Harlem, I seem to get lost in such a world that provides so much wonder to me and is right now so mysterious to me. While I studied it carefully in the fall, the world that I see now through my own eyes and lens is one very different that no book could possibly prepare me for. I need to start making plans to learn the city through an experts mouth rather than attempt to learn it all through my eyes. While that style of learning has merit, I don't think for a project of such academic standards it would be the best possible approach. I think comparing my observations with the thoughts and opinion of an expert (such as someone from the Schomburg), I can learn a lot more.

These past weeks have proven to be tough, though I'm starting to overcome some obstacles due to some things starting to come together. While before I was really focused on interviews, I now focus on photography. Interviews being canceled multiple times can be frustrating, so I decided that for right now I would focus on my photos and make sure that I have a solid foundation to work with and answer some guiding questions with. I want this project to show how much of a research tool art can be, and I hope that my art can help me answer a few guiding questions. While one could explain with words and essays, I feel as if one picture is powerful enough to explain the exact same thing.