Kegels

I'm photographing the Kegel family. My aim is simply to portray the family for who they are. In my artist statement I'll probably be including something about how I admire and appreciate the family and how they've played an important role in my life. Or maybe I just am interested in young families because I could be one some day. I suppose I'll know more soon.

I chose this picture because I like the image of her hands. I intend to use the hands as visual breaks in the sequence of the rest of the photos. Or maybe I'll just end up doing hand after all. Anyway, I thing the analogous color scheme, the composition, and the repetition of the two hands are what make the image a good one. The color isn't too overwhelming either because the neutral browns give the eye a bit of a break. The browns actually create leading lines to the hands too. Finally, the importance of this particular image of Siena's hands is that it's obvious she's young. Her favorite activity is climbing and she's very dependent on supporting herself as she goes. This photo represents her age and what she does with her hands the most.

Still trying to figure it out....

Not hitting what I am looking for yet. I tried adding more color, but I am not sure it worked out. For some odd reason I have hit an inspirational slum... As I keep trying to find the shots, I can't seem to capture what is in my head. I'll figure it out soon. I better figure it out soon... But for now, here is a picture of Collin. Interesting kid...

Experiment

I've been experimenting with arranging flowers lately, mostly just finding different containers to use as vases. I photograph them to remember my ideas, but then I decided to experiment with different lighting as well. This photo was taken late at night in my dark dorm room, using only the light from street lamps outside. It had a longer exposure than usual and I like the way it turned out as a warm shadowy image. Not every photograph needs to have natural or crisp lighting. I enjoy seeing different temperatures and tones that come from more difficult settings to photograph.

In The Frame

I shot this picture for our latest roll. I wanted to experiment with including myself in the portraits I was shooting. Often times I look at a picture and take it for what I see, but I forget that there's a person right there in the action that's rarely seen.

I also liked working with the studio lights to try and figure out good use of light. I'll be using them more for this project. It's a challenge, but the result is satisfactory.


Corey Bienert

Comfort

People just love their cars. I guess it depends on how much character their car has, though.

This is a picture of Chayah and Betsy. I believe this image really captures the feeling of excitement and uncontainable joy that one feels when they own something that supports their character so well. Chayah can be constantly seen in vibrant colors, and somehow her car just brings that out of her even further. I especially like the repeated square elements in this photograph, and the unity they bring.

I find myself wondering what it is that each of us owns, that we cling to, because of the manners in which it connects us with who our character is. The ultimate support for our character is Christ, yes - but, there are things we hold dear, and even hidden, sometimes, that just give us that strong sense of belonging, even if we choose not to show it. Perhaps letters, kept in a box, that are pulled out and read when there has been a day that just seems to destroy you. Maybe a piece of jewelry that somehow reminds you of what you're worth, or a song that you just can't seem to listen to enough times ... I think of people who use their car as a physical expression of figurative escape from the places of frustration that they're in - What helps us escape? How there is comfort in repetition ...

Andrew

I wanted to post a picture of my project, but I'm really not sure what my next move is for it. Wether it is going to Chicago and hopefully not get picked up for protesting Hershey's downtown. ;-) So I thought I would post a different picture while I brainstorm.

This is a picture of my younger brother, Andrew. He has gorgeous red hair, that I have been jealous of for years. He's also a skinny little kid, which I don't understand because he is always eating. Seems like whenever I take a candid of him at home, he is either eating something or getting into mischief. (He lives up to the stereotype of kids with red hair :)

I had to tone down his sweater some, because all of the red was so overwhelming. I used an attachable flash to get the softer light, and all the lines (the white counter and his fork) are all pointing/leading to his face. I also really like that he is actually looking into the frame of the camera. He is aware of the camera, and stopped what he was doing to look at it. For me, my favorite thing about photography, specifically candids, is being able to freeze a moment in time, capturing a person in their element. And here, Andrew, is well...Andrew. Eating and probably ready for some mischief.

tired, but why? (other than homework)

This image is one of the ones that I took for the portraits project we are currently doing. It's been really interesting to see my process through this project because my ideas have definitely evolved and the outcome is completely different than what I thought it was going to be, but I like it so much better. I like the light and shadow that is created by the dramatic lighting and I especially enjoy the fact that her body language is so clear. She is tired and seems to almost be completely fed up with life at the moment I have captured her. Although the photos I am taking are completely contrived, there is a natural way about each of the people because they are in positions that they are normally in throughout a regular day. I enjoy the negative space around her as it allows a calmness and quietness to the photo.
This photo reminds me of what we all go through at different points in our lives. We all become tired of life and what we do. It makes me think about why exactly we keep doing the very things that make us so frustrated and drained. Are we so frustrated and drained because we care so much, or is it because what we are doing is not what we are meant to do? Is it not trusting in God that drains us so much? We want to be in control of so many things, but it ends up doing us so much harm, so then where does that leave us? I think getting so far down helps to re-evaluate what is happening in our lives, and to search for what is really important. Maybe the reason we all become so tired and drained from life is because we don't understand or realize that we need to rely on God and others to help us get through things that we cannot do ourselves. Maybe us trying to do everything and control situations in our lives is just alienating us and forcing us into this place that is so draining and lonely.

studio

I was interested in the work and tools and space artists surround themselves with.

Untitled

For now I'm leaving the title as "Untitled" because it's going to be a part of my portraits project but I haven't met the end yet and therefore I cannot name the beginning. Anyway, I'm doing portraiture on hands and faces, the relation between the two, and how the two tell a story of the person together. The lines of time and age show in both and yet they both represent two very different things sometimes. The face end up with lines that express the most frequent emotions a person experiences; the hand end up with the lines and wear that reflect what they've done. I think this sums up a person pretty well because life is only about emotions and actions.

This image is part of my process for the project we are working on. It attempts to discover exactly what it is that I'm interested in photographing. I enjoy the lightening in the image. It is pretty dramatic and sets up a dark atmosphere. I like the color the creates a stark contrast with the darkness.

Still needs some work

Composite shots are always fun. I take them on as a challenge and keep working on them until I feel that I have succeeded. I am not quite satisfied with this one yet, but I am getting tired so here is my progress... This is definitely an interesting picture, but then again these are some pretty interesting people, so a good match.

This photo is part of an exploration of the next assignment that we are working on in class. I was interested in this photo because I like the way that you can read into the eyes which is the focal point of this photo. I think in alot of portraits, the eyes are one of the most descriptive pieces of the subject. I feel in this photo, that is true as well. The lighting as well as the depth of field help support this focal point.

Go Do

I took this picture for our portraits project. This is an artist friend of mine, Lynessa. She's putting together this huge art piece for here senior show. Rarely in art pieces do you see the artist. So I took this opportunity to photograph her in front of the art she was still piecing together. I may also take a similar approach to my portrait project. (I also cropped the image because she wished to have others not see the full piece before her show)


Corey Bienert

Lake Michigan

I took this picture on the shore of lake Michigan this weekend.
I live near this beach during the summer and am used to seeing it full of people and covered in sand. Right now it is completely buried in snow and there are mounds of ice built up from the waves. It is a completely different experience during the winter and I can hardly believe this is the same space I spend my sunny summer afternoons on.

I love the warm colors the sunset spread across the frozen layers. It was a beautiful view and this image makes it look far more inviting than it actually felt. Being surrounded by ice, dodging the wind and trying not to fall made taking photos a very uncomfortable and difficult experience.

If it's not Baroque ...

These T-pins are smiling.

On Monday, during Art History, I looked over at the bulletin board, and someone had created a smiley face out of the pins. The lights were dimmed because of the projector, and everyone seemed to be just barely there in the darkness of the room. And then these pins were smiling at me.

The project we are currently working on involves exploration of light, and its use in portraiture. I silently rejoiced as I saw the bulletin board take on human characteristics, and simply loved how the directional light cast such interesting shadows. It challenged me, as this week began, to not only seek out an execution of effective portraiture through conventional means of depiction, but to really notice how one element, when manipulated, can completely shift the perception of what is being shown. This relates back to the article we recently read, and how crucial our choices are in photography.

Hershey's

Did you know Hershey's employs slave labor? Well, maybe employ isn't the right word. How about forces slave labor? Through our current project, I wanted to bring awareness to this. It's hard to come up with ideas for it

I didn't go overboard trying to edit this picture. There are many imperfections, but I think that just adds to the image. Without knowing any of the background for the image it doesn't make any sense. Taken out of context, it would probably just confuse the viewer. Generally chocolate is always portrayed in a good light, but this stark reality is quite different from the norm.

Sorry, I was thinking about...

This image is interesting to me because there is so much going on in the image, but my eye keeps going back to her face. Part of the reason for this is the color of her shirt. The saturated blue stands out against the largely neutral tones of the background.
There is something so haunting in her expression. It seems as though I have caught her at a time in which she is in deep thought about something. She seems is gazing just past me and is so lost in her thought that she doesn't even seem to notice or care that I am present. It seems as though I have penetrated into her world without her even being aware of it.
Everyone that I have talked to lately has said the same thing... this semester is rough. I often find myself staring off without any notice of what is happening around me because of all the things running through my head. We are often so haunted by what is happening in our lives, and we sometimes don't realize that it shows. We are so caught up in what we are thinking about that we don't realize that others are still around and can see and read the haunting expression on our faces. Whether we want it to or not, what we feel shows to those around us.

Kids in the Snow

I took some picture for Sandy Gum for a friend of hers. This kids were adorable. My only aim in the project was to capture the simple beauty and character of each kid.

MoneyShot

This is the money shot. Don't ask questions.

That's what I think of when I see this image. A somewhat large sum of money seen together in one place can usually carry a bad stigma concerning where the money came from. In the movies, you always see the one guy with the briefcase full of money, cutting a deal in a shady place. Seeing money can always evoke some kind of emotion in the viewer, usually a somewhat peculiar uncomfortableness.

Our Shoes

I've taken photos of shoes before, but I still find the subject interesting. Personally, I find that there is alot to be said about the kind of shoes someone wears. It all has to do with associations, and we all know this to be true. Still, it's interesting that, even though we say you can't judge a book by it's cover, I think there is still something to be said about what we see.

I was sitting in the lobby when I realized that the carpet was coming off the wall. I think alot of times in life things are falling apart around and we just fail to take the time to notice them. I think it is part of the human condition, we are so consumed with ourselves that we dont pay attention when people are coming unraveled right beside us.

The guy in this picture looks creepy, but in all reality he is a nice guy. Similarly, to acting, photography can portray some to be completely different then who they really are. That brings up the question, Is it important to portray the person for who they really are? Or is it ok to create someone through a picture? When could it go too far? That is why this pictures draws my attention.

Well the weather outside is frightful...again.

This photo was taken in my friends attic. The snow has been so intense it has completely covered the window so you can't see through it.

This attic is an exciting place to visit because it is full of antiques and buried treasures. This photo seems to capture an image from the past. There seems to be a sad, cold emptiness to the room, and the furniture looks as thought it has been forgotten and left to collect dust.
I love stories told through photos.

Now that winter is back in business and we're all shut in from the cold, I find myself humming carols and preparing for Christmas.
That can't be right.
...maybe I just need a snow-day to recover.

Remember me, please.

The picture of the bulldozers is an awful picture. BUT - I have had these stickers since I was 10. I realized this fact as I used them over the weekend on a card. It struck me as very amusing, because --- I hold on to everything. I have this constant, insistent notion within me that pleads that I keep things as random as a sheet of truck stickers because I just might, maybe, perhaps, perchance need them someday sometime for something. And - as I proudly found a use for them, I realized that this notion is something important, and that it's actually something I cherish. Because of this, one of my collections came to mind.

I collect boxes.

I can't have them all with me here at Judson, but they are important because of the purpose they hold.

I keep things.

I have found more and more that, when things are held on to for a specific reason, it is somehow honored down the road, even if it happens to be many years later. This is also the case with learning. Many of the things we hear in class - regarding color or composition, or even an artist - we may think will never become necessary, and that we're mad for taking notes on it, or storing it in our mind because we think we already know it. But maybe that's why I keep things. I feel like they help me remember. They help me recall things that I thought I knew, but might just want to revisit someday.

I especially liked the composition of my first image. The negative space, I feel, is in a good proportion to the rest of the photograph, and there is balance created through the repetition of the triangular forms throughout the picture plane.

Falling From The Sun

We had what seems like the first significant snowfall of the year today.

I thought winter was entirely over.

Winter always seems photogenic to me, everything looks so peaceful. It's just so cold and miserable out there to have the patience to get enough good pictures.

But I always seem satisfied with the way they turn out.


Corey Bienert

Red Tabs

This is a picture of the best book I have ever read [my Bible, fyi]. Yet, every time I read it, there is still something new waiting to be discovered. It sounds cliche, but it is so true. These red tabs are little reminders for me of how awesome God is. I'm not a very observant person, so oftentimes I need a slap on the face or just a bright, bold color to remind me of things. Well, things in my life lately have been like a slap on the face, but God remains faithful. And those little red tabs are still there, reminding me that God is still awesome.

This photo, while not necessarily an original idea, still appeals to me not only in the composition, but in the subject matter as well. This simple composition never seems to fail. With the focal point set just off-center with loads of repetition in the foreground as well as the middle-ground. This was the kind of photo that I longed to take but never could before I purchased the camera I am using for this class. Now, thanks to my dad and Valentine's Day, I can see and smell these flowers for a while despite the inclement weather outside.
Whenever I really examine something that God made and put on this earth, I am in awe of how detailed and intricate everything is. From eyelashes to mountains to pine needles, God's glory can be seen all around us. While there is such a complexity in how everything He created functions, there always seems to be a simple beauty in them as well. If God put that much love and effort into something that dies within a matter of days, how much more are we loved and cared for!

kitsch

I was looking at my desk and noticing the kitsch I have all over it. Despite the fact that I've been training in the graphic arts for the past four years or so, I still succumb to the emotional pull of kitschy design. This used to upset me as I grew more aware of it, but I eventually decided that I would go mad trying to run away from something that has completely permeated our visual culture.

I got a card today from my mom today with a Thomas Kinkade print on the front. We've had the conversation before about why artists hate Kinkade, and she apologized in her letter about the inappropriateness of it, but it was the only one she had around. The thing is, he has gotten in the mind of the public in a way no fine artist has been able to do, or my mom would never have had that card around. That's something to sit up and take notice of. If we want to communicate through art, we need to do it in a way that people can understand and take to heart.

I chose this photograph purely for aesthetic reasons, because I think the repetition of form and the way the light changes the wall's colors is "pretty". Some people would say that makes it kitsch. I'm ok with it.

Untitled

This is a project I'm working on for Methods and Critique. I've now done 4 peoples full faces and 2 partial faces. Each face takes about 2 hours to complete. I'm struggling with a title, any ideas?

Artist Statement:

It seems as though people are always after something and usually at the expense of others. We plunge though life shooting for our goal of that career, marriage, children, money, car, house, or any other "shiny new toy" we think we want. In the process we forget to actually see and appreciate the people around us, especially family.

I've created these images to show how physically blinding such gems in life can be without the right motive. My materials were simply a friends face, Vaseline, and acrylic gems. It's tedious work that persistently insists on making it harder as the gems periodically fall off and my models twitch, talk, or sneeze as they grow increasingly uncomfortable.

The ending images are ironically beautiful, but although success can be a beautiful thing, it doesn't last forever.

Puppy sitting...

This dog = Marley. No question about it. Anytime you leave something out in the open, whether it is on a table or counter, this dog will steal it. Clothes, food, blankets, pillows... Anything that is within reach of him will be gone within a few moments. It was amazing to me to have this dog sit still for a few moments, so I had to grab the camera and take a few shots of this amazing moment.

Untitled

This picture stood out to me as the person in the foreground is staring out off the picture frame. It seems very abrupt to cut the frame off so close to where he is staring. I think it creates a tension as the viewer has to look in the opposite direction to see whats behind him, rather then what it is that is in front of him.

This is a picture that I did not end up using for the latest assignment, but I really enjoyed the bright colors. I also liked the lines and shapes. The pillows became ambiguous, which I thought was nice as well.

Swerve

If I had to take off in a getaway car, this would definitely be what I'd like to leave behind.

It has been snowing since yesterday evening. My roommate and I were walking back to Lindner late last night, smiling as we looked back to see that ours were the first pairs of footsteps left in the pure white. So much untouched snow. In chapel on Friday, we were called to consider the possible influence and importance that some of the people in the room might have down the road; that most people, when they stop in the middle of their grand adventures, pause to reflect on how they never would have placed themselves in the places they've been placed. Whether we are the first to do something, like leaving the footsteps, or whether we are simply trudgers-through-the-muddy-leftover-snow, I just hope I always remember to look back in wonder at the surprise of being in the place I am now.

In design, we learn just how important placement is. The close placement of the tire marks to the brick wall, along with the movement and depth they create in the photograph, are what cause this to be an engaging composition.

Reflections

This image caught my eye because of his facial expression and how I caught him in a quiet moment of reflection. I like capturing pictures of people when they aren't aware that people are watching.

Corey Bienert

I chose this photo because I thought there was an element of honestly in it. It's got the wrong composition (half/half) and it's overexposed. The subject is partially cropped out of the picture. But I think there is a sort of openness that comes through the camera when the photographer and subject know each other, and this girl is one of my closest friends. I think this openness is enhanced by the imperfection of the photograph. While there is a time and place for perfect composition and lighting, I find that it can be abrasively deceptive when I'd really like to get the truth of things. And the truth is that this is a strong, creative, driven woman meeting life (albeit imperfectly) on her own terms.

To ask what the meaning of the photograph is beyond myself or the subject is, in this case, cyclical thinking. She is worth being the point, and so she is the point. I think it's worth looking into some people's lives through photographs, with nothing meant outside of celebrating who they are.

Teagan

This is a picture of my second cousin. I love how innocent and almost scared she looks. Her eyes seem to really look into who you really are. As if asking, "What's wrong? Can I help?" Her eyes are so big, and so many different emotions could be read into it. Fear, helplessness, inquisitive, timidity, taken back by something horrible,...etc.

As for composition, it is using the rules of thirds--she is off to the side, not right in the middle. I love candids, so capturing this was a real treat for me. I think the best part about candids is the raw emotion that can be caught in a split second.

Dreams

This is a photo I took this weekend at the Hudson Branch show in Chicago. I love that I could save a piece of this exact moment in the show, and I only wish I could capture the music with a photograph.

This shot was during their encore, a cover of Dreams by the Cranberries. It felt as though the crowd was pouring just as much energy into the song as the band was. I paused my own enthusiastic singing and arm-waiving just long enough to capture what I wanted to be able to keep forever.