also known as the weirdest map you'll ever see. 

During this brainstorming session I came up with the three ideas I ended up exploring. Two of them I wanted to pursue, while the third one I just really liked the idea of. Hope they turn out alright! 

-TJ

«The idea of creating a sense of hyperactivity through a still image fascinates me. If that also can represent a side of my personality that has shaped me for as long as I can remember, and continues to do to this day, then sign me up!» is approximately what went through my mind while coming up with this idea. 

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But how to do it is the question of the hour, so, let’s hit the internet for inspiration! 

First of, I really want to use a slow shutter speed to create the effect of something being blurry with a sense of motion, while the background is standing still. That’s often what hyperactivity feels like - as if you’re slightly out of sync with the rest of the world, and that you’re moving through life a bit faster. 

The first picture I found that portrayed this, was this album cover from the English rock band Oasis. As seen below the two people crossing each other are slightly blurry, like they’re still moving in the image. The rest of the picture looks still though, therefore letting the two people catch your eye. This is the effect I want to create. 

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Okay. I’ve done some more research into the subject now while mind mapping and I’ve found some images on pintrest that look exactly like what I want to do. 

Take a look: 

YES, I’M HYPED FOR THIS! 

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So, a week later, I tried it out, and although I like it, its not really what I wanted to achieve. I’ve tried prodding it around to create something I like, but it just keeps turning out, meh. Yes, it’s very meh. Enjoy the meh: 

So that might not have been my cup of tea - on to the next one! Excelsior!  

-TJ

PS. I have used fancy italics and colours in this blog post to show that my blogging skills are developing. Just thought I'd say in case that wasn't obvious.

Now this is what I call an enlightening induction. 

Wednesday 21st we had an induction into how to use studio lightning to create different effects, like how to highlight certain features. Our goal was to recreate this famous picture of Steve Jobs: 

To do this we had to have a key light to the right of the subject highlighting the right side of the face. We also needed clear background lighting. 

As you can see in this picture of me doing the pose that came to be known as the Steve Jobs, the right side of my face is well highlighted, but the shadows on the left side are too prominent.

It's even more prominent in this picture of Ivan - something had to be done.

Billie to the rescue! "What if we use a reflector to soften the light and give the left side that golden glow it deserves?" (I might be paraphrasing) We did just this, and the results were good. The only criticism I have is concerning the lack a pose. 

After that we started playing around with the light to see the different result we could get. In this picture of Nicole we turned all the lights off except the key light, which we turned down to 1. I think it looks quite cool, and I reckon if we black & white it, we could make some pretty neat Noir shots.

-TJ

Image 1: The Bombing of Dresden

A great many things can be said about this image, as you can with a lot of images of catastrophes. This event though has a personal connection to my own family history as my father grew up not far from where it was taken 20 years later. Because of the Soviet friendly government of Eastern Germany, a lot of the buildings did not get rebuilt until many years later, and you can even today still see remnants of what happened there in 1945. 

The composition of the image itself also says a lot about the event that had just happened. Taken from the roof of city hall, you can see the angel towering over what it used to protect, but now is nothing but ruins. The portrays a certain hopelessness that can only been found after great disasters. 

  

Image 2: Kontiki Arrives

This image is in association with my earlier post about my role model, Thor Heyerdahl. His dedication to his work never seizes to impress me, and this image is the epitome of his success. The voyage no one believed in finally arrives in Tahiti thus proving it possible for ancient tribes to traverse the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes I try to image what it must've felt like to have been on the raft the moment they saw land. After a 101 days - you're riddled with fatigue, you smell, you've eaten nothing but fish for months- and then you see land. That is the dedication and success I strive for in my work.

Image 3 and 3.5: What is peace? 

For me art isn't just about making something look neat, presenting it to the world, and then moving on. I want it to spark debate. I want people to stop and think "What if I'm wrong?" - I even want them to think that I might be wrong! (Which is probably the more likely outcome considering human stubbornness.)
I've put these two pictures next to each other to highlight an important difference. On the right Banksy is promoting peace over war, exchanging molotov cocktails for flower bouquets. This is an important message about trying to come to a peaceful agreement instead of waging war. On the left though, I've put a very similar image from the Ferguson riots late last year. People took to the streets to protest the unfair killing of innocent, coloured teenager Michael Brown. Admittedly the riots might have gotten out of hand, but that does not change the fact the people made it clear they will no longer stand for this kind of injustice.
So what is the right procedure to achieve peace? Trying to to spread positive alternatives to violence, or taking to the streets to make your voice heard?

Image 4: The Star Spangled Banner

Usually horrible events make history, but then sometimes, very rarely, positive events make history as well. Woodstock is definitely one of those events. In 1969 a music festival was arranged that promoted "Three days of Peace, Music, and Love." The greatest contemporary artists played, and the festival is remembered as one of the most important musical events to this date.
There was great unrest in America concerning The Vietnam Conflict, and when Jimi Hendrix played an estranged and psychedelic version of the American national anthem it was a message that America was doing something wrong, and the people would not stand for it anymore.

Image 5: The Terror of War

Keeping with the theme, this image from the Vietnam War era is known world wide. Winning the Pulitzer Price in 1972 it showed the west what was truly going on abroad. This wasn't cold war, this was an extermination. This image was taken after a napalm strike on a nearby village, and I don't think I need to write anything more. The cries of pain resonating through every pixel of this picture says it all.

Image 6: This Photograph Is My Proof

I had never heard of, or seen any of Duane Michaels work before this task, but I am certainly very happy that this task has led me to him. His photograph "This Photograph Is My Proof" has become my favourite image, and I even printed it and put on my wall. Art is all about visuals meeting emotions at the perfect time, and for me this happened with this image. Recently having gone through a break up, the thought of remembering how it had once been good was a reminder that I should enjoy things while they happen. It is my belief that that leads to even better memories.

I also felt like ending it on a happy note :)

-TJ

                            

Thor Heyerdahl:

Archaeologist, explorer, Norwegian

                                       

Thor Heyerdahl 1914 – 2002

• - Sailed 8000km across the Pacific Ocean in a hand-built raft to prove that civilizations long ago  could have done the same.
• - Was actively against war and the military in general.
• - Reminds me that a sense of exploration is never too far out of reach. 
• - As long as you are not hurting anyone you should do whatever you can to prove yourself. 
• - He sailed across an ocean on a raft made out of bamboo, how rad is that? 

“This world has seen a great many civilizations. And many of them have survived for longer periods than ours up to the present. They were all as sure as we are today of having founded the first eternal civilization. We today differ from them in having our western civilization spread to embrace the entire planet, leaving no room on any continent for any other culture to take over if we fail. ”

TJ Tvedt