The Dance

The Dance

Lynda and Tom had met three years ago in junior high when their two small town elementary schools combined for their junior high and high school studies. Up until then, Lynda had seen the same classmates since kindergarten. The same bratty boys had been pulling her hair and dropping worms down her shirt for years so they were the furthest from attractive in her mind. That fateful day in September of grade seven for Lynda, Tom walked in and that was it. Love at first site.

For Lynda and Tom their high school prom had finally arrived. It was never a question that they would be each others date, I mean, come on, they had been together since junior high! Love at first SIGHT! Lynda had been designing her dress for the last year, and telling Tom what tuxedo she would like to see him in. All was set except for one thing that would throw everything for a loop that would be announced at dinner.

“Hi Tom, I can’t wait for dinner tonight I made my Mom’s famous spaghetti” said Lynda bright eyed and bushy tailed as Tom entered the room. “Hey Lynda, I can’t wait” Tom replied before giving her a peck on the cheek. For Lynda, this was the night. This was the night that she was to profess her love for Tom and let him know that she was finally ready. Tom had never pushed her beyond making out in her bedroom, and some heavy petting but she felt like this was the next step. Would her mother approve? Not likely, but Lynda saw herself as modern day woman at 17 years old and confident that she wanted to make her own decision.

Now as for Tom, he had a different bit of news to announce. “Lynda, please sit” he said in a nervous tone as he gestured to the couch. “I’ve got something I need to share with you Lynda” said Tom. “Oh so do I!” said Lynda, “but you go first honey, I think my news might be a little distracting if I go first”. Lynda giggled. “Oh... Ok, ummm I guess I’ll go first then”. Tom started to go white. This is something he should have brought up years ago but this is probably one of the most terrifying things to share in a small town. “Ok, well Lynda, I love you very much, and I’ll still love you very much no matter what...”. Lynda’s eyes started to well up. “How could you do this to me just before prom! You’re such an asshole!”. Lynda ran to the washroom in tears and slammed the door behind her with more force that she had ever exerted in her life. Dust flew off the door frame and finally settled in front of Tom as he stopped in front of the door.

“Lynda, it’s not what you think... Trust me, it’s not what you think”. Although not positive, Tom really just wanted to grab her attention long enough to tell her what he had been waiting to all these years. “What do you mean it’s not what I think!?, what else could it be when you tell me something like I love you and I’ll still love you”. Lynda was sobbing heavily so Tom sat outside the washroom until he could hear that she had settled down a bit. “Ok Lynda, I’m just going to tell you, I hope you understand, but if you don’t, it’s ok because like I said I will still love you no matter what... I... I’m... gay...”.

Silence. Not one sound uttered between the two for what felt like forever, but was really about five minutes. “I.. Wha.. Um.” Lynda was struggling to articulate what she was feeling because he didn’t exactly understand what she was feeling herself. “Lynda, it’s still me, the same Tom from before, just a more honest Tom”. A sigh of relief sounded as Tom breathed in and out after that statement.

It was only two weeks till prom and it took a week before Lynda called Tom. “Tom, I’m so sorry for my reaction, and well, lack of reaction but either way you were breaking up with me, and you know how people are in this town about that kind of thing”. “Yes, I know, more than anyone I know” Tom said in a quiet soft voice. “Tom, it’s ok. I still love you, but...well prom. What happens to prom?”. Tom laughed lightly “Oh Lynda...”. “What!?, that’s a perfectly valid question Tom!”. “Lynda, just because I came out, doesn’t mean I already have a boyfriend!”. They both chuckled and shook their heads. “Listen, I still want to take you to prom, wear the tuxedo you’ve chosen for me, and dance with you until the sun comes up”. A single tear fell down Lynda’s face, and she ended their talk with “Yes, that sounds perfect”.

Prom was perfect. They did everything Tom described, dressed in Lynda’s selections and dancing till the sun came up. The great thing about dancing is that you can be loving, intimate, and have fun without revealing anything to the world. Did anyone know what Tom had told Lynda only two weeks before? Secretly picking out attractive men in the room that they would set each other up with if they could as they spun around the room, this was only the beginning of a new relationship for Tom and Lynda.

What I love is the romance of an empty dance floor at the end of the night. The energy coming from that floor. Secrets whispered between friends and couples as they shuffle around the floor knowing their voices are masked by the music wrapping around the room. Tom and Lynda would have many other dances in their lives, but none as memorable as that one.

Jennifer Hall.

Addendum:

On November 17th we will work through a creative writing assignment that will aid in your narrative explorations for the assignment, In the Library (Scene of the Crime). You are asked to compose a short narrative (min 1000 words) that will give a context for the images to be presented for your assignment. The narrative will begin prior to the images you are producing and will present the environment, climate, context, style, and period of your shot. The narrative will be established and characters will be introduced. This short narrative will act as an outline to a revised short story (min 250 words) which will ultimately be included with your final photographic image(s) and final submission on December 1st.

You will be writing your narrative in groups of two, but no more than three people. Each member is responsible for his or her own narrative however, you are asked to work collaboratively to develop your narrative (basically "bounce" ideas off one another). Each member will be required to include a minimum of 20 images culled from various sources that will aid in the visualization of the narrative and ultimately be reflected in your final photographs. The 20 images will be submitted digitally as source material as an attachment with the final work.

Your narrative and images will be due by the end of the day on the 17th. Please email them to me at justin.waddell@acad.ca

When submitting your final photograph(s) on December 1st, you are to include a fully revised/edited short story (min 250 words) and source images with your submission. You are asked to transfer your images to the ACAD server during class on the 1st.  We will be printing the images in class (pending approval from Dean) as a two-page spread on 11"x16" paper (two facing 8"x11" pages). I would like to also produce a .pdf document of all your collected writings and images and available for download from the ACAD Photo Blog.

In the Library (Scene of the Crime)

Assigned:                  November. 10, 2010.

Open Studio:                  November. 17, 2010.

Due Date:                  December. 1, 2010 (3 weeks).

Description:

With In the Library (Scene of the Crime) you will respond to objects within a space. Consider the object as an index (ie. It “points to something”) and is taking part of a discourse with the viewer (ie. communication). The complexity of the communication will be factored by the environment and context in which it is represented. For example, an apple in a basket with other apples reads one way, and an apple in a raging fire means another. Another example may be an apple at it’s ripest compared to an apple rotting.

Select an object and environment for its symbolic, iconic, or mythic meanings. Blur, focus, or distort those possible meanings with formal concerns such as lighting, aperture, focal range, filters, or other objects and environments, contexts, etc…

Concept and Structure:

After reading The Exhaustion of Space at the Scene of the Crime by Anthony Vidler, you are asked to consider objects and space as being part of a larger narrative.This project was derived in part from location shoots for films, crime-scene documentation, photo-journalism, and filmic montages. Persons returned to a location to document an event in the past tense… the resulting images were equal parts documentary, (auto)-biographical, deadpan, humorous, and entirely serious.

Objectives:

·       To respond to primary conceptions of actual objects vs. final photographic work.

·       To consider blocking and staging of an image.

·       To select objects and environments that the subjects can interact with (lighting, colour, sound, textures, etc).

·       To challenge the possibilities of narrative.

Process:

·       We will be discussing the text, The Exhaustion of Space at the Scene of the Crime by Anthony Vidler, on November  10^th.

·       During the afternoon of November, 10^th you are to begin to visualize your shoot by brainstorming, sketching, researching, and planning your schedule. The instructor will be available to meet and discuss your ideas with you.

·       Studio time will be provided on November 17^th. You are required to work in the studios at ACAD on the 17^th unless you have prior approval from the instructor.

·       There will be additional expectations placed for the presentation of preliminary drawings and research. More information will be provided by the instructor before the second week.

·       Booking of equipment and studio times are the responsibility of the student.

·       You can work in groups to assist one another but each member of the group will have to produce one unique work for submission.

Christina

Natasha's.

Kaitlynn's Photo

Kristen's Images

Jenny Wyma Images

Jen Hall Images

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Vanessa DeZutter by Jen

My immediate reaction is that it is duplicating a widely recognized iconic image, I knew exactly what image Vanessa was working with. With it being a younger couple, I feel more youth in the image despite how well it was replicated. I notice I have a different emotional response seeing a couple that isn’t famous and that I don’t have a back story for.

The photograph is of Man and a woman laying on the floor. The woman is laying back flat on the floor looking off to the side, the man is cradled on her side, in a fetal position wrapped around her side arm cradling her head. His eyes are closed kissing her cheek very lovingly.

This is a successful modern take on the image. It is very successful because it copies the iconic image, but Vanessa added modern references, ie. Hair style, clothing. Knowing it’s a self portrait, very well done although I would like to see it zoomed out more like the original image, more space around the figures.

Vanessa paid attention to details in the clothing. In her modern take she referenced the purple tones of Yoko Ono’s pants in her shirt, the black sweater, and the ear ring. The lighting is slightly different in that it’s even in the original, and sweeping natural light from the left in Vanessa’s image but she paid attention to the saturation of the image and it’s still a soft light. The shot was accomplished with a tripod and timer as this was a self portrait or her and her partner in the privacy of their home. Derek was hesitant to participate but relaxed and settled in to the project as they went along.

As it is such a recognizable image that is iconic on it’s own and even more so with the people in it, the story of the image with a modern couple interacts with viewers more personally than the original. With Vanessa and Derek in the image, being a regular, non famous couple, the viewer can associate the passionate love story of John Lennon and Yoko Ono to a real world couple and imagine themselves in the image. Vanessa chose the image because it was an image in a coffee table book in her home as a child, and at the time she didn’t understand who John and Yoko were, why they were naked, and the importance of the image. Now that she is grown up and knows the context of the image it has deeper personal meaning both nostalgically from her childhood, and in association with her current relationship.

Christina Hills

Christina Hills Untitled written by Laura Ambrosone

Selected to recreate an Annie Leibovitz photograph.

Objective description

The photograph is of an extreme close up of a white tulle material, showing detail in the foreground then gradiating to a lighter blur and a soft yellow background. The image displays a high tonal spectrum starting from the top and darkening towards the bottom .There is a slight white vignetting surrounding the image

You who think that this would be the beginning of a long spiral of financial troubles …but miraculously she’s still with us today without cement shoes. I thought that Christina’s execution proved to be successful it that it mimics the Annie’s photograph very well, with its hues and tones it creates.it appears to be and extreme close up of the dress worn in the original shot. I found it interesting that she has taken the focal point away from the model and given it to something that equally shares the spotlight but is often overlooked…the dress detail. First time I looked at this image I thought of a snow covered mountain scape being warmed by the spring sun.

Formally I thought the gradiation of tone and blur enjoyable. I thought that the material Christina used describes the original dress material well in texture and hue. The only issues that I have would be the vignetting, shown on the lower area of the image. I find it to be a bit distracting and unnecessary though it could possibly act as a reflected light on the right side. The other minor issue I have would be some of the lines just barely touch the outskirts of the image create a bit of tension (for example- the top left).

While communicating with Christina she explained her photograph as a homage to Annie …describing how much she enjoyed the backlighting Annie had executed and the atmosphere Annie created explaining her style of photography to be clean, dreamlike and extravagant. It was mostly Christina’s process that we discussed she explained her scouting of different stages, one taking her as far as Banff springs hotel. Christina ended up scraping her initial ideas and decided to use acads table top studio, so she could be able to manipulate her subject matter without constraints of an environment (light position, availability). The tulle (which I believe was lended from a friend) was to now to become her centre focus (which originally was black before Photoshop stepped in with its desaturation options !). Through a large amount of tests Christina realized that the extreme close up would be her final image.

Cydney Toth's Recreation by Dana Prediger

Cydney Toth’s Re Creation of Raducarnaru’s Work

Written by Dana Prediger for Justin Waddell, Photo 2^nd year

Immediate Response:

Cydney obviously waited until the right moment to take the shot and that is clearly seen in the connection between the sun, sun-flares and the model. The luxurious, silky quality of the work seems rich with possibility. I notice the setting sun as next my eye moves to the warmth of the royal mauve pleated gown and colour of her hair. I see how Cydney’s sky is uplifting in its directs of clouds that has this lovely open “v” air. My initial uncensored thought is that this work is more elevated in mood quality than the original, still theatrical but more grounded in the real world. Fun and passionate.

Framing Within Picture:

The model is in the right third foreground, the sun is in the left third background and the condo skyscraper is in the mid-ground. The sun and the model are connected diagonally with transparent but lightly colored sun-flares. The essence of last light from the sun is showing as highlighted shadow on the side of the condo facing away from the sun but in direct view of the model. The model is dressed in a pleated, royal mauve satin strapless gown, whose arm is on left hip and whose body is perpendicular to viewer and condo in mid-ground. Her face is turned away from camera and body is giving an air of leaning towards the balcony railing. The railing is creamy white and runs low and horizontally through the picture. The sky is a yellow haze in the deep low background but sweeps blue with wispy white clouds overhead right into the right upper foreground.

Formal Complaints and Praise:

Cydney has done an excellent job of pulling the formal aspects like the light, position of model, elevation of body from the ground level, and placement of the city background. What I feel is the most key aspect of the work is the connectivity felt between the model and the sun via the sun-flares. The commercial richness via the saturation of colour add depth and dimension. She carefully considered the technical aspects of her work but added her own wash over it by changing her mood quality. I feel like the original is frought with anxiety over being exposed while Cydneys is rich with drink of real life. It would be worth perhaps considering moving the model out from under the jet-stream of cloud.

The Process:

For Cydney this work is not so much about considering the technical aspects, though she did so, so much as wanting to use them and reconsider them through changing the mood. For her she wanted an open, softer look instead of one that was more resistive toward the environment around her.

She took 5 days to complete the process, and did an HDR effect by combining 6 images for the background and then taking her own self portrait indoors and then combined the two images. Most of the background on the right is added in. She used two lights to light herself and used the lens flare filter to recreate the sun-flares.

How does it connect with the rest of the world:

I feel like this work connects on a level with advertising work seen in a rich looking fashion or an Illustrators magazine. It is set up wonderfully for adding typography that would likely sell the glamour of owning a condo, being rich and single but grounded in who you are but still living it up. It would be an excellent real-estate advertisement. The intent to change the mood, if advertising based, would potentially change the target market.

Cydney found this work by surfing fashion blogs.

Tavis Morly

Tavis’s image is a low key black and white photo of a hand playing the neck of a base guitar. All that is seen is one hand, four strings, four dots, and eight vertical lines of the base. It appears to be coming out of the darkness from the corner of a soulful jazz house. The hand and only a few key elements of the guitar contrast against a black background.

Upon immediately viewing the image it appears as though Tavis has faithfully recreated an image of a close up base guitar player without deviating from it. However, there are subtle differences and it is in those differences that she has adapted new content and meaning.

Because she chose to use a darker base it immediately changes how the image is read from the original. We inherently see less shadows on the guitar and the hand seems to pop, this giving the image a stronger sense of mystery and darkness.

Most of the differences from Tavis’s image to the original stems from the subtle change in angle, at which the base is placed. From the way the fingers stretch across the neck, to the way the light wraps around the fingers. Tavis’s model is a base player and says that the model in the original image was not actually playing. The way the fingers are stretched and the angle of the guitar would render this so called musician unable to perform. Although her goal was to interpret the original with a new direction she attempted over 260 times to get the exact angle and lighting as the original, which served as a personal technical challenge.

It was about capturing the moment of making music for Tavis which is why her model was playing as she took this shot. Her image brings a sense of spontaneity that is missing in the original, that seems more contrived. Hers has a stronger essence of street photography. This becomes more apparent when she explains her motivation behind this image. She was inspired by a close friends photo that was an image of a homeless man playing the guitar. She wanted to recreate a similar image but in a different style when she stumbled upon this one on the right, she knew it was the photo she wanted to investigate.

This image relates to other successful portrayals of music in that it evokes mood and emotion, capturing music’s most important principal.

By Renee Hopper

Jenny Wyma: Wilkosz and Way

Jenny’s image reveals soft pastel colors giving the viewer a feeling of contentment along with a want to inquire and find a hidden meaning in the image. The photograph feels surreal as the color of the models skin is de-saturated, and the lighting seems to be coming from the skin rather than an off camera source. The models expression plays off of the light pink and green gradient background, as well as the situation revealed. It is a captured moment of balance with two eggs stacked on the top of the models head, illuminating a sense of play and uncertainty. In its impressionable atmosphere, the image also creates depth and maturity through the way the figure is portrayed- a young woman holding on to a sentiment of liveliness and realizing the importance in that awareness. The decisions made by the artist in the composition are very carefully considered. The placement of props directs an unease and tension as if the eggs were seconds from falling out of the picture frame; the twisted line of the figures shoulders and neck create an ‘S’ curve which reveals a feminine and classical take on structure, at the same time, this also builds on the moment of tension and movement. The balance in the composition is following the rule of thirds; the focus of the photograph is off center and allows your attention to move from detail to detail with ease. The production of the photograph shows an obvious skill and technique, which exemplifies the quality and appreciation for the work. The color palette Jenny used is very soft and simple which allows for more attention to be drawn towards the figure and situation in the photograph.

The artist’ style, in reference to this image, represents an interest in a quirkiness and refreshing originality, these are obvious traits in the work. Fashion photography also holds a place in the artists’ creative disposition, and the production of this image has embodied fashion and a new style to the world of beauty and fashion. Jenny’s attachment to the photograph titled ‘Glove Hat’ by Wilkosz and Way was used as a reference to re-interpret the style and idea behind their portrait. The likeness of the model in that original image is incredibly similar to the artist herself; the decision to photograph a self-portrait shows a closeness and interest in the work of Wilkosz and Way while also showing a confidence and the representation of a contemporary self. The production of her photograph embodies the style, technique, talent, and surreal qualities in the artists own way. The image is very successful in that it reveals a curiosity, and an everlasting impression on the viewer. It serves as a beauty and fashion narrative while also reminding us that holding on to our vitality is an important thing, as we are constantly surrounded with a violent, and degrading society. This image also successfully serves as a critique on advertisement as being realistic or manipulative in a way of playing with the consumer’s perceptions on what is reality and what is believed to be a reality. Jenny has captured a moment that reminds us of our love for life, and to allow for personal growth and metamorphosis into a refreshing outlook on authenticity.

Renee’s Crit - by Tavis

1.The immediate response I had with Renee’s piece was shock simply because it is a nude photo, right after it was respect. Because there is a trust and a relationship that has to be in place for a photographer to take a nude shot of someone. I also notice the obvious differences in the work, however I appreciated those differences. What stood out the most to me was the two different poses the models posses, the original photo has that first impression of hopelessness, where as Renee’s photo has that body language of freedom, no boundaries and a big breath of fresh air.

2.A woman sitting nude atop a cliff, with a light snow fall around her. In the edge with complete serenity and empowerment to jump or stay. A power line sweeps the top of the photo from top right slopping down left to disappear within the tree line. A lake under the cliff, and a small city in the far background.

3.Renee’s effort in this image triumphs and complaint I would have. After talking to Renee she felt that the lighting was the technical part of the photo she felt she failed at. However I feel that with the diffused light in a natural setting she achieve a great affect for what she had to work with.

4.Renee was drawn to the image because of the lightning and the organic quality’s of the female figure. She felt at first glance that the woman was venerable and suicidal. However the more she looked at it realized that in fact the woman was not tied down and nude, meaning she was in control of the situation. There was a sense of empowerment from the woman lying on the tracks, nude completely within her will to get up and leave or stay. What also drew Renee to the photo was the train track and the fine line that was between that sense of nature and man. That because the woman is nude she fit more organically with nature than with the train tracks. The power line in her recreation show this sense of danger for not only is the model on a cliff but she is close to a urban area where someone could walk by and that sense of secluded nature has disappeared.

5.Renee’s work could be a piece of art on someone’s wall or a postcard depicting a serene place, or even an advertisement for the great outdoors or how someone would feel after retreating to a secluded spa. Renee’s photo has lots of versatility. It can connect with the classic portraits and paintings that included the female form and yet have a context to in which fit in the modern world.

Lauras Crit.

Laura

As I first approached the works Falling by Boofhead and Pushing Limits by Laura I had to admire the similarities between the two works. While looking at Laura’s work my initial response was that this is a lighthearted humorous image. My initial reaction was mainly caused by the expression of the person falling and my position as the viewer. I also got the feeling that the image was suppose to be seen as older because of the grayscale tones of the image. The technical skills are another of the many things that draws me into the image. At first I was questioning how the image was taken that’s how believable it was. Overall the image was engaging and humorous at the first encounter.

The image it’s self is composed of three main elements the camera, the person, and the building in the background. The camera is in the lower half of the image and placed in such a fashion that it appears as if the camera is falling onto the viewer. The camera is an SLR with a neck strap with clearly indicating letters about the brand of the Camera, Cannon. In the LCD screen of the camera we can see an image of a cityscape, which appears to be taken from a ledge. The person can be seen in the top half of the image falling towards the viewer. The person is female and has her hands projecting closer towards the viewer, as though to brace for impact or protect the face. One of the hands is overlapped by the camera strap, which implies that the camera has fallen first. She also is wearing a jacket, jeans, and shoes. This implies that she is outside. Her expression is happy, which suggests humor to the image as apposed to fear. In the background we see the foreshortening view of a building made of brick. The building rises to just above the halfway point of the image. On the building there are windows that reaches half way up the building from this point of view. There is also a sign that stands out. Overall there is soft lighting on all of the objects. The image is black and white in a vertical orientation.

Now that I have had time to review the image the things that I pull out that would possibly improve the image is removing the tension point between the camera strap and the edge of the frame, remove the text from the camera strap, make the background out of focus to be less distracting, make the image in the camera more relevant. The things that I found where strong are the humor, Photoshop skills, process of creation, more understandable then the original, and placement of each element.

The process was as follows: she used the school as a location because it had more of a narrative about ACAD students and their experiences within the school environment. Also she enjoyed the 3D appearance of the building from the angle of the viewer. It was relevant to the people would walked by on that path everyday. Another location was the studio. She used the studio in order to achieve the same lighting. She shot everything individually. It was important that the elements all played in the overall narrative. The image in the camera was picked because it gave the most cause for someone to fall over. She combined all the images together, which took a long time with lots of process. It was intentional for the elements to all be in focus because she wanted the viewer to look at all the elements in the image and not just one.

Laura decided to work with Boofheads Falling because she liked the concept but she thought she could execute it better then the artist had. She wanted to play on the idea of the student experience as apposed to the dumb tourist as Boofhead did. Her work also functions as a self-portrait. She found her image at a site where anyone can submit images so she wanted to work with non-professional work.

Critique of Kayla's images by Kristen

If I had not seen the original photo that this image is based on I would have instantly recognized the inspiration anyway, the Afghan girl from National Geographic. The red is the most prominent colour in the photograph. There was great attention to detail, as the white paint that is on the scarf is also on the recreated photograph. However I do not see the green material underneath the rips in the scarf. The lighting on the face is very dramatic, and more intense then in the original photo, but I enjoy that, as they eyes are not as intense or as piercing as in the original photo. The dramatic lighting makes up the intensity that the eyes are lacking. It was a great recreation of a very famous photograph.

The image is a portrait of a young woman with a red scarf wrapped about her head. Some of her light brown hair is still visible near the top part of her head. The scarf has bits of white paint on it close to the right side of the girls face. (from the viewers point of view). The eyes of the girl make direct contact with the viewer, with intensity. The eye colour is a mix of hazel and green. The background is a light brown fabric, which does not over power the subject. The lighting in the image is coming from the right side (from the viewers perspective), and creating a very dramatic effect on the face.

The portrait is well composed, with no tension points to distract the viewer. The background is very muted and does not detract from the subject. However I would have liked to have seen a green background, as it would make the red of the scarf stand out more. The folds in the scarf wrap around the subject in a way that keeps the eye within the frame. The lighting on the face is well executed. There are no odd shadows, and the light wraps nicely around the face.

Kayla has always loved this portrait; no image has stuck with her like this one has. Kayla began her process by starting to research the photographer, and how the image was taken. She looked at the type of lighting was used, the camera, film, lens if there was any filters used, and much more. Kayla took a lot of inspiration from the vibrant colour of the original image. The model used in this image is a friend of Kayla’s who has really expressive eyes, and is also very passionate about National Geographic. The mood in the image was really important. The intensity in the recreation is a different type of intensity then in the original image, as the girl in the original image has had a much more traumatic life then the model. In order to create the intensity Kayla used more dramatic lighting to create harsher shadows on the face.

Kayla chose to recreate this image because the portrait of the Afghan Girl has always been an image Kayla admired. It is possibly her favourite image, and is definitely in her top five.

Emma’s ‘Like It, Love It, Live It’ Project

By Ali Clayton

1) Immediate Response: Nailed It!! Beautiful, Peaceful, Seems very classic, Emma has captured the era of the original photo in her image.

2) Objective Description: A black & white image. A close-up of a woman smoking. Two fingers, holding a lit, un-ashed cigarette is just visible in the bottom of the image. The woman is looking to her left as she blows a whispy cloud of smoke to the right. She is wearing a mesh cocktail hat tilted over her right eye. Her dark eye make-up and lipstick contrast with the white of her skin as well as the background.

3) Formal Complaints/Formal Praise: I don’t have any formal complaints with this picture. I think it was beautifully done. Emma stuck close to capturing the original image. Although Emma pointed out some technical things from her post-production work she would like to change, they were not things that I noticed. I think some people will probably find the motion in the fingers distracting but I don’t. I feel there’s a juxtaposition between the stillness in the face and the motion in the fingers. For me, this adds narrative to the photo and maybe adds a depth that isn’t present in the original photo. I feel that the attitude of the model is different from the original. In the original there seems to be a coldness that I take from the half closed eye but in Emma’s version, there seems to be more emotion coming from the model. I think this is a strength of the photo. In the fifties, women weren’t raised to be outwardly independent. The model in the original gets her strength from her attitude. Today, in my opinion, women are raised to be strong, independent people. Women aren’t supposed to show emotion. I see real emotion in Emma’s picture and that emotion is what gives the model her strength.

4) The Story It Tells: A lot of second hand smoke, trial & error, & Febreze. Emma would have liked to have shot this in the seamless but obviously couldn’t with current laws. She shot this in her home where she blacked out her windows with foam core and placed a white curtain in front. She lit her model with one industrial light. She put a lot of time and effort into the post-production work she did in Photoshop.

5) Work in the world & how it connects to other work: Lillian Bassman portrayed women in a strong, independent way and this image illustrates that. The model gives off the air of being a classy man-eater. This attitude originally drew Emma to this photo. She felt it was a strong and bad-ass portrait. The original image is from the 50’s and at the time of the original image, smoking was more of a status symbol. The risks of smoking weren’t evident yet and those who smoked could be considered in a more elite class. There was a coolness factor associated with smoking. Nowadays, the coolness factor has changed a bit but still exists. There is a bit of a rebellious attitude that goes along with smoking.