S Thomas

When deciding the main theme for my final project, I knew I wanted to continue the theme of change I have been exploring all semester in this class. When considering what in life represents change, nature was the first thing to come to mind. Nature is constantly changing, constantly being altered, yet it perseveres and carries on. This is the idea and message I really wanted to focus on in my final portfolio piece overall.

           When considering where exactly I should film for my final piece, I was suggested the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden by a friend of mine. I knew this would be a perfect place given its wide variety of floral and plant life. I spent a day walking around the Arboretum and filmed both footage of nature and myself. I wanted to depict myself exploring and journeying through this nature, watching the wonder all around me. I wanted this to be a representation of me going through my own change and watching everything else also change around me too. Because I am not the only one changing in life; everyone and everything else also changes too.

           When capturing my footage, I tried to capture a wide variety of colors and textures. Color has been a big focus of my work this semester, and it is important to depict that life is full of color and never dull. I also tried to capture movement, whether it was flowing water or little animals. Change can be represented as constantly moving forward, so I thought showing off moving objects like water could effectively convey this idea.

Laura Plageman is an artist and photographer whose work examines the natural world as a scene of mystery, beauty, and constant change by human presence and by its own design. Her photography is characterized by subtle compositional distortions, hovering between reality and fiction. She mainly loves to photograph landscapes and still lifes, turning them into pieces that range from slightly altered to intricate collages.

For my final Art Tour Assignment, I decided to delve into Edward S. Curtis’ Facing the Past. America’s history of how they treated Natives is both heartbreaking and rarely told extensively throughout history itself. I feel in viewing these photographs, it would help to put faces to the many people I know were hurt and affected by the horrible actions of the American Ancestors.

The first thing that catches my eye about these photographs is definitely the color. Given color photography was far from being perfected at this time, the black and white/sepia tones of the photos give them a sense of history. It helps to also reflect on how even just 100 years ago there were still many natives left who could still tell the tales of what they went through.

Another aspect of these self portraits that draws me in are their eyes. They’re looking at the camera as if connecting with the viewer. I feel the photographer may have done this instead of them looking away or to the side to really make the viewer look into their eyes. It helps you to see these people are the person they are deep down, I feel.

My main focus in my own photography, so this collection of photographs caught my eye right off the bat. The abstract nature of the photographs also caught my interest. Lynn G. Fayman's images really contrasted against the many other exhibitions in the MOPA, which is why I have selected it for my second art tour assignment.

The first notable features of these sets of images are definitely the color. There isn’t ever one singular color within these pieces, it’s an explosion of different hues that reels you in. The colors also contrast well with each other, and your eye dances from one to the next to take it all in. There’s also many uses of line and shapes that draws your attention in as well.

Fayman’s photography all occurred during the mid 1900, a time when color photography was first becoming readily available. It makes sense to me Fayman pursued capturing abstract colors rather than realistic photographs of people or everyday life. As I view these photographs today I feel like I am viewing a certain perspective of color no one really appreciates or sees in this day and age.

For my Art Tour assignment, I decided to explore the Nagasaki Journey Archive: The Photographs of Yosuke Yamahata. I have always had an interest in Japanese history, especially the parts affected by the United States. Nagasaki caught my eye immediately when I was browsing the MOPA exhibitions page, I just had to learn and see more of what it had to display.

When first reviewing the exhibit, I expected to see the sadness, destructions, and horrors the Nagasaki bombing is known for. I feel when people think about the Nagasaki bombing, they only picture the explosion itself and not the destructive aftermath left in its wake. I feel photographer, Yosuke Yamahata, was able to capture such raw images of what Nagasaki truly experienced after the bombing.

The photographs are gritty and dark. I feel they weren't composed in any particular sort of way; I feel Yamahata truly just captured what he saw unfolding before him. I feel the black and white nature of the photographs only adds to the gut-wrenching tragedies the people and city are going through.

I feel the most effective of these photographs are the ones with the most contrast. The white smoggy skies contrasted by the dark bodies, faces, and debris really helps to draw attention to the already hard to witness pain and suffering.

For this assignment, I decided to convey the idea of “Passage” by capturing footage from daytime to nighttime. I wanted to present how the district changes as it passes from early afternoon to nightlife. I wanted to show off how Deep Ellum’s day time scene contrasts with its night time scene.

Passage

Pipilotti Rist is an experimental video artist who specializes in color and abstraction within her videos. Many of her videos reflect her inner emotions, aggressions, and as she put’s it in this interview her own “agenda”.  She also strives to interrupt what’s normal or what’s given to us as a society within her videos.

The color within her videos she describes as having a “painted quality”, with focus on color noise and color correction. She describes the technique as a glass painting that moves. While her videos are known for their colorful, she feels personally her videos are no more colorful than life.

For this Midterm Surrealism project, I wanted to convey personal feelings and experiences I’ve felt ever since moving to Dallas.

For the first photograph, I took a picture of my hometown neighborhood on top of the roof of my parent’s RV. Then, I used a photo of Regency Tower and edited it into the scene. I wanted this convey a feeling of comfort and “feeling at home” Regency gives me, mostly due to the convention I attend there every year. I even added paw print shaped clouds in honor of the convention being animal related.

Next, I edited a picture of my hand breaking into a Deep Ellum street. I wanted this to be a representation of me breaking out of my comfort zone and becoming more outgoing and confident. A friend of mine works in Deep Ellum, so I’ve gotten to know the area and become accustomed to its culture and vibes very well. 

For the next photograph, I originally wanted to create a piece with all my friends. However, I was unable to find a good date to gather people so I used a photo of me in my costume. My costume character is a representation of me, so I wanted to show off how much I’ve grown in both me as a person and in happiness. Both things have come to me thanks to this costume and because of moving to Dallas. Green is a color that symbolizes growth as well, so I put an emphasis on that color throughout this piece.

And lastly, I had a piece looking out my new apartment window. I wanted to celebrate the fact I have my own personal space, and in a way, make it into a pun by turning the sky outside into outer space. Purple is a color that represents peace, which is a feeling I get living on my own.

DOUBLE EXPOSURE

FILTERING

PAIRING

For my Double exposure glitch, I had a perfect photograph of my wolf costume against a white cloudy sky. Second, I knew I wanted to incorporate an aspect relating to wolves so I added a forest landscape as a screen layer. Lastly, I decided to give the image an extra rectangle styled glitch as an extra detail.

For the filtering glitch, I used a photograph of colorful crayons next to a bubble. To start, I desaturated every color except blue and purple. Next, I used a line filter atop the entire image along with noise filtered rectangles. Lastly, I used the wave filter scattered across the photograph.

Fictitious : The Wolf

When ideating for the fictitious photo prompt, I knew I wanted to touch upon my wolf persona and love for wolves. Ever since third grade, I’ve had a fascination with wolves. This fascination led me to create a wolf character that represents a big part of who I am, eventually leading to me acquiring a costume of said character later in life. Within this prompt is a mixture of this costume and real photos of me with wolves taken at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. While the character is a fictional take on myself, they also have helped me to find a lot about myself too. After having the character for 10 years, and loving wolves even longer than that, it’s no surprise they’ve influenced me as greatly as they have. I’ve become more comfortable with myself, met so many friends, and have become a lot more outgoing. 

Real : ME

For this prompt, I decided to truly embrace all the aspects that I feel make me... me. The main photo is a photo taken of me in the moment of laughing, with my friend August in his wolf costume next to me. I put a Trans flag behind this photo, given me and August are both Trans Men. August has been a huge inspiration and support during my journey of discovering I was Trans, so I knew I had to include this photo. Around the photo are little tidbits of me, my interests, and identity. The left top photo is a photograph of me and my dearest friend, Blaze, in our animal costumes. Blaze has been a huge influence in my life since meeting him in 2019, and has helped me to grow more comfortable as a man. In the middle is the Regency Tower; the hotel next to this tower has been the home of a convention I’ve been attending since 2017. This convention has brought me together with so many friends, and has brought me equally as much joy as well. Top right is a simple photo of me eating pizza, I thought this was a true genuine depiction of me at the time. Bottom left is a photograph of an extinct marsupial named the Thylacine. I’ve been infatuated with this creature since elementary school, I’ve done great studies about it and even have a tattoo of one of my arm. Middle is a photo from a Gorillaz concert, more specifically from Demon Dayz 2018. I discovered Gorillaz in 2018 and fell immediately in love with the band. Their music and content carried me through an extremely tough time in my life, and I adore them everyday for keeping me alive. The final photo is a photograph from when I was a kid. I love that I’m wearing a masculine outfit, it makes me smile to know signs of me being Trans have always been there early on. 

PERSPECTIVE 1

PERSPECTIVE 2

DIVIDED FRAME

NEGATIVE SPACE

For this scavenger hunt, I mostly photographed subjects that caught my eye before seeking out which ones met the requirements of the hunt. I was drawn to many objects containing lines and shapes, it seemed. However, textured subjects also caught my attention too.

I took most of my photos during the “Golden Hour”, so I caught a lot of nice yellow and gold colors in my photos. This Golden Hour also provided a lot of contrast for my photos, emphasizing shadows and highlights in very beautiful ways.

I often use the Rule of Thirds when photographing my subjects, as can be seen with the log and empty jars photos.

Denholm Hewlett https://www.instagram.com/denholmhewlett/?hl=en

Denholm Hewlett, the son of Gorillaz artist Jamie Hewlett, is one of my other photography inspirations. When it comes to his photography, he definitely strives for contrast. He always seems to be able to make his subjects stand out from their surroundings, especially in his black and white photographs. 

Aside from photography, Denholm also creates artistic documentaries. He both captures and edits his films.

Sven Fennec https://svenfennecphotos.com/about-me

I’ve followed Sven’s work for many years now and have always been inspired by his eye for color. His photos are always so vibrant, which I feel helps to capture the subjects he is photographing. He mainly does photography sessions for clients with cartoon animal costumes, which I believe works perfectly for his colorful style.