String Theory
The purpose of this project is to use a ball of red yarn as a metaphor for the narrative of a human life. This metaphor is multi-layered: Red is often associated with life, drama, and passion. The ball of yarn is also a symbol for a finite period of time, an unbroken thread that has a beginning and an end.
With this metaphor in place, the viewers are directed to the point of view of the ball of yarn. This gives them a direct relationship to it as opposed to an omniscient view, in the hopes that they can more directly relate to the emotions and situations that are presented. Each picture has an emotive quality that is enhanced through the dramatic use of selective color and focus.
My photographic process involves staging each scene and shooting it with a narrow depth of field and a low perspective. I try to go be aware of the colors in the scene, since I know I will be desaturating everything except red. In this way, I am able to study the compositional elements that make up each frame and to use the yarn to trace a line through them. After shooting, I crop and rotate the images to the size and aspect I want, then use the desaturate tool to selectively pull back each color besides red. Lastly, I add a post-crop vignette to each image and adjust the brightness and contrast until I arrive at the mood I am seeking.
With this metaphor in place, the viewers are directed to the point of view of the ball of yarn. This gives them a direct relationship to it as opposed to an omniscient view, in the hopes that they can more directly relate to the emotions and situations that are presented. Each picture has an emotive quality that is enhanced through the dramatic use of selective color and focus.
My photographic process involves staging each scene and shooting it with a narrow depth of field and a low perspective. I try to go be aware of the colors in the scene, since I know I will be desaturating everything except red. In this way, I am able to study the compositional elements that make up each frame and to use the yarn to trace a line through them. After shooting, I crop and rotate the images to the size and aspect I want, then use the desaturate tool to selectively pull back each color besides red. Lastly, I add a post-crop vignette to each image and adjust the brightness and contrast until I arrive at the mood I am seeking.
