Neck Accoutrement project: Shoot #5

[shatteredlens]

Right now I’m showing these images individually, but for the “final product” I’m either going to create a triptych or use four images to create a rectangle. I haven’t decided yet and I guess in the end it will depend on what images I end up using. What I would like the final version to do is place the most amount of doubt in the viewer’s head as

Comments

[crazyzim]

i think i like the first one the best, in terms of mood, style, composition, and lighting, but -- this seems a little weird, maybe -- the dog in it almost gives it too much life. like, the dog is all cute, looking up at its owner, you might imagine fondly, and it seems like it doesn't fit the starkness of the rest of the image.

[shatteredlens]

See, I thought the dog, and the fact that she's looking at her, might help place that doubt that she won't do it. But interesting that you think it might too much life. Not sure that I fully understand that in all honesty, but I'm taking it in and thinking about it.

[belimah]

How about putting a phone in her hand? For emphasis, something a little bulky, maybe with a cord. I like the images as they are, but there is nothing to swing my own bias in favor of your goal. The dog comes close, but implied human interaction would come closer, I think. The stronger the implied relationship with something external to herself, the better. With the dog, I get the feeling of "This is the way it's gonna be... sorry."

Regardless of what I see vs. what I'm supposed to see, though, #1 is my favorite.

[shatteredlens]

#1 is my favorite as well without a doubt as well. I’m worried that I won’t be able to tie anything into that one though because of Za. I thought maybe they should all have her in it, but none of the others were really as strong for me as this one was.

Hmm, phone in hand. I guess we could have done that. And this way it would have shown someone thinking about reaching out for help.

[lilola]

I think that the dog is a good element as if she is making her think twice.

My question is, how did you get Za to do that?

[shatteredlens]

Lamb lung ;-)

Yeah, I think it adds the think twice element as well.

[_swallow]

I think the dog is awesome and effective at conveying the she's-thinking-twice thing, but... oh, please forgive my naivete in terms of photography technique, but there seems to be something strange about her head in the first photograph that isn't there in the second or third photographs: it's squished, almost as if the aspect ratio were off, and perhaps distorted. Did you use an unusual lens, or cause the distortion deliberately? -- Or am I crazy, and the image is not distorted?

Anyway, for me as a(n unsophisticated) viewer the distortion of her head makes the image sort of hard to understand ("is there significance to the distortion?" I ask myself in frustration). (Also, finally, the white line along the intersection of the ceiling and the wall appears to be coming out of her head.)

[shatteredlens]

Hee hee, yes, there’s something strange about her head and it was on purpose. This was shot with my wide-angle lens which when fully open does distort. The distortion then depends on my angle, her positioning ect. I thought it would add to the feeling of the not knowing. Help increase her inner conflict as to whether or not she should jump. Don’t know if it actually worked, but that’s what was going on in my head.

[_reticence]

I agree about the first one. I think that the dog's presence is more powerful than her facial expressions could ever hope to be, which is interesting.

[shatteredlens]

Cool. So, from that, do you think all the images should have the dog or some with and some without when I finally find the ones I want to show together?