October, seven years ago. I participated in a five day black and white photography challenge a friend tagged me in. All I needed to do was share five black and white photographs I took for five days. Two of these photographs were from my file folders that time, while the rest I came up with during the span of the challenge.
I want to specifically take you back to this particular time in my photography journey, for 2014 was a significant year in establishing the things I personally like to photograph. I was already doing conceptual photography, minimalist style, moody photographs and film photography. A lot going on, but I knew how and what I wanted to photograph, and when I wanted to photograph to a particular style.
The results for this study was an attempt to mix all those things.
Black and white became a go to favorite when I just want to simplify anything,
and allow the viewer of my works to focus on an idea I was going for.
Day 1: Self Portrait
Being able to make art and do photography allowed me to express ideas I was not able to voice out, or find the right words to write about.
The first day's entry is slightly influenced by the Three wise monkeys,
a proverb principle that goes like: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
for the part only of covering and wrapping my eyes, mouth and ears, with a used film roll I had that time. I used a white cloth as background, mounted my camera on a tripod, set on timer, and started shooting. I focused on an object first hand to where I positioned myself in this photo, to get the sharpness right.
Shooting film photographs started to become special to me that time too, it allowed me to take timeless photographs and accept it as it is. Just like any self portrait I do, this was a reflection of where my life and head space was at that time.
Day 2:Purpose
The second day's entry is a finalized composite photograph, a technique of combining two or more different photographs to create an entirely new one. Some media use this technique for exaggeration, to expound on an idea; but I personally find this technique useful for the conceptual photography I was experimenting and exploring on.
I photographed my friend on a clean white wall, instructed her to position her hands as if reaching for something inside her heart. I then cleaned up the shirt inside the blazer, and change it to black. I took a different photograph of plants that day, to replace my friend's head with a plant growing out of her blazer.
I post processed the two photographs in photoshop, added a light smoke effect on top, and desaturated the whole thing to a monochromatic color to suit the series' theme.
These days you can achieve the same techniques using today's mobile apps, but sometimes the quality or resolution gets compromised especially if you want your works to be printed in a larger scale.
I entitled day two's entry: purpose, because of the idea that everyone should aspire to keep growing and moving forward in life.
Day 3: Gazed Into the Void
Another composite photo and a self portrait for third day's entry.
I remember making use of real flowers as props that night, tucking them in the collar of my shirt, and made sure that it will look like a garden growing from my neck.
Like the real life ghosts that haunt me, and the nightmares I get at night, I was going for a photograph exploring the idea of a haunting glimpse, to a gaze into the void:
of mystery, the unknown and uncertainties.
Day 4: Isolation
no one told me
that in the long run
of chasing after your dreams;
of having a creative life;
would make me feel
isolated at times.
i have these ideas
i am haunted with,
wanting to become reality.
but here i am still
being stubborn,
not yet giving in
to the thought
of giving up.
Day 5: Just Like Changing Clouds
I took a portrait of my colleague, and post processed this photograph into an idea.
Just like changing clouds, the last entry for this series, comes back to hope, to being hopeful, and to looking forward to better days.
You lose a part of yourself in difficult times, sometimes even no longer seeing a clear reflection of who you are, but just as seasons change, allow yourself to change back for the better, to the person you were that gave you purpose.
Epilogue
from a hopeful beginning;
an unsettling in between;
to an inescapable end.
-arj
About the Author
A human being with a passion for creating, Richard John is a photographer, artist, stylist and creative director from Cebu City, Philippines. He is always challenging himself to do better, learn more and try different mediums to create more..
If you like his content about the creative world he's in, don't forget to upvote, share your thoughts in the comments and maybe reblog. All forms of love is always welcome. Follow his journey here on Hive for more. ❤️