In this picture I can see a series of photographs taken by Sophie Calle. I believe these pictures are quite unique because they are in black and white and quite aesthetic. If I was to describe these to someone who can't see, I would firstly focus on where each picture is taken. For example, one of them is made in a toilet and its got a toilet seat and bathtub and a few sheets/towels. I would then describe the colour. The colour in each photograph she has taken is black and white which makes it stand out because nowadays pictures are normally in colour but when it is in black and white it is easier to describe because there are only two colours. Whereas, colour pictures you would have to describe more and it would be a bit hard for someone who can't see to visualise in their head. The lighting in most pictures are bright but dull at the same time as it is in black and white. In each picture there is a different thing she focuses on. And all of them are quite unusual objects to use. Sophie Calle has used shoes, a toilet, bedsheets and more, and most of the items used are unusual however they are quite unique to use as not many photographers use them.
The genre of these pictures are still life but it is an unusual image. And the theme of it is ritual. One of the reasons I have said already is the items used and another reason is it is one picture board but a series of different ones in the picture frame. Still life is normally seen in colour and not black and white and that is another reason as to why the pictures are weird. However, I really like these images as they stand out to me and they look unique.
By looking at these images, I believe she took each of them by thinking really carefully about everything you need in a photo. By this I mean, what items she has used, what she included in the picture and what she has cut out, the focus of the image, the spacing, the colour/tone and what type of mood/atmosphere it creates. These images create a weird feeling because whenever I have seen still life, I have seen it in colour and with flowers or mirrors or even everyday usage things. Most of Sophie Calle's photos use objects we use in a daily life but the objects create a strange thought in my head as to why these objects were used and not other daily life objects. These objects are mostly used in daily life but they count as the ones that we wouldn't really take pictures of. If i were to take these photographs I would use a camera and a flashlight or some sort of lighting. I then would choose the objects I want and then take pictures of them in the same sort of way Calle does and then I would refine them by putting them into black and white and then adding effects or the necessary things that need to be changed.
These sets of pictures makes me feel optimistic and creative because it makes me think: If i were to take these photographs but with my own objects would it look as good as Calle's work. I believe I could do it. Looking at these images gives a strange yet happy feeling but it is hard to explain how. Some pictures make me feel unclear as to what I feel but overall all these pictures gives a sense of strangeness because of the items used. However, I quite like Calle's work because I believe it matches with the type of photography `i like and I am confident in. By looking at these images everyone would have a different feeling and what I feel is probably what most people feel because when I look at them it makes me feel questionable and gives a strange, weird and unusual feeling. I know the words 'weird' 'strange' and 'unusual' is used quite a lot to describe what I feel but I think this is the best way I can describe or conclude to what I feel about these images. It's just a bit hard to explain because these set of images are different to what I see in daily life photographs. Also, In these images she doesn't show any images of a human being which is creative. To conclude, on what I feel about these images is that they are all unique and a good set of images because it makes me want to question the photographer which is a good thing.
As I have a lot of questions to ask Calle about her work and these images the three main questions I would ask her are: -Why did you use these objects? -What made you think to use these objects? -If you were able to take these images again, what would you change? I would ask these questions to her because these are the main questions that popped up in my mind when I first saw these images. I believe that these questions are unique because I didn't ask about why she took the image or how she took it because these type of questions are commonly asked and normally shown on the internet.
By reading a bit about Sophie Calle, it has made me gather information as to why she created these sets of images. The thing that changes as to what I already think about is that she took the images because she has always had fantasies, when she finds little objects she would always go dreaming about it. She includes small objects of her life in order for the audience to look at her images and investigate and question her photography. And my first impression was to investigate her photography and I had a lot of questions in my mind. Now I believe I have a better understanding about her work and what I can do when I take a series of photos inspired by Calle. The main things I learned about Calle is that she captures the absence and presence of things. She photographs emptiness or things that have never been touched which I think is unique. She has a unique style of photographing images, especially in these images because it is taken in a hotel and they present people who were living in that hotel and she adds a hint of her personal life in her images. Overall, I believe Calle's work is very unique and it stands out because it makes me think that she is thinking outside the box and then it also makes me feel creative and optimistic.
My piece
Here, I have taken a series of photos inspired by Sophie Calle. I decided to go on the path of still life. I like some of these pictures because they compare nicely with Calle's. The ones that were my favourites I put them to black and white and then I chose my final favourites. I found this a bit challenging because I could't really think of any ideas. However, I did quite well.
Final piece
These are my final pieces which I love, I believe the ideas are quite creative. I have attached a screenshot of the process I used to edit my photos. I took my photos then I chose some that looked decent and then I chose 9 photos which I really liked. I chose 9 because Calle put 9 photos in 1 frame, therefore, I did the same. I really liked the process because it was quite quick but it took a bit of time taking the photos the way I wanted them. My favourite one is the one with the mug, lemon and avocado, this is because the lighting looks really good and the edit of the black and white is perfect. I also really like the one with the books because it looks aesthetic.