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[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

[6500-nathanl]

Thoughts and Ideas

This is a just a little brainfart I wrote out in one of my notebooks while tryna think about what this project is about:

I was too focussed and preoccupied by myself and those around me during my lockdown that I for the most part didn't concern myself with doing much communication with my friends. It wasn't until 'picnics' were announced had I realised how little I had kept in contact with my friends over lockdown. How little I had checked up on them, asked how they were doing or even sent them a simple "hey" text message. It wasn't until picnics had been announced that I realised how much I actually missed my friends, not even just my friends but even just seeing other faces and hearing other voices.

This project is all about me reconnecting with those that I missed over lockdown and reconnecting with those who I hadnt seen since well before lockdown. A chance for me to catch up with my close friends as well as a chance to hopefully restart and rekindle some friendships that otherwise may have just been left in the past.

This is a collection of images that I hope to keep adding to as I continue to catch up with my friends over the upcoming summer.

[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

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[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

[6500-nathanl]

Thoughts and Ideas

I really want to make a photobook/zine for this project. I want an actual physical object that I can touch and feel, an actual object that marks and shows the completion of this project. Not just a couple of print outs that could easy just be done anywhere, theres something special about a book. The thing is, I haven't actually read, seen or looked at that many photobooks. I feel like im running into this blindly perhaps, I dont know any of the spoken/unspoken rules of making a photobook but I think thats part of the charm for this project. Of course I intend to do some research and look at some photobooks but going into this so blindly I feel will give this project a more personal feel. I don't at this stage have anything to kinda base it off. If I was to make the book tomorrow I would have nothing to go off but my own judgement, which I like, I think.

[6500-nathanl]

Thoughts and Ideas

Here is the proposal I am sending out to those who have agreed to be a part of this project

Hey, thank you so much for agreeing to be a part of this project. A little rundown of what this project is about, I am wanting to create a photobook for my end of year exhibition. The premise of this photobook is its meant to be like a journal and I’m documenting myself catching up with my friends for the first time after lockdown. I want this project to feel quite personal not only to me but to you as well being a part of it, so for the photoshoot part of the project Ill ask you to bring an object you’ve used a lot of the lockdown, the object can be whatever you want preferably not a phone or laptop but an object that has brought you joy, an object that has a lot of meaning to you or something you have just used a lot over these past weeks. I also want to ask you to come up with the location you’d like to be photographed in. Are there any places around Auckland that you have missed over the lockdown? do you have any places that you feel you have a connection with? Obviously outside to go along with the new level guidelines. If you can’t think of a place or object just bring your phone and I’m sure I can find somewhere for us to go shoot. Please let me know when you’re available to shoot with as I ideally need to have taken all my images before next Monday. Thanks again :)

[6500-nathanl]

Thoughts and Ideas

This project is all about reconnecting with my friends after the longest lockdown in New Zealands history. Im wanting to catch up and see how my friends are doing in this uncertain crazy time. I want to know how my friends have gotten through lockdown so far and how they plan to continue getting through it. This project is like a journal and each time I see a friend its like a journal entry. It’s a project for me to look back on in the future, a capture of my memories from seeing my friends for the first time in almost two months.

[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

https://ryan-pfluger.format.com

I like the framing and the warmth of these images but they have a bit of a stiff atmosphere which im not the biggest fan of

[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

I really like Hugos somewhat formal informal approach to taking these photos. When I first started thinking about how I was going to take my photos for this project, I wanted them to be formal yet personal (if that makes any sense) and I think some of my previous visual referneces show that. I still want to take photos with a similar approach but I think I will also take more photos with a 'quirkier' edge. Give the photos more personality, capture a sense of the person Im photographing.

[6500-nathanl]

Thoughts and Ideas

After my call with Anton ive given more thought into the concept of the project. Instead of being so heavily based on the object im going to tilt it more towards my friends. Instead of focussing on the theory around objects and all that I want the project to be more personal. I want it to be more about me reconnecting with those that I have missed over these last 8 weeks. The objects will still be a part of this project but they wont be the main subject like I had originally intended.

Since I am still hoping to produce a photobook/zine, this project could almost seem like a journal/diary of me reconnecting with my friends. When I first spoke to Caryline about this project I suggested that the idea of doing a project to do with lockdown was somewhat maybe overdone and cliche but Caryline reassured me that there was nothing wrong with creating a project to do with lockdown. This project is a product of its time which when it was put to me that way it was almost like a relief to hear but also I felt stupid that I hadnt already thought of it in that way. For a lot of my practice recently I have been thinking about how it sits in the context of the now and how it will be perceived in the future, the whole idea of the present becoming the past is something I think about alot in my work so with this project being so heavily a product of its time it makes me very happy to think about.

[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

Currently watching the video as I write this.

Ive been wondering how to incorporate the objects into the portraits I want to take, especially of small things such as a ring or something and this is perfect.

[6500-nathanl]

Not sure how I feel about these images. I like the framing I think but I definitely need to look at more visual references.

[6500-nathanl]

Research

Trying to figure out which budget film stock is the best to use for this project. Im wanting a very warm, wholesome, comforting somewhat nostalgic look which yes is typical for film but I wanted to see which was best. It would seem it almost doesn't matter.

[6500-nathanl]

Visual Research

Besides the often still, cold and uncomfortable feeling I get from a lot of Rineke Dijkstras photos, her formal compositions and visual language are heavy inspiration for the visual outcomes I hope to create for the portrait aspect of this project.