Reflection on Making vs Taking

Having never used color slide film, I enjoyed experimenting with it, learning how to develop it in the dark room (vs. black and white) and how to transfer it into a digital file by scanning. The openness of the assignment really let me have fun with color; because the focus was purely on color I could explore what I found interesting in such as vivid and rich hues or subtleties, including in whites. I’ve never really focused on the varieties of white before, but color film really lets you pick them up. I also like compositions made up of single colors but in varying textures.

Finding objects to scan and pair with photos was both fun and challenging. I discovered that the best way for me to make comparisons was to look around in places such as a grocery store where there is just a huge variety of materials to work with. I was hoping to find some cherries to place next to the leaves because I thought they would mimic the stems and colors of the leaves as well as bring up thoughts of summer turning into fall, but it was too late in the season. Instead I used chili peppers, which worked out well because they too have stems and similar colors (red, yellow, orange with pops of green). The corn and blue door diptych did not form until later. I realized that the subjects were contrasting colors, but it wasn’t until after some experimentation that I got the result I wanted. I was aiming to echo the scratches and color variations in the door with another material, but I didn’t want it to be just another image of a flat surface.  The corn and millet proved to be good materials to work with because they were nuanced in color and texture and flowed well to make a pattern.

If I could do something differently, I would maybe explore more humorous compositions with subtle color comparisons, such as with the balloons with melons. I found the lettuce and blue ruffles color combination pleasing, but the white diptych has more to think about after first glance. Then again, though straightforward, the vividness of the leaves and chilies is pretty satisfying and the image feels very tangible.