Microscopic photography wasn’t something I had considered until a week or so ago as I was still uncertain with which route I was going to take with my project.
I knew I wanted to incorporate nature as it is something I will forever find beauty in and find fascinating. But I wasn’t sure how to go about it.
After doing some research on microscopic photography, I discovered a few plant based images that I really liked the look of and immediately became intrigued as to how I could bring that into my project. For example, I found a microscopic photograph of a leaf which I found fascinating.
After doing said research, I decided to attempt to do some experimentations which was quite successful. It did take me a few attempts to get the hang of it was I had to balance my phone camera on the microscope and attempt to get the focus just right but after a while I did get some good shots.
Nature has always been something I’ve been fascinated by – I love learning more about it and try to make it the focus of all my photography when possible. During the beginning of the project I found it quite a struggle as I didn’t quite know how I was going to incorporate nature into this unit, however I want to showcase the beauty of nature through macro photography.
I had never tried macro up until a few weeks ago, however it definitely helped me realised that is perfect for my project.
Macro photography has always been something I have seen but never even thought about trying to experiment with. It’s always proven to capture some truly beautiful shots such as the ones above, which only lead me to be more intrigued by it.
Although I am well aware that I will likely be unable to capture shots quite like these, I am still determined to capture some good shots. My experimentations so far have proven I will be able to get a series of good shots, I just need to experiment further with different textures and objects in order to do so.
At the beginning of the unit I wanted to incorporate my passion for animals into my project, however I wasn’t one hundred percent as to how I would execute it.
I was given the idea to attempt something similar to Richard Phibbs’ “Rescue Me” project – photographing the dogs at a local shelter to create a book with information on the dogs, talking about the abuse or mistreatment they received in order to bring awareness to the countless dogs who deserve a home.
Originally there was a shelter I had in mind, however upon calling them I was told I would be unable to go through with my idea due to health and safety reasons, meaning I had to rethink my idea completely. Personally, I believe my time management was poorly executed and I should have attempted to contact the shelter a lot sooner, however I now have some more ideas in mind for the project.
Instead of my original idea, I am going to experiment with some macro photography to see what I can come up with especially as I have always been interested in macro photography. I intend to experiment with a mixture of materials and objects in order to widen my experimentations.
Richard Phibbs is a Canadian photographer who has done several different types of work that varies from advertising, fine art and his own personal work. One piece that caught my attention was his 2016 project ‘Rescue Me‘ which is a book he created where he was a longtime volunteer at Humane Society of New York (HSNY) where we photographed of dogs at the shelter who were up for adoption.
His book includes more than 70 images of these dogs who have survived heartbreaking circumstances, each image had information of said dog filmed with the emotional description of their struggle. Although the book was published by Aperture, the royalties went to HSNY to help benefit them and the dogs that they help.
For example, Little Lowell was discovered by police in a cramped cage on a hot day in May, dehydrated and covered in urine – under all his matted fur he was practically skin and bones, clearly he had been imprisoned for quite some time. One eye had to be removed due to the damage, however he had a long recovery from surgery as he had a severe fungal infection.
Yoko, a two-year-old Italian Greyhound was brought to the HSNY with two broken legs after her owner hadn’t ensured that was was properly nourished, this led to her bones becoming brittle. After 6 months of care, she needed a home where she could be treated delicately and would be protected.
This unit’s theme is ‘Power’ and I want to take it in the animal route. At first I thought about how I can not only incorporate animals into my project, but be able to produce work from it. Therefore I decided looking into how the way animals are photographed can really make a difference – for example, these two images immediately warms people’s hearts as they are both injured or have been injured.
Although not every person is the same, a lot of people nowadays do not want to re-home an injured, disabled or older dog, they wish to have a happy and healthy puppy as it is easier than having to take care for a dog who might need lots of attention and medical care.
It’s the same with advertising – they showcase their injured animals in hopes for people to either adopt or donate, a very common strategy in a lot of different industries.
A reoccurring theme in the Rescue Me book are people willingly giving up their dogs as they are unable to take care of them. It is easily done as so many people love the idea of having a happy, furry companion but never take into consideration the care they need – not just feeding and attention, but they need daily exercise, grooming and sometimes medical care, this then leads to people giving up their dogs as it doesn’t fit into their lifestyle – people think you can simply adopt or purchase a dog, easy…but it is not the case.
Their environment is a huge aspect you need to take into consideration – if you live in a set of flats, it’s not exactly the best idea to buy a large breed of dog, etc. They need room to play and run around, they can’t simply stay inside all the time and be fed and given water, there is a lot of care they need.
During his project, Phibbs found himself attached to one dog in particular – a long haired Chihuahua called Finn. In the end, he ended up adopting him.
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