Ming Smith (Creative use of Light)
.This photo is on the streets of New York on 4th July 1981, Smith has been able to arrange each person in the photo in a line with a singular person out of the line which somewhat spaces the photo out. Smith has used very generic shapes which are the shape of each persons body which alines with building and the trees around them. The texture Smith has used has gave the photo a vibrancy that it wouldn’t of had before and has a distinct light which is coming from the sparkler but also has the light of fireworks. The photo is also not so spaced out and very squeezed together. Smith has given the photo a life as it creates an atmosphere of unity, family and friends. You can also see how each person has a piece of white clothing which neutralises the colours from the background and foreground. This photo belongs to the genre of street photography, typically street photography is clear images of what the person would be doing however Smith decides to do it differently and make the picture less clear to give it a sort of mystery and give it more colours. This photo is different to normal street photographs as usually New York street photos have certain distinct aspects like the tall buildings and road signs but this steers away from the normal narrative and creates its own piece and its own genre for years to come which makes it stand out.
Ming Smith has used lighting and long exposure for this photo which makes it stand out, Smith used a film camera as it has a distinct look to it. I also believe that she took this photo with her hands and not with a tripod as i think it was not planned but it was just how everyone was already standing and right place right time. If i was to try make my own version of a photo like this i would use a black background and led lights covered with different gels and different colours that contrast each other; i would also use my phone and use long exposure to have the same darkness around it. I would also use one distinct colour as the same is seen in Smiths photo with her distinct colour is white as the reflects each colour of the foreground. I would also try find something that replicates a sparkler as i believe that it is the key feature in the photograph that was taken by Smith.
I think this photograph makes me feel happy which usually photos don’t make me feel happy as there wouldn’t be any features to make me happy. I believe that a photo should have a main character or a main subject which this photo has and executes it correctly with it not being too over the top but not undermined by anything else. The photo is colourful but with basic colours theres a pinkish colour which reflects off the white to give it a retro feel and the sparkler that was used makes it quite eye catching. If i was to ask Ming Smith three questions i would ask
This photo was taken in 1981, how do you think the photo would look if it was taken in recent times?
If you could change the image slightly to make it even better what would you change?
Was the boy with the sparkler planned or was it by chance when you took the photo?
Researching Ming Smith has given me a clearer understanding of her work and i can see how she would rather capture the moment at the time instead of being in the moment her self. This would set her aside from everyone else as she typically use black and white street photography and during the 1980s she ventured out try coloured street photography. This picture relates to the creative use of light as she uses the light from the fireworks and the little sparkler which acts as a flash almost. This would also link to her influence of big lights from jazz clubs.
Ming Smith has used lighting and long exposure for this photo which makes it stand out, Smith used a film camera as it has a distinct look to it. I also believe that she took this photo with her hands and not with a tripod as i think it was not planned but it was just how everyone was already standing and right place right time. If i was to try make my own version of a photo like this i would use a black background and led lights covered with different gels and different colours that contrast each other; i would also use my phone and use long exposure to have the same darkness around it. I would also use one distinct colour as the same is seen in Smiths photo with her distinct colour is white as the reflects each colour of the foreground. I would also try find something that replicates a sparkler as i believe that it is the key feature in the photograph that was taken by Smith.
I think this photograph makes me feel happy which usually photos don’t make me feel happy as there wouldn’t be any features to make me happy. I believe that a photo should have a main character or a main subject which this photo has and executes it correctly with it not being too over the top but not undermined by anything else. The photo is colourful but with basic colours theres a pinkish colour which reflects off the white to give it a retro feel and the sparkler that was used makes it quite eye catching. If i was to ask Ming Smith three questions i would ask
This photo was taken in 1981, how do you think the photo would look if it was taken in recent times?
If you could change the image slightly to make it even better what would you change?
Was the boy with the sparkler planned or was it by chance when you took the photo?
Researching Ming Smith has given me a clearer understanding of her work and i can see how she would rather capture the moment at the time instead of being in the moment her self. This would set her aside from everyone else as she typically use black and white street photography and during the 1980s she ventured out try coloured street photography. This picture relates to the creative use of light as she uses the light from the fireworks and the little sparkler which acts as a flash almost. This would also link to her influence of big lights from jazz clubs.
These are my take on Ming Smiths street photography and creative use of light, i adapted the light throughout changing the colour towards the end with a more neutral blue instead of a warm orange and pink. I also incorporated a main subject being the flashlight which changed the photo drastically and made it stand out compared to the photos with out a flashlight.
These are the final series of photos that i have taken inspired by Ming Smith and creative use of light, each photo is different and each photo has different lighting with it being either a higher or lower contrast but each photo has the distinctive flashlight to give its own nature. I stole one feature from Ming Smith which was a main subject and in these photos the main subject was the flashlight. I started off by using warmer tones to make feel more retro and have the same feel as a film camera, and as time went on i decided to change it to a blue colour as it can represent the blue hour that is seen in various different street photographers work. I also changed the angles and the zoom on the lens to get a different look and feel but also tried to keep it as minimalistic and as in frame as possible. I also moved the camera around to give it a blur effect as Ming Smith also had as she used a film camera which allowed in less light and give it the same blur effect that my final pieces have.