Assignment objective: creatively introduce yourself through 3 series of images with varying themes
Task 1: Me
It’s hard to sum up a clumsy, weird over-thinker in three images, but I tried to think of the top three things that make me, me. Incidentally, I also struggled with finding a balance between what I think of myself, and what I want the world to think of me.
- MUSIC | I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. It’s become more than just a passion to me, and everyday I’m still discovering new forms of music (and racking up lots of Spotify playlists along the way). The instruments placed around me are what I’ve picked up over the years of playing music. They form some sort of shield around me, because playing music makes me feel safe and happy. On the flipside, I always find myself being very critical about my skills, and I often end up feeling inadequate. But I’m trying to use this to fuel my desire to keep learning and practicing.
- CONVERSATION | One of my favourite things to do is to wrangle my closest friends together and engage in conversation (preferably over a basket of truffle fries). We don’t get to meet often because life gets in the way, but a solid hour or two of pure conversing always refreshes my mind, and sometimes I walk away with a different outlook of life. I think it’s important to get into the head of others in my environment, because everyone thinks differently, and having more diverse views can do you good.
- BOOKS & MAGS | I am a self-confessed hoarder of many things, books and magazines especially. When I go abroad, I never fail to pick up a magazine or two (I’ve even brought home foreign newspapers… I have a problem). I think it’s highly fascinating to see what people are writing about in their local context. The beauty of words is something I hold dearly, and my past as a Mass Communications major has greatly influenced my love for writing and reading. I guess it’s also a way for me to hold on to a part of myself as I enter the design world — a thrilling and largely intimidating place.
Task 2: Object and representation of self
I chose a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors that has been with me for 8 years and counting. They’ve literally been with me throughout the most important period of my life thus far — a timid teen growing into a young (still slightly timid) adult. They’re incredibly worn out and yellowed now, with holes everywhere, and I see these as battle scars from my many foolish adventures. Shoes are seen as a necessity, a means of getting around, and occasionally a fashion statement. But these sneakers hold much more meaning to me than just that. They remind me of youth, spontaneity and wonder — things that I fear I might gradually lose as I continue growing up.
1. Medium long shot of sneakers hanging on a tree. The earth tones of the background allow the red hue of the shoes to pop. The subject is kept to 1/3 of the picture.
2. Close-up shot of shoes on a tree stump. Brought up the aperture to produce a shallower depth of field, allowing viewers’ eyes to focus on the subject, while creating a slightly dreamy effect with the bokeh. (Tricky image to capture on my own while being in the shot!)
3. Long shot of me and my sneakers. I like the clean circle ledge on a pastel wall, with my sneakers just barely popping out of the circle.
The location was inspired by local photographer Nguan, who captures dreamy shots of Singapore neighbourhoods and beyond. I like the minimal, ethereal feel of his photos, and how he makes ordinary items like slippers by the void deck look like they mean something.
Task 3: My world
My idea of a perfect afternoon includes a cup of Earl Grey tea, a good read and my bed. The location I selected is my room, where I store most of the stuff I’ve hoarded as aforementioned. It’s also the place I feel the most comfortable and at ease. I’ve lived in my flat all 21 years of my life, so my room holds lots of memories for me. It’s probably the one place that truly encapsulates what I’m like as a person.
1. BOOKSHELF | My shelf (which is never this neat under normal circumstances) holds some of my favourite books, magazines and DVDs I’ve collected, as well as a Bombay Bicycle Club album (one of my fav bands), a film SLR that was passed down from my Dad, and an embroidered hairbrush from a vintage store in the UK. This is my go-to corner if I’m in dire need of a pick-me-up. I tried to capture the natural light coming in from my window in this image.
2. WALL | This wall is located just beside my bed, so it’s what I like to stare at just before going to bed, or while waking up. The items on the wall are a mixture of cool garment tags, interesting artwork, and stuff that are monumental in my personal life. They include a poster I designed for my good friend’s Nepal earthquake fundraiser, a placard from my sister’s wedding, and admission tickets to Singapore Fashion Week from previous years. They remind me of how far I’ve come in life, and how much more I have to go. I didn’t keep everything in focus to make the photo look more interesting, and took it from a side angle because I like the shadows produced by the items.
3. MOON CLOCK | I bought this clock a few years ago on a whim, after quickly falling in love with it in an accessories shop. The clock face is an image of the moon, which I personally find incredibly intriguing and mysterious. It reminds me that I’m a small speck in this large universe, and my huge problems don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The battery in the clock died quite long ago, but I haven’t bothered replacing it, and I think this speaks volumes about how I admired its aesthetic way more than its actual use. I kept some of my wall items in frame, to help viewers visualise where exactly the clock is located, and so it doesn’t look as detached from the rest of my room.
4. BEDS | I have two super-single beds in my room, one of which belongs to my sister. She recently shifted out with her husband, so I have the room to myself now. She’s 9 years older than me, but we’re still super close, and I never went to sleep without hearing her drift off to sleep. It’s quite sad that she’s shifting out, but the family’s happy she’s carved out her own happy path.
5. DRESSING TABLE | I stand in front of my dressing table every day for about 3o minutes getting ready for the day, and winding down for the night. There’s just something about applying makeup and grooming my skin that’s therapeutic to me, even though it’s largely seen as a superficial act. I feel like I’m putting on warpaint that will help me tackle the day’s challenges, and when I’m removing my makeup, I’m washing away the stresses and problems I’ve accumulated that day. The actual problems in my life don’t exactly go away, but that sliver of me-time makes all the difference.
I kept myself in the frame (blurred out) to channel my inner Vivian Maier, a reclusive individual whose stunning photographs were only discovered after her death in 2009. She deliberately kept her photographs a secret, and they were never about attaining fame or personal success. It’s creating art in its purest form.
Our first foray into photography assignments was equal parts scary and exciting. The nature of the project is very personal, and exploring the inner workings of my mind (and my classmates’) has been pretty insightful. It’s not every day you stop and think about what you are as a person and how your quirks and interests speak about you. The three themes sub-consciously prompted me to dig deeper into self-discovery, because I had to visually represent my life in just 11 images. To see my thoughts and personality traits displayed for everyone to see made me feel really vulnerable, but it was an interesting experience nonetheless, and there are things I wouldn’t have known about myself, let alone my classmates, if this assignment didn’t exist.
My project would have been more successful if there was more thought put into the placement of images (e.g. if the series were placed further apart, provide some breathing space). Every element, from start to finish, should be intentional and well thought out.