The Wonders Of Restrictive Limitation
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
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| Andrea Stefancikova |
We live in a world of over choice. I am from a generation where all phones were black.
I am in
firm belief that in photography and the arts to be limited is the fastest
avenue to startling creativity. Amedeo Modigliani who died when he was 35 is
one of many artists who produced unusual stuff before they died.
As a an
arts photographer for the Globe & Mail in the 90s I was always faced with a
few minutes to photograph actors, musicians, film directors and politicians.
Since the writer for most of these sessions was the now highfalutin lawyer
Christopher Dafoe I was given the privilege of sitting in on his interviews
before my photographic session at the end of it. In that time I would quickly
eliminate what I could not do because of time and then I knew that there was
only one approach left. For me this was liberating challenge and when I was
given more time I always said I was done. In some cases (and I did this to
satisfy my inner self) I might take three exposures in a ten exposure roll and
quit right there.
Five years
ago I had a lovely and large (with a very high ceiling) studio on Granville and
Robson. I had a huge variety of lighting systems but I limit myself to shooting
against a middle gray wall. By placing my lights and or subject near or far
from the wall I could make the background go black to almost white.
Once I left
my studio I placed a gray backdrop ( reduced in width) between my living room
and dining room in the Athlone house. It served me well and that is where most
of my red shawl series were taken.
In our new
Kitsilano duplex the garage was converted by the former owner into an office.
But he left 40% of it into a storage area too small for a car (a bike
perhaps?). The storage area and the office are separated by a wall and door.
I had a
rubber matt with a carpet installed in that storage area. Three of the walls
are now white and my shooting wall is middle gray. I was pleased to find out
that the wall is much wider than my Athlone Street gray backdrop!
The studio
is intimate (a euphemism for small) and I like the restrictions on what I can
do in it. It reduces my choices. I like that as I have pointed out above.
Here is a
scanned Fuji FP-3000B (3200 ISO) instant print. Alas it has been now long
discontinued but I have a few boxes left and I use this film gingerly. Because
it is so fast I do not fire my lights as flash but use the quartz modeling
lights that are built in. Here in the snap of my new muse Andrea Stefancikova I
used a Chinese-made beauty dish with a grid. The grid is what produced those
little squares of light in the background.
I am most pleased
with this shot and I look forward to further creative restrictions in my new
studio with the help of my muse.
In the Athlone house the guest bathroom was close by. I liked taking my subjects there where I would take a snap and include myself in the mirror. The bathroom was narrow in depth but wide. The new guest bathroom is smaller in every way but that did not prevent me from taking Andrea and shooting our selfie.
In the Athlone house the guest bathroom was close by. I liked taking my subjects there where I would take a snap and include myself in the mirror. The bathroom was narrow in depth but wide. The new guest bathroom is smaller in every way but that did not prevent me from taking Andrea and shooting our selfie.
