I began playing the viola in the fifth grade and have been playing in orchestras both in school and in my community since that time. It is amazing to me to think about everything that goes into preparing for a concert. Without even considering the hours of personal practice and rehearsal involved prior to the actual event, it is still a lot of work. Instruments have to be prepared, the stage set up, everyone gathered and in position to play. Many people have been to an orchestra concert and witnessed the final performance, but few have an opportunity to see the entire process, from when performers arrive to them getting onto the stage. For my final project, I would like to capture this story.
When I wrote my proposal, I was thinking that I would structure this project as a photography story about preparing an instrument for performance. However, after reviewing some different projects on the websites of Time and The Washington Post, I think I would like to take my project more in a photojournalistic direction. There are so many details about musical instruments and performing that I (as a performer) notice that other people probably never even think about. As I have begun taking photos, I have realized that it is sometimes difficult to get a good shot, particularly while people are playing. I have had particular trouble getting the bow to stay in focus, since it is constantly moving back and forth across the strings. In looking through some of the different Time photo essays, I realized that this blurred movement could actually be a positive thing and show the active side of playing. I noticed this particularly in the photo essay “A Green Alternative to Dry Cleaning” by Albert Vecerka (see link below). Though parts of a few of the shots are somewhat blurry (like the worker in photo six), it adds to the overall productive feeling of the company rather than creating bad photos that hurt the audience’s perception. I also like this photo essay because it incorporates some of the comparisons of macro and micro with the establishing shot of the storefront compared to the more close-up of the hanger boxes and dryer bags. I would like to move my project from micro to macro by beginning with a focus on a particular instrument and then transitioning into wider on stage shots.
I also enjoyed reading the captions of the photo essays on the Time website. While each caption is related to the photo, it is not merely information about the content of the photo. Instead, as one looks through the entire photo collection, the captions tell a sort of story. The photos and brief writing combine to create a more powerful method to convey the project’s message. I noticed this particularly in “Garbage is Good: Recycling in America.” While the caption under each picture explains what is happening visually, it also gives background information about the particular aspect of recycling being portrayed. I think this leaves the viewer with a better understanding of the subject by giving him or her solid visuals and contextual information to tie it all together. I think this combination of writing and photography could make a great project for my final. Viewers do not need to be told exactly what a picture shows; that can get boring. Instead, captions can be used to enhance the viewers experience beyond what is shown in the visuals.
\”Garbage is Good: Recycling in America\”
\”A Green Alternative to Dry Cleaning\”
I think it should be pretty interesting to see what goes on backstage. I think that not only for orchestra but for any kind of professional performance in general there’s a great deal of preparation that goes into putting on a show. When you think about how much work it takes to get to such a high level in a given field like music, or theater, or sports, there’s no way the people that do those things for a living got to where they were just showing up 5 minutes before the show. It’s always nice to hear what athletes do to get ready, so it’ll be cool to see what musicians do.