The Gatie Project

For this project, I started straight away. I took a picture of people sat on a bench inside the museum. Again, it wasn’t like Gatie’s work, but it was a start. I like the image because of its features. It is the opposite of Isoloneliness, but it was just a practice shot. It is of two people observing a picture of Jesus. The couple are evidently lovers as they are close together, and their body language indicates an emotional attachment, even though the viewer cannot see their faces.

After this, I took my camera into town to take some shots. The first two images that I took where at a bus stop. I took a picture of an office chair in the bus stop because I found it interesting that an object that doesn’t belong there, yet for some reason it is there. a few seconds later, a woman sits down on it. I liked the idea that the object that doesn’t belong, has been interacted with. I noticed many passer byes looking at the chair in amusement, but never sat on it. I edited the pictures to black and white because I didn’t have a SLR, to resemble the atmosphere that Getie creates. I would say that the element of loneliness isn’t present in these pictures because of the structure of the photograph. The unmissable sign in the background on the empty chair is visible, but it is faded on the other picture when the women is sat down. I quite like that effect as a relation to the chair, but this was purely coincidental as I did not notice this when taking the picture.

Another two images I took where of another bus stop. There were a sock stuffed with something, and was randomly placed at the bus stop. I don’t know if it was left there by accident or dumped there as rubbish. I managed to capture people walking away from the bus stop, but again, the seat was empty. I don’t think that the same emotions of loneliness that Gatie created is present in this picture.

This image of a woman sat at a bus stop in the rain was my best experiment, because of the reflections left on the wet floor. It creates a tension of mystery, complimented by the missing head of the person sat on the bench. I feel like this is my closest image to the styles of Gatie because the coldness in the image. The person seems to be looking on at the people in the background, but is difficult to tell because their head is covered. This image was in colour, but edited black and white. This made a significance in the energy of the picture. It had added elements of loneliness and isolation, yet not depressing. The perfect blend of Isoloneliness.

Overall I feel like this experiment has been important to me. I have learnt a little bit more about the details of creating an atmosphere. Mood in a photograph is one of the most important features of a photograph as it can invoke emotions in the viewer, allowing them to relate or understand what is happening in the picture. I can take this experiment and apply it into future projects.