James Benning- The Structure of Photography

I would like to begin this blog and ask a quick question that I also asked in lecture. How does he show the video to an audience? Would it be shown in a gallery? Would it be edited with other times he performed this piece? Is it more than just a lecture on the structure of mathematics? Is this just a performance that involves a very unnecessary camera. The whole time he was performing for us the only time the camera became a factor was when someone asked a question and the camera operator couldn't hear it. I was very grateful to be apart of that experience. I was just lost on how the use of video applied to the performance.

In his closing statement James Benning said "How do you structure your own work as in Mathematics?" I decided this was a good place to start for this weeks Blog. I am a photography major and the structure of photography is a series of photographic elements that combine to create a final print.  The counting numbers would be the Camera, Film, Memory, and a good mid-range zoom lenses. Once you have a camera you have to learn how to use the camera. This would be like adding zero. You have to understand ISO, F-stop, and Shutter Speed. While you are learning this you also have to be understanding composition light and different focal lengths of lenses. Within composition you have to learn how to control your subject. Get the model to do what you need, find the right angle, and get the right accent lighting on the subject. This is like adding negative numbers to the structure. When you bring in the idea of printing, finalizing and promoting and image. It is like adding division to the list of actions. Bringing forth a whole new idea and processes that you have to conquer and learn. The final structure is bringing it all together to create a  very individualized style of photography that the public enjoys and are intrigued by. Every photographer starts out with the same tools just as in math. But the final product with always be different, For infinity times over and over.

Table Top Video: Breath

The expirmentation that took place in my table top video had to deal with the human breath. A combination of blowing bubbles and playing the harmonica brought an interesting combination of sound to the film. I pre-recorded the sound for my film only because I wouldnt have been able to successfully play the harmonica while laying on my back in a confined space. This also allowed me to concentrate on other aspects of my perfomance like the full coverage of bubble on the screen.
Another large aspect of this film was viewing something through a portal of bubbles. Creating multiple mirrors from which my face can be seen. While the bubbles creep in, and heavy breathing comes from the speakers there is a slight feeling of drowning. As if I am holding my breath in a form of playing hamonica.

The performance went pretty well. I forgot to turn the sound all the way up and in the first ten seconds I break from character. The fixed camera made me feel really restricted in exploring the idea of these bubbles. I want to expirment more with this idea. While under the bubbles you see mulitple reflections from the bubbles, plexiglass and the screen on the camera. This was a way more interesting view of the bubbles then just the fixed camera. I would also like to expirment more with depth of field in the bubbles. If more depth of field could be achieved, I think the image would pop more with a crisper more abstracted image. Overall this was a project that pushed me and restricted me for a very successful result.