This week we were tasked with creating images that make viewers feel, by focusing on mood and atmosphere. I stumbled upon the opportunity to take these images in the The Hideway Electric Speakeasy, after invited inside while taking pictures in the alley behind it, and I found that by layering elements of the bar through the use of in-camera multiple exposures, I was able to capture what I feel is the essence of the space. It is my hope that viewers will understand the mood of the environment I was in, even as I created a false reality through the blending of different elements all together.
For this assignment I tried something I don't often do: in-camera multiple exposures. I am super pleased with the result, because I find it so cool that I am able to create images with my camera that shows the way that I interpret the world, beyond just what my eyes can see. I often feel overwhelmed by the world around me, and I feel like I see the world in motion, rather than just as a series of still images. The photographs I captured this week are just a glimpse of my inner world, but I feel so happy to be able to capture even a little bit of how I perceive the place my feet are.
Playing with different settings even within the multiple exposures, some faster shutter speeds, and some slower so that I could play with motion and blur, helped me to create the image that I could see in my mind's eye. I was piecing elements of the electric speakeasy together as I saw them, and as I saw pairings that were too perfect to not combine. I went into it with no expectations, but left feeling satisfied with the ways I was able to express the ways I was experiencing my environment. Compositionally, it was important that I put the "pieces" of the puzzle where I wanted them, and I did very little to the images in post; the only one I really worked hard on was the "Let that shit go" exposure, and that was only to remove another sign that was blue and reflecting at the top of the image that I felt was more of a distraction from the message I was trying to make.
I think that the mood or feeling that I aimed to create was to express my own emotions in my images, but the beauty of it is that someone else can look at these images and have their own personal moods and feelings come up. What feels overwhelming to me could be exciting and full of fond memories for someone else of a long night spent in a bar, moments shared with friends, or happy moments spent just a little bit tipsy. I think these images move beyond documentary and into personal expression, because I see these images as a way to outwardly show my inward thoughts and feelings, but I know that others will have different thoughts and feelings. I don't think these images just capture what's in front of me; they blend things to become a version of what I perceive or what could be.
