Now that is what I call an awesome Monday surprise

I just had to share my awesome surprise this morning. I logged onto Facebook to check my news feed (ie. stalk my friends, haha) and clicked on a link that Guy Buttery (an amazing South African folk musician that I photographed in studio at the National Arts Festival) had put up and....................what do you know there were two of my studio photos of him! haha awesome!!
Check it out here and give our local artists some support!

The below two photos are the ones that I took.

Just for the pear of it

Last week I found myself waiting in the studio for a friend to arrive and decided instead of playing tetris on my mobile, checking facebook or twitter I would photograph some still life of whatever I had in my bag. On this particular day said random object was in fact a pear. Yip, my forgotten afternoon snack was still residing in my bag. I also found my ipod which after some six years of brilliant music playing has sadly stopped working.

Some prestik, water, earphones and a glass jug later and I was happily entertaining myself with some still life.

  

  

 

 

 

The still of life

Last term my photojourn 4 class was working mostly in the studio in order to learn how to work in a completely controlled environment. Our studio work was divided into two section. They were studio portraits and studio still life. Now portraits were no problem and loads of fun as you could interact with your subject, put them at ease and try and get different shots. Still life on the other hand was well .... very still! What can I say? I was not inspired at all. I mean yes there is the challenge of dramatic lightning or finding the perfect lightning to suit the object being used but I found that I really missed having an actual subject in the studio.
But as we all know you live, you fail, you learn and you do better the next time. So I put my differences with still life aside and threw myself into the project.

I will let you all be the judge of whether they are any good. I was not unhappy with them in the end and found that in a way I did enjoy photographing a subject that listened completely me :)

A small wooden mannequin possessively holds his Hunter's Extra Dry in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 29 March 2011. (Tarryn Liddell)

Lucky beans from a Erythrina tree and coffee beans lie in a pile on a wooden table in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 23 March 2011. (Tarryn Liddell). 

Condensation drips down an ice cold Hunter’s Extra Dry in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 28 March 2011. Hunter's Gold was launched in 1988 as one of the first alternatives to beer within the South African liquor market. Ten years later Hunter's Dry was launched (Tarryn Liddell).

A small wooden mannequin poses with his paintbrush in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 28 March 2011. (Tarryn Liddell)

A quick succession of bubbles flow in studio, Grahamstown. Eastern Cape, South Africa, 1 March 2011 (Tarryn Liddell).

The Casablanca lily (more properly known as Lily ‘Casa Blanca’) is an oriental lily and is one of the most popular in this class. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 24 February 2011.  It is generally accepted that the meaning of this lily is celebration.

A high key studio photo of a Barberton Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii), Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 24 February 2011. (Tarryn Liddell)

Two lemons, a tambourine and a roll of film

Venturing into the studio with Karin Reum is like following the white rabbit down the rabbit hole. You truly have no clue where you will end up. 


It all began with an empty studio space. This space provides an isolated area in which both photographer and subject can experiment with ideas of identity, expression and how we construct meaning through images. It is a space that according to David Campany is a mixture of a stage and a confessional where you are free to express and act our your desires and fantasies. It can be the stage for a simple idea or elaborate plans.


In the case of Karin it provided a perfectly lit stage on which she could bring her many 'selfs' out to play. A drama student at Rhodes University Karin is no stranger to the stage and feels comfortable immediately in front of the camera. In fact it was like I was not even there. 


Describing herself as:
'Yoga, orange trees, crispy green lettuce, the booty hop,muesli, worry, kindness, number 11, timtams humanity, habitat, squirrles,friends, marshmallows, laughing, talking to myself, slippers,fruit, wearing slippers to the shops, blue cheese, pictionary, music, whiskey and soda, visionary, loyal, curvy, loving,OCD, honest, sunrise, mail,, eat/pray/love, roadtripping, europe, family and speckled eggs!'


you can maybe then understand the diverse range of photographs that we managed to get in the short studio session that we had. 

The dancers continued

Claire Martin poses in studio at the African Media Matrix, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. Claire is a fourth year design and communication journalism student and an avid dancer. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Claire Martin and Meg Ross pose together in studio at the African Media Matrix, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Meg Ross poses with a chair in studio at the African Media Matrix, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Claire Martin poses in studio at the African Media Matrix, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Claire Martin poses in studio at the African Media Matrix, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011.
© Tarryn Liddell 2010

Marcelle Liron poses in studio at the African Media Matrix, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011.
© Tarryn Liddell 2010

Meg Ross poses in studio at the African Media Matrix, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011.
 © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Meg Ross and Claire Martin pose in studio at the African Media Matrix, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Welcome to the world of the Studio

After three long years and technically completing a Bachelor of Arts degree I am finally in my fourth and finally year of the coveted Rhodes University Bachelor of Journalism degree. This not only means that I am in my last year at university for now but it also means that I'm officially allowed in the STUDIO!! Now you have to understand that in the journalism department at Rhodes there is a hierarchy - only third and fourth years are allowed in the specialization labs like photography, design and TV.  And only fourth years are allowed in the TV suites, the new media lab and the photography studio. I hope this helps you to understand my absolute delight in finally reaching the top of the student hierarchy and gaining access to the (drum roll......) studio.

Ok, so I am in the studio now what? Well let me just say that the studio is a totally different kind of monster than the world outside. It is in the words of David Campany in the book Art and Photography

"... a space to explore the interrelationship of control and experimentation. It stands apart from the social world but is indirectly connected to it.”

It is this strange blend between being part of the world but also not being a part of it. The isolation of the studio does in fact not isolate at all but allows the photographer a space where creativity can flow and almost have no bounds. I have found that since working in the studio my ideas for photo shoots are getting bigger and more out there as I realise that in the studio these ideas actually stand a chance of working out. This is because the studio is a space that can been seen as a mixture of a stage and a confessional as it is an area where you can feel protected and free to express and act our desires and fantasies. 


 Lighting in the studio is controlled you as the photographer are the director and this opens up more possibilities as you can setup situations instead of just stumbling upon them or waiting for them to naturally occur as you have to do outside. But this is also one of the hardest parts of the studio .... getting the lighting just right.

Well I have been working in our studio at the journalism department for about three weeks now and last week Wednesday I finally felt ready to more on from shooting just one person sitting in studio. So I arranged my first photo shoot with more than one person. As one of our assignments for this term is to shoot studio portraits I decided to invite three dancers into the studio to photograph 'a dancers portrait'. The dancers varied from ballet to tap and contemporary.

I would actually like to take a moment to thank the lovely Shameez Joubert, Meg Ross and Claire Martin for their time, patience with my lack of dancing knowledge and constant light changing and asking you to move a little this way and that and for your just being fabulous in general! These ladies put up with me in studio for three hours, which says so much in it's own so thank you so much. Last but definitely not least I must say a huge thank you to Stephane Meintjes, Jane van Doorene and Marcelle Liron for being my assistants and helping with the lighting and stage directing. All of you made my first BIG shoot an absolute blast that I would repeat with you anytime.

So I am sure that you are all dying to see the results of the shoot so here we go.........are you ready?

Claire Martin stretches and warms up for the photo shoot in the Africa Media Matrix studio at the Rhodes University Journalism Department, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Claire Martin stretches and warms up for the photo shoot in the Africa Media Matrix studio at the Rhodes University Journalism Department, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Meg Ross is both a ballet and tap dancer. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Shameez Joubert extends her legs and arms outwards while balancing on her neck and shoulders, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Shameez Joubert is caught mid-jump in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Meg Ross acts surprised, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Meg Ross stands on point in her tap shoes and strikes a pose in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Claire Martin lies on the studio floor to pose for a photo from above, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Meg Ross and Claire Martin practice some physical theatre moves in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

Marcelle Liron, one of my helpful hands on deck during the shoot, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 9 March 2011. © Tarryn Liddell 2010

As you can see I still have a fair bit to learn in the studio but so far I am quite happy with how the shoot turned out and look forward to having another one soon - This time with a HIGH FASHION theme - so watch this space! Also I will be putting more photos from this shoot up as I have plenty more where these came from!