Rear View/Here View Tests
Since my previous tests based on frames from the standoff at the end of The Good the Bad and the Ugly, and the subsequent feedback from Richard with reference to Taxi Driver, I had wanted to take my camera into the car to try some tests using the rear view mirror. I also want to do some tests using my bathroom mirror and perhaps other mirrors in the house.
As mentioned previously I am also trying to find a better technical solution for remote shooting self portraits as currently the process requires much trial and error and is more time consuming than it should be. I have in theory found a solution using a wireless connection (wi-fi) between camera and a remotely positioned tablet, combined with a wireless radio trigger to activate the camera autofocus and shutter.
This would allow me to position the tablet in a location I would need to be looking for the shot and simultaneously check my expression, the framing and focus of the shot while the small remote radio trigger would be discretely in my hand.
I was hoping to test this set up today with the radio trigger that arrived yesterday, however the trigger appears to be faulty and will need returning so I resorted to my existing clumsy (for self portraits) method of remote shooting to make the images below.
Rear View
My instinct was that these tests could produce some interesting images and in fact the results are even better than I had expected. the first image is a composite of only two others but I like the way that the mirror provides the presence of a third subject, albeit the reflection of the driver.
I knew I wanted to cover offer the capturing of shots of at least one passenger in the rear and had thought about having one on either side instead of one in the middle. However in-situ, it seemed that what I really wanted was to just capture a passenger in the rear and in the middle, occupying the same position that the camera had for the previous images.
On reflection (if you’ll excuse the pun), while I’m glad I captured images of the passenger in the rear and like the image below, I think I actually find the composite image more compelling as a still image in isolation. While displaying the two images in series certainly provides a visual narrative, the consecutive images then become or at least seem to be a cinematic excerpt.
On the other hand, seen in isolation, the implied narrative of the first image seems less closed, more ambiguous and more engaging. Rather than forcing another “me” into the narrative by using the second image in series, having the first standing alone seems that it would allow a viewer to imagine their own rear passenger.
Here View
Having considered and experimented with various practice methods during the first couple of years of my PhD, I had decided on a certain way of working to explore my subject matter. While I don’t intend to vary this, even if these specific tests don’t develop further and into final pieces, I am knew at the very least these experiments would be useful as perhaps more than in previous series, the subject matter of my final practice project will rely heavily on facial expression and believable interactions being displayed between what I hope will be multiple selves.
Similarly, trying to resolve my technical challenge will also, like these tests, allow my practice to be more efficient and more effective. I shall therefore be returning the faulty trigger and might even spend a little more to be more confident of a satisfactory solution.