Photo Fantastico - July 2020
Below you will find the images, and their associated prompts, that I created over the three days of Photo Fantastico, a prompt based photo competition that was transitioned to an online format in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Each participant received the same five prompts, and two days to conceptualize, produce and edit your images before submitting them to be judged.
To see the full selection of images please visit: Photo Fantastico
Despite being the first prompt we received from Photo Fantastico, it was the last image that I captured. Unfortunately, I spent too much time on other prompts and was unable to execute my original concept, looking back I wish I had spent more time on the image introducing you to the series, however ultimately “Highs and Lows” was the most difficult prompt for me to even initially conceptualize.
Highs and Lows
Street Scene
Having moved a large portion of my possession down to the street in the early hours of the morning, I became very captivated with the ambiguity presented by the situation (if they are moving in/out or otherwise), and using a single long exposure was able to create the ghost-like effect seen here.
Struggling slightly to match the prompt with my chosen theme, I thought about my own experience of not being able to focus on the things in front of me and the feeling of darkness during the day. To achieve this I attempted to create a composite image that caused unease in the viewer and based this on my feelings of nausea when having viewed the image for a prolonged period.
AM/PM
Unexpected Visitor
The concept that drove the entire collection and the first image that I created, started with buying 30 pregnancy tests and forcing myself to find a use for them. I was entranced with the idea of a sink overflowing with pregnancy tests unclear if the associated emotion was positive or negative.
How Fabulous
Oddly enough the first and last images of this series were the least attended to in my creative process due to my fascination with the other prompts. Nearing the end of the time limit, I felt rushed to produce them and opted to alter this concept to reduce the amount of time spent taking photos.
Final thoughts
Having been experiencing a prolonged mental breakdown for approximately the last six months, thematically the idea of a mental breakdown was already very visual as I observed the space around me in the small amount of time I had to prepare for this.
To conclude, Photo Fantastico is one of the most difficult creative challenges I have ever participated in, and in two days I have learned more about time management and brainstorming that I have in years. Despite being somewhat unhappy with the outcome of my first prompt, I feel it speaks to the difficulty of conceptualizing and producing five different images in two days. Regardless even having completed five images is an accomplishment in itself.