I was happy to be invited to speak at the Toronto Camera Club for their 2007/2008 Lecture Series. My lecture was entitled “Using the Camera as a Tool of Expression”, and focused mainly on my documentary street photography as well as principles of element and design. Here are some of my notes from the lecture to share with you…
Documentary Street Photography:
. Fine Art – Documentary
-This next series of images from my “Mobile Home” Collection – 2003 art exhibition & ongoing personal work
-Mobile Home: “A study of the Modern Urban Experience”
Artist Statement: This exhibition took place in 2003 in Barrie, and is also an ongoing personal project of mine. The collection consists of a series of images of the urban environment. The title, named after one of my favourite images “Mobile Home” has deep meaning to me, as for much of my twenties I lived a very mobile existence. Wandering, exploring, living and experiencing through the lens of my 35 mm camera. These images are a tribute to the beauty that can be found in the urban environment that we live in. Many times we go about our daily business, and ignore or are imperceptive to the inspiration that can be found in our surroundings. The people, the architecture, the graininess of the road we travel, the small details that go unnoticed, the spirit and essence of all the energy that came together to create our modern urban centres. The cities become alive with a vitality and spirit that perhaps we can attribute to the human energy that went into building them and to keeping them alive. In smaller communities these so-called city centres, or downtown cores, are quickly becoming vacant, often dilapidated, and some may even say ‘seedy’ reminders of a once vibrant communal gathering place. This is a global phenomenon. The downtown streets are becoming ever lonelier, as it’s citizens flock to the malls, and to the massive box stores where one can consume in an organized and timely fashion. The massive corporate advertising engine has succeeded in covertly convincing society that the goods available in mass quantity are essential to the enrichment of our lives. Of course we begin to wonder whose lives are being en’riched’
We wander through the streets in search of life, art identity, a common ground, and a sense of community that give meaning to our existence.
Notes from the slideshow…
-pretty much what really inspired me to pursue photography as a lifestyle and career, and has completely transformed my entire being, and has brought such balance, inspiration, creativity, passion and love to my life. Photography is very experiential, a way of life, it’s about seeing the subtleties of our existence. As a photographer, I often submerge myself into my surroundings, keeping and open mind and being aware of the spontaneity and interaction of life around me. Photography is art, intuition and poetic expression. Before becoming a professional photographer, I attained a degree in French and Spanish literature, which truly opened my eyes to a culturally rich and diverse world of art, language, history and culture. It was through living abroad and traveling that I became enamoured with the camera as a tool of expression. The language of photography is not confined to words and sentences. It’s a language that crosses borders, and communicates directly with the soul. For me it is very easy to understand the journey of how I became a photographer….it’s all about communication.
I find inspiration from various different artists and their different mediums of expression. Some of the photographers that have inspired me are Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Mexican photographer, 1902-2002, whose work was firmly rooted in his love and compassionate understanding of his own country, its people, their problems and their needs. Bravo was well respected amongst his peers. Another of my favourite photographers is Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1908-2004. Of course a famous quote from Cartier-Bresson “To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. Cartier-Bresson coined the term “the decisive moment” which many documentary photographers strive to accomplish in their own work.
I believe that in any expressive art form, is always great to nurture your creativity, and develop your own unique style. I also find inspiration in my everyday life that fuels my creativity and expression in photography. I think that you need to keep learning and connecting with people and really experiencing life to the fullest to truly be able to bring depth to your art.
Throughout the slideshow presentation, I also showed some of my images made from alternative photographic processes, such as Projections, Emulsion Lifts and Polaroid Transfers….oh, how sad it is that Polaroid has stopped it’s production of film!!! Here are some short explanations on each of these processes.
Projections:
-projecting a transparency with a slide projector of an image onto a model in the studio, your main exposure is metered from the projection…in my examples, my main exposure was one second
-exposing for the light of the image projected on the model, and then setting lighting to produce a white background…which was 2 stops above the main exposure
Polaroid Transfers – when you use a slide projector such as the Vivitar Slide Printer, the one that I use, you are taking a picture of your slide onto a Polaroid, and after exposing the image on the Polaroid, you don’t allow it to fully develop. By interrupting the development time, you can transfer the “negative” onto another material. Most often I will use watercolour paper. The dyes in the film are transferred by the use of heat and pressure. I usually use a small rolling pin
Emulsion Lifts – begin with your slide printer, and load with Polaroid 669 film, allow the image to fully develop and dry on the Polaroid. Then fill a tray with hot tap water and a second with warm tap water. Immerse the Polaroid face up in the hot water for about 2 – 4 minutes, when you see the bubbles on the print, you can then transfer it to the warm water bath and gently push the emulsion layer from the edges of the print and peel it away from the backing. Carefully remove the emulsion using some paper, or whatever you are using to transfer on to. It is very delicate at this point, but once it is on your intended transfer material, you can begin to manipulate the image however you like.
Principles of Element and Design that I touched on…
Golden Mean – artistically appealing proportion. The Golden mean was a mathematical formula established by the Ancient Greeks, which is defined as the point that divided a line into tow parts in such a manner that the smaller part was in proportion to the larger part as the larger part was to the entire line. The formula is .618034 or roughly 5/8th. A golden rectangle can then be formed and repeated…when you put this all together you can produce a golden spiral where the most dominant point of the image is at the 5/8ths…. The Golden Mean is an expressive harmony of ideal proportions
Rule of Thirds – a compositional guide
-if you place the centre of interest at the intersection of any of the vertical or horizontal lines to produce harmony in the image with the theory being that your photo will become more balanced…a safe approach to composition but should never be the only approach
-These are both great theories in practice, but it is also important to break rules as well and to experiment
Bio:
Jennifer Klementti is a documentary, lifestyle and portrait photographer based out of Barrie, Ontario. She is a graduate of the Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, BC. Her lifestyle and editorial photography has been published in various international magazines such as Air New Zealand In-flight Magazine, N.Z. Life & Leisure and N.Z. Better Homes and Gardens. Her fine art work has been published in Boulevard and Photolife magazines. In 2003, Photolife Magazine recognized Jennifer as one of Canada’s emerging talents.
Her group exhibitions include:
Urban Visions 07, MacLaren Art Centre, 2007
Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, Collingwood, ON – 2003
Light Sensitive Group Exhibition, The Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria- 2003
Journeys Group Exhibition, Barrie, ON – 2002.
