Final Project Proposal: Tilt-Shift Photography

Ben Thomas

In the past, I've been drawn to photographing miniatures and creating new worlds. In my final project, I would like to turn that around and make the real world miniature. Even before taking this class and getting into photography I have been fascinated by the whimsy and playfulness of Tilt-Shift photography (and videography). Since I do not have access to a real tilt-shift lens, I will be reproducing the effects in post-production (also known as "miniature faking"). A good deal of research (online and in the library) will be done on the process of miniature faking, as well as a look on the mechanics behind actual tilt-shift photography.

After the research, I plan to have a series of 3 to 5 prints. The subject matter is yet to be determined, but I would like to focus on looking at a setting I am very familiar with in a new way. Potential subjects for the shoot are:

• The College of New Jersey
• Bridgewater, New Jersey (my residence for the past 12 years)
• Morris Plains, New Jersey (where I lived most of my early childhood)

To guide my research, I will be examining the works of Ben Thomas.

Noa Emberson

Production Schedule:
April 5 - 22 Shooting
April 18 - 25 Post Production
April 25 - May 1 Printing

Useful Links:
http://bryansolarski.viewbook.com/album/little_world?p=1&s=UA-16761192-4#1
http://tiltshifted.com/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/tilt-shift-fakes/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/tilt-shift1-2miniatures/
http://creativefan.com//10-tilt-shift-tutorials-for-photography-and-photoshop/
http://visualphotoguide.com/tilt-shift-photoshop-tutorial-how-to-make-fake-miniature-scenes/
http://www.thephotoargus.com/inspiration/35-examples-of-amazing-tilt-shift-photography/

Death of Painting: Test Shots

Pre-Planning: The Death of Painting

For this project I plan on recreating Cezanne's Chestnut Trees.

To do so, I will reconstruct the scene in miniature using items found in nature, such as sticks for the trees in the foreground, leaves for trees in the background, dirt for the path, and rocks for the wall. The background will be painted on white paper and the building will be constructed out of cardboard and paint. As for the grass, I am unsure yet as to what material will be used. The final construction will be photographed in the lighting studio. Below are images of different materials I will use, as well as a very rough set up of the foreground trees.

Rough layout of Trees. Final set-up will be wider.

Possible background tree #1.

Possible background tree #2.

Dirt for the path.

Panorama Shots

Panorama: Rough Composite

Week 2: Color and Motion (Top 10)

Week 1 (Top 10)