Creative Assignment #3: The Von Trapps of OCNJ

When it comes to talking about this photo, or any that involves my family, chances are there is a backstory behind it - and more often than not, I don’t know where to begin. On the surface, this appears like a happy family of four foolishly dressed in clothes instead of bathing suits on the sunny sandy beach, smiling for the camera. However, this photo marked an unforgettable moment in the history of the Stellabotte family, and for Ocean City, New Jersey.

It all started when my parents were looking to put a condo they used to rent in the city up for sale. A realtor they occasionally came in contact with through the business - who happened to be a long-time event coordinator for the yearly Ocean City business person’s plunge and unlocking of the ocean ceremony - reached out to them to offer his assistance. My parents jokingly made a deal with him; in exchange for quickly selling the property, they would assemble the Stellabotte family singers for the first time (which included themselves, my sister, and I) to sing the national anthem at the ceremony - something they had to turn down in the past because of the school schedules my sister and I had. However, when the realtor secured an offer in less than a day, my parents decided to hold up their end of the bargain. The week before the ceremony, we were asked by the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce to audition before we would be permitted to perform. Within a half hour of emailing the recording of us from my camcorder, we got a call from the realtor saying we got the greenlight. The ceremony started at noon on the Friday before Memorial Day, and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day. A band and choir performed before it was our turn. Each of us stood behind our own microphone on the balcony of the Music Pier, singing to the crowd and cameras on the boardwalk and the sand - going off without a hitch. Immediately after, “the key unlocked the beach” for the businessmen to plunge fully clothed into the water, our photo was taken by the Ocean City Sentinel - the one above.

The photo clearly establishes the sunny (almost overexposed) sand beneath our feet and the beautiful Ocean City Boardwalk (peep the ferris wheel barely visible on the left-hand side, and a part of the shop on the right) in the background of this photo, but the focus is clearly on the four of us. From left to right, we have my mom (who sang soprano-the higher female vocal part), my sister Deanna (who sang alto-the lower female vocal part), me (who sang bass-the lower male vocal part), and my dad (who sang tenor-the higher vocal part). All of us are cheesing for the photographer’s shot, channeling the joy from our performance that happened mere minutes beforehand going as well as it did - despite how nervous we were leading up to it, none of that seems to show in this press photo or in the article for Ocean City residents that comes with it.

The understanding of the story that my sibling and I had was slightly different from reality according to my parents, as they corrected my sister and I on thinking that the realtor and the opportunity itself were merely coincidental - when it was something our parents knew well about beforehand - but the memory of the ceremony itself is crystal clear to all of us. Unless someone were to know of us personally, witnessed the event, or read the article this photo was taken for, there is no way to tell from the photo that we just performed the national anthem in front of a massive audience. Outside observers may only see a simplistic and arguably stereotypical family photo - but I guess it makes me all the more grateful that I can tell the greater story that lies beneath the surface.

Creative Assignment #2 - "The Devil in Daytime"

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, I am once again creating content that has to do with Daredevil on Netflix. Time and time again I reference this show and how much it inspires me, to the point where this will actually be the twelfth time I’ve based college course content on it. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to use the character’s subtext as a foundation for storytelling through this photo series assignment, as the context could further enhance the power each picture would have - and it certainly helped that I have action figures and diorama furniture to help me bring it to life. In the following five (technically six) shots that I captured, I will be analyzing the variables of viewpoint, framing, angle, lighting, and focus of each, and how they service Matt Murdock/Daredevil’s character - especially in the chronological continuity context of Marvel's Daredevil Season 2 and The Defenders.

PHOTO 1: To be or not to be P1

To establish a baseline for the photo series, I wanted to capture Matt Murdock holding his Daredevil mask, in a pose that references the iconic Hamlet quote, “To be or not to be.” This is a dilemma that Matt encounters frequently throughout the series, as he wants to use his heightened senses and combat skills to make Hell’s Kitchen safer - especially when he cannot do so as an attorney at law. At the same time, he struggles with his own health and fears for his friends who may get hurt as a consequence of his actions. This is a struggle he bears mostly by himself alone. After Daredevil Season 2 and prior to The Defenders, Matt actually gives up the moniker of Daredevil and lives solely as Matt Murdock - so I decided this would be the background context for my photo series, grounded in the chronological continuity of the series. The viewpoint being a wide/long shot taken from far away emphasizes the distance between Matt and the audience in terms of conflict - most people probably cannot relate to the internal turmoil that he grapples with as both lawyer and vigilante simultaneously. Viewers merely get a voyeuristic glimpse into his mental battle within when he has his helmet in hand. The framing, despite the disconnect felt due to how much space there is between the audience and Matt, keeps the shot composition balanced - since Matt (for the most part) is able to keep both of his lives under control. There is a decent sense of the room, but since much of the furniture - which is built to entertain company - is empty, it adds to Matt’s hollow loneliness. The angle is an eye-level, horizontal wide shot - despite his powers and street-hero status, Matt is only human, just like the viewers. The straightforward shot proves it. The lighting is authentic sunshine from my window (something I rarely do for figure photos), which adds a sense of grounded realism to what amounts to a toy and dollhouse set picture. It is somewhat low-key/high contrast, as Matt’s shadow can clearly be seen on the floor, and some of the furniture is obscured by the dark - this is rather fitting with the lighting style of the official series. Lastly, the focus/depth of field is even across the frame, as the furniture’s emptiness is supposed to be taken into consideration after looking at Matt. He is clearly the main attraction, but his surroundings further establish the point of the photo. Despite the shifts in positions for both Matt and the camera, this thematic idea remains consistent across my photo series.

PHOTO 2: To be or not to be P2

The pose and placement of Matt remains the same for this shot, but the camera is maneuvered into a much closer and more dynamic position. The viewpoint is now from the floor, with less space between the viewer and Matt. Much of the room is absent in this medium-wide shot, isolating Matt and capturing his facial expression (which does not change since he is a figure, but definitely services the serious nature of the shot). The framing barely keeps key set pieces contained within it, and separates Matt from the furniture behind him. His proximity to the camera by comparison somewhat throws off the balance in the frame, but not to a severe degree. The angle looks up at Matt from a lower perspective, taken partially to the side of him - indicating that his struggle goes above that of most people’s, yet people respect the higher power that he has as both a lawyer and as Daredevil. The lighting is still even across the frame, with a shelf and the helmet slightly reflecting the sunshine - nothing is truly obscured by shadow, meaning that there is nowhere for anything to hide. Lastly, while the focus/depth of field is still consistent throughout, there is greater clarity on Matt’s face and the helmet, which grabs the attention above all else in view.

PHOTO 3: Masking the problem P1

In this new pose for Matt, I decided to progress the story being told through the photo series, by having him distract himself from continuing to dwell on his devil-problem - in The Defenders TV miniseries and the comics, Matt learns he can play the piano with ease and without lessons as a byproduct of his heightened senses, so I decided to use that as inspiration. However, despite maintaining the same pose, the different camera vantage points tell different stories. The viewpoint is fairly close to Matt, as if the camera were mounted to a low, imaginary ceiling. The piano and companion pieces, the mask, and Matt, are all that can be seen in the room through this aerial medium-wide shot. The framing is somewhat off balance, as Matt and the piano are on a (very) slight angle, but Matt, the mask, and the candles establish a diamond shape that counteracts it. Clearly Matt is focused on playing the piano to ignore the mask, which he placed on the very top of the piano just within his reach - both his mask and person pushing the top and bottom edges of the frame, with the piano separating them, emphasizes the divide between his two lives, and the mask being turned away from him shows how he is not facing the problem, but turning away from it. The angle being aerial is meant to belittle Matt, to imply that his choice in not addressing his issue is looked down upon. Viewers cannot see his face because he is not willing to face his problem. The lighting is mostly even from the sunshine, but the right half of the frame is slightly darker than the more exposed left half - which ties in well to his split identity. The focus/depth of field is once again consistent, since the key elements of the shot all need to be seen. The piano (and Matt’s hands on the keys) are the highlight, followed by Matt himself, and then the mask being barely kept in view. Focusing on any one of these details without the others makes the image message incomplete.

PHOTO 4: Masking the problem P2

The pose and placement of this shot was not altered in any way from the aerial shot - and it showcases something the previous photo could not. Matt, despite appearing as though he was successfully avoiding his Daredevil dilemma in the aerial view, is hesitating to even touch the keys - this camera position indicates that he is unable to bring himself to play away the pain. The viewpoint is taken fairly close to the subject in a medium wide shot, on even level with Matt himself. The mask is hardly in view because the piano obscures much of it. A better sense of the room is given because of hints of the other furniture appearing in spots of the background, but Matt, the mask, and the piano are once again the key elements. The framing is a little unbalanced because of the brown wood of the piano being the dominant color in the frame, contrasted by Matt’s gray suit - but the shot’s composition is level and evenly framed. The angle is not dutch/tilted because this is reality undistorted, even if the piano and Matt are positioned on a slight angle to bring Matt slightly closer to the viewer, and push the mask further back in the frame - symbolizing how Matt is failing to push it out of sight, out of mind. The lighting is fairly even, obscuring the piano in subtle shadow and highlighting the sheen of the mask - keeping a small spotlight on the issue Matt can’t ignore. Matt’s profile is in no way overshadowed because he too is still in the limelight of his plight. The focus keeps Matt’s face, hands, mask, and the piano in clear detail, leaving the unimportant background elements blurred, since those are all the viewer needs to understand what is happening.

PHOTO 5: Man in the Mirror

To bring the photo series to a close, I thought an individual photo capturing the literal mirror reflection would be a poetic way to express that he and Daredevil are both who he is inside (which is a neat little nod to Mulan). Even though the mask is nowhere to be seen in this photo, the embodiment of himself as Daredevil behind his actual body more than establishes that Daredevil will always be behind the Matt Murdock facade. The viewpoint is fully vertical, in an over the shoulder shot. The camera is close to Matt’s body, but the mirror (which is the key factor in the shot) is much further away. The sense of the room is only kept to the immediate surroundings. The framing is unbalanced because of how much visual weight Matt’s body has compared to everything else in frame, and how visually significant the mirror reflection is to understanding the story. The angle of the photo is straight on, even though Matt and the mirror are positioned on slight angles to make the image work. The lighting is a lot more low-key/high contrast here than in the majority of the photos, as the limited sunshine keeps Matt and the Daredevil reflection evenly lit, while much of the other furniture is cast in darker tones. The focus is sharp on the mirror reflection, blurring out Matt and the foreground elements and obscuring much of the irrelevant background ones, too. Daredevil and Matt are in it together - that is the one takeaway I hoped to emphasize throughout the photo series.

Photography Reflection Assignment (March 16th 2020)

(The following is a post version of the Photography Assignment our Digital Tools class did for our first online class - due to the closure of campus for the rest of the semester because of COVID19.)

The photos are in reverse order of when they were taken. (1. My computer screen working on a paper and during an online lecture call through BB collab, a picture outside my house - a sight I rarely see on the weekdays due to my early commute to classes and late commute home -, and a picture of my clock when I woke up, much later than the typical weekday, too.

1. What do these photos reveal about your life right now?

2. How are they different from photos you may have taken on a typical Monday?

3. Think of your photos as historical artifacts. What types of images best capture your experience at this moment in our history? In what ways do these photos capture your current experience?

1. My photos from today would reflect a typical weekend day routine post-theatre (since I usually have rehearsals or shows on the weekends); I would sleep in a bit, look outside for a little bit before diving into the work that is due soon. The weird part was having an online lecture, but this would otherwise be relatively normal for me.

2. On a typical Monday, I wouldn't necessarily take pictures of much, unless if something memorable happened with my friends (due to having four classes with small breaks in between). I guess the absence of human connection outside my family would be the big difference aside from dealing with traffic.

3. Snapshots of me going through my rather boring day, with a clock staring me in the face before I face the music, taking a serene glimpse through the window and letting it sink in before I am glued behind a laptop screen doing all kinds of work. Yesterday would have been closing night of Mary Poppins had it not be cancelled halfway into its run, and the fun of participating in that has been replaced with the drudgery of work that I had no time to do because of it. Without the theatre or my YouTube work (which I hope to get back to as a result of having more time at home), my life is essentially about meeting the deadlines of higher education, which can't even be stopped in the face of a pandemic. Even in these times, life finds a way to keep moving on.