photographyjournal supplement
jon pellegrene summer 2011
personalinformation person type
jon pellegrene jpellegrene@gmail.com
talk
333 936 6360
place
300 n state st apt 5207 chicago il 60654
tableofcontents zoom infrastructure maritime urban architecture industrial climate
millennium park chicago lakeshore panaramma buildings streets of chicago changing skies
objective The journal supplement showcases a wide variety of subjects and locations which appealed to my interests in both architecture and photography. In correlation with Michelle Litvin’s graduate class at UIC, and in and ongoing exploration of part one of the journal, the photographs are the works I have selected to advance my own techniques and understandings of photography. The work strives to test various techniques in color, lighting, composition, vantage points, and effects.
A photo-
graph is worth a thousand words, and I hope you enjoy the following novel.
explanation The showcased work explores the reoccurring themes present in the city of Chicago. Choosing subject matters primarily related to industry, decay, and environment, the goal was to produce a documented journey throughout the city, both through the eyes of the obvious as well as the unexpected and overlooked. With hopes of producing visual interest to the viewer, many photos are shot from common places, but looking at the objects that are commonly passed by. Highlighting the overlooked details and exploring interesting juxtapositions, the photos provide a new view of a city well-known. Borrowing from Camilo Jose Vergara, I chose vantage points both from ground and elevation, to produce a series of images with both variety and overlap. One vision was to invent beauty out of the unsightly. Another was to capture instances of similar backdrop with changing environment. The celebrated monument is another technique that the photography borrowed purpose from. Joel Meyerowitz speaks of the power to leverage a subject matter or idea through the visibility of the monument.
Looking to tie back to a Chicago landmark was an exploration used in this journal. I found the landmarks could add stability or a sense of comfort to an area otherwise deemed to be undesirable or cold. In Joel’s forward of “Creating a Sense of Place”, he speaks of photographing without looking. I noticed that this is relevant when walking down a path you travel on a daily basis. It removes you from what you are used to but allows you to just feel when the subjects around you begin to talk to you. This processes developed into one of the main ways I documented my surroundings. Through integrating the techniques of great photographers with my own interests and visions, I created my own interpretation of the city I live in, Chicago.