Kimberlee Whaley
Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Study of the Ordinary

Objective: “Study of the Ordinary” is an extension of my daily re-discovery of the spaces around me. I look for views I would normally pass over and analyze them. I reconstruct these spaces by organizing the visual elements in a frame, concentrating on formal issues. The images focus on creating a balance between objects, light, and shadow within a scene, attempting to render all of the parts as being of equal importance. The images have depth but at the same time are flat. The end result navigates the space between representational and abstract form. I choose to photograph places I am familiar with because if I were to choose an unfamiliar space, it would all seem new. In that situation I am a tourist making images that are only a surface exploration of that space. The challenge is to enter a space you occupy every day and breathe new life into it.

Tools used: I use Adobe® Photoshop® instead of going in the darkroom because working digitally gives me more control over the image. In this project, along with adjusting the levels and curves, Photoshop gives me the option to select the areas of the image where I want to keep the color shifts from the indoor lighting. Photoshop also makes it possible for me to use the Clone or Healing Brush tool to take smudges on the walls off and make textured areas on the walls smooth. I also used a mask to extend one of the walls. These pictures could not exist in their present form without Photoshop.

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