Flaneur

This weeks assignment was Flaneur: finding a narrative within a city or town. I chose Dover, NH. It's small and quaint, but has an infinite amount of nooks/crannies to get lost in. Initially, I headed to Dover's Public Library, a super old building tucked behind the 'main traffic street'. I loved the photos I took, but I wasn't sure if this fit the assignment. Without the certainty that I met the assignment's needs, I walked around more; touring the construction sites, Henry Law Park, and Skate Park.

After curating my collection from nearly 300 to 10, this is what I had left. All images of the library.

I tried to bring my viewer on a 'tour' through the library, marking my path from entrance to exit. The series is mostly based on leading pictures; the blue book-drop box featured in photo one is the subject of photo two; the door in photo two is the focal of photo three; photo three features the staircase I took to capture photo four, which is the hallway containing the window in photo five; six is a close up 'pane view' through that window. If you walk up another flight of stairs and into the back room, you arrive at what I call, the 'room of forgotten treasures'. Photo 7 features the subject (brick building) of photo 8, and photo 9 is taken next to the window from which I took photo 8. The 10th is a bit odd placed, but is taken from just outside the brick entry seen in photo one. 

My intention in this shoot was to show the viewer the rich history nestled in Dover. I did this in a number of ways; I took most photos in the absence of human life, each frame is a still-life of historical property long forgotten -- from old buildings, to dusty artifacts, and time worn/broken ceilings. I also made images appear more 'warm', like an old film strip. 

The only photo which features a contemporary artifact is photo 6 (the view from the window). I selected this one because 1. the haze of the window created a neat effect, similar to old film photography, and 2. this image depicts how things have progressed over time. The main road in Dover (which is seen through the library window) is a 'through' street, used for travel. When Dover was first settled, that road wouldn't have existed, and all city life would've been on the library road (where the town hall, police station, and courthouse now reside). I marked the change through photography, by showing how transportation and life has shifted the main route of travel/life in the city. It felt like the Library could look at this new road and remember a time when the hustle and bustle of city life occurred on its' street. 

In terms of personal growth, I'd like to feature more vertical photos. My favorite of the series is photo 8 (the books), and it's the only vertical shot of the bunch. I love how the light and negative space work together; I want to play around/tease out the contrast between light and shadow, and take more pictures where there is contrast between subject and negative space.