Det Kempke

wow

busy times really put a speed bump in research/production. luckily monica and i can finally start to catch our breath! to the rest of you - good luck.

anyways - after reviewing the videos in New Media class it really got me thinking about what can be done to not only improve footage, but also what can help our photographs in class. most of us neglect to really be aware of EVERYTHING that we are photographing. Instead of searching for a photographer that i really enjoy, i figured that it would be more useful to get someone that does not really impact me much - this led me to Det Kempke.

don't get me wrong, i do think Det is good at what he does. it's just not my cup of tea. what i do appreciate though is his awareness of what is around him, and also his ability to filter out subjects and items that may be distractive in a negative perspective. notice the above photographs. the first detail that is noticeable to me is that there is not much detail (recognizable labels, name brands, etc). i feel that if this photograph was set up by one of us on our college campus - some of us may choose to sprinkle empty beer bottles and cans within the cabinets, or even choose not to venture off campus and look for a more interesting location for this kind of shot. we need to be aware of what little details like this do to a photo/video. if these bottles said things like "Miller", "Rolling Rock", or "Coors" it would (at least for me) make this shot a lot less professional. are you getting compensated to advertise for this company? keep in mind that this advertisement aspect of photography can really take away from the "fine art" vision unless it is truly what you are going for. this was a big thing for me to bring up because in multiple videos in the New Media class had clothes that displayed our college name and many brand names. Just took away from the seriousness.

i wanted to throw this image in here because i am a firm believer in NOT faking location. if you really want to have a "strip club" feel or a supermarket feel, then go shoot in a strip club or supermarket (this may require you to call and ask permission obviously). do not set up a shelve with food on it in your basement and pretend unless you have the real stuff. you may think it looks good, but the viewer will notice the difference - especially with you not there to defend your photos all the time. do not be afraid to ask to use a certain area for a set. most people will be cool with it! I bet Det Kempke had to talk to a few people to be able to get into this location to shoot photography in a strip club.

do you guys agree with this?