Kenneth Jones

Notes:

I actually found this post quite difficult, as I usually account for cropping before taking the image. Because of that, it was pretty hard to find one of my own photos that really needed cropping or where the crop made the new image stronger than the original. For this post, I chose this photo of my cat that I took while experimenting with black and white mode on my digital mirrorless Fujifilm camera.

In the original, the image is at a slight slant, which in my opinion adds a more interesting dynamic, similar to Gary Winogrand, who often spoke about tilting the camera slightly. However, in this case, I think it looks more like a mistake than an intentional choice. For this reason, I decided to both straighten and crop the image in a way that stays true to the original while adding a few touchups. I darkened the backdrop, reduced the highlights, and added a slight blue tone to get it as accurate as possible.

Cropping the image also adds a slight mysteriousness, turning the door into a more abstract line that divides the composition between dark and light. The crop subtly shifts the focal point while simplifying both the background and foreground. I decided to keep the copyright under my name for both versions and not license the image under Creative Commons.

When I first came across this image on Flickr titled “Sculpture, under water, Copenhagen” by phototouring, I thought about a past history, a culture that seemingly vanished under unforeseen circumstances. The statues reaching towards the surface in a manner that exudes a state of panic and longing for escape. Its almost as if they were actual people frozen in stone, by a cataclysmic event. It turns out this is a modern bronze sculpture titled “Agnete and the Merman”, by Danish Artist Suste Bonnén from the year 1992. Given that the piece is based on a Danish folk tale about abandonment, my original interpretation wasn’t too far off.

The audio I chose, “Stormchaser Duet” by Martijn de Boer (NiGiD), features a guitar and bass duet that play off each other, alternating between rhythms and tempos. The bass is deep and heavy evoking memories of muffled underwater sounds harnessed by a light airy reverberating guitar that floats on the senses. I paired the audio with the photo because its ethereal sound evokes mystery and a subtle, haunting nostalgia without being overly direct. During the editing process, I chose to use only the final minute and a half of the seven-minute track, focusing on its emotional progression and climactic build while staying true to my original vision.

I found it easier to start from an image and find the sound that matched rather than vice versa. My overall goal was to find a sound that closely matched my original emotional response to the image. I believe the pairing enhances both elements, as together they evoke a sense of mystery and a forgotten tale. During this exercise, I also thought about how a soundtrack is created and how that can truly elevate or diminish a scene.

Terms of Use: “Beneath the Surface” by Kenneth Jones is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Hey Everybody! My name is Kenny and I was born and raised in Miami-Dade County, Florida. An interesting thing about Miami is the Coral Castle. It is a monumental structure made from very large and heavy limestone blocks that one man claims to have built yet there is very little known as to how he did it. This picture is of me at El Tazumal, in Chalchuapa, El Salvador and is attributed to the Mayans.

I currently work for the Miami-Dade Public Library System where I am an assistant and working towards librarianship. It is my second semester here at FSU in the MSI program. In my undergrad, I studied fine art and used to photograph with film a lot. I do it less frequently these days, mostly due to cost. I like to collect old books and records as well and enjoy spending time in nature and exploring different cultures. 

In this class, I hope to use my skills already obtained through years of photography and apply it to a more conventional and user-friendly design that aligns with the current trends in social media, communications, and libraries. I would also like to expand my knowledge and skills in video editing and production. I have done some in the past, but it has been a while. I am looking forward to working alongside everyone this semester and seeing how our ideas align.