Create a literal document of something but consider and explore the limitations of photography.
Below is a mind map of ideas.
When I was set this project I thought it was very interesting. I didn't understand the limitations of photography but after sitting down to think about what I was going to do, it occurred to me just how limited photography can actually be. It only accounts for one sense which is sight. Theres no consideration about the other senses such as touch, smell, hear and taste.
So my idea was to create a literal document of something and attempt to do this without the limitations of photography.
Below are my final photographs.
Along with my final photographs I also placed the exact coin I photographed on the table when I presented my work to the class. This meant that people could physically touch the coin and feel every indent and engraving. It also meant that if they dropped it, tapped it etc they could hear what sound it produces. If they really wanted to they could even smell and taste it (not recommended but the offer was there!). So I took into account all the senses which meant that there were no limitations in regards to my work being a literal document of the coin.
I also created a banner version below which I could have printed as a long single piece of work.
Evaluation
Overall I did quite enjoy this project as it allowed me to really think of a different way to present my work. I am really pleased with my result as I think it worked very well as a literal document of the coin. I did have quite a few ideas for this project and a few of which I was unable to do due to incorrect equipment etc.
In this project I learned new ways to present my photographic work and that it doesn't just have to be in the medium of photography, I could implement other mediums such as music, film etc to create a more engaging encounter with my photographic work. I am looking forward to implementing this into my future work.
What I wanted to do in the first place was use a macro lens and photograph every single scratch, indent and imperfection on the coin as well as each individual letter and detail of the engravings. However the macro lens that I had access to did not have a small enough focal distance to allow me to get closer to the coin meaning I was unable to do this.
Another idea which I wanted to do on the idea that I did was to create a panoramic image of all of the side writing on the coin as if I unrolled the coin into a straight line. The reason I couldn't do this was because, again I needed a lens with a closer focal distance and because I didn't know how to stitch them together in Photoshop.
If I was to do this again I would try my original idea but with the correct lens this time. I would also do some focus-stacked images to create really high quality, detailed and sharp images of the coin's engravings and text.
** I did not find any photographer to research as I wanted to just do my own idea and not copy or reproduce another piece of work by someone else. **