Slideshow

I had some difficulty deciding on how to approach this project, only because of the idea of unity. Having all of the pictures stand on their own - yet work together - seemed kind of a backwards approach to me. Typologies really interested me when my professor showed examples of a few photographers who were inspired by similar ideas, objects, places, and so on. 

Objective:

Driving down the road to my apartment, it hit me. I've always had a fascination with the houses down this road because they have various colors, knick knacks, and furniture that really add to the character of the house and even the people who live there. My objective for this slideshow is to shoot front doors. I want to capture the personalities of my neighbors through the entrance to their homes.

Method: 

An important positive to my subject is the fact that these houses are quite permanent for the time being. I can go back to each location in different lighting and conditions without worrying that something has changed drastically. I will be focusing on the houses down my street - because they are the ones I find so fascinating - but I plan on branching out to other streets parallel to mine. So far, I have shot photos of the front doors down my street, and I plan on going back to these same houses to take more detailed shots. For example, a doorknob, a wind chime, a child's toy car, all the while keeping the front door in sight.

Inspirational Photographers:

Jeff Brouws - This is one of the photographers we talked about in class. Brouws has many typologies in his portfolio, including abandoned gas stations, painted houses, and empty signs. His work inspired me to create a typology that emphasizes one idea, but portrays that idea in a way that holds interest and does not become too mundane. A typology of his that most resembles my idea is of freshly painted houses. They are very colorful, and even though the houses all have extremely similar characteristics, each holds its own identity. This is what I'm hoping to accomplish with my doors.

Julia Baum - As I was researching different artists' typologies, I came across Julia Baum's portfolio. She documented houses that were built in the 1950's from the same foundation, but over the past fifty years, these houses have undergone huge changes according to the owners. They went from being from the same stencil to having their own identities. I thought this fit well with my project on front doors, not only from the architectural point-of-view but because of the way personality snuck its way into homes.