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When Bikes Outrun Motorcycles |
Digital Photography Final Report
Name of Artist: Mike Stimpson
Dates of Artist’s Life: 1979 - ?
1. Personal Background:
Stimpson grew up in the 70’s and says Star Wars had a large impact on him as a young child even though he was born in West Midlands, England. Stimpson doesn’t make enough money to be a full-time toy photographer, so he pursues it as a hobby while working at his real job: video game programming. This lingering imagination is what makes Stimpson so successful and provides him a medium for brainstorming various pictures to recreate or originals to create for a first time. His favorite photographers are Steve McCurry and Ansel Adams, and he hopes to one day have some of his images as well-known as theirs, but Stimpson doesn’t undergo photography for fame, just for fun. Stimpson didn’t take any photographical classes at a university, but still finds a way to create proper and appreciable photographs. Actually, he went to school for chemistry.
2. Style:
The artist often uses stormtroopers to express mood, although this is ironic because stormtroopers have no facial expressions - they just wear helmets. He uses scenery and even non-Lego backgrounds to help set the mood and convey the message he is trying to deliver. He copies scenes from real life or famous pictures. He has replicated the Moon Landing, Tank Man, and famous sports moments. Like all artists, Stimpson utilizes lighting and scenery in very specific ways to accomplish his goals and to portray the deeper meaning in his work. One of Stimpson’s favorite contrasts is to use the geometric shapes of Legos and place them in the organic views of nature.
3. Philosophy:
Stimpson, being born in the 70’s , says that Star Wars is the driving force behind all his work. He was absolutely in love with Star Wars as a child and that passion has transcended to photography as he is now grown. Stimpson expounds on his love for all things Star Wars when he says “[Star Wars and Legos are] like the two best things combined.” When utilizing Star Wars Legos, Stimpson uses stormtroopers or other minifigures that have no facial expression and uses scenery to express the mood. Often, Stimpson uses Legos to replicate real life events like the Moon Landing, Tank Man, and even the Marine kissing the Nurse in New York after coming home from war.
4. Influences:
Stimpson has helped me to realize quite a few things about photography and how to improve my work as a young photographer. First, he showed me the power of object photography and the impact that scene recreation can have when using contradictingly positive child toys to convey rather adult themes. Second, he showed me how contrast between shapes can be extremely unique. The geometric form of Legos against an organic background always seems controlled yet unnatural in a way that is innovative and original. Third, he showed me that it’s okay to follow your passions even if it doesn’t come along with a big pay check at the end of the month.
5. Sources: You need to include the 3 images, their title and their source (which may include a link).
*Shown above*
6. Compare and Contrast:
The image of the Stormtrooper and the cat is the least different between my interpretation and Mike Stimpson’s. I had issues setting up the scene originally, and while I had to edit in more leaves to fill in the space, the difference isn’t entirely noticeable. While editing, however, I did observe that I actually shot the picture from the wrong angle as Stimpson’s image has shadows going towards the camera where mine were going away. A couple of edits fixed that minute detail, but I still couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it. The image of the Rebel with R2D2 on a bike being chased by Darth Vader on a motorcycle had a few discrepancies also. Stimpson’s image had better lighting and a more solid backdrop, whereas my photograph was taken with what I had. I actually had my siblings hold a pretend cape against a wall for the black background while I was snapping photos. I tried to space the two riders apart equally, but while in this contest I seemed to miss the fact that the characters are closer to the camera than I had positioned them. I thought that I would be able to edit the apparent height change between the level the characters were riding on and the background, but I was unsuccessful in my attempt to blur the background properly and brighten the front part. I was using the lasso tool and I was having difficulty keeping the lasso in a straight line which lead to more problems. I believe the lighting was decent so, in that sense, I had captured the mood of the photograph. The final picture was that depicting a war-returned marine kissing his nurse girlfriend or possible wife. My two biggest issues with this scene were creating the scene and editing away the weird and fuzzy-seeming lighting. I had a hard time to take the photo at the proper angle, and while placing the figures into place, I realized that the position in the photo was essentially unachievable. I couldn’t find what my source of error was, but I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to position them quite as Stimpson did. While editing the photo, my image seemed blurrier than Stimpson’s. I realized that he had used a light from above which would explain the brightness in the hat and the bizarre shadows whereas I had begun to take these photos after five o’clock outside. I was able to blur the photo similarly to Stimpson’s but not to the same extent. I was impressed with my ability to create a similar tower background with other objects around my house, and I think that my replication looks quite like Stimpson’s.
7. Personal Artist Statement:
The image of Darth Vader chasing a young Rebel with a Droid friend is symbolic of how kids can still run away from reality. Technically, a motorcycle should be able to catch a bicycle, but in the mind of a child, a bike is just as fast. The marine photograph tells the story of a war-stricken soldier returning home to one of the only things in the world that matters to him anymore. He’s been in tough combat, killed the enemies, seen his friends die, but, for a brief moment, none of that exists anymore as he is just back to his old life. The Stormtrooper playing in the leaves with a cat shows the more human side to even the most seemingly evil creatures. A Stormtrooper, an instrument of death on a galactic scale, is allowing himself to be human for a minute by indulging in his own sea of emotions as he sits down and metaphorically takes the time to smell the flowers.
Name of Artist: Mike Stimpson
Dates of Artist’s Life: 1979 - ?
1. Personal Background:
Stimpson grew up in the 70’s and says Star Wars had a large impact on him as a young child even though he was born in West Midlands, England. Stimpson doesn’t make enough money to be a full-time toy photographer, so he pursues it as a hobby while working at his real job: video game programming. This lingering imagination is what makes Stimpson so successful and provides him a medium for brainstorming various pictures to recreate or originals to create for a first time. His favorite photographers are Steve McCurry and Ansel Adams, and he hopes to one day have some of his images as well-known as theirs, but Stimpson doesn’t undergo photography for fame, just for fun. Stimpson didn’t take any photographical classes at a university, but still finds a way to create proper and appreciable photographs. Actually, he went to school for chemistry.
2. Style:
The artist often uses stormtroopers to express mood, although this is ironic because stormtroopers have no facial expressions - they just wear helmets. He uses scenery and even non-Lego backgrounds to help set the mood and convey the message he is trying to deliver. He copies scenes from real life or famous pictures. He has replicated the Moon Landing, Tank Man, and famous sports moments. Like all artists, Stimpson utilizes lighting and scenery in very specific ways to accomplish his goals and to portray the deeper meaning in his work. One of Stimpson’s favorite contrasts is to use the geometric shapes of Legos and place them in the organic views of nature.
3. Philosophy:
Stimpson, being born in the 70’s , says that Star Wars is the driving force behind all his work. He was absolutely in love with Star Wars as a child and that passion has transcended to photography as he is now grown. Stimpson expounds on his love for all things Star Wars when he says “[Star Wars and Legos are] like the two best things combined.” When utilizing Star Wars Legos, Stimpson uses stormtroopers or other minifigures that have no facial expression and uses scenery to express the mood. Often, Stimpson uses Legos to replicate real life events like the Moon Landing, Tank Man, and even the Marine kissing the Nurse in New York after coming home from war.
4. Influences:
Stimpson has helped me to realize quite a few things about photography and how to improve my work as a young photographer. First, he showed me the power of object photography and the impact that scene recreation can have when using contradictingly positive child toys to convey rather adult themes. Second, he showed me how contrast between shapes can be extremely unique. The geometric form of Legos against an organic background always seems controlled yet unnatural in a way that is innovative and original. Third, he showed me that it’s okay to follow your passions even if it doesn’t come along with a big pay check at the end of the month.
5. Sources: You need to include the 3 images, their title and their source (which may include a link).
*Shown above*
6. Compare and Contrast:
The image of the Stormtrooper and the cat is the least different between my interpretation and Mike Stimpson’s. I had issues setting up the scene originally, and while I had to edit in more leaves to fill in the space, the difference isn’t entirely noticeable. While editing, however, I did observe that I actually shot the picture from the wrong angle as Stimpson’s image has shadows going towards the camera where mine were going away. A couple of edits fixed that minute detail, but I still couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it. The image of the Rebel with R2D2 on a bike being chased by Darth Vader on a motorcycle had a few discrepancies also. Stimpson’s image had better lighting and a more solid backdrop, whereas my photograph was taken with what I had. I actually had my siblings hold a pretend cape against a wall for the black background while I was snapping photos. I tried to space the two riders apart equally, but while in this contest I seemed to miss the fact that the characters are closer to the camera than I had positioned them. I thought that I would be able to edit the apparent height change between the level the characters were riding on and the background, but I was unsuccessful in my attempt to blur the background properly and brighten the front part. I was using the lasso tool and I was having difficulty keeping the lasso in a straight line which lead to more problems. I believe the lighting was decent so, in that sense, I had captured the mood of the photograph. The final picture was that depicting a war-returned marine kissing his nurse girlfriend or possible wife. My two biggest issues with this scene were creating the scene and editing away the weird and fuzzy-seeming lighting. I had a hard time to take the photo at the proper angle, and while placing the figures into place, I realized that the position in the photo was essentially unachievable. I couldn’t find what my source of error was, but I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to position them quite as Stimpson did. While editing the photo, my image seemed blurrier than Stimpson’s. I realized that he had used a light from above which would explain the brightness in the hat and the bizarre shadows whereas I had begun to take these photos after five o’clock outside. I was able to blur the photo similarly to Stimpson’s but not to the same extent. I was impressed with my ability to create a similar tower background with other objects around my house, and I think that my replication looks quite like Stimpson’s.
7. Personal Artist Statement:
The image of Darth Vader chasing a young Rebel with a Droid friend is symbolic of how kids can still run away from reality. Technically, a motorcycle should be able to catch a bicycle, but in the mind of a child, a bike is just as fast. The marine photograph tells the story of a war-stricken soldier returning home to one of the only things in the world that matters to him anymore. He’s been in tough combat, killed the enemies, seen his friends die, but, for a brief moment, none of that exists anymore as he is just back to his old life. The Stormtrooper playing in the leaves with a cat shows the more human side to even the most seemingly evil creatures. A Stormtrooper, an instrument of death on a galactic scale, is allowing himself to be human for a minute by indulging in his own sea of emotions as he sits down and metaphorically takes the time to smell the flowers.