The Photography of Francesca Woodman

These are works by Francesca Woodman. Check her out.

I get by with a little help. . .

Eva's blog of me at work. Yay. Eva I heart you, you don't even know.

A Birthday Surprise. . .

For my birthday surprise my friend Eva decided to take me to a burnt down house out in the "countryside". Beautiful. I decided to go traisping around in it in a vintage cashmere sweater.

I started near what must have used to be a closet under the stairs.

Looking through the wall.

I like all the texture in this one. And I feel like I'm glowing, like maybe I'm a ghost.

I like this overall composition.

This frame is pretty popular. People like the curls, someone (Eva?) mentioned that the boards echo the form of my back. . . so some nice compositional elements. I'm also liking when I am engaged with the environment. In the preceding two photographs I am exploring the environment, and I like these compositionally. . . but conceptually I feel that it is stronger if I am interacting with the environment, having some kind of moment, not just passing through.


Eva took pictures of me taking pictures of me for her photojourn blog. Hopefully we'll get to see them soon! And thanks Eva for the best birthday surprise ever!

Squatter's Paradise

This weekend I had friends come in from out of town to visit for the long weekend. Folks came all the way from Seattle! While showing a few friends my blog, my friend Zana told me about a super-cool abandoned house in Grants Pass. . .

Ignoring the convention of hiding the photograph.

When Stef and I drove Zana back to GP she showed us the house. Of course I had brought my trusty camera. Stef thought that someone had been squatting there and tried to make repairs but eventually gave up and left the house abandoned. . . again. We found a newspaper from the 70's.


The house was great, with water stains all over. The room I was particularly obsessed with was the bedroom, which had a single window with a plain curtain covering it. I took a few shots of me standing next to the window but they didn't really turn out, the dark interior coupled with bright light coming in threw off my light meter. But, this photo did turn out nicely.

I feel very influenced by Francessca Woodman in this frame.

By the front door. . . I loved the wallpaper.

Looking out my back door.

Towards the end I also noticed an amazing shaft of light coming in through the window. Intended to use myself as the model but I had Stef pose to help me frame the photo. . . the rest is chromogenically recorded history.

I think these are my favorite.

I had alot of fun on this location, I made two rolls of color film and even started a roll of black and white. Hopefully someday I will re-teach myself the black and white darkroom and get those printed (only kidding, I haven't forgotten). Have you noticed that my last two locations were both reccomended to me by friends? And look how great they turned out! Thanks again to Zana for showing me this house, and Stef for being so great helping me. Everyone keep your eyes out for creepy/cool things. I could sure use them!

Just for Stef. . .

After the fire died.

My first post when starting this blog dealt with the Historic Colver House, which burned down partially (and has now, since the posting of that blog, been demolished). While working on that location I was also trying to find a lone chimney, leftover from a house that burned down, which I had also seen while driving through Phoenix. I couldn't find it at that time but was planning to ride the bus back out to Phoenix to make photographs there this past friday. The night before, while hanging out with Jeri, she told me about another location in Ashland she had seen, with another lone chimney. . .

In the picture in my head I rode up to the chimney with my bike.

I focused on the weeds.

An old heater & my shadow.

Exploring. . .

My favorite of these by far. . . because it's creepy.

Upon completion of two rolls of film I was so excited that I hoofed my bike up to the photo shop and got them developed in the same day! Woot for being excited about photography.

Now it's time for an unabashed comment solicitation. Let me know what you think! If you are looking at this and don't have a blogger account, email me at balla@students.sou.edu. Just so I know that you stopped by. And if anyone wants email updates whenever I post something, let me know, because there is apparently an option for me to do that. (I wouldn't dream of doing something so obnoxious without your permission so please let me know!)

(The tweener post)

I hoofed my bike up lower east main. I was looking for what she told me I would find. I saw this there. Indentations in the grass forming a path that must have been made by car tires rolling up to where the driveway had once stood. I looked at it through the camera lens. It looked nice. I made some photographs.

ok, so next time I cover "leftovers from the burn." promise.

Living in abandoned trailers.

Yeah, so I miss being at burning man alot. So what? (Inside joke)

For this, my most recent photographic event, I made two whole rolls of film! (See how hard I'm trying to use non-violent oriented photographic language? It's hard. But Sapir-Wharf hypothesis, you know?)

My latest location actually offered me two subjects of environment. . .

Working backwards, these were taken in/around an abandoned trailer found in my latest location.

This frame will probably not make the final cut but it gives you an idea of the environment.

I really like this one. The lighting is dramatic. And it creeps Eva out. Always a good sign when photography makes someone shudder.

Eva liked all the layers in this one, the reflection in the window, the mountains in the distance seen through the door. It's something I probably wouldn't have thought about but I like it too. I also like that I'm looking at you. Creepy.

Much thanks to Jeri for telling me about this location. For those of you who haven't already, please note the "how can I help Amanda make photographs?" side bar on my blog.

I'm thinking of basing my thesis exhibition on ideas surrounding the theme of houses and home. Title: Living in abandoned houses. OR: Living in abandoned houses (ideas of home). Or something artsy like that.

That's the first installment from these rolls/location. Next time: the leftovers of the burn. . .

Next to the foundations.

While at home over the weekend I took pictures at the house I grew up in.

I took some shots under the back porch of the house, next to the foundation. I knew I wanted to photograph there but hadn't been there in a long time. I liked finding this old bicycle.

I also took pictures in the skeleton of our bathroom. I was attracted to this environment because it was exposed, hollowed out, revealing the bare bones underneath. . . and the light turned out beautifully.

Lastly I took some pictures in the basement storage room connected to my bedroom before I moved away. I arranged objects I found that all had the look I wanted-particularly my old doll house that grandpa dale made. I had taken interest in it as a child but never really fully furnished it.

In this last shot I am again taking pictures of myself as a young girl. I also think it is significant that I am taking pictures of myself in my childhood home, but a home stripped bare, or broken down, or forgotten remnants.

At Grey Gardens

My latest inspiration.








Go there

Part Deux

As previously stated, I photographed in my friends' garage. I had seen these stairs before and been captivated. But for a little while I had forgotten, but then somehow saw them again. . .

First I photographed myself looking through the stairs. Turned out sort of too dark, not that much interest.

Then of course the series where I am standing, again fragmented by the stairs but either looking up or into the camera, as pictured in previous blog. Color is alot nicer.

(This is the one I decided to print larger.)

Then I started playing with hiding my face, and the position of my hands.

Then I was just playing.

Sadness, exploration, escape and sanctuary. This is what I am playing with in these. I like some of the qualities that are starting to come out, something that I haven't had since I initially started this type of work in black and white. I like the dead-on confrontation of the camera, but I also like it when fragments of the character reveal more than the gaze can.

So I have my mid-program review on Wednesday. Wish me luck!

Hangin' at 100 & 1/2

Photographing with a broken-down staircase in my friends' garage.

This poor shot was terribly under-exposed. That's what happens when you switch your lens and don't double check the aperture! I was shooting at about f/11, should have been f/4. Didn't turn out too bad though, considering. . .

Photographing through the stairs. . .
Amongst these, I just can't decide which I like best. I think maybe either the one where I am looking up but not holding my dress, or looking into the camera with my hand stretched out in front of me.

Unfortunately I'm too frustrated by technonolgy at the moment to finish this post. Enjoy these, more coming later.