Visual Design (Roll 2): Fall 2009

October 11, 2009

by Posted in 35mm Slides
visual design 2
Visual Design (Roll 1): Fall 2009
Utter Mayhem: Spring 2010

My Visual Design class at Columbia gave me a couple rolls of film for an assignment. That first roll was pretty rough, but I think I did a little better on these shots from roll 2, though maybe it’s just due to the better lighting. Here’s the full second roll. 35mm slides, fall of 2009.

A hazy, distorted image of a street scene in Chicago's South Loop, captured on 35mm slide film. The photo is taken from a low angle, looking down a slightly curved road bordered by tall, industrial-style buildings with large windows. The buildings are mostly brick and concrete, with some glass reflecting the dim light. A white car drives past on the left, appearing slightly blurred due to motion. Overhead, street lamps line the road, and an elevated train track crosses above in the background, partially casting shadows. The colors are muted and slightly bluish due to the slide film's aging and scanning process, giving the photo a nostalgic, dreamy quality. A serene shot of Grant Park in Chicago, featuring a cluster of tall, leafy trees casting soft shadows on the vibrant green grass. The park appears lush and well-maintained, with a sunlit pathway curving gently in the background. The atmosphere feels calm and peaceful, with a few distant buildings and urban elements partially visible through the foliage. The image has a subtle greenish-blue tint, typical of 35mm slide film with some fading or discoloration, creating a vintage and almost surreal aesthetic. The scene appears slightly softened and diffused, as if viewed through a foggy lens. A close-up photograph of a patch of dirt in Grant Park, capturing the rough, uneven texture of the soil. The slide film’s distortion adds a grainy, dreamy effect to the image, emphasizing the subtle patterns in the ground cover. The composition feels abstract and introspective, focusing on the overlooked details of the natural world. A towering, imposing view of historic high-rise buildings in downtown Chicago, shot from below to emphasize their massive, monolithic presence. The architecture is classic and ornate, with rows of narrow windows set into a pale stone façade, evoking early 20th-century design. Intricate cornices and decorative elements adorn the upper levels, while an ornate, globe-style street lamp is visible in the foreground. The color palette is a cool, muted gray-blue, giving the scene a timeless, stoic feel. The slightly faded and distorted quality from the 35mm slide film enhances the sense of architectural grandeur while adding a hint of nostalgia. An expansive, minimalist shot of Lake Michigan’s horizon, with the tops of sailboat masts protruding upward like a thin, rhythmic forest of lines against a vast, clear sky. The sky is a striking, almost electric blue with a few wispy white clouds scattered sparingly. The simplicity and openness of the composition evoke a sense of tranquility and infinite space. The image's colors are slightly softened and desaturated due to the film aging, creating a dreamlike quality. The boats themselves are not visible, with just the masts breaking the seamless transition from water to sky. A wide, tranquil view of Lake Michigan's calm waters, dotted with sailboats gently anchored in the harbor. The boats vary in size and shape but are mostly modest sailboats with tall, slender masts reaching skyward. The water is a serene, pale blue that fades into the horizon, blending almost imperceptibly with the sky. A concrete shoreline cuts across the lower portion of the frame, grounding the image and adding a sense of scale. The slide film’s natural distortion lends a slightly hazy, nostalgic atmosphere, reminiscent of quiet summer days by the water. An abstract, minimalist photograph dominated by dark shadows and a single, striking yellow-green beam of light cutting diagonally through the frame. A glowing light fixture is faintly visible near the top left, casting a diffuse, eerie glow that disperses into the inky darkness. The slide film's natural degradation contributes to the eerie, atmospheric effect, with hints of grain and dust adding to the moodiness. A close-up of a round, modern light fixture mounted on a ceiling inside a dorm room. The light glows with a soft, greenish hue, giving the entire scene a futuristic and almost alien quality. The rounded shape of the fixture is emphasized by the contrast between its bright center and darker, metallic outer rim. The surrounding area is mostly shadowed, with subtle highlights reflecting off the metal surface. The green tint from the slide film adds a slightly unnatural, ethereal feel, making the ordinary object appear surreal and otherworldly. A wide road in Chicago’s South Loop area, lined with multiple lanes of traffic heading in both directions. Several cars are clearly visible, with the closest one appearing dark and somewhat blurry due to the motion captured. On the left side, lush green trees border the road, while modern skyscrapers rise in the hazy distance under a pale blue sky. The light poles along the road create a rhythmic pattern of arches, accentuating the perspective. The image appears faded and slightly distorted, characteristic of 35mm slide film scanned for digital preservation. A close-up view of a brick pavement in Chicago, showcasing an intricate pattern of interlocking rectangular bricks arranged in a basket weave design. The bricks have a muted, grayish-blue tint, possibly due to color distortion from the 35mm slide film scan. The texture of the surface is subtly rough, with thin gaps visible between the stones. The overall effect feels almost surreal due to the slightly blurred and softened focus, typical of aged slide film. A tranquil scene of Lake Michigan’s harbor, with countless sailboats anchored in the calm water. The masts form thin, vertical lines against the expansive blue sky, creating a mesmerizing, almost minimalist composition. The boats themselves are dispersed evenly, some with sails up, others partially visible. The horizon line is faintly perceptible, blending seamlessly into the sky. Light distortion and color fading lend an ethereal, dreamlike quality to the scene, emphasizing the serene, open expanse. A vivid view of a lush green park area in Chicago, with neatly manicured grass stretching forward. Tall, dark green trees form a natural frame, while the city’s iconic skyscrapers rise up in the distance, partially shrouded by atmospheric haze. The most prominent building features a sleek, modern design with a crane visible at the top, hinting at ongoing construction. Branches from a nearby tree curve into the frame from the upper left corner, adding depth to the composition. The image has a soft focus, giving it a nostalgic, vintage feel typical of slide film scans. A small, hexagonal concrete planter set within a vast expanse of smooth, light blue concrete. A single green plant grows within the planter, sprouting slender leaves that bend toward the light. The geometric contrast between the harsh, structured lines of the concrete and the organic shapes of the plant creates a unique visual tension. The film’s faded color and slight vignette effect make the scene appear muted and distant, conveying a sense of quiet isolation. Another close-up of interlocking brick pavement, similar to a previous shot but showing a slightly different pattern of rectangular and square bricks. The color has a blue-gray tone, with subtle shadows in the crevices adding texture. The surface looks worn but well-maintained, with the neat geometry of the pattern highlighted by the soft lighting. The film’s characteristic color shift and distortion give the image a surreal, almost abstract quality. A high-rise building in downtown Chicago, captured at a low angle to emphasize its towering presence. The building’s façade is mostly glass with a grid of uniform windows, reflecting the sky faintly. In the foreground, a lush green tree adds a natural contrast to the rigid architecture. The lighting is hazy and diffused, giving the scene a washed-out, vintage quality typical of slide film, with some color shifts creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

To say that these shots are better than roll 1 is a very low bar to pass. Roll 1 was half shot in shady dorm rooms where the light conditions weren’t suitable for this speed of film in the first place. So just going outside and focusing on real subjects was really all it took.

Still, I do like these better. And I think a lot of the blur and “flaws” in these images are due to the scanning process. Let’s explain that.

If you look at the borders of these images, they’re not just cropped edges, they’re rough black outlines. That’s because outside of the image is the actual slide frame, which is white plastic. It’s just that it’s so blown out for these (so you can see the slides correctly) that it shows up as pure white. But these are all actual, literal slides – translucent film bits in thicker plastic frames. (The frames aren’t THICK, but they’re thicker than the paper-thin film itself.)

So when these are scanned in, the film itself is technically a little bit removed from the surface, it’s not lying flush against the scanning platform, it’s elevated a bit due to the frame. So there’s a bit of shadow or shinethrough that gets picked up in these images as a result. That’s why they look a little “haunted.”

It wasn’t exactly intentional, but I love how it came out.

So although the subjects are all sort of boring–just more skyscrapers and trees and roadways in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood around my college, oh boy!–the effect does at least add some interest. We can just say it’s on purpose!

Visual Design (Roll 1): Fall 2009
Utter Mayhem: Spring 2010

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