j.frede - Case Study Nest; A Photographic Study

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j.frede - Case Study Nest; A Photographic Study (http://www.jfrede.com)

This is the first in a series of photographs that take a look at the materials and textures of bird’s nests. Approaching the work from the perspective that a nest is an architectural form, but visually focusing on the complexity and seemingly chaotic construction of found materials. Straw to fabric patting, string to human hair every nest ever made has been uniquely different depending on the accessible materials, even more so in the urban landscapes.

For this set I photographed a humming birds nest I found in Los Angeles. Upon reading up on humming bird nests I learned that they make the bottoms thicker and the top edges thinner to control the amount of heat in the nest. The mothers will sitter lower in the nest on cold nights and stand higher to allow air to blow through the thin upper sides. I find the engineering of nests fascinating considering it was knowledge based on instincts.

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j.frede - Schaefer Series; A Photographic Study

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j.frede - Schaefer Series; A Photographic Studyhttp://www.jfrede.com )

Schaefer Series is a collaborative project I did in with photorealist painter Justin Schaefer. Justin approached me about taking photos to use as references for a new series of large-scale photo real paintings he wanted to do. We each brought ideas to the table and the final photographs came out somewhere between Noir and Nightmares.
A number of the paintings he is doing from this series will be featured in his MFA Thesis show at Cal State Long Beach later this year. 

 

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j.frede - The Old Zoo; A Photographic Study

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The Old Zoo; A Photographic Studyhttp://www.jfrede.comOpened in 1912 with 15 animals, most of the enclosures that still exist today were built in the 1930s by Works Progress Administration and County Relief Workers the Zoo was made in the iron bars/pacing animal style that was standard for zoo's of that era, marred with controversy from being Inadequately funded and maintained by the city, the zoo struggled for years with bad press and animal escapes. The Zoo was abandoned in 1966 when the current Los Angeles Zoo was built.Set in a quiet corner of Griffith Park the Old Zoo is now a picnic area which is rather surreal but seems very appropriate in Los Angeles. Every time I visit the Old Zoo Picnic Area The mysterious tone of the place never seems to fade, and with every visit i seem to find new details or structures that i had missed previously. 

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j.frede - Cornered; a photographic study

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j.frede - Cornered; A Photographic Study ( http://www.jfrede.com )
November 15th 2009
Corners have long been considered traps for negative energy in Metaphysics and Paganism. Through out modern times people who believe in the Paranormal have considered ceiling corners of homes portholes for ghosts or spirits. Animals and babies are often observed staring intently into specific corners of rooms. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs or skepticism in such, I would venture to say that everyone has at some point in their life entered a room that didn’t feel right, call it intuition or sixth sense, some locations seem to make us uncomfortable for an unexplained reason.

Many directions can be taken from the thought of corners, one definition is “a dangerous or awkward position, especially from which escape is difficult”, while the same word means “The meeting of two streets” which is a crossroads, commonly seen as a place of options. There are many meanings of the word corner in the English Language but the juxtaposition of these two seem very powerful to me. It seems sometimes being forced into a corner where escape is difficult is in many ways a crossroad.

This photo study was done with these theories in mind, the images range from abstract to contrasting to dingy, and are meant to reflect all that happens in our personal spaces, whether literally or metaphorically speaking, corners are ever-present in our lives; good, bad or neutral.

j.frede - 2009

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These photos were shown as a set in the Playhouse Exhibition in October of this year. Each image was presented as a 36" x 24" Giclee Print.

About The Images: "These photographs are groupings of smoke and rain clouds that challange our perspective of what is peaceful and what is menacing. Visually the smoke images appear to be billowing clouds which we normally associate with serenity. The rain clouds, however are dark and brooding and bring a sense of apprehension. The dark rain cloud is actaully the giver of life whilst the smoke, being a biproduct of fire, is the destroyer of life in this instance. "

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