The “Activator”

The art of “activating” the world before photographing it.

“It is a common belief that when we were children, we
were more innocent, more naïve, yet very open-minded
to the world around us. Everything had possibility, and
since we knew very little, we were very good at
imagining, playing, and pretending. We could suspend
our disbelief and form our own rules for the ways things
worked.

As we grow older, we become more knowledgeable of

the world around us. Our imagination is replaced by
facts, and we are told to accept things as they naturally
exist. We become jaded, and we forget how to play.
We become less interested in the world around us,
because we accept that everything has rules that we
must follow, and that there is a “reason” behind the
existence of everything…”
Become an activator!
 Who is an activator?
An activator is a photographer who
actively manipulates the subject matter
of a photograph in order to reveal an
interesting relationship or paradox
between two or more things, and then
photographs it.
Activators question the “rules” of the world,
and disrupt what we take for granted
everyday.
 “The Activator”
digital / shooting assignment:

1) Digital assignment: Build a constructed reality by

taking a series of images that will work together in
Photoshop to create one final photograph. Your final
photograph must be a composite of at least 5 separate
images.

Things to consider for EACH of the images you take that work
towards your final photograph:

-Similar Lighting/Angles of shadows - COLOR!

-Size shifts -Room/Exterior Setting
-Clothing/Costume
-Background Layer
2) Shooting assignment: Shoot an entire roll of film (24 exposures) in
which you as the photographer physically activate the subject matter to
reveal an interesting relationship, contrast or paradox.

1. Environment- understanding the rules of an everyday place and

introducing an unexpected element in a way that makes the place
more interesting.

2. Human Form- physically altering or adding symbolic or metaphorical

elements that reveal something interesting about the human form.

3. Attempt the Impossible- Activators can achieve the impossible by

photographing their efforts in a way that makes them seem possible.
 Things to Consider for your Shooting Assignment

-Making/building/crafting something for the scene that can

work in multiple pictures

-Having multiples of objects

-Photographing objects out of their natural environment

-Creating your own environment

-Costume/Clothing/Make up

-Point of View

-COMPOSITION!!! (as always!)

Activators are curious, imaginative people who
are willing to try something new for the sake of
exploring its possibilities.
 Activators can “activate” the following:

1. Environment- understanding the

rules of an everyday place and
introducing an unexpected element
in a way that makes the place more
interesting.
gabriel orozco
david shrigely
bernard
faucon
David
LaChapelle
sandy skoglund
David
LaChapelle
2. Human Form- physically altering or
adding symbolic or metaphorical
elements that reveal something
interesting about the human form.
Man Ray
duane michels
David
LaChapelle
David
LaChapelle
David
LaChapelle
3. Attempt the Impossible:
Activators can achieve the
impossible by photographing their
efforts in a way that makes them
seem possible.
john baldessari
Philippe Halsman
guy bourdin
gjon mili
evan la londe
Student Examples

C. Wenker
Student Examples

E. Birch
Student Examples

D. Estridge
Student Examples

J. Feirson
Student Examples

J. Shirley-Quirk
Student Examples

J. Shirley-Quirk
Student Examples

R. Stuart
Student Examples

R. Stuart
Student Examples

R. Stuart
Student Examples
Student Examples

J. Liu
Student Examples

J. Liu
Student Examples

J. Liu
Student Examples

K. Peterson