From my experimentation of creating a photobook, I learnt that I was very interested in the genre of portraiture. I would like to explore this genre more in my Part 2 of my personal investigation, but experiment with different photographic techniques also.
Personal Investigation
For my personal investigation, I want to get out of my routine of creating bold coloured images for my projects. I would really like to try and get out of my comfort zone and push myself to create mainly black and white composed images. For this investigation, I want to create more staged photographs and take time to compose my images this is because it's something quite new to me. My overall theme is photo manipulation and distortion, as there is such a wide variety of ways to take images under this theme. As well as this I didn't wasn't to pick something too specific as I will be carrying on this investigation for over a year, so I don't want to get bored or easily lack inspiration for new photographs. With this theme I already have a number of things I would like to experiment with such as a number of photographic techniques that I've never tried before, as I think this is a good opportunity to expand my photography experience.
Laurence Demaison
Laurence Demaison is a French photographer and artist. In many of the photographs above she uses a combination of her drawings in her photography to manipulate it. An aim of hers is to capture what a camera can see, which can't be seen with the human eye. Therefore in many of her photographs, she exposes the photograph over a period of time, creating a ghostly effect. During her early career, Demaison was particularly interested in the female portrait and nude, but found it difficult to convey her 'mental images into words and direction', soon after she gave up on models and began to use herself as the subject of her photographs. However Demaison soon found out she struggled using her physical body to photograph, so she started experimenting destroying her body and recreating it, leaving the outcome of mostly, dark sinister ghostly photographs.
Her photographs really stood out to me because she doesn't digitally manipulate the images, before or after they have been shot. Apart from using chemical inversion for some series, as an exception. I really want to try experimenting using long exposures and strobe lighting to create ghostly effects, also like some of Harold Edgerton's work. I would also like experimenting with portraiture and manipulating the images as well. The ghostly effects capture my eye, as there aren't opaque sections in the image, unless that object or body part was held there for a longer time. But mostly the images are quite patchy which I really like. As well as this the images feel quite gloomy from this effect and the darker tones.
Her photographs really stood out to me because she doesn't digitally manipulate the images, before or after they have been shot. Apart from using chemical inversion for some series, as an exception. I really want to try experimenting using long exposures and strobe lighting to create ghostly effects, also like some of Harold Edgerton's work. I would also like experimenting with portraiture and manipulating the images as well. The ghostly effects capture my eye, as there aren't opaque sections in the image, unless that object or body part was held there for a longer time. But mostly the images are quite patchy which I really like. As well as this the images feel quite gloomy from this effect and the darker tones.
Response
For my first set of images I focused on photographing my dogs in the park and in the garden. I photographed dogs as, I thought they would create a very clear ghostly effect whilst running, as they move quite quickly. However because of this I had to keep experimenting with the shutter speed and the light exposure. It took me a while to perfect this, as I didn't want to edit the images afterwards, like Demaison. The majority of the images didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but there were a few which I really liked. Going further with this experiment, I would like to focus on people, as I want to try and keep the outline of the body reasonably clear, so its still recognisable. I want to photograph a large group of people, such as a busy street in London and see if their bodies will blur together or not.
My favourite images out of this set are the last three. I like the third to last one, as some sections of the dog are slightly see through, especially in the head where she moved her head quicky and slightly in her paw. However I also like the last two images, as the dog moves so quickly, that it created a dark blur on a section of the image, where you can nearly make out an outline of the dog. I like this because here is it completely unrecognisable, as well as this if someone just saw those two mages, they wouldn't be able to notice the manipulation in the images.
My favourite images out of this set are the last three. I like the third to last one, as some sections of the dog are slightly see through, especially in the head where she moved her head quicky and slightly in her paw. However I also like the last two images, as the dog moves so quickly, that it created a dark blur on a section of the image, where you can nearly make out an outline of the dog. I like this because here is it completely unrecognisable, as well as this if someone just saw those two mages, they wouldn't be able to notice the manipulation in the images.
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman was an American photographer, best know for her eery black and white images. The main subject for most of her images focuses around the female body and distorting it in some ways. Such as using a long exposure, to create a ghostly effect. From this effect, she blends herself into the surroundings, which usually seem to be in abandoned buildings, to add to the gloomy overall effect. As the buildings are abandoned, it allowed Woodman to compose an image which contains a variety of textures, from the smooth sections of her body, to the sharp broken objects on the floor. Furthermore as her photographs are all in black and white, we really get to see the different tones captured. Her work is really inspiring for me, as she focuses on they key formal elements I'm wanting to start looking into deeply. As well as this from her images, it's clear that she takes time composing them by carefully thinking about her body positioning compared to her location. Woodman didn't use models regularly, as it was too time consuming finding the model, as well as getting them to follow her directions. Each body positioning is very different in each image, as it isall based around her surroundings and how she can blend in with it. This is a re-occurring theme of Woodmans, exploring how to to distort the body by merging the body into it's surroundings.
My favourite image of hers, is the top right. I really like this one, as the majority of the photograph, is lighter tones. But when the darker tones do appear, they really stand out. I want to try and focus a lot on tones and different ways of using lighting, to create an image that makes the viewer feel something emotionally, just through the tones.
Alexey Titarenko
Alexey Titarenko is a Russian photographer and artistMy favourite set from all his images is 'City of Shadows' (1992-1994). I am really drawn to his work, firstly because it follows on from other artists that i've been researching, as he also focuses on long exposures. One thing that stood out to me about his work, was that he takes his images in usually quite busy places, such as in a train station, because of this I think the effect of the long exposure is ver effective, as all of the peoples faces and bodies merge together. I want to experiment creating a set of images using the long exposure up in London or at a train station and using black and white filter. The use of black and white in his images also stands out to me, as some images look over exposed compared to others. Also I think the use of black and white filter exaggerates how the people are merging together and leaving a ghostly trail, as there aren't any colours to make certain people stand out.
Experiment - Photo's by Chance
I took these chance photographs around school. I first started to look at, guessing the focus of an image and then looking at the image afterwards to correct it. This is clearly shown on the images of the stairs in the links, where the first image I took was completely blurred from guessing, which I then corrected. However I then stopped looking at the image after, so I really had to try and get the photograph as clear as possible. I did this because, looking asa blurred image annoys me, as I can't see the same thing as the photographer would, taking it. But I think because a photography is blurred, it can show how an image was taken in the moment. In addition to this for the majority of the photographs I also didn't look through the view finder, but I then disrupted this pattern by purposely looking throughout the finder, to see if that would effect my images. I think focusing on the theme chance, gave me some inspiration or more experiments for my personal investigation. This is because just the use of chance can manipulate an image, such as with the focus of it. In response to this task, I want to experiment more with manipulating the images using photoshop and changing the colours.
Thinking about the ethics of photography
Inside/Out
Diane Arbus - A Jewish Giant at Home with His Parents, NY, 1970
'Diane Arbus - A Jewish Giant at Home with His Parents, N.Y., 1970'
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This photograph was taken by Diane Arbus, which looks like it was taken around the 1950's. This was taken using a black and white film camera, using a medium format and without editing the image after.
The main focus of this image is the tall man and the two older people. From this we can create a story behind these people, that the two older people are the parents of the taller man. It's clear that they are the main focus of the photograph, as they are placed in the centre of the image, which is where the brightest section is. There is a wide range of tones in this image, as there is a very clear contrast. Towards the bottom of the image it is nearly completely black, which makes it look underexposed, this is contrasted with the bright section in the middle, with clear contrasted lines from the furniture against the white walls, and bright curtains. The camera is angles lower to the floor pointing upwards, to include the ceiling, which exaggerates the mans height, as well as his hunched posture exaggerates his dominating height, because of this is makes me feel uncomfortable as it looks like he is coming out of the shadows as the tones in his clothes match the background. |
The title of this image is 'A Jewish giant at home with his parents', I think her attraction to this subject, was to focus on 'outsiders' and to focus on their abnormalities. I think Arbus takes a photograph to how the world is and just captures things in the moment, but with this image the body language of the parents and their positioning feels quite staged. This is why I dislike the image, I think Arbus purposefully photographed this way, so it wouldn't come across as though she was exploiting her subjects.
Although this photograph was taken inside the parents house, making it feel like an insider photograph, I think the image comes across as though Arbus was more of an outsider. I mainly think this, because she is very unsympathetic towards the people she photographs, not just from the actual image but also by their titles. The title of this image labels the man, thereby portraying him as more of a freak in society. In addition to this because I feel like the positioning of the people were staged, as they were all facing the camera, or their faces were visible, this makes it feel more noticeable and a bit uncomfortable that there was a photographer in the room
Although this photograph was taken inside the parents house, making it feel like an insider photograph, I think the image comes across as though Arbus was more of an outsider. I mainly think this, because she is very unsympathetic towards the people she photographs, not just from the actual image but also by their titles. The title of this image labels the man, thereby portraying him as more of a freak in society. In addition to this because I feel like the positioning of the people were staged, as they were all facing the camera, or their faces were visible, this makes it feel more noticeable and a bit uncomfortable that there was a photographer in the room
Nan Goldin - Nan and Brian in bed, NY, 1983
This photograph was taken by Nan Goldin in 1983. This image was taken on a film camera. The photograph is in sepia, which creates the brown, yellow and orange tones. The Goldin decided not to use a flash on the camera, but use a natural source of light, by using daylight from a window, or maybe artificial light from an open door letting through light from another room. I think Goldin was drawn to this subject, as it shows the sexual relationship between her and her boyfriend. In another image she photographed a self-portrait of herself, with bruises on her face, from her boyfriend battering her. I think she took this image to show how eventually their relationship was just based around sex.
As Goldin is in the photograph, I assume the camera was on a self timer. However there could have been another person to take the photograph for her, this makes it feel more staged. |
'Nan Goldin - Nan and Brian in bed, NY, 1983'
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Even though the image would be staged, because both of them would know the image was being taken, so it comes across as though both of them are just posing for a picture. Therefore I think if there was another person taking the image, they are an insider as it's quite a personal subject. Overall I don't like the image, just because I feel like Goldin is trying to create a photograph trying to show her and her boyfriends destructive relationship, but comes across too forced and trying to be something it isn't.
What I learnt from this
I understand from this research that there are ethical issues raised with photography. A photographer has power from their camera, where as a subject can have no power. For example if I photographed someone without them knowing, then I would be abusing my power and exploiting the subject. From this research of inside/out I now understand that there is an ethical question when it comes to photography. It all comes down to the photographer, depending on how much power they give to their subjects.
This has influenced me to think more about when I photograph people, to be respectful to their personal space and not take advantage of them, when photographing them without them knowing. Furthermore when I next take images of people I will ask them before hand, and create images that are more staged and posed for.
This has influenced me to think more about when I photograph people, to be respectful to their personal space and not take advantage of them, when photographing them without them knowing. Furthermore when I next take images of people I will ask them before hand, and create images that are more staged and posed for.
My next steps:
The majority of the photographs I take are in the moment and are taken without permission, if there is a person in the frame. I think it would be interesting to take a picture of someone and then ask their permission to take an image of them and see the outcomes of both the images with and without permission, to see if there is a contrast between the two. I don't usually ask permission, because I think if someone knows a photograph is being taken of them they always change somehow, such as their facial expression or body language. I also want to experiment with creating images that looks purposefully staged and posed, as I've never experimented with it before.
Yorkshire
These images were taken using a DSLR camera without flash and editing afterwards. The first two/three rows of images were to help me change the shutter speed and F stop, this created overexposed images, as they were very bright which washed out the image, but I thought this made them more interesting. I particularly like the set of images from the ruins of an old church, when taking these pictures, I was mainly focusing on capturing the incredible shapes created by the brick work that created the structure of the building, as well as the jagged textures created from the sections of the church, that had broken over time. Although these images are very naturalistic, it gave me the idea, of wanting to focus on thinking about the formal element of lines and shapes in my images. This will be something I will think about when taking images in the future for my personal investigation.
Summer
During the summer holidays I went up to Belford with a couple of my friends. I had originally planned to capture some more long exposure images with a variety of landscape settings, however I found that the majority of images I took were of landscapes, or nature using a normal shutter speed. Once I started getting drawn to these types of images, as I liked the stillness of the image and the calm feeling that came across when I looked through a few pictures.
One exhibition I visited in the summer was the Tate Modern. Although there isn't a lot of photography included in the Tate Modern, I wasn't inspired by any that I saw, as it didn't follow the styles of photography that I like. Instead I was inspired by a sculpture by Yayoi Kusama. 'The Passing Winter' is a sculpture of a large double-sided mirrored cube with random holes cut into the mirror, which allows the audience to look into the cube, which created the illusion of an infinite room, as the holes allow repetitive reflections inside the cube. This really stood out to me as it linked with my personal investigation theme, but also opened up my imagination to the wider variety of ways to manipulate an image, without using to camera to distort the image, or by editing the image afterwards.
One exhibition I visited in the summer was the Tate Modern. Although there isn't a lot of photography included in the Tate Modern, I wasn't inspired by any that I saw, as it didn't follow the styles of photography that I like. Instead I was inspired by a sculpture by Yayoi Kusama. 'The Passing Winter' is a sculpture of a large double-sided mirrored cube with random holes cut into the mirror, which allows the audience to look into the cube, which created the illusion of an infinite room, as the holes allow repetitive reflections inside the cube. This really stood out to me as it linked with my personal investigation theme, but also opened up my imagination to the wider variety of ways to manipulate an image, without using to camera to distort the image, or by editing the image afterwards.
Abstraction Experiment
This experiment was used to help get some inspiration towards our personal investigation, as well as creating a sculpture to show that there are more ways to creating images, other than just taking photographs, or editing the images. I found this helpful as I think I would like to look further into creating sculptures, as I liked that I could create something that I would find interesting to photograph. This experiment has helped me realise that I would like to create more images that are thought about beforehand instead of taking photographs out of chance.
Experimental Work
Our first task as a class in pairs, was to pick 5 images out of a wide variety of photographs, that were all linked together somehow. Once we picked the 5 images each we then had to lay them out in a specific order, numbering each image.
The next task was to stick all of the images in a horizontal line across the wall. The process of this had to be thought out, as all of the sets of images the groups picked, had to link on from each other. The final outcome of all the images in a row was captured on a video, from a camera, that was attached to a moving tripod. This helped me think about when i'm taking a set of images, to remember that the photographs should all be related and link onto each other somehow, whether that be with the colours in the image, or the subject i'm photographing. I like the outcome of this video, especially the parts where the tripod look like it gets stuck and slightly reverses, then carries on. I like this because I prefer the roughness of the video, compared to when the tripod glides along the floor. |
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Experiment #1
These set of images were taken following on from the first experiment we did as a class, picking 5 photographs in a pair, then linking all of our images together, by placing them on a horizontal line across the wall. These photographs were taken on my iPod and the task was to create a new image by photographing where the two images next to each other met. All of these photos were taken in the exact same way, so that half of each image would be photographed, this was meant to show the similarities between the images and why they were originally placed next to one another. An example of this is the last image of the brick wall, and the window of a shut down shop. I think together these images work well together, mainly because of the shape, such as the similarity between the white chalk on the brick, which is quite circular and random, compared to the white window wash that had been smeared on the window in circular motions. I enjoyed this task as it also displayed the contrast of the two images with the numerous differences between them, as well as the one or more element that could join the two images together.
Experiment #2
I took these set of images using one photograph and placing it in random places around my school, then photographing it using my iPod. I found this task harder than the previous ones, as most of the places where I photographed the images, made me feel more uncomfortable to take, as it felt quite awkward and un-natural. An example of this was in the toilets, as I placed the photograph behind the toilet flusher. This was the most awkward image to took, as it was a new environment for me to take images in, as well as feeling slightly embarrassed if people walked past. However, this was the last place location where I put my image, because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and purposefully place myself in that slightly awkward situation for me. Out of all of these tasks I have done so far, using these images, this one I think has been most beneficial to me. This is because it has helped me feel more confident in taking images in what I would think where more uncomfortable situations such as the location of an image, or the subject. All of these images I have created I would defiantly like to experiment more with taking images in more stranger locations and still create and directing the images myself.
Experiment #3
Usually once images are developed and printed, when people try photographing them, there is usually always a reflection in them from a light source which majority of people find annoying. This task was set, to manipulate the reflections, by photographing the printed images under different types of light sources. The first row of images were taken under artificial lighting in the classroom as I held the images up to the light it created a square looking shape. The second row of images were taken using natural light, however half of the image was placed behind an object, creating a shadow over half the image. For the third row of images, I was focusing more on the shadows rather than the actual light. The source light used was natural, but I places the photograph behind some railing, to create the stripped effect. I think these vertical lines created by the railing worked well with the image as it divided up the image into equal sections as the glass balls are also equally split up and equally distributed through the image.
Experiment #4
For this task I had to create a geometric shape out of clay without looking at it. I wanted to go for a pyramid, as I knew all of the angles and sides would be quite difficult to create perfectly. Once dried I then picked a developed image and placed the clay object around the image and photographing it. The task was used to help me experiment using one object to create multiple images, from the positioning of the clay, the angle of the camera, as well as how close up I photographed an image. This task helped me to explore different ways of creating my photographs, however I didn't enjoy the process of taking these images, as I found they turned out all looking very repetitive and simple, which made me become diss-interested quite quickly. This task made me realise that I'm interested in creating photographs where the process of making or taking the photograph is more in treating than taking photos of chance.
Performance Photography
Marina AbramovicThis video to the left is of Abramovic's performance photography in a video, which was part of her exhibition at the MoMa in 2010. Marina was sat in the middle of a room around a table, wearing a long red dress. People from the audience were welcome to sit opposite Marina for a minute of silence, keeping eye contact with each other.
"From the very early stage when I started doing performance art in the '70s, the general attitude - not just me, but also my colleagues - was that there should not be any documentation, that the performance itself is artwork and there should be no documentation." - Marina Abramovic |
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Image set #1
This was my first set of images experimenting with performance photography. For performance photography, one aspect of it can be quite comedic, so I decided I want to experiment with getting people to try and balance a water bottle on people's body parts. I didn't find this task useful to me specifically and my project, as it didn't link to my theme of photography I am focusing on. Although it did remind me that I need to start pushing myself out of my comfort zone, as I felt awkward asking people to take part, for my images.
Image set #2
I took these set of images each time I gave one of my dogs a treat. I think that these images are quite amusing mainly from the angle at which all the images were taken. From the high birds eye angle each time my dogs would wait for their treat, they would look up at the treat, which meant that the artificial lighting in the room would create a reflection in their eyes. From this and the way the dogs were sitting, it created a very innocent feeling towards the dogs. One way I could have improved these images, would have been by including the food for the dogs in the image, to make it more obvious what the dogs were looking at, as well as this I think by including the dog food it would've made the images more comedic as the viewers would be able to see what the dogs were staring at.
Another thing I don't really like about these images, is that they don't fit with the abstract style of work that I have been focusing on in my project. I would like to follow on from this, by taking a second set of images using
Another thing I don't really like about these images, is that they don't fit with the abstract style of work that I have been focusing on in my project. I would like to follow on from this, by taking a second set of images using
Image set #3
Following on from the previous set of images, I decided to change my idea to fit my theme of photo manipulation and distortion. One other thing I could've captured more obviously in my previous set of images, would be the dogs tails wagging whilst waiting for their food. I wanted to experiment following on from my work using a long shutter speed to photograph the movement in the dogs tails.
I put these images into black an white using iPhoto, as the colours in the original image took the focus off the dogs, as well as this, when i'm shooting with a log shutter speed, unless the images in the image were very vibrant, I always prefer to edit them into black and white, as there is always a variety of tones in the image, as well as this, in some cases it makes it easier to see the contrast in textures. Overall I don't particularly like the majority of the photographs, as i've experimented quite a lot with shutter speeds and these images, feel very repetitive to me compared to by previous work. When I look at these images all together I think they look quite like Alexey Titarenko's work, of having a lot of the image blurred.
This experiment with performance photography helped me realise that I want to start broadening the variety of images i'm taking and photographers. I would like to broaden my photography and try experimenting with styles and themes of photography that i'm not used to, or feel more uncomfortable trying, as I would really like to try and push myself out of my comfort zone.
I put these images into black an white using iPhoto, as the colours in the original image took the focus off the dogs, as well as this, when i'm shooting with a log shutter speed, unless the images in the image were very vibrant, I always prefer to edit them into black and white, as there is always a variety of tones in the image, as well as this, in some cases it makes it easier to see the contrast in textures. Overall I don't particularly like the majority of the photographs, as i've experimented quite a lot with shutter speeds and these images, feel very repetitive to me compared to by previous work. When I look at these images all together I think they look quite like Alexey Titarenko's work, of having a lot of the image blurred.
This experiment with performance photography helped me realise that I want to start broadening the variety of images i'm taking and photographers. I would like to broaden my photography and try experimenting with styles and themes of photography that i'm not used to, or feel more uncomfortable trying, as I would really like to try and push myself out of my comfort zone.
Portraiture
Image set #1
This set of images were based around portraiture, whilst also focusing on the background and foreground. I found this task quite hard, as I'm used to taking pictures more in the moment , rather than creating an image, by staging it. I don't like any of the images I took, as most of them I didn't put enough imagination into, therefore making the images quite boring. In addition to this, I also struggled creating images also having to think about the background and foreground. Whilst taking the images I found that I started taking images in the moment, rather than staged ones which I controlled. In my next set of images I need to step out of my comfort zone and start staging images to the way I would want them, as well as this, I also need to spend more time on the image instead of rushing and ending up with low quality photographs.
Image set #2
Going out taking another set of images focusing on portraiture, helped me a bit more with this set, as I knew I needed to focus more on including the background and foreground. Another thing I also realised going and taking another setoff images, was that I ended up taking less images as I did in the first set, as I was focused more on the images I was creating, and how they were staged.
Image set #3
Whilst taking these images I still found it difficult to create yet another set of portraiture images, as I found myself losing inspiration. I did particularly like the outcome of the majority of these images, as I think they were more focused specifically of body parts, which a viewer would easily be able to see. However I would like to edit a couple of these images, to see if I can create the interesting abstract look, I was aiming to get the first time. One thing I did differently compared to the previous image sets, was that I used what I learnt from my inside/out research and applied it to my photography process. Everyone who was photographed in these images, I asked for their permission first. I thought that it would make me feel more awkward asking people to take their images, however I felt less awkward, as I wasn't trying to slyly take their pictures.
Image set #4
This set of images were based around portraiture of the body, in a familiar location. I decided to take my set of images in my garden as it was very familiar to me which made me feel more comfortable to take more abstract images. This was the first time out of all my sets of images based on portraiture, that I knew what I wanted to photograph beforehand. I wanted to focus more on one or two parts of the body and take a variety of images of the same body part, making it less recognisable, as well as making each picture look different from one another. I firstly tarted taking images of my hand, I thought this would be an easier body part to photograph, as it can be manipulated by the flexibility of the wrist and fingers. At first I took a couple of naturalistic images of my finger, however I then started to create more abstract images by moving my hand in a specific way, where only the the veins on my write could be seen, of making the bones in my hand stand out.
Final Images
This set of images are all taken based around portraiture of the human body. Lots of these images were either taken of myself or friends, as I felt more comfortable photographing someone I knew. This made it easier for me to be able to get either myself or a friend to pose in a specific way, or ask them to let me take a close up image of a body part, without making them feel uncomfortable either. I decided to use both colour and black and white images, as I liked the specific colours in some images which stood out to me, however if I decided to put the image in colour, majority of the time, I would decrease the saturation lightly, so the colours weren't too bold, so each of the images worked well and complimented each other. One thing I found difficult with portraiture experimentation, was that it was pushing me out of my comfort zone, as I had to be in charge of how the image was composed as well as thinking about the background and foreground. Overall I would like to experiment further with portraiture, specifically close up's of the body.
From my experimentation of close-up portraiture it inspired me with further experimentation, following on from my long-exposure experimentations. I liked the images where the camera was so zoomed it, it made the body part become unrecognisable, therefore I wanted to look into different ways to get that outcome instead of blurring the body with a long exposure. From experimenting with these style of images, I feel like my initial idea has matured more, as my first images were quite dramatic in the sense that I was really pushing for that manipulated image, however influenced from my experimentations of portraiture, I have created a set of images, that are more subtly abstract. From this I have discovered that I prefer less manipulated images, than what I was creating before.
Zine #1 - Final Outcome #1
After experimenting in class with portraiture and close-up's, it has inspired me to create further sets of images in the same style.
Final Outcome #2
This final outcome was initially inspired by my experimentations with close up portraiture. I decided to take a series of images as my first final outcome, to show exactly how far my photography has developed, compared to when I started my personal investigation. I decided to use this set of images, as all the images follow on from one another and it can still link back to my initial theme of photo manipulation. I am creating an abstract image, where the body part is less recognisable. One thing I really like about this image, is that the majority go this image isn't in focus, apart from a couple sections of hair. In addition to this, the image doesn't look 2D mainly because of the focus of the random strains of hair, which become more unfocused which make them appear to look larger. I decided to put the image into B&W because I think the colour of the hair, would make the image more obvious to the viewer of what it is. Furthermore this specific image, captured such a variety of tones, which in some sections such as the ear, clearly blur into one another, compared with the hair, where nearly each strand of hair is a different shade slightly, which makes the contrast stand out more. I feel from seeing this set of images I took and this specific photograph, I can see how much my photography has matured.
Miguel Ribeiro
"The body, given its formidable expressive power and unending versatility, is an inexhaustible and deeply engaging subject. And when we use our own body, it is capable of responding instantaneously and with minute accuracy to the ever-changing action/reaction that modulates the flow of conception, without the losses in transmission inherent in the use of a model." - Miguel Ribeiro (http://www.miguelribeirophoto.com/video.html)
Following on from my first final outcome, focusing on close-up's of the human body, I was interested in finding a photographer who's work can provide me with more inspiration whilst experimenting further into manipulating the human body. All of his images are taken on a digital camera and are edited into black and white. His images are ones that can inspire me in a number of ways, of taking close-up images of the body, whether that be taking images in a studio to focus all attention on the body and emphasising the variety of tones and shapes created, or taking the images outside, with an out of focus background, where the body part can be linked to the location somehow. I would like to experiment taking images in a audio with a black or white back drop. This is because I think the way Ribeiro captures the body in that environment, creates very elegant images overall. In addition to this I want to experiment more with using artificial light, as I would have
Following on from my first final outcome, focusing on close-up's of the human body, I was interested in finding a photographer who's work can provide me with more inspiration whilst experimenting further into manipulating the human body. All of his images are taken on a digital camera and are edited into black and white. His images are ones that can inspire me in a number of ways, of taking close-up images of the body, whether that be taking images in a studio to focus all attention on the body and emphasising the variety of tones and shapes created, or taking the images outside, with an out of focus background, where the body part can be linked to the location somehow. I would like to experiment taking images in a audio with a black or white back drop. This is because I think the way Ribeiro captures the body in that environment, creates very elegant images overall. In addition to this I want to experiment more with using artificial light, as I would have
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Response
I only took a short amount of images, as I wanted to try and photograph as many lines and textures that I could create with my feet. The aim of this response was to just focus on one body type and try and take as many images of it, in different ways, without the photos becoming repetitive. This was purely an experimental task for myself, as I want to start focusing on creating lines shapes and textures i'm my images. I don't like the way these pictures turned out, as I don't think they are very interesting to look at, but it has made me want to narrow my idea and develop it more, by thinking more about those three formal elements.
Bill Brandt
Bill Brandt was a British photographer (born in Germany) who was most famously known for capturing British life in the 20th century. Brandt's work stood out to me, by the way he manipulates the a section of the body, to link with the location the image was taken. From these images of his below, I realise that many of his images are taken from a low angle, sometimes floor level. I'm interested that he decided to take the majority of these images outside, using natural light and a wide-angled camera. This would be quite technically difficult as most of these pictures at the beach were taken whilst it was raining and windy, however it looks as though, they were taken during sunny weather, because of the high contrasts in the images. I think I will find it harder to rely on natural light, as the weather is mostly cloudy. I would like to experiment using both natural and artificial light, to refine down my ideas and style of images. A solution to the weather problem would be to just use the flash, to really emphasise the tones, textures and shapes of the body. From the 1940's Brandt completely changed his style of photography, from capturing post-WW2 to the female body.
What I like about Brandt's work, that I didn't realise before, was that there is an element of chance within his images. Chance is included when taking the images, as he used for one set of images a wide-angle camera, which had a faulty lens, that would blur some parts of the image and over expose it, creating high contrasts.
What I like about Brandt's work, that I didn't realise before, was that there is an element of chance within his images. Chance is included when taking the images, as he used for one set of images a wide-angle camera, which had a faulty lens, that would blur some parts of the image and over expose it, creating high contrasts.
Response
Edited Images
These were my favourite images out of the set I had taken, because these images included the most texture and tones. These were the main I edited these images using iPhoto to put the images int black and white and changed the contrast, brightness and definition of the images. I decided to edit these images into black and white, as I wanted the tones within my pictures to come through clearly.
Further Edited Images
I decided to edit my images even more, as I realised that the formal elements I wanted to show in my images could be emphasised even more with heavier editing. Using iPhoto again, I turned my brightness down more on the images and exaggerated the contrast even more. I think this helped blend the body with the location together, as well as emphasising the tones and textures in the images, which I have always liked about the effect. I followed Brandt's theme, by photographing the body and also the location of the photograph
I took these images in different locations. I first took images in my garden in the evening, whilst it was raining. For these images I used the flash on my DSLR camera, because of this, it also captures the rain falling, which I think made the images more interesting, as it's not obvious that it was rain. The next location I photographed in, was in my local area, using my friends as models for the pictures. These images gave me more flexibility as I wasn't trying to photograph myself, so I could get my friends to pose in a wider variety of positions, than I could whilst photographing it. Photographing the body felt more as though I was creating a sculpture.
My next steps:
Start thinking about display strategies. I want to experiment with using these images and distorting them, by the
way they are displayed.
I would like to explore creating more abstract images, through further experimentation, using the set of images I have just created in my final outcomes. I want to do this as I really want my project to emphasise on textures and tones and after looking at this set of images, I realise that they include these two themes repeatedly in each image.
I took these images in different locations. I first took images in my garden in the evening, whilst it was raining. For these images I used the flash on my DSLR camera, because of this, it also captures the rain falling, which I think made the images more interesting, as it's not obvious that it was rain. The next location I photographed in, was in my local area, using my friends as models for the pictures. These images gave me more flexibility as I wasn't trying to photograph myself, so I could get my friends to pose in a wider variety of positions, than I could whilst photographing it. Photographing the body felt more as though I was creating a sculpture.
My next steps:
Start thinking about display strategies. I want to experiment with using these images and distorting them, by the
way they are displayed.
I would like to explore creating more abstract images, through further experimentation, using the set of images I have just created in my final outcomes. I want to do this as I really want my project to emphasise on textures and tones and after looking at this set of images, I realise that they include these two themes repeatedly in each image.
Box Sculpture Experimentation
Black & White Edits
I like the way these images came out, however I think there is too much going on in the images. I would like to do this experiment again, but not include as many materiels into the box construction, to make it less busy. On the other hand I do like how the images have been broken up, from different angles, as the layering of the image comes through strongly. In addition to this, I was very focused on the tones of the images, which came through very clearly and boldly. I love how some of the materials cast shadows over the projection from an angle, creating the majority of dark tones to the images. I decided to edit these images into black and white, as the original photos were mainly brown from the cardboard and slightly green from the camera capturing the projections on the material. I thought the colours in the original images were quite distracting and didn't focus on the textures and tones to the pictures.
My favourite images are the top and bottom right photos. This is because tey are the most simplistic out of the set, but still get through the textures and tones I was focusing for. Furthermore because of this, the original pictures are still unrecognisable. This experiment has made me want to layer my images in different ways, such as double exposure, or layering the images by printing images on top of each other.
My next steps: I want to create my own box construction or experiment more with the one I have already used. I don't want as much materials included in the box, to make it less busy. But the materials I do use, I would like to use different ones, to see how they look all together. I will also focus on taking my images from more of a variety of angles and close-ups, as my previous images were mostly taken from the same face on, eye level angle.
My favourite images are the top and bottom right photos. This is because tey are the most simplistic out of the set, but still get through the textures and tones I was focusing for. Furthermore because of this, the original pictures are still unrecognisable. This experiment has made me want to layer my images in different ways, such as double exposure, or layering the images by printing images on top of each other.
My next steps: I want to create my own box construction or experiment more with the one I have already used. I don't want as much materials included in the box, to make it less busy. But the materials I do use, I would like to use different ones, to see how they look all together. I will also focus on taking my images from more of a variety of angles and close-ups, as my previous images were mostly taken from the same face on, eye level angle.
Box Sculpture - Further Experimentation
Developing my first set of images, I re-created the construction box in which I projected my initial images onto. I decided to change a couple of the materials I used previously, as I wanted to experiment more, using paper. I used plain, coloured and tissue paper. I wanted to experiment with this, mainly because I wanted to see how crumples paper, could add more textures, where as before I had only thought about shapes and lines. I used less materials, to se what the outcomes would look like, more simplistically. I quite like the effect it gave on some image, especially the tongue and finger ones, as the body parts are still recognisable, however they have still been distorted by the projection onto different materials. I edited the majority of images in black and white, creating a higher contrast and more definition using iPhoto, where the images had become more pixelated. Although I left a couple of them in colour, without editing them, as some turned out quite colourful, but i'm not sure why. However I know for my final piece I would like the images in black and white, just because it emphasises the tones and their contrasts.
Final Images
Out of the two sets of images, using the box construction to project my images on, I picked my favourite images to use as my final piece. I wanted to use images from both sets of images as I liked how there was more going on in some, where as in others they were more simplistic. I want to create an abstract display, as I don't think the images would look good displayed naturally all together. I think this as each image is very different from one another, therefore if the viewer was looking at them as a set of images, I think there would be too much to look at, at once. Therefore I want to explore creating a collage of these images, whilst also sectioning off the images, to create an even more fragmented look, whilst still coming across quite simplistically.
Final Pieces
For my final pieces I really wanted the formal elements of line, shape and tones to come through clearly and I think I have been able to successfully accomplish this. To create my final piece I first got two sheets of A2 mount board and cut out geometric shapes, such as squares and rectangles. After I had done this I then printed out my final images from my 3D box sculpture. On one piece of mount board I randomly placed my printed images on the mount board and stuck them down with tape, so random parts of the images came through the cut outs in the mount board. On my second piece of mount board I thought about what sections of the images I wanted to come through and then stuck them down with tape also. I wanted to experiment with doing one randomly and the other having more thought put into, as I wanted to see how they would turn out. The final piece on the left is the one where I specifically placed the images in certain position, and the final piece on the right it the randomly places images. I like the slight contrast between the two, as the outcome of the randomly placed images has repetition with the images, whereas the other one has more variation, as I specifically wanted different sections of images to come through.
Furthermore another think I really like about my final pieces is how fragmented they look, not only from the cut outs, but also from the images themselves. If I had only displayed my box sculpture final images as they were, I don't think they would've worked well together as a set, as there would be too much going on in the images. Therefore by placing them behind the mount board, it cuts up the images for me so it's easier for the viewers to view my final pieces, without being too overwhelmed.