Task One: The Conversation
The intentions of this first task were to create a conversation between the same person and sometimes the conversation tells the story of a narrative. At first, we were given 5 images to experiment with, then we went and took our own photos to experiment. This task links to the title 'secrets, codes and conventions' as it demonstrates different codes of behaviour.
In this task I was required to use photoshop to edit an image to look like a conversations using only one person. This was my fist attempt using photos that someone else had taken. In my second attempt I used photos of my classmate that I had taken myself. My intensions for this task was to show different codes of behaviour. This task links to the exam theme as I was looking at codes of behaviour and codes is part of the title.
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WWW- I managed to create two images giving the effect of the same person appearing multiple times in one photograph. I managed Photoshop well in order to do so
EBI- I tried this technique out a few more times to perfect the style as in the second one with the photos i took myself as i used the feathering tool too much and the image didn't look completely opaque.
EBI- I tried this technique out a few more times to perfect the style as in the second one with the photos i took myself as i used the feathering tool too much and the image didn't look completely opaque.
Link artist- Paul Smith:
Paul M Smith: A British artist who explored the convention of the 'team photo' and the 'Night Out' in the 1990s- Photos often taken by the group of boys which he took to be anything but spontaneous. 'Night Out' was intentionally a record of a very 'laddish' night out- Paul used a similar technical method to his project 'team photo' combined with the use of multiple self portraits. He uses the same person multiple times to create an image of multiple people being in the same photo.
Task 2: Exhibition visit
Andreas Gursky is driven by an interest and insight into 'the way that the world is constituted', as well as what he describes as 'the pure joy of seeing'. Gursky creates photographs that are not just deceptions of places or situations, but reflections on the nature of image-making and the limits of human perception. His photos are often taken from a high vantage point and these photos make us of 'democratic' perspective the gives equal importance to all elements of his highly detailed scenes.
An interesting aspect to Gursky's photography is that he looks into different conventions across the globe to get in touch with culture and nature as a dual force. He has developed a skill fro constructing amazing photographs in which there unpredictable clarity is made more clear by bold physical existence.
An interesting aspect to Gursky's photography is that he looks into different conventions across the globe to get in touch with culture and nature as a dual force. He has developed a skill fro constructing amazing photographs in which there unpredictable clarity is made more clear by bold physical existence.
All Gursky's photos have an intriguing colour scheme and a reoccurring theme in Gursky's photographs are the super-saturated colours and Everything is in equal focus, every photograph holds more than the eye can see. That they are not real is surely obvious at first glance.
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Like in this photograph, you think there are just golden balls at first but looking closer you can see the dark water at the bottom with reflections of the golden balls. You can even see a person at the bottom; this I just one example go Gursky's photos that hold more then what you first see.
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For this task we visited the Gursky exhibition and walked around south bank. Below are the selects and edits from the trip.
WWW- The photographs i decided to capture were things that I found interesting and appealing and also things that fitted the title. For example, the padlock reflects the title 'secrets'.
EBI- I should have taken more photographs and also experimented more with ISO so the photographs had better lighting and so some didn't come out so dark resulting in her having to edit them a lot.
EBI- I should have taken more photographs and also experimented more with ISO so the photographs had better lighting and so some didn't come out so dark resulting in her having to edit them a lot.
Task 3: Secret locations-bomb sites
The 75th anniversary of “The Longest Night” is approaching in the United kingdom. This was the final horrible night of the Blitz—an eight-month-long aerial bombing offensive launched by Nazi Germany during World War II. More than 40,000 British civilians were killed in the Blitz, 1.5 million Londoners were left homeless, and the city’s landscape was left shattered.
Therefore in this task I walked around the area Muswell Hill and took photos of places that had been bombed in world war 2. I used the website below the find exact locations that had been bombed to take photos.
Therefore in this task I walked around the area Muswell Hill and took photos of places that had been bombed in world war 2. I used the website below the find exact locations that had been bombed to take photos.
Link Artist: Jim Dyson
Jim Dyson recently traveled to locations across London to make comparisons between scenes from the Blitz and present-day images, laying one on top of the other. He took photos of locations in London that were bombed during the war in world war two and edited old photos from the war of the same location on top of them.
My photos:
Below are the selects from this task. These were taken in Muswell Hill.
In this task I discovered that there are multiple bomb sites in many areas that you would not necessarily expect or notice exist.
WWW- The sites I photographed were clear bomb site locations in the sense that I captured big gaps between houses and places such as the roundabout that had replaced the clear space where a bomb hit in world war two.
EBI- I went to different locations to photograph bomb sites to get a sense of different aspects that have been out in replacement. The top two photos are also very bright so I could have managed the aperture and ISO more effectively.
WWW- The sites I photographed were clear bomb site locations in the sense that I captured big gaps between houses and places such as the roundabout that had replaced the clear space where a bomb hit in world war two.
EBI- I went to different locations to photograph bomb sites to get a sense of different aspects that have been out in replacement. The top two photos are also very bright so I could have managed the aperture and ISO more effectively.
Hidden from normal view:
In this task I was required to take photographs of things hidden from normal view. Therefore I walked around my local area photographing places such as hidden alleyways, garages and doors. I needed to consider the light, colour and texture could create atmosphere. It was a bright day when i took the photographs so it was important i controlled my exposure and had a lower ISO in order for my photos not to be overly bright.
Link Artist: Gilles Coulon is a French artist famous for his project 'White Night', first worked on in 2000 during a journey across Niger. This was a photographic research project on light bulbs, photographed in hap hazard situations around the world, carried out over a period of four years. This documentary is now presented in a book published in 2005 by the Steidl Editions. In this project Coulon takes photographs of hidden places that invite you to imagine the atmosphere of different parts of the city and of each spot lit place. Each photograph inspires the viewer to look at very familiar and unfamiliar places in a new light.
Link Artist: Gilles Coulon is a French artist famous for his project 'White Night', first worked on in 2000 during a journey across Niger. This was a photographic research project on light bulbs, photographed in hap hazard situations around the world, carried out over a period of four years. This documentary is now presented in a book published in 2005 by the Steidl Editions. In this project Coulon takes photographs of hidden places that invite you to imagine the atmosphere of different parts of the city and of each spot lit place. Each photograph inspires the viewer to look at very familiar and unfamiliar places in a new light.
My Photos:
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task 4
For this task I was required to take photos of different plants or interesting things in the dark. I had to experiment with ISO and flash. In this case I set my ISO to the highest setting so my photos were brights. I went round I local area and took photos of different plants and flowers that i thought were appealing or interesting.
WWW- I really liked the photos that I captured and I think the flash and high ISO created an interesting effect as it caused a blacked out background. I also think the contrast between the properly exposed subject, bright colours and the dark background created very interesting and appealing photographs.
EBI- I experimented more with distance from the subject as all my photographs where very close up. Maybe also if i tried different photos with the ISO not on the highest setting to see the different outcomes.
EBI- I experimented more with distance from the subject as all my photographs where very close up. Maybe also if i tried different photos with the ISO not on the highest setting to see the different outcomes.
Glitch:
In this task I was required to take a series of photos of my classmates and glitch them by using 'Audacity' and 'text edit' to alter their reality.
Task one link artist: Mathieu St-Pierre
Mathieu St-Pierre is a Canadian experimental visual artist, specialising the fields of photography, art and video but specifically in glitch art. St-Pierre did a series called 'melting ice cream' in 2012 where the artist experimented with the video editing programme sony vegas. St-Pierre was responsible for making the Facebook group, Glitch Artists Collective, which has over 50,000 members. It is the largest Glitch Artists community ever created and houses sub-communities for glitch music and technical support for other artists. Glitch art is about using digital or analog errors for aesthetic purposes. You can do it by corrupting digital data or physically manipulating electronic devices.
Task one link artist: Mathieu St-Pierre
Mathieu St-Pierre is a Canadian experimental visual artist, specialising the fields of photography, art and video but specifically in glitch art. St-Pierre did a series called 'melting ice cream' in 2012 where the artist experimented with the video editing programme sony vegas. St-Pierre was responsible for making the Facebook group, Glitch Artists Collective, which has over 50,000 members. It is the largest Glitch Artists community ever created and houses sub-communities for glitch music and technical support for other artists. Glitch art is about using digital or analog errors for aesthetic purposes. You can do it by corrupting digital data or physically manipulating electronic devices.
AUDACITY:
Below are the steps I used to create my glitch images on the programme Audacity.
TEXT EDIT:
These are the steps i used to create my glitch images on the programme Text Edit:
WWW- I really liked some of my final glitch photos and found it interesting what different colours would occur when experimenting with different glitch effects on audacity.
EBI- I took photos of more people to get more of a variety of photographs and maybe took some more photos out of the studio. Also I should have experimented more with text edit as i didn't like the final outcome as much as when i used audacity, maybe because i din't change enough of the text.
EBI- I took photos of more people to get more of a variety of photographs and maybe took some more photos out of the studio. Also I should have experimented more with text edit as i didn't like the final outcome as much as when i used audacity, maybe because i din't change enough of the text.
Dark room glitch
In this task I used enlarger to expose photo paper to white light. I manipulated the acetate over the photo paper to achieve striking pictures. I had to experiment with the exposure time as i only needed to expose it for around 1-2 seconds. In the first photo i used a paintbrush to pour and drip the developer onto the photo so it only revealed parts of the image and gave an interesting and glitched effect. In the second image,i developed it normally I had to experiment with the exposure time as i only needed to expose it for around 1-2 seconds. In the third image i distorted the photo on acetate with my fingers by squishing the photo together before exposing it to create a distorted effect. This task linked to the title as it is the idea of changing the convention of the photos.
WWW- The first photo is my favourite where i dripped the developer on. I really liked the final effect and think it looked really interesting. I left the developer on a good amount of the before putting it in the next chemical.
EBI- I distorted the last photo more or did some other attempts as the face didn't look as distorted as i would have liked.
EBI- I distorted the last photo more or did some other attempts as the face didn't look as distorted as i would have liked.
Hidden Beauty, perfection in the inperfect
In this task I was required to create a series of images that create beauty out of the everyday objects that would usually be viewed as ugly or not seen as beautiful. I chose to photograph used cigarettes like the link artist, Irving Penn. This task links tot he theme 'Secrets, Codes and conventions' as the convention of the cigarette is changed and seen as something beautiful instead of something ugly that potentially kills you.
Irving Penn
Penn's approach to still life evolved over decades; from the 1930s onwards, he arranged everyday objects to make assemblages, which went beyond their origins and original purpose to become conceptual works of art. In the case of his project of cigarettes Penn literally found his subjects on the street. He brought them into his studio to create these minimalist creations, he transformed one of the most consumed and deathly products of consumer society into a symbolic representation of contemporary culture. By printing his cigarette project in the 'platinum palladium process', Penn also raised each image to the status of a 'rare' object; many of his important images were printed in platinum, which is the most difficult and demanding photographic technique. The soft, broad, tonal ranges and gentle contrasts highlight the nature of the original objects also emphasising their material characteristics.
My selected photos:
Edits:
WWW- i manged to get photos of an everyday object considering the work of Irving Penn to make the object appear to have more meaning and beauty.
EBI- i photographed other objects to explore the intentions of the link artist more and some of the images were a bit blurry/ out of focus.
EBI- i photographed other objects to explore the intentions of the link artist more and some of the images were a bit blurry/ out of focus.
Compromises:
In this task I was required to, using the images taken in the previous task and the work of Robertson, experiment in the darkroom using different paper and artistic techniques. The paper provided was old and may have have unexpected outcomes when developed. As well as developing the image i had to try exposing certain parts of the paper to light and different chemicals as a way of showing experimentation. i also had to experiment with different coloured dyes to create the effect that Mariah Robertson uses.
Mariah Robertson
Mariah Robertson takes advantage of creative opportunities to explore the relationship between unforeseen elements and the image captured by the camera. She used 'flaws' the photographs and imperfections such as: dust marks, light leaks and scratches that would traditionally be seen as blemishes that impede a photograph’s depiction of reality. However, Roberson uses these to her advantage, demonstrated in one of her famous works '11'.
Both a photograph and a sculpture, 11 is made on a single roll of commercially available photographic paper, one hundred feet long and thirty inches wide. Robertson makes her pictures using analog darkroom processes—combining and enlarging negatives, placing objects directly on the paper and then exposing them, dripping or painting chemicals onto the paper, and exposing it to colored gels and to other lights
Both a photograph and a sculpture, 11 is made on a single roll of commercially available photographic paper, one hundred feet long and thirty inches wide. Robertson makes her pictures using analog darkroom processes—combining and enlarging negatives, placing objects directly on the paper and then exposing them, dripping or painting chemicals onto the paper, and exposing it to colored gels and to other lights
My response:
WWW- My images express my intention which was to use the blemishes created by different techniques such as chemicals in the dark room and create appealing images with them in the style of Mariah Robertson. I liked the appearance of my final photographs and thought the different coloured dyes added to the aesthetically pleasing effect of using imperfections to my advantage.
EBI- I could have done some more abstract pieces to experiment more in the style of Roberson.
EBI- I could have done some more abstract pieces to experiment more in the style of Roberson.
Three strands.
Strand one: insecurities
In this first stand i wanted to look indirectly at insecurity. Not demonstrated directly in the photographs but insecurity of the photographer channeled though beautiful photos and people people. This links to the exam theme as insecurities are normally something that you don't share openly and hide. This relates to the idea os 'secrets'.
Chloe Sheppard.
Chloe Sheppard is a 20 year old photographer who expresses the importance of 'the female gaze' and why gender should never determine one's art in one of her projects 'sad girls on film'. She talks about the female gaze as reclaiming what's ours (women). She talk about how for so long we've been told how to behave, how to look and how to live according to men. She channels her feelings of insecurity and not being able to live up to expectations in her photography.
She photographs in a gallery space designed to replicate her own bedroom. Tired of seeing her images on screens the exhibition serves as a new medium for the beautiful 70s style photography. Her photographs are dreamy and nostalgic with undertones of melancholy. She says in an interview: “As I’ve grown older my photography has become a way of helping me deal with my own insecurities, I feel like with my own appearance I can’t put out anything aesthetically/conventionally beautiful into the world, so being able to create that within my photographs has made me feel less worthless I suppose. My whole life I’ve always felt like some kind of outsider, and when I look at my photographs I feel like I’ve created the world I would’ve pictured myself being a part of." She simply creates, through her angelic photos with a pastel colour theme, a 'place [she] would rather be'. She also has work in which she writes different lines from sections of her diary on, next to or over her photographs linking to the idea of insecurities and her feeling 'like an outsider'.
Chloe Sheppar's other well known project is called 'Lust For Life' where she photographs topless girls with glitter breasts and electric eye makeup. The purpose for this is to try and make girls feel more confident in themselves; she had a vision of a young girl looking through her photos and understanding that they way she looks is totally fine. This project started by the photographer seeing a photo up on Oyster mag of a girl with breasts you normally don’t see in mainstream media. Sheppard immediately knew she wanted to create more pictures like that, to spread the message to insecure woman that their bodies are good too and that they don’t need to be ashamed for it.
She photographs in a gallery space designed to replicate her own bedroom. Tired of seeing her images on screens the exhibition serves as a new medium for the beautiful 70s style photography. Her photographs are dreamy and nostalgic with undertones of melancholy. She says in an interview: “As I’ve grown older my photography has become a way of helping me deal with my own insecurities, I feel like with my own appearance I can’t put out anything aesthetically/conventionally beautiful into the world, so being able to create that within my photographs has made me feel less worthless I suppose. My whole life I’ve always felt like some kind of outsider, and when I look at my photographs I feel like I’ve created the world I would’ve pictured myself being a part of." She simply creates, through her angelic photos with a pastel colour theme, a 'place [she] would rather be'. She also has work in which she writes different lines from sections of her diary on, next to or over her photographs linking to the idea of insecurities and her feeling 'like an outsider'.
Chloe Sheppar's other well known project is called 'Lust For Life' where she photographs topless girls with glitter breasts and electric eye makeup. The purpose for this is to try and make girls feel more confident in themselves; she had a vision of a young girl looking through her photos and understanding that they way she looks is totally fine. This project started by the photographer seeing a photo up on Oyster mag of a girl with breasts you normally don’t see in mainstream media. Sheppard immediately knew she wanted to create more pictures like that, to spread the message to insecure woman that their bodies are good too and that they don’t need to be ashamed for it.
I was inspired by this Photographer and decided to take my own photos in the style of her work. Furthermore, i took a series of photos of my friend In my Bedroom with lots of white shades and pastel colours. I also took photos with a light blue backdrop and some with glitter in the style of Chloe Sheppard. These photos link to the theme 'secrets, codes and conventions' As the idea behind Sheppard's work is women's insecurities and desires which relates to secrecy and hiding our insecurities and desires. My images express my intensions to recreate some of Sheppard's work and create a angelic vibe to capture the idea of creating a perfect world, almost dream like, linking to the idea of hidden desires.
My photos:
Selects and Edits:
WWW- I think the photos mirror the work of Chloe Sheppard. I also managed the ISO well to catch the bright colour of the blue background.
EBI- The subject I chose to photograph didn't directly link to the project title 'Secrets, codes and conventions' even thought the message behind it was involving insecurities and desires. Next time i should shoot the photos earlier in the day so I don't have to use the flash which makes the photos look a bit harsh.
EBI- The subject I chose to photograph didn't directly link to the project title 'Secrets, codes and conventions' even thought the message behind it was involving insecurities and desires. Next time i should shoot the photos earlier in the day so I don't have to use the flash which makes the photos look a bit harsh.
part 2- second strand
For my second strand I was inspired by the same Artist (Chloe Sheppard) and her collages in which she sticks writing from magazines on and writes sections from her diary. This subject matter also links to the title, secrets, as the quotes from her diary link to hidden feelings and emotions. My composition helped to support my response to the theme as the collages created a scrap book type effect which also links to the idea of a diary and hidden thoughts and feelings. Next time I think I should take more of a variety of photos and even travel to different locations to make the collages more interesting. I could even have done some coloured collages for variety.
Final collages:
WWW- I liked the appearance of the final collages and think they mirrored some of the work of Chloe Sheppard with elements my own personal style.
EBI- I wish i took more photos to print and stick on the collage instead of using some of the same photographs. I could have also tried some in colour to experiment.
EBI- I wish i took more photos to print and stick on the collage instead of using some of the same photographs. I could have also tried some in colour to experiment.
strand 3
Link Artist: Henrietta Harris
Harris's paintings often involved portraiture with a departure into the surreal with faces skilfully obscured and misplaced by the clean sweep of a brushstroke. She primarily works with watercolour paint on paper. Her portraiture is often distorted and in her project 'FIXED IT' she covers her very optically realistic portraits with very thick pastel paint. This creates the distorted effect by covering most of the face. The idea accumulated from Harris loving to delete, obscure and do unexpected things to portraiture. Her carefully crafted painted come with an element of surprise and her experimentation with oil paint brushstrokes across the expressions of her delicate subjects composes a surreal conflict left for audiences to interpret.
I was inspired by this artist and decided to try my own version of her work. This links to the title 'secrets, codes and conventions' because it is to do with distortion and changing the convention of the photo. In order to mirror Harris's work I took some portraits of my classmates on a blue backdrop in the studio. I then printed them out on normal a4 paper and painted over their faces with oil paint in the style of Henrietta Harris. However my work differs from Harris's as her portraits were painted but mine were printed photographs of the head-shots i took.
My Response:
WWW- I thought that the head-shots were nice of my classmates and that i managed the lighting in the studio well. I even experimented with ISO in the studio by turning the lighting down with a higher ISO to see the different outcomes. EBI- I should have taken photos of more people and from different angles to get more of a variety. Also, getting the clean sweep with the brush strokes was challenging and many of the final outcomes didn't go to plan so i should have printed more photos and experimented with the brush strokes too see what looked appealing. |
Developing first stand-focusing directly on insecurities.
Developing my first strand i wanted to change my focus slightly, away from secret insecurities of the photographer channelled through 'beautiful' and authentically pleasing photographs (like Chloe Sheppard), to looking directly at other peoples insecurities. I was inspired to do this development by Gillian Wearing. Gillian Wearing is a Turner Prize winner who produces candid photographs revealing the disconnect between our inner lives and public personas, the individual and society and truth and fiction. Inspired by things such as documentaries and reality television, Wearing describes her approach as 'editing life'.
One of her most famous works is 'signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say (1902-93). and in this project she stopped hundreds of strangers on the street in London and asked them to write whatever they wished on a white piece of card and photographed them. Like all of Wearing's work, the portraits in this series convey the startling, unsettling divide between one's outside appearance and innermost self.
One of her most famous works is 'signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say (1902-93). and in this project she stopped hundreds of strangers on the street in London and asked them to write whatever they wished on a white piece of card and photographed them. Like all of Wearing's work, the portraits in this series convey the startling, unsettling divide between one's outside appearance and innermost self.
This image is interesting as there is a man in a business suit holding up a sign that says 'i'm desperate'. This makes the observer curious and wonder what the desperation is for.
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In this photo there is a young woman and her sign says 'my grip on life is rather loose'. this is intriguing as it's quite direct and profound. |
I think this is the most interesting photo in the project. There is a police man who wrote 'HELP' on the white card. This leaves so much room for interpretation of the photo. As policemen are typically known to help people which is ironic as he is holding a sign that says help. |
My response differs slightly in subject matter from Gillian Wearing's work. This is because Wearing's work doesn't directly focus on insecurities as she wasn't as specific when she asked people to write on the white piece of card; she asked them to write anything, a thought, emotion, secret. As she had an interest in persuading people to disclose their private thoughts. This links directly to the title (secrets). However when i was inspired to replicate Wearing's work i asked people to write a direct insecurity of something they didn't like about themselves which left limited responses. Furthermore,
this development links to the title 'Secrets,Codes and Conventions' as the idea i have chosen to focus on (insecurities) is related to the 'secrets' section of the title. This is because most of the insecurities we have, we hide or keep a secret and we are not open about things we are insecure about or don't like about ourselves.
this development links to the title 'Secrets,Codes and Conventions' as the idea i have chosen to focus on (insecurities) is related to the 'secrets' section of the title. This is because most of the insecurities we have, we hide or keep a secret and we are not open about things we are insecure about or don't like about ourselves.
I shot the photographs below on Tottenham court road. I asked some people on the street to write down an insecurity they had or something they didn't like about themselves and took i a photo. Some people wrote a physical insecurity others wrote an emotional one or a phobia they had. he woman above was from Germany and said that she didn't like how she was scared of flying planes. She wrote in German that she had a fear of flights.
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The two people above and below were a couple from spain. The woman wrote in spanish that she feels that she is too much of a perfectionist. And the man wrote that he feels like he's a disaster.
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After taking photos of random people I had never met before i decided to ask people who I know or indirectly know. The photos below are taken of my friends Grandmother who said she was insecure about her eyebrows which never grew back after she shaved them off as a child.
Then i photographed my friends. I found that people i knew wrote more personal and physical things they didn't like about themselves.
Then i photographed my friends. I found that people i knew wrote more personal and physical things they didn't like about themselves.
WWW- I got a range of responses from different people about their insecurities and mirrored the work of Gillian Wearing successfully . I also managed my ISO well as it was a bright day when i took the photographs so i set my ISO to a fairly low level so the photos didn't come out too bright.
EBI- If i traveled to some other locations to get more variety of different people's answers and to get some more interesting photographs.
EBI- If i traveled to some other locations to get more variety of different people's answers and to get some more interesting photographs.
Second development
Developing my strand further I wanted to look closer at peoples insecurities and photographing them. However I also wanted to look at what people like about themselves as well as what they don't like.
Kelsey Higley
I was inspired by the photographer Kasey Higley for this strand. Higley's photo project "body Image" tackles those feeling of insecurity and issues related to body image and self consciousness in a interesting and appealing way. Higley is a photographer and video artist who got her BFA from the universe of Oklahoma. She focuses her work on issues of feminism, gender equality and body image. With this project "body Image' she shifted her focus purely on to this issue of body image and the expectations of what people think they should look like. She photographed her models in a straight on portrait; then photographed what the models told her were the favourite things about themselves and the least favourite thing. She then placed both photos either side of the portrait. This project intended to show that, while everyone has their insecurities, they are not as obvious as we think.
I was interested in the idea of our insecurities not being obvious to other people despite being such a big deal to us. In response to Higley's work I photographed my family and peers in the same way, asking them what they loved about themselves and what they didn't like about themselves. However some of my photos weren't taken in the studio with a black backdrop therefore didn't have the same effect. I also could have prioritised my Iso better instead of using flash for the some of the photos.
The following photos I took of my family against a white wall in garden.
I thought the photos would turn out better and mirror Higley's more if they were taken in the studio with better lighting so I wouldn't have to use flash.
So these are the photographs that I took in the studio and edited in black and white:
So these are the photographs that I took in the studio and edited in black and white:
WWW- I think the second set of photos I took worked well in black and white and looked similar to the link artist's work. I think the lighting was good and prioritised the ISO well so the lighting was effective.
EBI- I kept some photographs with colour as well to experiment with my work in a wider range.
Third development.
For this development I wanted to look into glorifying insecurities and make them look beautiful and even disguise then so you can't identify what they are making them seem like a positive aspect of our bodies rather then a negative thing.
Ashvini Ray
Berlin-based photographer Ashvini Ray sees beauty in the details of the human body. Her abstract photographs zooming in on different parts of the Human Body illustrate the beauty of in the small details of the human body. These contracted black and white photographs addressing the beauty in little things inspired me to take photographs unbracing out insecurities and attempting to make then look appealing. There’s abstract in her organic subjects, and it’s hard to tell if what we’re seeing are the images of a person’s ear, palm or collar bone, since Ashvini sands off the textures to obscure the true nature of the photographs. In doing so, her photographs draw viewers in to ponder the everyday things we often overlook – and the fact that these “things” essentially make up who we are. I was interested in this idea of making these body parts hard to distinguish and thought it would be interesting to try a similar thing will close up photos of peoples insecurities so they dint seem like a negative aspect of your body.
Edits.
WWW- i liked how some of my edits were made abstract so you couldn't always tell what part of the body it was. This is interesting and looked unique. I liked how I took the work of Ashvini Ray and replicated it using my own motive of making the insecurities abstract so they don't seem like something negative.
EBI-i tried some photos attempting to make the insecurities look more appealing not making them unidentifiable.
EBI-i tried some photos attempting to make the insecurities look more appealing not making them unidentifiable.
Fourth development
First Link Artist- Lauren Marek
Lauren Marek's unique photography project 'pieces' inspired me for my next development. In this projects she takes various macro shots of a person and then sizes each one to fit into a single grid photo featuring 9 shots. I was interested in Marek's work as many of the photographs within her collages are quite abstract and you can't tell what body part the photograph is of. There was also some photographs that didn't look particularly appealing, embracing the little things about the human body.
Below are some of my photos; I asked my peers and family what their insecurities were and attempted to photograph them in a way that made them not look so ugly. The purpose of this was because a lot of people insecurities were so small that other people wouldn't see them as negative. For example my younger sister said that she didn't like her chin and thought her forehead was too hairy which were both things that were unnoticed by other people.
Above is the first collage that i created which closely reflects the work of Lauren Marek. In this first collage my intension was to try and glorify people's insecurities and the fairly bright, white lighting helped to do so. However, I decided that i wanted to develop it into more of my own style.
Therefore when creating the collages bellow I decided that rather then trying to glorify people's insecurities I wanted to try and embrace them no matter how unappealing they look. I did this by adjusting the contrast and levels on photoshop before cropping the photos to make a lot of them unidentifiable and abstract.
Therefore when creating the collages bellow I decided that rather then trying to glorify people's insecurities I wanted to try and embrace them no matter how unappealing they look. I did this by adjusting the contrast and levels on photoshop before cropping the photos to make a lot of them unidentifiable and abstract.
WWW- I think the collages that are embracing insecurities are very interesting in how a lot of the images are very abstract.
EBI- I wan't to expand on this abstract style in my final piece as i find it really interesting how i can make an insecurity not seem negative and so significant, sometimes so much so that you can't even recognise what it is. I also think it would have been a good idea to try and mirror Lauren Marek's work in black and white to experiment more.
EBI- I wan't to expand on this abstract style in my final piece as i find it really interesting how i can make an insecurity not seem negative and so significant, sometimes so much so that you can't even recognise what it is. I also think it would have been a good idea to try and mirror Lauren Marek's work in black and white to experiment more.
Final piece development.
For my final piece I wanted to include lots of abstract body images. I also wanted to expand on this and look into how i could make them look more beautiful rather then something to loathe.
Here are some selected images of photographs I took as development for my final piece:
Selects for final piece:
Maurizio Anzeri
For my final piece i was inspired by the artist Mauritzo Anzeri who uses embroidery over his portraits. Mauritzo says that he is interested in everything a photograph represents. When travelling, he visits flea markets and collects photographs that are later transformed into pieces of art. His portraits maintain the quality of a photograph but then start to become three-dimensional something that prompted him to invent the term: ''photo-sculpture''. It is this three-dimensional element, achieved through embroidery and the form of intervention it brings that transforms the portraits into photo-sculptures.
I was inspired by this artist however my idea for my final piece differed in motive as my intension in using this embroidery technique was to use the bright colours and pattern as a way of glorifying people insecurities. I practiced sewing techniques such as french knots and chain stitches in order to create images in which the main focus point isn't the insecurity but also the stitches sewn on top of the photograph. My work was also different from Anzeri's as he uses masses of embroidery over his portrait. Not only did i use mostly abstract body photos instead of portraits but i also had fewer stitches as i didn't wan't the embroidery to completely take away focus from the image.