As a fourth and final plan for my project, I will capture my friends, my two closest friends. As a three, as well as one to one, I believe that we share a very unique friendship that I am very dependent on. Therefore I feel that it is essential to include this element of my life within a project that I am attempting to make personal to my upbringing.

Despite the fact that my family play a huge role within my life, my friends are my immediate go to if a problem or issue phases me. In terms of my environment and change within this, my friendships formed have helped me to overcomes my greatest of problems and in turn have reconstructed how I view and perceive various things.

Within this shoot, I plan to simply photograph our routine, which consists of driving around, visiting each others houses and sitting around talking about everything and anything. This may sound boring to most, or nothing different from what any other teenagers would do, but to us it is something we all need and takes our mind on anything else we may have going on at the time.

As a third inclusion to my project, I plan to incorporate the relationship I share with my girlfriend. In order to replicate this through photography, I intent to venture on a walk, photographing the process and how she acts around me.

Of course being with someone means that a large proportion of my time is devoted to this one person, therefore my world and environment is altered drastically. My routine has become much more different, from when I was younger and completely uninterested in girls, all I wanted to do was skate and see my friends. Whereas more recently I would be happy to simply go on a walk and take some photos.

 

 

 

My second area of exploration within my project is my previous involvement with skateboarding. In order to explore this, I again want to retrieve archival content, although create my own new images and shoots in the process.

I used to spend countless hours filming skateboarding in order to create videos, as well as being filmed for others personal projects. This was such an important part of my life for many years and I wish to involve this in my project by recreating some old footage of myself into new video.

Alongside this I plan to photograph one or two of the guys I used to skate with in an up to date shoot. I will focus less on the skateboarding itself, but more so the lifestyle that comes with it and the passion we all once shared. I would also like to create a short video of the day itself, maybe of a trick attempted.

 

This shoot was inspired by Theo Gosselins photographs of the guy in the sea, the initial idea was to go deep in the sea and go swimming, however this didn’t quite go to plan as it was too cold.

I love this photograph as he’s pointing at the sea, which indicates what he’s about to do, as he’s topless underneath his jumper. This photograph reminds me of Theo Gosselins work as the foreground is very detailed and clear and the background is very out of focus, therefore using the depth of field, by having a wider aperture.  For this photograph I purposely used the natural lighting to benefit my photograph, therefore the highlights of his face and hair are lit up nicely.

For the photograph below, I edited it in a way where there was a huge contrast, therefore making the skin stand out and the use of his facial expression, which is important for the mood of the photograph. The natural lighting has also created a split lighting effect on the model face which is a technique that produces a sense of drama to a portrait, it is a way to add a unique look and feel to a photograph. The sense of drama displayed in the photograph by the use of split lighting works nicely, as his facial expressions are vert dramatic as well, as if indicating he does not want to go in the sea as it’s too cold. The model is the main aspect of the photograph, as I’ve used the rule of third so he is the center focus. Also the use of the dark clothing makes his flesh stand out more, and makes him stand out more against the over exposed background.

 

I love this photograph because it really captures the mood, in my chosen environment, how I like to surround myself with positive people, as shown by his facial expressions. This photograph works well as it’s over exposed and in black and white which makes him stand out more and for the viewer not to be distracted by the background. The use of the slight blurred effect represents the movement and energy of the photograph, which wouldn’t be represented in a still image shot. Also the way I have cropped and positioned the camera close to the models face, represents how personal I am with the model, and reflects the emotion behind the photograph.

The composition works well in this photograph as the white wash of the water allows his body to stand out against it. Therefore drawing the viewers eyes immediately to the main subject in the photograph, which is him. I also like the movement behind this photograph, how he’s running into the water and the water reflection on the sand shows the movement of the sea, which reflects the energy behind the picture.

Personally for this photograph I would have preferred if the buildings weren’t in the background as I find they’re a bit distracting and take away from the model in the sea. I also think it makes it not look as adventurous and as remote as i’d of liked it to look, however by taking this photograph it made me try different compositions  and angles where the buildings wouldn’t be as distracting.

For this photograph I used the rule of third, to make sure he was the focus of the picture. I like the whole body language of the model in this photograph as you can tell he’s extremely cold, which is reflected by the cold surroundings. However he’s still happy, which makes the picture look carefree as he doesn’t care about the consequences as long as it’s fun and exciting, which is what I’m trying to get across with my images as I’m showing my youthful life through the emotions and environments of those around me.

For the image below I wanted to capture the emotional environment I surrounded myself in, so I referred back to the quote;

“When you photograph people in color you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in B&W, you photograph their souls.” Ted Grant

This is why I chose to edit this in black and white as it is capturing the souls of the people I like to surround myself in, in my own environment and also the environments I choose to be in.

In the pictures below I wanted to keep referring back to Theo Gosselin  and the way he uses a lot of blue and brown tones to make it look almost surreal or dream like, so I edited mine exaggerating these tones.

These photos below remind me of Jacob Sobol’s photographs of Sabine, how they’re quite personal and up close. The use of black and white and being over exposed and out of focus, is very similar to the style of Sobols shoots of Sabine, except Sobol uses flash and I chose to appreciate the natural lighting. Referring back to other artists which I’ve analysed I remembered Corinne Days famous quote;

“When a relationship forms between the subject and the photographer, a natural interaction takes place making the images more intimate. ” Corinne Day. 

I believe this quote is very true as the model felt as if he was comfortable enough to act like this in front of the camera due to mine and his close relationship, whereas perhaps if he wasn’t as close with me(the photograph) the photographs wouldn’t have had the same amount of intimacy.

For this shoot I was pleased it was windy this day, as it helped give character to the photographs.

The photograph below is in the style of fashion photography. This is due to the towel being so clear in comparison to the rest of the photograph, it make’s it stand out, and therefore focusing on what he’s wearing.

I took these photographs below, as Theo Gosselin represents his life in a van on a road trip, and the model was getting changed in the van so I thought the link with the artist reference corresponded nicely. The images below reminded me of the quote;

“My pictures were always misunderstood as having a sexual theme.” Nan Goldin. 

The reason my images below remind me off that quote is because he’s getting changed, therefore linking to nudity, which makes the viewer think sexually. However, I did not shoot these images with the attention of being provocative, they were taken innocently after going for the swim. He was putting the clothes on, not taking them off, therefore I see it differently to having a sexual theme, whereas perhaps the viewer wouldn’t.

In the photograph below, it was an accident that I left the florescent jacket in the background, however I think it actually works because the viewers eyes are immediately drawn to it and because his legs and boxers are in front of it, it makes you realize straight away that he’s getting changed. Which is what I wanted to be the main subject of the photograph, as it shows how comfortable he is in front of me.

I love these two photographs as a gallery as they’re taken one after the other, going to pick up the towel and then picking it up. These two work well together because as he bends down his eyes are the main subject, and then coming back up it’s his smile,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first plan for my project, was not to initially start doing my own shoots, but to collect numerous archival photographs of myself as a baby. The reason for including this element of work within my project, is to create a more personal body of work, that is almost like a coming of age. Once I collect enough photographs, I will digitize them and refine them in order to create the impression of an original photograph, that can be fully incorporated within my project.