These photographs below are the result of planning my next two shoots carefully as well as exploring the beautiful examples created by fashion photographer, Matthew Lyn. I decided to begin with this self-portraiture / head-shot shoot because I didn’t need to rely on any models at the time and created this in my bedroom using the materials I had on hand. The symbolism I am hoping to show, with this idea of using plastic waste in the studio, is the problem of plastic being used for everything (filling our surroundings), the effect it has on animals and marine life, as well as our connections to this issue.

To complete this shoot I set up a makeshift studio in my bedroom by hanging a black sheet up on the wall and using a large desk lamp for artificial lighting. As you can see below in my contact sheet of original photographs I took each shot using a very dark exposure. The reason I often do this for studio photography is the edited results always take on a contrasted / dramatic look. When controlling the artificial lighting in these images I took inspiration, from the work of Matthew Lyn, and experimented with many different angles as well as softening it using white material as a buffer. To properly get across the symbolism of this shoot I tried experimenting with different plastic waste materials using the main ideas of distortion, beings trapped and suffocation. I think the outcomes of this shoot will go nicely with the finals from my ‘Common Pollution Issues, Part 1’ as they both display dark, symbolic and dramatic qualities. Below are a select few of the original images from this home-studio shoot presented as a contact sheet … When selecting my final outcomes out of the images above I wanted to make sure that I included a varied selection so that I can get across my symbolic point clearly. Below I have chosen four photographs (out of the 6 images above) that each show something quite different,  whether it be the tone created by lighting , type of plastic material, or pose.  When it came to editing these photographs the first thing I did to all of them was increase the exposure and play with the contrast. After this I judged each photograph individually and went through my normal editing routine of changing things like temperature, clarity, saturation, highlights and shadows. The reason I have included a mixture of colour and black and white outcomes is to tie into my first studio section, showing the common pollution issue of cigarette waste. Below are my final outcomes…

This first photograph is one of my favorites from this shoot, mostly because of the straightforward yet distorted composition and interesting light. To create this self portraiture piece I used a shutter button (to take the images), a black sheet as the background and a large piece of bubble wrapped that I have kept since last ordering something online. I like this piece as the colours and interesting light techniques shinning off the bubble wrap, reminds me of the beautiful plastic fashion photography done by Matthew Lyn.  The symbolic meaning behind this image is not only to emphasis our connection to this global problem, but also to show our ignorance and how we do not allow ourselves to be affected by its gravity. This is represented by the fact I am looking away from the plastic that is right in front of my face, as well as my concentration on the pretty pink light that is being emitted from the side. As well as this, even though this shoot was purely symbolic and not documentary, I have managed to reuse a huge example of real plastic waste.

Here are two final outcomes that in my opinion, are not as meaningful as the larger ones above and below. The image on the left shows my second favorite from the bubble wrap shoot, made by simply taping the plastic above me and sitting underneath. The visual elements in this piece are a straight forward self-portrait, emphasised by dark edges and distorted by plastic. The meaning behind this photograph is linked very closely to the photograph above, showing our connection to this issue. Although the straight ahead look takes away from the representation, I do like this image for is black and white dramatic impact. The image on the right however is very different, showing one of my experimentations using cellophane instead of bubble wrap. To create this look I carefully wrapped the material around my head (making sure to create air holes as I went round) until it started to make interesting creases for the artificial light to bounce off. The meaning behind this photograph is very much to do with representing the way plastic kills animals and marine life. However the way I have wrapped myself in plastic also symbolises the way we do this the pretty much everything else. I like the clear message I can get across with this image however, in my opinion, its is not as good as the larger version I have presented below.

Lastly is my other favourite final edited outcome from this self portraiture shoot. This photograph depicts a very strong symbolic message using self portraiture, a home-made studio and cellophane. To create the plastic wrap look I bunched the cellophane together, making more of a textured surface for the light the reflect off, and tightly wrapped it around my head until I could pretty much no longer see. The reason I have decided to have bare shoulders in these images is because, after trying multiple tops, clothing was really taking away from the representation and making the photographs a lot less dramatic. For me, the symbolism behind this photograph in particular is very strong because of the composition, material and pose. Here I am representing not only the way plastic kills animals and marine life, but also the struggle these creatures endure. This is much clearer in this image, than it was in my last outcome, because of my visible struggle to break free, paired with the dramatic impact created by very dark contrast and 0% saturation.