// R U N A W A Y //
From the research on film photography, specific artists and cinematic photography; there is a particular style and quality to the images I would like to go onto produce myself. Starting with the photo below which features my brother on an especially unusual morning, the plan is to analyse the fears associated with leaving home. Assigning context to this image rather than finding it from the photo itself – there is an aesthetic quality visible which I would like to reproduce. The back of the head is not typically considered a ‘good’ image. In terms of portraiture it is more commonly seen as the easy way out to photograph from behind but for this project I think it could be a useful way to show the absence of a person. More specifically perhaps, it could be paired with a front facing portrait shot dead on to give two views of someone – potentially in the same location? The image below works well for many reasons despite the backwards angle. The lighting creates a strong image with soft shades highlighting sections of the neck and hair. With the aperture set to 4, the background is faded out allowing for a centre focus without distractions. The surrounding area is actually a field with houses in the distance being blurred out. The oncoming fog forms a barrier and cross over section between the light sky and the pale grass which connects the composition.
Following on from this analysis of my own image above, these are two untitled images sourced online though irritatingly without any links or credit it seems. The photos above have a similar composition to my own image but have a higher focus on the background which is something I will need to consider in my own experiments. In terms of a specification – I would like to do some individual shoots 1:1 with people and photograph them in different environments that reflect their fears of moving away. Perhaps this could be done as a way to highlight a person’s favourite area and the places they will miss the most from the island? I might also pair this with an image shot at each character’s home – I’m thinking in their rooms? – with the space that they probably spend the most time. So overall, the idea is to shoot four images for each person – two inside and two outside. Each set of images will have a face on portrait and a backwards one which will focus on the environment of the area. The thought process from the internal ones is to produce a set of well lit images showing people in the spaces that mean home to them. Contrasting these with the environmental portraits, the series will show people in their ‘home’ environments followed by the places they will miss the most when they leave home. Hopefully this will place an emphasis on the environments of Jersey that are often overlooked and forgotten whilst simultaneously showing the internal fears and anxieties of teenagers leaving their homes from the first time.
Double exposure photography is an area which aesthetically interests me. The process of combining multiple images to create a final photo – often with colour and contrast variations – can not only be used aesthetically but also symbolically. Tying this to the theme of environment (and possibly portraiture?) could produce some graphically interesting outcomes where people can be merged with their personal landscapes. Working on this idea can involve both
