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Analysis, Presentation

Blonde – Presenting

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Here are the two final outcomes from my blonde photo shoots. As previously stated I do not think that I will be using the “Mean Girls” Regina George inspired image on the left due to the stereotype being heavily reliant on the viewer having seen the film. I also feel that the stereotype doesn’t really make sense out of context but I wanted to conduct the shoot to show that I had this outfit in my wardrobe and I have in the past conformed to this stereotype in one form or another. I am however, very happy with the composition and characterization of the image and still feel that it is a well executed photograph.

The image on the right depicts a more obvious stereotype of the “dumb blonde”, as seen in my planning post I took inspiration from public figures such as Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Reese Witherspoon’s depiction of Elle Woods from the motion picture “Legally Blonde” and the blonde pop culture icon, Barbie. I selected the image above on the right because I feel that it captured a perfect combination of confidence and absentmindedness. The pose connotes glamour and confidence but the vacant expression reinforced the stereotype of blondes being airheads. I plan to combine this strong image with another contrasting stereotype of mine.

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Out at Sea

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This shoot was more difficult then I expected, due to me being deep in the water myself, it was hard to get a good balance and make sure the photos were focused.

This shoot worked well, as because neither of the models are wearing wetsuits, it made it look less cold than it actually was, giving it more of a tropical feel. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t the best for this particular shoot, as the bright lighting coming from the clouds made the lighting harsh on the models faces. Although, the benefit to the lighting was that it allowed enough lighting to create interesting textures in the sky and on the sea.

This is my favorite image from the shoot, as the lighting is perfect on his face, as it makes his features and emotions stand out, but are not harsh on his face. The fact he’s wearing a white T-shirt and is in the middle-ground works nicely as it draws your eye to him immediately, then after looking at him your eyes go towards the buildings in the background which makes you look at the paddle boarder, which is important for feeling the mood of the photograph. The thing I like about this image is that it looks like I’ve just taken a photograph of a young boy who’s far out and sea, which gives it more character.

 

Unfortunately, with this photograph the waterproof case got in the way, and made it have a black line over the top. This ruins the photograph as if i was to crop the image it wouldn’t be an even balance, although the black takes away from the photograph as well. Also, this image has been taken when there’s lots of raindrops on the lens and therefore making some parts of the image slightly out of focus, as shown on her chin area, which makes it look worse in the way it would look good if it was all detailed, however at the same time adds character to the image. My favorite aspect to this image is the smile on her face, and the way the hair is blowing in the wind as she looks over her shoulder at the camera.

This photograph works well, as it looks as if there is a tropical island in the background. I also like the the different textures, of the clouds, the sea and the rock combined. The downfall to this image is that the exposure on the models face is too dark and one can’t see her features properly. This is due to the model facing towards the sun, therefore making her become a silhouette, which I’ve brightened up in Photoshop.

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Layering Night and day dens

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So after my experimentation of layering my day dens together i thought i would also experiment with layering my day and night dens so as to see the contrast between the images. Some of them have worked fairly well to create some really interesting abstract images. I’m not sure if i will be using any of them for my final pieces but they were a good experimentation to consider the differences between the lightning of the dens ect. 

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Field den night

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As this den was my least impressive of all of them, as it was meant to be a representation of the really simple ones i made as a really young child i didn’t think the night time photographs of it were going to work really well. They however have turned out okay. As the den wasn’t a massive structure that i could place the light right in the middle of, instead being loads of smaller blankets around an area i therefore photographed much of the den separately rather then as a whole structure. I also choose to photograph this den earlier in the day, just as the sun was setting as i wanted a more interesting sky as i didn’t think this shoot was going to work very well anyway. Overall i think i got some okay images. 

The above image is a photograph where i shone the light directly onto the blanket. I have experimented with this in other shoots and i think in the above image it works quite well. It brings out the vibrant orange colour of the blanket to have the light shinning on it. The contrast between the orange, green and black works really well to convey a tribal vibe. I quite like in this image how the light shines on the foreground and right hand corner of the image so as to create a fade of light into the background which becomes darker and darker. The photograph is composed according to the rule of thirds with the blanket to the right hand side of the frame. 

The below image is also composed according to the rule of thirds, the light of the blanket being in the bottom left hand corner. This then contrasts to have the bluish light from the sky in the top, so the two source of light are opposite each other across the image. The angles of this image are quite interesting in having the blanket at an angle heading downwards from the top left hand corner to the bottom of the left side of the frame, your eyes following the slope downwards. As you can see the light from the sky in this image the contrast of shadows and dark colours in the image is less intense then the above photograph. 

As it was a very windy night that i chose to photograph i also experimented with taking slightly blurred images like with my other photo shoots. I placed the light behind the blanket in these images and then tried to capture the blurred movement of the blankets. These images again have the light source from the sky and also the light source from the light behind the blanket.  I quite like the demented and eerie feel the blur of the blanket conveys within the images. 

By looking at the contrast between the above and below image you can see the different impression that the movement of the blankets gives within an image. The blur of the blankets gives a completely different personality to the image as the blankets appear to have a personality and a character to them. The images appear more dynamic by having the element of movement to suggest that there is more to the image then you first perceive. 

Even though the below photograph is very bright and therefore doesn’t really have the same impact of the other night photographs i like how it conveys the movement of the wind so powerfully. The shutter speed was the same as the other photographs but in this image you can really tell the impact of the wind.  

Experimentation

A Little Paint

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// E X P E R I M E N T I N G //

The images used for the postcards are taken of individual characters in environments of their choosing which mirrors the words they write about the place which will ultimately be added to the back of the piece. After getting back a set of disappointing negatives, I experimented with painting and drawing over the prints as a way to enhance the images and make at least something out of them. Though most of these are just for fun, one image came up particularly well and made me consider the possibility of using a handmade technique to edit images that I would receive back on the last day of the exam. 

This image was successful with the colourings of the film, the dark sections of the image and the bright colours that contrasted this darkness with their vivid shades. The words painted on were taken from popular phrases said by people within a lot of the images relating to the situation. The reason for the failure of these images was the previous exposure of the film which resulted in images already being overexposed before the film was used. This happened when removing the film from its source – an expired 27 exposure chuck away camera. To release the film, we covered the lens with electrical tape, wound the film into its canister and broke open the surrounding container. This roll unfortunately was overexposed as the tape was not applied and then added as a panic last minute resulting in a lot of overexposed film.

Experimentation, Recording

Blonde Shoot 2 – Editing

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Above is the contact sheet from my second blonde shoot. This shoot was heavily inspired by the character of Regina George from the 2002 film “Mean Girls” I was inspired by a scene where they perform a raunchy dance routine(completely inappropriate for a school situation) to the popular Christmas song “jingle bell rock”. Surprisingly I already had this Christmas costume from the Christmas of 2015. Due to the off the shoulder nature of the dress and the strange fit i found it hard to pose in a way that was flattering. Similarly to the previous blonde shoot I was rather uncomfortable posing for this shoot as I felt that the character I was trying to create was not me at all. I made the creative decision to use a blue background for these photos as the red of the dress clashed with the pink background.

These are the shortlisted images from the shoot that I decided to edit. I selected these images because they captured the playful flirty nature of Regina George’s character as well as the stereotype of the “dumb blonde”. to edit thee images I increased the brightness, contrast and colour saturation to make the red of the dress slightly more vibrant. I smoothed out the complexion by removing any distracting blemishes, I also cinched in the waist slightly in the centre photo, although it does look a little strange. Similarly to the previous shoot I had to edit out the lace of the wig by using a combination of the spot healing tool and the airbrush, selecting various toned from else where on the forehead. Although I am happy with how the images came out I don’t think that i will be using these photos as final outcomes because I feel that the stereotype is very reliant on people having seen the film “Mean Girls”. However the shoot was fun to conduct and it was a good from of experimentation.

 

 

Experimentation, Recording

Blonde shoot 1 – Editing

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Above is the contact shoot from my first blonde shoot. This character was based on the stereotypical all american high school “it” girl as well as public figures such as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I experimented with different poses that exuded confidence, sass and glamour. I actually struggled with the posing for this shoot as I felt so far removed from this stereotype as I felt that I did not conform to the personality connoted through my appearance. This outfit was something that I wore frequently to work and once to a garden party when I had blonde hair, however I felt very strange re-visiting a look that I only distanced myself from a few months ago. Before conducting the shoot I decided that I wanted to use a clue background despite the masculine connotations because my pink dress was lost against the pink backdrop.

Above are the 3 shortlisted images from this shoot. I selected these because they have a sense of glamour to them, some of the more exaggerated poses looked a little pantomimic and ridiculous. The editing process for these images was slightly more extensive than previous shoots because (as you may be able to see from the raw photos in the contact sheet above) I did not glue the lace of the wig onto my forehead, which would be the proper way to wear this theatrical wig. I decided against gluing the lace of the wig down because during my research online, spirit gum was the best option, however I only had liquid latex to hand and I knew that I would only be wearing the wig fro a couple of hours and wouldn’t be taking part in any vigorous motion that would case the wig to slip off. I had to edit out the unsightly lace using a combination of the spot healing tool as well as the airbrush. I also increased the brightness, contrast, levels and colour saturation. I used the liquefy filter to smooth out the crinkles of the dress around the waist and cinch it in to create a more pleasing hourglass shape. I also slightly smoothed out the background and used the spot healing tool to get rid of any distracting blemishes.

 

Inspiration, Planning

Blonde – Planning

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As I am exploring different stereotypes within western society that I conform to or have conformed to in the past, I thought it appropriate   to explore the well known “dumb blonde” stereotypes. Above is a mood board that I compiled, including images of fictional sassy and strong blonde characters, Regina George and Elle Woods as well as blonde celebrities, Pop singer, Christina Aguilera and reality tv pioneer, Paris Hilton. Regina George is the perfect example of the 00’s it-girl, she is the queen of her high school and is both loved and envied by her peers. Regina is also presented as bitchy, mean and unloyalw, however by the end of the film, Regina as well as the other female protagonist mature and are able to make peace and unite as women. Elle woods, in my opinion is a excellent on screen and on stage role model for women everywhere. In the film “Legally Blonde” which she stars in she is initially presented as a typically dumb blonde airhead. Her character develops throughout the film where she decides to become a lawyer, breaking stereotypes, empowering women and staying true to herself. Christina Aguilera is a famous pop star who has been celebrated for her unique voice and impressive pitch range. Aguilera has experienced bad press in the past due to the media being focused on her outward appearance (her makeup, hair and weight) instead of focusing on her amazing ability to be incredibly singer, dancer and actress. Paris Hilton is great granddaughter to Conrad Hilton, the founder of the chain of luxury Hilton hotels. She is stereotypes as a dumb, superficial, blonde trust fund kid who parties, sleeps around ad spends her families’ money. However she mist be commended for her entrepreneurial skills to star in several reality TV shows, create a line of clothing and be a public figure as well as a household name.

Above is the confirmation for a lace front wig that I ordered from amazon in order to create my blonde character. As I no longer have blonde hair I had to find a good quality wig that would allow me to create a realistic and polished appearance of blonde hair. As previously stated in my initial mood boards I made the decision to dye my previously bleached blonde hair back to my natural light brown colour. I made this decision for two main reasons, the first being that I wanted my hair to remain long and healthy and be done with the constant upkeep of root and the second that I had a number of bad experiences being a young blonde woman. I experienced cat calling much more frequently than when I had pink or brown hair, the most popular being “Hey, Blondie”. I also experienced multiple scenarios on the one time I went clubbing with blonde hair, two different men in different clubs thought that they had the right to touch me without asking or even talking to me.  I hate that men associate blonde hair with someone who is “easy” because I believe this is why those men thought that they could do whatever they wanted. I have experienced much less catcalling since being a brunette again, only two instances in two months and I have had no bad experiences out clubbing either which reinforces my reasons to believe that it was my hair colour that was sending the wrong message. As a feminist I want to live in a world where women should be able to have whatever hair colour they want without being judged, but unfortunately that is not the world we live in and my safety comes first.

 

Above are the outfits that I plan to wear for the blonde stereotype photo shoots. I want to create two images that display the character in different way. In one image I plan to wear sunglasses and a pink v-neck dress, inspired by the LA valley girl look that paris hilton is so well known for. In the second image I plan to wear a Mariah Carey style christmas dress, inspired by the iconic cinematic Jingle Bell Rock scene in “Mean Girls”. I also plan to use the above blue backdrop as I feel that using a pink one may look strange with a dress of a similar shade as well as clash with the red of the christmas dress.

 

 

Presentation

Shoot 1 – Monaco

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For the first shoot of my travels, I visited Monaco. Monaco is a sovereign city-state and microstate, located on the French Riviera in Western Europe. France borders the country on three sides while the other side borders the Mediterranean Sea. A magnet for high-rollers and hedonists since the early 20th century, it’s also one of the world’s most notorious tax havens as residents pay no income tax. It’s also famous for its annual Formula 1 Grand Prix, held every year in May since 1929. Visually, Monaco is almost entirely concrete and glass, dominated by high-rise hotels and apartment blocks that rise into the hills like ranks of dominoes. This is the second smallest independent state in the world  and is almost entirely urban.

I think Monaco was a very interesting place and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting. Visually the city center is incredibly clean and crisp and everything is precisely organised. The city is very light, almost all buildings painted white or bright creamy tones. As a result, all the sunlight is reflected generating a positive atmosphere. You can identify the wealth and money existing in this country just through the people and environment present. Buildings are made from shiny marble and car dealerships and expensive jewelry shops are on almost every corner. Decorative elements including balconies, multi-coloured ceramics and courtyards create a picturesque fantasy of pleasure and luxury, and an alluring expression of how Monaco sought, and still seeks, to portray itself. Not to mention that, from my perspective, the population consisted almost entirely of adults and elders. I did not see any children nor teenagers. The city was very much mature and civilized, almost completely quiet at some moments. My goal on this shoot was to try and capture the brightness and cleanliness of the environment. I wanted to focus on lighting, capturing shadows in order to emphasize the brightness and crisp, geometric aesthetic of the architecture. Nevertheless, I still had to maintain my overall goal, which is to additionally incorporate digital illustrations. With this in mind, I had to avoid complex and detailed compositions as these would be too crowded paired with drawings. The photographs must be somewhat basic in content. I tried to keep an eye out for shapes that can be transformed with ease into every-day objects. Below I have included my favorite photographs from the shoot.

— Its important to note that these images have been selected with the intention to develop with illustrations. They are not individually the best photographs from the shoot, but provide the best opportunities for overlaid drawings. —

These three photos work effectively as a set because they all provide a overview of the scene. We are supplied with a wide- perspective of the environment and specific areas of the city. The first photograph was taken from the balcony of my cruise and features a full view of the city, hills and port. This photograph is simple but I think it works very effectively. It enables the audience to see the whole location and gather a general concept of the aesthetic it possesses. I like the way that the photograph is split into four segments. In the lower quarter you have the ocean and harbor which holds a hugely significant role in Monaco lifestyle and culture.There are two ports in Monaco, Hercules and Port Fontvieille. The one I have captured within this photograph is Port Hercules. The port has been in use since ancient times. It was used as a trading port by the Greeks and Romans but had the disadvantage of being poorly sheltered from the easterly winds. This prompted the erection of two piers in the early twentieth century which went some way to providing better protection.The modern port was completed in 1926, and underwent substantial improvements in the 1970s. In the central quarters of the photo you have the landscape and urban city. And then finally, the upper third features a rich blue sky, a typical representation of Southern France. I like how each segment imposes a different colour palette, almost creating layers to the photo composition, like the inside of a cake. In the bottom layer, you can identify the deep blues and green of the ocean that serve as the darkest part of the image. This is juxtaposed with the creams and pale oranges of the city landscape which also introduces a sporadic, blocky texture. The next layer is a fresh combination of rich greens and browns. This segment consists of cliffs and vegetation that towers above the city. And then finally, the top quarter of sky and clouds features a lighter shade of blue. As a complete image, this presents a ultimate colour palette for the country of Monaco, summarizing the way it looks visually. In the second photograph, I have directed my camera out to sea, capturing the sandy shore and some palm trees. This photo evokes a very tropical, summery feel due to the connotations attached to these kind of components. I like this image as it is very different from the urban landscapes recorded in the remaining shoot. Nevertheless, this photo requires some adjusting in the editing stage in order to make it more professional. The horizon line must be straightened and I think the pier towards the right side of the frame should be cropped out for a cleaner image. The final photograph is very simple, but takes advantage of the powerful lighting present. The puddles sat upon the cobbled pathway reflect the light nicely, and our eye if lead through the photograph utilizing perspective.

These four photographs were all taken right next to the coast of Monaco. I think all  these photographs are somewhat more abstract, attention being payed to lighting, shape and form rather than content. The first photograph is probably my favorite from the collection due to the lighting. The shadows being casted are uniform and organised as correlated with the architecture of the building. The railing at the top of the image creates a crisp, lined shadow that disperses down to the bottom of the composition. I like the blocky, box form of the photograph as almost all shapes are made from sharp connecting lines. For this image, I will perhaps transform it into black and white in order to ensure focus on lighting rather than colour. Additionally, I would like to draw someone peeping out of the door in the foreground. The second and third photos were taken along a coastal pathway, adjacent to the Monaco cliffs. These rocky surfaces can be seen within the second photo as they intercept the pathway. In this image, I have tried to draw attention to the lamp attached to the cliff face. I thought this was an interesting contrast, a juxtaposition between man-made and the natural environment. The photo also requires some cropping as the arm of the woman on the left side ruins the minimalism of the composition. The following image, is basic and not particularly special but I do like the shape of the shadow that diagonally intersects the entrance to the circular building. The window above reflects the light nicely and I think the image possesses potential for further illustrations. The final photograph displays a tall flat building on the coast. The greenery and vegetation at the bottom of the photo illustrates a contrast in colour and environment. The reason behind selecting this photo was the tall, rectangular shape of the flat building. I immediately visualized transforming this building into a half-opened chocolate bar through drawing on top.  This is something I would like to experiment with and therefore decided to select this photo.

Analysis, Experimentation

Performance Shoot outcomes

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Below is a set of outcomes from some initial experiments I have done based around portraiture and performance. I tried a number of different approaches to this and I tried to incorporate a mirror into these to explore how it might work as a prop. I  used myself as the subject in the images in reference to the artists that have inspired and influenced this part of my project. Overall I took around 1,500 images and in Light-room I edited them down to this selection and made adjustments to the contrast, brightness and saturation. I cropped the images and experimented with black and white and sometimes added a slight vignette. The aim of these shoots was to explore the relationship of the human body to the environment with a focus on natural, outdoor locations. In order to develop this idea further I am considering exploring similar ideas in relation to interior spaces. The process was fairly spontaneous and unplanned although I had some ideas for the use of mirrors and reflections but I wanted to capture this exploratory nature to some of the images by photographing in locations that I was unfamiliar with.

These images were my first attempt at using myself as the subject and I initially approached this by setting up the camera and filming while I interacted with the space and experimented with different compositions. This allowed for more freedom and I didn’t have do keep returning to the camera because film involves around thirty frames a second. I then saved still images from the video after importing the footage into Adobe Premier in order to have the stills in a high resolution (rather than taking screen shots) . From here I imported them into Light-room and edited them. The problem with this is that the motion blur is captured in each frame which means if you view these images enlarged the movement is very obvious and while I think this can be quite effective i’m not sure if it was the desired effect. I now know that if I adjusted the frame rate I could probably have more control over this.

I also did a brief experiment photographing at night based around the idea of exploring movement through long-shutter speeds. I have seen this can be quite effective and it is something I have not tried before but I wasn’t especially pleased with the outcomes. I think they could have been better if I had introduced more artificial light and executed them in a technically more accurate way. The idea was to have a shadowy, mysterious tone to the images  with the human figure (myself) standing out against the black background.

In these images I photographed myself using a tripod and set timers. I explored the use of slow-shutter speeds as well as the use of a mirror and shadows. I think the use of shadows is something I could potentially explore further.

I have several ideas about how to develop this concept of performance and environment. This work was influenced largely by my research into performance photographers but could also have some connections to other areas I have researched such as Earth art in that it considers the human connection to natural landscapes and is ephemeral. I think that I am going to focus my project around this idea more specifically than in my initial planning where I specified some more varied approaches such as s focusing on objects left by humans within environments to show their presence. I think it will be more effective to focus on one area and explore this in more depth.