Daily Archives: September 25, 2017

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Inspirations, Instruction, Planner & Tracking, Preparation, Recording, Research and analysis

Plan for Tableaux Photoshoot

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Over the last couple days after doing some research into different artists who specialise in tableaux style images, I decided to start planning for my own tableaux photoshoot inspired by tableaux in contemporary photography.

I started jotting down some ideas in the form of a mind-map to get my mind flowing and so I could write down anything that came to my min and I was commenting on the idea of re-creating my own childhood memories by looking at my own personal archive and to do this I would pay close attention to the use of costumes and props in order to tell a narrative. This was a great idea when I first cam up with it because I would take inspiration form artist such ass Irene Werning who looks at her own old childhood memories in the form of images her parents took when she was younger. This was something I was very keen to pursue but I the realised it would not show a very interesting narrative or let me explore the idea of memories and our relationship with our past and the memories we hold in our lives – the moments we cherish which has brought us happiness – I feel like this shoot would not allow me to explore this in the depth I wanted.

I also begun discussing the idea d using certain apps on my iPhone which allow users to take pictures in the effect of old and retro images – an analogue film effect that adds graininess and low quality to your photos to create a sense of nostalgia. The app I won called ‘8mm’ also alters the proportions of the frame/aspect ratio to add to the notion of creating a photo that looks like it was taken on an old film/disposable camera and this is something I still wish to explore but for the shoot I aim to complete this week, I want to look at something more contemporary – something inspired actually by an artist that I have not studied – being Rita Puig-Serra Costa – this is because I was not fully attached to either Almendros or Kapajeva’s images. I love Almendros’ contemporary, very polished style of his photos and I hope to transfer this over to my images but I will be mainly documenting on Costa’s work and in particular her series which focuses on portraits of family members and the objects they cherish themselves.

I hope to, this week compete this shoot once I have planned some more and I full understand what I wish to achieve and how I am going to go about it. I will need to contact several people who are close to me and ask them if I can photograph them individually and I will also ask them to collect an object whether that be a document, a teddy bear, a photo, a pencil – anything that has some meaning to them, preferably something which takes their mind back to when they were a child. I will then photograph this object against a black background in a mini studio set up and once both images of the person and the object which relates to them are done, I will then pair each corresponding one up. I hope to do this task with my mum, my step-dad, my girlfriend, my papa, my nan as well as myself and perhaps my dad and my sister.

Although I am not directly linking this tableaux shoot to my own childhood and re-creating my own childhood memory, I am doing it with my other family members and their own childhood memories so that I am linking the theme of family and archives. As well, I believe it will be nice effect to get each relative to write up a little passage, almost like a diary entry or a description of the object they have chosen and the relevance it has to them for me to then insert and quote this in the final production/sequence of images so it tells more of a narrative.

Rita Puig-Serra Costa
WHERE MIMOSA BLOOM
Rita Puig-Serra Costa
Rita Puig-Serra Costa

 

https://vimeo.com/124694405

Image result for chris verene photography family
Chris Verene used handwritten text over his images to tell a story
Image result for chris verene photography family
Chris Verene
Analysis, Experimentation

Childhood memory shoot

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Here are the contact sheets of the Childhood memory shoot that I did on Friday.  My initial ideas for the shoot was to base it on the story book The Cat in the Hat. However, I decided to change my concept and choose to focus on a character from the book Alice in Wonderland. The character I choose to focus on was the Mad hatter because he was my favorite character. I didn’t want to simply copy the book and create something exactly the same as the fiction character.  I wanted to create my own version of the Mad Hatter with a feminine twist. I chose to stylize the character with feminine  features and clothing. I managed to achieve a wide variation of angles, positions and poses to create a series based on my ideas. I knew what I wanted to achieve in my head so I went to the hospice shop in St Ouen to buy props that I would use in the shoot.

The shoot took place in St Catherine’s woods because I wanted to keep to the theme of Alice in Wonderland. I wanted it to be set in a mysterious and sinister place. I also really liked the wild environment that woods created. It made the images more interesting because the greenery and natural scene added to the sinister and fairy tale theme I wanted to create.  For the shoot I choose what outfit the character would wear. I wanted to make the figure look similar the character the Mad hatter, but I also wanted to add my own ideas. I borrowed a top hat from school because that was the main prop that created the personality of the character.  The model also wore some old jeans, a black top and a big white coat. I wanted to the character to be feminized, so I bought some high heels from the hospice shop to add to the outfit.  To add to the dramatic personality that I want the character to have, I decided I wanted her makeup to stand out, so I used a red tone for the lips, and I did her eyes with bright colors. 

Here are my ten favorite edits from the shoot based on childhood memory. I edited each image by changing the brightness, contrast, vibrancy, saturation, exposure and colour hue. I wanted to the images to contain an autumn scheme, so I brought out the orange, yellow and pink tones.

The image above is an example of one of the close up shots I got when shooting the character. I’m happy with the positioning and framing of this image because the eyes are placed across the center of the scene. I also really like how half the frame is the characters face, an the other half is the greenery behind. The image has a mysterious atmosphere and feel to it because it looks like the character is lost, or trying to hide something as the eyes are looking away from the camera. I edited the image so that there was a slight shadow covering the eyes. I like how this creates a three-dimensional quality to the image. The highlight and reflection on the right side of the nose and right side of the forehead also brings that photo alive. I’m happy with the range of colours within the image, because there’s warm colour created by the orange tone of the hair, and the pink tint in the skin. I also like the contrast that’s created by the green from the background.

I like the image above because its a completely different angle and feel to the other images. In this image, the model was sitting on a fallen tree while i was below taking an image looking up at the figure. The trees are seen above in the background which I really like because it creates this sinister atmosphere, as well as just simply filling the frame. I like the tones and shading in the photo, because it ranges from the darkness created by the shadow of the tree on the left side, and the light coming through the trees at the top. I really like how the model is looking down, because it makes a powerful image.

The image above has a very strong, powerful feel to it because of the way the model is looking straight into the camera. I really like the pastel colour that the models hair has become during the editing. It creates this

I really love the image above and the image below because they have a fun, clever feel to them. I think this works really well with the personality of the mad hatter because it helps create this cheeky, playful atmosphere.

The image above is my favorite from the whole shoot. I love the framing and the colours within the shot. I like how the character is presented as the main point of the image, because shes placed in the middle, which is the main focal point of the scene. The path that starts in the middle, bottom of the image, slowly leads to the place where the character is standing which I really like. I’m happy with the way the model is posing because it creates this strong, stern, serious atmosphere. The colours in this image are my favorite part of it, because the yellow tones and the orange tinges work really well with the feel.

This image reminds me a lot of one of Anna Gaskey’s images taken from the series Wonder. The environment and scenery is very similar. The lighting is very similar as well because the lights coming through the trees, which is making the background a lot lighter then the foreground, similar to my image. The character is placed in the center of the path, which again is the same as my image. There is a lot more color is my photo, which I prefer because it adds to the details and makes the image more interesting.

Essay writing

Documentary Vs. Tableaux Photography

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Both contemporary aspects of photography; documentary and tableaux, are paramount for encapsulating a specific scene which conveys a particular time frame in history. Although, the two photographic techniques maintain a common purpose, the method behind using one is a completely different prospect.

Documentary photography is a recording technique utilized in order to understand and reflect upon either previous or current times, whether this be in either the social or political spheres, or perhaps the combination of the two. Documentary photography attempts to reveal the true, (or as close to true), events that have occurred that could serve as “both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life”. The value of documentation is unquestionable as it allows us to understand a fragment of history, whether it be good or bad, and much like the role of a historian, it can warn us over what manoeuvres to make or not take, like an adviser. Documentation can also be clinical in the process of creativity as understanding previous ideas and concepts can influence into creating our own which needs planning and documentation of our own ideas. According to https://www.fastspot.com/publications/why-documentation-is-important/, “Documents can be exciting, inspiring, and creative forms of expression … (and) can be ‘living’ data”. The means of documentation via photography is a concept which keeps key information alive through visual representation, adding another dimension to documentary, which is a crucial factor in understanding the past.

Power house mechanic working on steam pump (1920) by Lewis Hine

Unfortunately, due to the photographic documentation work of misleading photographers like Steve McCurry, we must test whether the photographs we view are authentic and are actual representations of events and environments.

https://petapixel.com/2016/05/06/botched-steve-mccurry-print-leads-photoshop-scandal/

RESUME – READ AND WRITE P2

 

Preparation

Plan for tableaux shoot

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The photos above are by a photographer named Alec Dawson. I like his concept that technology is blinding us from what is around us and turning ourselves into numb, motionless human beings. I find almost everyone has spent or spends too much time on technology whether that’d be on the phone, laptop, the TV whatever it maybe, most people living in the privileged part of the world are guilty of this one time or another.  Looking on at this is a sad site to see, in the photos you can see people, animals and even the environment around that person being neglected as these people are so immersed in what ever they are looking at. I see this very often in my own home even now i am typing this on a laptop in my kitchen. To an onlooking person this could be seen as an unhealthy thing.

In my photos I am wanting to convey the same meaning behind these photos showing how these devices are killing these short precious times we could spend living rather than vegetating in front of a screen. I also like the fact that these photos were taken at night this gives the photographer more control over the lights that are being used. This is another aspect I will taking inspiration from as it also emphasises the light coming from the screens. I will be taking photos of my grandparents and my brother as it is showing two completely different generations some drawn to this habit and others not. Alec Dawson’s photos are often very cluttered and in most cases it is to convey a message that is most of the time very obvious however when I take my photos they will not be as cluttered as his are.

I have a solid idea in my head and have the inspiration to have a successful photo shoot. I am looking forward to see the results .

Artists References, Research and analysis, Written Task

ANNA GASKELL VS HANNAH STARKEY

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Anna Gaskell

Anna Gaskell is most well known for producing works similar to Cindy Sherman. The American art photographer Elliptical narratives are photo series which have been influenced by paintings and film rather than the typical norms of photography. Now living and working in new york she has produced many tableaux photo series, including ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and hide. There is a basic theme of young girls running throughout her photo series and her ideas are usually drawn from her own imagination.

Gaskell usually has a deeper meaning that is portrayed through her images and the techniques she uses. For example in her photo series ‘Half Life’ she uses dynamic camera angles and decorates the location that she is using to create a claustrophobic sense to the images as well as interesting lighting to build a sense of vertigo.

Her narrative images through staged and planned photo shops creates tableaux which after portray deep and meaningful messages in the way that she wants them to convey. Here are a few of her images from her book which include most of her photo series’ from ‘wonder’ to override’

Photo Analysis

This image is of a young girl jumping in the air. It is hard to decipher whether she got into this position from just standing and then jumping up or what i think probably happened is that she was on a trampoline and the image has been captured hen she was mid bounce. in the image we do not see the young girls face but we can tell that i is a girl and probably of a young age because of the shape and form of the subject. She is captured in a garden and is surrounded by trees. We also when first looking at the image see that the subject is in unusual clothing, relation to what Alice would wear in Alice in wonderland and this is the main link in the photo to the the photo series title ‘Alice’s adventures in wonderland’. From what we see we can begin to build up an image in our mind of what the meaning is behind the image and how the photographer, Anna Gaskell, wanted us to feel when looking at the image. I think that the message behind the image might be Gaskell trying to convey her childhood memories of enjoying watching Alice in wonder or her dressing up as Alice wanting to be her. So this image may be showing connotations to family and childhood memories. As her typical style as a tablx photographer i feel like she has staged and created this seen from her own childhood imagination and it is her telling the audience about her childhood and the memories she has but may also be relate able to many other young girls. However i then think  that the image has a darker message that comes across as, like in all her other photos in the series of photos, the girls head/face is being kept out of the image. This could be because she wants to hide that its not actually Anna and wants us as the audience to picture that it is her as a young girl or be able to relate it to be ourselves or any young girl it remind us of. Or it could mean that it is a distance memory which is blurred and not all is remember and the girl that once wanted to be Alice has been left behind and forgotten.

The genre of this image is portrait through the meanings of tableaux photography so it aims to have a meaning, message or tell a story.  Gaskell must have used a range of photographical techniques to ensure that this photo was not blurred due to the moving subject at the time. She has caught a freeze frame image which means she probably used a tri-pod to keep the camera as still and steady as possible and then the camera would have been set on a very fast shutter of about 1/60 second and then the ISO on the higher settings of maybe 2600 so that as much light was captured as possible because the aperture would of had to be closed for the fast shutter speed letting in a small amount of light. Therefore i think this took a lot of technical work and would have taken a few attempts hence it is tableaux photography which is staged rather than documentary which would of meant she just took the photo in the moment of a random girl bouncing on a trampoline which wouldn’t of conveyed the story that she wanted to get across.

It has already been  discussed why the girl being photographed is in the position that she is in as the head may be purposely not in shot for a specific message in the photograph. When considering the rule of thirds is think that this image breaks the rules in a modern way as she is using the subjects body to take up a significant amount of the image however still leaving a gap. however she may have still considered the rules grid when photographing her image as the subject is along the right axis of the photo sticking to the rule slightly but then breaking it with the limbs spreading across the image. When looking at this image i notice that there is one significant leading line which my eyes where drawn to and this is the tree trunk in the background running behind the girl. As it is the darkest area of the photo it is the section which my eyes are drawn to the most and because it runs from the bottom of the image to the top just behind the subject it focus out eye on that focal point of the image where the girl is and the main message of the image can be considered. another aspect to notice is that symmetry is created in the image through the subject body position. the right side of her body is a reflection to the left this brings a sense of art and beauty to the image making it nice to look at. The photograph has been taken at a eye level angel from the ground and i think this has been used to make it as obvious as possible that she is playing on something like a trampoline as she is high in the air and moved out of eye level sight because she is jumping up. The shot is also a wide angle portrait to fit in most of the subjects body but also a significant amount of the background which creates a frame around the subject. The colours used in this image are also a crucial element to what makes the image. the use of bright bold colours (green,yellow and blue) all together works really well in this image at keeping all the elements seperate and stand out. The image is almost striking because of these colours but they work well together because the yellow and blue of the dress counters the dark green which could have been over powering. Furthermore the image has been taken on a partially cloudy day as there is no specific direction of a hard harsh light. The lighting in the image is soft and quite dark and this could be due to not much natural light as well as the sheltered location the image has been taken in creating a soft lighting with no shadows in the image.

Hannah Starkey

The British photographer, Hannah Starkey, creates scenes through her photography which resembles everyday life, she captures images of women usually partaking in regular daily activities such as sitting in a restaurant or coffee shop, chatting in the street and so on. Starkey focuses on capturing these ‘in between moments’, which i find is a really interesting concept, she doesn’t document them at work or home, she captures them maybe on their way to work and the smaller elements of these women’s routines that you wouldn’t usually photograph.

Her in the moment freeze frame images have a narrative and often focus on the isolated problems in society such as gender, class and social status, which are problems which women may encounter in there day to day experiences. The Saatchi gallery says that “Starkey often uses composition to heighten this sense of personal and emotional disconnection, with arrangements of lone figures separated from a group, or segregated with metaphoric physical divides such as tables or mirrors.” This emphasizes her use of planning to create these stage photographs (tableaux photography) which have this deeper meaning which she wants to convey through her photography.

Born in Ireland in 1971 and now living and working in England she has produced a vast amount of images and exhibited her works in a variety of exhibitions all over the world, including solo exhibitions in the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York on various occasions.

Photo Analysis

This image by Hannah Starkey was taken in May 1997 and takes her typical approach of photographing woman. This particular image is a two women sitting in maybe a coffee shop or cafe in England. The protagonist is the woman in the blue top sitting at the table looking into the mirror. As i have already research Starkey’s work i have a basic knowledge and understanding of the concepts which she tries to capture in her images. Therefore i am going to use this knowledge and try to understand what might being going on in this image. The woman in blue is the subject and she is on a normal day maybe in a break at work or on her lunch break, so Starkey is continuing her stylist form of capturing women in their daily routine but then she builds on this creating a narrative with a meaning and message behind it. For example in this image the woman is looking into the mirror at herself touching her reflection, this could symbolize that she is reflecting on her life or on her self image. A big problem in today’s society is the stereo types and exceptions of women’s image. There is a stigmatization that women should look and act a certain way and for most women they are conscious about there self image and feel like they need to fit in with the social norms. Therefore i think that this image could symbolize the woman looking at herself and judging herself, she could also be thinking that she doesn’t recognize herself anymore due to trying to change to fit in with what she has been made to think is socially accepted. Furthermore in the back of the image is another woman also looking at the subject through the mirror, this can be seen as woman always looking at each other judging them seeing if they are fitting in with what society stereotypes the typical woman as.

Starkey’s image is a narrative creating a story with meaning about problems in society but she has also had to consider photographical techniques and composition to make this image work and be effective. I don’t think that Starkey uses any specific techniques in her image as it seems to be a simplistic image taken in the moment and therefore not much setting up has been done before this image was taking. She will have considered the ISO levels and aperture to ensure she has the correct amount of lighting in the image. However we can assume that a tri-pod was not used to capture this image as it has been taken at an angle not just a straight on shot. The purpose to this may have been to make sure that the mirror reflection was included in the image with the second women in the background showing her almost face of judgment as this is key to the narrative of the photograph. i consider the rule of thirds to have been followed in this image because each aspect of the image seems to belong to a different sector of the rule of thirds grid. For example the subject (woman) is in the right third of the image and the the second woman is in the left side of the photograph and then the mirror runs throughout the image as the main story telling aspect of the image. this therefore fills the whole frame of the image making it an interesting image with lots going on, so i think that the photo has also been framed well as she has got everything needed in  the image for the narrative included as well as having nearly an even amount of gap both below and above the wall giving the image a small sense of symmetry and pattern. I specifically find this image interesting as leading lines is created through this image through the use of the rectangular image running throughout the center of the image which draws your eye to this central part of the image. This is effective because your eye is immediately drawn to the biggest sector of the image and i find it interesting that you look at the reflection first before the real people in the image. The mirror has multiple purposes in this image and another example is that it creates depth in the image as it is almost a three dimensional image because of the reflection we are seeing the room in double making the image possible look deeper than it actual is because of the illusion of the mirror. The lighting is the image creates the atmosphere that it is a natural moment because of the natural use of lighting coming in the window from behind the subject, which illuminates the narrative in a natural non intentional way. The lighting is soft keeping it a calm, mellow image where nothing is striking taking away from the calmness of the image created through the warm tones of colour.