All posts by Anna Houiellebecq

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Analysis, Experimentation

book layout // draft 1

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Here is my first draft for my photo book. I choose all my best, favorite images from each shoot that I did. I wanted to try organise the images into some sort of series, in a way that would make sense to the reader. I decided to separate the images into the different parts of the body. I first started with the feet, then the hands and face. I did this because I wanted to separate the series instead of presenting them together.

I wanted their to be a colour theme within my photo book because I wanted the images to flow. I didn’t want my images to solely be black and white though because that wouldn’t suit the theme of my project. Since my project is about body image and expressing emotions in a physical way, I wanted an image that represented this as the front and back cover. Instead of having two different images for the front and back, I wanted it to be one really good image. I choose the image of the hands reaching out because I think its a really powerful image that coincides with my theme.

My initial step was to choose the very best images from my selection to present as multi page images. I decided to primarily focus on the landscapes to present largely because I wanted to use them as a divider to separate the different sections of my project. I planned that I wanted all my other images to be presented on a smaller scale because I wanted it to be a simplistic flow.

The images of the beach landscape promote the idea of movement within my project. I have also focused on sea landscapes because I wanted to use an environment that related to the movement of the mind and the body.  I didn’t want the layout of the images within the book to be exactly the same, so I mixed up the position of the images to create a movement that worked.

Experimentation, Personal Study, Recording

sea landscape // shoot // edits

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Although my project is focusing on body image, I also wanted my book to contain some images of landscapes and close up details of certain scenes within the landscape. I wanted to add some contrast within the book to change the subject and view slightly. I decided to go to St Ouens bay to capture the landscape images because I wanted scenes of the sea and the vast emptiness that St Ouen contained. My project is about portraying hidden emotions in a physical way and I believe that inserting images of an empty landscape would work well with my theme because its portraying the feeling of loneliness and emptyness.

For the close up details of the landscape I wanted the sand to resemble skin because my project is based on body image. I edited the images using Photoshop because I only needed to do simple edits such as exposure changes and colour changes to achieve an overall look that suited my aesthetic.

Analysis

White face // image analysis

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~ FORM ~ The image above is a close up of a portrait of a model covered in white paint and edited so that it has a light blue hue to the image. The image has been framed so that only half of the models face is captured. The model is standing in front of a a plain white background so that it was simple and that the portrait was the main focus. The models face has a bleak, solemn expression which i believe made the image more powerful. There is a shadow cast over the models face which allows the top part of the face including the eye to be highlighted.

~ MEANING ~ The image is from a series about conformity and invisibility within the world around us. The aim of the image was to symbolize how we change ourselves to suit the strains and expectations of society. We cover up who we really are to become the same as everyone else around us which therefore makes us invisible.  I represented this by painting the model white to symbolize her being invisible.

~ JUDGEMENT ~I am very happy with this image because is reveals and represents exactly what I wanted to within the shoot. It a powerful image with the connotations behind it. It provocative and makes the viewer think a lot more about what they are seeing.

~ CONTEXT ~ When thinking a lot more about the context behind the image and the ways it links to society I discovered that the image links closely to femininity and and society’s expectations to females.  This is something I would like to explore a lot more within the rest of my project and essay.

Analysis, Experimentation, Recording

white face // shoot // edits

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After doing the white body shoot I wanted to do another shoot based on the same theme of invisibility and losing your identity. However, instead of capturing the whole body I wanted to fragment the face. Since I was focusing on a smaller portion of the body I was able to properly cover the face with white paint so that the effect looked better. I wanted to do a shoot just focusing on the face because I believe the face is the most expressive part of the human body.

I edited the images using Photoshop because it enabled me to do the most editing since I planned to experiment more with there edits to make them more interesting and artistic. I really like the bright colour edits because they work well with the hand shoot images. Also the bright colours again symbolize different emotions.

I also really like these edits without the colour because they are simple and effect with the white model posing in front of the shady background.

Experimentation, Personal Investigation

Shoot // body

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On the 23rd of January I did a photo shoot focusing on the different parts of the body such as the feet, hands and the face. I wanted to experiment a lot more with this shoot by using the environment I was in. I decided to do a self portrait shoot because I knew what sort of images I wanted to come out with. I used a bath as my environment and backdrop for the shoot because I wanted the body parts to be emerging from the water. I put milk into the bath so that the water wasn’t transparent which made the images much more interesting and effective. It was difficult doing this shoot because I had to hold the camera above the water and the steam also slightly blurred the lens.  I am mostly happy with the outcome of my images for this shoot.

After seeing the final images I decided I wanted to edit the best images using Photoshop into black and white because the images looked much more effective and the details looked more defined.

 

Experimentation, Personal Investigation

Shoot // white body // edits

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The following shoot was done during the Christmas holidays.  The weather was bad which made the shoot much more difficult. The aim of the shoot was to capture a model painted white in a vast empty landscape. The meaning of the shoot was to resemble the feeling of being lost, or invisible among the world around us. We become trapped within ourselves as we’re forced to become part of the normal expectations. We lose who we are. This is what this shoot is meant to represent. By painting the model white and placing her in a bleak landscape she becomes part of it, almost invisible. I also decided to paint the model white to represent her losing her identity.

When editing the images I wanted to experiment with the use of colour to see how this would effect the overall mood. I really liked the black and white edits because this emphasized the bleakness of the images which I planned to exaggerate.

Experimentation, Personal Study, Recording

Shoot // white hands

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On Friday 19th I organised a photo shoot in the studio at Hautlieu to obtain images based in the concept of movement and body image. I managed to achieve a wide range of images and am happy with my result. Instead of using the studio flash lights, I decided to simply use the room lights on the ceiling because I didn’t want an extreme shadow. When preparing for the shoot, I asked two of my friends if I could paint their hands and arms with white acrylic paint. I used the paint in the art room to do this. To make sure all the skin was covered we had to do several layers.

Whilst taking images I asked my friends to create different shapes with their hands symbolizing certain emotions such as pain or struggle. The aim of this shoot was to represent emotions using the hands. This was an unusual and creative perspective of viewing the body to symbolize a hidden feeling.

I framed the images so just the painted parts of the hands and arms were showing because they were the focus of the shoot. I asked the models to make sculptural shapes with their hands. Soft delicate shapes as well as rigid harsh shapes. I am very happy with the images a managed to achieve. They work especially well with my project because they express movement as well as emotion.

I wanted to start by doing simple edits. I firstly edited the images by lowering the contrast and adding brightness and exposure. I then changed the vibrance and saturation.  Although there are some shadows on the backdrop, they work really well with the image because they make it look less two dimensional.  They also add another tone to the image.  I made sure I got some portrait orientations and landscapes to see which style was best.

Experimental Edits using colour 

I really liked the effect that the white on white created because the images were very pleasing to the eye and looked very professional. I wanted to experiment a bit more by adding some colour to the images. This made them look more contemporary and modern. The coloured images suited my project more because the colour helps to expresses the different emotions I was trying to replicate such as the red symbolizing terror.

 

 

Analysis

critical image analysis // insomnia // Michal Konrad

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http://www.scopionetwork.com/node/1000#1

Another series that Michal Konrad created is called “Insomnia” Its this series that I am linking closely to because I love the influx of images that Michal captures. The main subject of Michal’s photography is the male form. Michal also uses the environment a lot within his work to inspire his ideas. He uses the environment to create these unique thought provoking portraits. His images have a surreal feel to them because they are his dream like visions.

According to Michal, the title Insomnia “shows the anxiety of the modern world caused by lies. The era in which we live is called energy. As far as man is concerned, it means his constant excitement.
Lots of information that constantly stimulate my brain. Ask yourself the question that is true and which is false? Where is the boundary between fiction and reality? Maybe I’m not real either? Maybe I’m not here? Maybe I just think I’m!”

Michal is questioning his existence by asking these questions. According to the internet, Insomnia means “habitual sleeplessness; inability to sleep”.  Michal uses the words “constant excitement”. I believe Michal is calling this series Insomnia because of the constant excitement caused by the world, and the confusion of our everyday lives causes our brains to constantly have an influx of thoughts. This perhaps would then cause us to have a sleepless night because of the endless thoughts moving around our heads.

This concept links to my personal study because Michal is using the process of the mind, and the emotion “excitement” to influence his series.  I love the way he uses the blur of the mind to represent the movement of thoughts. I am going to choose an image from this series to critically analyse.

The image above is the photo that I’ve chosen to do a critical analysis on. Its the most interesting and thought provoking one from the series.

~ FORM ~ The image above is a black and white portrait image. It’s a self portrait taken by Michal Konrad. He’s using the environment around him to simulate ideas. He’s used the puddle of water in front of him to create a reflection of his own body form. Within the image, Michal is captured in the mid air jumping. He’s deliberately kept a slow shutter speed so that the image of him is blurred.

~ MEANING ~ The image is from a series called Insomnia. The series is about how the lies from the modern world can cause anxiety. The series is trying to represent how the excitement and confusion of the world can cause Insomnia. Michal uses the blur of the head to symbolize the influx of thoughts. Within the series Michal is also questioning his existence by asking “Maybe I’m not real either? Maybe I’m not here?” 

~ JUDGEMENT ~ I really like the image by Michal because its a very thought provoking image. Although its a simple framing and simple form, the depth of analysis and meaning that Michal thinks about makes the image into a highly sophisticated one. The technical side of the image is very good, the environment around him is in focus, and Michal is blurred, however this was deliberate. I like how Michal decided to make it a black and white image because it highlights and really captures  the tones.

~ CONTEXT ~ This image and series from Michal Konrad relates to the history and theory of photography because they are all fundamentally self portraits of Michal.  Self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century that artists can be frequently identified depicting themselves as either the main subject, or as important characters in their work. With better and cheaper mirrors, and the advent of the panel portrait, many painters, sculptors and print makers tried some form of self-portraiture.

Analysis, Artists References

Contemporary Photographer // Michael Konrad

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http://www.artconnect.com/projects/promised-land

Michal Konrad

Michal Konrad is a polish photographer who was born in 1983. He lives in Wodzislaw Slaski. From an early age Michal was interested in visual art.  He is a Physical Education teacher, but he does not let it stop his artistic motivations. The focus of Michal’s photography is man. Within his work he primarily concentrates on the ‘psychological sphere’. It shows how a person perceives the environment in the modern world and ho environment effects him. His visions have a surreal character, balancing on the border of sleep and imagination. According to Michal, “Inspiration comes mainly from observation, but also on his subjective feelings.”

My project is fundamentally focused on how the body can be used to physically express hidden emotions, and mental illnesses. I also plan on linking body dysmophia into it. I believe that the photographer Michal Konrad used this  conception within his work. He describes the different ways he creates his ideas, and one if them is based on his “subjective feelings.” This definitely links with me project because he is using his emotions to conceive the unique perspectives that he creates. Some of the projects that he has done are called “Promised Land”, “Amnesia” and “Insomnia.” He uses the body, mainly a man, to express his views.

The images below are from his project called Amnesia. Michal has an extremely unique outlook on his perspectives. He describes his ideas in a very descriptive, poetic way which I really like.

“I can see the horizon somewhere in the distance, the noise in the ears. I’m sort of without a head, but the body trembling. I’m going ahead, looking for a trace in the memory. In the reflection of the water I see myself. I think it was me. Although I do not know who I am. I thought to myself how is it suddenly lose memory. This cycle is just about it. It is my imagination, as well as experience. As a small boy I have experienced short-term memory loss as a result of the accident.”

Although the images have a simplistic look and feel, with the soft light and simple colour scheme, the atmosphere that each image has creates this deeper meaning within the frame. The images as a series unfolds a story. From Michal’s description we learn that he experienced an accident as a young child, and because of this he had short-term memory loss. Michal uses this experience and convey’s the emotions into his work. He describes one of the images as ” I’m without a head, but the body trembling.”  Michal uses his imagination as well as his experiences to create his unique ideas. I really like this conception and way of planning and I now want to use this process in my own project.

Another project that Michal did is called “Promised Land.” This is how he describes it, “I had a dream, like a strange helplessness overwhelmed me. I felt heavy and tired. My legs like roots were rooted in the ground. Each step was hard after which grew tired. I stood there motionless, unmoved snow and cold. I watched the others go, and I was tied to the ground. I prayed to God. God told me to play music.

 The cycle presents the difficult relationship of man to the place where the man lives. Photographs are my self-portrait. All I have done using a 20-second shutter release. Series of conceptual photography. The cycle presents the difficult relationship of man to the place where the man alive. Photographs are my self-portrait.”

According to the internet, Conceptual Photography is “a type of photography that illustrates an idea” The whole of this series is based on the idea of conceptual photography. Michal uses his imagination rather than his experiences. He describes the series as “I had a dream, like a strange helpless overwhelmed me.” Similarly to the series called Amnesia, the series is told like a story. I really like the way Michal presents his work, and the description that each series is introduced with. You can see the each series has a theme that Michal keeps too. This is what makes his work so appealing.

I really like Michal Konrad’s images because they are simple yet they express a deeper sentiment. he created image that are made to make the viewer think more about what they are seeing. He is a surrealist photographer who wants to provoke a thought process in the viewers mind. Most of Konrad’s images are based on an emotion or thought process. He use using himself within his images to express his feelings.

Essay writing

Essay question and introduction // Body image

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How do the artists Viviane Sassen and Michal Konrad  use the human body to physically express hidden emotions?

“ I run in my thoughts, in my head.
The influx of false thoughts.
I am looking for one true thought.
Which will let me fall asleep on time.”- Michal Konrad

The depiction of the Human body has been a reality since the origins of photography. The body is used to force the viewer to think critically about contemporary political, cultural, sexual, gender, and socio-economic issues. There is a large amount of work depicting the human body in very different ways. It’s used as a tool to express what can’t be said in a photograph. It’s a physical visualization of unearthed emotions. Although photograph’s fail to capture people’s voices, many psychologists believe that non-verbal communications reveal much more than words.  The Diverse representation of the body has inspired many contemporary artists, including the photographers Viviane Sassen and Michal Konrad. Both these photographers use the human body to represent the process of the mind.  Some contemporary photographers explore the possibilities by fragmenting the body in order to express their concerns. The surrealist photographers disturb the viewer in order to provoke a reflection in the Modern World. Within my essay I will be discussing how photographers over time have changed their perspective of the human body. They have created a unique angle of what they view the human body to represent. The historical photographers that I will be comparing are Rebecca Horn and Francesca Woodman.These women don’t simply just take images of the body; they distort it in some way to create their twisted realities. Both these women are from challenging backgrounds and faced many complications when expressing their views. I will also be exploring the social and cultural meanings of the female nude within my project. I will be discussing how women have transformed photography by becoming the photographer rather than just the subject.  In my project, my main aim is to create a visual link between body image and mental processes. I also plan to include conceptual photography into it and discuss how the influence of the imagination links to the process of the mind. The two combined creates this false world that photographers use to influence their work.