Who is Jonathan Ducruix?

Jonathan Ducruix is a digital artist who goes by the name Me&Edward. Ducruix has a diploma in 2D and 3D computer graphics. He has always been attracted to the world of fashion and design which is clear in his work. Ducruix says that he has a more spontaneous style of work – when he has a specific idea in mind he will work on it right away. His impulsive projects are often the ones that satisfy him the most. The name ‘Me&Edward’ comes from the fact that he wanted to separate the I – as a photographer from the I – as a human being.

Examples of Jonathan’s work

Photo analysis of one of Jonathan’s pieces

A neutral skin-colour range was used for the colour pallet for the cover up of the models facial features. This natural colour contrasts with the unnatural subject of the photograph. The use of the light and dark aspects in this photograph varying from the shine on the face to the shadow on his throat creates a strong contrast in the photograph. There is a smooth texture throughout the photograph  this adds a sense of confusion to the image.

The shadows and position of the model creates a 3D effect to bring the supernatural looking subject to life. The subject appears to be placed in the middle of the photograph this creates an uneasy atmosphere in the photograph.

It is clear that studio lighting was used when taking this photograph from the artificial looking tones on the models body.  It appears that a quick  shutter speed was used due to the image not being too dark and it being completely in focus and sharp. A low ISO will have been used as it is a photo in a studio, Ducruix will have used a low ISO to balance the overexposure from the shutter speed to keep the image very high quality. It appears that a neutral/warm colour cast has been used on this photograph.

This is an image I am going to try replicate as I think there are a number of different way I will be able to create this image in the same style Jonathan has done.

Contact sheets

My Interpretations in the style of Lewis’ – Black and White

Further Experimentation – Colour

Screen shots of the process

Original Image

Firstly, I copied the original image so there were 3 versions of it.

Once I had the three copies I lowered the opacity on the first and second image with the background image having 100% opacity. I then began to move around the first and second image around creating a blur effect again keeping the background image in the same place.
I then converted the file into black and white.  Once converted to black and white I started playing around with levels. Once I was happy with the adjustment of the levels My final edit to the image was using the curves adjustment. 

Final Image

Who is Lewis Bush?

Lewis Bush  was born in 1988 and is a British photographer, writer, curator and educator. He aims to draw attention to many forms of power that operate in the world as he believes it is by nature always “abusive, arbitrary and untransparent”.

Bush  studied history at the University of Warwick and gained a master’s degree in documentary photography from London College of Communication.  He also lectures on photojournalism and documentary photography at LCC.

From 2011 to 2016 he wrote and edited a blog about photography, Disphotic. Its tagline was “Exploring photography and it’s [sic] intersections with journalism, art, and history.”

In 2012, for The Memory of History, Bush travelled through ten European Union countries to examine the effects of the European debt crisis, in the context of Europe’s turbulent history of crises that are forgotten, only later to reappear. Bush’s intentions were to show the process happening again, where unresolved history is reappearing “with the economic pain of the present”, using photographs that show “connections between history and the present”.

Bush has  also worked on numerous of other projects for example ‘The Camera Obscured’ where he set up cameras outside sensitive sites around London where he was therefore challenged by security guards. He completed these projects to capture the boundaries that were preventing people from accomplishing things and also the struggles of everyday things.

A selection of Lewis Bush’s images

Photo shoot Plan

Genre /  Artist – Portrait/ John French

Concept –  Identity, Secrets, Codes

Location – School studio

Props – Tripod, Projector, Computer

Shot type – Portrait

Lighting – Studio

Settings –Portrait, No flash

Contact sheets

My favorite interpretations

Further experimentation’s

Who is John French?

John French, was a English fashion and portraits photographer. French worked for many editorial magazines and newspapers, like the Daily Express. He developed a new form of fashion photography from bouncing light from reflector boards to create an aesthetically pleasing image that would reproduce well. French is known for his clear, stylish, uncluttered black and white photographs taken against clean backgrounds.  He preferred to work closely with his models, devoting much attention to their posing and his sets.

French was on of the first photographers who thought about how photo projection on a human body could create a new type of art. He started this form of work in the 1960s, where he photographed models with floral and 60s style patterns projected onto their bodies instead of clothes.

Photo Analysis

What is projector photography?

Projection is the use of equipment and lighting to cause an image of an object to be seen on a screen. Usually the image is larger than the original and the projected image is positioned to be easily viewed or used for another process.

Black and white projections were popular in the 60s. However, it developed to colour through the years. As projectors improved, their colours and brightness also become increasingly more defined and vibrant. Projector photography became increasingly more popular since the vast improvement of projectors.

Projection art and photography has become more popular over the years as photographers and artists have discovered this useful, adaptable resource to produce art and photography. John French was a famous photographer who used projection art photography in the 1960s.

Examples of projector photography

What are codes?

Codes are a system of words, letters, figures, or symbols used to represent others, especially for the purposes of secrecy.

A code can be seen as a symbol or some form of object which portrays a message. Codes within photography are also known as symbolic codes, technical codes or written codes.

What is secrecy?

Secrecy is the action of hiding something secret  from individuals or certain groups who do not need to know.  Secrecy is keeping something secret or the state of being kept secret.

Secrecy also has direct connotations with identity and how people will try to keep their identity hidden.Secrecy photography often results in surrealistic images which help to represent the sense of a hidden or secret identity.

What is Meshes of the Afternoon?

Meshes of the Afternoon is one of the most influential works in American experimental cinema. A non-narrative work which has been identified as a key example of the “trance film,” in which a protagonist appears in a dreamlike state, and where the camera conveys his or her subjective focus.

This slow movie was Made by Deren with her husband, cinematographer Alexander Hammid, Meshes of the Afternoon established the independent experimental movement in film in the US.This short film inspired early works by Kenneth Anger, Stan Brakhage, and other major experimental filmmakers.

Shot by Hammid, a leading documentary filmmaker and cameraman in Europe, the film makes new and surprising use of such standard cinematic devices such as montage editing and matte shots.