Action Plan:
My Response:
Best Images:
Looking at experimentation with in portraiture
I have decided to focus again on studio work because i find it is easy to control the variables that effect my final image out come.
When using a full studio lighting set, I was working on looking at the contrast of light and Dark and over exposure and under exposure. Also how different lights give different effects and meanings behind photos. Also I was looking at creating shadows and trying to make alive shadow with a second figure behind.
This is working on traditional portraits and lighting with a plane white or black back ground. My aim was to draw attention to the faces and make them the focal point of the picture. Worked with different angle making the focal point more to the right or left to offset the image and give it more visual interest and intrigue.
All of these images are playing upon the ideas of light and dark making the image actually contrast itself through the characters. This contrast of light and dark characters plays on the ideology of good and bad. These images are completely unedited, when I edit them I feel like the images are going to be more effective and have more of a visual impact.
Also of these images are playing upon the concepts of doubles and shadows. Looking at using color filters over the Red head/ spot lights. This creates a creepy underwater kind of theme to the image. The last image of this set is my favorite creating a ghostly double exposure feel to the image. This image was not actually a double exposure it was just done with two models and a low sutter speed to create movement with the surrounding outsides of the images while keeping the faces in focus.
These images were taken using a ring light to create a brighter more ghostly light. Where as the soft box lights create more of a over all surrounding light which is warmer and has less of a directed focus. That why I chose to use a ring light because it works more on the light that is already preset and brightening it up . Also the ring light gives more of a crisp bright contract from the background.
Identity – In psychology, identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a person (self-identity) or group (particular social category or social group). Categorizing identity can be positive or destructive. A psychological identity relates to self-image (one’s mental model of oneself), self-esteem, and individuality -Wikipedia
My initial instinct thoughts about identity and place are very varied. Personally, I am being drawn to lack of/loss of identity, due to the nature of being able to heavily experiment with props and photoshop. I feel that I would be able to express clear view points about loosing an identity through my photography. Moreover, I am also liking the idea of social identity as I would be able to explore more serious topics which are relevant to todays society. Although this would provide many opportunity’s, I feel I would be able to produce a stronger outcome and more in-depth if I went down the loss of identity root.
Loss of Identity:
After looking at the work of Peter Kennard, I was inspired to also make montages that express my opinions and views on political matters that are currently happening in the world.
This photo montage about Brexit. In the background I put an image of anti-brexit protesters, and covered it with an image of Theresa May, a faded EU flag and newspaper headlines. The fact that the protesters are being covered by the other layers, symbolises how their views are being neglected and not particularly cared about. The faded EU flag is symbolic in showing how, little by little, Britain is no longer fully part of the European Union and continues to make plans to leave. The particular image of May that I chose, displays her looking rather confused and not particularly sure in what shes doing as this represents that fact that some people view her as not being a good enough leader to take Britain out of the EU on successful terms as the the UK’s economy and social stability may be effected by the decision for Britain to leave the EU. The newspaper headings contrast hugely with the expression on May’s face, as 2 of them show quotes where she sounds like a strong, and capable leader. This contrast represents the fact that many people are divided on whether or not Brexit is a positive thing or not. The third newspaper headline is a negative one showing the other side of the argument.
For this next photo montage I wanted to do something more creative and fun. For this montage I used an image i took of someone sitting down, and i also used a picture I took of the same model’s arm. I duplicated the arm several times and changed the colours. I then used a galaxy background from google. There is no specific underlying concept within this image, but i think its a very interesting montage just because it looks very unusual and unrealistic.
In psychology, identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a person (self-identity) or group (particular social category or social group). A psychological identity relates to self-image (one’s mental model of oneself), self-esteem, and individuality.
For this topic of interest, identity and place of a person is to be explored. They can be explored through the ideas of gender identity, cultural identity, social identity, geographical identity, political identity
lack of, loss of identity.
Identity is defined as “the characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is”. This can be influenced by various factors including geographical or cultural influences. There have been arguments relating to the importance of nature vs. nurture and which has a larger impact on ones identity.
Different Types of Identity in Photography
Gender Identity: This is the idea of using gender to define ones identity. This is an idea often explored by various photographers/ artists such as Lorna Simpson. This work varies from more abstract pieces exploring the idea of gender identity crossing over to loss of identity to ides of empowerment in her work.
Cultural Identity: This is the idea of exploring culture and how it affects a persons identity. this can range from exploring how various cultures are portrayed/ stereotyped as well as being used to give a better insight into the reality of their culture. This has been explored by artists such as Paul Sepuya.
Social Identity: Social identity relates to the idea that a person can be the surrounding community, this is the same idea as the ‘nurture’ aspect of nature vs. nurture. This also relates to the idea that social pressure can change someones identity on a fundamental level through peer pressure etc. This has been explored by photographers such as Robert Frank, his work explores the influence of the ideals of their community on ones identity including ideas such as nationalism. However this piece also relates to the idea of Geographical/ political identity.
Loss of/ Lack of identity: This is an idea that someones identity can be stripped from them either by some form of disaster or by social out casting. This is often explored in conjunction with other forms of identity such as some of Lorna Simpsons work. This is an idea also commonly explored using a surrealist approach.
Born in 1960, Richard Koenig received his BFA from Pratt Institute. In 1998 he received his MFA from Indiana University and began teaching art and photography courses at Kalamazoo College, Michigan. Koenig has done lots of work but the portfolio of his that I am focusing on is called “Inserts/Koans”. In this he takes old prints and of images showing a frame with something or someone in then in the same framing he removes the main subject and then takes another picture with the first photo with the main subject in suspended in front of the new framing with the area lined up and the main markings lined up.
The effect of these images is that the viewer sees the image before it has undergone change or before something has been removed. And i have chosen this for identity and place because I can depict something that has lost its identity and is missing the identity that it had before when the main subject was there.
In order to experiment with natural lighting during the portrait project, I used an open window to produce the lighting for a photo-shoot. The following images show examples of subjects faces being illuminated with the use of just natural lighting from a window.
The above 2 images simply use natural lighting, and nothing else. the use of natural lighting in this instance allows for a soft illumination of the subjects face, allowing shadows to be cast across the face, but without them being too sharp or dark. This produces a more natural image, and allows the subject to be portrayed as they naturally are in reality.
For the above 2 images, I experimented with changing the background color of the image. This was done using a large black piece of card. I feel like this draws more attention to the face of the subject, and defined the shapes of the subject, separating them more from the background. I feel like the addition of a black background allows for the photograph to be given more dimensions, and feel more 3D.
Overall, the use of natural lighting in photography was a success, as I was able to create images that show the drastic contrasts between natural and studio lighting. Although natural lighting creates a more natural, soft light that portrays the subject in an (often) more flattering way, the lack of control that comes with using natural lighting can cause lighting issues (e.g the above 3 images are slightly darker, as they were taken when the sky was more overcast, thus the light was blocked.)
Aspects of Identity:
Photography is a medium that can be used to explore and play with identity, where the different aspects of a photographers cultural, social, geographical identity can be portrayed, and their views and opinions can be displayed for the viewer to understand and analyse.
The following is a mind-map including all examples of aspects that can be considered when taking photographs that experiment with identity:
Environmental factors such as the upbringing of the photographer, the lifestyle that they choose to lead, and the experiences they have had throughout their life that have shaped their thoughts and opinions all effect how a photographer will interpret the definition of identity.
Examples of Identity in Photography:
Photographers such as Shirin Neshat create images that more obviously involve the topic of cultural identity, and include bold, eye drawing subjects to allow the viewer to realize the initial concept of the image, while also adding less obvious, more metaphorical meanings that can create a discussion on cultural differences and tensions after further analysis of her images, the following is an example of her work:
(The eye catching subject of the image is the Arabic writing on the soles of the feet, which immediately indicates that the image is of cultural relevance. However, the use of the tag on the foot is more subjective, as it could indicate that the feet belong to that of a corpse, therefore opening a discussion about the violence and tension surrounding cultural minorities.)
Other photographers who choose to experiment with identity in their work. Photographer Tish Murtha experimented with social identity, taking into account and documenting the different aspects of society, and the differences between the social groups that make it up. Her style allows for the life of the people in her images to be documented in a candid, natural fashion, while at the same time her images can be compared to show the differences between social groups at the time she was actively photographing, and the different struggles and issues that each social group faced. The below image is an example of her work:
This image can be said to be a candid image displaying children growing up in England in the 1970’s, however it also displays the importance of the developing bonds, connections and friendships between the children, and displays them as their own social group, independent fro adults, showing the complexities of the lives and relationships that children have.
Lack of Identity in Photography:
On top of photographers using photography to blatantly explore identity, some use it to distort or hide identity, allowing for the subject of the image to become less an individual. Hiding the identity of the subject of an image to create a sense of mystery and disassociation has been a popular tactic in art for years, a famous example being that of the painting “The Son of Man”, by Rene Magritte (1946), where the subject of her image lacks identity due to the covering of his face with an apple:
An example of a modern photographer who experiments with using a lack of identity in her images, is Polish photographer Michalina Wozniak in her Identity series, which makes use of blank masks in her photographs to hide the identity of her subject, opening up a dialogue for questions such as who the subject really, what their intentions are, and what they represent. An example of her work can be seen blow:
