Self Portrait
For this shoot I wanted to a self portrait using a mirror and my camera. I wanted to do this because both Claude Cahun and Edward Honaker expressed themselves through self portraits and a lot of them were taken with a mirror.
For both these images I used the Elliptical marquee and used the round setting so that I could copy the image and paste it into the camera lens. I then used a downloaded Gay Pride Flag and did the same but only had the opacity on 50% so that the viewer could see the image underneath.
I used a shutter speed of 1/30 and an aperture of f/5 with a 42mm zoom and an ISO of 1800. I’m pleased with this image as the camera lens is in focus the most and I am the background.
I put this image in black and white as well as colour as I wanted to emphasise the fact that life isn’t always positive, we all have our low points when we feel that nothing will get better. But eventually, things start to brighten up and you begin to see the world like you did before all the sadness hit you. This links well with both Cahun and Honaker.
Honaker associated his photographs with his depression and showing the world how he felt at his lowest points; that links well with the black and white image.
Cahun’s photography focused on loving herself and being confident with who she is and she wanted to show the world that their opinions didn’t effect her. She could do what she wanted so that she could live her best life. Her mindset links with the coloured image.
PLAN:
Who: Mum and myself
Where: House (blank wall)
How: Projections
Contact Sheets:
Projection Images (lyrics)
I chose these as my final images because, it shows that no matter how the music sounds, the lyrics are arguably the most important part of the song.
I projected the lyrics of some of my metal songs and got my mum to stand in front looking thoughtful and happy. This was to show that not all metal music is angry. The majority of the lyrics have very emotional meaning behind them, like singing about heartbreaks, family and their lives before they became musicians.
These images have very muted colours, this allows the viewer to understand that the songs that are projected onto the model are solemn and have a very deep and emotional meaning. The images having muted colours also links to the Photographer Edward Honaker; all his images come from a dark time in his life just like the musician.
I took this set of images in the evening once it got dark and used the projector as my only source of light allowing the images to be stronger and bolder on the wall.
Projection Images (Pride)
I took this images to show how much influence music has had on my life personally. I began listening to metal music when I was 13 and that is when I began to notice my sexuality. I listened to the bands like Slipknot, System of a Down and Type O negative who constantly sing about society and how we need to appreciate everyone for who they are. These bands gave me the courage to come out to my mum who is totally supportive of me. She understands how much music influenced my life and I wanted to use her as a model since she has been there for me whenever I needed her and I cannot thank her enough for accepting me and loving me for who I am.
Again, I only used the projector as the main source of light. I did this so that the colours of the pride flag would be more prominent and I think it was successful.
Pride and music have the same meaning to me. Pride was made to celebrate the lives of the LGBTQ+ community and it allows people to accept other for who they are. Music allowed me to express myself and live my life the way I want and not to feel worried about anyone else’s opinion because it’s my life and I should be able to do what I want without the fear of what others think.
I asked my mum to do the devil horns which is the symbol most associated with metal music. I wanted this to be incorporated to further emphasise the importance of music to me.
I also used the images where she was laughing and smiling to highlight the fact that listening to a certain type of music doesn’t make you act a certain way. I also used them to show that being gay/lesbian/bisexual etc shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing, you are who you are and everyone should accept that and support you no matter what. These images juxtapose the rest of my project because it focuses on the positive side of society rather than the negative.
I used a fast shutter speed so that I was able to capture as many emotions as possible that was created by my mum and myself. For the images of myself, I used a timer and stood in front of the projector and the camera and set it to take two images each time the timer had ran out.