My images were based on the metal genre and how society views it. I feel as though I was able to explain the downsides to listening to an unpopular genre of music; but also how much it has helped me throughout my life. I believe that my images show that people need to stop judging others for being who they are.
I think I have used good techniques while taking my images, for example using a long exposure and a slow shutter speed to create blurred and streaked effects in my photos. I also believe that I was able to use photoshop well like using the whirlpool setting and layering multiple images on top of each other to make a statement.
I believe that I could use different ways to make facial features unrecognisable for example creating geometric images and using a blur tool.
I have done a self portrait using a mirror just like Cahun and Honaker. I have however used a similar technique to Cahun because I’ve used my reflection. I cropped my picture and put it into the lens of my camera and then used an image of the pride flag to highlight the fact that it is a huge part of my life; just like Cahun’s.
I did put my image in black and white to be the same as Cahun and Honaker however I believe that the coloured image works the best out of the two. My image is similar to Honaker’s because the camera is in focus more than my face. In Honaker’s image the mirror is in focus more than his face.
However my image is different to both artists because I didn’t use a natural light for my image because I took it in the evening which meant my light source were the LED bulbs which were in the room at the time.
I took pictures of a match while it was burning down to represent our lives. As the flame grew down the match, it represents the time that we have on this world.
The match is a good example of showing others that we need to stop judging others for what they want to do. We need to focus on our lives and not focus on what others are doing as it’s wasting the minutes that we have on this world. A match can stop burning at anytime, just like our lives can stop at anytime. So why should we waste our life worrying about things that probably have no/little impact on us?
I went into photoshop and overlapped the images and removed the backgrounds on the layers so that the backgrounds wouldn’t clash with the original image.
I set the opacity of both layers to 50% so that the viewer can still see the other matches just like people can look into the past. Although we can look into the past, there are barriers just like the flames that have overlapped each other.
I left the background grey so that the flame would be the subject. The background is successful grey because it allows the viewer to see the burnt part of the match which is jet black.
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.
For this photoshoot I went into the studio and used the Gels to cover the key light which then created the coloured background. I wanted to use the gels to show the contrast in views on metal music. Society has put a label on metal as being an angry genre and everyone who listens to it is scary and angry. This isn’t the case. You don’t need to have a specific personality to listen to a type of music, you can be whoever you want.
Plan:
Who: Tiago
Where: Studio (school)
How: Gels over key light, slow shutter speed
Contact sheets:
Images:
I took these images to represent the fact that people can look one way but not act the way you would expect.
The shadow represents the fact that your personality and your music taste make who you are.
Images:
For these images I used a slow shutter speed, which created a blurred effect, as the model moved their head when the image was being taken. I think that this is effective because it relates to the fact that someone can have a very quite and shy personality but can listen to metal music which can be very loud and aggressive.
I used the gels over the key light to show the contrast in the way that society views people’s personality and judges what they should listen to just based on one aspect of their life.
I used the blue gel to highlight the personality of the person. I chose blue because it’s a cool tone which isn’t too intimidating and can be seen as a calm colour. I used a red gel to represent the metal music because red can be seen as dangerous and aggressive, which is the stereotype of metal. I also overlapped the gels creating a purple colour to show that you can listen to what you want and be who you would like. There is also a glitch effect created on the background which shows the viewer that if you aren’t what people expect, then people don’t know how to react properly.
The blurred effect creates a smooth look to the image and the facial features blend into the background. The blend could also link to the fact that the lyrics of the music are often emotional but the singer doesn’t sing them to a melodic background. Just because the background is different, it doesn’t mean that the song is angry, most of the time the lyrics are stating how fragile someone is.
I wanted to keep the shadow in on the background as it represents the judgement you face from other people when you listen to the different types of metal. I’ve left it in all my images because no matter what you do you will be judged in some way.
Comparison to Honaker:
I was inspired by this image by Edward Honaker and I wanted to adopt the same methods he chose to show his viewers that he wasn’t feeling happy anymore. However I wanted to keep it in colour to represent that we don’t all fit in society’s stereotype.
For this shoot I wanted to make the most of the lights that are hung up on the sea front between St Helier and St Aubin as I thought it would work well with my inspiration of the grunge/rock aesthetic.
I also wanted to incorporate my inspiration from Edward Honaker and edit the model’s face to show that there isn’t a ‘look’ you need to have to listen to rock and metal music.
Plan:
Who: Amelia
Where: The Avenue, St Helier
When: Evening
How: Fast shutter speed, long exposure, flash.
Contact sheets
Final Images
I wanted to highlight the fact that, for me, music helps me escape reality and the real world for a few minutes/hours. These images, I think, show that the best.
The first image was taken using a long exposure and then moving the camera to create a blurred effect with the light and the model moving to a different part of the image. The viewer could see it as a journey from reality to your own world.
It could also represent the time passing; or the fact that the person who is listening to music is listening to songs from different eras in times like the 70s, 80s,90s etc.
I took this image just as it was getting dark and the sky had a purple hue which contrasts well to the bright lights that are hung on the side of the street.
The second image is a representation of the fact that we are not the same person when we are around different people. The girl on the left represents how society views you, and the girl on the right is the real you who has to see the world perceive you as someone else.
The girl on the right is more translucent, this shows that society won’t view you as you unless you change your appearance or personality. The ghost like figure emphasises that society views her in the wrong way.
This is an issue in the metal community because many women are told that they are show offs, fakers and are only doing things for attention. Society views the metal community as male dominated. This is because of the sexist views that sadly are in our world, women can be seen as weak and therefore many people believe that we wouldn’t be listening to music with screaming and aggression.
For this shoot I wanted to emphasise the fact that you do not need to look a certain type of way to listen to metal. To highlight this, I created a whirlpool effect on the models’ faces so that no one would know what they truly looked like. I also cut out the face of the model on my final image. I left some skin on the forehead to emphasise the fact that no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to erase the true version of you no matter how hard you try.
The whirlpool effect was inspired by Edward Honaker.
My inspiration is metal music and the views society has on the genre and people who listen to it. Both types of music have helped me get through some tough times throughout my life, including me coming out and moving to Jersey. However they aren’t a popular genre of music as many people can only hear screaming and not the meaning of the songs and lyrics.
Music has allowed me to express myself and meet new people who I can now call some of my closest friends. Many people think of metal and think of aggression and anger; most of the songs are about the artist’s friends, family, partners or even their views on society and the way we are told what is and isn’t normal/ correct.
Claude was a French lesbian photographer born in 1894. She moved to Jersey in 1937 and became active as propagandists and resistance workers during the second world war when the Nazis took over the Channel Islands.
She was sentenced to death in 1945 however it was never carried out due to the Liberation of the Channel Islands from Nazi power. Cahun used photography to express herself and her political views.
Image Analysis
Claude Cahun
The lighting in this image is very dark with areas of very bright light that could be coming from a window and reflecting on the glass of the subject in the image, which then reflects on the black surface underneath . The darkness of the image allows the viewer to focus on the image of the woman in the dome and the actual dome itself. The brightness on the glass allows the woman to look three dimensional and could allow the viewer to sense the mood of the image.
The fact that the image is in black and white allows the viewer to focus on the contrasts in the image. The image in the dome has mainly dark colours which allows the viewer to see them as a happy person however the black background of the image emphasises the fact that her past was quite dark and she was treated poorly in the prison she was sent to in 1944.
The glass dome could highlight the fact that you are only a tiny fraction of the population of the world; you must live your life the way you want, and the way you believe is correct.
The texture of the image is smooth until the dome which allows the viewer to focus straight onto the centre of the image and on Cahun herself.
Edward Honaker
Edward Honaker is a photographer now in his mid-twenties . When he was younger, he used photography to express himself while he was suffering badly from depression.
His images highlight some of the lowest feelings he has had, with the reoccurring theme of feeling like the odd one out and feeling like he didn’t belong in this society/world.
I chose Honaker to inspire me for my work because music is the way i choose to escape reality and the world just like he used photography to take his mind off the depressive thoughts in his head.
Image Analysis
Edward Honaker
This image allows the viewer to understand that Honaker’s brain is never still. His body may seem calm and relaxed however his mind is constantly working, or in his case his brain keeps haunting him. The image also expresses the fact that he doesn’t feel like he belongs. He’s sat in an empty room wearing a suit, this could represent the social anxiety he has or even the fact that he feels all alone in the world with no one there to support him.
Honaker used a slow shutter speed and moved his head to create a blurred effect; this allows the viewer to further understand Honaker’s thoughts and feelings. The dark tones throughout the whole image further represents the fact that Honaker struggles to see the light in the world. It could also represent the fact that he believes the people around him see him as a sad and angry person.
The image is in black and white which allows the viewer to notice how Honaker, in this stage of his mental health, is unable to see any light/colour in his life.
The wallpaper behind the man could represent the fact that there is no moment of silence for him. He feels like he is permanently getting judged.
There is a lot of different textures in the image which allows the viewer to try and understand what the main focus of the image is.
Comparison of images:
Claude Cahun
Edward Honaker
Both of these images are self portraits. Cahun’s is showing the viewer who she is with confidence and showing that she is proud of who she is and doesn’t care what your opinion of her is. Honaker’s however, is the opposite. The image represents the fact that he no longer knows who he is and therefore can no longer recognise himself in the mirror. Both these images send a strong message to the viewer however, the messages contradict each other.
Although both images are in black and white, Honaker’s is clearly a lot darker than Cahun’s. Honaker’s has a shadow covering the mirror representing the depression that has taken over his mind and body. He is unable to look at anything without the dark thoughts taking over his brain.
Cahun’s image is very light with the only dark object being a cabinet behind him. This could represent the fact that Cahun has put all the negative thoughts to the back of her mind and is focusing on the good things in her life and the excitement of what the future holds.
Honaker has blurred out his face which allows the viewer to understand that this disease has created a new person and rather than being able to find the happiness and beauty in his life, the disease has made him isolate from the world and only focus on the negatives. This links to the shadow, representing the depression, creeping over him and slowly removing the happiness from his life.
In Cahun’s image, the reflection is looking back. This could represent the fact that Cahun is looking into the past, now proud of how far she has come in the years of injustice and pain.
Both photographers use a mirror as the main focus of the image which showing that the reflection in that mirror isn’t always the same as what is shown on the surface.
