For my personal study project, I will be focusing on the theme of IDENTITY, more specifically youth culture and the transition from childhood to adolescence. I have chosen this theme because I think that I will be able to produce a wide and interesting range of images, varying from tableaux and studio portraits to more candid and street photography.
In the photo it shows the use of two black and white photos layered on top of each other where the lighting in the Photos are natural with a fast shutter speed as there isn’t much light in the photos and with the two people I would expect movement which is easily cause with a fast shutter speed so there is no blurring in the image.
“The snapshot idea has always interested me – the way an object in its dysfunction or contextual orientation become an image; it seems to become an image itself.”
I agree with this statement as a dysfunctional object I find can be very interesting in the way they have become exploring how it looks which you can then photograph and become a new image itself.
The use of a small tonal range is very effective as both images relate towards the blacks and whites giving both the images that simple link between the two. the two images have a contrast in textures as the back photo has a softer texture because of the bed sheets having a comfy look to the image. With the front image it has a rougher texture as the road has a rough look to it and so does the grass with its uneven surface.
“I have found following my own image fascination difficult. It is always in conflict with my conscience intentions and leads me into unexpected, sometimes unwelcome territory.”
I do find with photography it can become bias towards conscience decisions which then again can lead to unexpected territory but it can also lead towards good decisions and the conscience decision can lead to something really impactful.
As the overlaying photo has a fork road where the one road splits into two may reflect the photo of the two women as they could be the one road parting into two. The overlaying photo also covers the women’s faces which isn’t centre so then it could be intentional on how it’s uneven and how it is purposely places on those faces or could be accidental.
“Collage is a way to create the circumstances for digression and for attention to the unintentional or inadvertent, as you say, for allowing a conscious contemplation of the image in its dream state.”
With the overlaying photo is gives both the images attention for this uniqueness whether it was intentional or not but it does allow the the conscience to contemplate the image on its dream like state.
Reviewing and reflecting my year 12/13
ANTHROPOCENE
SELF-REFLECTION-IDENTITY
We were ask to reflect on our Identity and community project. And write an overview of what we had learned so far as Year 12 and Year 13 student and how we intend to develop our Personal Study. Last year we learned about the bases of photography and techniques to take different types of pictures for example when I took my images inspired by Troy Paiva’s style I had to learn how to use two continuous lights and added a grid and coloured gels to them to have the same effect. I also learned about contrasting warm and cool colours. We explored several subjects like Anthropocene, landscapes, many types of portraits like headshots up close, double/Multi exposures, Deadpan passport… This experience made realise how much I apricate Portraits, whether it’s close up or double exposure I find people interesting because I think it’s fun, it’s you who decides the poses and the place so it’s predictable your creativity has no limit. We also learned how to edit our pictures with multiple apps like Photoshop or Lightroom so we have the choice how and with which app we want to edit our images. Last year we worked individually in each project but this year we tried one the NFT project in groups. Is definitely different working individually and working in group. You have learn to share and mixed your ideas with the other members, Organized yourself in relation to others, At least the easiest is that we have to divide up the roles while when we are individual we have to do everything alone so it takes more time. We learned how to create a gif, and edit our NFT video. Even if I wasn’t very interested in the NFT project I still really like how our project turned out and I appreciated working with my group. We had two controlled conditions last year, Self-reflection we investigate the subject of Identity what it meant to us. We study who we were and how did we identify ourselves. I represented one of the cultures I grown up with which is Mexico. I explained one of the most famous artist in Mexico is Frida Kahlo. I love Frida Kahlo’s paintings because of the way she expresses herself behind them. So I wanted to self portraits inspired by her to honour her. I think this could be great for my community and identity project now. Our seconded control conditions was Anthropocene which means a period of time during which human activities have had an environmental impact on the Earth. On that time a knew a hotel that was closed and I thought it could be a great opportunity to take pictures so I could show a place abandoned by humans and which is being destroyed by itself little by little. And create Art with it “But what if we took the packaging of our favourite fast food and turned it into an inspiration from a 17th century painting.” I think they were my best work and I had a lot of fun making them. I explain in more detail, we can see that I have more confidence and the photos are in better quality.
Francesca Woodman was born in Denver, Colorado in 1958. She first started taking photos in her early teens while at boarding school, during her short career she took over 800 pictures. Her father was a painter and photographer and also lectured in photography at the University of Boulder in Colorado and Her mother was a ceramicist and sculptor so art became a big part of her everyday life. Her family spent their summers at her parents’ farmhouse in the countryside in Italy where many of her photographs were taken, she was inspired by Man Ray and Claude Cahun which can be seen in themes and style of her work mixed with the influence of surrealist art and the European culture. She developed her ideas and skills as a student at Rhode Island School of Design but suffered from depression after a move to New York in 1979 and in 1981, she then sadly took her own life at the age of 22.
I find this image very effective as it uses a slow shutter speed and has a tripod set up to take this photo. The blurry person I find is effective as everything is perfectly still and then yet there is just one singular person moving. The use of rustic building falling apart is effective as it could reflect how she feels and yet cannot show which she does try to through her photography.
Edward Honaker was diagnosed with a mood disorder at the age of 19. He was experiencing depression which created an overwhelming obstacle in his day-to-day life. He documents his own depression through the use of self portraits, the black and white harrowing images illustrates the photographer’s experience with depression and anxiety. The photography shows his helplessness he feels while trying to battle this depressive disorder, he focuses on blurring his face and use of water in his photos to symbolise how he feels like he’s suffocating and drowning. In an attempt to raise awareness of the topic, Honaker says about the project: “Mental health disorders are such a taboo topic. If you ever bring it up in conversation, people awkwardly get silent, or try to tell you why it’s not a real problem. When I was in the worst parts of depression, the most helpful thing anyone could have done was to just listen to me – not judging, not trying to find a solution, just listen. I’m hoping that these images will help open up conversation about mental health issues. Everyone is or will be affected by them one way or another, and ignoring them doesn’t make things better.”
In this image effective as it is the use of three images put together to create one image, the images show a man falling from a building into water then onto his bed. This could show how he feels like he is falling and drowning in his depression which makes him feel exhausted. Even if the images may not intend to show him struggling I still find it enticing on lying in the similar positions in different places yet it shows different outcomes.
For this project on identity and community I want to explore mental health and how it is a part of my identity. It matters to me because mental health has brought me together with my friends and family but has also been the reason to lose family and friends. With my project I want to explore anxiety, depression, bulimia and borderline personality disorder. I want to explore Francesca Woodman’s and Edward Honaker’s work as their work focuses on mental health which I Found would be a good fit for my project. With past projects I used a slow shutter speed which I found very interesting to explore which can be seen in both Francesca Woodman’s and Edward Honaker’s work.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a disorder which effects how the persons mood and interaction with others. Symptoms of this are: emotional instability, disturbed patterns of thinking or perception, impulsive behaviour and intense but unstable relationships with others. Most conditions of BPD result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Bulimia is an eating disorder with episodes of binge eating and self-induced vomiting. Anxiety is a feeling of unease such as worry or fear these can range from mild to severe. Lastly depression is low mood which can last for weeks or months which can effect daily life.
With these mental health disorders I want to show in my work as I find they have become part of my life with myself, family and friends experiencing these. I want to use that for my photobook showing the progress of these mental health disorders showing how they can get better but suddenly drop back to struggling again. In the book I want to start with a bold photo stating the mental health disorders as these thing can suddenly happen after a traumatic situation which can lead to years of struggle.
Formalism (Paper Project) – The first project we started was based on formalism. We scrunched up a piece of paper and took photos experimenting with colour, shadows and perspective. I learnt how you can’t just take a few images and them all be good, but you have to take hundreds in different lighting, shapes, angles and colours which in the end gives you a handful of good images.
Expressionism (The World is Beautiful) – The next project we did was about Albert Renger-Patzsch and the World Is Beautiful. For this I went out and took photos around town in black and white. I learnt how black and white creates drama and how different tones can be used to make an image exciting. This project really inspired me and interested me to use black and white in further projects.
Photomontage – Another project I enjoyed doing was the photomontage project. I enjoyed it because it increased my understanding and ability in photoshop. I took many photos of my friend in different lightings and cut out the facial features from myself and my friends. I then put them on top of a background image of a face which then altered the appearance of the original image. I first made one out of celebrities but then out of my friends.
Multi-Exposure – I also enjoyed the multi-exposure project for the same reason as photomontage. I used photoshop to get a few images of the same person in different lighting, position or facial expression and put them on top of each other. I changed the colour of two of the images so they represented old 3d glasses with one side blue and the other side red.
Landscape (Rural and Romanticism) – I enjoyed the landscape project because it introduced me to a different way of taking photos. I went out to take photos to beauport bay with my friend Matthew Brown. We took photos of the waves, the cliffs and the view of St Brelades bay. I took inspiration from Ansel Adams and took my images in colour but made them black and white. I believe black and white is a better medium for photos as it simplifies the image but makes it more exciting with tones.
New Topographic – The new topographic project was my favourite project I completed during my time studying photography. The project allowed me to combine my favourite parts of photography including, landscape in an urban environment, as well as black and white photography and using photoshop to edit my images. I studied a photographer called Lewis Baltz who used lines and high contrasts in tonal values. My outcome from the project was one of the best outcomes I have had from a project.
Anthropocene – The Anthropocene project also helped me with developing my photography skills. I studied two photographers one called Gerry Johansson who focused on photography including high contrast in tonal ranges. The other photographer is called Andy Hughes who focused on photographing plastic waste in relation to pollution. I got to take black and white photos with a good contrast in tones and colourful images with high contrast of plastic waste on beaches.
Best Photoshop Edits
Following the success of Artists Rifles, Paul re-joined the discourse with the masculine identity in Make My Night. Ostensibly a record of a very laddish night out, Paul used a similar technical method to that of the previous series combined with the use of multiple self-portraits. As before, he becomes the anonymous everyman but this time is more overtly the narrator as well as the protagonist of a frequently observed ritual – here
Governed by group approval and time honoured rites, a world of bravado and sexual tension vies with drunken frivolity and a certain vulnerability to occlude any notion of a new masculinity. From the preamble of high jinks and drinking games, to bar fights and stand offs through to its nauseous conclusion, each scene has been painstakingly researched and detailed – here
This style of photography caught my eye because of the ‘in the moment’ feel of them. They appear to be ‘professionally un-professional’ in the sense that some aspects are blurry, out of focus or over/under exposed. But these ‘un-professional’ aspects add a character to the photograph that makes it unique and captures the ‘vibe’ of the room at the time, hectic and busy.
Paul M Smith was born in 1969 in England and is a British photographer and educator.
He studied fine art at Coventry University from 1991 to 1995. After completing his degree he completed a masters degree in photography at the Royal College of Art. Whilst studying he explored the meaning and construction of masculinity, focusing on the creation of various ‘alpha male’ identities.
“Even when revisiting Carnival Strippers I had to think back to the context at the time – the debates in feminism about such women, the idea of giving voice to the women from the inside, and so on” I think this quote is thought-provoking because Meiselas uses her work to provide an alternative perspective on a group of women who many would argue project many negative stereotypes about women. However Meiselas proves these stereotypes wrong.
“I don’t go in with a concept; the concept evolves and becomes self-evident at a certain moment in the process.” I think Susan Meiselas’ method of production is interesting because she doesn’t necessarily plan her shoots before she does them, and it is more of an ‘in the moment’ process.
“Many of my projects live in more than one community simultaneously and the challenge becomes slightly different.” I liked this quote from Meiselas because she states that her work is rather universal and can be seen as relatable by different communities, which I think is a difficult process as you have to have a strong idea of other cultures or communities to do this.
This image, titled “Lulu, Tunbridge, Vermont” was taken by Susan Meiselas in 1974 as part of her series; “Carnival Strippers”. This series became the spark of Meiselas’ photography career, and even became the reason that she fell in love with photography. She became intrigued by these women and wanted to know why they did what they did and how it affected their private life, so she began this series photographing the girls both on stage and off stage, including moments of their private lives.
The lighting in this image is harsh and intense. It creates dark, gloomy shadows compared to radiant highlights. The shadows can be seen in the sunken parts of the face, especially around the eyes and around the nose of the woman’s face. The lightest sections of the image can be seen in the highlights of the face, such as the cheekbones and tip of the nose, as well as the bright blonde hair. Despite the lighting producing harsh shadows and highlights, the lighting is natural daylight. Due to the lighting appearing predominantly on the high points of the face, the direction of the sunlight seems to be coming from above the model.
There is a sense of line within the photograph, with the thick, folded lines of the circus curtains behind the model. These lines create an upwards direction which influences the viewer to look at the model from bottom to top, these also create the leading lines for the photograph. There is also a sense of line with the direction and bending of the model’s arms, this bending sends the viewers eyes towards the direction the flower in the hands of the model, which then directs the viewers eyes to the face.
There is no real sense of repetition in this image, due to the organic and candid nature in which it has been taken in. The image is taken in black and white also, so it is impossible to tell whether there is a repetition of colour.
The shapes within this image are purely organic. Despite the image featuring artificial shapes, they are bent and folded in order to create curved and distorted lines rather than straight-edged, geometric lines.
There is a strong sense of depth within this image, as the model is in clear focus compared to the blurred background of the curtains. There is no negative space in this photograph, as all sections of the image contain a pattern or subject of some sort.
There is a range of tones from dark to light within this photograph. The darkest area of the image can be seen in the gaps of the curtains, as well as around the eyes of the model. The lightest areas of the image can be seen in the white segments of the curtain, the blonde hair of the model and the model’s fair skin. Overall, the image tends towards darkness, which creates a dark and almost sinister atmosphere.
There is a lack of colour in this image. Because of this, an intense juxtaposition has been created when comparing light and dark, and shadows and highlights.
The composition of the image can be said to follow the rule of thirds, as the model has been placed in between the three vertical thirds. The image is balanced due to the lack of negative space, and with the subject being placed central of the image. The distinctive focal point of the image is the model holding the flower to her face.
4. Write a Statement of Intent that clearly contextualise;
What you want to explore?
Why it matters to you?
How you wish to develop your project?
When and where you intend to begin your study?
Make sure you describe your chosen theme (IDENTITY & COMMUNITY), subject-matter (topic, issue), artists (inspirations, references) and final outcome (photobook, film).
For this project, I want to explore my own sexuality, the LGBTQ+ community, and personal experiences that I have gone through as a member of the community
The project will introduce the reader to a same-sex couple having dates, and having intimate moments while at the same time conveying the idea that those moments soon become nothing but memories (this is achieved through blurry images to give the sense of imagination).
The project will also include messages that I have been sent, some involving death threats, stories of cheating, being taken advantage of, and some messages which involve Grindr messages of guys who want nothing but use you.
This project matters to me because it is a way of putting everything that I have been through into something tangible and for others to see; a way of letting others know that they are not alone, that others have and are going through the same experience.
It also serves as a way for me to let go of some events and put an end to it all and start a new chapter.