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.
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.
