Who – For one of my photoshoots I plan on capturing street photography style images of people passing through town, running errands, working, chatting etc. I aim to photograph normality and comfort in many of these images by highlighting the warm atmosphere of location.
What – I plan on photographing people living their day to day lives without interfering with or changing anything within the frame, capturing realness and sincerity. I really enjoy taking images in this street photography style as I believe they really allow the observer to feel immersed in the photo as life carries on around them.
Where – I am going to carry out this photoshoot around the Merchant Quarter of St Helier, focusing on the busier streets of shoppers and workers. When researching these areas of St Helier it was interesting to find out which buildings and businesses have drastically changed over the years and which still hold similar shops to those decades ago.
When – I aim to take these images on July 10th as it is a Saturday meaning the St Helier streets will be quite busy, additionally the weather is meant to be bright and sunny which will aid my images in creating a warm atmosphere and mood, and again will increase the chance of more people being in town to photograph.
How – I plan on walking through the Merchant Quarter of St Helier normally, going into shops when I need to and capturing images as I go. I aim to have some images holding a different mood to the rest, capturing singular people on the streets or in shops alone. Additionally, I want to create 3 environmental portraits on my photoshoot with the subject interacting with the camera to contrast the street photography style.
Why – I want to carry out this photoshoot to show the character of this St Helier community by focusing on portraiture and street photography. I am aiming for some my images to show sequences depicting workers to their work and shoppers to their shopping, sort of showing a juxtaposition between them.
Editing – Contact Sheets
When I first imported all images from my photoshoots into Lightroom I did an initial delete of any photographs I knew were not up to standard, were blurry/out of focus or had issues concerning White Balance or Exposure which there was little point fixing due to another image of the same scene being of better quality. After this first sort through of images I was left with 75 to look at in depth, editing them down with star rating and flagging. I went into ‘Develop’ mode to start filtering my preferred images. I started by using the ‘Flagging’ filter, using controls ‘P’ for a white flag (preferred image) and ‘X’ for a grey flag (disliked image) and holding down ‘shift’ – this allowed my editing process to speed up massively and let me clearly see which photographs were my favourite. Next, I used the ‘Star Rating’ feature to filter each image from 1-5, one star as the worst and five stars as the best, which again helped me select the best images that worked well together in groups, sequences and pairs. .
Experimenting With Sequences
While on my photoshoot through St Helier, I found it important to stop in shops along the way to try and capture some shots of people browsing and buying items for themselves, after I captured this first silhouette style image on the top right of a lady carrying a shopping bag I thought of the idea to also photograph the area of the shop she had come from, showing the motivation for her movement. I really enjoyed how this sequence demonstrated context to the final image captured, almost like a backstory to the scene. When editing the first two images in Lightroom, I wanted to experiment with a black and white filter to add a more dramatic and mysterious atmosphere to the scene as I believe it reflects the ambiguity of the woman’s silhouette and her back turned to the observer. Contrastingly, I wanted to create a similar sequence to the first however using warmer tones and direct address to the camera to create a more welcoming atmosphere. The second two images were captured in the St Helier Market at a fruit and veg stall, I was really drawn to its vibrant colours and tones, juxtaposing greatly with the first sequence. After purchasing some produce from the stall I asked the server whether she would be happy having her photo taken for this project, explaining the interest in the merchant communities. I really wanted to capture a natural and comfortable image of the lady, her warm energy was infectious and I found it important to not stage the image too much in fear of losing this. To capture this vibrant photograph I continued having a conversation with the woman about her day, snapping moments where she would laugh or smile at the camera naturally – I found it so interesting to discover the history of the time she has spent working in the market and how she loves when customers would actually have a conversation with her when she serves them, it was very eye-opening. To reflect this positive energy when editing I made very minimal changes due to the camera already capturing such raw vibrancy, only heightening the brightness and contrast slightly to match the boldness of the fruits in the first image.
Final Edited Sequences
Environmental Portraiture
During my street photography and portraiture photoshoots I wanted to capture 3 environmental portraits with the subject engaging with the camera. The reason I kept this number of portraits low was because I wanted to spend time getting to know the subjects and the field of work they were in, taking the time to understand the to capture an image representing them naturally.
The first image is a photograph of Simon who owns the metaphysical shop Zen, in my image I wanted to reflect the welcoming atmosphere of his business through angles, body language, composition and light. I positioned my camera with Simon in the centre of the frame, his natural body position worked brilliantly with demonstrating the shop’s open friendly mood and the soft artificial lighting provides a range of dark and light tones across his face that hold no harshness or bold disruption to the rest of the image. Additionally, in the background of each environmental portrait I wanted objects depicting each person’s field of work, in this first image I wanted the most negative space however with hints towards the business and its goods, this was because I wanted to reflect the mystery of the shop while also using negative space to highlight and draw the observer’s attention to the main subject, Simon.
My second environmental portrait was taken in Seedee Jons of owner Jono. I wanted to capture Jono in a natural position, however still showing his fun and easy-going personality through angles, body language and lighting. I took my image just below eye-level, standing to the left of my subject and asking him to engage with the camera in whichever way felt most natural to him. I believe this angle contrasts well with my first and last image as the side-on view reflects the business’s cool unique atmosphere of the shop. Furthermore, I wanted this image to hold darker tones with more contrast to mirror the gradient of tones on the shop logo wall in the background of the image. I captured this range of dark and light with artificial lighting and when editing in Lightroom I slightly increased the ‘Blacks’ and ‘Highlights’ of the photo to create this more edgy atmosphere. I also wanted to capture the different shapes in the background of the image, showing the contrast between the geometric rectangle of the mirror behind the subject and the repetition curved circles to the right of the image.
My final environmental portrait was taken of a worker in the Cartridge Centre phone repair shop. I took this image at eye-level, with artificial lighting capturing minimal shadows or distracting highlights over his face. I wanted to capture the repetition of straight leading lines that fall across the background of this image creating a sense of movement due to their link with the business’s fast paced and quick working style to help customers and repair items with tight deadlines. Additionally, the geometric shapes in the background of the photograph also hint towards technology and modernised items showing this job requires more technical thinking and skills. The black and white filter allows the range of contrast and tones in the image to be emphasised, with the darkest tone falling over the subject’s hair and the lightest on the phone products behind him. This draws the observer’s focus towards the centre of the image, with the main focal point on the subjects face.
Street Photography – Colour
Street Photography – B&W
During my photoshoots capturing portraiture and the character of a community I photographed many street photography portraits of people walking the the Merchants Quarter of St Helier. I wanted to do minimal planning for the photos as they were to look natural and unstaged, I captured images of people shopping, walking, talking etc, trying to be as subtle as possible to photograph an organic moment. My first set of images I have kept in colour, doing little editing on Lightroom by only touching up exposure and brightness when needed – I chose which images worked best in colour by looking at my subject’s surroundings where I decided I wanted each colour image to have the repeated motif colour of red somewhere in frame. This red colour appeared frequently in my photoshoot and I loved how much of a vibrant and warm atmosphere it created. Additionally, my colour photographs all have a landscape orientation and all but one have more than one person in frame, capturing more of a community feel and a busier composition. My second set of images held more of a dreary mysterious atmosphere, so I have edited them with a black and white filter to emphasise the darker tones. The subject’s surroundings in the photos are more bare and empty, with only one or two people in frame, some with their back turned or from a side-on angle. In addition, my subject’s facial expressions are not smiley or content and sometimes hidden away from sunglasses or a hat – I wanted to include these images in my final edits as they show a great contrast to my environmental portraits and colour street photography, demonstrating how in a community there is a range of different people, having different emotions and days which can be translated through a photograph in a right or wrong way. The ambiguity of the images leaves it up to the observer’s imagination to decide what kind of person the subject of the image is, but they will never really know.
I believe the images highlighted in red are my least successful images as the shutter speed was set too slow, making the images more blurry than intended, this makes them unsuccessful as the original artwork by Darian Mederos focuses on depth of field rather than movement.
I think the images highlighted in green are my strongest images as they are more accurate recreations of Darian Mederos’ work. I also feel like they represent his focus on depth of field more, as some aspects of the images are more blurred than others.
In addition, the contrast of different race adds another factor of human relationships both uniting and separating due to the harm to environment that we all play a part in, no matter who we are or what we believe. At some point, all humans have contributed to the production or purchase of plastic, which eliminates the segregation of who is to blame for the destruction of our planet, as we have all played a part. It can also be seen as a call to action for humans to band together in order to restore nature and live harmoniously.
To edit these images I will enhance the muted tones in my photographs, in a similar way to the artwork by Mederos, and also darken the tones in order to provide a deeper, menacing message in relation to the theme of Anthropocene.
Camera and light settings
For this photoshoot, I used harsh studio lighting to achieve the contrasting shadows and highlights in the images. I set the lighting to a slightly warmer tone to recreate the muted tones and colours that can be seen similarly in Darian Mederos’ work.
For the first few images in this photoshoot, the shutter speed was too slow for my desired outcome of the images, I predict the shutter speed was around 1/30 as slight movements made aspects of the image blurry. Once I had realised this, I altered the shutter speed to a faster setting of 1/1000, so the movements in the photographs wouldn’t come out blurry. I set the ISO to 50, and I set the aperture to a lower setting of around f/11 in so I could capture a slightly more narrow depth of field to juxtapose the aspects of the image that were in focus, compared to those that were slightly out of focus.
“Sophia III” (From The Obscura Series” – Darian Mederos (2018)
Darian Mederos, born in Cuba in 1992, is an artist who focuses his work on studying the human emotion in a distorted way. Mederos believes emotion develops our human experience, ‘revealing everything at once or nothing at all’. Mederos attended the first two years of art school at Leopoldo Romañach in Cuba. He then applied to La Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro in Havana, Cuba, and was accepted into the school. Darian Mederos left Cuba by himself at age 22 and flew to Miami and in less than six weeks was picked up by his gallery of record Conde Contemporary. Mederos’ work has been shown in LA, New York, Shanghai and other cities around the world. His work also resides in private collections worldwide, including London, Malaysia and Italy. I believe Darian Mederos’ work can be an example of Anthropocene due to the human life being drowned out with the use of plastic.
“The Distortion of Adoration” – Darian Mederos (2019)
“Sophia I” (From The Obscura Series) – Darian Mederos (2018)
Analysis of Darian Mederos’ work
“Embracing Doubt” – Darian Mederos (2020)
This painting by Darian Mederos is labelled “Embracing Doubt”. This painting is part of a series developed by Mederos to prove that the human emotion cannot be concealed. I feel like this series can also be seen as representation for Anthropocene as it displays the human emotion being drowned out through the use of plastic.
The lighting in this image is soft and could either be seen as natural or artificial. There is no harsh shadows or highlights being represented in this painting, however the high points of the face such as the nose and chin are softly illuminated. The brightest sections of the painting are found in the woman’s white clothing as well as parts of the woman’s face that are highlighted, like the lips and the nose. I believe the lighting is being directed from straight in front of the face, as the shadows are not cast at a particular angle.
The use of bubble wrap over the model in the portrait creates a repetition of curved line, these thin lines distort the vision of the image creating a blurry effect. These lines do not create any sort of movement or direction, however they are used as a form of repetition.
The use of repetition can be seen in the form of repetition of shape and line through the use of the bubble wrap which conceals the portrait with the repeated small circles. The repeated circles can be seen as a form of echo also.
This painting consists of purely organic, curved shapes. This can be seen in the repetition of circles and the organic curves of the model’s face. This means that there is a lack of juxtaposition within shape as no straight-edged shapes can be seen.
The image contains a shallow depth of field as the minute circles of the bubble wrap are in focus when compared to the facial features of the model behind the plastic. The area around the model’s face can be seen as empty space due to the off-white colour of the clothing, which lacks detail. The rest of the image is positive space as it it detailed with the small circles or the model’s face.
The bubble wrap in the foreground of the image has been concealed by the bubble wrap, this creates a juxtaposing, bumpy texture which contrasts against the smooth texture of the model’s face. There is a rather strong focus on texture in this painting as bubble wrap has an iconic and recognisable texture.
There is little representation of darker tones in this painting, however dark can still be seen through the hair of the model and around the eyes of the woman’s face. The majority of the tones have lighter hues to them, for example the woman’s clothing and her fair skin. The image tends towards lightness, which creates a contrasting mood compared to the inferred dark message of the painting, that being the human emotion being concealed.
The colours of this image are rather muted with a hint of vibrancy. The muted and more dull colours are seen in the woman’s face with her pale skin and the cream-coloured clothing she is wearing. Alternatively, this is juxtaposed with the vibrant, red lipstick the woman is wearing, which can be used as a focal point as the contrast is rather extreme. If the image were in black and white I believe it would add a further level of seriousness and develop the darker message of concealed human emotion. On the other hand, a monochromatic version of this image would lose the high contrast of the muted and vibrant colours. This focus would be transferred more towards the contrasting light and dark tones of the image.
The image has a rather simple composition, as although the image is artificially set up, there is a calm atmosphere to the image as it is not too busy. The image does not follow then rule of thirds and there is a lack of a distinct focal point. The composition is balanced as the empty spaces are evenly distributed between the positive spaces.
Satoshi Fujiwara was born in Kobe, Japan, in 1984. Fujiwara is a Postwar and contemporary artist who started his photography career in 2012 after he quit his job in Japan and decided to move to Berlin. Satoshi Fujiwara’s style of portraiture is unique and somewhat abstract to the human eye. He takes extreme close-ups of people and crops them to his desired size, through this method he has created some iconic images. His work has been featured in multiple art exhibitions at key galleries and museums such as the Jameel Arts Centre and the MOCA Toronto. Fujiwara has also had work featured in articles for the ArtDaily, The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.
Examples of Satoshi Fujiwara’s work
From the ‘Code Unknown’ series – Satoshi Fujiwara (2015)
‘Crowd Landscape’ – Satoshi Fujiwara (2019)
From the ‘Code Unknown’ series – Satoshi Fujiwara (2015)
Analysis of Satoshi Fujiwara’s work
This photograph taken by Satoshi Fujiwara, is part of the artists ‘Code Unknown’ series from 2015 that focuses on close-up portraits of everyday people with harsh shadows and highlights.
The lighting used in this photograph is very harsh and is directed from one side of the face. In my opinion, sunlight was used to illuminate the face as there is almost a golden tinge to the image. The lighting creates prominent highlights above the cheekbones and around the nose, and caliginous shadows from the right side of the face, especially around the eyes.
The use of line in the photo are provided mainly by the wrinkles on the woman’s face. These thin, curved lines create a downwards motion that directs the viewer’s eyes from the top of the face to the bottom, which creates emphasis of the lips and chin. These organic lines are juxtaposed with the straight, geometric lines of the woman’s glasses, that are slanted across her face, which also contribute to the overall downwards motion of the photograph.
A subtle use of repetition can be seen in the woman’s glasses, which display a repetitive, geometric pattern
There is representation of both geometric and organic shapes within this image. Although most of the shapes in this photograph are organic and natural, these are contrasted with the minute representation of geometric shapes that are found in the glasses in the woman’s hand.
There is a very shallow depth of field in this photograph, as the highlighted, left side of the face is in clear detail, however the right side of the face begins to blur into the shadows. Nearly all the space in the photo is positive, as it is filled up by the woman’s face, although a small section of the background can be seen as negative space as a black backdrop is used.
There is a strong focus on texture in this image, aswell as a clear focus on juxtaposing textures in the photograph. For example, the woman’s cheek contains the appearance of a smooth texture, which is contradicted by the rough wrinkles that inhabit the chin and forehead. The hair also gives the appearance of an almost wiry texture that contrasts the other textures individually.
There is a range of tones from dark to light in this photograph, as the harsh lighting both illuminates and darkness the face. The lightest areas of the face can be seen on the left side, on the cheek and around the eyebrow, and on the high points of the face. The darkest areas can be seen on the right side of the face, where almost the whole face is in darkness. This is especially seen in the wrinkles of the face and around the eyes.
Although the lighting in the image is rather harsh in the photograph, the colours are rather subdued and natural. The main colour palette of the image consists of beige and brown colours, however this is contrasted with the blackish shadows on the right side of the face. If the image was taken in black and white there would be a stronger contrast between dark and light, however the addition of colour allows for a juxtaposition between tones.
The composition of the image is difficult to interpret as there is no geometrical shapes that can be superimposed onto the image and the photographer has not use the rule of thirds in this piece. The focus on composition in this image lies in the close up method that is iconic for Satoshi Fujiwara’s work.
Photo-montage is a photographic/art technique where two or more images are overlapped and rearranged together to create a brand new image. In 1916, John Heartfield and George Grosz experimented with pasting pictures together to promote anti-Nazi and anti-fascist statements, this resulted in the photo-montage art technique. Photo-montage is often used as a means of expressing political dissent, it was initially used in 1915 by Dadaists in their protests against the First World War. The term “photo-montage” became widely known at the end of World War 1, around 1918 or 1919, and was used between a wide variety of art forms. For example, the Surrealists adopted the photo-montage technique due to it’s ability to bring together various different images to create an abstract representation of the workings of the unconscious mind. Recently, photo-montage has been used in psychedelic art by contemporary artists and photographers to reflect political messages, about topics such as climate change, in a visual way that is easy to understand yet also very impactful.
Photo-Montage Mood Board
Hannah Höch
Hannah Höch (1889-1978) was a German Dada artist known for her incisively political collages and photo-montages, a form she helped pioneer. Hannah Höch appropriated and recombined images and text from mass media to critique popular culture, the failings of the Weimar Republic, and the socially constructed roles of women. In 1917, Höch became associated with the Berlin Dada Group, which was a group of primarily male artists who critiqued and mocked German society and culture post World War 1. Her photo-montages received critical acclaim even with her male peers patronizing views, which still restricted women from having any real professional status from being depicted as ‘amateurs’.
Höch created her brilliant photo-montages by cutting out images from popular magazines and illustrated journals and layering them together to form impactful political pieces. The main themes Höch explored in her work were based around gender and identity, she humorously criticized Weimar Germany’s concept of the ‘New Woman’ who was allegedly man’s equal. Much of her work included feminist symbols and rebellious ideas that went against societies norms, she was extremely influential throughout her life and her work still impacts the world/societies views today.
Image Analysis
Hannah Höch | Indian Dancer | From an Ethnographic Museum | 1930
This photo-montage created by Hannah Höch is an extremely strong example of her political, revolutionary ideas about societies views on women. Her collaged model is the actress Renée Falconetti, appearing in a publicity still for Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc. Firstly, by Höch using such a famous face as the subject of her piece, it symbolizes that the patriarchal society she lived in shunned women of all professions and classes, even famous actresses. The composition of this piece shows half of Falconetti’s face is replaced with the ear, eye, and mouth of a wooden dance mask from Cameroon. I believe this choice of layering pieces of a mask over the subject’s face symbolizes how most ideas and suggestions from women were masked over and covered up for men to take the credit in Höch’s society. It signifies the expectations and assumptions that men had about women, to be hidden away and silenced for their controversial ideas. I really like the way Höch mocks this in her piece as she presents the masking of women as physical, not mental. Above her head rests a crown of cutlery; cut-out shapes of spoons and knives, set against glinting metallic foil. This choice clearly represents the status of women in contemporary German society, painting the model as a goddess of domestic finery by using such mundane kitchen utensils ridicules the common trivial phrase ‘a woman’s place is the kitchen’.
Technically the photo-montage holds little notable photographic techniques, however Höch’s choice of subject image has clear harsh lighting due to the bold shadow formed under her chin. The main highlights fall across the cut-out shapes of cutlery above her head which create a considerable tonal range and contrast between light and dark. This gives the impression that ideas closer to a woman’s heart were shadowed and hidden away from society, whereas the views placed in their head- about women’s role in civilization being only to provide for their husband’s- were publicized and highlighted. Furthermore, the repetition of the cutlery shapes connotes the idea that these concepts on women have been around for generations, Höch clearly believed they would continue if people didn’t start making a change to the way society ignored and disrespected women. Additionally, the plain blue-grey background, along with the overall dull colour palette of this piece, provides a clear link to Höch’s perspective on the community’s minds being blank towards the discrimination of women and their identities.
Photoshoot Plan
Who – I plan on photographing my friends Caitlin, Mai and Lauren for this photo-montage shoot due to their confidence in front of the camera. Additionally, all three girls have different looks and styles which will help portray my ideas about the triviality of society’s beauty standards.
What – I will capture images of my models in front of a black backdrop, looking straight at the camera lens with quite a blank facial expression. I then plan on gathering some images of celebrities and models from fashion magazines and cutting out certain facial features to layer over my primary images.
Where – I will conduct this photoshoot in the school’s art dry room, due to the photography studio being currently used as a drama classroom and therefore out of use.
How – I will take these images using the 1 point lighting technique with a standing LED soft box light to create a clear focal point on my subject’s face as well as a very dark black background to help it stand out, I also plan on capturing these images as mid-shots/head-shots.
Why – My aim in producing this photoshoot is to portray the effects modern media has on women’s perception of their faces and bodies, I wish to show how media’s constant flaunting of artificial women can have an effect on what society believes is the beauty standard they should conform to.
Contact Sheets
Selected Images
Photo-Montages
I created these photo-montages to highlight the effect modern media, such as magazines, has on women’s perception of themselves. I wanted to create the impression that the media’s constant portrayal of superficial women has influenced society’s expectations of ‘the perfect woman’, similar to the work of Hannah Hoch. I cut out features such as model’s eyes to layer over my portraits, connoting the common concept that girls with brown eyes want blue eyes and girls with blue eyes want brown etc; showing that nobody ever thinks they’re perfect, even when somebody else does. However, I decided I wanted to emphasise my subject’s lips also, so I cut out magazine model’s lips that were considerably bigger than my model’s to create this exaggerated effect. I believe this demonstrates the unrealistic expectations that all women must have big pouty lips to be beautiful, as modern media suggests with their excessive flaunting of them. Furthermore, as well as cutting out facial features from these popular magazines, I also found words and phrases that showed what women are compared to what their perceived to be. For example, in my first photo-montage I cut out the phrase ‘she performed’ to imply that women sometimes have to put up a façade in order to be heard or get their point across. Nevertheless, I paired this phrase with the words ‘loud mouth’ as it suggests women will get criticized for trying to voice their opinion in a society that is not open to their new ideas, linking to Hoch’s work on a woman’s place in society. Additionally, I cut out phrases such as ‘glowing skin’, ‘beauty’ and different well-known brands to show the things that the media believes women want, the things that this modern society thrive off of. Lastly, I chose to stick several model’s eyes around my subject’s head in order to demonstrate the idea that because of the world’s constant changing trends and styles, women may believe that society is always watching them and that the eyes of the people around them are consistently picking out their flaws and imperfections, clearly showing how modern media can influence are thoughts about ourselves.
Identity is the essence that defines an individual. It can be qualities such as beliefs, personality, looks, gender, sexuality, job role, etc. It can be defined by the way you express and feel about yourself.
Other people may also have a different view on your identity than you which can be positive or destructive. It is scary to think that every person sees you in different ways, see other aspects of your personality and behaviour that you may not even have noticed; have different memories and viewpoints about you.
Identity affects people in various ways, but some aspects of your identity may be due to nurture and cultural upbringing as Tabula Rasa states that one is born as a blank canvas and the way you think, and behaviours are shaped by the people around you who you have grown and looked up to.
Others may argue that identity can be due to nature. For example, you are born with a specific set of genes that are more likely to influence your behaviour and identity and how other people may see you.
In my opinion, I agree to a certain extent that identity is down to nurture. But I think the way you see yourself is the most important base of your identity as you’re the only one that knows yourself the best and not other people. However, other opinions of you may affect the way you think and feel about yourself.
For this project I will attempt to portray the way that others opinions and behaviours towards me has affected me, the way I saw and see myself then and now, and how destructive others opinions may have in your life. As Billie Eilish states in her son ‘Everything I wanted’, “…if they knew what they said would go straight to my head, what would they say instead?”
Claud Cahun
Claude Cahun (25 October 1894 – 8 December 1954) was originally named Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob. She was a French lesbian photographer who enjoyed sculpting and writing.
Shwod adopted the name Claude Cahun in 1917 and since then has been exploring self portraits were, they explore themes such as sexual and gender identity in their work. However, their work was mostly frown upon due to homosexuality being seen as shameful and disgraceful in the 20th century and beyond, but their portraits were very strong with some people adoring their work and others hating on it. The view on homosexuality was so frightful people would usually be beaten up, stoned, tormented and their family would neglect them and have so association with them.
In the image at the top, we can see Claude’s transition from a stereotypical girl to a boy with short hair. Due to the reflection of Claude in the mirror we can clearly see that they saw themselves as a boy/lesbian and looks into the camera in a sort of prideful but seductive way suggesting that they know who they are. To strengthen this point, we can see they are wearing typical male clothes. Also, the reflection may show that they were living a double life, one that they were born in some way and the other they identify as something else.
Photo analysis:
Substance:
Due to the time the photographer existed; we can assume that this image was originally in a film format due to digital cameras only being invented in 1975.
The image was taken inside of their or someone’s apartment to what seems in the living room.
It was taken for personal work on self identity and gender, and it could be argued it was a sort of silent protest towards society at the time as images like this were mostly negatively viewed.
Composition:
The main focal point of this image is obviously Claude and their reflection in the mirror.
Author has powerfully used the rule of thirds to compose this image as the model and reflection are positioned in the center.
The main colours of this image are black and white tones. He purposely used the black and white technique to create this image to create a sense of light vs dark and may also have used it to show how there is beauty during times of tribulation and times of joy.
Lighting:
The light in this black and white image seems to be coming from the front as there are shadows behind their head which could suggest that the light is indeed coming from the front. Evidently, the light seems to be quite natural as there is little evidence that could suggest the artist used a flash or artificial lighting as there isn’t evidence of a flash reflection
There are soft shadows and dark tones throughout the image. For example, the bottom of the picture is darker than the top. The image is natural, but the camera seems to have focused on the bright sides first as the image seems to be a bit naturally underexposed as there are soft lights and soft shadows throughout the image.
The artist may have taken this image during light or evening hours as the light suggests that it was taken in a dim environment or sunny but rather more a cloudy environment as all the details is quite perfectly shown.
Techniques and editing: (evidently black and white filter or camera were used)
A fast shutter speed was powerfully used to produce this image as the subject (Claude) has been shot to a razor-sharp focus.
The depth of field for this image appears to be quite large as most of the image is fixed. This was used to capture as most of the setting as possible while keeping a crisp detail to the image.
The artist may have purposely naturally underexposed the image to keep it in focus and so it isn’t too bright or too dark just natural.
The camera is still as this is a self portrait and all the details are in focus suggesting that the camera was stationary; a tripod was likely used.
Atmosphere:
The photograph makes me feel amazed at how confident and courageous the artist was to portray and express their sexual identity in a patriarchal society.
The photograph seems to be communicating a message of freedom of speech and expression as the artists explored with self identity portraits in a society that shames homosexuality for decades.
My response to this image is just how inspirational this artist was to my project in to exploring identity.
Response:
I will attempt to use the same black and white techniques to capture my shots to make it alike the original artist.
In order to incorporate elements into my own work I will need to make sure most or some of my subjects are in portrait
Similarly, Cahun has influenced my shots by following his key theme which is the theme of gender and sexual identity, the alignment of subjects and personal nature in their work have also influenced the way I set up my portrait images and identity photographs.
I love their work as it is very personal project for the photographer; the artist is basically telling their story even though there is danger that they could be imprisoned for being lesbian.
Lara Gilks
Lara Gilks is a photographer that comes from Wellington, New Zealand. She came to photography around 2009 when she received her first camera. According to sources (laragilks.com/about), she utilises “elements of nature, water, light, beauty” that are often mixed with aspects that are ambiguous, weird, scary and disturbing. She apparently works “at the precipice between perfection and imperfection, human and inhuman, and dream and reality”.
In an interview for PhotoForum, August 2019, she states that she puts “incongruous elements into beautiful landscapes” in order to create a sense of tension and playfulness as she also mentions her choice of models; children “with masks and other props”. She also mentions something interesting which is that “people will experience the images in their own way influenced by their own stories”. When she mentioned the need of tension in her images, she mentions that she wants “the sense of being out of place and absurd yet somehow normal.”
Lara has explored with identity in different ways, so much so that she has a blog post called, “identity and disclosure”. In here she explains the lack of identity due to social media. We know this because she states, “The brink of a digital identity crisis – where the digital era tests the limits of identity – what is safe to disclose and what must be concealed. There are questions of trust and vulnerability – the stakes are high.
Photo analysis:
Substance:
This image was clearly taken with a DSLR in 2018 as it is in a digital format.
This photograph was taken outside by a lake. We can also assume it was taken in the evening due to the brightness of the clouds, but this could have been manipulated using software like Lightroom.
This was clearly taken for personal work as it was part of Lara’s series “white lies”. Her description for this project was a simple quote from Alan Moore, “You wear a mask for so long, you begin to forget who you were beneath it.”
Composition:
The focus for this image is the “Horse Bride” which delivers a sense of strangeness and wonder at the experience of marriage.
Author has powerfully used the rule of thirds to compose this image as the model and background have been purposely adjusted so that the model at the center along with the background.
The main colours of this image are black and white tones. She purposely used the black and white techniques to add to the theme of tension, ambiguity, strangeness, incongruous.
Considering the description for white lies, the audience may also assume that many people marry a fake spouse; people who have been wearing a mask for so long. In addition, the fact that the image is in black and white may also reveal that marriage is not always dreamy and colourful; it can be dark and obscure. We can assume this is the case as Lara has said before that her photographs are open for interpretation.
Lighting:
The light in this black and white image seems to be coming from the natural environment as shoot was done outside. The light however seems to be coming from the front as it is lighting the Horse Bride and background quite well.
Soft shadows and dark tones are present in the shot. The bottom of the image is darker than the top, for instance. The picture is natural, but first the camera seems to have concentrated on the bright sides as the image seems to be a little naturally underexposed as the image is full of subtle lights and soft shadows.
The artist may have taken this illustration during the day, during light or evening hours.
Techniques and editing: (evidently black and white filter or camera were used)
Evidently, a fast shutter speed was used due to the waves being fixed to a focused position.
As most of the image is set, the depth of field for this image seems to be very high. This was used to catch as much of the environment as possible while retaining a crisp picture detail.
The artist may have naturally underexposed the picture purposefully to keep it in view, because it’s not too light or just normal and not too dim.
As this is a portrait, the camera is still, in focus and all the specifics show that the camera was stationary; a tripod was presumably used.
Atmosphere:
The photograph makes me feel quite interested and confused as I have never seen a Horse Bride before, especially standing by a lake. This is evident that Lara has achieved her aim of strangeness through this image.
This image, clearly is open for interpretation and considering that inside the wedding dress is Lara’s son this may suggest that there is a prince trapped in the body of a mare getting ready for marriage but decided to take a moment by the lake to think of things.
Successfully, this image has achieved what it was created for which is to make the audience question what is going on. I know this because Lara states that Horse Bride is intended to challenge and provoke such ideas.
Response:
To keep it the same as the original artist, I would strive to use the same black and white methods to take my shots.
I would need to ensure that most of any of my subjects are distorted and have their faces hidden in order to integrate concepts into my own work.
Lara has influenced my work on identity by giving me the idea of making the audience question what is happening in the photograph.
This is one of my favourite pieces of photography as I find it very creative due to the nature and contents of the image. It’s an image open to interpretation and communicates a series of different messages. It’s also very strange which just adds to creativity.
Similarities
• Both artists have used a series of black and white images to communicate a similar message: that there may be light in the darkness, there is 2 sides to every story and not everything is a perfect, colourful world.
• Both artists clearly play with the theme of identity with Claud exploring gender identity and Lara hiding the model’s face / identity.
• Both have composed their images in a similar way. For example, both have placed their models in the centre or close to the centre.
• Lara attempts to create tension through her images. For example, the Horse Bride image encapsulates all my feelings of strangeness and wonder at the experience of marriage. In a similar way, Claud creates tension in society with her images as homosexuality in a patriarchal society was unacceptable.
Differences
• Claud focuses on gender identity and explores with my gender roles such as weightlifter in a photograph of hers. However, Lara focuses more on trying to make the audience question the nature and meaning of her images.
• Most of Claud’s images are taken in indoor places whereas Lara’s images are taken in a naturalistic environment.
• Lara uses elements of obscurity, strangeness, unique and quite dark. This can be shown through her image of the Horse Bride. Claud Cahun however attempts to use self portrait and self identity methods to create an image that demonstrates who they are as a person and sometimes compare it to society and how society has this “ideal” way that people should behave.
Manipulation – “Manipulation was an artform in which you failed. Better luck next time.”
This is my #1 outcome.
My main purpose for this project was to “to capture various portraits and to try and convey a message/story to the audience. I will be touching sensitive topics in my life such as; bullying, insecurities, gender, sexuality, and more.” Therefore, I believe I have achieved this through this artwork called, “Manipulation”.
This is one of my most personal photographs ever made to this day as it explains a bit about my life. For example, this photograph is a clear representation of what I have been going through for quite some time as I was recently in a situation where someone did whatever they could to control and manipulate me. This can be clearly shown using models creating a sense of puppetry / puppet show and the fact that you cannot see the male model’s face shows that not many people knew who the manipulator was.
However, there are some broken strings which to me represent a few of those manipulative methods being broken and on the process of setting me free to be my own person and have my own identity. In addition, the use of double exposure on the “puppets” represent madness because you tend to lose your mind in such situations.
In comparison to my key artists, Claud Cahun and Lara Gilks, this image is very open for interpretation. This is because one of my aims for this project was to create something like Gilk’s Horse Bride and have the audience interpret the image according to their own experience and link the audience to the photographer due to relation to the viewer, ultimately creating a bond between the artists and the viewer; sort of telling them that they’re not alone. As well, the use of a female model as the puppet may convey domestic abuse that a lot of female face.
Also, the shot is in black and white clearly showing similarity to Claud Cahun as their images are all in black and white. Both Claud Cahun and I have used harsh shadows and tones to show how difficult it can be to be our own person and have our own identity in a judgemental society; sometimes we are so pressured to act and look a certain way by society which makes us feel entangled in these strings and imprisoned at times.
Cut you off
Faceless
Stalker much
These are a trinity of images which try to show how other opinions have shaped and reconstructed my identity.
As you can see, the text in my images is a series of anonymous messages I received from people that know me, but I still do not know who sent most of these messages.
In “Cut you off”, there’s a message saying, “It’s funny cuz you acc think we like you but we’re j pretending… go AWAY.” This message came from someone that I know that clearly doesn’t like me. I did everything in my power to at least be civil with them, this was until I figured the friend group was talking about me behind my backs and so I cut them off. Hence the name, “Cut you off“.
In addition, “Stalker much” the messages that are going through my models clearly show how much these messages have got to me. Also, the female model looks like they are sort of guarding or looking over the male model. I did this in purpose in order to try and create a sense of the psychic staring effect; when you have that sense of being watched to which the messages suggest that people paid close attention to me and even saw who was texting me. The colourful double exposure, alike “Manipulation” was done to show madness and or how multiple people seem to be watching over me.
Similarly, “Faceless” is a photograph where the identity of my model is hidden, blurred out and shaken while they’re holding a message that reads, “Your 1000% gay, stop being in denial.”. This message was one of many that made me question who I was, what my sexuality was and made me question everything about myself and it got to a point where I genuinely hated everything about myself because no matter what I did, that was the ONLY slur that people tell me, it even got to a point where my old tutor had to ask my friends if I was gay because of the way I dress. That shattered me and confused me so, enjoy the series of images that attempt to show how I have felt during these times.
In relation to my key artists, most of my images are in black and white which relates to Claud’s images, the composition of these images remains quite close to both Lara and Cahun as my models are near the centre, my images also have a go at talking about identity / lack of identity which relates to Cahun. Also, it may be argued these images could be interpreted differently according to the viewers own experience which successfully links to Lara’s ideas. However, the use of messages in these images may reduce this effect as not every viewer has probably received similar messages.
Ghostin
This is my final outcome, it contains a series of messages that read, “gross”, “gay”, “there is no way you’re straight” and “he’s definitely a bottom.” These are just messages that people have said to me.
This relates to Lara Gilk’s approach to identity as I have incorporated elements of ambiguity, strangeness and obscurity. This was done through the ghost effect where the model appears to have multiple faded exposures of themselves.
In comparison to Claud, there isn’t much correlation except the fact that we both have attempted to talk about identity and what it means for us.
These messages are mostly blurred and over-layered one another which has a go at showing 2 different perspectives, one being that overtime these messages don’t hurt you anymore and two, over time the messages get deeper and harder to see on the surface but they’re still there. Obviously, the perception may change due to the viewers own experience. Like my favourite show, 12 Monkeys, states, “There are many endings and the right one? The right one is the one you choose.” Therefore, this image was created to purposely let the viewer pick the ending for this project on identity, let it be happy or sad. After all, the author is still deciding on what ending to this story to choose from.
How I edited these images:
For this project on identity I have used Photoshop to adjust the black and white filters for most of my images, I have also used it to create and bend the strings in “Manipulation” to make it more realistic and add to movement as there is little evidence that the model is moving so I tried to bend these strings to add to this effect. I have also used the “blur more” tool to blur the strings and ellipses around the fingers so that it looks like it was part of the original image, and in “Stalker much” I used these methods to blur the text to achieve the same outcome.
In addition, I have used photoshop to add the text to my images, change the opacity and adjust it to “Darken” so that it removes the background and displays just the text. Also, setting it to darken means that when it comes into contact with a darker background, it fades away. This and the eraser tool helped create the effect in “Stalker much” and make it seem like the text is actually in the background.
For the other images, I have used the “Glitch Lab” app on my phone to:
add the glitch effects around “Faceless”.
remove the faces in “stalker much” and “Faceless”. There was also a filter called “stripe shift” which helped cut off the face in “Cut you off.”
For “Ghostin” I used the pre-set “Troubled waves” to create the blue/green filter so it looks quite old and gives a cemetery, cold feeling enhancing the name “Ghostin”.
Snapseed was also used to sharpen the text in “Ghostin” so it’s clearer and more readable.
Step 4: Create your own location or choose a template.
Step 5: Upload your images, put them in your exhibition, name it and give it a description. For mine, I justified my photographs.
Step 6: Present / view your Exhibition.
Why I decided to do a Virtual Gallery:
I decided to do a Virtual Reality Gallery again because I feel it links very well with the theme of Identity. This is because the viewer is placed in a corner of a room and has to find the 5 outcomes that are in that VR building. This relates to identity as it puts the viewer in a way, in the artist’s/my shoes in the search to find my identity.
I am very happy with the final images of this project on the theme of identity. I love how I have successfully talked about past experiences in my life and managed to turn it into art. This project has really helped me turn my pain into a series of beautiful and artistic images.
The planning went really well and I said everything I needed to say through these images. But, next time i’ll make sure to think about props and how to use them successfully as you can see in my contact sheets some comments didn’t stick quite well. Also, the background for “Manipulation” could have been done faster if we thought about the colour of the props and background which is always important to think about.
I have clearly related my images to the key artists and have shown a great understanding of photo analysis, use of lighting and have shown great expertise with photo manipulation.
I strongly believe I have achieved the main purpose for this project which was to mix identity and portraiture. I have powerfully touched on areas like identity, sexual identity, how others opinions may change how you see yourself and I admire the way that I left the audience on a cliff hanger; having them decide what the final image “Ghostin” could mean to the whole project. For example, as explained above it could mean that the artists has moved past these hurts and the criticism they have had in the past is becoming nothing but a memory, or, the criticism is taking over the artist slowly becoming one. This could mean that the audience chooses the identity of the artist; are they someone strong, who’s moved past the experiences or is their identity confused?
The fact I am basically getting the audience to choose my identity adds irony as the project talked about rude and negative these comments could be to someone, talking about being driven into madness and having the constant fear that you’re being watched. This at last makes strain which identifies with how Lara needed her crowd to feel the feeling of being strange and crazy yet some way or another ordinary.
In conclusion, I am very excited to share this project with you, viewer. I hope you can relate or find comfort in my photographs.
Satoshi Fujiwara is a Japanese photographer who has been based in Berlin since 2012. In one project of Fujiwara’s work, he has taken inspiration from Michael Haneke’s 2000 film ‘Code Unknown’, in which there is a scene where a character secretly photographs different people sitting opposite him on the train. Fujiwara was influenced by this technique of candid photography and similarly captured images of strangers on Berlin trains. In an interview with Lens Culture, Fujiwara described how he shot and edited his images in a way to keep his subject’s identities anonymous. It is clear that Fujiwara captured these images during daytime, as the direct sunlight provides natural lighting on his ‘model’s’ faces.
Photoshoot Plan
Due to having to isolate from school because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I will not be able to use the photography studio to conduct this photoshoot. Instead I plan on creating a ‘home studio’ using a blank white wall as a background and lighting my subject with a multi head floor lamp. Although it will be more of a challenge to re-create Fujiwara’s up close work from home, my idea is to only take inspiration from his project and work with the lighting/set up I am able to create at home.
Who – I plan on photographing my mum for this shoot as she is comfortable being in front of the camera and will be relaxed while I capture images that are quite invasive and close to her face.
What – I will be capturing images of close-up facial features such as lips, jaws, cheeks as well as close-ups of the full face. I plan on asking my model to have a conversation with me while I take some of the photos in order to capture natural images.
Where – As previously mentioned, I will have to conduct the photoshoot at home by creating a studio and using lighting I have around the house. I plan on taking these images in my lounge, as I have a blank white wall that can serve as a plain background for the shoot.
How – I will attempt to create shadows on and around the subject’s face by moving the different heads of the lamp I plan on using to different positions to highlight contrasting parts of her face.
Why – I wish to experiment with how close-up images can distort someone’s face so it is almost unrecognisable, taking inspiration from the works of Satoshi Fujiwara when he was influenced by the film ‘Code Unknown’.
Contact Sheets
Selected Images
Comparison to Satoshi Fujiwara
Satoshi Fujiwara uses natural sunlight to capture his candid images, I have recreated this in my shoot by directing my lighting to form harsh shadows across my subject’s face, similar to those Fujiwara took on the Berlin trains. This reflects the chiaroscuro technique used in renaissance paintings to create drama and atmosphere in images, it shows the strong contrast between light and dark. This use of shadow and highlight creates a more intense mysterious atmosphere in mine and Fujiwara’s images, which is furthered by the subject’s longing facial expression looking away from the camera. Similarly, both image’s direction of light on the subject’s face create a clear focal point for the observer at the subject’s eyes. They appear to have a glossy texture that catches the observer’s attention against the otherwise shadowed face. Nevertheless, Fujiwara has captured his image from a low camera angle whereas I have angled my camera at eye-level. I chose to photograph the subject in this way in hopes of creating a more ambiguous image and allowing the observer to interpret the subject in their own way. I believe an eye-level angle helps achieve this as it does not give the impression that the subject is looking up or down on whomever is looking at the image, therefore not giving them a set status.
Final Image Analysis
I have chosen this image for my final ‘Up Close’ portrait because I believe it successfully mirrors Fujiwara’s candid photography and abstract portraiture technique. Due to my subject having red undertones in her skin, along with bright green eyes, it creates a dispersed focal point for the observer- as green and red are complementary colours, letting each stand out as equally as the other. Additionally, the lighting I used in this shoot mixed with the subject’s skin tone creates a warm orange hue over the portrait. The texture of this image is formed by the lines and imperfections of the subject’s skin, for example due to the creases and furrows around her lips and eyes it produces quite a rough texture. These lines don’t exactly show physical movement in the photograph, but more like movement in time. They allude to the subject’s age and past by showing change over a period of time and how it can impact or alter someone’s appearance. Furthermore, the lighting of my final image creates subtle shadows which fall across the left of the subject’s face. Due to the placement of my main lighting source, the most prominent highlight can be seen on the top of the subject’s nose. This opposes with the shadows that fall around the subject’s nostril and shows the contrast between the lightest and darkest point of the image. I really enjoy the way this photograph shows the subject in a natural relaxed position, I believe it reflects Fujiwara’s images as the model is not posing or looking at the camera.
These 4 images above have been chosen as my final outcomes. In my opinion they successfully show a vast understanding and application of Henry Mullin’s work as we both have used similar techniques, such as: we both have used the diamond shape, have captured our models in 4 different angles, have a similar, old style and our images are similar in colour too as we both have this brown, crème effect.
I have used the Sony Alpha 380 DSLR Camera with the portrait mode to emphasize subjects by blurring away background and reproduce soft skin tones, with a shutter speed of 1/30 and an ISO equal to 400. Additionally, I have used manual focus to successfully bring the subject into focus and blurring out the background. The camera was still during the shoot as I used a tripod
I have edited these images using photoshop to cut and create the diamond shapes on my images but have also used Snapseed to edit my images by adjusting the Retrolux and Grunge tools on the application. Have also used it to adjust the brightness of my images so they are the best they can be.
In comparison to Henry Mullin’s diamond cameo project, as mentioned above, “we both have used similar techniques, such as we both have used the diamond shape, have captured our models in 4 different angles, have a similar, old-style and our images are similar in colour too as we both have this brown, crème effect.” However, Henry Mullins portrays his images in a photograph book whereas mine is digital, his subjects are adults and mine is a young adult, he has a border around his work, and I do not, and finally, his shots kind of fade around the oval shape which in comparison to mine, the images are fixed and aren’t fading.
Double or multi exposure is a technique used by photographers that uses layering in order to combine 2 or more photos into 1 to create an almost ghost-like affect. This can be done on film cameras by inserting used film back into the camera and taking photographs over the top of the film, or in Photoshop by layering images and adjusting the opacity.
Double Exposure moodboard
Double exposure inspired photoshop development
Original image
Edited image
Original image
Edited image
To edit these images I layered 3 images over each other and adjusted the opacity in order to fade out the images as they get further from the original image. I also used the monochrome filter on one of the layers to create a ghost-like affect.
The photographs highlighted in red are what I believe to be my least successful images. This is because these are out of focus, the worker’s eyes are closed or the image doesn’t focus on the aspect I want to highlight.
My most successful images are highlighted in green. I think these are my most successful photographs because they represent the worker in their environment, therefore they represent the theme of environmental portraits the best. These images are taken at various angles in order to achieve different perspectives. Also, the use of the essential worker’s uniform notifies the audience the role the worker plays, which was the key signifier for this project.
Photoshop development
Original imageEdited image
To edit this image, I used the monochromatic filter and adjusted both curve levels and contrast in order to make the photograph more dramatic. The mask creates a focal point as it is a point of extreme contrast against the darker tones.
