Evaluation

All the images that I am presenting here are all of my chosen images, edited so that the lighting and composition. They are in black and white in response to Claude Cahoon and Mihaela Ivanova. Another reason for using black and white is that I wanted all colours erased out of my images to cancel out assumption, stereotyping and personality through choice of colours. I have produced a series of portraits, objects and landscapes all with a connection to my take on ‘lost identity’. I wanted to show that Identity is constantly being altered, controlled and changed by society to the point where people cant remember who they really were, or even have lost their unique identity completely. I have used many techniques in photoshop and delicate lighting editing to achieve this. In response to Mihaela Ivanova, I have produced a few slow, black and white images much like her style

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successful pieces

In this image I have increased the contrast slightly, blurred out their faces and scribbled over them in photoshop. This photo signifies the ‘Perfect Family’ on paper, but behind the scenes this family could not be so normal or perfect. The faces are scribbled out to show that none of these people truly understand their identity and how behind the fake smiles they are simply just people who are lost.

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This image is one of my favourites, I chose to take a simplistic portrait, without any photoshop. I increased the contrast and highlights, and decreased the exposure to make the neckless the key focus point. The reason I have done this is because the necklace belongs to his parents, with their initials engraved in it, which shows a strong part of his identity. I have chosen to take the image just below his face, only showing his neck and shoulder to keep his identity covered but show slight hints through the necklace. The idea behind wearing a family ring around his neck links into the theme of lost identity because it is almost like he is expected to be a certain way for his parents and may have to keep his true identity covered from them.

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In this image I have lowered the expose and increased the contrast, texture and clarity to enhance the water dropping down the window. The idea behind this image, although slightly hidden, is that the window washer signifies the way `I view identity as washed out and hidden. The water dripping down the window is highlighted and symbolised tears behind someones facade. I enjoy the realism in this image, as it was not set up, it was an idea that sprung to mind as soon as I saw it, and I only had a small period of time to take the image.

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In this image, I haven’t changed a lot to the lighting, I simply decreased the exposure and increased the contrast to really pull the couple away from the background. I have used photoshop to insert 4 DNA helix’s to signify that everyone comes from tiny, miniscule supercoiled code, that can’t be seen and that nobody ever really thinks about. You’re DNA is something that nobody can change, this links to lost identity because your identity feels confined to what you were given. For example if your DNA says you are female, then feeling like you are supposed to be a boy can make you feel trapped and confined.

in this image I have increased the contrast and whites, and decreased the exposure. In photoshop I edited cracked skin look onto her face. This image signifies the way that although she is smiling, she is fighting something behind the scenes and It is slowly breaking her identity down before she looses it. This relates to the idea that other people begin to control the way you view yourself, to the point where you actually forget the real you.

In this image I have decreased the exposure, highlights and whites and increased the contrast shadows, texture and clarity to give the effect that his eyes are like glass. I have also done this to enhance the texture of his skin, bringing out the subtle freckles on his face. I wanted to make his eyes look like glass reflecting light to signify that people can be fragile on the inside, however the identity that we all see may not show that. In photoshop I have edited hypnotising spirals into his eyes, although hard to notice and first glance, the more you look and the image the more you can see it. I have done this to show that everything that we see on a daily basis is altering our identity without us realising, from what people are wearing to what they are doing, saying and how their body language is.