To begin my selection process, I first went through all my photos from my previous photoshoot.

Then I colour-coded them from green to red – green being photos I would definitely use and red being ones I wouldn’t – for example photos that were blurry or had bad lighting.

Then I went through the list of green-coded photos and chose my favourites. I picked by photos judging by which ones went best with my theme and ones i felt had meaning behind them. Some others didn’t have a meaning but i chose because I thought they would fit well with my overall photo – for example, the statues of angels in the graveyard.

My best photos and why I chose them

PHOTO #1 or 2

For this photo it took a lot of tries to get the perfect shot. I wanted to mimic infamous photos of Pete Townshend from The Who jumping on stage as music is the inspiration behind my photoshoot.

I wanted the lighting to be dimly lit so I would be the main focus of the photo. I like this photo because it captures action in one still shot. I can’t decide between the two which one I prefer so my plan is to either create a double-exposure or settle for one.

PHOTO #3

This is my personal favourite photo out of my photoshoot because I feel it best represents the theme as it gives the 90s grunge-rock feel that I was going for. The photo itself completely changes my personality as from an outside perspective it looks like a concert photo. To make this photo look the way it did we used a slow shutter speed and for motion blur with the flash on to create a blurred photo with orange and yellow tones that to me could represent ‘stage lights’.

PHOTO #4

For this photo I used flash combined with a dimly lit background to put Alex as the main focus. The idea behind this photo was again inspired by the multiple headshots of rockstars, the main inspiration being the photo below of Robert Plant that I used in a previous post once again to go with my theme.

My plan for this photo is to add an ‘overlay’ over the eyes to convey emotion and have the main focus be the photo over her eyes instead of the photo as a whole.

PHOTO #5

Although this photo wasn’t intentionally taken this way, I plan to still use it as i really like it way it turned out – the photo itself again gives me the grunge, Kurt Cobain style vibe that could potentially go well with my intentional plan. My favourite part of the photo is the overlay of the shadows from Alex taking the picture. My idea for this is to maybe combine this photo with photo #3 because they have similar lighting and feel to them.

BACKGROUND IMAGES / OVERLAYS

Through photoshop I am planning to edit these onto my photos either through double/multiple exposure or layering. Each photo used is symbolic of my theme as it gives a nod to the impact music, especially early classic rock had on society as a whole. These images also contribute to my identity as a whole – the records and scrapbook are both my personal belongings – either bought or passed down from family to me.

Claude Cahun (born Lucy Schwob) was a french surrealist photographer whos work generated controversy as it revolved around her gender identity and feminism. She was one of the first to experiment with this and her work was based off her as a person e.g the picture below, ‘I Am In Training, Don’t Kiss Me’ which is arguably one of her most famous works. Cahun’s works combined writing, photography, and theatre. She is most remembered for her highly staged self-portraits and that incorporated the visual aesthetics of surrealism. During the 1920s, Cahun produced an number of self-portraits in various guises such as aviator, dandy, doll, body builder, vamp and vampire, angel, and Japanese puppet.

In early-20th-century France, when society generally considered women to be women and men to be men, Lucy Schwob decided she would rather be called Claude Cahun. It was her way of protesting gender and sexual norms. Some of Cahun’s portraits feature the artist looking directly at the viewer, head shaved, often revealing only head and shoulders (eliminating body from the view), and a blurring of gender indicators and behaviors which serve to undermine the patriarchal gaze.

During the early 1920’s she met In 1937 Cahun and Moore settled in Jersey. Following the fall of France and the German occupation of the Channel Islands. They became active as resistance workers and propagandists. Fervently against war, the two worked extensively in producing anti-German fliers. Many were snippets from English-to-German translations of BBC reports on the Nazis’ crimes and insolence, which were pasted together to create rhythmic poems and harsh criticism. They created many of these messages under the German pseudonym ‘Der Soldat Ohne Namen’, or ‘The Soldier With No Name’, to deceive German soldiers that there was a conspiracy among the occupation troops.

IMAGE ANALYSIS

Claude Cahun’s photographs are captured in an abstract way that makes the viewer look for the deeper meaning behind them. The photo is likely taken indoors, with the lighting being predominantly focused on the models. The dark eye makeup and black background contrasts with the light outfits and headwear. The layout of the photo involves two models, perhaps Claude and a friend or just Cahun by herself with the help of layering techniques. The model in the front is making direct eye contact whilst the one in the back is looking slightly to the left – this makes the viewer more likely to focus on the one in the front, as the eye contact combined with a lighter costume and darker makeup essentially makes you feel more drawn to her.

MOODBOARD

For my project I am inspired by visual artists who give meaning through their models and their identity portrayed through a storyboard or setting/pose, for example Jim Goldberg – who centers his pieces around the individuals he photographs. I wanted to portray youth culture in my eyes which is through music and the way people idolize musicians even though in reality the music scene that is highly glamorized was built on money and violence.

My moodboard is a mix of visual and conceptual artists – for example Jenny Holzer, a neo-conceptual artist. The main focus of her work is the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces, for example on billboards or buildings.

JIM GOLDBERG

Jim Goldberg is an American artist and photographer, whose work reflects long-term, in-depth collaborations with neglected, ignored, or otherwise outside-the-mainstream populations. His work looks into the identity of ‘outcasts’ illustrated with writing usually from the individual he is photographing. Goldberg is best known for his photographic books, multi-media exhibits, and video installations, among them: Rich and Poor (1985), Nursing Home, Raised by Wolves (1995), Hospice, and Open See (2009).

In 1995, Goldberg published his project ‘Raised by Wolves’ as a photobook where he explored the lives of a troubled youth living on the streets of California – a work spanning over ten years (1985-1995). Unveiling their realities filled with addiction, abuse and violence, Goldberg put into spotlight those who exist on fringes and often remain invisible to the mainstream society.

I am inspired by Goldberg’s work because of his unique take on identity and his use of writing on his photos to give the viewer a better understanding of who he’s photographing and why.

BOB GRUEN

Bob Gruen is an American author and photographer known for his rock ‘n’ roll photographs. By the mid 1970s Gruen was already regarded as one of the foremost photographers in music working with major artist such as John Lennon, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, and Kiss.

Shortly after John Lennon moved to New York in 1971, Gruen became John and Yoko’s personal photographer and friend, making photos of their working life as well as private moments. In 1974 he created the iconic images of John Lennon wearing a New York City t-shirt and, standing in front of the Statue of Liberty making the peace sign – two of the most popular of Lennon’s images.

I am inspired by Gruen’s work not only because of the iconic celebrities he photographed but also the way he captured them – both photos I’ve used in this post represent identity in two different ways, for example the photo of The Clash in the moving car could represent the fast lifestyle most musicians lived by the way the photo was taken, as opposed to the headshot photos of John Lennon that appears to capture different sides of his personality.

Double/Multiple Exposure

Double exposure photography is a technique that layers two different exposures on a single image, combining two photographs into one. Double exposure creates a surreal feeling for your photos and the two photographs can work together to convey deep meaning or symbolism. A similar technique, called a “multiple exposure,” is when you combine more than two exposures in a single image.

For my double and multiple exposure photos, I used the ones we took in the studio and stacked them on top of each other. I used both the coloured photos and the regular lighting photos to blend them and give two different perspectives.

What is Headshot photography?

A professional headshot is a type of portrait. A headshot is a tightly cropped photo of the face, from the shoulders up. The subject is camera aware — typically looking right in the lens. Headshots are most commonly used for passport photos. Headshots are also used in modelling or acting for casting directors.

What is the difference between headshots and portraits?

The main difference between a headshot and a portrait is how the images will be used. Traditionally headshots are taken for official business use, while a portrait is more of a descriptive image used to tell a story about the subject. Headshots are typically shot with the subject looking directly into the camera. Portraits can also have the subject looking to camera but can also include off-camera looks to create a more candid, intimate feel often seen in lifestyle or documentary portraits.

My studio photos

My favourite photos

What is portrait photography?

Portrait photography or portraiture is simply photography of a single person or even a group of people. Portraits tend to showcase the expressions, personality, and mood of the people in the images. As a general rule the focus of a portrait photograph is usually the person’s face, although the entire body, and even a background or context can be included.

Portrait photographs go beyond just photographing the people where the face, especially the eyes are always given more attention in a portrait as they speak the mood and portray the emotions of the person. Posing also plays a major role in creating effective portraits as it contributes to the overall power and story of the image. Some types of portrait photography include..

Portrait photography has had a long and varied history since Louis Daguerre introduced the photographic process in 1839. In that same year, Robert Cornelius produced what’s considered the first photographic self-portrait. He removed the lens cap, ran into the frame and stood still for ten minutes, before returning the cap to its position.

During the American Great Depression, photographers began taking photos of families and individuals suffering from this economic disaster in order to expose the world to the very real suffering migrant workers and low-income families were experiencing every day. These photos were also known as “Dust Bowl Photography.” One of the most iconic photographers of that time is Dorthea Lange because of her 1936 portrait, “Migrant Mother.”

The primary function of the portrait is also the most obvious: identification. Identification means confirming an identity. Starting in the 1880s, photography began to be used not by the police in an effort to be able to identify criminals better. These changes were initiated by Alphonse Bertillon. A law enforcement officer, Bertillon introduced portrait photography as a way of identifying criminals – until then, they had been able to provide a false identity.

Mick Rock

Mick Rock is often credited with photographing the 70’s rock scene. Named “The man who shot the seventies”, his career began at an early age, when he began to photograph the local rock scene.

In early 1972, Mick met David Bowie, and became his official photographer in the 70’s. Alongside Bowie’s 1976 album Pin-Ups, he also photographed numerous different albums – including Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack & Queen II (The album that later inspired their music video for Bohemian Rhapsody), Lou Reed’s Transformer, amongst many others. He also produced and directed the seminal music videos for Bowie: ‘John, I’m Only Dancing’, ‘Jean Genie’, ‘Space Oddity’, and ‘Life On Mars’.

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What is a photomontage?

Photomontage is the process and the result of making a photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting image is made to look like one photo, whereas other times it may be presented as different photos stacked/layered.

The first photomontages were produced during the mid-Victorian era as experimental photographers aspired to create images that could rank alongside fine art. The practice was at first given the name “combination printing” by Oscar Gustave Rejlander.

Nancy Spero

Nancy Spero (August 24, 1926 – October 18, 2009) was an American visual artist. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Spero lived for much of her life in New York City. As both artist and activist, Nancy Spero had a career that spanned fifty years. She is known for her paintings that depict different political, social, and cultural concerns, often tackling racism, violence, and sexism through her artwork.

Contact Sheets

Edited photos

Contact Sheet

Edited photos

what is still life photography?

Still Life is the art of photographing inanimate objects which can be natural (flowers, food, plants, rocks, etc) or man-made (books, vases, glasses, jewellery) typically arranged in small groups. There are two types of still life photography: found still life and created still life. Found still life photographs are random collections of things that are arranged without any outside help, meaning you don’t move them to make your picture look the way you want it. Created still life photographs, on the other hand, are photographs of objects that have been arranged to look a certain way. The painting generally considered to be the first still life is a work by the Italian painter Jacopo de’Barbari painted 1504. The “golden age” of still-life painting occurred in the Lowlands during the 17th century.

Paintings with aspects of the natural world were so common in the Netherlands that, during the seventeenth century, the Dutch words stilleven and landschap were adopted into English as “still life” and “landscape.” Before the mid-1600s, though, the Dutch usually referred to pictures by their individual subjects such as “breakfast piece” or “winter snow scene.”

Found still life examples..

Created still life examples…

My still life photos

What did equipment did I use to take my photos?

Infinity curve

An infinity curve, also sometimes called an infinity cove, is used to create a stage with a plain, single-colour background. This approach serves several purposes. It’s popular with product photographers because it allows them to clearly define the subject of an image by remove the appearance of a background of any kind. The defining feature of an infinity curve is a lack of angles. Since an infinity curve doesn’t have any corners, shadows don’t gather in the background. The end result is a finished image where the subject appears to have been placed on plain white paper or a blank canvas.

Overhead setup

The overhead shot is a high angle shot almost directly (or literally directly) above the subject. It allows the viewer in on the action but still maintains character detail. It’s most commonly used in food photography to take photos/videos whilst cooking or preparing food.