Virtual Gallery One (Plastic Killer)

Anthropocene is used to describe where human activity started to have a significant impact on the planets climate and ecosystems. I wanted to reflect this within this photoshoot by describing how plastic is a killer. Plastic is not biodegradable and is just filling up piles and piles of waste. Many animals within the ocean and on land get caught within this plastic causing them to become seriously injured or even die, you don’t see a fish walking around carrying a plastic bag so why do they have to be punished for our actions? I wanted to create something similar to the work of Naomi White, who takes still life imagery of plastic bags, she has described her reasoning for these photoshoots as ‘taking something from everyday life and making it look strange’. That quote was my main inspiration for my photoshoot. I wanted to take something that we use everyday and portray the dramatics of it, and the fact that these dramatics are happening to living things who didn’t cause the damage but not to the ones who did. I used bold studio lighting so create a contrast between the dark background and the fluorescent bright white light on my models face, this helped really emphasis all the wrinkles within the bag that something could get caught up in, and the fact that my model is inhaling trying to breath through the bag but it is suffocating her. I have also included an image of my model on her phone, whilst inside the plastic bag being unable to breath, this is to portray just how unbothered we are with the damage we have done.

Virtual Gallery Two (Time is catching us)

The anthropocene period is also sometimes known as the great acceleration. I wanted to take some imagery whilst the sun was setting to portray how an acceleration will always have a decline. For this photoshoot I went to plemont, where they have a sort of puffin sanctuary in order to portray how they are endangered and we need to save them, but upon my visit I found the place to be almost like a ghost town, no sign of any life at all, not even the noise of birds tweeting, I also found a lot of history such as old bunkers. Therefore I used all the things I saw to portray that our efforts are now not working, the effort of building these big puffins in order to make awareness has now not worked, it is too late and we are running out of time, by incorporating the old bunker and the sun setting it can portray nostalgia and history, that maybe too one day these puffin sculptures will be sat growing moss, deteriorating away just like the bunker. My artist case study reference for this idea was Lucas Foglia, his project ‘human nature’ photographs humans in the strongest of elements, now although I haven’t photographed in very strong elements my inspiration from him was to put the subject in the middle of what they have created. It was to create something bold and frightening to humans, to really open their eyes to what they have done, and explain how time is running out and if we do not take more action it will end up becoming a ghost town. I have used natural sunset lighting, due to its beauty but also its dramatic effect, because as we all know after sunset comes the darkness. I have used composition within my images to put my models up front and center.

Virtual Gallery Three (Sensitivity)

Humans tend to be sensitive about their own actions, not taking criticism very well at all. Within this image you can see my models being sensitive, embracing nature by throwing rocks in the rain, loving all the elements. But yet they cannot see how they are damaging these elements. By loathing in mother nature, humans will eventually reveal to themselves what they have done, so I wanted to portray their sensitive side, in order to show how they may not know how they caused the damage or how to reverse, therefore embracing their sensitive side.

Virtual Gallery Four (In the darkness)

We have created so much damage in the world, which is what anthropocene describes, but the ways of anthropocene are very harsh, calling humans out for their actions and embarrassing them when many people may not know the next step forwards, they may not know how to reverse all the damage, or even how to stop in from happening therefore many people are left in the darkness. I wanted my imagery to portray how sensitive we can be, and that really all we are on this earth for is to help each other and join together. No one can truly live a happy life without friendship so by joining together maybe we can not only be happier but also fish ourselves out of the darkness. By helping each other out we may be able to reprimand what we have done.