Mood Board:

Mind map of ideas for photoshoots:

Who is Roberta Tocco, and what did she do?

Roberta Tocco is a 28 year old Fashion & Beauty, Fine Arts Photographer currently based in Catania, Metropolitan city of Catania, Italy. At age 20, Tocco began taking photos “just for fun” and she explains it was the most natural thing in her life. She tried different kinds of photography, with a range of sets and moods, but at the end she always found herself in minimal things, natural light and a very simple concept. In my opinion, Tocco was born with a true gift of storytelling, specifically through her work. This is because her work is all about capturing emotions and chasing the perfect, soft lighting. As she grew up on an island, it gave her the freedom to catch the sound of many waves and colours of endless sunsets. She described her land as “full of contrasts” and the balance is something that has grown in her eyes and aesthetic sense. I can relate to this on a personal level through growing up in Jersey where I am surrounded by nature, where I will be able to recreate a similar aesthetic in my own images through similar scenes and locations. This way, I am able to link my work to the artist effectively, but also with slightly different elements coming from my own area. In an interview, Roberta talks about her unique photographic style and reveals what can only be learned through practice. She successfully links to my project, through the theme of femininity as she focuses on the delicacy of women, yet also incorporating the relationships with the places she had growing up.

Image analysis:

This image in particular stood out to me the most within Tocco’s work. I believe it associates with my project as she is interpreting the theme of femininity as well as girlhood. The main subject in this image is clearly the socks and legs, as they take up the majority of the frame. Immediately, I am able to recognise a graceful and woman-like mood that has been illustrated to the viewer, through multiple elements such as the use of bare legs, floral patterns on the bed and the pastel coloured socks. The artist states: “What I want is to express my feelings and bring out the hidden beauty from what I see.” This quote tells me that Tocco clearly finds stereotypical womanly elements aesthetically pleasing and takes a liking towards photographing them. This may be because these elements specifically are what separates women from men, as they are more delicate than those that would be associated with men. Moreover, the female hand on the leg of the model in the middle also caught my eye, which could perhaps suggest intimacy between the females in the photo. Again, this implies that there may be a close emotional connection between them, which helps add to the distinctive and pure approach to her work. From this, I can gather that Tocco may be a feminist, as she clearly sees the beauty behind women and the small feminine details that stand out to her. There isn’t a particularly striking background in this image which hints that the artist doesn’t want the viewer’s eye to be wondering and wants us to stay focused on the main subject. Within this image, there is also a factor of objectification highlighted as there is lots of bare skin showing, and the overall construction of the image hints at typical stereotypes of women.

Image analysis 2:

For my second image analysis, I chose this image as I feel it has connections to the image I analysed above. This is because I immediately noticed the same background, and the fact there are 3 female models lying down on the same bed. Similarly, there is another element of intimacy in this image, through the use of the hand on the shoulder, with the other hand overlapping, which also contributed to the ideology of potential intimacy or emotional connections between them. Furthermore, the fact there are three models in the image tells me

Old Images I Will Re-Use

Photoshoot 1 plan-

1. skateboarding
2. environmental
3. personal
4. meaningful
5. night time
6. anthropocene
7. global warming

Outcome-

Lightroom edits-

Photos I will use-

Results-

I overall think that this photoshoot didnt go to well. I was using one of the newer cameras which I am not quite comfortable with yet, so some images have come out blurry or under exposed. To do better next time I will get a camera that I am comfortable with and use that instead, but I do think this photoshoot is centered around the right idea.

Photoshoot 2 Plan-

1. girlhood
2. environmental
3. teenage culture
4. sunny

Outcome-

Lightroom Edits-

Photos I will use-

Results-

I think that this photoshoot came out very well, it is centered around the right idea of youth culture and girlhood. I think it also entails some environmental photography and I think that the images came out concise and clear.

Photoshoot 3 Plan-

1. studio
2. white background
3. coloured gels
4. skateboard

Experimentation-

Outcome-

Lightroom Edits-

Photos I will use-

Results-

I think that this photoshoot is my best one yet. I have created a different kind of imagery compared to my usual candid photos which require people or my landscape images. I think that this photoshoot came out very clear and within edited them I have been able to create vibrant colours with key detailing.

Photoshoot 4 plan-

1. masculinty
2. teenager
3. work
4. fun
5. cars
6. environmental

Outcome-

Lightroom edits-

Photos I Will Use-

Results-

I think that this wasn’t one of my best photoshoots, I think that it’s clear that I didn’t really have a consistent plan throughout, but I do think that the images have come out clear. Some of the images are quite useful and wll link into my storyline of teenage culture, and I will add words to my images for example ‘your only young once’.

Colour Popping Experimentation-

Results-

I used photoshop to create these images. By cutting out a layer and making the background layer black and white I have made the subjects f my images pop. I think that this creates a clear meaning of what emotions I am trying to portray.

Photoshoot 5 Plan-

1. studio
2. portriats
3. environmental

Outcome-

Lightroom Edits-

Photos I Will Use-

Results-

These images were really just for experimentation, but I think that the photos of the boy model to fit into my aesthetic and I will use them within my book.

Concept

when looking at developing photos to tell the crooked fairies story through photos my first concern was how I would depict the ‘crooked fairy’ how was I going to photograph something that had nothing with its likeness and didn’t exist?
when looking at the illustrations in the original material I figured my only option was to create a sculpture.
in light of this I figured the most effective option was to create e a small doll sized figure of the ‘crooked fairy’ and play with perspective and lighting to make it appear ‘larger than life’

Constructing The Crooked Fairy

when creating my crooked fairy i used only cardboard, mud rock, tinfoil, wire and water.

original inspiration of design

raw creation

i used wire as support for the two back legs and secured them too and piece of cardboard to give provide support, in order to create the signature arching back in detail i used tin foil to create a base frame for the torso and draped mud-rock over the legs and torso to attach and shape the fairy further, then using mud-rock alone I created the arms shoulders head and horns, shaping with my hands and water as I went.

Although a good start this sculpture didn’t yet have the detail it needed, both for up close images but with sharp enough details that they would been seen in its silhouette.

refinement

i began the process of refining my sculpture with a box knife and sand paper,
first focusing on the face and horns.
then the arched back, thin frame and ribbed back.
defining leg shape
carving strong shoulders and back detail

final result

photoshoot 1

for my first photoshoot I would dedicate it to the inspiration I got from rut Blees Luxemburg which is what a plan to do with all my photoshoots dedicating my photoshoots to each photographer I studied and trying to take photos using their techniques to my best ability. Where am I taking my photos? Because for my first photo shoot is going to be in the style of Rut Blees Luxemburg I would most likely go around around town but certain weather conditions would be necessary such as rain, fog, and possibly hail so overall harsh weather conditions. the images bellow would some I would like to recreate.

where could I achieve making an image similar to this? I would most likely take images in town where I could find street lights like this for bars, clubs, shops etc. how could I achieve this and what other factors need to come into place? to achieve this image i would need to find a street with a certain type of lighting at night. the lighting could be yellow or white doesn’t matter

photoshoot 2

for my second photoshoot I would like to take photos that would be more similar to recreate the work of Todd Hido’s house hunting project which consisted of him taking images if houses in the suburbs of America in Ohio in dark places which I could take inspiration by going to estates at night or even possibly find houses isolated and take images of that which would be more fitting to the considering his project. However I would obviously like to take my own twist the project as I just want to take inspiration and not copy the these projects. these are some of the images that i would like to recreate or put a little twist on it.

where could I go to create these images? I could create this images by going to estates or quite remote places around the island and take a couple of images of houses around those sort of areas. how could I create these images? i would need to go around the island in the night or possibly when the sun is about to set to have the perfect natural light to then be edited and maybe tint them a little bit to create the sort of misty or foggy effect that the sky has in the images.

photoshoot 3

just like all my other planned photoshoots im going to take inspiration from my artists i have studied which in this case would be Edgar Martins. in this case the images in this photoshoot would consist of images where the landscape is the main focus with sky basically not even being existent in the image as it would be completely black. then making the landscape a bit more bright as if someone was holding a flashlight when editing the image. these are some images I’m taking inspiration from for this photoshoot.

where can I create these images? I can make similar images to this near places like Cineworld where there’s an abandoned building and possibly visit other abandoned places around the island. what could I do when editing the images to recreate these effects? to recreate this image I can go into Lightroom and use the masking tool to highlight the background of the image and turn the exposure down to make it dark how the example image above looks.

• For my first photoshoot I will photograph some of my team mates in basketball, having a consistent lighting and consistent clothing to get me into this project. I will then put it into a topography of photos. I will be using my knowledge from my photoshoot work a year ago, using lighting like Rembrandt, Butterfly and Chiaruscuro to draw more attention towards the face:

• I want to also take some photos on the basketball court, using Neil Leifer as my inspiration. the photos below are some examples of what I will be trying to create.:

• Then I will take photos of my friend tony, being obsessed with the grind of basketball, and obsessed with the sport in general. Ill first go to his room, which is surrounded by basketball posters, shoes and basketballs, I will be using Sam Taylor-Johnson – crying men project as an inspiration.

• I also want to take some photos in the style of Paul m smith, where he edits himself to be in a photo multiple times. I will be using my friend tony again to get these photos. I think this would work well as he is so invested in basketball that he only plays by himself, not investing himself with the rest of the team.

• Another Idea is too take photos like Tom woods, but using my basketball team instead. I will go around town and replicating photos like this one:

• Taking shoots of basketball cloths and Item could be a good addition to my project as well.

Candles Photoshoot 1: In Praise of Shadows

This photoshoot was set up with a tripod. I lit the candle and set the camera up with a long shutter speed. Even with the longest shutter speed I had the flame did not elongate enough to look like those from Hiroshi Sugimoto. I had several attempts at creating different looks of flame: I left the flame to burn straight for an elongated appearance, I tried manipulating the shape by blowing it for a thicker appearance but regardless of what I did the flame was always short and faint. I put some black fabric behind the flame and Set the camera up as close as possible. I tried two different candles too. One slim birthday candle I thought would burn down fast and create a longer flame and one slow burn candle I thought might burn brighter. They both ended up looking similar overall however. Because my shutter speed was so low the images also looked far too over exposed which I didn’t realised until after Id finished the shoot to fix. I also took all of them in landscape instead of portrait because I thought the flames would look thicker. In editing I made them portrait instead which I think looks much better and compliments the flames photographed. I edited the contrast and set them all in black and white however none of them had the crisp outlines that were present in Hiroshi Sugimotos images. Next time I will photograph in portrait, adjust the exposure and try to photograph a match even for it’s speed. I might also take photographs of the wax once I’ve finished.

Outcomes:

I choose these 3 images for different reasons. The first one had a unique shape, the second showed the wick of the candle and the third resembles a person which I think matches the theme of my project. I also liked the difference between how grainy the middle image was and how crisp the bottom one was. I took the bottom one one 15 seconds shutter and the others on 30 seconds shutter which meant that it was crisper compared to the others.

Edits:

For experimenting I figured trying out multiple exposures might work well for this photoshoot since they’re all similar in set up and shape. I layered 7 images on top of each other and lined up the placement of the wick for each. Since they all had the same black background they blended together well and I just had to adjust the candle body. I adjusted the opacity of each layer until I had a shape I liked.

The second refinement turned out like this:

I removed the longer shapes and lined up the neck better. I added some more flares around the shape and made the black background a really dark navy instead. I also only used about 4 layers this time which created a more uniform appearance overall. I think that the dark blue makes the white look more crisp and sharper even with the added effects. I like how these images shows the movement of a flame however I’m unsure how well it will fit into my project. I might try and contrast one of these with the still figure.

Bianka Schumann –

Bianka Schumann focused on the idea of memory, and explored this from two perspectives, the first reflects on adolescence and what she called ‘no mans land’. The space between childhood and maturity. And the second being nostalgia, memory of things that sometimes we don’t remember, the memories hidden away that are enclosed by our minds. Which are usually deeply personal and not something some people may want to share.

Her work –

I feel like the prominent use of natural light in Bianka’s work give an incredible idea of the instinctive and regular life during childhood, I feel like the flame in the top middle photograph shows almost a vulnerability of the time of adolescence through its inclusion. The unease and danger that lurks through the symbolism of a flame is a very powerful way of showing how critical this time is for everyone.

The blurred or unfocused background in majority of these photos bring a very spotlighted feeling to them, the immediate focus and grasp these pictures get the viewer with is so powerful. It almost shows the desperation that is shown through the photo. It could be a case where the artist wants to bring attention to that part of their OWN life because of repressed memories or negative experiences.

Naturalistic backgrounds are seen all through this photoshoot. I believe the inclusion of this is to almost help the artist herself believe that it was natural, childhood and growing up is something everyone goes through, bad or good, it happens. I also love the inclusion of a sibling ( I think ) in this case. The perspective it gives to the audience is so powerful. Going through childhood without siblings is a completely different experience then when your surrounded by siblings all the time. it gives an idea of connection and unconditional love throughout the photoshoot.

Application –

I want to apply Bianka’s ideas of nostalgia and memory into my personal study. Since my main idea is to pursue the theme of childhood and growing up as a girl and the hardships and memories I have from my own childhood. I believe that nostalgia can be a very powerful approach to expressive work, it resonates with a very large group of people in however way you want to portray it.

Because of the inclusion of nostalgia I want to show in my work, Bianka’s use of natural light. I feel could help emphasise that a lot more. Studio lighting and artificial lights can sometimes come across as too harsh and I don’t want my photographs to look too staged. I almost want them to be candid but with some staging just for perfectionism purposes.

Catherine Panebianco –

Catherine Panebianco is a photographer from British Columbia, Canada. Her photography has been shown in art rooms all over the world, from shows in the US to internationally. Winning 1st place in numerous award shows such as the international photography awards. Catherine’s work looks for a sense of belonging, and place. Looking at memories and home, whether that is places or people she loves. Her work looks at how we connect with others, with our past and ourselves.

Her work –

Catherine’s work varies in technicality. The use of the natural light really captures the ease and thought that links to nostalgia, with no artificial memories just raw. I feel like natural light can help develop the idea of memories and their undeniable link to each and every person and the fragile memories that may come with it.

The use of the soft focus background ( blurry ) is an extremely powerful tool that has been used in this photoshoot. It immediately changes your focus to the polaroid photo in each picture, showing the focal point right off the bat, allowing the viewers to start from the centre of the image, whilst the rest of the art comes in when they take a wider look.

I also love the personal feeling this art piece holds. It may be subtle but the inclusion of the artists hand in each photo, allows each viewer to have a separate and individual relationship with the art and the artist. I also believe that this small detail almost takes the serious connotation this photoshoot may hold and while it is a professional piece that is very successful, I feel that it allows a relaxing and calm, nostalgic environment surrounding the piece.

Application –

I want to apply Catherine’s idea of a focal point into my project because I believe the use of archived photos as a main point in a photo can bring in the sense of nostalgia very strongly and with personal memories being what I want to focus on overall, the use of the archived photos really bring that to light.

Again, the use of natural light is definitely something I want to include in my work, to bring almost a comforting, natural feel. With the idea of understanding not just others but ourselves, I feel natural light has a powerful way of bringing things together and intertwining them as one. The warm feeling of the sun and the comforting feeling of the outside, can bring thousands of memories from everyone all over the world together.

‘A good snapshot stops a moment from running away’ – Eudora Welty

‘The snapshot aesthetic’ stems from the idea of a photograph being shot spontaneously in a quick manner. These images are usually made without photographic intent, taken impulsively as if the goal is to quickly capture a memory. This technique is typically used to document the events of everyday life, tending to portray family members, friends, pets, celebrations, sunsets, tourist attractions, childhood events such as birthday parties and the like.

As this aesthetic demonstrates a glimpse into real life, the images can be technically imperfect due to this being used by amateur photographers, for example taking a snapshot of a sunset you may see when going home from work. From its instantaneity, the snapshots may appear poorly framed or composed, out of focus and/or inappropriately lighted by flash. However, this contributes to the idea of rendering memorable moments in imperfect images.

MOOD BOARD:

The snapshot aesthetic falls under the umbrella term of Vernacular photography, this being used to distinguish ‘fine art’ photographs from those that are used for a wider range of purposes such as forensic, commercial or governmental. The different forms of vernacular photography consist of:

• Family snapshots
• Travel photos
• Photo booth films
• School/ID photographs
• Amateur portraits
• Souvenir-type photos

Snapshot photographs can also be associated with street photography when the photographer is using it to interpret societal situations, shooting at the hip without thinking about the composition and leaving the result up to chance. This is done to capture candid moments in public spaces, reducing the risk of a member of the public catching them. This could link in with Henri-Cartier Bresson’s “decisive-moment” due to the act of using impulse when taking the image.

The components which commonly feature in the snapshot aesthetic are blurriness, grain, cutting off objects as a result of shooting from unplanned angles, high contrasting, being under/over exposed and a soft focus.

The snapshot aesthetic was originally recognised as ‘folk art’ in the 1960s where it began its development into fine arts, where it is now used by photographers such as Nan Goldin, Petra Collins, Gillian Wearing and Lorna Simpson. These female photographers utilise this technique in their images to convey a message in a photo-diaristic manner, using methods to create immediacy and informality in the composition to make it seem more authentic and relate to this aesthetic as capturing meaningful moments. For example, this aesthetic can be utilised by female photographers to explore historical lineage, looking into the domestic lifestyle.

This technique is going to be woven into my work through the use of my own archival family photos, digital and physical from photobooks. Then, I am going to create adaptations from them and experiment with graphic design as well as different art mediums in destructive ways, for example ink splatters or even possibly burning sections of the image.

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapshot_(photography)

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/women-photographers-and-snapshot-aesthetic

https://aboutphotography.blog/dictionary/snapshot-aesthetic

I decided to do a small photoshoot to demonstrate my editing skills on Adobe Photoshop. This gives me the opportunity to see if AI editing is something I would like to include in my final photobook, and if whether these images are powerful and meaningful enough to be able to convey the message I would like to express. I chose for my model to do a multitude of facial expressions of fear, happiness, loneliness and confusion. From this variety, I can edit her to show different emotions heightened through AI, to show my storyline. I like how the backgrounds are also different colours such as black, white and grey, as thus then creates an array of different impressions, I can then work with. I feel like these photos are strong, however, to improve, I feel that the lighting could be more focused on with the quality being slightly increased as the model is slightly fuzzy in a few of the photos. I chose this model as her facial expressions are very clear and I feel her dark outfit demonstrates how she may feel inside.

Best Images.

I chose these photos as my 6 best images as I feel they are the highest quality and clearly demonstrate her feelings. Her expressions and body language executes her mood and shows the variety of emotions you are able to feel in a short space of time. All of the photos have a white/grey background which creates a perfect plain template for editing. However, when editing my images I would like my background to black, but I can change this using the Adobe Lightroom to alter the background from white to black. I feel that the quality could be worked on in these images, to improve, I need to assess my lighting whilst photographing and check my camera settings during photoshoots to ensure I am getting the high quality I need for my images.

Editing.

I edited these images to have a black background In Adobe Lightroom by…

I selected the masking tool and then chose ‘background’.

Adobe Lightroom then selects the background of the image and changes it automatically to the colour red.

I then change the background colour from red to black as I feel black is an easy and strong background in order to have a plain background and dos not make the image lower quality.

I then edit my model/subject to be lighter so her e.g. hair, does not blend in with the background.

Edits 1 and 2.

I then export my images from Lightroom, Into Photoshop, to begin editing. I wanted to use the AI/ generative fill settings for my images. I wanted to compose an image that shows how my model is feeling due to the pressures of the male gaze and how peoples opinions and viewpoints may make her feel. The concept of using human eyes, is demonstrating how peoples eyes are constantly on her and she constantly feels watched and looked at, and therefore cannot feel free. I feel like these images have a slight claustrophobic feeling to is, as the girl is completely surrounded by eyes and people watching her and forming opinions. The feeling of feeling judged and watched, creates mental issues for many people which I feel her body language and facial expressions convey. I wanted my model to have a slightly scared, yet fixed facial expression, in order to create the impression that she is seeking help, but wants to keep it inside. This may be due to pressures and risk of showing her true feelings. Overall, I think these two images could be improved by using more exciting or high quality photos, and possibly more in-depth and creative editing ideas, to convey my idea.

Edit 3.

I also then chose to create an image with hands reaching out to my model as if they are reaching out for her, this is to demonstrate that she is wanted and that she feels that people want something from her but don’t want her. However, I feel that this image is not by best work, this is because the arms could be better quality and could have a mix of different peoples hands. However, this arm was the best option from my generative fill option. I think, to make this mage stronger, the arms could be going in different directions and the arms are surrounding her and are creating a circle around her to shoe she is feeling claustrophobic from her surroundings.

Edit 4.

I decided to also create this very random image in order to demonstrate an abstract image through the use of random lines. I first had the pen tool on Adobe Photoshop, in order to create a background colour of white lines squiggled all around. I then created a new layer and chose a thinner black pen tool to create another layer of lines, these lines represent mental negative feelings of apprehension, worry and anxiety, however, I particularly focused on my models head to show although she is surrounded by stress and pressure, most of it is surrounding her brain and is all internal feelings that aren’t real. Her brain is generating most of these feelings, of fearing the unknown, when In fact her situation is never as bad as she assumes. I feel this image is basic but meaningful. By experimenting on photoshop, I am able work on my skills and show how even though some of these images are basic, a deeper meaning comes within the backstory.

J Riley Stewart chooses to take photograph as he wants to use the media as a way to remember a moment in time, of more specifically a story which strikes him during that moment. He believes the ‘remembering’ aspect is a major part of why he is a photographer.

“Why are we on this earth if not to remember our experiences, our stories; to learn something from them, and to pass them on?” – J Riley Stewart

Before photography became his main career, Stewart was a medical researcher. This taught him to always question, explore, experiment and to resolve the world around him. He enjoys photography largely as he is able to learn new things, which is similar to his previous career. He feels that photography allows him to stop time unlike any other medias, this creates an opportunity to explore and discover what our eyes and brains want to dismiss in seconds.

Analysis

This photo is taken of a Baptist Church, it has been put into black and white which causes each detail to stand out. The subject matter of the image is spread out evenly due to the shadows both in the foreground as well as the higher part of the image where the church is. I find this image has an eerie look to it, this is because of the way that the photo has been shot straight onwards to the church, it also looks almost abandoned and empty in the middle of nowhere.

Artist’s Statement

How will I respond?

I will take photographs of landscapes in a similar way to J Riley Stewart. However mine will be based on areas where legends and witchcraft stories as based, such as Gorey and the Dolmens.