Final Images

In Comparison to Justine Kurland

During this photoshoot I used a similar setting to the one used in Justine Kurland’s work. I also took these photos on a not so sunny day, which is similar to some of Justine Kurland’s images as well.

I also used similar narratives to Justine Kurland, as well as original narratives of my own.

I have displayed play fighting in this narrative as well, similarly to Justine Kurland. Play fighting can also stereotypically be seen as more masculine, as it is more aggressive and males are stereotypically seen as more aggressive. This relates to Justine Kurland, as she also displays females presenting more masculine activities, so that she can present to the viewer that their identity can be anything they imagine and it does not have to comply with stereotypical norms.

In Comparison to Jeff Wall

In this photoshoot I focussed on my compositional elements quite a lot, similarly to Jeff Wall, as he focusses on his compositional and visual elements more, rather than focussing on creating a narrative. However, even though I was looking at compositional elements I still focussed on creating a narrative as well.

The main compositional element I used in this photoshoot was the rule of thirds when I was creating my hide and seek narrative.

In these images I have the subject on the left in the left hand third, the tree in the middle third and my right hand subject in the right hand third, when the image is split vertically into three equal sections.

This is also a compositional element that Jeff Wall has used himself when creating images.

In this image Jeff Wall has the women on the left in the left hand third, the camera in the middle third and the man on the right hand side in the right hand third, when the image is split vertically into three even sections.

How does this relate to the themes of youth and identity?

This photoshoot relates to the theme of youth, as I have displayed quite childish narratives, such as playing catch/ piggy in the middle, or hula hooping. This represents youth, because this is usually activities children play when they are younger, and not much activities that people tend to do when they are older. These narratives also represent specifically my youth, because these were activities I used to do/ games I used to play with my friends all the time. I have also displayed play fighting, which can stereotypically be seen as childish, so this can also represent youth.

Play fighting can also be seen as a more stereotypical male activity, due to the aggressiveness of the activity and the stereotype that males are more aggressive than females. Having a female play fight in my image goes against this stereotype, which presents to the viewer that the subject is not complying with stereotypical norms. This presents to the viewer that her identity is whatever she makes it and it does not comply with social norms. This sends the message that the viewers identity does not have to comply with stereotypical norms either.

These photos also relate in particular to my identity, as these activities that I have presented through the narrative are activities I used to do during my youth, so are therefore a part of who I am and a part of my individual identity.

Analysis of 1 Image

This image has high levels of control, as I was able to manipulate the positioning and distance of my subjects, as well as myself in order to achieve the best composition. However, I had little control over the lighting, due to the lighting being natural daylight. However, I did have control over my camera settings, so I could try and improve the lighting.

F stop: f/6.3

Exposure time: 1/100 sec

ISO: ISO- 800

In this image there are lots of natural colours, such as green and brown and the colours the subjects are wearing (grey and black) are also quite natural, rather than vibrant. However, due to my editing the colour of the grass is a lot more vibrant. There are quite a lot of light tones in this image, due to the very white bright sky, but the darker colours of the subjects tops contrast the sky and their lighter trousers very well. There is also a lot of texture in this image due to the texture of the grass, the tree and the broken branches on the floor. The tree and the broken branches also causes a lot of shape to go on in this image, due to the unique shape of the tree.

The composition of this image uses the rule of thirds with the subject on the left in the left hand third, the tree in the middle third and the subject on the right hand side in the right hand third when split vertically into three equal sections. The main viewpoint of this image is the two subjects and the tree.

This image presents the theme of youth, because the narrative of this image, which is hide and seek is something majority of people play during their childhood. It is also stereotypically only played in childhood rather than in adulthood. As the majority of people used to play this game, or still do this allows the image to resonate with the viewer more, as it is more relatable to their youth and therefore their identity.

This image is also personal to my own youth and identity, as I used to play this game when I was younger, so this image presents what I used to enjoy and therefore who I was, or who I am now.

Photoshoot Conclusion

Overall, I think this photoshoot went well, because I was able to display a range of interesting narratives, such as a game of piggy in the middle. These narratives also displayed the themes of youth and identity very well, as well as displaying to the viewer that they do not need to follow stereotypical norms. I was also able to experiment with my compositional elements, when using rule of thirds in a few of my images. This has enhanced the aesthetics of my images and have linked my images in with Jeff Wall.

I have also been able to experiment with my editing on Lightroom and in Photoshop for this photoshoot. I experimented with AI during this photoshoot, so that I was able to present my narratives. I had to use AI to present the narratives that needed balls as props. These narratives were piggy in the middle and catch. I had to use AI to create these narratives, because I did not have balls to use as real life props.

This photoshoot also fits the themes of youth and identity very well, as these activities are activities that majority of people used to play in their youth, which makes this photoshoot more relatable to the viewers youth and identity and not just only my personal youth and identity.

However, if I were to do this photoshoot again, I would aim to take more photographs, so I would have more variation of the same narratives and just more selection to chose from.