Photoshoot 1

For my first photoshoot, I went into the studio and took multiple photos of my friend who has tore her posterior talofibular and anterior talofibular ligaments so she is in a boot. But that helps out my theme as my theme is all about injured players who used to play everyday but now have to go back to normal day to day life in their cast/crutches.

I also used my other friend who deeply loves basketball, and let him use a pair of crutches and he had his leg behind him like he almost, ‘doesn’t have a leg, or its broken and he’s just holding it behind’. I also took a lot of photos of my friend just talking to someone else whilst on the crutches because I wanted him in the moment just looking like he doesn’t know.

Photoshoot 2

For my second photoshoot which is my main photo ideas, I chose the idea with one of my teammates who struggles a lot with injuries. I have an idea of him and how is daily struggles that lead to loneliness and sadness having worked and trained all his life to play basketball, but due to having constant injuries involving breaking his ankle 3 times, and currently he has a broken wrist from basketball. He can only watch our games, support the team and can’t train anything like he used to at his full potential and intensity.

Many of these photos, I had an idea of how a few people are playing basketball, whilst he is just watching from the side of the court, looking sad and an idea of ‘what if’ (I didn’t get injured), or (where would I be at today without injuries). I really love this photo of him just holding a basketball with a cast on his wrist sat on a table below a basketball hoop with no emotion in his face/looking down at himself.

Additionally, a large factor involved in his backstory is that despite him owning many basketball shoes, Jerseys, shorts and skills, he is unable to use them anymore at this current moment because of his injury. As a result of this, he continues to wonder, ‘why did I train so hard to just constantly get injured.’

For my edits, I only changed the Clarity which makes the photo look more textured instead of smooth, because I felt like, the use of the concrete walls, old-styled table and basketball hoop matches his leg hair/muscle outlines and bone outlines to also not just show loneliness but to show the masculinity as well. I also added a radial gradient to help make a fake ‘spotlight’ over my subject to show light shining down on him making him the main focus point in the photo, to allow the viewer to see his emotion and expression.

Photoshoot 1 – For this photoshoot, I want to lean more towards the mirror photography idea. By asking partners to photograph me and me photographing them. I want my photos to be unique and have some personal twist on it, whether that is certain poses or lighting that I use. I could use different angles of lighting or angles on the camera itself to show my world through a camera lens. I also want to develop my idea while photographing to let the ideas flow as they come

Cindy Sherman has inspired me to tap into the femininity and masculinity topic we went over last year. I loved this topic and as Cindy loves to show the different perceptions people have that you may not see. She photographed herself and showed who she was through her own eyes and therefor through her camera lens.

For this photoshoot, it worked so well to show the windows part of the topic, I didn’t want to focus too much on this part of the topic but thought it would work well to show the other side to mirrors, almost to emphasize my mirror photoshoot itself.

The use of my staged photos worked so well, showed emotion and friendship through window photography and almost another life, staged and filtered but real in itself.

Even though some of my photos didn’t turn out the way the way I wanted them too, I feel like they show a story. An outside view of made up people, can show lives that happen, maybe behind closed doors.

The lighting we used was a small spotlight in a lit up room to emphasize what I want the focal point of my photos to be. We played around with lighting slightly, using ring lights and normal room lights before settling on the spotlight.

Final Photo edits –

Photo 1 –

Initially, I wanted to focus on the highlights and and lowlights of this photo, with the use of shadows created by the single spotlight we used to capture the photo, the use of natural contours extenuate the highlights alone so the use of focusing on the highlights level out both ends of the scale.

For this photoshoot, I wanted to add a black and white filter on top of the photo to add almost a sense of nostalgia to the ‘window’ photos, to help portray the life beyond the camera lens.

Final edit –

Photo 2 –

With this photo shoot, the edits will pretty much be the same.

Changing the highlights and shadows to suit the photo dynamic again and putting a simple black and white filter over the edits.

Final photo –

Photo 3 –

Final photo –

Photoshoot 2 – For this photoshoot, I wanted to focus most on mirror photography, the use of actual mirrors and almost ‘selfie’ looking photos I think is how I want to do this photoshoot. I feel like that can be very powerful for this topic.

The use of microphones for window photography worked really well in my last photoshoot, so I want to include that in this shoot as well. I wanted to interpret this into my shoot but almost change it to mirror by photographing myself.

This photoshoot went so well, the portrayal of window and mirror photography came out so much clearer in this photoshoot.

The use of singular spotlights enhanced the focal point of my photos. The focus of a singular person works well with both mirror and window photography. The use of warm lights emphasizes warm toned skin making the photos untied.

This photoshoot will be used a lot more for my mirror side of this topic. The use of actual mirrors and reflections are a very blunt and obvious way of portraying this ‘mirror’ photography.

Final photo edits –

Photo 1 –

This edit, I wanted to focus on the warm tones and cosy feel for it, extenuating warm tones through deep skin filters in a yellowy red tone. I also focused on the exposure and shadows as well, to give amore focused look at the focal point of the photo, the model.

Final photo –

Photo 2 –

I loved how this photo turned out, already using a red sheet cover for the red hue, I wanted to include a little more light to the highlights in this photo, without drowning out the warm almost intimate vibe.

Final photo –

Photo 3 –

Doing a similar thing to the previous photo, I focused on calming down the red hue but not loosing the important highlights and shadows in the process. The blur on the photo gives a sense of uncertainty which is something I think is really important in mirror photography for me.

Final photo –

Photo 4 –

I wanted to bring back the black and white for this photo, just because I liked the vintage approach. Highlighting and lowlighting where needed and focusing on sharp lights from the studio.

Virtual gallery –

Helmut Newton was known as one of the most influential fashion photographers of the 1980s alongside Irving Penn, and Richard Avedon. I think that his work is the perfect comparison for the world I would like to similarly replicate. This is because I like the style of it being old and black and white. I like how they style is elegant and the women are dressed in predominantly black. As he was a very favour fashion photographer, I think that these images relate well to the topic of women being represented in the media and industries. Helmut Newtons work focused on themes such as power and gender and Newton’s work frequently explored themes of power, dominance, and submission, with women depicted as both powerful and vulnerable. Something that makes me fascinated with his work is the fact that Newton’s style often featured strong, dominant women in exaggerated, high-fashion settings. His images were characterized by a high contrast, stark lighting, and a sense of voyeurism.

The theme of femininity and gender that I am focusing on ties into his work as Helmut Newton’s work represents women as powerful, enigmatic, and seductive figures. The stereotype “femme fatale”, represents these women as they are radiating both allure and danger. The idea that women are superhuman and dominant is shown in his work as their outfits and roles in the photographs demonstrate authority and positions of power. I like the fact that the women are in smart, business attire or dresses, this particularly contrasts society’s views as they are defying usual stereotypes of women. Although, his work is meant to explore women from a female perspective, yet his photographs are sometimes seen as reinforcing women as an object of desire.

I want my models to be seen as women of power and show the power dynamics of society and not seeking male dominance in their lives. I want my models to also defy usual beauty standards an instead show their strength and unity as a whole.

Photo Analysis.

Technical:

The lighting in this photo is a black and white dark toned image which has a high contrast which creates a striking atmosphere. The shadows are harsh and strong with the highlights being white and brighter. This creates a high contrast and bold impression. This also helps to emphasize the characters and people included in the image which also creates intensity to the image. This image uses sharp edges and back-lighting which creates a cinematic feel to the image, as if it is a snapshot. However, as this image is outside, natural lighting will have also been used to show an authentic feel to the image as it is using the sun along with stage lights. The main lighting component to the photo is the contrast in shadows and how shadows are used to outline the characters. In this photograph the two women are highlighted as the focal point in the image due to the sharp shadows and dark dresses which have a strong and powerful style to them.

Visual:

This image includes a sense of symmetry and geometric framing. This is due to the way the two women are stood in a specific place which is known as deliberate positioning. The background of this image is also very minimal and includes mostly sky with a few buildings and ground towards the lower half. This creates an easy way for the audience to immediately look at the subjects instead of the background. Shadows also accompany the focal point of the women by emphasising their bodies and in this image, possibly promoting the outfits the women are wearing. The female form is a main part of Newton’s work and it is displayed in this image as there is emphasis on the shape of these women’s bodies and they display an idealistic and stereotypical body to please the male audience. The lighting of this images, highlights the bodies of the women and their sculptural beauty. I like how cinematic thus image is as it looks like a quick shot taken out of a movie, as the women are mid motion, this creates a cinematic and narrative impression.

Contextual:

The main contextual element to Helmut Newton’s work is exploring gender roles and sexuality. Helmut’s work has been previously critiqued for objectifying women. However, In my chosen image, I believe the women are shown as being dominant and in control. I like how his work is challenging social norms and how he sees his photography as an opportunity to push himself to the extremes in order to convey his message. During the time this image was made, political and social issues were being faced globally. Women were fighting back for rights and equality and feminists were also challenging the patriarchal gaze. In this image, I believe the two women are challenging the idea that women should only be seen as passive objects of male desire. As Helmut Newton is also a fashion photographer, people, predominantly women, were used to promote outfits by creating a specific mood and impression though a story by the model and location. In this image, the women are in high- quality, high-fashion outfits, whilst portraying their strength and confidence through art.

Conceptual:

In Helmut Newton’s work, he focuses on the exploration of power, and gender, however, this message is executed in multiple ways that differ him from other fashion photographers. Helmut Newton orientated much of his work around nudity of women. This was to challenge traditional women forms and exploration of desire, dominance, and control. In this image, the concept and meaning behind it, explores ‘the perfect woman’ as both of the women are young, confident and beautiful and uses boldness to highlight their power over a traditional angelic woman. This image is an example of Helmut Newton, ‘pushing boundaries’ and makes the viewer question whether the women are being celebrated or objectified. This image has a very cinematic feel to it and resembles a scene from a thriller or action movie due to the ambience created through the lighting. This is a narrative quality in his work which implies an unwritten story behind the image and there is a message or conflict beneath the image. This essence of mystery intrigues the viewer and differs Helmut Newtons work from other contemporary photographers.

How Does He Link to My Work?

In my personal study I am focusing on the ‘male gaze’ and the representation of women in the media. The idea of ‘the male gaze’ comes from Laura Mulvey in 1975. This is the way the visual arts, including film and photography, depict the world from a heterosexual male perspective. I chose this specific photographer to tie into my topic as Helmut Newton photographs predominantly women and positions them as subjects of male desire. The way the women are posing in his images is used in a strategic way in order to emphasize their bodies and for the model to captivate the traditional heterosexual male viewer. Helmut’s work also features women displaying themes of power and control, the women are shown as empowered instead of vulnerable. This use of power dynamics intrigues the viewer and is used to attract the male gender, in order to get them to buy their products and they may e.g. attract a woman similar looking to the model. The costume of heels paired with lingerie or small pieces of clothing ties into being a part of ‘the male gaze’ as women are simply posing in almost no clothing just to attract males to the products. However, Helmut Newton’s work also complicates the male gaze as the women are not submissive and vulnerable, but powerful and in control, which contrasts the traditional male gaze, as the woman are aware and complying with it. This has sparked debates about whether Newton’s photography reinforces the male gaze or offers a more nuanced representation of female sexuality.

Articles.

This subject has been explored multiple times by many high-profile newspapers and reports. Laura Mulvey did not undertake empirical studies of actual filmgoers, but declared her intention to make ‘political use’ of Freudian psychoanalytic theory (in a version influenced by Jacques Lacan) in a study of cinematic spectatorship. Such psychoanalytically-inspired studies of ‘spectatorship’ focus on how ‘subject positions’ are constructed by media texts rather than investigating the viewing practices of individuals in specific social contexts. Mulvey notes that Freud had referred to (infantile) scopophilia – the pleasure involved in looking at other people’s bodies as (particularly, erotic) objects. In the darkness of the cinema auditorium it is notable that one may look without being seen either by those on screen by other members of the audience. Mulvey argues that various features of cinema viewing conditions facilitate for the viewer both the voyeuristic process of objectification of female characters and also the narcissistic process of identification with an ‘ideal ego’ seen on the screen. She declares that in patriarchal society ‘pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female’ (Mulvey 1992, 27). This is reflected in the dominant forms of cinema. Conventional narrative films in the ‘classical’ Hollywood tradition not only typically focus on a male protagonist in the narrative but also assume a male spectator. ‘As the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his like, his screen surrogate, so that the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look, both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence’ (ibid., 28). Traditional films present men as active, controlling subjects and treat women as passive objects of desire for men in both the story and in the audience, and do not allow women to be desiring sexual subjects in their own right. Such films objectify women in relation to ‘the controlling male gaze’ (ibid., 33), presenting ‘woman as image’ (or ‘spectacle’) and man as ‘bearer of the look’ (ibid., 27). Men do the looking; women are there to be looked at. The cinematic codes of popular films ‘are obsessively subordinated to the neurotic needs of the male ego’ (ibid., 33). It was Mulvey who coined the term ‘the male gaze’.

you must contextualise his work with feminism, with specific reference to the ‘male gaze’ and his representation of women in his photographs. Apply your knowledge and understanding of Laura Mulvey’s ‘Visual Pleasures’ essay and Judith Butler’s; ‘Gender Trouble’ you have studied in Media. You also need to find some specific articles/ reviews done around his work written by other critics, feminists etc. I’ll help you with identifying these. This has sparked debates about whether Newton’s photography reinforces the male gaze or offers a more nuanced representation of female sexuality.

• What you want to explore?
• Why it matters to you?
• How you wish to develop your project?
• When and where you intend to begin your study?

statement of intent:

what do you want to explore?/why do you want to explore the topic?:

the topic I want to explore is landscapes, but more specifically how its effected us how we have effected it and are absence in are innovation to help preserve are planet. I believe I will be able to make images that portray the messages that I’m exploring for my personal study by capturing images that show we’ve effected the for mainly are personal benefit without giving thought to the things there before us. The reason I want to explore this personally is because although its spoken about its not paid attention to enough to the point where everyone is doing their best to change the world positively, which is why I believe that it would be an interesting subject to do my project around as its something different. This project will allow me to not only learn more about this topic and enhance my skill with taking landscape images. My aim for this project is to produce a piece of work that can educate not only myself but others as we all live in the same bubble on the importance of what we are doing to the landscapes around the island but also the world and how we should be more ethical with what we do and if its all necessary. I believe by using photography I will be able to portray the message that I want to push as how else is better to see how we effected the landscape by showing people images.

how do you wish to develop your project?:

I will develop my project by making sure I take images in specific places such as through out town and some other more rogue places throughout the island and certain weather conditions that make the image look more appealing such as foggy weather or rainy days, but obviously this isn’t something I can rely on but would make the image more aesthetically pleasing. Certain techniques I would like to use would be long exposure panoramic shot as this will help me focus on the smaller elements in the image as well. to further enhance my photos to make them even better I will edit them to look more how I want them to which means some photos will consist of more warm colours popping in the image, then some would feature a more cold atmosphere in the image.

with the combination of my knowledge of the topic and using my photography skills, my intention is to create a series of images that show you the landscapes in multiple different angles view points and perspective. this will also help me show if we have really changed the landscape for the better which is going to help me link it to the idea of are the majority of people happy with their living conditions and the location they live? and if the answer is no why we destroying land for people to be unhappy?

when are where do you intend to begin your study?:

For this project I intend to begin my study by taking lots of images that are inspired by the artists i studied such as Rut Blees Luxemburg and Edgar Martins. would probably start my project by taking images throughout the night around town and possibly around the island trying to replicate some images from the artist I have studied and some photos from my own creativity, this is because I believe that it will be able to successfully show what I’m trying to portray by doing this sort of photoshoots. For example i would like to take images of things that represent damage to the environment and things that in my opinion that are wasted on the island. more specifically things such as abandoned places and things such as deforestation, industrialization and air pollution and overpopulation. which i believe some of these to growing problems in Jersey such as overpopulation which in hand has led to more industrialization around the island to provide for a growing population.

My first three photoshoots are based on landscapes within Jersey which relate to legends and myths.

1: Dolmens

I will take photographs of the Dolmens within Jersey, these include the ones in St Andrews park, and Dolmen de Faldouët. I will do this because it is thought that there is a link between dolmens and witches. This is because in Guernsey there is a legend of the devil coming in a form of an animal and standing on top of a rock in a dolmen, it is then thought that witches danced around the dolmen to worship this beast. Therefore I will photograph the dolmens within Jersey.

2: Devil’s Hole

Next I will photograph the Devil’s hole, this is because of the way that it got its name. The story of the Devils hole is:

As winds increase, booming growls and roars emanate from the caverns of the great hole, created by the rush of air and water through the underground passages. The colonists, superstitious in the 17th century, believed the sounds came from the devil himself, so it came to be known as The Devil’s Hole.

3: Gorey Castle

My final landscape based photoshoot will take place at Gorey Castle, also known as Mont Orgueil Castle. I will take photographs outside of the castle, as well as inside of it. This is because Gorey castle holds a lot of Jersey’s witch trial history. This is due to over 60 witch trials taking place in this castle.

I’m going to take photos in my grandads favourite locations when he used to come and visit the island, I’m taking images of the scenery and then taking restaged images using my dad as the subject so re creating images that were taken years ago in the specific locations

Mind Map

This clearly shows where I’m going for my photoshoots and what I’m taking photos of. This is my photoshoot plan for my final piece, I’m going to use images that I’ve taken from my grandads favourite places when he used to visit the island and also re stage images using my dad in the photos. Originally I was going to take photos of still life and change them into black and white but I couldn’t think of a way to link the images together so the idea changed.

The locations I’m going to go

I’m going to go to 5 different locations for this photoshoot St Brelade’s bay, La Mare Vineyard, Gorey Pier, St Ouens bay and Corbierre lighthouse. I’m going to these specific locations because these are the places where my grandad loved the most when he visited and where his favourite places on the island where.

When and Why

I’m going to these locations when the lighting is at dusk when its not dark outside but the sunlight is starting to fade and when the sun is setting to get the light perfect for the shoots I’m trying to achieve. I’m going to these locations because they were the most important to my grandad and they hold memories that are the most powerful to recreate, I’m going to use my dad as the subject for the images to replace the space in the images where my grandad was.

Concept

My concept for the photoshoot is to go to these specific locations but then to also take the restaged images and edit them in photoshop and change the opacity of the images and my dad to show that he was fading away and that he isn’t really there in the images like it was his ghost coming back in the image.

when considering my favourite image from my rear screen experimentation I noticed I could create a similar effect with studio lights and coloured gels

photoshoot

studio set up

using two flash lights with varying different coloured gels, with the intention of creating harsh shadows and interesting lighting combinations. this photo is less about story telling and more aimed to present a clear and impactful image of the creature

editing process

favourites

Concept

The original idea was to use projection to create silhouette images of my sculpture with landscape backgrounds to create the perception of a large creature when in-fact my sculpture was about the size of a doll

Inspiration

for this idea I drew inspiration from Cindy Sherman’s rear screen projection

Studio Set Up

Using a projector and a my sculpture propped up i began this process, at first I was manually taking the photos but after experimentation I discovered a low shutter speed would create the highest quality images, in light of this I began using a tripod to prevent image blur and in order to capture the highest quality image I was able too

Photoshoot

favourite images focussing on silhouette

next steps

After experimenting with silhouettes I next began projecting onto the sculpture instead of behind and I found this far more successful

these images will be fundamental story telling images in my picture book, in order to portray the size and supernatural nature of the creature.

photoshop experimentation

using photoshop i then began to experiment with the camouflage effect i was able to create through projecting onto to sculpture with higher quality photos of local woods.

Results

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.