Theme : Encounters, Experiences and Meetings
Ideas for the theme
Daily Encounters
Evaluation:
When taking these photographers my initial idea was to explore different cultures and different types of people and how they come together in one place. I wanted to see how they interacted together and with their environment and document this. When looking back at these images i found that some factors where irrelevant in the composition and i could work on this next time or during editing. For further development i could also take pictures from a different perspective, if i am looking at markets i could concentrate on the interaction between the different stalls or in a cafe- between the waitresses and chefs.
When taking these photographers my initial idea was to explore different cultures and different types of people and how they come together in one place. I wanted to see how they interacted together and with their environment and document this. When looking back at these images i found that some factors where irrelevant in the composition and i could work on this next time or during editing. For further development i could also take pictures from a different perspective, if i am looking at markets i could concentrate on the interaction between the different stalls or in a cafe- between the waitresses and chefs.
Meeting of Elements
Irving Penn has done some still life photography; after looking at his work and taking these photos it gave me ideas on further development. I could make sculptural combinations using food - thinking about colour/ texture or size. Or continue looking at the meeting of different substances - liquids or soft/hard objects.
Edits
Film Noir
Point of Contact
Drama Production
Analysis
CONTENT: Bruce Davidson is considered to be a documentary photographer but he disagrees; "Documentary photographer suggests you just stand back, that you're not in the picture, you're just recording. I am in the picture, believe me. I am in the picture but I am not the picture," he said. He thinks of himself as an outsider on the inside, an 'encounter with the invisible'. This photograph was part of his documentation from the series about the Civil Rights Movement in America. He reveals the relationship between black and white people but also the difference in the classes. I think that the facial expressions of the women create the story of the image, the white woman looks stern and irritated, as if she doesn't want to be sitting next to the other lady, whereas the black one seems worried, scared and also uncomfortable in her surroundings. It raises questions about politics - equality, different rights black and white people had - freedom and also the impact the civil rights movement had on the American citizens. This photographer is honest in his work and he's not afraid to reveal the reality - "My pictures are not escapes from reality, but a contemplation of reality, so that i can experience life in a deeper way."
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FORM: This is a black and white photograph of three women however the image concentrates on the two main characters, one is black and the other is white. They are in a cafe drinking some sort of soft drink. It looks like a summer day indicated by the brightness outside the cafe as well as the short sleeved dresses both ladies have on. The black woman has short, dark hair which is clipped backwards, it looks as though she is lower in the class system than the white woman who looks more sophisticated; she has hair which has been done up and the material of her dress looks more expensive, she is also wearing pearl necklace which shows wealth. This photograph was taken in the 60's in America, this is clear by the fashion but also shows us that there is a difference between the white community and the black community, their wealth, and their importance.
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PROCESS: The Photographer would have used natural light in this photo as it is very bright and might have been mid day, he is indoors facing the women right in front of the light shining through. There must also be light coming through the other side of the cafe as the women are not in silhouette, except the girl on the side in shadow. The photographer also focused the picture in such a way so that the foreground was in focus but the background blurred giving the subject in front more importance. |
My Brief
I want to look at documentary photography and focus on different types of cultures / people and how they go to places which bring them together by the activities they are doing such as parks, markets, train stations and shopping areas. I would like to capture the encounters they have with each other but also with me as the photographer. As an outcome, i would produce a set of 3 photos which could be of the same place or different, and then produce a larger outcome - A2 of one photograph. I want the viewer to think about how London is multiculturalism place and maybe how they would fit in to the image and where they see themselves in this large community we have. |
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Photographs from St Patricks Day - Showing the mixture of different types of people and cultures coming from various places to one place, to celebrate a special day and encounter/meet with each other to create an experience. |
Animation Task
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Theme: Before and After
Here I looked at still life and the encounters/meetings of objects. I photographed objects that were similar in one way and then changed them by breaking/burning or painting the objects so there is a before and after shot. I thought the lighting could have been better and i could of also changed the table and thought about the things surrounding the objects. I could now improve these by using different objects - or even including people and improve the technical issues e.g. lighting and focus by using a tripod and working outdoors.
Before and After - 2
- In these two photographs I wanted to include nature in the theme of Before/After. I did one with the model covered in water and the second one, covered in plants which made her camouflage into the background, and this represented how water is needed for life and plants to grow. I did the photos while it was bright which created the shadow - however I thought it added to the composition, I also find that when taking the photo directly under the model, it makes it more interesting to look at the photograph. - These images where a before and after of a clear/pure face and then covered in mud. I thought that the mud creates an interesting texture on the face and i like the way there are patches of different shades on the face making it successful. - I also wanted to look at two extremes so I used makeup, but it wasn't strong enough and there isn't a lot of contrast between them so I want to improve this and try it again. |
Image ideas for development
< These two images on the left are showing a type of image style that people follow in Japan - mostly Tokyo called Ganguro. It's very different to the traditional Japanese concept of beauty where women have pale skin, dark hair, and neutral makeup tones but the rebellious youth in our time, tan their skin, bleach their hair and use extreme makeup. The photos create a fun, and light atmosphere with individuality as well as unique personal style. < In contrast, these images are darker more gothic like and mysterious. I would like to bring these two ideas to my own photos and improve from before as the makeup was not as extreme and there was not as much contrast from the 'before/after' shots. |
David LaChapelle
David LaChapelle is a photographer who began his work in New York City in the 1980's, Andy Warhol was one of the first artists he inspired as a result, he got his first job as a photographer at Interview Magazine. His photography included celebrities which got him noticed, he then started photographing for various editorial publications and creating amazing advertising campaigns. After doing commercial photography he returned to fin art photography, since then he has been seen in commercial galleries as well as public institutions around the world.
"My work is about making candy for the eyes. It’s about grabbing your attention. Even though my work is appearing in magazines I am trying to make a large picture. I want my photographs to read like a poster." - LaChapelle He is inspired by art history, street-culture, the Hawaiian jungle - in which he lives, and presenting twenty-first century pop culture. His unique techniques and social messages, that are portrayed through his work are as a result of his spread-out knowledge of the different forms of art; fashion, music, the media, photography and fine art. |
Sweat/Sour
For this theme I used sweets that are bright and colourful as well as food types that are sour, like lemons, limes and peppers. I placed them over the persons face and used different combinations to create various outcomes. I feel that the images that worked best were the ones which covered the face completely. When looking at it from further away it makes it more ambiguous and you can't really figure out what it is until you look closer. |
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Growing up - young/old
These photographs represent growing up form a young child into a grown man. I included the plant which he is staring at; waiting for it to grow, as it mirrors the idea of growing up. The second image is then of him and the tree and they have both grown tall and he is looking up at it - still having a connection to the childhood photograph. I shot the images during the day and i like the way the light hits their faces and it has worked well, I changed the image of the boy into a sepia tone so that it made it look more old and not similar to the other picture from the present day.
Water/Nature
I explored more combinations of nature - plants/ water with the body and instead of doing it outdoors I tried to use the bath and filled it with water so that the flowers could float on top of the model creating a more flawy/light and atmospheric feel to the photograph. This reminds me of avant garde fashion photography which includes eccentric/extreme looks and a lot of creative/imaginative set-ups. I feel that the lighting could of been improved but it was difficult as it was indoors in a bath. In the black and white photo (without the plants), there is not a lot of contrast but the greyness of the image makes it work and the ambiguity in her expression adds to the purity and atmospheric mood. |
Old/Modern
In this set I compared the old and modern. I took the idea of childhood games that where played before and now, such as chess, to show the same person changing over time. In the first image the boy is dressed in a smart way with a shirt, tie and jumper while playing games which would of been appropriate. I changed the image to sepia tone which also showed age. In the modern photograph the model is wearing jeans, a casual shirt, Gillette and hat, this shows that it is in the present day, i also changed the position of the chess pieces so that he is playing on opposite sides in the before/after shots to show different boys in different centuries.
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Race - black/white
This theme is about showing different sides of a person so I went back to the idea of using sweets and covering them on the face to represent something. In this case, I melted white and dark chocolate and covered half the models face in each type of chocolate to represent race - black/ white. I thought it worked really well and the lighting was also good, you can clearly see the texture and thickness of the chocolate dripping a bit which I also liked. The image is similar to work by Steve McCurry who did documentary photography in India. He wanted to present the real culture of India where there are different areas with different social status and extreme poverty/suffering but at the same time wealth/luxury. |
More experimentation with food
As I found working with different food types the most interesting, I wanted to take this further and use it as part of my exam outcome. I took these photos with combinations of fruits, vegetables but also a breakfast meal and lunch. Food is big part of everyday life and we encounter with it multiple times in one day, when someone is looking at these photographs i want them to be intrigued in what it is but then taste and smell the food they see. By having different combinations / shapes / colours and tastes it creates an interesting image to look at, especially as it is presented on the face.
I will include these photographs with previous photos of the face covered in sweat and sour foods for my final outcome, I will print out nine photographs and place them in 3 rows, after mounting them i will put them in a square thick frame and hang it on the wall. Below is the combination i will use.
I will include these photographs with previous photos of the face covered in sweat and sour foods for my final outcome, I will print out nine photographs and place them in 3 rows, after mounting them i will put them in a square thick frame and hang it on the wall. Below is the combination i will use.