Final Images – Headdresses (LO1)

This shoot is the culmination of all my practical and theoretical research so far. In these images my intention was to symbolize my internal emotions through an external object, thus making the object a metaphor of my feelings. For the external object I chose to use headwear. Prompted by my research I had been looking towards historical art portraits for composition and subject content ideas, and noted how headwear played a significant role within may of them. Within historical art headwear was key as it acted as indicator to the subjects social standing, or role within the house or community. Headwear was obligatory within most social situation and therefore less of a representation of a persons emotions but rather a forces statement of their social role. However when I considered headwear within our current society I realized that predominantly it is used only to make a personal statement as it has become less popular within uniforms or forced clothes wear. Therefore I felt it was an appropriate choice when choosing an object to represent an emotional state.

 

I planned three shoots based on three different emotions; Purity, Anxiety and Shattered. For each I wanted the context to be minimal, with the focus of the image to be the headwear and myself. To ensure this I decided to shoot all of them in a studio setting.

The first image I shot was for Purity. For this I knew I wanted high key lighting, taking inspiration from Joel Grimes’s white portraits. I chose to wear a band of Orchids because of their association with delicate beauty, special occasions, rarity and healing powers. I then chose the willow branches because of their association with femininity and healing. As I wanted to create an ethereal feel I had seen in may historical art pieces, I decided to use the willow branches in a way that created the suggestion of wings, hence connoting light, innocence and purity and heaven. I shot various poses for this images but the final one I chose, I felt best signified the essence of the emotion. In postproduction a slight texture was added to the image, as with them all, to create a painterly look. However I’m not sure that really comes a cross in this image. Overall thought I am pleased with this image, although in reflection I feel if the lighting was softer and directional it would create a more classical fine art feel to the image.

The second shoot was for Anxiety. For this I wanted the headwear to represent the dark cloud that is visually associated with representations of depressions and anxiety. With my body I wanted to show the strain these emotions can have. To do this I created more structured poses and used my hands and arms to show the tension within the body. I also chose to shoot the image with no clothes on top to represent how exposed and venerable you can feel in these situations. Flagged side lighting was used to create shadows with a beauty dish in front to pick out the skin tones and details. In postproduction I added a texture after cleaning the image and skin smoothing. Overall I was very pleased with this image. I knew it was dark but felt it was bight enough to see the details in the skin tone and body. I purposely chose to keep it this way as it was aesthetically right for the images meaning. I also felt this image was the closest to creating a fine art painterly look.

 

The third shoot was for Shattered. For this shoot I decided to make a crown from shattered glass. Although using the class could be alleged as a too literal interpretation of the title I felt having it take the form of a crown opened up more questions within the image creating additional narrative. The crown could be preserved as connoting links to regal qualities such as status, power and the burned of responsibilities. Or it could be seen as symbolizing links to religion and Jesus crown of thorns. Ultimately it would be the viewer whose own experience would interpret it, but I felt it certainly suggested, with the position of the head facing downwards, adverse emotions, as was meant to be implied. As with the previous two I added a texture at the end to finish the look. Overall I was extremely happy with this image. I felt it was the strongest out of the three both aesthetically and technically and I feel this was due to it being the third shoot, as I learned from each one.

 

Although individually I am happy with all three images, as a set believe they do not work. Shattered and Purity could work together, however Anxiety is conceptually too different it fit in. Whereas with the other two the headwear is clearly be worn and my own hair can be seen, with Anxiety the black material looks like a wig, and therefore, for me, implied I’m dressing up as someone else. Also the nudity and body positioning seem to point the image much more towards fine art than the other two, which feel closer to commercial portraiture, although this was never my intention. Going forward I will take these observations and lesson’s on board. I feel I have learned a lot through these shoots and will be able to apply this learning to my future photographs.

Reborn (LO1)

A big inspiration in my current photography and drive to insert more narrative into my portraits is Brook Shaden. I really appreciate the beauty of her work both technically and aesthetically. For me, all her images center around emotionally driven concepts, creating fantasy worlds that allow the viewer to submerse themselves into and apply their own narrative and emotional connection. The ability to create that emotional connection with the viewer is something I would like see in my own work.

With this in mind I recently carried out a shoot in the woods based on the theme Reborn. My intention was to create an image that was fluid, had a feeling of serenity and which represented the emotional release of  shedding negative baggage to become free and pure. The narrative of the image was about letting go of negative emotions and freeing yourself of their ties. This would be portrayed by various elements within the scene such as the woods to represent nature, the white fabric, which I wanted to flow around the image, to represent the new feeling of purity and emotional freedom and the birds to represent the dispersing negativity.

My set up for the shoot was quite limited; using natural light and my DSLR. I had one prop which was a single white bed sheet I had ‘borrowed’ from the local YHA.  Prior to shoot I had visualised what I wanted to achieve, which was a large amount of flowing fabric around the scene. As I only had a small sheet I knew it would have to be a composite image. To achieve this I shot my main image, which focused on the model in the correct pose, then I asked the model to move the fabric into different positions while I continued to photograph them, with the intention of later stitching the images together in Photoshop.

My final image is clearly unsuccessful due to a number of failing, the first and most significant being my lack of abilities in Photoshop. This was my first attempt at a composite and it clearly shows through the naive editing skills resulting in the model looking like she has been superimposed into the image. The images below show the initial shots that I worked with. and also highlight how the shoot itself could have been improved significantly with the use of a tripod and better planning.

Although this style of photography clearly highlights my lack of experience in creating this type of image I do intent to try again. When I compared this image to my studio work, it looks very poor quality both aesthetically and technically which does make me consider whether I should forget this style and focus on a type of photography I know I can achieve to a high standard. However as I do now want let my technical skills drive my images, but rather my visual intention, I will plan another shoot which again involves a clear story and theatrical element.

The Pursuit of Happiness Portraits – Shoot 4 (LO2)

Polaroid Diary (LO1)

In the coming week I am about to start a particularly trying period for me, which will have a significant emotion impact. Therefore to serialise the emotional element I intend to take a photograph daily of an object that represents my emotions at that time. Also to add to the singular moment element I will be taking all the images using a Polaroid Land camera. Polaroid is notorious for it’s instantaneous therefore I thought it would be a fitting medium to use. I do not want the images to be open to manipulation, but rather be a true and honest reflection of my emotional state in a single moment.  I will post the images on the page above titles Polaroid Diary.

Visual Rhetoric 2 (LO4)

Today I had a second attempt at using visual rhetoric within my work. The aim of my session was to look at another rhetorical figure which could be used to communicate my current area of exploration within my work. I did decided to take a pathos approach again, as this is what comes naturally to me, however whereas previously I used one of Santos figures, this time I focused on figures of exchange as identified by Durand in 1987.  In my image I wanted to communicate how outwardly appearance don’t always communicate internal emotions. To help me communicate this I felt the theory of Antilogy, a paradoxically connects two apparently opposite elements in the same proposition, would work well. In the images I would appear calm and relaxed, visibly OK, but then I would be covered with stickers that say ‘fragile’ implying I was anything but these thing.

I carried the shoot out at home using my studio lighting kit but was instantly faced with the usual issues of shooting in small spaces such as the subject (me) being too close to the backdrop so there was no depth to the shot. Also the lights were really close so there was no drop off causing everything to be lit up and strong shadows. To try and overcome these I dropped the power of the lights down, used a single soft box at the front and used a light low down behind the chair to create some depth to the image. I also used a shallow depth of field. However in doing this I made the ultimate school boy error of not ensuring the whole image was in focus! I’m not quite sure what I was thinking. I’m still learning about the technical aspects of doing self portraits and I am finding that ensuring the correct part of the image is in focus is my biggest problem. It’s extremely hard to focus the camera when the subject isn’t there. To overcome this I have either been using someone else to sit in while I set the scene up or resorting to placing an object in the scene to use as a focal point until I replace it. However, I am finding, this is not always successful, especially when using a very shallow depth of field. Aesthetically however I felt the shoot went well. With the person element my aim was to convey a feeling of being a mannequin or statue, as I wanted to represent the facade which people can put forward when faced with internal stress and anxiety. To do this I ensured I sat very upright and formal, trying to depict the ‘proper’ appearance of a lady. The teacup and saucer also allude to a time when emotions were not deemed suitable to be on show. This is then opposed by the bold red fragile stickers which are covering me, clearly labellings my internal emotional state.  The stickers are also clearly meant for a parcels, therefore almost objectify me back to my statue status.

The next stage for me would be to try and develop this idea further with another shoot.  Initially I’d like to re-shoot in focus(!), then I think I would like to play with the idea of objectifying people and their emotions. Firstly however I would like to show this images to my peers to get feedback and would certainly welcome any feedback from others viewing my post. I would then use this feedback to help steer my future ideas.

Visual Rhetorics – Clown Shoot (LO4)

The aim of this shoot was to visually experiment with rhetorical figures.  Rhetorical figures/device are used both verbally and visually to convey specific meanings or pursued a certain viewpoint. They work by putting a spin on the familiar creating questions and additional messages as a subtext. Verbal and written rhetorics are commonplace in politics whereas art based industries, such as Advertising, employ visual rhetorics to help them communicate a message or sell a product.

 

In this shoot I planned to demonstrate antilogy by playing with symbolic representations of happiness and showing them in a negative light, therefore contradicting common expectations. To symbolise happiness I chose a clown (me) and the iconic ‘Happy Meal’, both of which I felt are synonymous with positive emotions. I then photographed a series of images that depicted the clown feeling negatively; the subtext being that items which are perceived by society to make people happy don’t always have that effect.

 

When I planned the shoot I visualised the final piece as a set of images in a linear narrative format. However when I looked through the images afterwards, I determined that although they work as a set, a single image was visually much stronger. The set of images were successful in terms of communicating my message, but I decided they were too obvious giving the viewer excessive frames within which to decipher the message. The effect was of spoon feeding the audience the answer rather than relying on the rhetoric devise to communicate the meaning. The single image however, felt stronger as came across as a statement which allowed the viewers eye explored the different elements in the scene and decode the message.

 

Next I intend to explore this element of visual communication further by planning a second shoot based on a different rhetorical figure. This time I will plan the shoot based on a single image, which will communicate another element of my project.

Research Questions (LO1)

Throughout this process I help me develop a comprehensive understanding of my subject matter, it’s content and possible methodologies of production I intent to set myself research questions. This will enable me to focus my research on areas relevant to current investigation and hopefully avoid too much time spend on exploring areas outside the parameters of my project.

Below are the first set of questions I have asked:

1. How can photograph and photo therapy hep in the pursuit of happiness?

2. How is happiness represented by photographers?

3. How is happiness represented in modern culture?

4. How do people represent their happiness through photography in modern culture and how has this changed?

5. How have women used self portraiture to express themselves?

I will explore each of these questions both theoretically, with the use of journals and books, and practically, through photographic experimentation.

A visual interpretation of my initial ideas (LO1)

At the end of our first MA lesson we were all asked, for the following week, to take three images that represented our projects. For me this was a challenge as I was still slightly unsure of the direction my work would take. I knew I wanted to base it around the pursuit of happiness however I was still very uncertain of what that truly meant. I therefore decided to base my images on my current personal understanding of happiness.

Firstly to clarify, when I talk about happiness during this project I’m referring to a constant, contented and peaceful state of mind, body and soul. The inner happiness which makes you feel free from stresses, know your place in the world and feel content in life, not the momentary emotion you get when your favorite movie is on or you eat something nice. I want to use this project to explore the journeys people take in their drive to find true happiness and the emotional impact it can have on them and their lives.

However for these images I looked at my own perception of the pursuit of happiness and interpreted my current understanding of it in the three images above. The first image of the path represents the beginning of the journey and the hope it can hold. The path looks inviting however its final destination is unknown, connotating my own feeling of uncertainty about the future and where it will lead.  The second image of the dandelions represents the middle of the journey and my belief that sadness and happiness will be interlinked throughout it. To achieve one you must experience the other. The flowers are dying, however there is a beauty about them. Also the myth about blowing the seeds and making a wish when they’re at this stage of their life bring another positive element to their current sad state, representing the emotional roller-coaster you experience when going through a stressful time. The third and final image is my visual interpretation of achieving your goal and reaching the end of your journey. When people talk about being truly happy they talk about a feeling of freedom, space around them, and relate it to conquering a mountain. Therefore I wanted to capture a space that fitted this description. One that felt peaceful and spacious and that when you visualise yourself there, you would free a sense of freedom.

Overall I am pleased with the three images and feel they are a good starting point for my project. As a set I believe they work well and do communicate my current perception of the journey involved in the pursuit of happiness.

Initial Proposal – The Pursuit of Happiness

My work aims to look at the various concepts of what happiness is, the pursuit of happiness and the effects of it on society as a whole and individuals. I intend to explore the different interpretations of happiness, looking particularly how it changes in relation to timescales, age and gender. I will also examine theories behind the drive to happiness and what the positive and negative consequence of this can be.  As part of my research I will be considering various anthropology theories, including the work of Carlos Castaneda who created the ideology that everyone has a place in life and they will not achieve true happiness and inner peace until they find it. I will also investigate the physiological and psychological elements of the pursuit of happiness within a person’s life. During the two year time frame for this project, I aim to work with a wide variety of people to develop a diverse and full picture of societies options and experiences around this theme. I intend to evidence my progress throughout the two years in a series of photographic projects, which will be accompanies by evaluations of my findings.