Reflection
In this task I took inspiration from the work of Slava Semeniuta, a Russian photographer and designer who took pictures in puddles on the streets of Sochi after the evening rain. He took these photos to present the 'hidden beauty under our feet'. The dramatic colours in the photos creates an almost surreal image and makes the ordinary and typical concrete streets seem unusual and unreal.
Extend your analysis
Extend your analysis
My Response
explain the set up
To set up this shoot I put a a black bag into a tray and filled it slightly with water. Then I took coloured acrylic and shined a torch onto it and aimed it onto the water to create the illusion that it was light shining on puddles. Then I photographed the reflection of the colours on the water. Here are my pictures:
To set up this shoot I put a a black bag into a tray and filled it slightly with water. Then I took coloured acrylic and shined a torch onto it and aimed it onto the water to create the illusion that it was light shining on puddles. Then I photographed the reflection of the colours on the water. Here are my pictures:
- Best edits
- WWW & EBI
WWW: The lights were bright and reflected well onto the bag
EBI: My exposure wasn't right so some of my pictures were very unfocused
EBI: My exposure wasn't right so some of my pictures were very unfocused
Half term homework
For my half term homework I was assigned to photograph pictures under the title "Reflections". I took three sets of photos all using mirrors to reflect my subject but representing different emotions and conveying different messages.
Strand one- Makeup
For my first strand of photos I used multiple mirrors to demonstrate my subject getting ready and putting on makeup. My work reflects societal pressure on women to wear makeup and come across always 'put together'. My use of multiple mirrors with some focusing on certain elements of her face close up, mirrors the extent of how women are judged; it is typical of society to inspect people very closely and force women to feel trapped in a cycle of having to appear 'perfect'. Here is my mood board for this strand:
Here are my photos:
Best Edits
WWW: The use of multiple mirrors allowed me to be able to capture different angles and perspectives of the subjects face and I used my exposure and focus well to create very sharp pictures
EBI: In lots of the pictures the lipstick stains covered the subjects face more than I had planned so to improve I would will work on my composition
EBI: In lots of the pictures the lipstick stains covered the subjects face more than I had planned so to improve I would will work on my composition
Strand two- Fragmented Reflection
Explain your intention- how is it different to the strand above?
In my second strand I decided to use fragmented reflections. I took inspiration from multiple photographers who use fragments in their images but specifically photographs by Jack Davison inspired me in my work. Jack Davison uses small or broken pieces of mirrors to create reflection. I particularly liked how his work has a mysterious and eerie sense to them as many are in black and white and uses an almost ominous environment to capture his pictures in. Here is some of his work:
In my second strand I decided to use fragmented reflections. I took inspiration from multiple photographers who use fragments in their images but specifically photographs by Jack Davison inspired me in my work. Jack Davison uses small or broken pieces of mirrors to create reflection. I particularly liked how his work has a mysterious and eerie sense to them as many are in black and white and uses an almost ominous environment to capture his pictures in. Here is some of his work:
I used inspiration from his work but adapted it slightly to my style of photo for these strands. In my pictures I used lots of props like a vintage mirror with detailing around the edges and lipsticks stains on the mirror to continue the theme of using makeup and appearance of women in society. I found that my favourite photos of the set conveyed the mysterious element of Davison's work as my subject focused on particular facial features creating an almost distorted perspective of her face. Furthermore, I found the props not only almost glamorising the pictures but also continuing to break up the subjects facial features, for example the lipstick stain covering her eyebrows. I found this all helped to convey the ominous and strange sense to my work.
WWW: Through editing I increased the white levels to make the mirror stand out from the background as well as making one of my edits black and white to reflect the mysterious atmosphere inspired my Jack Davison.
EBI: I took more pictures of different facial features close up, for example her nose, eyes, etc.
EBI: I took more pictures of different facial features close up, for example her nose, eyes, etc.
Strand three- False Mirror Reflections
For my third I took inspiration from the work of Tom Hussey. Tom Hussey is an American photographer who uses mirrors to present two sides of a person. Many of his pictures use his subject looking in a mirror and seeing what is suggested to be their younger selves. Here are some examples of his work:
In my pictures I had the same subject that can be seen in the photo reflected in the mirror however they are showing different expressions. For example, the subject may be looking at the camera with sadness but in the mirror she appears confident and assertive. This presents ideas of appearance vs reality in society and how one may present themselves in a different way to how they feel.
Here are my photos:
Screen grab the editing process
Best Edits:
WWW: I kept my camera in the same position while taking photos which meant editing the two photos together was easier and the final pieces look very clean.
EBI: I caught more drastic emotions in the pictures
EBI: I caught more drastic emotions in the pictures
Homework-Chosen Strand: Tom Hussey
Development One
For my first development I decided to continue exploring the work of Tom Hussey who takes false mirror reflections by replacing the reflection of the subject originally appearing in the photo with another person. In my pictures I wanted to develop my set of photos from the previous ones by presenting more extreme emotions for example crying and anger. I also used two different subjects in this set so I could edit a completely different person in the reflection of the mirror to present danger and threat which further emphasised the severe emotions presented in my set.
Best Edits
WWW: I edited the pictures together well without making it look as though they are different photos
EBI: There is not a lot of variation in the photos and many of them look very similar
EBI: There is not a lot of variation in the photos and many of them look very similar
Development Two
For my second development I wanted to continue reflecting emotion and societal issues. I took inspiration from a photographer called Barbara Kruger, an American artist who is known for using a collage style in her work using black and white photos covered in bold captions. She typically expresses issues surrounding identity, consumerism, etc, however, to fit my idea, I focused on one subject so I could reflect their personal matters in the text. Here are some examples of Kruger's work:
In this set of photos I used a slow shutter speed so I could reflect appearance vs reality in society and that people suffer more than can be seen from the surface. For many of my photos there appears to be two or more people in the picture representing different emotion. I felt that the ghost-like figures in the photos created a slightly dark and almost ominous atmosphere which further reinforces the sorrowful tone and reflects how people appear very differently to how they really feel behind closed doors.
Best Edits
To edit these photos I made the photos black and white to reflect Kruger's work. Then I created black and red text boxes and created short phrases covering mental issues to reflect people's suffering. Then I put the text boxes over the pictures and created a red border around the photo.
WWW: The text combined with the picture reflects the suffering of people in society behind closed doors through the slow shudder speed creating the illusion of the model in multiple states
EBI: The text doesn't blend in with the photo very well so for my next shoot I will take pictures with the text physically in the photo.
EBI: The text doesn't blend in with the photo very well so for my next shoot I will take pictures with the text physically in the photo.
Development 3
For my third development I decided to project words on my subjects face using a projector instead of editing them on using photoshop. I found this made the picture feel more personal to the subject as the words blended in to the photo instead of looking as though it was edited in. To take these pictures I used a projector to reflect contrasting words onto the subject's face and onto the background. The juxtaposition of words such as 'pretty' and 'ugly' reflect that it is impossible to meet the expectations that society has on people to be a certain way and that it makes people crazy trying to be 'perfect'. Furthermore, it reflects that society silences people and prevents them from acting in a way they want because of unrealistic standards.
Best Edits
WWW: Using a projection of words makes the message seem more personal to the model as it is directly on the her rather than edited on.
EBI: The text was slightly big and would look better smaller.
EBI: The text was slightly big and would look better smaller.
Development 4
For my fourth development I continued with the same style of photo as my previous development but used smaller text to make the statements clearer in the photo. Moreover, I used longer statements and questions instead of specific words to reflect the thoughts of my subjects in response to societal pressure. I also got my subject to appear happier in some of my pictures, in contrast to their emotions in some other photos in the set, to reflect that people appear differently to how they feel; although the subject is smiling, she still questions herself in the back of her mind. Furthermore, as well as using darker tones in the pictures, I also made some text brightly coloured to portray that society can undermine people's feelings by glamourising people's struggles in the media.
Best Edits
WWW: The words and statements are smaller that my previous set which means that they are repeated more times on the model and create a bigger impact.
EBI: The text projected was personal to each person to make the photos seem more meaningful
EBI: The text projected was personal to each person to make the photos seem more meaningful
Development 5
For my final few sets I decided to take inspiration from Tracy Martin, a Canadian photographer who projects peoples personal stories on their face and bodies and photographs it. To get these pictures she asks her models to write anything about themselves, whether it is a personal anecdote, something expressing their identity, etc in a sketchbook which she proceeds to use as a projection. Her work is an exploration of light, expression and character. I chose this photographer because I feel that it links well to my reflection project because she not only uses physical projections in her work but also reflects identity and memory. She states that relationship she has with the people she photographs is built on trust, everything that they write is confidential and will not be released to anyone without their permission. Furthermore, If the model is comfortable with it they discuss their stories to create the best possible photograph that represents their life.Here are some examples of her work:
I created my images in a similar way to Tracy Martin, by getting my subject to write a personal anecdote from their childhood on a piece of paper which I then photographed and inverted in photoshop to make the writing white and the background black. I then projected this onto a black screen with my model standing in front to get the writing on their face. In Martain's images she used posture and facial expression top reflect the dialogue being projected. For example in the image above the subject is smiling and appears at ease. Furthermore, he does not appear timid and looks as though he is not forcing a specific pose; he appears free and unrestrained. He is presented as almost childish in the way that he is very unconcerned. This image of childhood is further reinforced by his body language as he is facing the camera but he is looking to the side suggesting that he iks looking back at his childhood. Similarly, in her other photos the tone of the writing is influenced by the expression. However, not all subjects are presented as relaxed and has slight concern in their expression. Although not all of her models have the same expression, all the pictures share the same quality of presenting the expression as natural. Did the anecdote she wrote influence the expression of the model, the way you photographed the images? I was inspired by the way that Martin presents her subject, so similarly took my pictures considering the model's natural expression. I didn't want their pose to appear forced and so told them to look at the camera as if they are looking at a person so I could catch them in their usual state. Here are my photos:
Best Edits
WWW: Using real handwriting for the pictures instead of ordinary text made the photos feel more personal and expresses identity better as it feels as though we are looking at the subjects inner thoughts
EBI: I used more people in my photos and I used a different anecdote for each person. I could also make my text smaller so you can read more of it on the photo.
EBI: I used more people in my photos and I used a different anecdote for each person. I could also make my text smaller so you can read more of it on the photo.
Development 6
For my sixth development I built on my previous set by creating new dialogue covering sensitive topics from people's childhood. These sets of writing covered topics like grief, neglection, bullying, etc to express the impacts of trauma on children. This links to my reflection project as it reflects people's identity and physically projects their feelings and memories. I positioned my subjects in order to have certain words projected on their faces to emphasise the key points of the story. Here are my pictures:
Best Edits
WWW: The words were clearer and were emphasised in the photos more than my previous set
EBI: There was more variety in my pictures by using different body parts
EBI: There was more variety in my pictures by using different body parts
Development 7
For my seventh development I took my pictures with the intention of getting more variation in the set by photographing different parts of the body as well as just the model's face. I took the photos in the same way but positioned the person so that the words projected on their back, chest, arms, etc. Moreover, when editing I didn't turn them all black and white so that the coloured words were visible in the edits. In a few of the photos you could also see the words projected on the black background which I felt added to the pictures because you are able to read the dialogue easier than if it was only projected on the person. Here are my pictures.
Best Edits
WWW:The set is more varied than before as I explored photographing different parts of the body
EBI: I managed the exposure better so that the words were clearer
EBI: I managed the exposure better so that the words were clearer
Development 8
Explain this development.
In this development I introduced a domestic setting to my photos. I did this to reflect that trauma and mental illness are inescapable and people feel isolation and discomfort even in a place that they should feel most welcome in. I featured various areas of the house for example a bedroom, which again should reflect a place of ease and consolation. However the juxtaposition of the dark tone created by the subject's expression and the emotive writing emphasises that trauma causes a household to become cold.
WWW: The writing in this set was clearer than it was in any of my other sets as I projected the writing more zoomed out so the whole piece of dialogue was apparent in the pictures and it is able to be read.
EBI: In some pictures I feel as though it appears slightly messy and chaotic because the pictures were taken with lots in the background.
EBI: In some pictures I feel as though it appears slightly messy and chaotic because the pictures were taken with lots in the background.
Final Piece
For my final pieces I decided to use my photos from my 6th and 7th development as I found the 8th development too impersonal because you were not able to see their expression very clearly. For my final pieces I printed out the images from these two sets and bleached them. To do this I diluted bleach in water and used a fine paint brush to paint it onto the blank spaces surrounding the person. I let the bleach sit on the picture until it developed and turned the images orange. Here is the process of bleaching:
I bleached my photos to make the subject stand out in the picture by using bold contrasting colours. Furthermore, the orange created by the bleach appears fiery and almost makes the picture look like it's burning. This mirrors anger within and further emphasises how trauma can permanently affect a person's mental state.
Here are the photos before bleaching:
Final Pieces
My final pieces link to my reflection project as the photos express the longterm effects that childhood trauma has on a person and presents their stories as a reflection on their faces and bodies. The juxtaposing colours of the white writing and the darker photos of the subject makes the writing stand out and very apparent in the photo which further reinforces that people are affected by memories for their whole lives. Furthermore, the use of the bleach makes the writing in the back of the photos unclear which emphasises that as time goes on and childhood becomes more distant, memories of it will always be clear in the mind.