Intimate identity
In this section of my journey i will be looking at the more intimate identity, looking past just their physical appearence.
Distractions
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The next part of my journey I will look at hobbies, which are important part of a person’s identity, shaping them into habits and physical changes of their bodies e.g. Dance
Nico Socha
After looking at a collection of hobbies, i have now moved on to look into one specific hobby in more detail. I have chosen possible the most expressionate of all hobbies, dance, and found inspiration in Nico Socha.Socha released a compilation of dances photos, stating that dance is "sensual and athletic". I believe that dance is expressive, personality bursts out, heart and soul are put into the routines. Socha captures this perfectly, using black and white colours to add elegancy to the shots. The poses of the subjects radiate power and concentration and i inspire to capture this determination in my own shots as well as presenting the images with grace and sophistication through using a high tonal contrast between black and white colours. Plus, i will use flash to capture the moment (Freeze the shot) however use a soft box to smoothen out the subject to contrast the harsh strains of the different poses.
Here are my dance shots done with the influence of Nico Socha. Each shot shows a different pose with different levels in the attempt to explore the range of the hobby. The black and white tonal contrast shows the elegance and sophistication of the moves and the composition runs smoothly through out the shots. Dance is an expression of the body, as well as the dancer themselves, i wanted images that mimicked the sensation of seeing a show performed. I liked the intimate moment created in this shoot from their only being one performer. To improve on the hobby i also included the energetic side to dance, using slow sync. Capturing multiply rushes of poses the photos below depict the fast paced and wilder dance. I used overexposing as a positive, creating photos bursting with colour and light to emit the passion for the hobby. I feel like the combination of both elegant and ecstatic dance was fully explored, and depicted aspects of the people through the type of dance they preferred.
slow sync dance
Over exposed slow sync
Emotions
Emotions are tough to decifer in some people, people can hide them well. For this part of my journey i am looking at the emotions and shall express them in colour and light. The best form of photography for this task is light painting. while taking a long exposed image i have outlined the subject with coloured light to express their emotions.
FUSTRATION
My outcome is a series of shots depicting a range of common emotions. I wanted everything to be expressive and purposeful, from the pose, to the facial expressions to colour of light. I decided to use slow sync so i could freeze the pose with the curtain flash and then capture some movement in the light, subject, most apparent in the photo titled "Two sides". To create the strong colours in each photo, i edited them in photoshop to raise the vibrancy and brightness. The purpose of this was to make the emotions 'blindingly' obvious and obnoxiously on show. Light and colour are such expressionate aspect in photography, purposely set to create moods and atmospheres for images, in this set i have aimed to create a different mood in each photo.
Lee Jeffries
Lee Jeffries is a British photographer, most notorious for his work on unique portraits. Each photo he takes contains highly contrasted detail along with expression. His close up portraits allow for the detail of the subjects face to be captured as well as create a slightly obscure look to the person in the photo. In my own work i intend to capture expression and obscurity in my own subjects, expression emotion and personality. Jeffries creates a very intimate connection with the subject and little is left in the background, the up close nature of his images pin points the focus on the foreground as well as the incredible level of detail on the black and white subject.
Expressive detail
Below are my own images depicted detail of facial expressions. Each one i have edited to get the gritty detail, inspired by Jeffries. Black and white tonal contrast with high levels of curved exposure which creates highly detailed and intense images. Each photo features striking features which captures the identity of each individual through their expressions and nature. The shoot was a success due to the range of images, the detail and the dramatic atmosphere.
This is one of my favourite image from the shoot. I believe it emits a sassy atmosphere, dramatised by the black and white theme. Elegant shadows fall onto the subjects face delicately, which contrast with the harsh features like the eyes.
This is one of my favourite images from the shoot. The dark shadow casting on the right which leads into the brighter left side adds drama to the image. My favourite feature however, is the eyes. Personally, the light bouncing from the eye, created by the light box in the studio, creates a glassy starry eyed look to the subject.
This is personally my favourite image out of the shoot, the dark moody edges frames the subjects face bring the focal point the the centre. The contrasting detail highlights his expression. I love that half of his face contradicts the other, with lines emphasised by shadows on the right, and light bouncing from the smooth left.
Personal Distractions
For this section of my journey, I have looked into the work of Barbra Kruger for inspiration. The iconic feature of Kruger’s work is the combination of image and text, typically black and white photos with bold thick type. Her work is described as “addressing cultural constructions of power, identity and sexuality. The shock of using controversial messages is only emphasised and enforced with the sticking design and composition of her work. An example of one of her controversial pieces would be the image titled ‘Your body is a battleground’ made for the women’s march of 1989. The Image is split into two sides, black and white side, and then an inverted side. My favourite thing about this image is how balanced the image is, equally halved and text balancing each other out with the placement and length. The contrast of her work is inspirational, the white text and red boxes stand out substantially, and really portray the text as important and bold. Even though the text pops out, it still doesn’t take too much focus from the image, due to the fact Kruger place the text with conviction. For example, the Women’s march image purposefully makes the viewer maintain eye contact with the stern women while reading the text, which shows the intimidation of political protest.
In my own work I will most likely use Barbra Kruger more than once, as her work has had a lasting impact on me. Currently I am looking into the personal aspects of a person, for now looking at the identity of a person in a relationship . I would like to use a mixture of text and images to create a purposeful design. I want to showcase the way people act in relationships and how they change as a person depending on the smoothness of the commitment. I want to make my photos clear and promenade, which I feel I can achieve with the influence of Kruger.
My work
I want to showcase the way people view their romantic partner, voicing their opinion on someone other than themselves. For this I have chose to use silhouettes, emphasising the expression of feelings by lighting up the face so the subject’s emotions could be captured. Looking into the work of Barbra Kruger, I decided to edit my photos, black and white with text as additional pushing force to get the messages across. For these images I also took inspiration from the song “She’s out of her mind” by the band Blink 182, which is about an experience with a previous girlfriend, as he expresses his feeling towards her. I paired off some of the lyrics to the images to fully convey the feelings towards the subjects. I like these images as they allow the viewer to dip into the feelings between partners, which are very personal. I love contrast and boldness of the text and image, as well as the smoothness of the images, which combined with the colour scheme, creates an elegant blend. The composition of the text on each image is balance and placed without disrupting the focus of the emotions. To present the images I brought a tiny hint of colour in the form of a red boarder.
Expression
For this section i want to look at expressionate colours and the use of mix media. I capture subject in front of a coloured background and then proceeded to experiment with mixed media to create two images with expressionate connotations.
I took two photos and printed them in acetate, to use in the darkroom. I experimented with layering the acetate on top of each other, as well as splashing the developer on top. I found this method produced an effect of personality splashing out from a person, but felt as though the images were restricted by the black and white colour scale. I scanned the splashed images into Photoshop and then made an acetate of those images. I used coloured card to create strips of colour that would act as the background.
Family
To continue further into more intimate identity i will now explore family. For this i have taken influence from vintage family portraits, photos that are in black and white with a brown tint to show age. Typically no one smiled in the family shots ( By the 17th century in Western culture only the poor, the lewd, the drunk, the innocent and entertainers smiled widely in photos) They were seen as traditional, keepsakes and important to families values. Typically used as a way to look back in time. I however would like to twist the sentimental value slightly. I will use the family portrait to depict divorce. My parent divorce happened when i was young, and it has been apart of my life. To show the effects of divorce i will show the joining of a family through stitches.
The Father
This is a collection of my work displaying individuals in my family. To achieve the old and vintage look i turned the photos black and white and then added a brown filter. Depth and detail was brought out when i experimented with the curve chart. To frame the images i used a oval shape, a popular style of frame in the 19th and early 20th century era. To experiment further with the idea of a abnormal Victorian family portrait, i ripped up the images of the two family parts and sewed them to an image of me. This represented the family i have through the divorce of my parents, revealing my identity through my family. To strengthen this mixed media piece i could made a joiner image in Photoshop, to experiment with something neater, rather than sewing.
Scanography
Still sticking to family i have decided to delve into each person living with me a little bit more. For this i have collected important or valuable objects which hold meaning and purpose in each persons life. I decided to use scanography as my technique of choice, to capture a clear composition. I wanted this section to capture the importance of personal items, how the people in my family came to owning them and how these objects represents them. Identity is not just found within the person but within objects that hold dear to them.
Below are also scans of our family pets' identity. Part of our family identity is that we love our pets and consider them to also be apart of the family.
Objects to Represent
Below is a scan that represents a person very dear to me. I lost my Grandmother in 2016, some of her belonging were passed down to me. She was a loving sweet women (represented in the strawberries) who adored her family, my bond with her was strong, i was her only female child to look after. She loved to style my hair, and make jewellery with me. With any occasion she would be glamoured in jewellery. In her room i was always fascinated by the dresser loaded with a selection of perfumes. Even after she is gone, the memories and objects left behind still emit a strong identity. Objects can have so much meaning, and identity can be cherished in them forever.