3 IN 1 INITIAL DRAWINGSWhen first faced with the 3 in 1 brief, I drew a mind map and a couple of ideas that I thought were relatively promising.
The mind map (right) includes ideas from the creature, liminal and ritual brief.
The drawing to the right depicts a guy levitating using magic (which can be seen in his hands), whilst inadvertently raising household objects around him. This was an idea I wanted to pursue using wires to hold objects up and using Photoshop to manufacture the magic flames in his hands later. It is still something I am interested in doing.
The drawing to the right consists of flames resting inside someone's palm. It is a quick sketch of what I wanted to achieve, if I attempted the previous idea.
The drawing to the right is of a man walking away along a long road that disappears into the distance. I saw a picture of a man walking away along a road and decided to sketch a version of it. This wasn't in response to any particular idea on the mind map, but was interesting to do anyway. It could have been related to the dual shadow idea.
3 IN 1 RESEARCH - LEVITATION
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| This is the original image that inspired me to pursue constructed photography in this way. Dali Atomicus (1948)- Salvador Dali. Captured by Philippe Halsman |
SAM TAYLOR-WOOD
Taylor-Wood is an
English film director, photographer and visual artist. Throughout her artistic
career, she produced works based on levitation, including a piece that was
included in the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago.
In 2004, she completed a series of photographs using a model and a chair to seemingly create the effect of levitation. The model was attached to the wall, ceiling and the chair using wires, a harness and ropes. This created the effect of levitation. This was one of her pieces that was included in the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago.
In 2008, Taylor-Wood photographed a model attached to a bunch of balloons, with the effect of the balloons lifting the model up (pictured below). The model was probably resting on a chair or something similar and fixed using wires on a harness and ropes. These would have then been removed in post-editing.
REFERENCES-
REFERENCES-
PHILIPPE HALSMAN
Another, earlier example of
pieces of art created in a similar fashion to what I intend comes from Philippe
Halsman.
Halsman was an American
photographer (born in what was then part of the Russian Empire, but now is
called Latvia). He famously produced portrait photographers of many well-known
people of the era- including Albert Einstein.
In 1948, Halsman
collaborated with Spanish artist, Salvador Dalí, to produce a famous
photograph- entitled Dalí Atomicus (pictured right). A version of the photograph before the
wires were removed from the shot can be seen to the right. In order to capture
the desired effect, Halsman and Dalí attached wires to the easel and the
painting to give the illusion of levitation. The chair, bucket of water and the
three cats were thrown at the exact moment the camera took the picture to
create the final image. Dalí, himself, was the model used in the shot and
jumped as the picture was taken. They had to recreate this 28 times before a satisfactory
outcome was captured. This photograph inspired Halsman to create a new way of
taking photos, which he tentatively called jumpology. The basic theory of
Halsman’s jumpology is that the models would be concentrating on the jump so
wouldn’t necessarily be remembering to pose. Halsman believed this would divert
the models’ attention from posing to jumping, meaning that their mask would
fall and he would be able to capture the real person. This principle of jump
photography was explored in his 1959 book, ‘Philippe Halsman’s Jump Book’.MY WORK
I began my thought processes
with a mind map to get me going. This mind map included other ideas relating to
all three available choices in the 3 in 1 brief (which includes creature,
liminal and ritual). I eventually settled on the idea relating to liminal about
levitation as I felt it was interesting and if done right it has the potential
to create some really interesting effects. It helped that I was already aware
of Sam Taylor-Wood’s work relating from levitation and I took inspiration from
that, which led me to decide upon producing a similar effect. Furthermore, when
I was made aware of Philippe Halsman’s constructed photography I was intrigued about
the possibilities that this way of photography could produce.
My
initial thought about levitation was to make someone look like they’re flying
with wings or something similar. However, I realised there would be a lot of
existing artwork like this already, so it could have been potentially difficult
to make it unique enough to stand out. It was because of this that I decided to
create a piece of photography based on the idea of a magician levitating. I had
seen something similar in an episode of the TV show, Castle, so I wanted to
emulate the effect that had been produced on the show, but still make it
original. I drew a picture of the kind of work I wanted to achieve. In this drawing is a man levitating himself and other objects in his
vicinity, seemingly using magic. This effect would be produced using wire and
other people to hold objects up, and then they would be removed in the
post-production editing phase- creating the sense that they are all up in the
air. Whilst in the editing stage, I would add the effect of flames in the hands
of the person jumping.
3 IN 1 RESEARCH - DUALITY
This idea started as a liminal response to the 3 in 1 brief, but it became apparent to me that it could also be a response to the creature aspect of the brief. I chose to create a piece based on
duality and the conflict within us. I drew inspiration from Matt Ryan’s portrayal of John
Constantine, in the TV show- 'Constantine'. In the show he hunts demons and other supernatural elements, which
can sometimes lead him to commit acts of moral ambiguity. This conflict within him
as he does these acts is especially interesting to watch and it inspired me to
create a piece of work based on duality.
3 IN 1 RESEARCH - DUALITY
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Matt Ryan’s morally ambiguous portrayal of DC
comics’
character John Constantine,
in NBC’s Constantine, was a contributing
factor
in the inspiration for this brief.
There was a particular scene,
wherein a demon Constantine was
hunting took the shape of Constantine
himself,
which particularly drew me to the idea of duality
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In
order to portray the idea of evil within and the morally ambiguous nature of
mankind, I initially thought of an idea involving someone taking a photo of
themselves facing a mirror, with their reflection resembling a devilish version
of themselves. Expanding upon this, I realised that, manipulating light sources,
I could create multiple shadows that could then be edited to represent one
shadow as a devil, and one as an angel. This portrays the notion that there is
good and bad in everyone and we must suppress the temptations in order to stick
to society’s moral
truths.
In order to create the
effect, I would need to be inside with at least two light sources that I can
position to create the desired effect of someone having two shadows. This effect could also be achieved on Photoshop. There
would need to be a plain enough background or backdrop so that the shadows are
clearly visible, although they could be darkened to make them more visible in
the editing stage.
There have been many
photographers who have manipulated shadows in their work in order to achieve
great effects.
RICHARD VANTIELCKE
Vantielcke is a
French photographer who has taken many photos based on shadows and the
manipulation of them for photographic effect. He can be described as a surrealist who focuses on the use of light, darkness and shadows to give his photographs a stronger focus. One such photograph is pictured left. It displays a girl walking up a stretch of concrete pathway, with shadows
of herself behind her. There is quite a noticeable contrast between the bright
light of the sky and the grey, darkened walls and floor. The contrasting lights
and the shadows of the people behind the girl really make for an interesting
photo that compels you to find out the back story of this image- is she being
followed by two strange people? Why is she walking here? Are those shadows
her’s? Vantielcke has captured a compelling photo here, which has definitely
been successful with intriguing me. It looks as though he has used some kind of
long exposure setting on this photograph- with the shadows being the way they
are.
REFERENCES-
On Monday 10th November, the photographers in the group were tasked with a 3 point lighting task. 3 point lighting includes 3 different positions of spotlights. These positions include: the key light (which is the main light used, aimed at the model's face), the fill light (which is used to make the shadows less distinct, lightening the model) and the backlight (which is used to give light behind the model). This lighting technique is used frequently in photography shoots, TV productions and many more. In relation to 3 point lighting, the photographers in the group were tasked with completing a series of 3 portrait photographs, which captured different emotions and used 3 point lighting. The different emotions we had to choose from were as follows:- Joy
- Rage
- Dignity
- Despair
- Disdain
The 3 emotions I decided to use in response to the task brief were joy, disdain and despair. The photos I took are as follows:
3 IN 1 CREATURE/LIMINAL
The 3 in 1 brief consists of choosing from CREATURE, LIMINAL or RITUAL. The creature brief involved creating a piece of work, either photography or animation or something else, relating to something to do with a creature. The liminal brief consisted of something to do with liminality. Liminality is the transitional phase between two things- like purgatory, as it is between heaven or hell. Anything with duality can be described as liminal. The ritual brief consisted of a piece of work relating to a ceremony or ritualistic ordeal.
I chose the creature brief to work with. Initially, when deciding on a topic for the brief, I had settled on manipulating shadows to show the shadow of the model to be in the image of a devil. Having not used it that much before, I experimented with Photoshop to see if I could create a satisfactory (in my eyes) devil shadow.
The results are left and right. This, to me, did not produce a satisfactory result. The lighting and the size of the shadow (before turning it into a devil) produces some interesting effects on the model's face. The atmosphere of the photos are very moody and dark. The devil shadow looks a little cheap, and didn't fulfil the brief in a way that satisfied me, so I decided to choose a different idea- an idea that I could create interesting photos with. Whilst taking pictures trying to fulfil the shadow devil brief, I took some photos of the model inside the backdrop, which had an almost ethereal quality about it. I decided that I could explore this more and create photos satisfying the creature brief in a different way. I wanted to produce more photos like that with an ethereal, ghostly quality. Ghosts could be described as liminal creatures, as they are dead but also can travel between this world and the next, supposedly. Stereotypical ghosts have a shimmering, translucent appearance that can also be described as liminal, as it is in between a physical form and no form at all. Therefore, in pursuing photos of this nature I am fulfilling two of the three briefs.
The first photo that intrigued me enough to decide to change my idea is as follows on the right. I realised it looked somewhat ghostly. It could be interpreted to be some kind of ghostly form trying to get into the land of the living. It has it hands on the barrier between worlds, which is part of the liminal aspect of this idea. I thought I could produce a series of photographs that represent a dead ghostly form trying to either communicate with or trying to break into the living world. These are the photos I came up with:
GLITCH IN NINE
The idea behind the 'Glitch in Nine' brief is creating at least two pieces of work based on a variety of themes that we can choose from. There are nine, hence the name, themes that we have the option of choosing from. These themes are as follows:
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| Joy |
 |
| Disdain |
 |
| Despair |
3 IN 1 CREATURE/LIMINAL
The 3 in 1 brief consists of choosing from CREATURE, LIMINAL or RITUAL. The creature brief involved creating a piece of work, either photography or animation or something else, relating to something to do with a creature. The liminal brief consisted of something to do with liminality. Liminality is the transitional phase between two things- like purgatory, as it is between heaven or hell. Anything with duality can be described as liminal. The ritual brief consisted of a piece of work relating to a ceremony or ritualistic ordeal.
I chose the creature brief to work with. Initially, when deciding on a topic for the brief, I had settled on manipulating shadows to show the shadow of the model to be in the image of a devil. Having not used it that much before, I experimented with Photoshop to see if I could create a satisfactory (in my eyes) devil shadow.
The results are left and right. This, to me, did not produce a satisfactory result. The lighting and the size of the shadow (before turning it into a devil) produces some interesting effects on the model's face. The atmosphere of the photos are very moody and dark. The devil shadow looks a little cheap, and didn't fulfil the brief in a way that satisfied me, so I decided to choose a different idea- an idea that I could create interesting photos with. Whilst taking pictures trying to fulfil the shadow devil brief, I took some photos of the model inside the backdrop, which had an almost ethereal quality about it. I decided that I could explore this more and create photos satisfying the creature brief in a different way. I wanted to produce more photos like that with an ethereal, ghostly quality. Ghosts could be described as liminal creatures, as they are dead but also can travel between this world and the next, supposedly. Stereotypical ghosts have a shimmering, translucent appearance that can also be described as liminal, as it is in between a physical form and no form at all. Therefore, in pursuing photos of this nature I am fulfilling two of the three briefs.The first photo that intrigued me enough to decide to change my idea is as follows on the right. I realised it looked somewhat ghostly. It could be interpreted to be some kind of ghostly form trying to get into the land of the living. It has it hands on the barrier between worlds, which is part of the liminal aspect of this idea. I thought I could produce a series of photographs that represent a dead ghostly form trying to either communicate with or trying to break into the living world. These are the photos I came up with:
These photos were edited with the idea of the spirits trying to gain entry to the land of the living through the barrier that separates their world and our's. I thought that the spirits would become increasingly annoyed and frustrated, as they couldn't get through and kept trying. I tried to reflect that in the use of colours, as they went from a lighter yellow colour to a dark red, indicating their frustration and anger.
GLITCH IN NINE
The idea behind the 'Glitch in Nine' brief is creating at least two pieces of work based on a variety of themes that we can choose from. There are nine, hence the name, themes that we have the option of choosing from. These themes are as follows:
- Gothic- this pertains to the distinctive architecture and art style of an era of English culture from the 12th to the 15th century. It is usually dark with moody, grim tones. Gothic art can also be described as sombre, devilish pieces usually using black, grey and other dark colours
- Kitsch- this pertains to an art style that is intentionally considered to be in poor taste and disregards common norms of art to produce something that is usually quite vulgar. Colours included are over-the-top and portray abstract ideals
- Portrait- this pertains to a piece of art (a painting, drawing, photograph, etc) of at least someone's head. It often includes their shoulders and can include their upper body, as well. In addition to this, group portraits and full-body portraits are also in existence
- Landscape- this pertains to a visual art style (photography, painting or otherwise) of an environment in the natural world. Landscape in this sense can also define a visual art piece of work pertaining to an environment that is fabricated (not in the natural environment)
- Imaginary- this pertains to anything that is inside of the imagination. This theme is probably the most broad, as it can almost encompass anything in the world- and more
- Conversation- this pertains to the capturing of a conversation of some sort, whether it be fabricated conversation between two people or an actual one between strangers in a street. This theme can suggest conversation, rather than actually show it
- Street- this pertains to the recording (be it in film, or still imagery) of a street-like environment
- Document- this pertains to a piece of work that can be described as factual. It is a piece of matter that serves as an official record. It can be in the form of still imagery of a moving piece
- Rant- this pertains to an interpretation of an angry tirade or speech captured in an artistic outcome- like a film, video or series of photographs
GLITCH IN NINE- PORTRAIT
The definition of 'portrait' is a drawing, painting, photograph or other representation of a person, especially showcasing someone's (or something's, if it's an animal) head and shoulders. These are often framed.
The fundamental aspects of a portrait, across all definitions, is a representation of a subject's head. I wanted to produce a series of photography stills focusing on what a portrait would be like if the face of the subject was obscured. To create the this effect, I set my camera with these settings:
- ISO speed: ISO-100
- F-stop: f/9
- Exposure time: 1/2 second
I wanted to create the illusion of movement- the blur of which would create the translucent obscurity of the face. With these slow shutter speed and aperture size, I could have my models shake their heads whilst I take the photographs, to create the blurring of their face. These are the photographs I took to test if these settings would work.
These photos (above) made it clear to me that I couldn't create the desired effect with this method, as the frame became blurred as they shook their heads. This experimentation phase of the creative process behind this brief did produce some usable photos that I will present below. It did make me realise that I could manipulate the desired facial obscurity in post-production on Photoshop.
The photos from the experimentation phase that I edited can be seen here:
After I produced these photos, I decided to further explore different ways I could create translucent facial obscurities. The resulting photographs are as follows:
GLITCH IN NINE- CONVERSATION/LANDSCAPE
For this brief, I wanted to move away from photography and expand the breadth of my artistic practices. I wanted to produce a short film for this brief.
My initial ideas were focused on the conversation aspect of the Glitch in Nine brief. After deciding I was going to decide to create a short film, my first ideas were centred around the idea of a few friends having a picnic or a walk around a park, whilst talking and laughing.
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