As my project progresses, I have decided to experiment with somewhat disguising my model's appearance with textures and masks, rather than simply contour the features.
Subtle Textures
Through this shoot I aimed to explore a subtle addition of texture to distort the appearance of my model's face. This set of images have an intimate tone due to the shallow depth of field in which was created through the use of 50mm lens and the focal point set on my model's face. I chose to edit these images in black and white in order to present a classic effect. whilst eliminating the pastel tones of the sequins.
To develop this idea, I could experiment further with textures, and cover the whole face/body with a more prominent texture, such as paint or flour for example. This could entirely alter the viewer's perception of the facial form which is what I hope to present through the studies.
To develop this idea, I could experiment further with textures, and cover the whole face/body with a more prominent texture, such as paint or flour for example. This could entirely alter the viewer's perception of the facial form which is what I hope to present through the studies.
Masked Disguise
I felt it would be interesting to explore masks and disguises within my project, as they create an interesting interpretation on the project of distortion. I chose to use this mask in particular as the actual shape of the mask is distorted and unusual.
When constructing this shoot I chose to use subtle lighting as I felt studio lighting would be too intense and create displeasing refections on the wood of the mask. To create this lighting effect I placed my model infront of an open window and the sun began to set and also had a lamp facing towards my model but the shade covered the majority, leaving only a light glow onto my model .
I find adding a mask onto my model very powerful as it creates an immediate enigmatic tone to my work. The audience are left to question why the subject is disguised, what they have to hide and their expression beneath. This form of mystery is pivotal in the success of my photography as it leaves the images open for the audience's own interpretation.
When constructing this shoot I chose to use subtle lighting as I felt studio lighting would be too intense and create displeasing refections on the wood of the mask. To create this lighting effect I placed my model infront of an open window and the sun began to set and also had a lamp facing towards my model but the shade covered the majority, leaving only a light glow onto my model .
I find adding a mask onto my model very powerful as it creates an immediate enigmatic tone to my work. The audience are left to question why the subject is disguised, what they have to hide and their expression beneath. This form of mystery is pivotal in the success of my photography as it leaves the images open for the audience's own interpretation.
The Lovers
'The Lovers' (1928) by Rene Magritte is a surrealist piece produced with the medium of oil on canvas. The painting depicts a couple 'locked in an embrace', with the prominent motif of veils over their faces. This motif is often prevalent within Magritte's work with critical analysis relating it to his mother's suicide though Magritte stated that the covering of the face within this painting amongst others was used for artistic effect.
I find this piece particularly captivating due to the intense passion created within the piece with the addition of the veil masking the pair. This strongly relates to my personal study and acts as an inspirational source as the disguise of both subjects remains to create a prevalent romantic tone.
I find this piece particularly captivating due to the intense passion created within the piece with the addition of the veil masking the pair. This strongly relates to my personal study and acts as an inspirational source as the disguise of both subjects remains to create a prevalent romantic tone.
Pigs.
To expand on the sub-theme of disguises, I chose to incorporate the prop of a pig mask into my shoot. I feel this creates a very surreal and unsettling tone as I chose for there to be a direct mode of address within the majority of these shots. This presents my model to be looking straight at the viewer, and in turn the 'pig' is similarly doing so.
I felt the setting of this shoot was just as important as the subject itself, so I searched for the perfect scene to place my model into. I was lucky to find this mass of wood and branches, among fields, prior to it being used for a bonfire. I feel that this location was perfect for my shoot as with the addition of my model in the pig mask, a Dystopian effect is created. I shot this selection of images in natural lighting, as the sun was beginning to set. This was effective as it created a form of coloured haze which worked successfully in the shot. Moreover, elements of coloured bokeh appears in some shots. |
MEDIA INFLUENCE
A pivotal source of inspiration for this shoot, along with others incorporating the pig mask, was the psychological drama 'Filth', a film directed by Jon Baird, with the novel being written originally by Irvine Welsh. I was influenced by the surreal hallucinations in which the protagonist suffers in the narrative. These include the image of a pig being visible in the mirror at numerous points of the narrative.
The nightmare style pig creates a very disturbing tone whilst having many human qualities, comparable with my own response. The evocative image of a pig is particularly successful in provoking an emotional response from audiences, which is similar to what I hoped to achieve in independent study.
The nightmare style pig creates a very disturbing tone whilst having many human qualities, comparable with my own response. The evocative image of a pig is particularly successful in provoking an emotional response from audiences, which is similar to what I hoped to achieve in independent study.
Artist Inspiration- Alex Stoddard
Alex Stoddard is a surrealist photographer from Florida whom 'creates dark and fantastical tales that capture the drama and fragility of the human experience.'
The use of animal masks in the image to the right strongly relates to my shoot due to the subject of animal masks, in a surreal setting. An unsettling tone is created due to the indirect line of address from the model as it positions the audience as an onlooker to the questionable actions of this pair. The use of colour is particularly captivating in this shot, as the predominant tones are creams and grey/white, These colours highly contrast the dark areas of the rest of the shot, positioning the pair of girls an the mysterious window
as the most important part of the scene.
The use of animal masks in the image to the right strongly relates to my shoot due to the subject of animal masks, in a surreal setting. An unsettling tone is created due to the indirect line of address from the model as it positions the audience as an onlooker to the questionable actions of this pair. The use of colour is particularly captivating in this shot, as the predominant tones are creams and grey/white, These colours highly contrast the dark areas of the rest of the shot, positioning the pair of girls an the mysterious window
as the most important part of the scene.
Down the Rabbit Hole
In this shoot I aimed to replicate the style and subject matter of Alex Stoddard's 'Animals'. I dressed my model in a rabbit mask yet ensured elements of a human identity remain present, as the a further replication of Stoddard's style. I felt keeping my model dressed in somewhat delicate although conventional clothing as it portrays the metamorphism between human and animal.
I positioned my model in a wooded, natural setting rather than in a studio setting, as it is the prevailing setting within my photographic work as it relates to the fairy tale style I aim to create. In addition, I used netting as a prop in a few of the shots to present a tone and inference of entrapment.
To edit this shoot, my main focus was to make the mask appear more realistic. Prior to editing, the mask on my model appeared very false,with areas of plastic between the ears of the rabbit mask and elastic visible holding it onto her face. I used to the stamp tool to eliminate ares of plastic between the two rabbit ears, making it appear more realistic. I then adopted soft eraser tool to neaten any edges that appeared unrealistic.
I positioned my model in a wooded, natural setting rather than in a studio setting, as it is the prevailing setting within my photographic work as it relates to the fairy tale style I aim to create. In addition, I used netting as a prop in a few of the shots to present a tone and inference of entrapment.
To edit this shoot, my main focus was to make the mask appear more realistic. Prior to editing, the mask on my model appeared very false,with areas of plastic between the ears of the rabbit mask and elastic visible holding it onto her face. I used to the stamp tool to eliminate ares of plastic between the two rabbit ears, making it appear more realistic. I then adopted soft eraser tool to neaten any edges that appeared unrealistic.
Burn.
In this short stop motion style video, I chose to infer a gradual burning of the rabbit mask as to infer the effects of animal testing. The movement of my model as the video progresses is effective as the stop motion editing makes it appear as if it jolts and a generally uncomfortable and pained atmosphere is enforced. After every shot I gradually burned another section of the mask as to portray the progressive destroyal of the rabbit character. I also reinforced this with a progressive decrease in the exposure of each shot.
Stills.
I chose to position my model in front of a floral wall paper, to increase the surreal atmosphere of the short video. I asked my model to position her head in numerous different poses, often dropping the head down. I felt this presented a subtle level of discomfort in the character. Moreover, I framed each shot with just the model's shoulder and head visible, with some close up shots. I felt this left the video in subjection of the audience's own interpretation, rather than making it clear that the video was inspired by animal testing.
MEDIA INFLUENCE
Packaged Meat
To elaborate from the previous set of images including my pig mask, I decided to isolate the mask itself rather than using it as a disguise for my model. To create an interesting set of images I felt it would be interesting to wrap the mask up in cling film. This allowed me to distort the form of the mask and create a disturbing series of images of a subject which subtly resembles skin from the face. The inclusion of cling film within the shoot not only holds the distorted form of the mask, whilst also creating an inference of packaged meat which relates appropriately to the subject matter of the pig mask.
When constructing this shoot I positioned the mask on a white background to ensure there were no distractions from the surrealist subject matter, whilst also creating a subtle clinical atmosphere. I used studio lighting to ensure the cling film was illuminated, creating interesting reflective qualities over the mask. This emphasises the inclusion of cling film around the mask. I used one studio lamp, with a red gel positioned over half of the lamp. At the beginning of the shoot I placed the gel entirely over the lamp but decided this was too bright and appeared fairly amateur. The use of the red gel when placed only over a quarter or half the lamp allowed for soft red tones to become apparent in the shoot, whilst the red tones also appear to sit on areas of the plastic. This is effective as it suggests blood which relates to the subject mater and inference of packaged meat.
When constructing this shoot I positioned the mask on a white background to ensure there were no distractions from the surrealist subject matter, whilst also creating a subtle clinical atmosphere. I used studio lighting to ensure the cling film was illuminated, creating interesting reflective qualities over the mask. This emphasises the inclusion of cling film around the mask. I used one studio lamp, with a red gel positioned over half of the lamp. At the beginning of the shoot I placed the gel entirely over the lamp but decided this was too bright and appeared fairly amateur. The use of the red gel when placed only over a quarter or half the lamp allowed for soft red tones to become apparent in the shoot, whilst the red tones also appear to sit on areas of the plastic. This is effective as it suggests blood which relates to the subject mater and inference of packaged meat.
There Will Be Blood
To construct this shoot, I chose to similarly use the prop and subject matter of the pig mask and asked my model to pose holding a pig's heart. I dressed my model in a white slip dress, inferring femininity from the style of the dress and purity with the connotations of the colour white.This costume infers a surreal contrast to the subject matter and disguise of my model, allowing an audience to question the ideology of the shoot. I used a studio lamp positioned on the left of my model and also moved it in front of the model for certain shots. To increase the quality of the shots I also used to the 'dodge' tool when processing these images on photoshop, illuminating the white areas of the shots.
I find this shoot is very successful as it infers an increasingly unsettling and disturbing atmosphere as the subject is holding a heart and poses in a manner that suggests she feels attached to the object, yet the 'blood' on my model's hands infers she has removed the heart herself. The strong contrast between the purity and femininity of the model's costume and figure and the general subject matter creates a strong inference of disguise for my model,
I find this shoot is very successful as it infers an increasingly unsettling and disturbing atmosphere as the subject is holding a heart and poses in a manner that suggests she feels attached to the object, yet the 'blood' on my model's hands infers she has removed the heart herself. The strong contrast between the purity and femininity of the model's costume and figure and the general subject matter creates a strong inference of disguise for my model,
Erl-King
The heroine, who speaks directly to the audience, tells the story of "The Erl King." The scene opens on the late October forest, which has an air impending death. The woods are desolate and unwelcoming to people, because there are no manmade tracks to follow there. According to the narrator, the woods are not a place of illusion as fairy-tales make us believe; rather, in the woods, "everything ... is exactly as it seems." We, like Red Riding Hood, get "trapped in [our] own illusion[s]" because "it is easy" for us to "lose ourselves" in the woods.
She warns, "The Erl-King will do you grievous harm." The narrator steps into a "darkening clearing" where the Erl-King sits among the forest creatures, which seem to belong to him. The Erl-King touches her with "his irrevocable hand" and shows her the ways of the forest.
The narrator realizes that the Erl-King's birds do not actually sing, but rather wail because they are trapped and lost. They "cry because they can't find their way out of the wood, have lost their flesh when they were dipped in the corrosive pools of [The Erl-King's] regard and now must live in cages."
She warns, "The Erl-King will do you grievous harm." The narrator steps into a "darkening clearing" where the Erl-King sits among the forest creatures, which seem to belong to him. The Erl-King touches her with "his irrevocable hand" and shows her the ways of the forest.
The narrator realizes that the Erl-King's birds do not actually sing, but rather wail because they are trapped and lost. They "cry because they can't find their way out of the wood, have lost their flesh when they were dipped in the corrosive pools of [The Erl-King's] regard and now must live in cages."
In this shoot, I decided to subtly present bird like features to my model, rather than entirely disguise her. To do so, I placed a feather fascinator in my model's hair, and asked her to hold it in some shots. The soft blue feathers create the inference of bird like features, suggesting a transition between humans and birds similar to that in the tale of the 'Erl-King'. I positioned my model in the woods, as with many of my shoots, to replicate the narrative of the tale whilst portraying an isolated, lost tone.
I used a 50mm lens for this shoot, which creates an aesthetically pleasing shallow depth of field. This creates soft effect, making the portraits more appealing whilst putting the model and her feathered headpiece at pivotal importance within the shots.
When processing these shots, I kept the editing to a minimum, though I firstly adjusted the highlights and shadows using the 'curves' tool on Photoshop. This increased the contrast between the auburn tones of my model's hair and the light blue feathers. I also adjusted the colour balance in some shots, increasing the blue tones of the shot. This replicates the blue tones of the feathers whilst creating a darker tone throughout.
I used a 50mm lens for this shoot, which creates an aesthetically pleasing shallow depth of field. This creates soft effect, making the portraits more appealing whilst putting the model and her feathered headpiece at pivotal importance within the shots.
When processing these shots, I kept the editing to a minimum, though I firstly adjusted the highlights and shadows using the 'curves' tool on Photoshop. This increased the contrast between the auburn tones of my model's hair and the light blue feathers. I also adjusted the colour balance in some shots, increasing the blue tones of the shot. This replicates the blue tones of the feathers whilst creating a darker tone throughout.
Metamorphosis
To distinctively disguise my model, I chose to experiment further with the prop of a mask within my shoot. Upon sourcing a mask I researched Venetian masks.
'Venetian masks were predominantly used to protect their wearer's identity during promiscuous or decadent activities and eventually, Venetian masks re-emerged as the emblem of Carnevale (Venetian Carnival), a pageant and street fair celebrating hedonism.' I feel the predominant use of this style of mask reinforces the theme of disguise I am trying to infer, whilst evoking connotations of a mischievous nature presenting the subject to be hiding her actions.
'Venetian masks were predominantly used to protect their wearer's identity during promiscuous or decadent activities and eventually, Venetian masks re-emerged as the emblem of Carnevale (Venetian Carnival), a pageant and street fair celebrating hedonism.' I feel the predominant use of this style of mask reinforces the theme of disguise I am trying to infer, whilst evoking connotations of a mischievous nature presenting the subject to be hiding her actions.
Vendetta.In progression from the previous shoot I decided to take more images with the same subject matter of the venetian mask but in a new setting and more of an inference of narrative. I shot the image to the right in front of a building with old architecture as I felt it somewhat mimicked the costume of my subject . I wrapped my model in a black shall as it similarly relates to the context of the disguise of my model whilst also presenting an unsettling tone. The black and white processing is effective as it emphasises the contrast between the white mask and the dark shawl, whilst creating a sombre tone to the images. I feel this processing is more effective as it reinforces the enigmatic nature of the shot, with my model's features disguised. |
WINGS
I was inspired to create this shoot as a progression with the theme of metamorphosis between human and bird, provoked by the tale of the Erl-King. The style of this shoot was inspired by contemporary surrealist photographers such as my consistent influence Alex Stoddard, as well as Kyle Thompson (seen below).
I chose to use the prop of feathered wings infer the transition between man and bird whilst reinforce the fairy tale tone . I ensured they appeared large and fantastically realist rather than amateur. I chose to photograph this series at a lake. I felt this was appropriate as it gives the series an ethereal tone, especially with the wooded areas of the wood. The images of my model beside the water of the lake are also successful due the subject matter, especially the shot with a swan within the mise en scene.
I chose to use the prop of feathered wings infer the transition between man and bird whilst reinforce the fairy tale tone . I ensured they appeared large and fantastically realist rather than amateur. I chose to photograph this series at a lake. I felt this was appropriate as it gives the series an ethereal tone, especially with the wooded areas of the wood. The images of my model beside the water of the lake are also successful due the subject matter, especially the shot with a swan within the mise en scene.
"We’re mired in gravity, we’re earthbound. We’re ankle-deep in blood, and all because we ate the birds, we ate them a long time ago, when we still had the power to say no.”
Manipulated Texture (Feathers)
Although I felt my 'Wings' photo shoot was very successful, I felt the texture and formation of the white feathers were disproportionate in size within the shoot, as they appeared very uniform and unrealistic. I decided to edit two of the most successful shots, changing the appearance of the feathers that are part of the wings. To do so, I used the magic wand tool to individually select the feathers and manipulate their size and position. This was an effective adaptation of my work as it makes the wings look much more realistic and fitting with the inferred transformation between man and bird.
Experiments.
To expand on my subject matter of a metamorphosis between man and bird, I chose to experiment with covering parts of my model's body with feathers in attempts to create a more realistic approach. This appeared more realistic than bare skin, though the texture seems messy, for it to be successful I should smooth large feathers onto my model's skin.
Kyle Thompson
His work encapsulates the ephemeral narrative, a nonexistent story line that only lives for a split moment.
Surrealist photographer Kyle Thompson, from Chicago, has acted as a consistent influence on my own studies. His unique approach to photography, predominantly self portraits, all present a form of narrative in an abstract style. The image above, named 'Fragile Wings', was heavily inspirational for my work with the prop of wings, though the photographer has creatively created the inference of wings through material rather than using a pre-made set of wings as I did. Rather than simply acting as inspiration for subject matter, Thompson's work has a prevalent unique style which I find inspirational for my own work.
Surrealist photographer Kyle Thompson, from Chicago, has acted as a consistent influence on my own studies. His unique approach to photography, predominantly self portraits, all present a form of narrative in an abstract style. The image above, named 'Fragile Wings', was heavily inspirational for my work with the prop of wings, though the photographer has creatively created the inference of wings through material rather than using a pre-made set of wings as I did. Rather than simply acting as inspiration for subject matter, Thompson's work has a prevalent unique style which I find inspirational for my own work.