Portraiture Project:
brief:
- 3 sets of recordings showing a refinement of your idea and sense of progression. Print out and mount a selection of 6-8 edited photos from each set in your Photo Diary and annotate with your ideas about how to develop it further in the next set.
- Researched images and information about four photographers that are relevant to your ideas (i.e. a double-page spread with a side of images and a side of researched information)
- A 'Time Out' style review of the 'Taylor Wessing Portrait Award' at the National Portrait Gallery that describes the reasons behind the exhibition, the common themes that emerge and any photographers that particularly interest you and why? Finally, would you recommend this and what star rating would you give it?
Initial ideas:
- The Human Body
I wanted to keep it simple and focus on one specific subject and then do a few responses from some photographers whose work I take an interest in.
I find the human body very interesting and beautiful to look at, I especially like photo's of the human body where the specific part of the body is unclear. I think it's effective when you produce a photo where an audience has to double take whilst looking at it, and that's the effect I want to achieve.
The human body can be photographed in many different ways to make it's appearance unclear, that's why I have chosen the human body as my starting point.
- The Human Body
I wanted to keep it simple and focus on one specific subject and then do a few responses from some photographers whose work I take an interest in.
I find the human body very interesting and beautiful to look at, I especially like photo's of the human body where the specific part of the body is unclear. I think it's effective when you produce a photo where an audience has to double take whilst looking at it, and that's the effect I want to achieve.
The human body can be photographed in many different ways to make it's appearance unclear, that's why I have chosen the human body as my starting point.
Photographers:
Manuel Alvarez Bravo
Genevieve Cadieux
Tracey Emin
Sam Taylor Wood
Micheal Schmidt
Edward Weston*
Man Ray *
Imogen Cunningham
John Wood & Paul Harrison
Francesca Woodman*
Rosie Hardy*
Lorna Simpson
Genevieve Cadieux
Tracey Emin
Sam Taylor Wood
Micheal Schmidt
Edward Weston*
Man Ray *
Imogen Cunningham
John Wood & Paul Harrison
Francesca Woodman*
Rosie Hardy*
Lorna Simpson
Background research - Edward Weston:
Edward Weston:
Edward Henry Weston was born March 24, 1886, in Highland Park, Illinois.
Sometime in 1920 he began photographing nude models for the first time. His first models were his wife Flora and their children, but soon thereafter he took at least three nude studies of Mather. He followed these with several more photographs of nude models.
In February he started a new series of nudes, this time of dancer Bertha Wardell. One of this series, of her kneeling body cut off at the shoulders, is one of Weston's most well-known figure studies
One of the first who agreed to model nude for Weston was Modotti. She became his primary model for the next several years.
Below is a nude photograph of her taken by Weston.
I like the angle in which Weston has got Modotti to pose in, her body is very defined which makes for an interesting and unusual nude photo.
Edward Henry Weston was born March 24, 1886, in Highland Park, Illinois.
Sometime in 1920 he began photographing nude models for the first time. His first models were his wife Flora and their children, but soon thereafter he took at least three nude studies of Mather. He followed these with several more photographs of nude models.
In February he started a new series of nudes, this time of dancer Bertha Wardell. One of this series, of her kneeling body cut off at the shoulders, is one of Weston's most well-known figure studies
One of the first who agreed to model nude for Weston was Modotti. She became his primary model for the next several years.
Below is a nude photograph of her taken by Weston.
I like the angle in which Weston has got Modotti to pose in, her body is very defined which makes for an interesting and unusual nude photo.
I really like these three black and white photographs of the human body by Edward Weston.
Although it is clear that all three photo's are of naked female model body parts, I think the angles at which Weston have taken the photo's are unusual. There's a strong sense of shadowing in the first and last photo's which adds contrast to the images, the background of each photo is very plain and simple which makes the body stand out and become the main focus of the photo.
Weston has got his model's to curve their body creating interesting and unusual angles, the bodies are extremely defined and each curve is very prominent.
Although it is clear that all three photo's are of naked female model body parts, I think the angles at which Weston have taken the photo's are unusual. There's a strong sense of shadowing in the first and last photo's which adds contrast to the images, the background of each photo is very plain and simple which makes the body stand out and become the main focus of the photo.
Weston has got his model's to curve their body creating interesting and unusual angles, the bodies are extremely defined and each curve is very prominent.
Background research - Man Ray:
"I paint what can not be photographed. I photograph what I do not wish to paint."
Man Ray born on August 27 in America, Philadelphia in 1890. He died in 1976.
He was an American, but worked in Paris from 1921 to 1940. His assistants included Berenice Abbott and Lee Miller, and Duchamp, Stieglitz, Picasso and Dali were among his colleagues. A member of the Dada art movement and the only American member of the Paris Surrealist movement, Man Ray considered himself an artist and thought of photography as a medium of artistic expression when used for more than reproduction.Man Ray was inspired by his obsession with women and also began to explore female eroticism, evident in many of his photographs. He tried to create a Surrealist vision of the female form, and utilized solarization, cropping, over development (various photographic techniques) to create a surreal effect in his photographs.
Man Ray born on August 27 in America, Philadelphia in 1890. He died in 1976.
He was an American, but worked in Paris from 1921 to 1940. His assistants included Berenice Abbott and Lee Miller, and Duchamp, Stieglitz, Picasso and Dali were among his colleagues. A member of the Dada art movement and the only American member of the Paris Surrealist movement, Man Ray considered himself an artist and thought of photography as a medium of artistic expression when used for more than reproduction.Man Ray was inspired by his obsession with women and also began to explore female eroticism, evident in many of his photographs. He tried to create a Surrealist vision of the female form, and utilized solarization, cropping, over development (various photographic techniques) to create a surreal effect in his photographs.
Response to Man Ray:
Aims: I aimed to create a set of photo's of the human body in a response to Man Ray.
I mirrored some of the poses he got his models to do.
I mirrored some of the poses he got his models to do.
Process: I took a set of photo's mirroring some of the poses Man Ray got his models to do for him. The set was taken indoors using natural lighting from a bright window. I edited the photo's on photoshop to achieve a similar colouring to Man Ray's photographs. I changed the saturation and added tints to each photo for a desired effect.
Further Development: If I was to further develop this set I would try out more poses instead of just mirroring Man Ray's.
Critique: I personally think Man Ray's photographs of the human body aren't as unclear and mysterious as I would like my final outcome to be, each of the above photo's are easily identified as a specific body part.
My favourite photograph is the second upside down photo, I like the way in which I've edited the face and shoulders to almost look detached from the rest of the photo.
Further Development: If I was to further develop this set I would try out more poses instead of just mirroring Man Ray's.
Critique: I personally think Man Ray's photographs of the human body aren't as unclear and mysterious as I would like my final outcome to be, each of the above photo's are easily identified as a specific body part.
My favourite photograph is the second upside down photo, I like the way in which I've edited the face and shoulders to almost look detached from the rest of the photo.
Background research - Francesca Woodman:
Francesca Woodman (April 3, 1958 - January 19, 1981) was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring herself and female models.
"Woodman was photographer and model, subject and object, at the same time. She utilized the female body to develop her own self-knowledge and not some representative but generic model of the world. The images of the body that this young American was experimenting with suggest a diffuse intimacy while tending to dissuade a voyeuristic approach."
Woodman began taking photographs as a young teenager. She produced some 800 pictures before committing suicide at age 22. Woodman's work shows a range of influences from classical sculpture to surrealism to photographers like Aaron Siskind and his abstract surfaces. Her primary subject matter was the body and she employed a 10 x8 inch format, carefully framing her subjects alongside props.
Public opinion has generally been favorable towards Woodman's work. At the 1998 exhibition in Paris, many people had "strong reactions" to her "interesting" photographs. A number of people have found Woodman's individual photos inspirational.
Woodman took a wide selection of photo's of the human body, often of nude women, through my research of Woodman's work the four photo's above are the ones that particularly stood out to me. Three photo's are linked by their focus on female legs, the rest of the body isn't visible in any of the above photo's, I like the fact that the legs are the focus of the photo instead of something more obvious and common such as the face.
I especially like the way in which movement is portrayed in the first photo while the legs remain still and in focus. There's something bizarre about the photo's, I think Woodman's use of different angles for each photo is very effective.
None of her photo's (above) look the same even though they're all of female legs. I think it's very important to recognise that Woodman's work doesn't seem repetitive, she uses different settings, angle's, lighting and textures to ensure her photo's are very unique.
I would like to do a response to Woodman, also focusing on female legs; I have chosen to do a response to these particular photo's because I wanted to be very specific rather than trying to do a much wider response to Woodman's photography which include, mostly, nude portraits.
I especially like the way in which movement is portrayed in the first photo while the legs remain still and in focus. There's something bizarre about the photo's, I think Woodman's use of different angles for each photo is very effective.
None of her photo's (above) look the same even though they're all of female legs. I think it's very important to recognise that Woodman's work doesn't seem repetitive, she uses different settings, angle's, lighting and textures to ensure her photo's are very unique.
I would like to do a response to Woodman, also focusing on female legs; I have chosen to do a response to these particular photo's because I wanted to be very specific rather than trying to do a much wider response to Woodman's photography which include, mostly, nude portraits.
Francesca Woodman's work: |
My response: |
Form: Above is an untitled black and white image by Francesca Woodman, like many of her other photographs there is little description about this one.
In much of Woodman's work she often captures movement to create a blurry, and what some would call ghostly, effect. The photo is only of an arm and half of a head, there is more empty space in the photo than an actual subject which has an interesting and unusual effect on the image.
Process: This photo is taken in very bright conditions, it's very over exposed. Due to the over exposure the skin colour of the model appears to be almost as white as the wall. Woodman captures movement, making the image look ghostly; the whiteness of the model compliments this idea of a ghostly image being created.
Content: The photo particularly caught my attention because of it's simplicity. I like the fact that the part of the body that is visible is quite simply a hand and half a head of hair. The fact that there is more empty space than an actual subject in the photo creates a simplistic effect. There's not a lot going on in the photo however Woodman still manages to capture something very unusual and effective. The contrast between the stained part of the wall and whiter part of the wall really stands out due to the fact there's not much else going on in the photo.
In much of Woodman's work she often captures movement to create a blurry, and what some would call ghostly, effect. The photo is only of an arm and half of a head, there is more empty space in the photo than an actual subject which has an interesting and unusual effect on the image.
Process: This photo is taken in very bright conditions, it's very over exposed. Due to the over exposure the skin colour of the model appears to be almost as white as the wall. Woodman captures movement, making the image look ghostly; the whiteness of the model compliments this idea of a ghostly image being created.
Content: The photo particularly caught my attention because of it's simplicity. I like the fact that the part of the body that is visible is quite simply a hand and half a head of hair. The fact that there is more empty space than an actual subject in the photo creates a simplistic effect. There's not a lot going on in the photo however Woodman still manages to capture something very unusual and effective. The contrast between the stained part of the wall and whiter part of the wall really stands out due to the fact there's not much else going on in the photo.
Response to Francesca Woodman:
Aim: My aim was to take a set of photo's in response to Francasca Woodman's photo's of women's legs.
Process: I took a set of photo's using Francesca Woodman's theme of focusing on female legs.
All the above photo's were taken inside during the day near large open windows to ensure I achieved the bright over exposed effect Woodman goes for in some of her work. I've attempted to create a set of photo's with a high contrast as that's what I notice when looking at Woodman's photo's. I've tried to make the legs the subject of my photo by editing the images on photoshop and blurring the background slightly whilst keeping the legs in focus, in attempt to create the effect that they stand out in contrast with the rest of the photo.
Critique: I think rather than mirroring Woodman's work I've more come up with my own interpretation, none of my photo's look too similar to her work. It becomes a bit repetitive taking photo's of legs and sometimes it proved to be a little difficult creating variation.
Further Development: If I was to further develop my Woodman response I would take some photo's that mirror those of Woodman's to try and achieve an effect more similar to hers. Additionally I would take some photo's outside to create variation in the setting.
All the above photo's were taken inside during the day near large open windows to ensure I achieved the bright over exposed effect Woodman goes for in some of her work. I've attempted to create a set of photo's with a high contrast as that's what I notice when looking at Woodman's photo's. I've tried to make the legs the subject of my photo by editing the images on photoshop and blurring the background slightly whilst keeping the legs in focus, in attempt to create the effect that they stand out in contrast with the rest of the photo.
Critique: I think rather than mirroring Woodman's work I've more come up with my own interpretation, none of my photo's look too similar to her work. It becomes a bit repetitive taking photo's of legs and sometimes it proved to be a little difficult creating variation.
Further Development: If I was to further develop my Woodman response I would take some photo's that mirror those of Woodman's to try and achieve an effect more similar to hers. Additionally I would take some photo's outside to create variation in the setting.
Background research - Rosie Hardy:
Rosie Hardy is a worldwide 21st century photographer based in Manchester. She is originally from Derbyshire, UK, where she took her first artistic photography at the age of 16. Many, but not all, of her images are self-portraits. Often accused of plagiarism, she is persistent in her pursuit for the 'perfect photography'.
Hardy is probably most famous for photographing the Maroon 5 'Hands all over' album cover, which is a self-portrait of herself. (right) At the age of 17 Hardy set up her own small photography business. Hardy first started publishing her work online on 'flikr' she has built a massive fan base online. |
Although these photo's don't focus on specific body parts like the photo's I researched by Man Ray, Woodman and Weston, I find Rosie Hardy's work very inspirational and wanted to do a response to these three photo's as I really like her ideas and think she has a very unique style of photography.
Response to Rosie Hardy:
Aims: I have aimed to take a set of photo's in response to some of Rosie Hardy's work. I find her very inspirational as she's so successful at such a young age.
Process: I took a set of photos outside in natural light, in response to Hardy's photograph. I have used magazine cut-outs of various facial features to create slightly surreal and unusual close-ups of the human face. I have edited each photo using photoshop turning down the saturation on the face and turning the saturation up on the magazine cut-out in order to create a pop-out effect.
Critique: Although I really like the above set, I see a flaw in some of the images where shadowing is very visible due to the bright sunlight. The shadows draw your attention away from the illusion of the image as a whole.
Further Development: If I was to further develop this set I would ensure I use the correct lighting in order to prevent obtrusive shadowing, I would also use different models to add more variety to the photos.
Critique: Although I really like the above set, I see a flaw in some of the images where shadowing is very visible due to the bright sunlight. The shadows draw your attention away from the illusion of the image as a whole.
Further Development: If I was to further develop this set I would ensure I use the correct lighting in order to prevent obtrusive shadowing, I would also use different models to add more variety to the photos.