Object Presentation

7/30/2019 Object Presentation

1/17

Body

Task 1, looking at the physiognomy of portraiture and using the photo as a form of identification. Theimage to the left shows composite photographs portraying Francis Galtons method of categorizing

physical features to determine various qualities of individuals. On the right August Sander adapted asimilar style as he photographed men of various professions in their work place. However in this task we

have been asked to photograph against a neutral background photographing in a mug shot style.


2/17

Julie Moos, creator of the left image, explores the effect of photographing two people next to each otherand how comparison is drawn between the similarities and differences between the two. This image is

from the series named Friends and Enemies, Moos tends to use her titles for each series of work toadd to the connections made by the viewer between her two

subjects. The work on the right by Thomas Ruff, anotherphotographer who explores typological portraiture.

Ruffs collection of portraits all follow a similar passportphoto style, creating a neutral portrait. Although the form

and expression of the images are producing a portrait with attempt at a true portrait, concentrating onanatomical identity, his choice of colour balance and film creates a biased representation. As the film

choice and colour balance to intensifies the blue of each individuals eyes, as that is his constant featurebetween each character, which then transforms the portrait from each individual to the individual withblue eyes.


3/17

Looking at images similar to the style that thebrief asks of us made me focus on how I was

going to represent the sitter. When I metPatrick in Rochester I chose to try and

represent him as best as I understood hischaracter from the short time of interactingwith him. In these images I tried best not to

direct him as I wanted to see how he chose topresent himself. He had a kid nature however

I wanted to represent this without showing hissmile. As he had a large frame I did not wantthe image to look intimidating so angled the

camera slightly down and I felt the inclusionof what was in his pockets important as the

man seemed very prepared. As he had awalking stick I had him sit down which meantthat the profile photograph on him was now a

true profile, his head was simply turned. Theimages circled in red are my chosen images,

although I was quite pleased with my imagesthe photos with his relaxed face could easilybe misinterpreted due to his age and the

facial expression.


4/17

The image on the left is my favourite out of the two images, although the image has a low tonal range the gaze and facial expression in the

image seems very real and vulnerable. I chose to crop the image close when printing in order to have a totally neutral background to fit thebrief. When shooting this image I angled the camera slightly down in order to avoid the sitters wide frame to appear intimidating as that

would not be representative of his character. His gaze is direct, giving the viewer confrontational connection with the individual, I chose this to

show strength of character. I like how the lighting shows his transition lenses, representing practicality, however this lighting does mean thatthe tonal range is limited. To improve this image I would re-shoot against a black background in order to add contrast to bring out the detail of

his hair, I would also shoot in better light, perhaps on a cloudy day, as this image was taken in the shade on a sunny day. As the sitter had awalking stick I wished not to put him through discomfort so the location I found to photograph him had a ledge where he could sit, this meant

that for the profile shot I had him turn his head instead of turning to stand sideways. Although this is not exactly as the brief states I feel that itwas suitable in his case to be courteous, also looking to the side has given the implication that he is looking back on something. This image

has the same issue as the straight on portrait as the lighting does not bring out an interesting range of tones within the texture of the skin, toimprove this I would shoot in a different light, using the black background, and I would also ask the model to stand sideways to take a true

profile image of the head.


5/17

Environmental Portrait


6/17

Above are my test images for the environmental portraits, in these shots I learnt that shooting indoor without a filtersuitable for the light conditions or the correct type of film suitable for the light conditions leaves the colour balance at an

undesirable level. Although in these images I like how the environment reflects certain aspects of the characterphotographed. Using a small aperture is key to having a sharp depth of field showing the detail of the location. The woman

was browsing in Oxfam and I found out that she is interested in 40s and 50s vintage clothing and is part of a group whichexplores couture of different periods.


7/17

I chose to shoot two fashionstudents in their bedrooms as I

wanted to explore how bedroomsrepresent a side of a person which

is not often seen by the public eye.I shot these images using a flashgun to represent exposure of a

more intimate self, the physicalobjects we chose to surround

ourselves within a day to day basis.In these images I asked the sittersto represent themselves however

they wanted, however the momentwhere I took the photo was not pre-

warned so the position was un-armed.


8/17

I chose to produce two final images for task two in order to produce a typological study of both male and female fashionstudents. As in these images I was interested in the interaction between photographer and sitter I find the right image very

powerful as the individual was going through an emotional time and I feel it is captured in its raw form in this image. I chose to

position him on the bed, with the window frame framing his head. This using of framing was to represent how the face isalways deconstructed and judged as it often shows otherwise hidden emotion and character. In the foreground I chose to

include the takeaway I had ordered to show the connection between myself and the sitter as I found it interesting howcomfortable he as to be photographed in his upset state. To reinforce this exploration of connection between sitter and

photographer I also included in the frame the sitters reflective lamp which shows the flash within its surface. The image onthe left is interesting as the sitters gaze was focused on me. Capturing this expression, effected by my presence, explores the

balance between who has the power over representation in a portrait. The psychedelic mannequin in the background givingclues to not only interests but possible character traits. Instead of bouncing the flash off the ceiling, as I had in the right image,

I chose to bounce it off the wall, thus giving a softer effect as I found photographing this individual to be a less full-onexperience as I was less aware and cautious of the sitters mood and the way that could be represented or interpreted. For

Both images I wanted the colours to feel very clean, almost sterile, to create a more clinical portrait to represent each model inan environment, although very different and personal, which was similar to look at.


9/17

StudioP

o

rtrait


10/17


11/17

I chose to print 4 final images to help support my concept, both of my models are fashion students and I was interested in how they would interact with mein front of the camera as their line of study is one which will lead to a job which will require having character and holding a personal image. I chose to light

from above pointing downwards to create a harsh shadow under the jaw line to separate their faces from their body as the face is a key element ofcharacter. I chose to have the models with their shoulders bare in order to represent the vulnerability which lies underneath even the strongest of people

and how the face can often be a barrier to understanding that level of an individual. I chose to direct the models to have neutral expression however in oneimage have their eyes open and the other eyes closed to explore how the model would respond to having their eyes shut.

Overall I am pleased with the final outcomes, each print presents good tonal range and detail. Slight details would be perfected if I were to re-shoot this

work as in the female portraits the shadow under the nose is too close to joining with the top of the lip, also as a series I would like the presence of shoulderin each frame to be even so when displayed side by side there was a stronger continuous form. The expression in each image is where I feel strongest as

the intensity of the gaze and also the powerful vulnerability of the closed eyes creates a range of emotions throughout each image. It is interesting how thelighting has caused shadows in the female portraits that create a smile, producing a very ambiguous expression as the models mouth was completely

relaxed at the time. I chose to shoot in black and white as I felt using colour was too distracting from the beauty of the expression, this is also a referencinghow the term black-and-white is often used to represent the idea of something which is unambiguous and uncompromising. I used a long lens in order to

create physical distance between myself and the sitter to allow a less intense experience in order to observe how they reacted to my instructions and howthey represented themselves. Using a completely black background meant that the effect of the face being almost separated from the body by the shadow

even stronger. If I were to re-shoot I would also continue this series using other fashion students.


12/17

Ob

ject


13/17

I have decided to comment on how ourstructured way of living may force us down a

manufactured idea of life and how to live,allowing little freedom for human expansion in

areas other than industry. Looking at Robert FHammersteils work exploring a similar thememade me interested in representing this idea

through miniatures. Hiroshi Sugimoto is anotherphotographer who deals with architectural still

life pieces.


14/17

The Metropolis

Metropolis is a german expressionist film which wasreleased in 1927 and written by Fritz Lang and his

wife Thea Gabriele van Harbou. The film is set in2026 in an urban futuristic dystopia with utopian

ideals reflected within the 'Eternal Gardens' wherewealthy capitalists rule from vast towers, oppressing

the workers that power the city from below. I saw ascreening of the metropolis which was screened

with the restored footage of the film and alsoaccompanied by the industrial/classical hybrid

soundtrack played live by the Serum ElectroniqueOrchestra. Seeing a screening with a different

soundtrack, as well as extended footage, was aninteresting experience as it almost completely

changed the atmosphere of the film as the musiccreated an unsettling industrial atmosphere which

lead the viewer to feel on edge throughout the plot

which really accentuated the screenplay.

The Truman Show

Released in 1998 The Truman show features thestory of Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman,

whom discovers his entire life is actually a t.v. show.The image I have included above is a still from the

moment where Truman finds the edge of his life'srestricted environment. I chose to look at this film as

it reflects similar ideas of control and structure whichrestrict potential expansion.The Stepford Wives

The Stepford Wives is a film which was aired in 1975, and remade in 2004, based on the

satirical thriller written by Ira Levin. The plot features a woman being introduced into an "idyllic"fantasy town named Stepford in Connecticut where the wives of the town all seem surprisingly

docile and 'perfect' however she soon discovers that these wives are actually robots. This storyreflects the idea of dystopia and also uncovers how ideals can be far from what is truly wanted

out of life.Film

References


15/17

Peter Callesen far leftPeter Callesen is a Danish artist, born in 1967, who

mainly focuses on work with paper, most commonlyA4, and uses a combination of paper cutting and

sculpting to create his work. Choosing to use A4 as hismain medium creates an instant connection with the

viewer as A4 is something predominant in our liveswhich carries information and is something that we use

everyday without an intimate connection towards. Thisuse of medium to create his art gives the viewer a

more intimate connection towards something which iscommonly a key part of everyday life combined with

the neutral nature of the medium allowing it to be filledwith meaning. "The thin white paper gives the paper

sculptures a frailty that underlines the tragic andromantic theme of my works." This frailty is something I

would like to communicate within my work.

Simon Schubert aboveSimon Schubert, a German artist, also explores using paper as a medium

however instead of making paper cuts and sculptures he uses folds to imprinthis ghostly architectonical artworks. Most of his paper works includes an area

which suggests human presence, perhaps leaving or entering a room, thisgives his works a strong psychological atmosphere. As there is no light

portrayed the pieces hold a time-suspended reality, a sense stillness which issimilar to the photograph. This piece has interested me in the idea of neutral

light however I feel that using neutral light on a full paper set will require greatdetail in the set.

HagenS(eraboveAs an architect Hagen Stier creates miniatures of

his architectural designs and photographs them asthe final image unlike how most architectural

models are created in order to show a scaled-down sample of how the final creation will look.

The model above shows the effect of a wholescene in white which is how my creation may be,

looking at this image has helped me know how apaper structure reacts with light.


16/17


17/17

I feel this image strongly communicates my social issue using

art language. The positioning of the lighting creates a fence-likeshadow which represents the restriction of expansion due to thismanufactured nature of life. Using a blue background was to

represent the sky as it is one main factor that we have littleknowledge and control over. This image was shot at an aperture

of F/22 in order to maximise detail yet still have a shallowenough depth of field to allow the focus to soften as the street

ends. I chose to use paper as my material to build my model asit represents industry and education, two major factors in this

structure to how we live. Apart from the little adjustments thisprint has come out quite successfully, the blue of the sky has a

disconcerting artificial tone to it which adds to the whole

atmosphere of the piece. The paper has a less clinical qualitythan Id originally wanted however the softness created by thisadds an interesting effect to the mood of the image. The

simplicity of the houses is quite effective as it avoids the imagebeing read as architectural. If I were to re-shoot this image I

would re-create the houses to be of a more idyllic style, as I wish

to represent how the common ideal way to live may not be andideal as we think as lifestyle is heavily influenced by our

industry. In this image having a strong sense of perspective wasimportant to lead the eye down the road in the centre of the

street, replicating this forced path. I feel the angle couldvebeen improved in order to have a stronger perspective,

especially considering that one side of the road does not standout.

Documents

Object Presentation