Image and exhibition review

The Level 3 Photography group participated in this Portrait Studio Exhibition at the Uclan PR1 Gallery in the Victoria building. Their photographs were framed in black frames with 18x20inch prints. Big prints are effective because it allows the viewers to look at details in the photographs closely, and also shows more detail, whereas if the prints were to be smaller there wouldn't be as much visible detail. These students have put in a lot of thought whilst curating this work, they have made sure that whilst hanging their framed work none of them clash and that they all look good together, stand out from each other and not just put their work next to their friends. They have put prints next to one an other where the colours won't clash together, for example the image I have shown of 3 students work hung in their exhibition spaces, they are all different colours and do not clash. They also work well together because they are all different themes, which makes each image stand out individually from each other. Aimee Greenwood's print has many strengths and also some areas of development. Some strengths being the effect and mood this print gives off to the viewers, which is a very happy mood, in which the pastel colours and brightness of the image contributes towards this, as well as the fact that she is smiling, it makes the viewers smile too. Another strength within her print is that she has stuck to one theme and I can tell she has put some thought into this, as there is a particular flower theme going on. In this print I like the positioning of the model, as well as how she isn't looking at the camera, it helps to make this print stand out and these are also areas of strengths. The model smiling whilst looking away portrays a factor of what her personality could be, and this print portrays she is a happy person but is also shy, due to the fact of her looking down whilst smiling, which I think is a good strength and factor to help towards the succession of her print. Some improvements to be made in Aimee's work in my opinion would be to take off the jewelry on her wrist as it doesn't fit in with the rest of her print. I also think that she could improve on this by capturing more of the models face, although this is also a strength as it gives it a sort of hidden meaning as to why she is hiding her face, I also think photographing from a different angle could be helpful to be more successful in the future. Sophie Szmit's print also has many strengths and also areas for development. There are many interesting factors within her print, such as the positioning and the body language of this model, this as well as the dark colour theme of the print gives off the effect that this person in the print is very mysterious at this point of time, and this just all together makes the image look mysterious, which is what I like about this image. I think that this print is simple but has a very interesting side to it which is one of many reasons why I like this print. Although as always I think that there could be room for improvement for this which would be to maybe shoot from a more interesting angle. Within this exhibition I also enjoyed Aimee Postle's work, which shows areas of strengths throughout. One thing I particularly like about this print is the painting of the models hand but also the contrast of the colours between that and the background, they are the same colour but not to the point where it blends in, which helps the two colours to contrast well. I also find it interesting that this person in the print is covering half of her face with the painted hand, it makes me want to know what the message was behind this in the process of it being taken. There could also be areas for improvement, such as the lighting, as parts of the background look brighter than others. Overall I think that this exhibition has been successful, the students have produced very high standard quality of work and has been very interesting to see and look at hung up together in the exhibition, the was it all has been layed out and the thought has gone into the curation of the whole exhibition. They have used the space well and wisely. All of these factors together have helped towards creating very good individual exhibition pieces and the exhibition as a whole.

Shoot 2

Going back into the Uclan studio I start my second and final shoot, I had made sure I had come prepared to ensure I got the outcome I wanted. This time I changed the outfit choice in the attempt to add in flowers, which I did by changing the outfit, which in the second shoot consisted of a flower clip in her hair and also a flower top and kimono, with shorts. The color of the kimono also fits in well because it contrasts well with the colour of the backdrop, it doesn't blend in and look boring, it stands out very well. I also think that the colour of her hair contrasts well with the colour of the flower clip, it helps the flower to stand out very well. I have continued to use plenty of light to get a bright, high key image, this time I used a soft box to light up the background, a beauty dish to contribute to the complex of the models face and structure and a snoot to contribute to the brightness of the image and make it as high key as possible without making it to over exposed, again using the correct camera settings with the help of a light meter to ensure I had as much time as possible shooting with the model. This time I started off by having the mode standing up and shot close up as well as full length, which both give of different effects. I then decided to add in the stool again for the model to sit on, as I feel that it will help give a better effect to my outcomes and also helps to make it look more natural.
The full length images show off more of her body language and how she is stood, whereas the close ups focus less on her body language but shows the theme slightly more as it focuses on the flowers on her clothing and in her hair, and it also shows her facial features a lot more. An improvement to be made on this would be to have more light facing towards the floor towards her feet and the stool to prevent shadow. Another improvement to be made is to make sure of the framing of the image, so that the edge of the backdrop isn't visible within the images. I think that the images where she is looking away from the camera are particularly interesting, as in some of them it looks as if she is looking at something off camera, which can make viewers wonder what she is looking at. I think that the style of my images is very feminine, which is shown with the colours, of the background as well as the clothing, which includes nice purple and pink pastel colours, as well as the pattern of flowers. My idea was to create a set of happy bright images and I feel with these outcomes this has been successful, they give off a very happy mood with the brightness and the theme of them. With this being the second time shooting with this model I found the process of directing her much easier and enjoyable. Within my images for this shoot there are some that I like more than others, but overall I am happy with the outcome of my idea and shoot and have turned out how i wanted and planned. I am happy to move this shoot on by selecting and editing one image from this shoot as my final image to be hung in the exhibition, I will choose carefully, one that will stand out but also show the message I want to show and give off a good feeling to the people looking at it.

When researching I researched into summer lines on clothing websites and found this image, which has inspired and helped me to figure out how to compose my images. In this she is wearing slightly similar clothes to what i wanted my model to wear in my shoot and has the same summer and flower pattern theme. I think this has helped me to research into this, to help me get a better idea how I want my images to look and how to compose them etc, and what type of mood I want to show within my photographs. It also helps me to take my work further and experiment a lot more.

These are the two images I took from the shoot to decide from for my final exhibition image, which I edited on Photoshop, resizing them to make sure that they would fit into the frame correctly, and also adding effects to touch up the image and also brighten it slightly. These two images give off different effects. The first is close up which pays more attention to the detail of the flower pattern and her facial expression. I also chose this because of her facial expression, the way she is looking down and also smiling, which is helpful as I want it to give off a happy feeling, which I think that this image does in many ways such as being bright image with nice pastel colours, a summer theme with a flower pattern which this image shows all of this very clearly. Whereas the second image shows more of her body language as well as portraying the theme well. I like that she is sat on the stool, it makes it interesting and stand out. The way that she is sat also helps to create a successful image, as well as her body language. In this one she looks very serious but all the other aspects of the image help to create a happy image. Overall I think that these two images are very successful and would look great hung up in an exhibition, but I have chosen to use the first one, as it completes the whole idea I was aiming for and would stand out more within the exhibition. After choosing and editing my final image, I will move on to framing it and hanging it in the exhibition space, placing it in the most suitable space.

Shoot 1

For my first shoot, I photographed the model sat on a stool, against a purple backdrop, wearing shorts, converse, a thin jumper with the sleeves rolled up with sunglasses on. Which all contributed to create a very bright and happy summer look. The lighting is also an aspect that helps to contribute towards the bright and happy look, which I created by using plenty of lighting throughout my shoot, such as soft boxes, beauty dish and a snoot. I sat the model on a stool because I felt that it would create a more natural look and would also help to make my photograph stand out, also her wearing no make up also helps to create the more natural look. I asked her to wear the clothes I had chosen because this also helps to contribute to the summer look, and I also asked her to roll up the sleeves on the jumper because it looked better and more summery than with them normal, and I think that this would also make people question why, was it too hot? Or was it part of the outfit? My aim for this shoot was to give off a happy and cheerful vibe, to make the viewers feel happy and hopeful, with a bright summer theme, and I think I created this successfully by using the bright lighting and a colorful backdrop. Throughout the shoot I shot from a couple of different angles and got the model to change to different positions, from sitting forward to facing the opposite way whilst looking over her shoulder, the process of directing the model was different and new but enjoyable and made it easier for me to get the images I wanted. I used a soft box on the background and a beauty dish facing towards her with the flash on which helped to create plenty of light to create a high key image. I used the correct  camera settings to make sure it wasn't too bright, which I figured out by using a light meter to ensure these settings as quick as possible which gave me more time to shoot. I also shot from a range of distances, which include full-length shots, just above the knee and just above the waist, which helps to show a range of different techniques and different types of images, each giving different effects. Within these images there were a couple of times where the flash didn't fire, which then created a darker image with almost complete shadow, which although it wasn't supposed to happen they don't look bad or unsuccessful, and although it doesn't fit in with the theme of my idea and how my images should look, the darkness and shadow makes them look interesting. All of the images from my shoot have been shown on this blog post within contact sheets to show evidence of each image I shot in this shoot. There is also an image or two where the soft box has been caught in the corner of the shot or that the edge of the backdrop is visible, and I have shown this in the images on the contact sheets to show as evidence of something that needs to be fixed and improved on. I think that I have a range of successful images within this shoot and that fit in well with my aim of what I want them to be like, the message I want to give and the feeling of happiness when looking at them. For me the most successful out of the shoot are many of the images where she has her back to the camera but is looking over her shoulder, it gives off a different message and I think it creates a better image as a whole than when she is facing forward. My shoot may also give the viewers the thought of happiness in her personality and that she is someone who enjoys the summer. In some of the images the stool is not visible, which creates a different effect from the images where it is visible, because within the ones where it is not it gives a different effect than to when is is visible because then there is more to focus on. I am going to continue with this theme and colour backdrop within my next shoot to create a final outcome, I will develop on this by changing to clothes to fit the theme a lot better and will try to make the images slightly brighter and continue to use a range of techniques.

I have chosen to focus on this image and annotate this because I feel that is it successful in many ways and also I can pick out areas for development. This image was shot around half way through my shot where I was experimenting with taking full-length shot and close ups. This image is interesting and successful because it helps the background to stand out as it is close up so there isn't much more colour. It is also interesting because she has the glasses on her head instead of them being on, which will make people wonder why. These aspects and many more are the reason I like this image and chose it from the others. Many other reasons are the lighting and the positioning. The lighting is very high key, with no shadow apart from on the jumper. I particularly like the position of this photo because of the way she is looking over her shoulder, and the way she has her back to the camera makes it slightly mysterious, sort of like she has something to hide. All of these aspects of this image contribute towards the creation and successfulness of this image. There are also areas for improvement within this which include the focus, although it doesn't look too bad it is not completely in focus and this is something I need to improve and develop on within my next shoot.

Shoot plan

My idea for this portraiture exhibition is to create a summer themed image, which will be bright and happy. For my first shoot my intentions are to use a lilac background, because it is a bright summery colour and I think that it will go well and help to contribute to the summer look. I will be using plenty of lighting to make sure it is bright and high key and I will be obviously getting her to wear summer clothes which will include sunglasses, shorts, a thin jumper with the sleeves rolled up and also shorts and converse and will have the model sat on a stool. Throughout this shoot I will experiment with positioning the model differently, starting with her being sat facing forward and moving onto being positioned with her back facing the camera with her head over her shoulder. I will be taking images both far away and close up to give me a range of different styles within my shoot, the far away ones being more about showing the style and theme of this shoot, and the close up ones showing the detail in her face and facial expressions and focusing more on the model rather than the theme. I will hope to create a range of different outcomes, being positioned differently and creating many successful images. Throughout shooting these images I will hope to be using a soft box and a light with a beauty dish on, which will create a good amount of light to make this image bright and happy like I want it to be. With the bright lighting and colourful background, along with the summer theme, will all contribute to helping my image stand out within the exhibition. Having all of this planned I am hoping to have plenty of successful images that I am happy with, and will then publish on my blog, annotate and evaluate and then develop onto my next shoot.

Researching into summer fashion I have found this image that I like and feel I can take a small amount of inspiration. Focusing less on the style, clothing and positioning and focusing on more on the colours and the brightness of the image, I will take inspiration from this image to create bright and colourful outcomes.

Studio visit

On our first day visiting the Uclan photography studio we was shown where all the equipment was and goes, how it moves about, about the different backdrops and where they will be, and also health and safety. The black, white and grey backdrops are all on one side of the room, the coloured on another and the infinity on the opposite side. As a task we was put into groups and given a light meter within the group. We then, against the grey background, used the light meter to figure out what settings to have our cameras on and using each other as models, we photographed against the grey background. As we started off this task I used to light meter to define the correct camera settings, but as I started to shoot a couple of photographs I realised that the images were slightly dark and would be better if they was brighter. So I used the light meter again to try and find the correct settings, which turned out to be successful and I then started to shoot a few more images. This helped me to get a small amount of experience as to what it would be like to shoot in this studio with this equipment and experiment with using this backdrop. It helped me to get a rough idea of how I can use the studio and also got to see the exhibition space and gave me an idea on how I can use it.

Research

Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus was born in New York and worked with her husband, Allan Arbus, but after divorcing her husband she continued to work independently and studied with Alexei Brodovitch and Richard Avdeon. She is mainly known for her black and white photographs of children, artists and famous figures. She is also known for her portraits of those living on the margins of conventional society. She went on to produce portraits than included clowns, exotic dancers, circus performers and transvestites during the 1960s.

I have researched into the portrait photographer Diane Arbus, reading into things about her and how she works as well as looking at the work she has produced. I have chosen three images to show as examples and to evaluate. I like this first image because it is very natural and from my observations is a portrait of someone in the middle of getting ready, with curlers in their hair whilst smoking. It makes me feel interested in what happened next within this image, this person looks like they are about to go out and have a great night, the black and white effect makes this image look mysterious. The possible message this photographer was trying to get across could be that transvestites are just the same as everybody else, and they have to get ready for a night out, or even just the regular day, the same way everyone else does. I think that this image portrays that message well and I like the effect and the message this image gives.


The second image of Diane Arbus' work I have chosen to show is of a man full of tattoo's of all different types. I like this image because I think it gives off a wild message about this man and is an image based on looking different and having a body full of tattoos but still being the same as everyone else, the message the photographer was trying to show with this image could be different but this is what I interpret from this image. Although I find this image fascinating and Diane Arbus works in black and white, I think that this image would look better in colour, it would make the tattoos stand out more and make the image stand out more. In the background I can see a tent with words that look like it says beer, which could mean this image was taken at possibly a beer festival or something similar.

This last image of Diane Arbus' is of a child with a toy hand grenade. I like this image because the face he is pulling looks like the type of face a child would pull naturally without being directed, whilst taking this picture this photographer could of possibly asked this child to pull a face and he pulled this one. It looks un-directed and natural as the strap from his shorts has fallen down his arm and he still has his toy in his hand, which is what I like in this image and I also like the black and white. From the background I can tell that this image was shot in the park, I can tell this by the grass and the other parents with their children in the background, and also the swings that are slightly visible on the left.

I like the style of this photographers work and how she works, my opinion is that sometimes the images don't always work with the black and white because it makes main parts of the image blend in rather than stand out. I think that for a range of her images she uses natural lighting as a lot of them are taken outside in natural places, which for a lot of these images works well and are good and effective images.

Larry Clark
Larry Clark is an American photographer and filmmaker. He picked up the family business at an early age as his mum was a baby photographer. As a teenager he took pictures of his friends doing drugs which made the start of what became his signature photographs of teenagers engaging in drug use and sexual activities. His first book of photography was published in 1971 of his friends' use of drugs in black and white, which was named 'Tulsa'. He released his first film called kids in 1995, this along with a photo series called skaters featured in the skateboarding subculture in the 1990s. His photographs are part of many public collections. 



The second portrait photographer I have chosen to research into is Larry Clark and have chosen three images to add to my research and to evaluate. This first image is of what looks like a girl deep in thought. I think that the black and white goes well with this image because it helps to portray the message of this image, the fact that she is sitting and is deep in thought. This image gives off a sad feeling, because she looks upset and looks like is thinking about something meaningful to her. This looks like it is taken inside, against a wall and has a light used on the right side of this person which creates shadow on their right, which gives a good effect and goes in well with the message within this image, because if there was light either side, a different message would be portrayed within this image.






The second image of Larry Clark's I have chosen to show is of this man sat down holding his legs to his chest. From this image I get the message that this man is upset and is living or has lived a tough life, I get this idea from his body language and his facial expression, and also how he is wearing only shorts. The scar on his arm and the faint one on his knee also portrays this message, and all of these features make me feel sad and make me feel sorry for him. He looks upset and tired, and like he has had a tough life. I think the way this photographer has shot this image has shown this message well by shooting it fairly close, it makes it seem more personal. Sometimes these types of images are shot in black and white, but I like that this image is in colour, it shows the real darkness and sadness in his face, which works well and makes me like this image even more. Within this image there is some shadow but not a lot, again this image looks to of been shot inside with lighting, mainly focusing the light on the right side of this person but also having a small amount of light on the left, with a balanced amount of shadow.

This last image is of what looks like the same person that is in the second image I have shown, although this time he looks a lot better off happier and healthier. I like the background on this image, its very creative and colourful, and I like how is stands out behind the black clothing. I think that this photographer has used good contrast within the image, using bright backgrounds and dark clothing. This image looks like it has been shot outside against a wall with bright splattered paint on it, and also looks like natural lighting has been used. I also like the way he isn't looking at the camera and the photographer has given him a small amount of looking room. In this image he looks happy but mysterious at the same time. I like the way this photographer has shot this image, it makes me feel happy and feel interested, in how this has been done and what was this photographers thoughts whilst shooting this image, and would also love to shoot an image similar to this.


I like the style of this photographers portrait images and having researched into him I have found that there are a range of different styles within their work, which I enjoy and find interesting and would hope to use some range of inspiration from this photographers portraiture.



Roger Ballen
Roger Ballen is an American photographer born in 1950. His works has caused many debates, excitement and controversy. He started off by taking photographs and documenting villages of rural South Africa. But then began to focus on the inhabitations of these villages in the 1980s and 1990s. In the late 90s his work gradually moved away from documentary photography and moved onto fiction photography. He has several published books and has received many awards for his work and has his work exhibited in many museums and galleries all over the world.


The third portrait artist whose work I have researched into is Roger Ballen. This first image is of what looks like someone hand painting on the wall, stood on a stool and wearing a cat mask. This image is very bizarre and makes me feel interested in what is going on in this image and why this person is doing what they're doing, whether it is an action shot or if this photographer has directed this person to do this. I think that the black and white of this image helps to add to the mysterious effect, and what also ads to this is that you cant see this persons face. I like this image because it is interesting but makes me feel irritated because of the mystery behind it.

This second image of someone with their head in their shirt has been made to look like someone with no head, but shows that it has been purposely done as you can see the head inside the shirt, although it takes time to realise this as when I first looked at this image I was confused as to what was going on. This image makes me feel uncomfortable because it looks so real and creepy. But I like the weirdness and how interesting this image is, it makes me just want to continue looking at it. The makes on the floor and the wall also adds to the effect of this image and I think if they wasn't how they are in this image it wouldn't give the effect that it does. It looks like a lot of lighting has been used in this image and there is hardly any shadow.




This last image of Roger Ballen's work is of a man led on a bed smoking with a box over their head that has a circle cut out on the front, with drawing on the side and around the front and has been sellotaped down on the top. This image looks very odd and makes me wonder what is really going on in this image and why this mad has a box on his head. From this image I am getting the idea that he is in some sort of hospital or asylum or something similar. I think that this photographer has shot this image leaving a mystery on the message behind it. I like this image and the way it has been shot, also how much lighting has been used and the small amount of shadow in the right places.




This photographers work is very interesting as they are mainly documentary images. They are very odd and weird and different to the first two photographers I have researched into. The work of Roger Ballen leaves me wondering what is really going on in these images and what the photographer was thinking whilst shooting these images. They are mainly shot in black and white and more than not have a lot of lighting and only small amounts of shadow.



Tanyth Berkeley
Tanyth Berkeley a photographer is best known for her portraits of women both biological and transgender. She invites these women, who she meets on the subway and the streets of New York, to participate in her photographic projects and creates a series of images that are somewhere between documentary pictures and art photos. She works in video as well as photography. Her work is currently exhibited at the museum of modern art in New York.

The fourth photographer I have chosen to research is Tanyth Berkeley and have again chosen 3 images of her work to analyse. I like this first image because of how all of the colours within the image contrast together, the cream walls and the pale curtains contrast with her pale hair and skin, and even her top. I also like the way she is posed and this image as a whole makes me feel relaxed. Although this image it shot inside it looks like only natural lighting has been used which is shining in through the window behind her, which shines onto the back of her and I think without this the image wouldn't be as exciting and would be more dull. 

I like this second image in the way it is set out and how this woman is positioned, but I don't like the surroundings in which this is photographed, I think that there is too much green within the image and doesn't contrast well with the pink flowers an black blouse. I think the make this image more relaxed this photographer should of photographed with a bright background, or even a background with less of the one colour. I can tell that in this image natural lighting has been used, and there is pretty much no shadow. I think that this photographer could of shown more of this woman's face as I think it would of given more to the image.

This last image is of a woman sat in what looks to be a playground. This image makes me feel happy and I like the bright colours of her clothes and how the contract with the bright colours in the background. This looks like a very natural image and from this, and that in researching I found that this photographer approaches women on the street that she doesn't know, I can guess that this photographer has approached this woman in this park or wherever she is and asked if she could take this woman's picture. This image looks very natural, as natural light is being used and the woman herself looks like a very natural person.







I think this photographers work is very interesting in what she does and how she approaches women in the street etc to take their pictures. Through researching I have found that she mainly uses natural lighting within her work. I enjoy her work and images and am very fascinated by the way she works.






Trish Morrissey
Trish Morrissey works with photography, film and video. She has exhibited around the world and her work is in the permanent collection of many museums. To create her work she would to places such as beaches in the UK and around Melbourne, where she approached families and groups of friends and would ask if she could be a part of their family temporarily. She would take over the position of a women within that ground that would usually be the mother figure and would ask to borrow her clothes and asked the mother figure to take over the artists role and photographed her family using a 4x5 camera under Morrissey's instructions. She then names these photographs after the woman she has replaced in the images.

This first image is an example of what I have explained within the description of Trish Morrissey. Where she has gone to the beach and asked this family if she can join in, she has asked if she could be a part of this family and has taken over the mother role, wearing this womans clothes and holding her child, and has asked this woman to take the picture. And in this second image it looks like she has approached another woman on the beach, this time not with a family, and has swapped places with her, wearing her swimming costume and leaning on her towel. The woman who has taken this second image has her fingers over the lens, which makes it able to tell this was done by someone who knows hardly anything about cameras. But although this being a mistake it makes the image interesting. Although this way of working is strange, it is a very interesting and a different way of working, and also odd how she claims these as her photographs but never actually pressed the shutter.

From researching on her website I have found this image from a project called 'The Failed Realist', which includes photographs of Trish Morrissey having being painted by her daughter. She would paint things such as characters based on a film she had just watched, a social event, a right of passage or a vivid dream. Although at first looking at these images I thought that they was rather odd and boring, but researching into how this project was created and why, I found it fascinating and interesting, and a brilliant way to produce a project. This image makes me feel happy and I enjoy it. It has been shot on a white background and has used plenty of lighting to prevent shadow.  Again this image has not been shot my Trish Morrissey herself but is portrayed as her work.


I like the way this photographer works, it is very odd but interesting at the same time. She creates a range of different projects and works exactly to the point in each project. There are a lot of images from her works that I like and find interesting.