For this project, I initially chose the topic The Journey because I enjoy street photography, as well as creating realistic photographs which show people in the most natural form. However, after researching into the topic and creating a mind map for it, I realised that my shoots would become very repetitive and too similar. Therefore, I decided to change my topic to Issues and Observations. I created a mind map of all the different possible shoots I could create, and became intrigued by the ideas of portraying issues such as Mental Illness, Domestic Violence, Inequality, Homelessness etc. To begin with, I shot in London and 'observed' the different places and views in London, as well as the people there. I wanted to use my first two shoots as a basis for the topic and ease myself into my ideas. These images were much like street photography, but also, I shot a lot more photos of things I wouldn't usually notice within London, such as the locks attached to the London Bridge barrier with peoples names written on them. I used the idea of 'observations' from the topics title, and developed two shoots that show the things in London that are available to observe and look at freely.
In contrast, I did a little shoot about Abandoned Houses in order to show the differences between well organised, and cared for buildings with those that are derelict and destroyed. I also wanted to highlight the fact that after people move out of their homes, their houses are completely destroyed and left in a mess. These images create an eerie effect as the houses are covered in broken glass because the windows were smashed in, and the houses were completely cleared out. This was a little shoot I wanted to create in contrast of my London shoots.
My fourth shoot was based on the issue of Homelessness. As I didn't have the chance to photograph real life homeless people, I decided to set the scene on location anyway. Therefore, I asked my model to dress in distressed and big clothing, and also used makeup to make his face look dirty and grubby. I then created a card-board sign asking for money, and used a ragged, old cloth as the place to put the money. I did this shoot on a bench so that my model had somewhere to sit, and also used a massive white blanket so that the model can wrap himself in it. Even though these photos are artificial and not realistic, it still shows what sort of lives homeless people have, as their hygiene plummets, they get dirty, and they're also extremely cold on the streets.
My next shoot focused on Addiction. For this shoot, I set up a table a home, and displayed a variety of different medication, along with bottles of alcohol and a spilt glass of wine. I then used a model, and asked them to lay their head across the table, and asked them to hold some of the tablets in their hand. I set this type of scene up because I wanted to show the extreme side of what addiction can cause, which is fatality. Being addicted to drugs and alcohol on their own is dangerous, but mixing the two can be fatal. During this shoot, I angled my camera in different ways to achieve birds-eye view images as well as some shots that look through the glass of wine to see the model. In most of the shots, the alcohol and medication is in the foreground, and is therefore in focus, whereas the model is in the background, so they are blurred. This draws the attention to the alcohol and medication and therefore highlights that the images are about addiction and the extreme affects they can have.
For my sixth and seventh shoot, I focused on Mental Illness. For the first shoot, I shot on location and visited a car park, as well a bridge to use the height as a fear factor for the images. I used a model for this shoot, and asked them to stand near the edges of the bridge, and look out into the distance as well as down at the floor. In most of the photos, you can see how heigh up the model is, and I also changed some of them into black and white to create a depressing atmosphere. For some of the shots, I only took photos of the models legs, which were dangling over the edge of the bridge as they were sitting down. In these images, we can see the train tracks along the floor, which the bridge is above of, and this highlights the danger that the model is in. For the second shoot of this series, I used the studio. In this shoot, I took basic portraits of the same model as before, both portrait and landscape so that I could manipulate them through editing on photoshop. However, I also decided to capture some Slow-Sync images, and so used a slow shutter speed to create the blurred effect. Within these shots, I asked my model to pull frustrating facial expressions such as screaming and anger, and also asked him to move his head so that in the image we had multiple shots of his face. In others, I asked my model to look angry, and step closer and closer to the camera whilst swaying side to side. This created the illusion that there was more than one of the model, and also the shots grew bigger the closer he got to the camera. These shots are very effective because the actual model is still in focus and well lit, whereas the 'copies' are discoloured and blurred.
My final shoot was based on Domestic Violence. I wanted to use this shoot as a test for my exam shoots. I used a female model because it is more common for women to be abused by men, than the other way around. I used makeup and special effects makeup to create bruises across my models face and body. In these shots, I wanted to create the feeling of vulnerability and hopelessness, which I achieved by having a dark background and asking my model to look directly into the camera whilst looking extremely depressed. As the shoot progressed, the bruises and marks became worse across my models face and body as we wanted to create the illusion of them getting worse over time. In some of the photos from this shoot, I asked my model to wear rings on her wedding finger, and then used that hand as a focus for them. This is because I wanted to highlight that some victims of Domestic Violence are trapped within an abusive relationship that they are legally bonded too. Although these photos are extreme, horrific and slightly gory, they highlight that Domestic Violence can become extremely dangerous, and a lot of victims hide their injuries.
Within my exam, I decided to complete three shoots. The first shoot was 'Fashion Through Time' which I thought of after shooting my London shoots. This is because, whilst shooting, I was able to concentrate on certain people and saw that a lot of people used their phones, had the same sort of fashion sense and hair styles etc. Therefore, I wanted to create a series of images that focused on fashion changing through the years from 20s to now. I also wanted to do this because I can compare the now photos to street photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Homer Sykes as they are quite dated photographers, and therefore their photos display an older generation, and a lot has changed since then. My second shoot was another Domestic Violence topic, as I realised in my first try that I wanted to use a white background, because this connotes to purity and vulnerability. I also knew I wanted to use fake blood to make the injuries look more severe. In this shoot, the model and I created bruises from makeup and face paint, and as the shoot progressed, the injuries became more severe. Therefore, in the first few images the model has just a black eye, and then gradually her nose is bleeding, and then there's a hand marked bruise around her neck, and then there's a gigantic burn on her back and so on. I wanted to shoot like this because once I had edited the images, I could then create an animation of the injuries getting worse. Whilst experimenting with editing, I decided at the end of the animation to put the words "Tell someone... Before it's too late". This makes the animation like an advertisement for awareness against Domestic Violence, and also highlights that keeping silence can cost a victims life. Like the first shoot for Domestic Violence, these photos are shocking and horrific, however they shock viewers into realising the dangers of Domestic Violence, and make people more aware of other people. My third shoot was based on Inequality, particularly against women, using a feminist approach. This idea was influenced by photographer Liora K, who created a series of images of nude women and men with statements painted across their bodies. Within my shoot, I used black paint and a black background, and painted statements like "I'm not for sale", "Women are Weak", I am Equal" etc. Having my model topless created vulnerability, but it also defied certain stereotypes against women being comfortable with their bodies and their sexuality. This shoot enabled me to express different views within my photography, and to also highlight the issue of prejudice and inequality.
Overall, this project was extremely successful because I learned a lot of different editing techniques such as Liquify and how to create a disintegrated image. I enjoyed these shoots because I was able to research into different issues that are a big problem in society today, and also express my views as well as other views on the topics. Initially, I wanted to create powerful images that told a story, made viewers think and ask questions, and that were also relatable for those who have suffered or been affected by the specific issues. This project was very different to my regular photography, and has therefore made me realise that I should venture out and explore the artistic field again and again.
