Connecting Essay 1

Photo I found on the Internet: 

My photo: 

Whilst on the Internet, I searched for Domestic Violence photography and adverts and I came across the image above. In this image, there is a woman holding herself as though she is giving herself a cuddle for comfort. The woman is bruised and cut across the face, nose and lip. In this photo, the model looks vulnerable, unhappy and scared due to her body language. Also, she isn't looking into the camera lens, instead, she is looking down at the floor which is a sign for insecurity and discomfort. This image puts viewers on edge because it shows the extremes of what Domestic Violence can cause. This photo in particular produces sympathy for the woman in the photo, but also for anybody else that is suffering from some sort of abuse as it is unfortunately, extremely common. 

The image below is an image from my Domestic Abuse shoot from my exam. In this shot, I asked my model to hold herself and look into the camera. Beforehand, I used makeup and face paint to create bruises across my model's face, neck, and arms, and I also used fake blood. I used the deepest and darkest colours to create deep and big bruises across my models body. This is one of the shots from the end of the shoot as the bruises throughout the shoot gradually became worse and more intense. In this image, my model looks incredibly sad and lost, like she has lost the will to carry on. 

These images are very similar in positioning, models and technique. In both images, there is a young woman who has been abused and therefore has bruises across her face. Both models are also holding onto themselves as though they are trying to comfort themselves, or because they feel insecure about revealing their injuries. In both of the photos, the models are crossing their arms across themselves, which could be a sign for how they are feeling. Not only do they feel trapped, but they are also frightened about anybody coming near them, and therefore create a barrier so that people keep their distance. The barricade of their arms is keeping them safe from any more abuse.