Photographer Research - Daryna Barykina

Daryna Barykina 

Daryna Barykina was born in Ukraine, but is now based in Florida, where she has pursued a full-time career in fashion and beauty photography. Barykina's work has been used in all sorts of magazines for make-up and hair inspiration. However, I was intrigued by her personal work. Barykina has produced two personal shoots called 'Bruised behind the Mask' and 'Stigma'. 'Bruised behind the Mask' is a series of photographs of women who are made-up, but their faces have cracked and pieces have fallen off/broken off. This effect makes the model's look like china dolls, and creates the perfect mask for what is hidden underneath. In each image, each model has a different bruise or cut, for instance some of the models have black eyes, cuts across their noses and lips etc. I really like this concept because victims of violence tend to hide their injuries as they don't want people to find out about it. As Barykina is specifically a fashion and beauty photographer, I think she has very smartly combined her normal work with something she had personal views about. Barykina's other personal shoot is called 'Stigma' and contains a series of portraits of different women, dressed as different stereotypes. Within each image, Barykina has used text to display name-calling and abuse behind the women which attacks their 'stereotype', and then the women themselves are sat at a table. Each woman looks different, for instance there is a 'geek', a 'stripper', a 'goth', an 'albino' as well as a 'skinny' woman. Each of these models are doing something in response to the abuse they have received. One is cutting themselves, another is tying a noose, another is taking pills, one is holding a gun to their head, and the other is starving themselves. I think Barykina was creating images that show what abuse and bullying can cause, as ultimately it could be fatal for the person suffering. I like this series as it isn't gory or horrific, but has the shock factor as it shows the extreme side of what abuse can cause. Barykina inspired me to create Domestic Violence photographs, as I wanted to create images that made people extra aware of the damages some issues can cause, including domestic violence, mental illness and addiction. 

The image above is part of the 'Bruised behind the Mask' series. In this image, the woman has a cracked face, which looks like a china doll effect, and some pieces of that 'mask' have broken apart. However, the model herself is holding the nose of the mask, to reveal a cut across her nose which is covered in blood. These images highlight that victims of abuse hide their injuries, so they do not have to talk about it to anybody. The 'mask' is what victims hide behind to keep their secret, which could be make-up, baggier clothes, long-sleeved shirts etc. I like this photo in particular because the model is standing tall, and brave, as she is not afraid to reveal her injuries anymore. 

This is another image from the series 'Bruised behind the Mask', but with a different model. Like the other image, in this one, the model looks like a china doll, and her face is cracking into different pieces. The model is holding a large piece of her face, which is her eye, and underneath is revealed a massive black, bruised eye. In this shot, the model looks more sad and lost than the other model in the other image, as her eyes are droopy, particularly in the black eye. This model is also holding her neck, which suggests that she may be feeling uncomfortable, insecure and worried about revealing her injuries. 

This is one of the images from the 'Stigma' series. I included this photo in particular as it links with mental illness, due to the text in the background calling the woman 'fat', 'ugly' 'obese' and a 'pig' which she clearly is not, but yet she is starving herself because of this name-calling. This reflects how anorexia or bulimia can begin, from bullying or abuse. The model looks incredibly sad and unhappy, and the words are surrounding her, as though they control her. 

This is another image from the shoot 'Stigma' which reflects the stereotype of being a 'geek'. In this one, we can see that the model is dressed smartly and is wearing glasses, like a traditional, stereotypical 'geek' would look like. The model is surrounded by the words 'geek', 'nerd', 'loser' and 'four-eyes', and because of this name calling and abuse, she is tying a noose in the shot. I think this photo reflects the social views about smart women, as men are threatened by smart and sophisticated women, and therefore bully, and treat them badly, because it is not 'natural' for a woman to have a successful job and earn her own money. 

This is a shot from my 'Domestic Abuse' shoot. For this shoot, I used make-up and face-paint to create the bruises on my models face and body. In this shot in particular, I asked my model to wear a ring on her ring finger, to signify that she is married. I then asked her to cover her face with that hand, but look through her fingers. This is because I used the influence from Daryna Barykina of the idea of 'hiding' and 'masking' what is truly beneath. In this shot, the model is hiding her bruises on her face with the hand that has her wedding finger on, which highlights that it is the man in her life that is causing these injuries. I wanted to create a story with these images, like Barykina does with her photographs. 

This is a photo from my 'Mental Illness Studio' shoot, whereby I created images based around the issue of mental disorders. This is the photograph influenced by Daryna Barykina as I used a similar editing technique that she used for her 'Stigma' series. In this image, I have used text to display different insults around my model, like Daryna Barykina created in her images. However, I used a black background, so my text is white and I used different sized font. For this image, I shot an ordinary portrait as I wanted both the words and the model to work as the focus for the image. 

In summary, Daryna Barykina has been a huge influence within this topic, for my Domestic Abuse shoot and my Mental Illness Studio shoot. Barykina's personal work is powerful and strong, which I think portrays her views of the types of Issues that she covers and focuses on within her photography. I also like Barykina's normal work of fashion and beauty, which I think is mixed in with her personal work to create beautiful images, that have powerful messages.