Straight Images - Tenth Shoot

Photographer Research - Bobby Neel Adams

Bobby Neel Adams

I chose to study Bobby Neel Adams in more depth because i like the concept of his work, particularly his project of 'Ageing' whereby he shoots portraits of people, and then uses their baby/childhood photographs to compare their appearances from young to old. He does this by reacting the baby/childhood photograph, by making the model wear similar clothes, and pull the same expression, and then he rips the portraits in half, and puts one half from each photo together, to make a whole face. This is a great way to show ageing and growing up, particularly when looking at the difference in their facial features.

This is one of Adams' photographs from his Age-map series. I like this photo because both sides fit together so the entire face looks symmetrical. I also like that you can clearly tell that the photos are of the same person, because their facial features and smile are the same. I think it's clever that Adams makes the model look like he's wearing the same outfit in both photographs. 

This is a smilier image as the one above, but of a woman. I like this photo because we can see the clear split between both the photos, but can still tell that it is the same person. These photos show the evidence of time passing, ageing and growing up. I also like that this image is in colour as we can see that the model's outfit on both occasions is the same colour, and the colour of her hair hasn't changed either. 

Even though i like the photos above which are in colour, i also like these images because they are black and white. This makes the childhood photograph look much older. Although the photos are meant to look similar and fit together, and so the new portrait is black and white as well, i think the evidence of 'time-passing' would be much more explicit if the new image was in colour - to show the difference in the advancement of technology over time.

Again, this is another photo which is in black and white, and this makes the childhood photograph look much older. I like this image because it is more close-up than the others that i have included, and so we can see the similarities of the model's facial features much clearer. I also like that we can see the differentiation between the model as a young child, and as an adult. For instance, we can see that her face is longer, her eyes are higher up and her hair is longer. 

Bobby Neel Adams' work has influenced my work as i would like to explore the topic of ageing, and i think the concept of these photographs is interesting and clever. His work has also inspired me to look at other ways in which i can incorporate childhood images with recent photographs, for instance i could use certain parts of their childhood photographs to replace parts of a recent portrait (such as their eyes, mouth, nose etc.) 

This is an image that i created from my ageing shoot. After researching Bobby Neel Adams, i was influenced immediately to mimic his work, and so i shot portraits of my models, with in mind that they had to look similar to their baby photos. I then used photoshop to merge the two photos together to make one full face and this is the result. 

This is a similar image of the one above, but it is a self portrait. I also like that this photo is in colour, so you can see the difference between the old photo from the new. This photo clearly portrays it's concept and i like that the faces from the two photos perfectly fit together and match well.

After looking at these two images (above) i realised that the line between the two images was too jagged and harsh for the picture and the idea of it. After this realization, i decided to re-edit the images for that reason, but also because Bobby Neel Adams' images show a softer line between the two different aged photos, so that it actually just looks like one photo. Therefore, this is the result after re-editing the photos to make them look better and make the line softer, which i am pleased with: 

In summary, i like the concept of these images and enjoy looking at the differences in facial features, expressions and clothing. I also like both coloured images as well as black and white images. These photos have given me a lot of ideas for my next shoot of the evidence ageing. 

Photographer Research - Joe Melchione

Joe Melchione

I decided to study Joe Melchione's work in more detail because his work is a lot different to other photographers that I have already researched such as Orozco and Letinsky. I also like that Melchione's website organises his photographs by subject such as 'Urban Environment' and 'Street Photography', these are the two folders that i looked at the most because i identified evidence of weathering, graffiti, ageing, light etc. I enjoy looking at Melchione's work as his work is so different and complex, where as Letinsky's work for example, is more simplistic. I think Melchione's work is excellent influence for my own photography, as I want to look at the evidence of ageing, but i would like to look at ageing within people, as well as streets and objetcs, Melchione has shot photos of weathering of boats and streets, which links to this topic and allowed me to look at 'ageing' from a different perspective. 

This is a photograph from Melchione's project of 'Street Photography'. I like this photo because the painting of the woman on the wall is detailed, and because the image is black and white, it makes it look as though she has a shadow. I also like that her eyes are looking directly into the camera lens. This is evidence of 'graffiti' and 'art', and i like the concept of shooting art, through art, paintings through photographs. 

This is one of the images that has allowed me to look at 'ageing' at a different perspective. In this photo, we can see a pier, and the side of a boat which has decayed, weathered and moss has grown upon it. I like the concept of looking at ageing of humans, as well as ageing of objects. I also like that we can see the pier in the background, because the photo then has depth and although we can't see much, we can still see a little of what is in the background. 

This is another photo which I picked out because of the same concept of ageing as the one above. I like this image because it is in black and white, which outlines the dark patches and lines of decay, mould and weathering - which links to evidence of time passing and ageing. Also, i like that the background of the image is completely white, so that our attention is solely focused on the building. 

This photo caught my eye because I liked that Melchione left it in colour/edited it to 'Sepia', this adds emphasise on the sunlight and the colour of the sun. The shadows from the trees make the photo much more interesting and intensifies the concept of the sunlight. I like this image a lot and would like to take photos of 'evidence' of the different types of weather - and shadows as well. 

Joe Melchione has influenced my project because i like his style and the complexity of his images. Although i enjoy simple and ordinary photographs, Melchione's work has shown me other ways to photograph objects and scenes. I have already planned to shoot the evidence of ageing of people, but some of Melchione's photographs has inspired me to look at ageing from another angle, of objects and places.

This is a photo from my 'ageing'/decaying/rusting shoot. Melchione's work influenced me to look at other concepts of ageing, and this is the result. Some of Melchione's work presents old buildings, boats etc which i have attempted to mimic within this shoot, as well as of other objects as well.

Again, this is from the same shoot, whereby i went to Leigh on Sea to take photos of ageing. I like this photo in particular because the colours of the boats are still quite vibrant, yet everything else is not, as it is old and rusted. This was influenced by Melchione as he is the reason for the shoot in the first place, but it also relates to some of his work from his 'Urban Environment' topic. 

In summary, I enjoy looking at Melchione's work because it's so interesting and artistic, and his ideas are so simple, but his style of photography captures them extremely well. Melchione's work has influenced my next few shoots as he has given me more ideas to explore in the topic of Evidence. 

Computer Experiments

Print Techniques

Black & White 

Duotone

Repetition 

Selective Colour

Photojoiner

Soft Focus 

Work Diary - Ninth Shoot

Evaluation

This shoot was quick, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I had already planned who my models were going to be and what i would take photos of (which is why the shoot wasn't over complicated and didn't take too much time), and i also knew i was going to create multiple imagery's out of the photos that i shot. Because of this, I knew that i had to take lots of different photos, at different angles and distances, so that my multiple imagery displayed lots of different shots of the same object. I also enjoyed shooting other people, rather than self-portraits because i was more in control of the camera and the shots that i was taking. 

This image is displaying the possession of makeup. I like this multiple imagery a lot because it solely focuses on the makeup, each image is extremely close-up, so there is no distraction from the main subject. I also like that i shot different makeup products (lipstick, powder and blush) because this added variety to the images. For this multiple imagery specifically, i made sure i shot photos of the model applying the makeup as well as holding the products, as this make the image as a whole more interesting.

This multiple imagery is of a pair of trainers. This object was probably the hardest one out of the four to shoot because all the shots looked very similar, as there isn't wasn't as much variety as there was with the makeup. However, I think the end result came out very well, especially because the background is pure white, making the sole focus about the trainers. I also like the shots of the model doing up the laces, as this was as far as the variation went in this shoot. 

Progression

As i have finished with the idea of 'possessions and belongings'. I have decided to move on from this shoot, and would now like to focus on the evidence of ageing in my next shoot. I plan to take photos of the differences in youthful and elderly skin, by taking photos of models' hands and faces. I would also like to display the contrast between young and old in images, so that the difference is clear. These images on the internet have influenced my next, and first shoot of 'ageing': 

Straight Images - Ninth Shoot

Work Diary - Eighth Shoot

Evaluation

Initially, i planned to shoot in the studio. However, due to limited space in the studio i decided to try and shoot in location. In order to do this, i had to use a tripod and set my camera's self-timer. I then used a model so that i could focus and align the shot. Once i had set-up everything that i need, including the objects that i was going to photograph, i was able to shoot self-portraits. In each photo i used/showed a different possession of mine, for example, a hairband, my coat, a book, my phone etc. The concept of this shoot was so that i could make a multiple imagery of all the photos that i had taken, showing all my different possessions together. I enjoyed this shoot because it was unexpected, and was easier than i thought. 

This is the outcome of the shoot, I have created a multiple imagery which clearly shows each individual shot, and each 'possession'. I like this image a lot because it's bright and colourful (partly due to the grass in the background). I also like that this is an excellent way to present lots of different possessions together. I enjoyed shooting self-portraits as it is a new skill and easier to do. 

Progression

In my next shoot, I plan to photograph other people's possessions. I will do this like my self portraits, but instead with models. This time i would also like to use different angles and distances, to present different possessions. I plan to produce a multiple imagery of all the different possessions together, as well as a multiple imagery of the objects individually. The influence for this shoot is from these images that i have researched on the internet: 

Straight Images - Eighth Shoot

Work Diary - Seventh Shoot

Evaluation 

This was a quick shoot to begin the concept of shooting people with their most prized possessions. For this shoot, i used the studio and had to use a self-timer to take self portraits. I myself, posed with my camera and my phone. I also took photos of other people, with their phones, wallets, cigarettes, tablets etc. However, i want to further this shoot and use various objects such as sunglasses, headphones, photos etc. This concept interests me and i'd like to further the idea into a location shoot as well. Although i didn't produce many photographs for this shoot alone, I think i can explore the concept on a wider scale, and create better and more photos in the future. 

This is a portrait of myself holding my camera. I like this image because i have aligned the camera, using a tripod, so that i fit the frame. I also like that the concept of this image is about my camera, my most prized possession. I have emphasized this by facing my camera directly at the studio camera, as though i am taking a photo of it. I also covered my face with my camera so that we solely focus on the main subject: which is my camera. 

This is a portrait of a model, holding a packet of cigarettes whilst pretending to light one. I captured the model naturally whilst she lifted the lighter up to the end of the cigarette. This allowed me to capture her natural expression. I also like that there are three objects in this image which all relate to the same purpose: the packet, the cigarette and the lighter. This emphasizes what the image is about. 

Progression 

As this was only a quick shoot, I'd like to re-take these images as well as shoot more new images in the studio, to further this concept. This will allow me to use different objects as well as more, and different people. I plan to also create a multiple imagery of my favourite possessions, such as my polaroid camera, my phone, an old photo, my favourite book etc. This will allow me to show all of my favourite possessions through one image, and will also reveal some aspects of my 'identity.' After i have done this shoot, i will continue this idea in a location shoot. These are the photos on the internet which have influenced my next shoot: