Fashion: Constructed image Task 1

The image I have chosen to be an iconic photography is Tommy Lee portrait by David LaChapelle. He is a photographer and director who works in the fields of fashion, advertising, and fine art photography, and is noted for his surreal, unique, sexualized, and often humorous style. LaChapelle has four published books of his photographs. All four books contain vivid and surreal portraits of celebrities. His works has been described as surrealist, grotesque, shocking and ironic, with a sense of humor, political awareness and social awareness. His use of celebrities exaggerates aspects of their personalities and their personal lives.

Characteristics

Photographer is trying to reveal object personalities. It is reflection of “Bad boy” icon. He shows persons body tattoos. In these days tattoos can tell a lot stories about that person. People choose to be tattooed for cosmetic, sentimental/memorial, religious, and magical reasons, and to symbolize their belonging to or identification with particular groups, including criminal gangs, but also a particular ethnic group or law-abiding subculture.

Clothing

There is only one cloth – tie. Which covers his intimate place.

Props

Cigarette in his hand. Smokes around are effect of devil in this image.  However it gives texture of the background.

Hair and makup

Snarl hairs, lots small plaits. Looks like mess on his head, but it plays very well with his body tattoos. Eyebrows, beard and eyes are painted darker.

Lighting and photographic techniques

Camera is lower then object eyes. It gives power to him. There are three light sources: two harsh lights in the back and one soft light in front. Lights in the back paints body lines and emphasis smokes. 

Unit Assessment Presentation

Object and body

In Object unit we were asked to create a still life and represent a current social issue. Firstly I started to develop idea about financial crisis. But after useful tutorials and researches it became more personal still life with financial problem results.

In unit research my inspiration came from Vanitas (Harmen Steenwyck). It is still life paintings from history art. 

This reference gives me understanding about symbolic objects and nice lightening subtleties. Object unit was a challenge for me. It was very hard to choose objects for my idea interpretation.

Other researches that I’ve done were object symbolism meanings. For these, which I selected to use in my still life, I tried to find and give symbolism meanings. Lots of dream meanings and symbolisms sites were analyzed. Clock means: movement forward, activity and important things in your life. To strengthen this movement I demonstrated physical clock arrow turn in the picture. Gold coins means profit and tangible things. In picture frame with family photo bodies I made black like a shadow. It will represent that I'm missing my parent’s ant how time and huge distance can estrange us. Gold key meaning in dreams is solution discovery for the problems.

To reveal depressing image mood, final print I made with a blue tone. To be honest I think this task I manage poorly – I devoted more time to environment project. Going forward it is a good lesson to me. Next time I should balance all projects evenly. Also different projects can help to each other and give interesting ideas.

“The body” project task was to take a portrait of unknown person.

For research task I've chosen three artists: two painters (Johannes Vermmer and Rembrandt Harmenszoon) and photographer (Hendrik Kerstens).

These references gives me good understanding in portrait lighting technique, such as Rembrandt. Also I learned that discovered subjects personality and characteristics makes huge influence to the portrait.

I was interested to shoot elderly people. It seemed to me that they always had a live experience and I wanted to reflect it in the portrait. It was most difficult task for me in this semester. To get into conversation required careful, considerate and professional negotiations. With couple unsuccessful trips to Rochester, finally I found a person. But unfortunately day before photo-shoot she cancelled it, due to unplanned call to work. I hardly quit with this trouble and found couple nice students in photo-shoot day. But apart this, failures were leading me further: in studios was not enough space, burned light head and jammed film in film processor. However finally with all the troubles I made some images. 

To be honest, I was not happy with my final picture. I didn’t reveal a subject personality and character into the portrait. It was not enough time, after all unplanned changes in this task.

I’ve received very useful lesson from this unit. If project includes more people, you must forecast anticipating troubles and always to have a second plan. Photographer is a director, so everything must be done professionally. Even with unplanned problems.

ENVIRONMENT

Pastiches

First image, which I choose to pastiches, was Roberts Adams “On Signal Hill, Overlooking Long Beach, California” 1983. 

Firstly it looked easy pastiche. I thought I would find similar place very quick. But I was wrong. My researches took so long that I've done my final shot nearly last minute. If to ignore that it was done in a wrong light, I think I realized the main idea. The tree in the foreground is not only dwarfed by the city behind, but it also acts as alone and pathetic reminder of what has been displaced by urban development.

Second image, which I choose was Thomas Struth, “Bukseo Dong, Pyongyang, North Korea”, 2007.

 The tree is my main accent in this picture, what I was looking for. I couldn't reflect same structures lines. But I discovered main idea, which is very similar to previous pastiche.

For the first environment unit task I looked to specific environment, which were built in war times. I created a series with military constructions, designed to protect humans. I want to demonstrate how natural landscape with these partly remained structures overgrew to cold and horrible reminiscence environment. This is nature against thousands of tons of concrete.

In my research I’ve looked at several artists: Simon Norflok and Nigel Green. 

Especially I analyzed Nigel Green book “Dungennes”, because my first idea was about this place. I wanted to reflect how humans are taking over the landscapes with industries. But Erasmus Schroter book “Bunker” influenced me to the final idea. Differently then I, Schroter was able to reveal these structures in full beauty. It explains that main clue in the image is idea. Same object presentation can be shown in completely different ways. It depends what you want to say to your viewer.

I took all images with medium format camera and black and white films. For final printing I’ve choose dark tones to reflect cold feeling and gloomy mood of the landscape.

I devoted lots of time to this project. Big challenge was location researches of these structures. In two days I’ve done nearly 400 miles by car and walked tens of mile. Some accesses to these buildings were very complicated: no roads, fences or gates. However it was unbelievable experience.

Second Environment unit task called “The City”. For this project, idea came to me very quick. Maybe some influence did and Charles Marville who was taking pictures before and after building demolition in Paris.

My plan and idea was to show same place in twenty-four hours difference. I wanted to find photographer’s who done similar idea. And in long researches I found one: Michael Marten. He was photographing United Kingdom seaside’s landscapes. But he was doing two pictures in 6 or 18 hours difference. These pictures inspired me to think about human and nature connection.

For my idea implementation I created a three-day plan:

First day (Saturday) – local searching and marking

Second day (Sunday) – photographing

Third day (Monday) – photographing

Shooting was done on Sunday’s early morning and I came back after 24 hours on Monday. To present this idea I did it in diptych style. In these pictures you can see how space is changing in 24 hours time. In first part, city is grey and empty. However, in second shoot the same scene is presented in completely different light– filled with warm colours and vitality. The importance of human work and relaxation was reflected in the environment.

Self Evaluation

All issues, which I faced with, were very beneficial for me. Humans are learning from own mistakes. I learned to plan, do not rush with the first idea but keep developing it. Issue in the Body unit gave very useful lesson to me – in future I must be ready for everything and always to have a second plan.

My still life and environment war structures works has a small emphasize on political meaning. Financial crisis and personal feelings combine affect my still life. Nowadays crisis is very popular theme.

War structures reflect political disagreement and are important inheritance. It demonstrates how natural landscape with these partly remained structures overgrew to cold and horrible reminiscence environment.

I am really happy with my environment unit works. However, object and body units were closer to my heart.  I thought it would be much more easier to work on it. However it was vise versa.  Most significant challenge for me was a portrait shoot. I was interested to shoot elderly people. But I faced with a lot problems in this task, so I didn’t manage it, as I wanted. 

The Body – Production

First trip to Rochester was unsuccessful. Weather was very cold and windy, that’s why I couldn’t find any elderly human. Next trip I’ve done in Charles Dickens festival in Rochester center. Lots of various persons were there. First elderly guy I saw sitting on the bench and watching bypasses. To force myself to do it, I needed about ten minutes. What I will say to him? How I will explain that I need to do a portrait of him? But when I walked up and started socialize with him, conversation went very easily. However this person likes street photography and he is doing it already 40 years in his free time with black and white film camera. We chatted more than half an hour, but to do a portrait he disagree. I can understand him, because myself like a photographer I don’t like be photographed. In same day I spoke with two more persons, but these conversations were unsuccessful as well. I had tried my best to speak with them very calm and be polite, but I think it looks suspicious to them to devote their time for unknown person. In the end of day I meet an expressive 40-45 years old women. This time conversation moved straight to my purpose and she was very kind and agrees to do a portrait. We arrange a shoot date and it was good for her, because she had a day off that day. I made a call to her in evening before the shoot day to discuss where I will take her and what style clothes she will have. But her news shocked me. She needs go to work that day. That’s it. I don’t have a model and other plan.

I hardly quit with this trouble and found couple nice students in shooting day. But apart this, failures were leading me further. I don't know how it can be worse: no more space in studios from early morning, burned light head and jammed film in processor. However finally with all the troubles I got some images. I’ve used Rembrandt lighting setup. To be honest I was not really happy with my final pictures, because I didn’t reveal a subject personality and character into the picture. There was not enough time for these unplanned changes.

I’ve received very useful lesson from this task. If project includes more people, you must forecast coming troubles and always to have second plans or changes. Photographer is a director, so everything must be done professional and with a problems.

My contact sheets:

The Body – Idea developing

This project task is to take a portrait of either: An individual form the local community who lives or works in the Medway towns or a member of Staff or a Student from another course from UCA. Of course person will be unknown to me. My plan is, to spend some time in Rochester city, maybe in parks and try to find a person, which will be interesting personage to me and of course to try to ask him come to studio for a portrait. This is will be most difficult task for me this semester. To get into conversation will be huge challenge for me. In these times all people are very busy, so I will try to find elderly person. Most of them are retired on pension, so it will be easier to get them into studio in working day. Also elderly people have lots of live experience, which you can see in their face. In these times all people are very busy, so I will try to find elderly person. Most of them are retired on a pension, so it will be easier to get them into studio in working day.

In my portrait I will use a Rembrandt lighting technique with a black background. Portrait mood, props and pose of course will determine human personality. To know a person will require careful, considerate and professional negotiations. 

Body research

For research task I've chosen three artists: two painters and one photographer. Because human painting was very popular trend from the old times therefore lots of portrait creation technique to photography came from paintings. Johannes, Jan or Johan Vermeer (baptized in Delft on 31 October 1632, and buried in the same city under the name Jan on 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime. His one of the best works is “GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING” (Meisje met de parel), c. 1665-1667:

Vermeer writers have frequently noted that no line defines the profile of the left-hand side of the girl's nose. The bridge is given precisely the color and tone of the adjacent cheek. The lines of the right side of her nose and nostril are lost in shadow as well. Moreover, the blue section of the turban has been reduced to two essential tones of ultramarine blue, one lighter and one darker.

These and other characteristics have lead more than one scholar to believe that Vermeer had created the Girl with a Pearl Earring with the aid of camera obscura, a sort of precursor of the modern photographic camera. The imperfect lens of the period camera tends to eliminate line and reduce the tonal range of lights and darks.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606[1] – 4 October 1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher. He is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history. Having achieved youthful success as a portrait painter, Rembrandt's later years was marked by personal tragedy and financial hardships.

Portrait of Jacob de Gheyn (III) by Rembrandt

Jacob de Gheyn III is a famous painting. Rembrandt painted it in 1632 and is the most stolen painting in the world. It has been stolen and recovered from galleries at least four times, making it the world's most stolen painting. Every time the painting has been recovered anonymously and as a consequence nobody was accused of the theft. This painting by Rembrandt is so well known that it would be difficult for a thief to sell it.

Rembrandt lighting is a lighting technique that is sometimes used in studio portrait photography. It can be achieved using one light and a reflector, or two lights, and is popular because it is capable of producing images, which appear both natural and compelling with a minimum of equipment. Rembrandt lighting is characterized by an illuminated triangle under the eye of the subject, on the less illuminated side of the face. It is named for the Dutch painter Rembrandt, who often used this type of lighting.

Hendrik Kerstens uses his daughter as his model, immortalizing her, picturing her in relation to events in her own life as well as projecting onto her his fascination with the Dutch Master painters of the seventeenth century.

His ‘Paula Pictures’, one of which won the PANL Award in 2001, are reminiscent of Vermeer's painting. The austerity and clarity of the photographs, coupled with the serenity of the subject and the characteristic ‘dutch’ light all combine to create striking, beautiful and haunting works of art.

Kerstens won second prize in the 2008 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize for his iconic work ‘Bag’ which is shown at the National Portrait Gallery. Born in Hague in 1956, he is a self-taught photographer whose work has been exhibited in over 40 exhibitions across Europe and the United States.