Location Look up 2- Outside Locations

These images are taken around digbeth and Aston. 

I'm still not sure whether I would benefit from taking my images outside or inside. I think I would have to see when I re- visit these locations. 

In my 2nd critique there were some questions raised as to whether I should photograph in urban areas, because of the stereotype attached to these places, but I think it could still work. These places have been marked and cut off from the rest of the city, in a similar way those with a mental disorder are cut off from the rest of society and aren't usually treated or seen in the same way as others. I understand now that it's not just about using the people and the locations separately, but treating the two as one issue.

Upon reflection, I decided to cut out grassy areas. I didn't feel that it would fit too well into my project if I took my images in these outdoor areas. Maybe if I was to look at displaying both the negative and positive side of mental illness, I could look into renew and rebirth, those things which you associate with nature. And looking into renew of thoughts and getting a new sense of perspective ( I was thinking about taking my images from a different angle).

Location Look Up

 I went to two different car parks around Digbeth to see what the areas would be suitable to take images. During the first critique it was suggested that I think about shooting in different locations. which was a good idea, incase my idea with Avril didn't work out, I could change the way I wanted to photograph and interpret my idea.
At first I wasn't too sure where I wanted to take these images. I thought back to some of the images I took during pathway and some of the abandoned, isolated lots that I took my photographs in. Maybe I could revisit the idea of taking my images in run down areas?

The spaces seemed quite lonely, dark and claustrophobic.  I loved the emptiness in these areas, which gives me many different ways in which I could work a person and possibly props in within the space. The lighting would also play an important part in taking these images. I didn't have a tripod with me on the day, so I would have to think about which days and what time of day I could take the images.

 

Solarisation

had a slight accident with the notes i made on the back of the prints. I wrote in fineliner and it was transferred to the print, but I think it looks ok on some of the prints. It's like its adding another perspective to the images, like how jim Goldberg asks the people he photographs to enlighten his viewer about the person in the picture.

After using the water on my image as a technique to add deterioration, I thought back to my first year of darkroom experimenting and the time I spent experimenting with solarisation.  I thought it would be interesting to see how it would change the image. I was also curious about how the image would change if I wet the paper first and then solarised the page again. First time few times I tried this method, you couldn't see this image very well through. It was suggested that I increase the time and contrast on my original image, because when you use the sabbiter process its better if the photo is stark in contrast so it become easier for the process to pick up on. The top image is an example of the experimenting I did with the photograph. I like how silvery and cloudy it is, and also how it looks like there is some kind of mist around the figure, concealing it, and adding an extra barrier of protection. I think this technique is something to explore at a later date, but as it is quite an extreme and uncontrollable technique, I don't think it's something i want to use right now. 

Darkroom Experiments Part 1

These were my first experiments in the darkroom. I wanted to give them a painted look. As if the images were coming to life, moving and jittering around the page. Watched the ring before I experimented with this image, so it's possible that the where Film was being stretched was to see what was at the edge was quite an influence.

In my first Critique it was suggested that I could put my digital images on to acetate and print them out in the darkroom. This is a reverse image from the acetate. I accidentally scratched the acetate before I printed this, but I thought it looked quite interesting, so I scratched alittle bit more into the image around the edges. The scratches and other subtle scarring in the image reminds me of Sally Mann's work. It's as if you were piecing together the image, the cracks and other imperfections are coming together to form the person.

To darken the area around the edge of the cloth I printed over the area twice, moving the position of the paper slightly the second time round. I wanted 

Photo Experiments 2

Reminder: 8th April- Avril Photoshoot

Some experiments before I take pics of Avril next week. experimenting with fabric and composition. These were a selection of the more successful images.

This image may have worked better if the figure was trapped behind the cloth. Like my first photo experiments, we should be struggling to see the figure, struggling to find out what it is, who it is. Being behind the cloth throws the perspective off.

The idea for the shoot is to have the fabric act like a barrier between the viewer and the figure. Considering how the material is quite thin, smooth and watery I could use it to refer to the layers of protection put up that puts distance between the figure, but it is still thin enough that.  I'm still thinking of ways to almost 'dehumanise', to take away certain characteristics that make them human, and make the viewer place a certain personality to them.  The lighting still works well in these images as everything from the  cloth to the shadows play a role as they try to conceal the character, envelope this figure in some sort of barrier.

Edit: Avril could not make it in for the 8th.

Non- material Reality

"To understand the problems of life without destroying its meaning, we have to stop thinking of reality as material and begin thinking of it as a manifestation of consciousness"

Fututreshorts

"Do you remember your first love? ... Do you remember your first kiss? ... Do you remember? ..."



"Filmmaker Marc Isaacs sets himself up in a London tower block lift. The residents come to trust him and reveal the things that matter to them creating a humorous and moving portrait of a vertical community."
"...based in transitional areas, pinch points, places through which people travel to go somewhere, or hope to. It is in these places that Isaacs sows questions that take people off-guard, reconnecting them with the deeper motivations and themes of their lives. "

Musical influences and FMP

Earth Wind and Fire= for my project I want to start of by stripping back the layers (nude photos possibly). basic coulors, simple form, lighting highlights.


The Diving Bell and the Butterfly music

Saint-Saëns- Carnival of animals

Erik Satie- Gnossienne 


Edit: FMP Project


My pathway project focused on Stigma, and in relation to this quote, I think Stigma works in the same way. You section those people off who you see as different from yourself and almost dehumanize them. I portrayed what it means and feels to be stigmatized and to be the judged by those who act as on lookers. I want to carry on looking at stigma by focusing on what it means to be sectioned; to me, “Sectioned” is about the connections to people and things around us. Initially, I wanted to portray the issue in a documentary way, and possibly merge my images with surrealist themes. Through pathway I realised that I’m not trying to portray a realistic portion of life, because this issue is not about a realistic interpretation of reality, as it is more imagined, more conceptual. I won’t be focusing purely on mental health, as I want to incorporate other themes and building upon what it means to be judged.   

Film Stills

Clocks around are a leading up to 12 o'clock. They shows the passage of time and the lead up to change. Much like the fairytale,  I was thinking of looking at the way in which 12 marks the time in which which the transformation process begins. I think the idea works, but the location could do with some work. I like the use of natural light, though. It's kind if like merging reality with fantasy. That is something I could look into.



For this image I wanted to have a chain attached from the TV to the character to show how people connect their views of others from how they get painted in the media. Would have been nice to try this scene out in a more natural environment with natural light, but it wasn't my tv, so I couldn't move it.

I like this Still, because I think the muted colours work well here, particularly the browns and the greens blend well together. I think i'll have to remember to think about clothing and colours more and their connection to the surroundings.

Puppeteers= The Action The Lifeless Puppet= The Act. I went back to the idea of making images on stereotypes and was thinking about how stereotypes influence the way in which we expect people to act. I was thinking of doing some experiments with body language for my FMP.

I think this works really well with the black bars across it, it makes it look like an actual still from a movie.   Like I said the before, the desaturation of the colour, and the heavy contrast in areas around the image make it really sharp and quite eerie.  

  

A Change in Location- animation

This animation was my way of trying to get another take on my theme. Look at the connection between people in a more natural setting.

Isolation- Still images

From personal experiences and looking through my research around mental illness, a common stereotype that pops up is the way people still believe that mental institutes are like the asylums of the victorian era.  The monthly mental health magazine has a phrase on it that I drew alot of influence from.  "Freedom is often taken for granted and only when it is taken away do we understand its importance." This phrase was really interesting as I thought about the perception of the person involved as well as the stigmatizer. Both are feeling isolated, and both feel as though this situation is claustrophobic , isolated and uncomfortable. The view point is closed in and uncomfortable. The way we look at the image is very much like the way some people would view those with a mental disorder.

Isolation- Still images 2

Edited the original image down slightly and added a hint of black around the edges to make it appear more darker and more creepier. Based on "cinematic technique" ad Francesca Woodman's work. Me and my Mum went down to an abandoned plot of land a little way down from my house. This image is about the way in which the view looks up and sees the people who they stigmatize. 

Studio 3- Straight Jacketed

This one below was an experiment, but it the blur does nothing for it.

I asked my Mum what she thought of these images and she didn't like them. Not that she thought they were bad, but they made her uncomfortable and made her think of the way Egyptians mummify their people. I guess it worked. The way the darkness seeps into the images added more restrictions to our perceptions of the figure straight on, infront of us. There is no sign of escape for either the viewer or the figure, as with the previous studio shots. I would say this image has been striped of free will and humanity The figure is incarcerated in the image. 

Studio shots 2

Urgh. I though I posted all of this along time ago, but I realised that i've been saving posts in my drafts. Oh well, i'll post again.

Exploring blur. I think I overuse this technique. Do I?

 Probably. 

It's dark, isolated and the colours are muted and cold. This was the part where I wanted to explore common stereotypes and perceptions. Does this person make you feel uneasy? Is it quite unnerving that her form is hard to make out? I prefer the head on portraits, as they are harder to escape from. You feel like you do not want to be caught in this moment watching this figure, and it seems that the figure in the image does not want to be there either.

Animation Isolation

Looking through articles and asking a couple of people about their experiences dealing with the Stereotypes around Mental illness and disorders. The main theme of isolation fear, abandonment was brought up.  The areas around where I live are perfect for taking the images that I want to take. Scratched and scraped, run down and left to their own destruction. The first images I experimented with Studio work.

It's all about your perception.

I had a song in my head called 'There's Hope' by India Arie. there's a part in the song that goes, "It's all about your perception" and that lead me on to a conversation with myself about the way you perceive photography. With my pathway project I obviously have my own views on the pictures I take and the meanings behind them, and  then people will also have their own interpretations as well.

To self: Always take into consideration how others will interpret your work.

Another note to self: listen to more of India's songs. They carry a good message.

Also, before I forget:

You wanted to look into film. Way to connect your images (through metaphors? things with a double meaning?). Make them flow. And to tell a story.

Ooh, I just thought of contact sheets! You could do contact sheets. Who was that photographer who discovered moving images?

Examples of film:

Edit: found new video


Nuit Blanche from Spy Films on Vimeo.

Do not forget the word Vignette!!

In an article taken from the eight magazine, there was a photographer called Kousuke Okahara- images of his work- who seemed to use this 'vignette' technique (or that is what it looks like to me) to draw attention to these girls and the issues they face. These images were more about the fact that we are looking through a type of view finder. The images

Yesterday I took some images in the studio and altered them using faded black edges, burring techniques and I also altered the saturation using GIMP (I really have alot of trouble with photoshop):

I wish I tried wrapping the rope around this image. I'm unsure as to whether I should have blurred this image or not. I wanted to be softer, but I probably should have left it the way it was.

By the way, i'm starting to like colour, but I still love B&W.

Rodney Smith

http://rodneysmith.com/blog/

An interesting photographer. His blog has a lot of indepth info into his photographs.

A good example of reflecting on experiences and lead ups towards his work.

Submersion 2

2010

A place to escape 3

2010

Faces of Fear 1, 2, 3 and 4

2010

2010

2010

2010

Fear changes people in various ways. These images are about the transformation I go through when fear takes  over me.