Powerpoint Presentation - The Object and The Body Unit RPHC4001

8/13/2019 Powerpoint Presentation - The Object and The Body Unit RPHC4001

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The Object and The BodyUnit RPHC4001

Part 1

The Body



The Brief

• The brief for the first part of the Body and Object

project was to photograph someone in the

community in their work environment.

• Then we were to invite them into the university to

take photographs of them in the studio.



The Research

• I began my research by looking at photographers

who photograph workers in their work environment.

• Song Chao’s series ‘Miners’ appealed to me as theworkers are shown unwashed and in their working

clothes.

• The viewer can see immediately what Chao’s

intention was by the props and clothes he used.



http://payload26.cargocollective.com/1/5/173208/2838392/u732mS61371156498303_905.jpg





• The impact that photographing a body can achieve

will vary according to the context.

• This can be seen clearly in the work of Carl Warner.

• His images portray the body looking like a landscape.







My concept

•

I decided to use the local library as my focus and make the concept:How, and if, Libraries are Affected in the Age of Technology.

• I devised a short questionnaire so I could get the answers to thismatter. The manager from my local library completed it.

• The general opinion was that technology is not affecting library use.(See completed survey on my blog.)

• Representing my subject appropriately to allow the viewer tounderstand the image was going be crucial.

• Therefore, the choice of appropriate props was vital to my issue andwhat I was trying to portray.



• The importance of props can also be seen in the

work of Steven Karl Metzer.

• His images entitled ‘Workers’ contain props thatallow the viewer to understand the image.







The Studio Portrait Shoot

• As we tend to think of people who work in the

community as friendly and approachable, I wanted

my image to reflect this.

• I thought if I used a soft-lit, but bright lighting, this

would help create this impression.



Equipment used

• Bronica medium format

camera

• 135 lens

• Black and white film

• ISO 160

•

Shooting at F8

• 4 poly boards

• 2 large soft boxes

• 2 shallow discs

• 2 light packs

• Sync cord/light meter

• 1 library book/iphone

• White background

•4 lights



• For this shoot, I was using a medium format Bronicacamera on aperture F8.

• My film was a Black and White ISO160.

• I used the 80 lens first of all, but that kept showingthe edges of the back drop so I experimented with

the 120 and 135 for a longer lens.

• I chose the 135 and this worked for me.



• I asked my model to pose with a book in one hand

and an iphone in the other to represent people

choosing the internet over the library.

• My choice of props were simple, but I felt they

represented what my issue was and shows clearlywhat I was trying to achieve.



The Process

Step 1. I set up four poly boards, arranged into two

corners.

Step 2. After pulling the white background down, Ipositioned two lights with shallow discs on to face

into the corners of the poly board to achieve the soft

lighting effect.



Step 3. I also positioned two soft boxes in front of my model sothat they were facing her. This cancelled out any shadows andmade her more illuminated.

Step 4. I used the light meter to make the exposure correctbefore my model went into position.

As my theme was ‘the library in the age of technology’ I tooksome shots of my model holding a library book and some withher holding her iPhone.

I then took some of her holding both together to representpeople choosing the internet over the library.







The Environment Portrait Shoot

• The second part of this project is where I shot the librarian inher work environment.

• I took along a medium format Bronica and a tripod.

• I used an 80 lens.

• This turned out to be a much more basic shoot.

• I decided not to use artificial light as there is a lot of daylightin the library.



• I asked my model to look straight into the camera

while she was between the aisles.

• I felt this would make the image more effective.

• For some poses she had a book in her hand.

• I made sure she was wearing her identity badge so

the viewer can see that she is the librarian.







• Overall, I felt my research supported my concept in

that it made me realise how important props were to

allow the viewer to understand the image.

• Even simple props can achieve this effect.

•

I could improve next time by researchingphotographs which were related more to what I had

chosen focus on.



• I chose my final images for the reasons that the

studio shot showed the meaning of my concept by

the props my model was holding.

• The library shot was chosen as I felt the exposure

was good, and as the subject was closer to the

camera it seemed to work better. She also had a

book in her hand which added to the understanding

of being in a library environment.



• I feel I have kept up with my studies all through this

task.

• I have done lots of research which helped me decidehow I wanted my final shots to look.



• I feel the biggest challenge for me on this task wascontacting someone in the community and arrangingfor them to take part in this project. It was mademore stressful in that, through no fault of my own, it

didn’t come off. Luckily Adele in the Uni librarystepped in for me.

• Next time, I should ensure the volunteer iscommitted and be more confident about pinningthem down to a time, as I had no idea that myoriginal model was going to let me down as sheseemed keen to do this.



The Object and BodyUnit RPHC4001

Part 2

The Object



The Brief

• The second part of the brief for the Body and Object

project was Still Life.

• I decided to focus on Consumerism.

• I made the issue: What People Want, Rather Than

What People Need



The Research

• I began by reading media articles and consumer opinions.

• Through my research, I could see that we live in a societywhere designer wear is very often associated with socialstatus.

• Life can be seen by some as being all about status andfitting into different categories.

• However, while this is fine for people who can afford it,many are drawn into this culture who can’t afford it.



I particularly liked these two images





• A report on www.swns.com tells of a fashion-

obsessed mother has spent £20,000 on designer

clothes for her 8 year old son.

• Another report in www.mirror.co.uk tells of the

mother who sometimes goes without food so she

can buy the latest designer outfit for her toddler.

http://www.swns.com/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

http://www.swns.com/



• I began to think how I could convey my Still Life to

reflect this ‘frenzy’ of designer must-haves.

• I started to put together the idea of using reflectionaround the designer bags and boxes so I could distort

the image.

• This would create the effect of the distorted image in

the consumer’s mind.



• Next, I researched photographers who distort their

images.

• Andre Kertesz distorts images of bodies.

• However, I thought I could apply his concept to my

images.





I liked these images by Randy Scott Slavin as although

they are a distortion, they are circular.





• I also looked at photographs of reflected images and

realised that this could be the way to create the

distorted image that these consumers have in their

minds.





The Object Shoot

• I decided to use reflection to produce a distorted

image of the bags and boxes.

• This was to create the illusion of how people can geta distorted view in their minds of having to buy

expensive designer products.



Equipment Used

• Horseman camera

• Large format film

• Mirror board

• Metal rod

• String

• Designer bags and boxes

• 2 black polyboards



Stage 1. I bent the mirror board into a tube.

Stage 2. I hung the bags on thread and suspended

them on a metal rod so that they looked as thoughthey were floating in the middle of the tube.

Stage 3. I placed two honeycomb lights to see whichposition would work best.



Stage 4. I then took a few practice shots on a digitalcamera to see what effect I would get.

Stage 5. Two black poly boards were set up on the sideso no other light could reflect on it.

Stage 6. When I found the best direction to shoot in, I

set up the Horseman camera.



Stage 7. Then I did a practice shot to test that the focus

and the aperture were right.

Stage 8. Next, I processed it and scanned the negativeinto the computer.

I decided it was too dark so I changed the settings tomake it lighter.



Contact Sheet



Final Images







Digital Printing

• Trying to match the analogue print with the digital

print was difficult because when I was scanning the

negative, the negative holder was cutting off a tiny

section of the top.

• So, it didn’t matter how much I tried it was

impossible to get the top of it right.



• My research supports my concept as I looked at artists whowere trying to make a point about consumerism. I foundmedia reports which told of consumers who had got theirobsession out of control.

• I looked at photographers who reflected or distorted images.

• This gave me ideas for how to portray the distorted imagesthat these particular consumers have in their mind.

• Next time, to improve my research, I could devise aquestionnaire, take it to a shopping centre with designershops and ask consumers about their shopping habits.



• The images I chose were because they were more in

focus which made the logos clearer.

• My visual choices translate my ideas well as I wantedto create the illusion of how people can get a

distorted view in their minds of having to have

designer products and the mirror boards distorted

my image.



• I managed my studies well, even though the project

was running alongside the Portrait project. I spent a

lot of time researching media articles, comments

from consumers, artists and photographers.

• I need to reflect that I should have thought a bit

more about the props I needed for this shoot as it

ended up being a bit stressful.



• There were lots of challenges on this project, but the

most significant one for me was it was hard to know

what to focus on as there was so much reflection.

• If I did it again, I would think more about a central

focus point.

Documents

Powerpoint Presentation - The Object and The Body Unit RPHC4001