Reflection
I have chosen this question (reflection) because it has quite a big span of things to include. Reflection really grabbed my attention as I can show opposites of emotions in objects (mirrors, puddles). I have three main ideas for my project which all link together by the theme reflections and emotions. I'm not sure if all my ideas are going to turn out as well as I want them to hense why I have three which all follow from each other to see which was my favourite and what i want to do for my final piece. For each of my shoots i need to make sure the angle is correct and that you cant see the camera in any of the pictures.
For my first shoot im going to complete is using a water. the shoot will come in three parts which come together to make a 3 pictured narrative. The first photo will be of my model looking into the water smiling, the next is the water being stepped in or touching it with hands so it ripples and the last is of the model looking sad. My next shoot will be of a model is holding a mirror over their stomach and in the mirror the opposite of their emotions is wrote. For example, the model will be smiling but in the mirror it'll 'sad'. My third idea is using makeup and a mirror again. The photo will show one of my models done up really nicely but in the mirror her makeup will be running and hair will be a mess.
For my first shoot im going to complete is using a water. the shoot will come in three parts which come together to make a 3 pictured narrative. The first photo will be of my model looking into the water smiling, the next is the water being stepped in or touching it with hands so it ripples and the last is of the model looking sad. My next shoot will be of a model is holding a mirror over their stomach and in the mirror the opposite of their emotions is wrote. For example, the model will be smiling but in the mirror it'll 'sad'. My third idea is using makeup and a mirror again. The photo will show one of my models done up really nicely but in the mirror her makeup will be running and hair will be a mess.
SHOOT 1
My first shoot, which is above, is inspired by Naoya Hatakoeyama. He takes photos of her landscapes reflected in the water so I have done the same. My photos came out very well and I am very pleased with them. From this shoot I am going to do my idea of the emotions changing reflecting in water as they follow on from eachother.
TOM HUSSEY CRITICAL ANALYSIS - "Reflections of the Past"
Tom Hussey got inspired by photography after his father got a camera in the 1970s. He got the idea of doing "Reflections of the Past" after talking to an 80 year old WWII veteran. The photos show an elderly person looking into a mirror and seeing themselves when they were younger. The project was made for a new medicine used for Alzheimers in 2009.
The photo is part of a series which includes elderly people looking into a mirror and seeing their younger selves. The colours in the photo are quite old fashioned and bland. The main focus of the picture is the mirror and the woman looking into it, but around the mirror there is lamps and photos so it isn't empty. It looks like the woman's bedroom and not a set.
Hussey uses a Nikon camera and lenses. He uses photoshop to create the reflection in the mirror. Each person in the photograph is doing a similar thing with their body - whether that is holding something or looking in a certain direction. It is a 2D photograph using rule of thirds. Your attention is drawn to the mirror and the woman. I like this photo because gives off a happy feel. The fact the project supported an Alzheimers medicine has a personal meaning to me and my family.
Below are some more of Tom Hussey's "Reflections of the Past" photos which I like:
The photo is part of a series which includes elderly people looking into a mirror and seeing their younger selves. The colours in the photo are quite old fashioned and bland. The main focus of the picture is the mirror and the woman looking into it, but around the mirror there is lamps and photos so it isn't empty. It looks like the woman's bedroom and not a set.
Hussey uses a Nikon camera and lenses. He uses photoshop to create the reflection in the mirror. Each person in the photograph is doing a similar thing with their body - whether that is holding something or looking in a certain direction. It is a 2D photograph using rule of thirds. Your attention is drawn to the mirror and the woman. I like this photo because gives off a happy feel. The fact the project supported an Alzheimers medicine has a personal meaning to me and my family.
Below are some more of Tom Hussey's "Reflections of the Past" photos which I like:
SHOOT 2
This shoot was completed in school which isn't a good start as you can see the school environment. However, the photos turned out very well and i am pleased with my second shoot. I will edit these on photoshop to start developing my idea in to reflection of emotions. For my next shoot i am going to try to show reflections in water instead of using a mirror.
Edited photos
My first time editting on photoshop turned out very well. The photos show two different apperances in one photo. With the first 3 i editted the contrast and brightness levels, and with the other 6 i changed the mirror reflection.
Shoot 3
In this shoot i have devolped my idea even further and tried to do reflections in water. However, the facial expressions didn't come out clear in the photos. So I decided to edit the facial expressions into the water. Because the reflections were not clear i have decided to go back to mirros but add some water drops onto the mirror face
Edited photos
The photoshopped versions of this shoot were ok. You can now see the expressions but the face does looked photoshopped in which isnt what i want.
SHOOT 4
This shoot turned out very well and i am pleased with my results, all the photos are in focus.The water on the mirror made it look like tear drops and added to the effect. Although you can see the model looking happy and sad, there are more happy than sad which makes it difficult to edit because I have to use the same photos. The model also covered her face in the photos which hid the expressions. For my final shoot im going to do a similar one to this shoot but show more sadness. I will also have more photos where i can see her from on the side.
Edits of Shoot 4
These photos turned out well after photoshopping them as you can really see a clear reflection of emotion.
INTERIM REVIEW
I started my reflection project by explaining my ideas and why reflection grabbed my attention. I said three of my ideas and how they all link together to show a flip of emotions in a mirror. My ideas were all to do with reverse of emotions. One was using water, another with the mirror over a stomach and a word being written in the mirror and my final was just a normally looking into a mirror. I then developed a mindmap using popplet of my ideas and added information and pictures. The mindmap clearly shows my ideas and what I want to do with my project. To my website I added a moodboard consisting of 9 photos which caught my eye.
For my first shoot I was inspired by Naoya Hatakoeyama. The photos are reflections of trees in two different lakes, I then developed my idea further. Naoya Hatakoeyama photographed reflections of brightly coloured buildings in a canals. He done a series of photos like this. The photo looks a bit distorted as if the water has rippled.
My second shoot is of my model, Yasmin, looking into a mirror. The shoot went how I wanted it to apart from the background as you can tell we’re in a school. I then edited my three favourite photos from this shoot using photoshop. This shoot was inspired by Tom Hussey who did a series of photos called “Reflections of the Past” which has a similar concept to my ideas.
For my third shoot I tried to involve water again into my reflections. This was trying to mix Naoya Hatakoeyama’s work with Tom Hussey’s. I used my friend as a model and tried to show her emotions in the water. This didn’t exactly work out as you can only really see her legs in the reflection and not her face clear enough.
For my most recent shoot, number 4, I used my friend again and photographed her in the mirror. When she was looking happy there was no water on the mirror and everything was clear, but when she was meant to be looking sad i put drops of water of the mirror and on the models face – as if she was crying.
For my first shoot I was inspired by Naoya Hatakoeyama. The photos are reflections of trees in two different lakes, I then developed my idea further. Naoya Hatakoeyama photographed reflections of brightly coloured buildings in a canals. He done a series of photos like this. The photo looks a bit distorted as if the water has rippled.
My second shoot is of my model, Yasmin, looking into a mirror. The shoot went how I wanted it to apart from the background as you can tell we’re in a school. I then edited my three favourite photos from this shoot using photoshop. This shoot was inspired by Tom Hussey who did a series of photos called “Reflections of the Past” which has a similar concept to my ideas.
For my third shoot I tried to involve water again into my reflections. This was trying to mix Naoya Hatakoeyama’s work with Tom Hussey’s. I used my friend as a model and tried to show her emotions in the water. This didn’t exactly work out as you can only really see her legs in the reflection and not her face clear enough.
For my most recent shoot, number 4, I used my friend again and photographed her in the mirror. When she was looking happy there was no water on the mirror and everything was clear, but when she was meant to be looking sad i put drops of water of the mirror and on the models face – as if she was crying.
How i edit my photos
Critical Analysis - Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange was born on the 26th of May 1895 in New Jersey. Lange was a photojournalist and her photos showed the consequences of the great depression. She studied photography at Columbia university in New York. She opened her own portrait studio which was very successful. When the Great Depression happened she then started taking photographs of unemployed and homeless people. Her and her second husband then started looking at poverty - she would photograph the situations and Paul Schuster Taylor would interview. Lange's most famous photo is 'Migrant Mother'.
'Migrant Mother' shows a mother with two toddlers huddling into her hiding their faces, and a baby in her arms. The baby is almost hiding and not many people notice the child in her arms. This shows true emotion as you can clearly see how the mother is feeling. Lange said that this family 'has been living off frozen vegetables' and they just had to sell their car tires for money. The way this isn't set up and this is real life really adds to the effect of the image.
This photo gives off an upsetting aura because of the black and white and the look on the mother's face. Even though you can't see the children's facial expressions, the way they are positioned shows they are feeling upset. It's not just facial features that show emotions but also body language. The way the mother is sat with her hand on her face is also showing she isn't feeling happy and she is miserable. The mother looks worried and there is a slight frown on her face. The two boys facing away could either be shy because of the camera or upset and being close to their mother as comfort.
The fact this photo is real life and this actually happened makes it more meaningful, although it's only a picture it tells a story. You can picture yourself as the mother or the children. You can really see how they feel and you can imagine it too. This photo really grabs my attention and makes me think what they must be going through.
Below are some more of Dorothea Lange's photographs:
'Migrant Mother' shows a mother with two toddlers huddling into her hiding their faces, and a baby in her arms. The baby is almost hiding and not many people notice the child in her arms. This shows true emotion as you can clearly see how the mother is feeling. Lange said that this family 'has been living off frozen vegetables' and they just had to sell their car tires for money. The way this isn't set up and this is real life really adds to the effect of the image.
This photo gives off an upsetting aura because of the black and white and the look on the mother's face. Even though you can't see the children's facial expressions, the way they are positioned shows they are feeling upset. It's not just facial features that show emotions but also body language. The way the mother is sat with her hand on her face is also showing she isn't feeling happy and she is miserable. The mother looks worried and there is a slight frown on her face. The two boys facing away could either be shy because of the camera or upset and being close to their mother as comfort.
The fact this photo is real life and this actually happened makes it more meaningful, although it's only a picture it tells a story. You can picture yourself as the mother or the children. You can really see how they feel and you can imagine it too. This photo really grabs my attention and makes me think what they must be going through.
Below are some more of Dorothea Lange's photographs:
Shoot 5
This shoot was just a little experimental shoot developing towards my final idea. This isn't my best shoot but It leads to what could be my final piece, with multiple mirrors inside one big mirror. My last shoot is going to be like shoot 4 as i will be able to photoshop that better and i can have multiple choices for my final piece
Shoot 6
This shoot is my final shoot of this project and I will edit them to get to my final piece. I am very pleased with how these turn out and i hope the editing on photoshop goes well. The only problem is there isn't enough emotions showing and it is hard for my model to show the correct emotions without actually feeling it.
Final piece ideas
Above are 12 edited photos from Shoots 5 and 6. This is my final editing stage and next I will complete my final piece. My final piece is going to be a distorted joiner of one of these photos.
Final Piece
Evaluation
The main theme of my work is about the differnece in emotions and how you can look happy but be sad inside. I showed this my showing someone looking into the mirror smiling but in the mirror they are sad. In the image there is a girl who looks very happy and is smiling but in the mirror she is holding she looks sad and disapointed.The whole photo is bright and has a high contrast but in the mirror where she is looking sad it is in black and white. The mirror is meant to resemble what they are truly feeling and only they can see it. This relates to my theme as it shows reflection of emotions and is also using a mirror. Ive assembled the photo by cutting it in to 14 horizontal strips and organizing them into a distorted type pattern.
My work was inspired by Tom Hussey, David Hockney and Dorothea Lange. Tom Hussey done of projects called "reflections of the pass" which inspired me to do the reflection of emotions. His work made me photoshop the different emotions into the mirror. Dorothea Lange showed true emotions in her photography and I looked into her to try and get my model to show true emotions. Lange photographed real life situations which shows feelings. David Hockney created joiners which is what I've done for my final piece. I researched him in my 'narrative' project and he was the inspiration for my final design.
I changed the colour and contrast of my photos to show a clear differnence and make it stand out more. This will drag peoples attention into the mirror and the black and white effect shows sadness. I cut my photograph into horizontal lines which will drag people in as it is different and abstract. It'll make people look deeply into the photo as they have to imagine it as a whole so they take more on board. This also changes the shapes inside the photograph. It makes what was a basic circle into an odd pattern. Again this will catch peoples attention. I used these formal elements because they will make people look more into the photo and have their own interpretation of it. It will make the viewers think about it.
I created kind of a sad mood by using a flip of emotions. It makes the viewer think that even though someone may look happy, they might be miserable inside. You shouldn't just assume people are happy and cheerful because of how they look.
I made the work by firstly editing my photos using adobe photoshop until I was happy with a final piece. I then printed it out on a piece of A3 paper. I trimmed the photo down so that there were no white edges showing. Next i cut a bit of black card with a 3cm boarder around my image. Using a ruler i then drew strips 3 cm thick going vertically on the back of my image. I then cut each strip and layed it out roughly on my black card. I then suck each strip down in a certain format so that it made the design i wanted.
I am fairly pleased with my final piece, although if i were to do it again id do the stips thinner and do a smaller distance over each one. This will make the image more clear.
My work was inspired by Tom Hussey, David Hockney and Dorothea Lange. Tom Hussey done of projects called "reflections of the pass" which inspired me to do the reflection of emotions. His work made me photoshop the different emotions into the mirror. Dorothea Lange showed true emotions in her photography and I looked into her to try and get my model to show true emotions. Lange photographed real life situations which shows feelings. David Hockney created joiners which is what I've done for my final piece. I researched him in my 'narrative' project and he was the inspiration for my final design.
I changed the colour and contrast of my photos to show a clear differnence and make it stand out more. This will drag peoples attention into the mirror and the black and white effect shows sadness. I cut my photograph into horizontal lines which will drag people in as it is different and abstract. It'll make people look deeply into the photo as they have to imagine it as a whole so they take more on board. This also changes the shapes inside the photograph. It makes what was a basic circle into an odd pattern. Again this will catch peoples attention. I used these formal elements because they will make people look more into the photo and have their own interpretation of it. It will make the viewers think about it.
I created kind of a sad mood by using a flip of emotions. It makes the viewer think that even though someone may look happy, they might be miserable inside. You shouldn't just assume people are happy and cheerful because of how they look.
I made the work by firstly editing my photos using adobe photoshop until I was happy with a final piece. I then printed it out on a piece of A3 paper. I trimmed the photo down so that there were no white edges showing. Next i cut a bit of black card with a 3cm boarder around my image. Using a ruler i then drew strips 3 cm thick going vertically on the back of my image. I then cut each strip and layed it out roughly on my black card. I then suck each strip down in a certain format so that it made the design i wanted.
I am fairly pleased with my final piece, although if i were to do it again id do the stips thinner and do a smaller distance over each one. This will make the image more clear.