For my third project, I have chosen the theme Fantastic and Strange. My reasoning for this is that before researching the theme, I knew it would be a topic I would enjoy and interest me. I then researched some photographers and their work immediately inspired me to produce my own.
Mind map:
Analysis of Dan Mountford
Looking at the chosen image created by Dan Mountford, I can see that double exposure has been used as the two images are lying on top of each other. To describe the image, I would say it was deep in thought and unique as you can see the outline of a girl looking down like she’s thinking about various thoughts. In order to create the layering, Mountford would have taken two photos and altered the image on top’s opacity so it blends with the background therefore affecting the way we would perceive the overall outcome.
Mountford has decreased the saturation making the image black and white, giving more of a quiet simple effect. We notice that on one side of the photo it is brighter which then fades into a greyish tone.
What interests me the most about this picture is there are different shapes created from the branches and how adding an image over the top gives a different meaning. An aspect that is interesting in this image is that you can’t make out any facial detailing despite her eyes which gives a mysterious vibe. This picture is effective as the background is well blended with the foreground. Viewing this image, I think that the girl could be lost by herself and is wandering through a dark forest deep in thought as the mood given off is quite depressing and dark. This picture is effective as the background is well blended with the foreground.
Dan Mountford: Photo Plan
For this photo shoot, my goal is to use portraits of either animals or humans and use double exposure in order to replicate similar style images to Mountford's own work. I will also collect images different buildings from various angles to also incorporate within some photos. As the colours vary throughout Mountfords work, I will also modify my picture through Photoshop to appear in similar form. I will use my own camera, a Nikon D3300, to collect these images.
In this photograph, I have selected from the photographer Antonio Mora, I can identify a half portrait of a female whose upper half has been blended into the arches of a bridge acting like eyes. I would describe Mora's work as clever and unique as he is use the natural shape of an eye and blended it with a man made creation. It is a natural image as the face has not had anything changed to it, nor the bridge other than the colour tone.
In order to produce work such as this, it would have needed to have been created on an editing programme such as photo shop as there are two images blended into one overall image. The shape of the arches are cleverly position into the region the females eyes would have naturally been, making a viewer look twice at the image before realizing.
The dim light reflected onto the water from the sky which is blended out into the skin tone effectively. The work by Mora interests me as he takes man made objects similar to facial features of humans and portraits, blends the both images together creating s new image of a structured face.
What I found most intriguing about this individual is that both images have been blended ell together which effectively gives and illusion that there would be eyes in their place and they are similar shapes. I think that’s the archways in the bridges structure represent what she is looking at or picturing in her mind as it shows a long stream. If I were to be featured in the photograph, I would and I would think of the word Open minded because the archways are always open. It could connote that the person is ambitious and wants picture the future. A reason behind them posting this work is that he could be portray someone’s feelings or his own through them therefore other people can open up to them.
Antonio Mora: Photo Plan
For this particular photographer, I will be aiming to takes some new portraits of models as well as using previous photos I have taken in my last projects photo shoots. I also have decided combine photos I had capture on holiday whilst in the Isle of Wight, August 2015. I will need to take pictures of areas I can associate with facial features in the style of Mora and incorporate them within my work, using portraits to overlap them and create a final piece with Photoshop. In order to achieve this, I will visit different places to look for inspiration and capture different angles of images so I can merge the two images together, like how Mora has produced his work, and then edit them further using Photoshop. I will use my own camera, a Nikon D3300, to collect these images.
The photograph I have chosen to analyse is by a photographer called Jerry Uelsmann and featured in the image I can identify reflection between opposite seasons. On the upper half of the picture, there is a dead, autumnal tree however on the lower side in the reflection of the water, we observe a spring-like tree surrounded by other miniature vegetation. As the photo has been manipulated in a way so that the upper half is lacking light, it gives the impression of a lifeless picture, whereas below we see blossoming tree’s which connotes that it is much more alive and gives a pleasant vibe. Looking at the image above, I would say that this is a realistic image as it is portraying the different seasons throughout the year.
To capture this image, a camera would have been used at different stages of the year in the same area in order to then layer two images via photo shop creating a different visual perspective. This picture has been manipulated in photo shop as we can see that from the reflection in the water, it is mirroring the sunlight in the sky however the autumnal picture has been layered over with darker tones to create an obvious separation between seasons. Arguably, this picture is different from real life as it is doesn’t reflex its image in the water as it would have done in real life, although we know the photo has been edited also due to the saturation. What interests me the most about Uelsmann’s work is his use of reflections and also symmetry as it can allow you to create different concepts such as the image above which follows on to create an altered meaning. What strikes me as most interesting about this image is his use of reflection where he has altered it to create the opposite of one half of the image and it could also be perceived either way.
What I think the meaning behind the picture is that the seasons are reoccurring and they are continuous so whichever way the image is viewed, it’s like a constant cycle. If I were to imaging myself inside of the upper half of the photo, I would imagine it to be wintry, gusty and damp whereas the bottom half would seem fresh, awake and green. This image could also be portraying moods likes, loneliness and happiness which are also two opposite feelings.
I think this image is effective as it could be perceived in different ways such as emotions allowing viewers to connect with the photograph. If other people were to look at this and other examples of Uelsmann’s work I think they would be able to connect with many of his creations and say that they are very unique. From researching his work, I have learned to view events in a different manor to what I would initially think therefore opening my range of thought and I can add more meaning into my personal work.
Jerry Uelsmann: Photo Plan
In this photo shoot, I will be aiming to take pictures of woodlands, meaning trees, water ripples, lakes, hands and different positions and close ups of eyes, lips and ears. I will visit places such as Willington in order to capture similar scenery and will continue to find new angles and various other areas. In order to take photos of eyes, lips and ears I will use myself and also a model. Once having done this I will crop them and layer them over another image I have taken and blend them together, finishing off with decreasing the saturation levels like Uelsmann. When editing these images on Photoshop, I will mirror the Woodlands and trees to create a similar effect to how Uelsmann produced his work. I will use my own camera, a Nikon D3300, to collect these images.
In order to develop my edits further I will aim to focus on producing mixed media for the photographer Antonio Mora. I will also produce at least 8 final edits vary the amount for each photographer. Antonio's work features laying images over others to create a final product which is effective. To include this in my work, I will complete a further photo-shoot consisting of new profiles and different models to ensure a range of images to incorporate within the investigation. For each final edit I want to improve on my editing skills in Adobe Photoshop and produce better outcomes overall. My strongest edit from Antonio Mora involved British currencies of a two pence piece. Another strong edit I produced was from Dan Mountford involving double exposure. Lastly, my strongest edit from Jerry Uelsmann involved a mirroring process.