Moderation Portfolio Surrealism Still Life
Alexa Boldy
Surrealism Alexa Boldy
What is Surrealism?
Definition: Surrealism was an artistic and literary movement, dedicated to expressing the imagination as revealed in dreams, free of the conscious control of reason and convention. Surrealism inherited an anti-rationalist sensibility from Dada, and was shaped by emerging theories on our perception of reality, especially Sigmund Freud's model of the subconscious. Surrealism to me is the blur between dreams and reality. It is pairing the ordinary with the extraordinary to create a new image.
characters
horror Fairy-tale
distortions
Fantasy Levitation Human body levitation
Surrealism techniques
Transparency
multimedia
Altered reality
Giant animals dislocation Tiny humans
transformation
Putting things where they're not meant to be
opposites
Tim Walker Defying expectations
Idea Development
I’ve decided to follow the theme of characters in my project. I chose this topic as I think that I could explore a range of photographic and surreal techniques by creating a mix of images. Whilst thinking of the word characters, I immediately think of stories and memorable characters within different stories. I began to look at different characters within fairy tales and so decided to find iconic characters and represent them throughout an image.
Lissy Elle I really the dreamlike effect of Lissy Elle’s images. She has used a levitation technique which includes work on Photoshop to achieve this. I also like the textured overlays that she has applied as I think it makes the images look more authentic and less digitally manipulated. I think that her use of sets is interesting and each one is appropriate for the image.
Little Red Riding Hood
Shoot Idea I’ve chosen to take a photographic adaptation of the character Little Red Riding Hood. I’ve ordered a red cape from the internet which my model will wear. The model will also wear a simple blue dress to add to the childlike look. Similarly to Lissy Elle, I would like to do a levitation image with a simple set, so that the focus will be drawn to the character. In Lissy Elle's work, I really liked how the characters would look as if they are emerging from a story book, so I have found a large book which I will use as a prop.
Test Levitation shoot
I wanted to see whether I could do a levitation shot well enough to take it further, so I did a self portrait levitation photograph quickly. I used a chair balanced on my bed to create the illusion that I was flying, then edited it on Photoshop. I’m happy with the result and feel confident enough to try it in full costume with a model.
Shoot
In order to make the model levitate I needed to take an image of the scene with no one in it, then I placed a metal bench in the scene and got my model to pose on it. I had to make sure to use a tripod so that the images were in exactly the same place. I knew that if I took away the bench in post-production, the model would have to look as if she were actually flying so the pose had to be authentic.
Photoshop Tutorial
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Put the two images into Photoshop, one of the background and one with model in. Go on the image of the background and press ‘ctrl A’ to select the whole image, then ‘ctrl C’ to copy it. Go to the image of the model and press ‘ctrl V’ to paste the background image onto it. Create a layer mask and press ‘ctrl I’ to invert the layer mask. Select a brush tool in a white colour (opposite to the layer mask) and start to erase the areas where the bench is.
Developments I had a problem when editing the bench out of the image because I had the cloak situated at the other side of the bench. I selected a brush tool and coloured in the areas where the bench was.
Developments
I changed the curves of the image in Photoshop, just to add a bit of contrast. I then downloaded a brush tool from Deviant Art which looked like light rays. I thought that this looked effective as they emerged from the book.
Developments
I added a coloured gradient to this image which added to the ‘fantasy’ effect. However I think that the image is still quite dark and want it to be lighter.
I added a pastel coloured gradient with this development as I thought that I needed to add a lighter tone to the image. I think that this looks effective and highlights the character.
I added a ‘grain’ filter to this edit, I did this because I thought that it would make the image look like it had been taken from an old story book.
Final Image
Lesia Paramonova Lesia Paramonova is a fashion designer who presents her pieces through beautiful photography and multimedia illustration. She often puts a border around her images which give it a general theme, I’d really like to do this with my Red Riding Hood image, with a woodland image behind it.
Final Image
Pocahontas
Alex Stoddard
Alex Stoddard manages to create aesthetically beautiful images, whilst also portraying a message within. Many of his photographs are situated outside which I really like. I love how he manages to capture raw human emotion whilst creating such vivid sets. I found his work inspiring because I would like my next shoot to be situated in a woodlands, and show Pocahontas in nature.
Shoot Plan
Set: Woodlands, within the flowers or a dense section of trees. Very green colours. Costume: White dress or green clothing Lighting: Natural lighting will be used, shoot will take place in the evening to the light is slowly leaving.
Below are my favourite images from the photo shoot.
Rule of thirds
I incorporated the ‘rule of thirds’ within this shot as I wanted to make the image more interesting. By placing the model on the right line of the grid means that she is considerably off centre and therefore creating an additional point of interest.
Development
I wanted to make the image have more of a green tone, so I went into curves and changed them so that I the plant colours popped out.
Development
The curves were changed on the image, as well as the saturation increased. I then added a coloured gradient to make the model pop out, however I feel as though the colours are too harsh.
I added a coloured gradient and changed the settings to ‘radial’ then I inverted the colours so that the sun stood out. I like the colours in this edit as there is a mix of purples and greens, however I still want my model to stand out more.
I added a green colour overlay to the image to bring out the plant colour. I think this looks effective as it makes the earthy tones stand out. However it makes the model fade into the background.
Final Development
original I increased the saturation to the image and then used the dodge tool over the models body because I wanted to highlight her so that she stood out. I then added a green colour overlay and decreased the opacity.
Shallow Depth of Field
I tried to create a shallow depth of field effect with this image, by getting the features in the foreground of the images in focus, and blurring the background. I did this because I wanted to show my character ‘Pocahontas’ lying within nature and knew that if I blurred areas of the image, it would add depth and also give the illusion that she is sleeping.
Development
I added a black and white filter to this image. I think the effect looks quite surreal and adds a darker tone to the image. I really want the image to look light with earthy tones, whereas this black and white filter makes it look quite haunted.
I increased the saturation of this image, then added an orange colour overlay, I did this to make the image a little brighter. Then I went into ‘curves’ and edited the image so that the background became darker, with a red tone compared to the foreground which became lighter.
A ‘rough pastels’ filter was added because it gave the image texture which looked really interesting. However, I feel as though some of the image quality is lost through this filter.
original
I used a light flare brush tool which I downloaded from Deviant Art which added to the sun flare coming from the top right of the image. I then added a yellow colour overlay and used the dodge tool on the plants to make them appear as if the sun is shining onto them.
I added a yellow colour overlay to this image and changed the curves so that the flowers looked a vibrant orange. I then used the dodge tool on the Sun to make it appear brighter.
Tinker-belle
Photo shoot idea
I had the idea to have the character of Tinker-belle standing in front of a large tree in a field, with large gold stars surrounding her, either attached to the tree or hanging from it. I wanted the model to be bare foot whilst wearing a long flowing floral maxi dress with large fairy wings coming out from behind the dress.
Reshoot
I decided that the photographs that I had taken weren’t how I had planned, so decided to do a reshoot in a bluebell woods. The woods were an ideal location for Tinker-belle, as that is where the fairies live in Peter Pan. I had a green smoke grenade to use, to decided to incorporate this into the shot, as if it were her magic dust. The model still wore the ling floral dress as I thought it really fitted the character. We used natural light, however it would have been effective to have two soft boxes on location, especially if we shot at night time, because it would give off a very magical and mysterious effect.
Tinker-belle Costume
I got the model to wear a floral maxi dress which was made out of chiffon so it was very floaty. This was effective as the model could twirl and it the dress would look elegant. I made a pair of wings by bending two bamboo sticks and tying them together with string. Then using a glue gun around the wood and wrapping yellow crepe around the wood so that it covered the wood. I then used blue string to create the ‘veins’ of the wings. I made sure to leave a section of the bamboo stick out so that I could tuck it in. I got the model to wear a plaited belt, which the wings would be tucked and taped into.
I used a high speed continuous shutter in manual mode to capture the smoke. I did this because the smoke grenades stops after one minute so I needed to capture as much of it as possible. I got the model to wave the grenade around her so that it gave the illusion of a wand and fairy dust. I think this looks really effective and blends with the forest backdrop. I had to use an ISO of 1000 because the light was beginning to fade.
Development
I increased the contrast of this image, then sued the dodge tool on the smoke so that it appeared lighter and stood out more. I then added a purple colour overlay because I wanted the bluebells to stand out. I then went into curves and edited the image so that the outer areas were darker than the middle section where the model was standing.
I added contrast to the image because I felt as though the previous image wasn’t saturated enough.
A green colour overlay was added and the contrast was increased. I did this because I wanted the image to look sharp and crisp with a dark edge. I added a coloured gradient to add colour to the image.
Development
I decreased the saturation and selected a brush tool in the same colour as the smoke, then added to it to make it appear greener than it was. I then added a lilac colour overlay. I really like the effect of this image as it looks like it could be placed in a fairy-tale book.
I cropped the image to a square because I felt as though a lot of the main focus was in this area anyway. Although I do like the effect of the crop, I also think that the image looks striking when there are more bluebells on show. I increased the contrast and made the image darker.
I went into colour channels and experimented with the colour until I came up with this combination. I really like how surreal the image looks as the colours are so vibrant and unnatural. However I prefer when the image looks more natural because then the fairy looks more surreal.
Development
I wanted to give the illusion that Tinker-belle was using her fairy powers, so in postproduction, I added a purple colour overlay, increased the saturation and contrast then selected a small brush in a white colour and created little dots coming out of her finger as if she was performing magic.
Final Image
Final Image
Mulan Whilst researching the character ‘Mulan’, I found her hidden identity quite interesting. I thought that I could create a shot which portrayed a masked identity.
Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin I found these artists who paint faces on the models hands then gets them to stand naked in poses, concealing their faces. I found this concept really interesting because it’s unique. The faces are usually in a shocked expression which gives the illusion that the models have been caught off guard, yet the painted face is showing their inner embarrassment. I’m going to try and recreate this idea in my project to show the character Mulan and represent the stage in which she conceals her true identity.
Plan and Painting
I wanted to shoot the images in black and white, similarly to the artist. I painted on the face with white face paint and an eyeliner. This worked effectively because the liner had a very fine point so I was able to add details easily. I put the models hair up in a bun using a donut ring piece, this got all of the hair out of her face so that the main focus was the face paint.
Original Image
I situated the lighting above the model as I didn’t do the hands were not in front of the models face, this style of 'effect. I used an ISO of 200 because I didn’t want the tripod as I needed to use a low shutter speed so needed to image didn’t come out blurred.
shoot in lighting image to keep the
a studio setting. If the would have a ‘butterfly be too bright. I used a camera still so that the
Development
I increased the contrast of the image so that the facial features popped out. I then edited the images ‘curves’ so that the hair became darker and the hands brighter.
I added a sepia filter to the image because I think the ‘golden 'hue looked quite eye catching. I then increased the contrast and vibrancy so that the features stood out.
Post-production development
Eye on the right after using dodge and burn tools
I made the image black and white because I thought that it was more striking. I then zoomed in on the facial features and used the dodge and burn tools so brighten them and make them stand out. I then added a radial inverted gradient so that the centre of the image was lighter that the outer areas, this looked effective as more attention was put on the face.
Final Image
Artist Comparison I used this specific picture as a point of reference when I was painting on the models face. I think that the image came out very well however if I were to do a reshoot, I would do it in a studio, using two soft boxes and a flash gun so that my images don’t have such a harsh colour and a grunge effect.
Hattie Stewart
Hattie Stewart is an illustrator who is famous for her ‘doodling’ on famous magazine covers. She will use a range of pens and paints to recreate the magazine cover using her own illustrations. I really like the effect as it looks so surreal, striking and contemporary. I am going to print of one of my images and paint and draw onto it similarly to Hattie Stewart to create a ‘pop art’ effect.
Multimedia Development
I thought that I could do something with the negative space in the image so decided to print the image off then paint details on it with a fine brush and white paint. I quite like the effect that it has as it adds texture to the image.
Captain Hook
Kyle Thompson
I love the vibrancy of Kyle Thompson’s images. He often sets his images outdoors which I really like as it gives them a raw, authentic feel. In these two images, he has used coloured smoke bombs. I love the effect that they have as it makes the image look so surreal. I’d really like to try and use a smoke grenade in my next image as I think that it would go well with my character ‘Captain Hook’ as it will symbolise the ocean.
Shoot Plan Costume
I wanted the Captain Hook character to not look too theatrical so I used normal clothes and styled them in a way to make them look like a pirate outfit. I used a floppy hat which I taped up to make look like Captain Hooks hat. I then got the model to wear some baggy trousers with suspenders, a large brown belt, a loose white shirt and a number of pearl necklaces with large gold hooped earrings. I then chose a pair of knee length brown boots for the model to wear with the costume. I think that the outfit looked very effective when paired with the pirate flag which I created. The pirate flag was made out of 4 sheets of A3 black paper with a skull drawn on with white chalk. The flag was then taped to a large wooden curtain pole.
I ordered a blue smoke bomb from the internet because I wanted the blue smoke to symbolise the ocean. The cardboard box was created as a guideline for a wooden boat to be photo shopped into the image. I wasn’t too pleased with how the images turned out because I felt as if the setting was wrong and didn’t match the image and because we were in an open field, the smoke dispersed quite quickly.
I added a gradient with a radial effect which meant that the centre was lighter than the outer corners. This effect added dimension to the image. I then created a shadow around the cardboard box using the burn tool to make the boat which I would add in look as if it was actually there. I found an image of a boat on the internet and changed the curves of the image so that it was the same colour as the background. I then used the eraser tool to remove the bottom of the boat so that it looked as if it was sunken into the ground. I then used the eraser tool to make it look as if the model was resting her foot on the boat. Overall I wasn’t very happy with the outcome because I couldn’t get the boat to look as if it was within the image. Looking at the images, I knew that I wanted to do a re-shoot in a more appropriate and striking setting.
Reshoot
As the models and I were walking back with all of the props, I spotted a section in the forest where bluebells were growing. I immediately thought that this would be a perfect location for the photo-shoot. The bluebells would symbolise the ocean and the smoke grenade would symbolise war and violence to Captain Hook. I used the same props, excluding the cardboard boat, and the same costume because I think that they worked well within the image.
I decided to take a range of shots because I wanted a large scope of images to be able to choose from. I took some close up portraits to capture Captain Hooks expression.
I also decided to take some shots in landscape because I wanted to capture the whole scene. As the smoke was beginning to disperse, I got the model to move to the area where it was covering. I really like the middle shot because it’s very central. I really like the models stance in the shot as I wanted her to look bold and strong. There was no wind in this area of the forest so the smoke lingered for quite a while which was really useful as it meant that I could take more pictures. I used a high speed continuous shutter because the smoke grenade didn’t last longer than a minute.
I added an orange colour overlay and a pastel coloured gradient to this edit because I wanted to make the forest look bright. I really like the effect of this as it adds a sense of magic to the image.
I decreased the saturation in this image so that the colours were dulled slightly. I then used the dodge tool on the smoke so that it appeared brighter. I then altered the contrast to that elements of the image stood out.
I added a purple colour overlay to this image which I think looked really effective as it make the image a bit darker which went well with the characters overall look. I then used the burn tool on the models costume and the dodge tool on the models face so that it was highlighted.
Multimedia Development
I got my images printed and mounted and decided to add some texture by splattering paint onto the image. I thought this looked effective as it made the scene look like a war scene which gave the image a different meaning
Final Edit I chose these images as my final edits and decided to use the same post-production technique on both because I wanted to create a series of similar images. I added a purple colour overlay, edited the curves and added contrast to the image. I then added a gradient so that the centre of the image was brighter than the outer corners.
I think the paint splatters look effective as they add texture and dimension to the image and give it another meaning.
I then further developed the paint splatters by using a plastic fork to drag the paint along the picture. This added texture to the image which I really liked.
Still Life project has been presented in a Sketchbook.
Alexa Boldy www.alexasimagination.blogspot.com alexa.boldy@gmail.com Instagram: @alexayo