Self directed project

How can I as a photographer surprise the viewer through the manipulation of scale

Mood Board

Andrew James Ian Payne

Vincent Laforet

Juan Pablo Mejia

Ronaldo fonseca Skrek kogle

For my first idea I intend to look at the work of Frank Allias; he mainly focuses on the world of Miniature. Looking at his work I think I can Challenge myself in a way I haven't Thought of before. Whereas in the past I have gone into the city landscape and taken the safer option, This time I can work on a deeper detail and get more personal With the location. I will be photographing objects such as toy cars in a normal, life size landscape; whether its amongst leaves and a bushy scene or man-made city scene.

Frank Allias Franck Allais is self-taught photographer. He likes playing with every day things, and bringing them into another context. Allais born in France moved to Ireland and later moving again to London 15 years ago. He likes disrupting the conventional ways people see things and raises questions on everyday things we see.

"I like to question people's perceptions of objects whose role and function are so often taken for granted.

Photography allows me to play with the ordinary and present these things in a more unusual environment".

I chose to look at the work of Frank Allias because he presents a chance to experiment and come out of my comfort zone; whereas I normally jump Straight into a city landscape.

The locations he picks are very in depth with nature likewise through the whole project he emphasizes a detail in bushy and very natural sceneries; this is not a feature that drew me to him initially but I do believe it enhances the car, being the subject matter. The miniature car is what brought me in to the idea of the miniature world and attempting to capture everything we don’t notice.

Allias in this example shows an extensive range in colours that are very bright, they enhance the whole composition and hold it all together. This is a feature I would like to attempt as it gives a bright and happy sense to the photo.

Frank Allias examples

Idea 1 evaluation

For my first idea I chose to look at the work of Frank Allias as I was able to take away key aspects that should be considered when going into a miniature project. Before this I had little knowledge of how to achieve my intentions so upon finding his work I was happy to take on board anything I could derive from studying the concepts behind his miniature world.

Manipulation of scale is something I consider outside of my comfort zone however I applied myself to giving this idea a deeper meaning to possibly pick up where skill does not. I believe through the specific props I use I have shown a narrative based outlook on my images, for example the police car the keys and the green van connote a car chase to stop this van. For my development I not only wanted to show a scale in size but a scale in time, I did this through capturing technological icons that revolutionised the world such as the CD matched against a classic car. To emphasise this sense however I tried to present a ‘out with the old and in with the new’ take by having the old car being almost pushed out of the image allowing the new objects to dominate most compositions. I believe this showed a clear stage of progression as in my first few initial the old sense was really highlighted through my idea of symbolic objects based around the past such as the stamps.

I believe I have been successful in achieving my aims in idea 1, with the help of Frank Allias I think I have done well in something that was previously outside my compass for photography. My efforts to portray a narrative I believe have come through Reasonably strongly, this is the element of my first idea that I am most pleased with the outcome as it works well to supplement the story telling side hinted at in the development stage.

For my second idea I intend to dive into the idea of surprising an audience even further. I was limited in my first idea over my props, I hope to take it away from toy cars and bring it more to organic objects and animated connotations.

This may prove to be harder than idea 1 as idea quality must be a point for improvement. I must also find an effective way to emphasize miniatures In their big environment; I hope to achieve this by making a point of vibrant, contrasts and sharp colours.

Pierre Javelle and Akiko Ida Akiko Ida is a Japanese born artist, specializes in food and lifestyle photography. She is now based in Paris with her husband. Her work appears in many magazines and cookbooks in Europe as well as in the US and in Japan. Her work, together with her husband Pierre Javelle.

The two of them present a miniature world through innovative close ups of food and toys Interaction, The series in a way looks like it Could take inspiration from Toy Story and the Borrowers. The characters as we can see in the example are engaged in a variety of extraordinary events and activities.

The project started in 2002, since then the Series has took flight and grown to over 60 images. To compensate the projects extent The couple created a website Minimiam.com.

I found the work of Javelle and Ida after searching for an artist who could present to me an interesting way of looking at miniatures and how we as photographers can bring them to life through an array of vibrant colours and surprising scenarios.

Pierre Javelle and Akiko Ida examples

Idea 2 evaluation For my second idea I chose to look at the couple Pierre Javelle and Akiko Ida. These two people worked together to create a project that I found to be one of my favorite to analyze. It takes a less serious approach to photography and shows a playful outlook on real life situations; this is something I welcomed very easily as it was a concept that I had never come across more over even thought of before. Javelle and Ida’s work presented me with an opportunity to reflect the uplifting mood they set and more play than work with different kind of foods and situations that in a few images embody real life locations such as the penguins and the ice.

In all my images I have tried to use colours that in a way dictate the scenery to supplement our ideas of what we think is happening within the photo I have also used props that go some way in resembling the real life location however much it can for each photo. For example I have used a very noticeable yellow/orange hue on the image with the giraffe and broccoli in an attempt to connote images of safaris and places we imagine animals like this to be in. I then use the same giraffe with softer colours and a bowl of herbs in another photo to resemble a zoo. I think in this area I have done really well using this feature only where it is needed to give a better meaning to my photos.

Overall I think my second idea has been a success as I have shown a better understanding of what I can do with miniature photography incorporating different types of food to give greater depth to my work in this field. I am pleased with all my images and I believe that I have shown a wider range of skill and a good progression from my first idea; which in my view is an achievement in itself.

Naoki Terada The Japanese architect and designer Naoki Terada was born in 1967 in Osaka. By 1989 he had gained a substantial amount of Engineering work at the Meiji University in Tokyo. In 1994 He went on to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. In 1999 he started his cooperation work with the K/O Design Studio in Tokyo and teached at the same time at the Meiji University. In 2003 Naoki Terada established his own career and founded his own architecture and design office Known as Terada design. He has also been teaching Since 2006 at the Nihon University, Tokyo. Naoki Terada Has been able to establish Himself in architecture, product design and Interior design over the life-span of His career.

I chose to look at the work of Terada As he presents a perfect means for me to go back to the start and take a fresh look at my original title, for this project he has used what appears to be card to make miniature figures and photograph them in nature. His work, however is very intricate and a product of years of experience as shown in the next slide, I will keep to my intentions and keep this idea reasonably simple; I do not want to create a whole miniature scenario such as a bus stop or orchestra. I will instead attempt to capture a single moment such like the example I have chosen here as I think this image exemplifies exactly what I want to capture

Terada Moke examples

1st Final outcome

2nd Final outcome

3rd Final outcome

Final evaluation For my project I set out to find whether I could surprise the viewer through the manipulation of scale. This presented me with an opportunity to come out of my comfort zone and experiment with a concept that although slightly out of range interested me in terms of where I could take my subject matter and what sort of narratives I could apply to my photography. Whereas I normally find myself taking photos in a city location this project required me to get a lot closer to my subject matter, this in turn meant I had to pay a higher attention to detail which overall I Think I managed well.

To complete my first idea I used the work of Frank Allias to give me some insight in how to go about initially working in a miniature scale. I knew my first artist would be important for this, as it was a new style of photography for me and I needed to get an idea of what sort of features I should look to include and what I would be working with as a whole. I then went onto look at the work of Pierre Javelle and Akiko Ida as I needed artists who could present to me a way of showing a clear gap and Development between my first to my second idea. The couple keeping in tune some Length with the same miniature concepts as Allias moves more in the way of showing A unique and interesting way of interacting these figures with their surroundings through the use of food that cleverly relates back to what the miniatures are portraying. From this I took up the intent to adapt my props to resemble a stronger nature sense through the highlight on organic subject matters such as seeds and grapes.

Looking over the whole project I believe I have achieved what I intended. I do see some room for improvement if given more time however this is unlikely; what I have produced however I am pleased with, I feel I have shown elements central to my artists work incorporated into my own Ideas in such a way that will catch and surprise the viewer.