a2 Exam prep

A2 Photography Exam Preparation Hannah Beedle

Theme brainstorm

Exploring the theme Here I plan to take a few different photographs that relate to the inside, outside and in between theme to perhaps give me inspiration for my thorough, developed ideas.

I created a mini stop-motion animation to explore the theme, which is located on my Exam tumblr page by this prep work.

5 Possible Starting Points  Photographing through windows/transparent objects or holes, creating abstract and also distorted imagery.

 Portraiture – layering and collage techniques to portray the inside, outside and in between of a person.

 Reflections/mirrors – using to photograph what is in front and also behind within the same image; may explore repetitive/kaleidoscope imagery.

 Exploring the inside and outside of objects e.g. food and natural objects like plants – perhaps also inside and outside of the human body.

 Landscapes – exploring perspective within landscapes, background & foreground, shadows & silhouettes within the landscapes.

Idea One With my first idea, I plan to photograph various fruits and vegetables to convey an image of ‘inside, outside and in between.’ In order to do this, I will photograph the object focusing on the outer skin, and another focusing on the inside of the fruit/vegetable. My primary aim with these images is to highlight the aspect of textures and layers within everyday food. In terms of developmental techniques, I plan to use ice in some way to either freeze the photographs or the actual fruit itself. I may also experiment with projections to portray the theme further.

Comparative Artist Study Andy Small creates very contemporary fine art work, and is mostly known for his successful flower photography. However, he also has a range of photographs based on fruit and vegetables. The work is unique in the way that Small chooses various colourful backgrounds that are out of focus, which either compliment or contrast against the subject matter, which therefore draws attention to the focus of the image. The close-up angles, perhaps used with a specific lens or macro lens help to really draw attention to details and textures within the fruits and vegetables photographed, as in Mushroom 0332. In terms of techniques and media, it is quite clear that close-up photography and the work’s ‘modern graphic style and striking use of colour’ makes the work as interesting as it is, as stated on his website.

I discovered that Andy Small would be an appropriate artist to use for my first approach to the theme, in that his work relates quite clearly to ‘inside, outside and in between.’ With regard to Yellow Pepper 0191, the position of the pepper and the way it has been cut means that we are able to see elements of the outside i.e. on top of the pepper, and the outside edge displays the thickness the vegetable and the fact that it’s hollow inside. The lighting also illuminates the inside of the pepper, highlighting the area behind the seeds, therefore creating a strong contrast and element of depth. From looking at Small’s other work including flower photography, it is quite clear that he likes to explore aspects of plants and also fruit and veg that perhaps is hidden, such as the layers. He often uses interesting lighting to highlight specific areas, and creating shadows. For example, with Mushroom 0332, the gills/lines of the mushroom are captured in such detail, almost allow us to see inside such a small area which is clearly magnified. I think Small’s work emphasises the idea of beauty within everyday objects i.e. fruit and vegetable, and that they are actually quite interesting. I feel that it also highlights the vivid colouring in everyday fruit and vegetables.

Yellow Pepper 0191 – Andy Small

Mushroom 0332 – Andy Small

Comparative Artist Study

Katherine Du Tiel also creates contemporary work. Her photographs are mainly studio based, and she explores many different ideas within her work, such as global warming/environment issues which is a very contemporary idea, the as well as concepts like dreams and capturing this successfully within a photo. She also created a series called inside/outside which contains several portraits of people & different parts of the body, as in Bone/Feet.

With these Inside/outside photographs, Katherine Du Tiel uses detailed, scientific drawings of the human anatomy and projects them onto the corresponding areas of the body. It’s clear that the images have to be projected accurately onto the body in order to create a successful image.

In her work, Katherine Du Tiel explores various ideas/concepts. Many of these are quite involved in that they are bizarre and they seem to focus on the idea of the mind, and exploring thoughts, dreams and visiting different realms. Her work is mainly studio-based, but it varies in style e.g. the ‘realm of infinite possibilities’ explores interesting kaleidoscope/repetitive imagery. Du Tiel also seems to challenge real life issues with her work, particularly environmental. Her ‘earth’ series is based on the environmental issues we face, which she illustrates in an innovative way, using model objects & combining them with photographs of people using digital editing. With regard to the inside/outside photographs of the anatomy, I feel that Katherine Du Tiel is trying to display the intricacies of the human body, and by combining the concept of inside and outside which usually are not seen i.e. the skin and the bones in one image. She stated that, ‘I have always been interested in human anatomy because it is an attempt to figure out what is beneath the surface of the skin: I am interested in probing beyond surface experience.

With the projection work, I am projecting the interior onto the exterior with the intention of inverting and confounding insides and outsides. Combining dichotomies, a double take creates a third-take or whole. I am interested in unifying the polarities of inner/outer realities, life/death, mortality/immortality, mind/body, body/spirit.’

Skull/Head – Katherine Du Tiel

Bone/Feet from Inside/Outside Collection – Katherine Du Tiel

Comparative Artist Study Considering both artist’s approaches to the theme inside, outside and in between, there are definitely differences.

The most obvious difference is the subject matter. First of all, Andy Small’s use of vivid colour makes his work incredibly eye-catching and really highlights the detailed textures of everyday fruit and vegetables. In contrast, Du Tiel edits her photographs into monochrome. We could assume that the anatomy drawings were in black and white to begin with, and therefore the monochrome editing creates a balance between the drawings and the actual body parts. This makes it more difficult to distinguish between the two subjects. Both artist’s use of lighting is also different.

Small’s use of backlighting particularly on the pepper creates a sense of depth and transparency, allowing us to see the inside, outside and in between areas. Du Tiel, however, uses front lighting on the subject which creates a strong contrast between the positive and negative space and it draws our attention to the details within the subject. In terms of similarities, both artists have photographed their subject matter in a studio using artificial lighting. Also, both photographers’ work is essentially a cross sectional profile of the subject matter, therefore conveying the theme of inside, outside and in between.

I feel that both artist’s approaches are effective. Although Katherine Du Tiel’s technique may be seen as more interesting in the way it explicitly explores the inside and outside, I believe that Andy Small’s close-up and colour photography allows us to view everyday foods differently. I feel that both these artists have inspired me for my first idea. Similarly to Andy Small, I aim to simply capture the colours and textures within fruit and vegetables. I also would like to experiment with projections like Katherine Du Tiel as a way of developing my imagery further.

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Artist Inspiration This photograph was created by Irving Penn, who froze fruit and vegetables into blocks, stacked them and rephotographed.

This has inspired me to develop my photographs because it channels the theme of inside, outside and in-between in several ways. First of all, the items are frozen which creates an additional outside layer, maintaining the shapes of the frozen blocks. The way the blocks are arranged creates highlights and shadows, and allows us to view the items from different angles, and through some of the gaps in between.

For some of my developmental photographs, I plan to experiment with freezing the existing pieces of fruit from my initial images, and also freezing the actual photographs themselves into cubes. I also plan to create cube blocks from my initial photographs and stack these to rephotograph. I want to experiment with lighting here to highlight certain areas while others remain in shadow.

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Evaluation of Idea One With idea one, my original intention was to explore the inside, outside and in between theme in relation to everyday fruit and vegetables, and then to combine these concepts together in creative ways. I was intrigued by Andy Small’s work in the way he made a simple pepper and mushroom look so interesting. Similarly to his work, I wanted to focus on the textures within the skin/peel of the items. Generally I feel I achieved my intentions, particularly with the different experimental techniques I used to develop my idea. For these, I photographed fruit in ice and also some of the initial photographs themselves in ice. My aim here was to make the ice portray the idea of an additional layer, which prevents us from accessing the inside, or only partially if it begins to melt. I feel that this was an effective technique when using macro lenses because the true details within the ice texture could be captured.

Technical considerations were important for successful results. For example, with the initial photos I decided that it would be good to photograph the fruit and veg on a sheet of glass with a white sheet placed on the floor beneath.

Under the glass I placed a lamp to create back-lighting. Although I didn’t use this for all of the photos, it was very effective in cases like the onion and the slice of cucumber, where the light would shine through and highlight the inside details and layers that would not usually be so visible. I ensured that light was also shone directly onto the front of the items, so no shadows were created and the whole object was illuminated and clear. For my initial photos it was also important to focus correctly in order to capture the crisp details of the fruit and vegetable texture. For my developmental photos I had to consider lighting, particularly when photographing the cubes. I used a dim lamp which highlighted certain areas and left others in shadow, especially within the gaps. This therefore created a lot of depth and I think this also signifies inside, outside and in between.

I think my photos have an impact on the viewer in the way that they are aesthetically pleasing. My first set of initial photos contain vivid colours, and the close-up photography allows the viewer to perhaps look at everyday fruit and vegetables in a different way. With my developmental photographs, I believe that the projections will have an impact on the viewer because they are striking and enable you to think about the way the inside and outside come together. The cube photographs are also quite unique. With idea one I didn’t really aim for them to portray symbollic meaning.

However, I do think that the viewer will be able to clearly see how the concept of ‘inside, outside and in between’ is explored in this instance.

Idea Two For idea two, I want to explore the concept of body parts and exposing a person’s outside features, as it creates a sense of anonymity and we can’t work out what the person underneath is like. Visually, I will produce my photos in the style of Txema Yeste, but experimenting with different colours and other body parts other than eyes to create a diverse range of images which still work as a set. For my developmental photos, I plan to repeat the effect of photographing through holes, to further support the theme of ‘inside, outside and in between.’

Artist Study Photo by: Txema Yeste This photograph featured on the front cover of an issue of Harpar’s Bazaar (Spain). Translated into English, the accompanied text reads, ‘a blaze of color, a song on the fly, turn the senses in a season that claims the right to happiness.’

At a first glance, this photograph appears to be very visually striking. The dark, heavy eye-makeup contrasts against the pale blue card that surrounds the central image, which is the focal point. The use of frontal lighting here also highlights the eye area and the skin, creating a sense of radiance and flawlessness. Although it may have symbollic meaning, I feel that the image aims to accentuate the beauty of the eye and the immaculate makeup of Daphne Groeneveld, the model in this photoshoot. This is interesting because without this information, the person in this shot would be unknown as the rest of the facial features are masked by the card.

This therefore does indicate some symbollic meaning. For example, it could explore the idea of revealing only a small part of a person’s outer image i.e. their skin and facial features. We can argue if a person’s appearance really reflects their personality, but the human eye specifically is sometimes referred to as ‘the window to the soul,’ implying that a person’s eye can reveal a lot about their personality, including their current mood and their thoughts. This photograph perhaps portrays the idea of the unknown, as if we are strangers who know nothing about the person within, but are left to judge by looking through this hole.

I find this image aesthetically pleasing, but it definitely does portray some symbollism. It has inspired me to create visually similar photographs, but experimenting with different colours and different body parts to create a strong set of related images.

My Photographs

Evaluation of idea 2 For idea two, my original intention was to explore the human body. In relation to the theme, I wanted to experiment with the connection between a person’s outer and inner body. Everyone is structured in the same way physically in terms of the body parts, but we are all different people on the inside. With this idea, I wanted to capture small elements of different peoples’ bodies, without revealing the rest of their body e.g. the face, which would help us to distinguish who the person is. I wanted to make it look as if the people photographed are trapped inside, and are trying to break through the small hole and reveal themselves. To actually achieve this, I planned on photographing different body parts through a hole/tear in coloured card, to create a set of visually interesting images. In order to develop the idea, I wanted to simply repeat the concept of the hole by re-photographing the initial set through the same hole, 2 or 3 times. Overall I am pleased with the way they have turned out and I definitely feel that I achieved my intention.

For my initial set of photographs, it was definitely important to consider visual and technical aspects, in order to achieve my intentions and create a successful set in the style of Txema Yeste. His photo contained such vivid colours which complemented each other. I really wanted to re-create this so I used bright card in different colours to add variety. I actually took the photos outside using natural light, however the sun was incredibly bright. This was really beneficial because when positioned to shine directly onto the card and the body parts, the colours and tones within the skin were intensified. Slight editing on Photoshop also allowed me to enhance this further. In addition, the frontal lighting casted shadows behind the pieces of folded card, creating stronger contrast and more depth to the images.

For my developmental photos, I still photographed in natural light, but I felt it was effective in the way that the shadows on the outside layers were more subtle. Also, for some of the developments I thought it would be interesting in some cases to cut around the existing body part and lay it over the ripped pieces, to make it look as if the hand/foot was trying to break through all of the layers. I think this worked quite well as it gives the photos a slightly more 3D appearance. If I had more time now to go back to this, I would have liked to have developed the initial set in another way. This is only because my developmental photos aren’t too dissimilar visually. Nonetheless, I am still pleased with the outcome.

I feel that although the developmental photos are more experimental, the initial photos perhaps have a stronger visual impact on the viewer. The photos of the hands and feet coming out of the hole really convey the idea of trying to break through, into the outside. This could be interpreted in different ways. I think these also have a strong impact on the viewer in the way that they are more 3D compared to the others. In particular, the photo of the fist coming through the orange card is interesting as it seems as if it is coming towards you or trying to grab something. Similarly to my first idea, I don’t feel that there is much symbollism that the photographs portray. However, they definitely aim to channel the idea of the unknown and not knowing what/who is inside the hole, past the part of them that is revealed. It could make us think about how the outside doesn’t necessarily convey an accurate message as to what is within. This perhaps isn’t a very clear message, but I think a viewer could work this out through the appearance of the body parts breaking through the tears in the card.

Exam artist For these pieces, Lynn Skordal creates paper collages. She begins with vintage black and white photographs, and creates collages within these which are visually interesting and unique. Her use of coloured images create a strong contrast and give the pieces a modern twist.

The first image displays what we would assume to be quite a wealthy, classy woman from the 1930s/40s era, evident by the hairstyle and the clothing. However, when you look more closely at the collaged images, they contradict the woman’s appearance. I think Skordal’s intention here was to cut open the head and combine all the images inside to represent the woman’s thoughts/interests/hobbies etc. in replacement of the brain. These inside images include spiders, a heavily tattooed man, a hairless cat and other various drawings/photos of insects. It seems that this is supposed to be humorous as we would not expect a woman who looks this way to be interested in what would be considered as weird and creepy things. I believe Skordal aimed to create a funny piece here, but it also highlights a deeper symbollic meaning about not judging a book by its cover.

The second photo is similar in that the women featured in it are from the 1930s/40s era and do not look happy from our perspective. Skordal collaged the coloured images in an artistic way so that they almost take the shape of a tall hat that the women are wearing. Once again, the images of Jesus, chickens and flowers contradict the womens’ outer appearance.

For my final exam outcomes that I will produce within 12 hours, I am using Lynn Skordal’s pieces as inspiration, visually and symbollically. For my outcomes, I plan to explore the idea of revealing peoples’ inner personality, on the outside through the use of collage. I will photograph people who differ in age and sex, and will then photograph objects/things that relate to their personality including their hobbies and physical items they cherish. Although I think Skordal’s technique of the images coming out of the head is effective, I may experiment in different ways. Unlike Skordal, I plan to create the collaged photos in Photoshop. This will enable me to precisely cut around the images I want to use, and hopefully the outcomes will have more of a contemporary and digital appearance. By using people from different ages and backgrounds, I envision the pieces being similar but also very different, depending on personality. If I complete the set during the exam time, I may go on to create other outcomes which involve other parts of the body e.g. ears, mouth etc. For example, with ears, I could collage images in a way that reflects the specific person’s favourite sounds/music etc. With the mouth, I could collage images that display conversations/topics that a person has spoken about recently.