Covert and Obscure
Mario Sanchez Nevado Sanchez is a Spanish photographer, illustrator and also an ar:st. His work is strong and packs an emo:onal punch he also layers his surreal work with hidden messages. One of his more known crea:ons is called ‘ Delibera:on’ that an image is off a stunning woman that has been made to look like a cracked surreal statue. This could suggest to the audience that the woman is in incredible distress and sadness as she is burring from with in. this symbolizes the pain that is ea:ng her inside out. This image is very simple. However it’s also powerful and emo:onal. The muted background and main colours of the images make way for a strong impact for the cracks and flame, they are the first thing the audience would no:ce when they look at that image. His work to some people could look mentally challenged due to the way he presents his feelings, ideas and memories. He makes some of his images abstract with s:ll the same emo:onal impact, where as other images a very technical with a wide range of colours and a great aIen:on to detail. Sanchez also in some images explores sad and trauma:c events that might have happened in his life. He depicts that to the audience by using very gloomy, dark colures and hiding most of the iden:ty of the person.
I like the way Sanchez explores common and everyday emo:ons in an ar:s:c way that is unique and ar:s:c. Sanchez can be seen to mock and make fun of a personal moment/ emo:on in his life and turns it into something that is cartoon like. He has demonstrated this in an Unknown image that is off a mother and a baby that could suggest that it’s off his mother and him when he was a baby. APer looking at Sanchez work I have been inspired to explore Photoshop edi:ng more and try to create images that look more surreal and also to explore a wider range off edi:ng techniques which will lead to me having different outcomes. This will allow me to create emo:ons and add hidden messages that the viewer can relate too.
Name: Delibera:on Date: unknown
Erlend Mork
‘My inspira+on comes from an obsession with philosophy and looking behind and beyond everyday life as it appears to us, i.e. the usual existen+al ques+ons. My works are symbolic representa+ons of my views and reflec+ons about these. The creatures in my works are as such mad, lost or isolated, in search of some absolute among the rela+ve, trying to know an objec+ve truth, or just become complete nihilists. To create my photographs I interweave dozens of different exposures which in the end becomes one surreal image. The scenes are easily recognizable but the dreamy metaphysics allows me to illustrate psychological or spiritual issues. In this I am self-‐taught since the academies don't teach anything but how to get away with arbitrary trash, march to the drum and beg for s+pends.’ This is the statement Mork has given to his audience to explain why he does such dark, evil and fantasy like work. He is trying to create the inner monster that we all have, that tried to understand how the real world works, but its kept chained up in our minds due to the rules and laws that we all have to live by. Every human on earth has to obey the countries that they live in laws which make freedom of ac:on and speech extremely hard. Therefore Mork has created his own world where his ‘creatures’ are real and they have their own personali:es and names. Mork also talks about not liking the modern art and how it is just abstract and there isn’t much though behind the at work. In contrast Mork’s photographs have had an extreme amount of :me and dedica:on put to them. To make them come alive and be something out of ordinary. Mork has used Photoshop. The use off dark colours and mostly ice cold blues and browns suggest that the ‘creatures’ in Mork’s mind aren’t happy, they are sad and desperate to get out into the warm sunshine. I have been inspired by Mork work to create photographs that define what is seen right and wrong and also challenges the decep:on of the audience.
Mork also talks about not liking the modern art and how it is just abstract and there isn’t much though behind the at work. In contrast Mork’s photographs have had an extreme amount of :me and dedica:on put to them. To make them come alive and be something out of ordinary. Mork has used Photoshop. The use off dark colours and mostly ice cold blues and browns suggest that the ‘creatures’ in Mork’s mind aren’t happy, they are sad and desperate to get out into the warm sunshine. I have been inspired by Mork work to create photographs that define what is seen right and wrong and also challenges the decep:on of the audience.
Lauren E. SimonuU SimonuU has done numerous projects that reflex her day to day life, and how she coped living with schizophrenia. In her statement about her work she said “ the voice some how make it self heard and the others are constantly there. They all live in my right ear” when she did her 8 rooms,7 mirrors, 6clocks, 2 minds and 199 pares of glass she must have tried to describe how the two different minds in her head worked and how they mad her feel. She felt isolated and alone. SimonuU quoted” madness strips things down to there core. It takes everything away and in exchange offer's more madness ,and the occasional ability to see :ngs that are not there”. This tells the audience that she is fixated on madness and she has an untold depths of imagina:on. SimonuU had mental disorders that made it hard for her to fit in the real world, the voices in her head were the only people things that she heard from day to day. They were her only friends. She also photographed how she felt and how it felt loosing everyone that was close to her due to the destruc:ve voices in her head. Her photographs are very dark and disturbing . Similar scenes could be found in the new horror thriller’ MAMA’
APer looking at SimonuUs photographs I have been inspired to create dark but s:ll every emo:onal images that tell a story of their own and capture the imagina:on of the audience.
From her project: devils alphabet
Evalua:on For my first idea I have went out and found places that look abandoned and old. So that I could take photographs that have strong features in the background that I could aPer edit and incorporate into the image off me standing. I was also going for a rough rebel war look to show destruc:on and how age affects the surroundings. I had ripped clothes on to show struggle that has been around over :me. With the first set off photographs I was aiming to show a girl that was effected by war and figh:ng over :me and how her spirit was broken and cracked due to the constant reminds around her off the hard :mes that killed so many innocent people. I was also trying to express and capture feelings of young children in countries that are currently at war and how they are affected. I have used Photoshop and the various tools and brushes in Photoshop to create sad depressing feel to the photograph. I have also used different textures to overlay the original image to create a surreal scene from the past. I think that I have been able to meet my aims and objec:ves and show the ideas that generated this first set off photographs. The ligh:ng in the images create strong shadows that add to the sad desperate feel.
Cris:na Venedict Cris:na Venedict entered the world of photography to rediscover herself as she didn’t feel that being a psychologist was what she wanted to do. For C. Venedict photography had aPer a while become a sense off life to her. She stated “ it started as a game , a game where the child within me could be running free and feel awakened from a deep sleep” photography helped her to being the child within to the light once again. Venedict photographs focus on distorted main details in the image and shown only in silhoueIes and anonymity. She also creates in Photoshop Frankenstein like puzzle piece landscapes. Her work is also fantasy like, when she does do photography off people . She blurs out the background and only leaves the main features in sharp focus. Her images looks like old faded memories that had people that she know or have known in the past. She wants recreate and photograph, some people in the photographs look ghostly. Those people could be someone that she was close to but have died that’s why she represents them in a ghostly way.
My aim is to create photographs that have hidden messages or hidden memories and feelings of something that is important or has happened on a global scale.
Sofia Ajram Ar:st statement ‘ I come from the third planet. I am fastened to the sensuous inner universe. I want to share with you the galaxies projected within absolute space and absolute :me. I want to share with you the stars contained by the new souls of my race, humanity in its infancy. Let me show you something electromagne:c, let me take you to the place where their dreamscape and out reality exchanges glances let me help you remember’ Ajram focuses on delivering to the world her view off the starts and how we are all linked in the infinite universe. How the universe was the one that gave birth to us and that we are all children of’ mother universe. Her photographs depict stars and infinite space that are within us. She wants to make us all remember what we really are. In her photographs she projects pictures of stars and galaxies unto people that are calm, humble and silent but they s:ll have a very powerful mind. Her photographs are fantasy like ethereal and angelic, they are taken of models who look like they are at peace with themselves. She uses photo manipula:on in Photoshop to create ghostly figures that blend in with the projec:on that was then projected on the photograph. I would like to create images that have a hidden messages and are symbolic and represent an important aspect of human life. I would also aim to recreate the peaceful calm feeling thought-‐ out. I would also like to create inner peace in the photographs and make the person in the photographs appear relaxed and natural.
Jeremy Geddles Geddles is a photo-‐realis:c photographer and printer, he also designs covers for comic books and has won awards for them. His most famous work is the Cosmonaut series. His photographs are a crea:ve mix between reality and surrealism. Geddles work is sharp and in focus and clean. However its visually minimalis:c but holds depth of feeling and emo:on that the viewers can relate. His photographs relate to peoples feelings of being trapped and wan:ng to be set free out of their day to day rou:nes that have them feeling chained up and restrained. In my photographs I will aim to achieve the same restricted emo:onally feeling, where only the mind and soul feel like they are boxed in and cant explore the world, at the same :me have the body free to create contrast between two sides by using symbolic objects.
Evalua:on In my second idea I have aimed to address the issues of feeling mentally restrained when the body itself is free. In this idea I also wanted to explore how dull dark colours add to the sad claustrophobic feel off the sad person in the photograph. I have used different types off Photoshop manipula:on to exaggerate the feeling of being lost and not being able to connect to the outside world in a maIer that is seen appropriate. I am also looking at symbolism and linking to emo:ons like the destroyed streets of war and doves or wings. I have looked at ar:st who photograph to preserve emo:ons or memories that are important to them. They also have used colours such as muted or bright , sharpness or blur of the photographs to communicate to the audience. I have addressed anonymity and secrecy of people who have suffered trauma:c and life changing experiences in the past. I think that if I had the chance to do the images again I would also use some symbolic objects in my photographs to make the message stronger.
Lascoss Â
Timothy Neesam Timothy Neesam’s photography is enjoyed by a wide range of audience world wide, through a variety of leading publica:ons such as Architect’s newspaper, the Indian Express he has contributed to the UK published Coffee-‐Table book The Beauty of Decay. Neesam’s more famous work is off abandoned buildings or old decaying objects, when he photographs them he gives them a new life and a new beginning. He captures and freezes objects within :me so that everyone could remember them in all their glory. He photographs old concert halls, theaters grand houses that have a history behind d them. Neesam captures the beauty that is s:ll leP in the place or object while the nature slowly claims it back into the ground. He uses natural ligh:ng for a more soPer and natural feel of the object he is photographing. In my photographs I have been inspired to photograph objects that are old and decaying, show them in a new light embed their appearance forever and for everyone too see, I'm going to use only natural light and lightly Photoshop the photographs to make them stand out and create the maximum impact.
Name: Pianos and organs I have known.
Ideas for the exam
Idris Khan: In the exam I will develop my photographs so that they look disturbed, ghost like and are out off focus but s:ll make them clear enough to make out the main object. I will make my images in black and white and have them in soP focus.
Manuel Orero: I have taken close up photographs of old ships that I will edit to sharpen them or to change the hue colour to make them more surreal and to make them stand out more.
Rut Blees Luxemburg: Luxemburg photographs everyday objects close up and in interes:ng angles which makes them ar:s:c and show alterna:ves perspec:ves ,how the angle off which its being viewed changes the object. I will aim to achieve the same objec:ves as Luxemburg. I will edit my war photographs to make them more interes:ng and look slightly different then they did before.
Idris Khan
Manuel Orero
Rut Blees Luxemburg
Exam evalua:on I think I was successful in taking good quality ini:al photographs, I visited new loca:ons that I haven't been before. I took pictures off war and conflict related objects and also photographs off old but restored boats, the old areas of the boat added character to the image. My ini:al idea for Covert and Obscured was how war effected people in the long term and the hidden emo:onal baIles that they had to face. I wanted to go to the imperial war museum to take pictures of the Holocaust exhibi:on that I have previously visited but the museum was closed. I then decided to do photographs off some war related objects but concentrate more on Lascoss type images that I have taken previously as a star:ng point. I wanted to do close up photographs off textured old objects so I went to the St. Catherin's Docks where there was loads of old Chinese boats that I was able to get really close to and take photographs. I think hat the photographs of the old boats were the best quality because I was out in the natural light, the composi:on was also beIer then with the war photos because the objects were behind glass and there wasn’t any objects that I was looking for to photograph that would symbolize suffering off innocent people. The photographs taken at the Na:onal Army Museum could have been a lot beIer. I would have liked to take my war photographs in the Imperial War museum to get stronger symbolism which I was looking for, from the baby shoes and old shoes that have come from the death camps from Germany. I only developed my ini:al idea as far as idea 2 because I didn’t have access props that I needed to develop it fully. I developed a mixture of my ini:al idea and the inspira:on photographs that I took before I started doing my exam prepara:on. I developed my first idea onto the 2nd idea aPer I no:ced the emo:onal link of abandonment and pain. I linked this to effects f war onto people that have to live in countries that are at war. I think that my 2nd idea was more successful because I had more prac:ce with Photoshop and I knew what I wanted the outcomes to represent. This meant that I worked towards them and tried to make the photographs as close as I could to what I imagined them to look like and to try and make them represent as much of feelings as possible. I think that my choice of photographs was successful because each photographer linked with the other in some way. I researched Idriz Khan, Manuel Orero and Rut Blees Luxemburg. I was inspired how they show a specific place or object in a different way which makes it ar:s:c and gives people a new view that they appreciate. I made the connect by photographing objects close up and Photoshop edi:ng them to achieve a similar effect as my chosen photographers has. I used more than one photographers techniques on each image to make it unique and make it stand out. I also took photographs from out of the ordinary angles to make the object appear different to what it really was. This gave it an element off hidden iden:ty and mystery. The perspec:ve also tricks the audience because the sense of scale is distorted. I think that I pushed my crea:ve boundaries on Photoshop to a more unknown area where I wasn’t sure what the outcome was going to be or that it will be successful. I experimented with various Photoshop edi:ng methods, techniques and brushes to give my work a more surreal feel but so that it also would reflect the emo:ons I wanted it. I am happy with my final outcome. They are all goof quality and have been edited to link to the photographers that I have chosen to look at for my exam. The war outcomes could have been beIer with composi:on and with the subject maIer. However I think that the Chinese boat photographs have come out just they way I wanted and the close ups were very good quality leUng me edit them the way I wanted and s:ll keep the good quality. That set of final outcomes I am very happy that’s why I concentrated more on the boats then the war photographs because I feel that they were beIer and they also link to my Lascoss photographs. I have found great photographers that I can easily link to the boat photographs and achieve the best possible edited images. If I had more :me I would have developed my boat photographs more and made more unique and risky edited images such as joiners, I would have been more crea:ve and spend more :me on each image making sure that it is just they way I want it. I would have s:ll chosen the same ar:st that I have looked at because I think that their work represents the ideas that I have and shows them in the same way that I wanted to represent them but just with my unique twist.