2B
LEVEL ONCE UPON A TIME
Candidate: 1154
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Centre: 51529
Genre: Once Upon a Time Photographers: Jeff Wall Ideas: To show feelings and emotions of people through camera and editing techniques.
Contents CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 - PHOTOGRAPHERS CHAPTER 3 - PERSONAL IDEAS AND PRACTICAL WORK CHAPTER 4 - CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chapter 1 - Introduction
I have chosen the genre of ‘Once Upon a Time’ to research into for my essay. This is because I think there are a wid Taylor’s work to explore into throughout my essay in order to help me develop my own ideas. I am interested in takin use different types of weather to portray different moods amongst the person I am photographing. I would like the m my chosen genre because it gives the viewer of the photos an insight into their lives and what each person is like. ways using camera angles, props and editing techniques. I could apply various camera techniques such as angle progression. I will need to source props that will relate in some way to the person I am photographing. For examp their hobbies meaning they will discover more things about them. The weather is an aspect that I need to take into example if i wanted to present a happy vibe in my photos I would not use rainy weather as that portrays the opposite models in each photo-shoot which will bring forwards the genre in different ways. I have thought about my intention that as well as the g
de range of things I can do in order to portray this theme within my photo shoots. I have selected Jeff Wall and Sam ng pictures of different people which portray aspects about them, such as hobbies, locations and friends I could also meaning behind the photos to present a wide group of people all being represented in one person. This will portray . I can develop these ideas by photographing various different groups of people and showing their lives in different es, focal ranges, shutter-speed and framing to my photos in order to make them differ from each other and show ple if my model is interested in skateboarding I can include a skateboard as a prop because it will show the viewer o account for my photo-shoot becauseit may not portray the correct kind of mood I want to portray in my photos, for e. My ideas will show development because I can use various different objects, locations, moods, times of day and ns for each shoot by planning what kind of mood I want to display in my photos and deciding on how I can represent genre to the viewer.
Chapter 2 - Photographers Jeff Wall - Milk, 1984
The source of light in Jeff Wall’s Milk, 1984, comes from natural sunlight. This is so that the subject of the photo, in this case the man holding the carton of milk, is lit up completely and can be seen fully. The light comes in from the left of the photo and is also harsh light creating very strong shadows from the architecture of the building behind the subject. The shadows add depth to the photo and give the viewer a perspective of the angular shape of the objects that can be seen in the photo. There are few textures in this photograph however after studying it for a longer duration a couple of textures become noticeable. The first is of the brick column to the left of the subject. The bricks appear cracked and old as if they have been there for a long time and are starting to wear down. The textures of these older bricks are contrasted by the much newer looking bricks directly behind the subject. The texture on these newer bricks are smooth and near perfectly match one another, the complete opposite of the old brick column. The textures are what I noticed second after concentrating on the milk appearing to explode out of the man’s hand, this is because the subject is bold and stands out against the background therefore drawing the viewers eyes towards it before anything else. The entirety of the photograph is shown in sharp focus. This makes the photo relate further to its genre of ‘Once Upon A Time’ because it has a wider range of objects to create a story out of. Because the subject of the photo is in the bottom left of the frame it is less clear as to what the photographer is trying to say through the photo which the viewer then has to try and figure out. Having the entire photo in focus also allows Wall to show much more detail within the photo. In this case the textures of the bricks as well as the subject of the photo. The angle of view for this photo is straight on at the subject of the photo, and just below eye level. Having the angle straight on to the subject allows the viewer to explore more areas of the photo and also shows more clearly the structure and shapes of the buildings behind the subject and how the light manipulates them to create shadows against the building. It also turns the background of the photo into a sort of stage where the man in the foreground is performing, presenting the struggles with violence at the time it was taken. In order to present the subject clearly Wall has made sure to exclude bright, vibrant colours which would distract the viewers eye away from the purpose of the photo. Instead he has used a background with plain colours and focussed more on textures which add detail to the photo. Wall positioned the camera so that the subject is slightly to the right of the centre of the photo. This makes the photo seem irregular at first but is then balanced out by the dark shadows created by the sunlight. The dark shadows also help to frame the subject of the photo against the background. Meaning that the viewers eyes are more drawn towards the subject of the photo instead of objects in the background. Wall has used more dull colours in this photo so that the viewers eyes are not drawn away from the subject and purpose of the photo. However, these colours are very warm which suggests that the photo was taken in the summer when it is bright. Using colour makes the photo seem more realistic opposed to using black and white because the viewers can see the photo exactly from the point of view of the photographer. Although using black and white could have been effective in this photo because it would have made the photo seem more dramatic and emotional, possibly portraying the purpose of the photo further.
In Jeff Wall’s ‘Milk’ Wall has shown the entire scene in full focus. This is so that the viewer has more available sources to create a story out of within their heads. Wall has also shown very dark shadows created by the bright sunlight against the shapes of the architecture of the building behind the subject of the photo. This gives the viewer an idea of the geometric shape of the building and makes the photo seem less flat and 2D. The shape of the building and shadows also assist with the framing of the subject of the photo. This makes the viewers eye concentrate more on the subject of the photo because it appears to have a border and is separated by the shadows from the rest of the image. Wall has presented the man as looking stressed or sceptic about something to create a reportage of him. Which the viewer can use to try and discover more things about him. The vantage point used in this photo is eye level which Wall has used to allow him to show more of a background to the photo supplying more for the viewer to look at. To take this photo Wall would have used high aperture settings on the camera which would show the subject clearly and brightly. Also to achieve this Wall would have had to use either a high or low shutter speed depending on the amount of light that was shining onto the subject. If there was a lot of light he would have used a fast shutter speed and if there wasn’t a lot of lit he would have used a slow shutter speed. This would ensure that the subject could be seen properly. He would have also, presumably, have used a tripod which would have ensured that none of the photo was blurred after he captured it. This photo demonstrates decisive movement because it features both actions from the man holding the milk and also geometric shape and patterns from the of the building and the sequence of bricks to create a story. Finally the photo appears very primitive in terms of the shapes and colours of it. The shapes of the photo mainly include squares and rectangles of the brick work of the building and the colours are very warm and neutral lacking any vibrancy.
Similarities
Taken by the same photographer. Show emotions of people. Both action photos (contain movemnt in a still image) Both feature moving objects. Taken looking straight at the subjects. Both photos pictured in full focus.
Differences
A sudden gust of wind features a landscape as its backdrop. Milk shows a wall as a backdrop. Taken 9 years apart. One was taken in a urban area, the other was taken in a rural area. Milk shows the subject in isolation, Gust of Wind shows a group of people in one image. Taken at different times of year. Spring/Summer Autumn/Winter. Milk shows much more colour than gust of wind. Different emotions portrayed
Jeff Wall ‘Milk’ 1984
Jeff Wall ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind ’ 1993
There is only one literal similarity between these two photographs. That is that they both feature moving objects. In ‘Milk’ it is the milk appearing to erupt from the man’s hand and in ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind’ it is the papers and documents flying away in the wind from the person to the left. The literal differences between the two photos include, the two photos making use of different backdrops. ‘Milk’ has an urban backdrop of a wall of a building, which is very plain and simple to the eye making the subject of the photo more obvious to the viewer. ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind’ has a rural backdrop of a countryside landscape. This adds more detail to the photo and give the viewer a larger amount of objects to look at. Another literal difference is that the two photos were taken at different times of the year. ‘Milk’ appears to have been taken in either the Spring or Summer, this is because the colours are very bright and vibrant suggesting there is a lot of sunlight. Whereas ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind’ looks as if it has been taken in either the Autumn or Winter because the colours are much duller and the sky is white suggesting a lot less sunlight and a cloudy sky. The technical similarities shown between the photos are that both photos were taken looking straight at the subjects which helps portray the photos in the genre ‘Once Upon A Time’ because it allows more objects, such as landscapes, to feature inside the frame of the photo. Therefore ‘setting the stage’ for the viewer to create a story out of it. The next technical similarity is that both photos have been taken in full focus, suggesting that the photographer has used a high aperture in order to show the subjects clearly so that the viewer has more to create a story out of. The only technical difference between the two photos is that ‘Milk’ has a much higher level of colour and brightness. This is because, presumably ‘Milk’ was taken in the Summer or Spring when there would be a lot more natural sunlight shining onto the subject. ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind’ however, has a lot less colour saturation because it looks like it was taken in the Autumn or Winter months of the year when there are a lot more clouds in the sky stopping the sunlight from getting through to light up the subjects. Symbolic similarities of the photos are that both photos portray the emotions and feelings of people. In ‘Milk’ Wall has shown the man as very emotionless as if he were thinking about something. ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind shows the peoples emotions as distressed and confused. Due to the wind picking up quickly and blowing one persons papers everywhere. The symbolic differences of the two photos are that they both show different emotions within them ‘Milk’ shows a very blank expressioned individual which makes him seem very emotionless or neutral like he is thinking about something, whereas ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind shows much wilder emotions making the people seem distressed or even scared, in the case of the person cowering on the far right of the photo. There are no cultutal similarities between these two photographs so the cultural difference is that in ‘Milk’ the man is shown as very isolated because he is sitting on his own gazing into the distance. Whereas in ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind’ there are a group of people together which portrays an aspect of unity.
Chapter 3 - Personal Ideas and Practical Work My main idea for my courework was to present thoughts feelings and emotions of people in photos by using camera and editing techniques. I achieved this in many ways. Using blend modes, writing over photographs, positioning the camera against the model, and using different backgrounds.
LEVEL 3
In Level 3 I began exploring into emotions within photographs to portray ‘Once Upon a Time’. For this I positioned a model against different backgrounds and adjusted their body language to present sad and unhappy feelings. You can see from the photos that the model I used is always facing away from the camera or hiding his face so that it can’t be seen. This could present the feelings of shyness or insecurity because he is trying to get away from being seen. In a lot of the photos I took he has also made his body very small by curling together. This adds further to the feelings mentioned previously. I could then use this idea to develop by introducing different techniques that would help portray my thoughts behind the photos more.
LEVEL 4
Within Level 4 I toyed around with various different editing techniques that I could use to present the genre of ‘Once Upon a Time’. Most of these techniques were successful in achieving this, such as the centre piece for example. I printed a photo off and dropped ink onto the top of it before letting it run down the portrait. This brings out feelings and emotions because the streaks of ink resemble tears running down the face. Therefore this edit could be used in order to present sadness. This assisted me for my future levels and how to present my genre within my photos and gave me initial ideas of what I could do for my final piece. Other techniques I used includes; blend modes, photograms, pin hole photography, writing on top of the photo, stitching and joiners.
LEVEL 5
Level 5 was about re-shoots. I had to take ideas I had in previous levels (specifically level 3) and show refinement and development in my photos. Following the same theme I took a number of portrait photos of both myself and the model I used in Level 3 and joined them with a technique I used in Level 4 of combining two photos together using blend modes in Photoshop. In order to achieve this I also had to take a series of landscape photos which I could join with the portraits. I took photo of things like trees, telephone wires and the sky before combining the two photos together to create one. My intentions on portraying ‘Once Upon a Time’ in these photos was that each of the landscape photos represents the persons personality. So for example the 4th photo above is a portrait of myself joined with a photo of a group of red leaves blend moded behind. This can be interpreted to show ‘Once Upon a Time’ in that the bright colours of the leaves and sky can present creativity or happiness.
LEVEL 7
RED. Physical Positive: Physical courage, strength,
ORANGE. Positive: Physical comfort, food,
YELLOW. Emotional Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem,
GREEN. Balance Positive: Harmony, balance,
BLUE. Intellectual. Positive:
VIOLET. Spiritual Positive: Spiritual awareness, contain-
For Level 7 I began drafting ideas for my final piece. I came up with several possibilities all relating to the work of different artists such as; James Welling, Lyle Ashton Harris and Liz Deschenes. They each show a connection to the genre and also include a variety of techniques. From this I could then develop them into mock ups where I practiced each of them manually, if required, where I could then decide upon one to use as my final piece. I used techniques of blend moding, relating to James Welling, joiners and collaging, relating to Lyle Ashton Harris and using colour overlays to display different emotions, relating to Liz Deschenes.
LEVEL 8 Level 8 focussed on developing my possible ideas into mock ups which I could then choose between to use for my final piece. I developed 3 mock ups each based on a different artist. I used both manual and digital edits to portray these mock ups. The first mock up I completed was based upon Lyle Ashton Harris’ joiner/ collage work. I took multiple photos of a model from different angles and viewpoints before printing them off and rearranging them back together to make it seem more like one whole picture. The next mock up I created was based on James Welling’s double exposure work. I joined two portraits of a model using blend modes in Photoshop to make it seem like one face was hiding behind the other. The final mock up I made was based on Liz Deschenes’ work which included a spectrum of framed colours. I adapted from this idea by applying colour overlays in Photoshop to edits I had made in my Level 5 e-mag to present different emotions through colour. My favourite mock up at this point was the blend moded edit because I thought it used the most techniques, has the best link to myself as a photographer and the work I had been doing and had the most room to develop using manual technqiues.
RED. Physical Positive: Physical courage,
ORANGE.
YELLOW. Emotional Positive:
GREEN. Balance Positive:
BLUE. Intellectual. Positive:
VIOLET. Spiritual Positive: Spiritual aware-
LEVEL 9 Level 9 was the creation of my final piece. I decided upon using the double exposure mock up piece because I thought that it presented my genre and the work I had been doping throughout the course so far more clearly. For my piece I mixed both manual and digital techniques together. After printing the blend mode edit onto photographic paper I used a white fibre pen to write words of emotions and feelings onto the blank part to the right side of the photo. This represented the models inner emotions and how they cannot always be visible to the eye. Finally I printed a landscape photo of an Autumn tree onto acetate and layed it over the top of the composition. This presents the models outer emotions because of the feelings the bright colours of the leaves portray.
Chapter 4 - Conclusion Overall I think that my final piece and coursework was successful in showing my chosen genre of ‘Once Upon a Time’. This is because I have shown a gradual progression through each level developing my ideas, thoughts and ways of displaying ‘Once Upon a Time’. You can see this through how in my first photo shoot I wanted to display emotion in my photos using body language and colour that would help to tell a story about that person. I then experimented with different ways of showing these emotions using techniques like blend modes and writing over the top of the photo. I took these techniques into Level 5, my reshoots, and applied them to my photo shoot to really draw the viewers attention to the emotions of the person in the photo.
From this I could start thinking about to the right of the outer emotions face. what I wanted to do for my final piece. I wrote words like weak, apprehensive, secretive and cautious. All these My final piece is a combination of all my emotions related to the inner emotions thoughts and experiments throughout portrait and generated a link between my coursework. the two sides of the piece. The final technique I used on the piece was and I have applied multiple techniques to acetate overlay. I printed a photo of the piece to emphasise on inner and some Autumn coloured leaves on the outer emotions. The main photo is a branches of a tree onto acetate. This joiner of the same person, however allowed me to lay it over the top of the one is behind the other seeminly trying existing photo to make it seemingly to hide. This is the first way this piece blend with the portraits. My intentions shows emotion, because it makes behind this was that the colours of the seem like his inner emotions are shy leaves show the outer emotions of the and secluded whereas on the outside person such as happiness because he seems happy and confidient. The of the yellow leaves and confidence first manual technique I used on this because of the orange and red leaves. was to use a white marker pen to wirte After this I framed the piece to keep it a series of emotions down a blank area all contained.