The selfie
The current obsession with photographic self-portraits - The Selfie - can be traced back to the origins of photography. One of the first things photographers did when they learned how to fix light on a surface was to turn their rudimentary cameras on themselves. The earliest known example comes from 1839, the same year that Louis Daguerre patented the 'invention' of photography as a commercially viable process. Since then, the self-portrait, a genre inherited from painting, has become a staple form of photographic image making.
Robert Cornelius’ Self-Portrait: The First Ever “Selfie” (1839)
Selfie Experiment #1: The Reflected Selfie
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander is an American known for his creative experimental photographs of city streets. As shown in the pictures above a reflection of himself in a car window and other reflections taken in shop front windows and mirrors.Friedlander's work captures the unseen light elements which most photos don't portray.His mirror selfies reflect on what we see today on social media apps.
My interpretation
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These photos respond to the influence of Lee Friedlanders work of the 'reflected selfie' and the group of self-portraits he took in the 1960s ,which drew attention to the unseen and unexpected elements within a photograph which really elevate the details.For my photographs I attempted to capture my reflection in mirrors, and glass
The props I used for the mirror pictures where a smaller compact double sided mirror and another different shaped hand held.My intentions where to angle the mirror creating this unusual double reflection and accentuating by editing it in the style of Friedlander.
The props I used for the mirror pictures where a smaller compact double sided mirror and another different shaped hand held.My intentions where to angle the mirror creating this unusual double reflection and accentuating by editing it in the style of Friedlander.
Experiment #2: The Obscured Selfie
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I took some photographs inspired by artist Richard Hamilton for my response to the 'Obscured Selfie'.Richard Hamilton was a key figure in the British and international Pop Art movements, as well as being one of its main theoreticians. The majority of his work is concerned with the art historical traditions in contemporary art.
Next time what I would improve is to avoid getting the reflection in the glass and darken my background, yet I think the paint on the glass is effective, or I could have tried what he did which was paint directly on the picture. |
Experiment #3: The Shadow Selfie
Daido Moriyama 1997
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I took photos in response to Vivian Maier's shadow selfie . Shadow selfies are creative as wherever the sun is, your shadow will be unique, for example you could have your shadow on a wall directly in front of you just like the selfie to the left.
I edited this in photoshop to create a better contrast between the light and the dark and also made it black and white in the style of Vivian Maier. |
Daido Moriyama (who is also known for shadow selfie photographs) is seen as one of the greatest photographers of Japan is known for his dark black and white photographs of post-war Japan and his creative angles in his capturing street photography, which has influenced many photographers around the world. He takes quick, brief snapshots without looking through the viewfinder. Photographers tend to discover influential dynamic compositions' to capture.Moriyama tended to capture the unknown within his photos in the city streets exposing the uncanny
Lighting in portraits
Lighting is crucial when taking photographs as it can make a huge difference to the look and impact of your portraits.Lighting helps you to control and manipulate your photo correctly in order to get the best vibrancy of colour and shadows within texture.Light can range from being natural daylight to an artificial light source.The main light sources that where used where natural light, white artificial light and a tungsten light.
Studio lighting
Tungsten light
Tungsten light is a warm artificial light. It’s usually orange or yellow.
CHARACTER RECOGNITION: MYRA GREENE
Myra Greene is an American artist that uses traditional photographic processes which elevate her portrait photographs. In the project Character Recognition, she focusses on different expressions for segments of her face as a process of recognition and exploration. Green uses a process from the 1950s known as a Ambrotype which is made from the solution collodion process on glass.
Greene's work provokes various questions about identity and how individuals are portrayed through the colour of their skin and their physical characteristics in contrast to their personality. Greene used close-up images of segments of her face to prompt an uncomfortable answer to the questions the collection's title implies about whether she and black people in general, are judged by their skin colour rather than by their character. Her photos link to the historical African American slave roots making the images influential, powerful reminders of the commodification and stereotyping Greene spotlights through the materials and medium she used to create this collection.
Greene's work provokes various questions about identity and how individuals are portrayed through the colour of their skin and their physical characteristics in contrast to their personality. Greene used close-up images of segments of her face to prompt an uncomfortable answer to the questions the collection's title implies about whether she and black people in general, are judged by their skin colour rather than by their character. Her photos link to the historical African American slave roots making the images influential, powerful reminders of the commodification and stereotyping Greene spotlights through the materials and medium she used to create this collection.
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For my interpretation I took close up photographs of sections of someone's face such as their eyes and mouth.
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LIGHT & SHADOW: VALERIE KABIS
Valerie Kabis is interested in how shapes are created by limiting light. By experimenting with light, shadow and variations in focus, Kabis creates a series of dark and thought provoking images. The series below is called 'Faces'. Through manipulating aperture and at times over-exposing her images, Kabis evokes a sense of deep melancholy. However, this is set up in juxtaposition to the 'excited light quakes' that feature in her works which symbolise glimmers of hope in what Kabis describes as the 'unquiet void' which is the world itself.
Task one: Digital
with mirror:
edited:
The first set of pictures where taken on my phone as you can tell by the quality, so to improve the pictures I took them with a digital camera and also experimented with the shutter speed.
Documentary portrait
George Town - Lewis Khan
Lewis Khan took a series of unedited photos known as a documentary portrait of his neighbour George. His photos represent power through George and his environment. Khan took pictures of his house such a writing on the wall
My response
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Big up portrait
Ben Watts
Ben Watts is a photographer born in London. He took various different portraits of street characters, rappers, boxers, actors, dancers skateboarders and occasionally children. His collection in 1990 was predominately inspired by the hip hop side of New York along with its urban youth culture. He began documenting by taking a series of snapshots of portraits of inspirational people he came across and allowed them to write over their polaroid's in black sharpie pen. He used masking tape and other mixed media to portray this unique creative side within his work. In the mid 90's he was working in New York advertising for brands such as apple and polo Ralph Lauren and also worked along magazines vanity fair, the New York times, rolling stone, Elle and others.
my response
Independent response
Documentary portrait : Lewis Khan
For my independent response I chose Lewis Khan and Intended of taking pictures influenced by his George Town portraits where he took documentary portraits of George and Georges environment such as the writing on the wall in his flat. "Georgetown was created through reflection, the processing of a relationship that had been built up while I was creating body of stills, and for me the process is all about taking time" .I took pictures of my and her working environment to build up this visual representation of them doing what they like
First response:
I went back a couple hours later to take more pictures of her environment being her desk and pictures /post cards on her wall and doing a different job
Second response: