The Object and The Body

Unit RPHC4001

Part 1 The Body

The Brief
The brief for the first part of the Body and Object project was to photograph someone in the community in their work environment.

Then we were to invite them into the university to take photographs of them in the studio.

The Research
I began my research by looking at photographers who photograph workers in their work environment. Song Chaos series Miners appealed to me as the workers are shown unwashed and in their working clothes. The viewer can see immediately what Chaos intention was by the props and clothes he used.

 The impact that photographing a body can achieve will vary according to the context. This can be seen clearly in the work of Carl Warner. His images portray the body looking like a landscape.

My concept
I decided to use the local library as my focus and make the concept: How, and if, Libraries are Affected in the Age of Technology.

I devised a short questionnaire so I could get the answers to this matter. The manager from my local library completed it.
The general opinion was that technology is not affecting library use. (See completed survey on my blog.) Representing my subject appropriately to allow the viewer to understand the image was going be crucial. Therefore, the choice of appropriate props was vital to my issue and what I was trying to portray.

 The importance of props can also be seen in the work of Steven Karl Metzer. His images entitled Workers contain props that allow the viewer to understand the image.

The Studio Portrait Shoot

As we tend to think of people who work in the community as friendly and approachable, I wanted my image to reflect this.
I thought if I used a soft-lit, but bright lighting, this would help create this impression.

Equipment used
Bronica medium format camera 2 shallow discs 2 light packs

135 lens
Black and white film ISO 160 Shooting at F8 4 poly boards 2 large soft boxes

Sync cord/light meter

1 library book/iphone White background 4 lights

 For this shoot, I was using a medium format Bronica camera on aperture F8.
My film was a Black and White ISO160. I used the 80 lens first of all, but that kept showing the edges of the back drop so I experimented with the 120 and 135 for a longer lens. I chose the 135 and this worked for me.

 I asked my model to pose with a book in one hand and an iphone in the other to represent people choosing the internet over the library.
My choice of props were simple, but I felt they represented what my issue was and shows clearly what I was trying to achieve.

The Process
Step 1. I set up four poly boards, arranged into two corners. Step 2. After pulling the white background down, I positioned two lights with shallow discs on to face into the corners of the poly board to achieve the soft lighting effect.

Step 3. I also positioned two soft boxes in front of my model so that they were facing her. This cancelled out any shadows and made her more illuminated. Step 4. I used the light meter to make the exposure correct before my model went into position. As my theme was the library in the age of technology I took some shots of my model holding a library book and some with her holding her iPhone. I then took some of her holding both together to represent people choosing the internet over the library.

The Environment Portrait Shoot

The second part of this project is where I shot the librarian in her work environment. I took along a medium format Bronica and a tripod.

I used an 80 lens.
This turned out to be a much more basic shoot.

I decided not to use artificial light as there is a lot of daylight in the library.

 I asked my model to look straight into the camera while she was between the aisles. I felt this would make the image more effective. For some poses she had a book in her hand. I made sure she was wearing her identity badge so the viewer can see that she is the librarian.

 Overall, I felt my research supported my concept in that it made me realise how important props were to allow the viewer to understand the image.

Even simple props can achieve this effect.

I could improve next time by researching photographs which were related more to what I had chosen focus on.

 I chose my final images for the reasons that the studio shot showed the meaning of my concept by the props my model was holding.

The library shot was chosen as I felt the exposure was good, and as the subject was closer to the camera it seemed to work better. She also had a book in her hand which added to the understanding of being in a library environment.

 I feel I have kept up with my studies all through this task. I have done lots of research which helped me decide how I wanted my final shots to look.

 I feel the biggest challenge for me on this task was contacting someone in the community and arranging for them to take part in this project. It was made more stressful in that, through no fault of my own, it didnt come off. Luckily Adele in the Uni library stepped in for me. Next time, I should ensure the volunteer is committed and be more confident about pinning them down to a time, as I had no idea that my original model was going to let me down as she seemed keen to do this.

The Object and Body

Unit RPHC4001

Part 2 The Object

The Brief
The second part of the brief for the Body and Object project was Still Life. I decided to focus on Consumerism. I made the issue: What People Want, Rather Than What People Need

The Research
I began by reading media articles and consumer opinions. Through my research, I could see that we live in a society where designer wear is very often associated with social status. Life can be seen by some as being all about status and fitting into different categories. However, while this is fine for people who can afford it, many are drawn into this culture who cant afford it.

I particularly liked these two images

 A report on www.swns.com tells of a fashionobsessed mother has spent 20,000 on designer clothes for her 8 year old son.

Another report in www.mirror.co.uk tells of the mother who sometimes goes without food so she can buy the latest designer outfit for her toddler.

 I began to think how I could convey my Still Life to reflect this frenzy of designer must-haves. I started to put together the idea of using reflection around the designer bags and boxes so I could distort the image.

This would create the effect of the distorted image in the consumers mind.

 Next, I researched photographers who distort their images. Andre Kertesz distorts images of bodies. However, I thought I could apply his concept to my images.

I liked these images by Randy Scott Slavin as although they are a distortion, they are circular.

 I also looked at photographs of reflected images and realised that this could be the way to create the distorted image that these consumers have in their minds.

The Object Shoot

I decided to use reflection to produce a distorted image of the bags and boxes. This was to create the illusion of how people can get a distorted view in their minds of having to buy expensive designer products.

Equipment Used
Horseman camera Large format film Mirror board Metal rod String Designer bags and boxes 2 black polyboards

Stage 1. I bent the mirror board into a tube. Stage 2. I hung the bags on thread and suspended them on a metal rod so that they looked as though they were floating in the middle of the tube. Stage 3. I placed two honeycomb lights to see which position would work best.

Stage 4. I then took a few practice shots on a digital camera to see what effect I would get. Stage 5. Two black poly boards were set up on the side so no other light could reflect on it. Stage 6. When I found the best direction to shoot in, I set up the Horseman camera.

Stage 7. Then I did a practice shot to test that the focus and the aperture were right. Stage 8. Next, I processed it and scanned the negative into the computer. I decided it was too dark so I changed the settings to make it lighter.

Contact Sheet

Final Images

Digital Printing
Trying to match the analogue print with the digital print was difficult because when I was scanning the negative, the negative holder was cutting off a tiny section of the top. So, it didnt matter how much I tried it was impossible to get the top of it right.

 My research supports my concept as I looked at artists who were trying to make a point about consumerism. I found media reports which told of consumers who had got their obsession out of control. I looked at photographers who reflected or distorted images. This gave me ideas for how to portray the distorted images that these particular consumers have in their mind.

Next time, to improve my research, I could devise a questionnaire, take it to a shopping centre with designer shops and ask consumers about their shopping habits.

 The images I chose were because they were more in focus which made the logos clearer. My visual choices translate my ideas well as I wanted to create the illusion of how people can get a distorted view in their minds of having to have designer products and the mirror boards distorted my image.

 I managed my studies well, even though the project was running alongside the Portrait project. I spent a lot of time researching media articles, comments from consumers, artists and photographers. I need to reflect that I should have thought a bit more about the props I needed for this shoot as it ended up being a bit stressful.

 There were lots of challenges on this project, but the most significant one for me was it was hard to know what to focus on as there was so much reflection.

If I did it again, I would think more about a central focus point.