Lens with Rebecca: 7 elements of photography

Choosing 3 elements from the 7 elements of photography, Monika took these photos of me. I chose the elements diffused light, reflected light and composition. Lighting is going to be a big feature in my photographs so I need to experiment with different types of lighting and determine how I can achieve strong shadows to create an eerie effect.

 First of all I used a diffuser underneath fluorescent lights to create soft lighting. This gave a dim, dark effect however it did not produce the shadow effect I am looking for.

 Next I used a silver reflector in bright sunlight to try to create the shadow effect. In this picture it is nearly working, however a correct exposure was used.

 Under exposing with the use of the reflector was more successful as the shadows appear darker. Also, the composition of my face (tilted head, hair in front of my face) helps to emphasise the shadows and creates an eerie, creepy feeling.

 Again, under exposing proved to be successful.

 This is an example of dark shadows (from the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose); under the eyes, in the creases on the face, wrinkles etc. This is created with a main lighting source in dark lighting conditions, therefore instead of using a reflector in sunlight I could take my photos in a dark room with one main light and a silver reflector pointed at one side of the face.

 I then experimented with composition. I had Monika sit in front of a mirror, quite close. I then stood in the background. In my final photos I want to have at least one close up and at least one full body picture.

 I then decreased the distance between myself and Monika.

 In the next 2 pictures I experimented with height in composition by standing on a chair and still having Monika sitting.

Experimenting with composition has shown me that I would like to position myself towards the back of the frame but towards one side, taking into consideration rule of thirds, in my full body photo.

This is an example (again from The Exorcism of Emily Rose) of the type of composition I want for my full body photo.

This image is a very good example of rule of thirds therefore this element will play a big part in my photo.

RRaW: Week 5a Exercise 4 25/3 Political and street art

How is political and street art relevant to me?

First off, I can't think of how political art is relevant to me as I can't think of any examples. Street art however is relevant as I see it everywhere. Especially in Otara. I see tagging everywhere. On walls, rubbish bins, signs, doors, shops. Political art I guess could be similar to this. I see posters encouraging people to quit smoking, I guess this is a form of political art however it does not relate to me in the sense that it is not appealing to me as I do not smoke. Such as street art is also not appealing to me as I do not see careless tagging and graffiti as 'art', I see it as offensive and disgusting. However I have seen professional graffiti on walls, almost like murals. This is 'art' and is more relevant as I appreciate work that has a lot of effort and thought put into it, albeit it is not my style.

How would I use political or street art to represent my community?

If I had to represent my community through political or street art, the message I would convey would appeal to all young people, people in my age group. I would spread messages encouraging them to better themselves, for example encourage them to get an education or a job, encourage them to do the things they love whilst working towards their future. It would also include messages urging those that are going down the path of drugs and self harm, to get back on the right path as these things are big issues in the young adult community and they need to be addressed. I would use techniques that might catch the eye of the young adult community, for example stencil art would be quite eye catching, similar to that of Banksy. I would use brief statements; "HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF", "GIVE YOURSELF A BRIGHT FUTURE", "CHOOSE THE RIGHT PATH". I would also include images of things that are not necessarily relevant to the issue or statement but images that can make someone smile, such as a kitten or a puppy, or something associated with positiveness like a sun - small symbols. I would put this art where I would expect the target audience - young adults - to hang out, such as skate parks, malls, movie theatres, high schools, universities, recreational areas for young people.

Does political or street art have a place in my life?

Political or street art may have a place in my life if it is relevant to me, or if I wanted to convey a message to a community.

Lens with Rebecca: Research - Exorcism of Emily Rose

As part of my research I watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), directed by Scott Derrickson, starring Jennifer Carpenter as Emily Rose. I watched the film to gather further ideas regarding the exorcism/split personality theme. I was able to gather ideas on how to portray the split personality in my photos and different poses/expressions I can use. Emily was very vocal during the exorcism, I could show elements of this in my work possibly by using text or even make it look like I am shouting in one of my pictures. It also gave me location and costume ideas. I will need to source an old fashioned nighty (there are many at my job, Spookers) and I would like to take some photos in fog with dim lighting as this will intertwine with my idea of using texture in my photos to create atmosphere. I will be able to do a photo shoot on my farm as one of the scenes in the film was shot in a paddock, with a bare tree and a barbed wire fence which are both on my home property.

Link to the trailer of The Exorcism of Emily Rose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSy7DldFdUI

Lens with Rebecca: Research - Overlaying images in photoshop

 I did some of my own experiments on photoshop overlaying images using the image above as an example. I used 2 images of myself; 1 of my face 'normal', and 1 of my face with exorcist make up. 

 I used different opacities for different layers so that the bottom layer could sow through the top layer but still have elements from the top layer visible.

 I used different lighting filters, for example I used overlay and hard light for the above and below images.

I erased some parts of the bottom layer for the image above to allow certain features to be emphasised more than others, for example I erased the area on the top layer that was covering the sunken eyebrow part and I erased areas were the scratches were so they'd show through.

Overall, I like the look of the darker ones more than the lighter one as the darkness encapsulates the mood of the expression on my face and emphasises the shadows. It also makes the cuts look really gross which is beneficial to the look of the image and the meaning behind it.

This image is made up of 2 different images than the ones above. 1 of my 'normal' face but with a different expression and the other with creepy porcelain doll make up. In the make up picture I am wearing blue contact lenses that distort my eyes so that they are creepy looking. I am going to use contact lenses in my final product.

Lens with Rebecca: Photo merging panorama

I took these four images on my phone and put them in Photoshop then  I watched a tutorial on Youtube on how to photo merge on photoshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1rd-S6QfOo 

The technique produced this one image:

I did a few more panoramas using the same photo merging technique. Some of them turned out clean and seamless looking whereas some turned out warped and didn't merge very well.

Building Images with Frances: Artist research for 6 page works

The Wall and Francis Bacon

I am focusing my page works on "The Wall" film by Pink Floyd. I have been inspired by some of the artwork for the film to look at that of Francis Bacon. The picture below is an artwork inspired by the film, the artwork below being the original.

Francis Bacon has artwork very similar to that above. I like his style of painting as I have used it before and I feel that using Bacon as my main artist focus will help me to produce appropriate artworks for my page works.

Another aspect of The Wall where I am reminded of Bacon's work is a part called 'The Trial'. It is an animated 'ragdoll', bare with no features and appears to be naked. It is depicted tumbling through the air and it reminds me of Bacon's paintings of meat.

Here is the link to The Trial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCMHmDnfD6I

These are some of the paintings that remind me of the ragdoll, puppet creature from The Trial (seen above).

Lens with Rebecca: Research - Owen Roizman (Cinematographer), William Friedkin (Director), Linda Blair (Actress)

I have looked at a list of other films Owen Roizman has been the Cinematographer for. I am going to source some of these movies and watch them to get an idea of how Roizman uses the camera to capture images in the making of these films.

Other films Roizman has been a part of are:

• The Addams Family (1991)
• I Love you to Death (1990)
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
• The French Connection (1971)

I will also look at he Director of The Exorcist, William Friedkin, and investigate other films he has directed. For example; The French Connection (1971), Bug (2006), The Hunted (2003), Rules of Engagement (2000), 2 episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (TV series).

I also want to look at other films actress Linda Blair, who played Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist, has starred in. I already know that she starred in an episode of my favourite TV programme, Supernatural, so I will watch that episode again (Season 2, Episode 7, "The Usual Suspects").

Other films she has starred in are:

• Hell Night (1981)
• Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)

Lens with Rebecca: Direct, diffused and reflected light

 Direct light

I took this photo when the sun was out from behind the clouds so there was nothing in between the direct light of the sun and the subject, Monika. The  shadows on Monika's face are sharp and very defined whereas the highlights are very bright. This creates a contrast.

 Diffused light

I took this photo when the sun had gone behind clouds so the light of the sun was diffused. It created a softer light on Monika's face therefore less contrast as the shadows are less defined and the highlights are less visible than when there was direct light.

Reflected light

I had Monika hold a silver reflector below her face for this photo. The sunlight hit the surface of the reflector and reflected onto her face creating highlights from the bottom. There are highlights where we'd typically see shadows as the light is now coming from a different direction. The reflector creates a softer light and emphasises the highlights on Monika's face, but there are very few dark shadows so there isn't much of a contrast between darkness and brightness.

Building Images with Frances: Illustration Mundo - Juan Travieso

Juan Travieso

Juan Travieso (born 1987) is a Cuban artist based in Miami and New York.

I really liked this work as it is heavily about birds and I really like birds and animal art art. I like how the artist, Juan Travieso, has used bright colours to paint these birds as in real life these birds are often  not as brightly coloured but we can still recognise them as birds and even identify the breed. I also really like the use of geometrical shapes in his works as they contrast against the smooth, rounded shapes of the birds. His work reminds me of retro pop art which is a very clever way to portray these endangered birds as it is almost 'glorifying' them or making them appear as though they are in a happy or cheerful environment when really their existence is in danger therefore the reality of it is quite grim. I like the way the birds are painted very realistically (apart from the colouring), they are painted very detailed and the brush marks are very defined on the feather areas so it makes the overall appearance of the birds almost 3D, which is relative to the 3D look of the geometrical shapes. These paintings are very cleverly created and there is a lot of depth and layering within them.

RRaW Week 3a Exercise 3 11/3 Manifesto

Photography

• Photography is a way in which an individual can express themselves - thoughts, feelings, interests.
• Photography is used in many ways to capture things that are interesting to the photographer.
• Photography is a good way to document things, e.g. memories, events etc.
• Photography is one of the more superior forms of art.
• Alot can be read through a photograph - "A picture is worth a thousand words." - Frederick R. Barnard, 1921.

Lens with Rebecca: Research - refining ideas

I've noticed a lot of my research revolves around the classic horror film The Exorcist from 1973. It has made me think that instead of focusing my work on the theme of "Spookers" or special fx, I'd like to focus on a more solid theme like 'Possession' or split personalities, the theme in which The Exorcist is revolved around. I can focus on a more specialised look for my work, which is going to be more beneficial for me as I have a better idea of what I want my final product to look like. I intend to use overlaying techniques I have talked about, using images of myself in Exorcist make up (something I often do at my work, Spookers. I have earned the title of 'The Exorcist' at work for the acting I do so this theme relates to me) and images of my normal face. I will use different expressions to emphasise the idea of split personality and mood changes.
I am also going to look at someone called Owen Roizman, who was the Cinematographer/Director of Photography for The Exorcist.
Owen Roizman: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005845/
I am also going to look at a horror film director named Dario Argento, particularly his movie entitled "Suspiria" as there is good use of dramatic, surreal lighting which is something I could incorporate into my images.
Dario Argento: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245857/

Lens with Rebecca: Research - split personality idea

 I really like this image taken from The Exorcist (1973). I like how it is showing different sides to Regan by overlaying different images of her face in different states - like a split personality. I have done similar work in photoshop (below).

 I really like the idea of overlaying images and the idea of "split personality", especially seeing as I am going to be using sfx make up to disguise my face so it ties in very well with the theme of split personalities.

 The technique of overlaying images in photoshop is very effective and makes the mood of the image very dramatic. Especially if the lighting is dramatic - emphasised shadows, dark background etc.

 The above 3 images are examples of overlaying images I have done in photoshop.

 I also have done some experiments with the camera using slow shutter speeds and the object (model) moving to capture movement and create a double image. This is a characteristic of alot of Anna and Bernhard Blume's work (particularly in the Kitchen Frenzy series).

 My work, experimenting with slow shutter speed and moving object.

Again, slow shutter speed and movement.

Anna and Bernhard Blume, Kitchen Frenzy: Passion of the Housewife, 1986

Building Images with Frances: Stencil Artist Banksy

Banksy is my favourite stencil artist, purely because I really like his stencil style. I also really like how his paintings are mainly made up of only shadows and highlights and shapes. You can still tell that it is done using stencils but also gives it a unique flavour that is unique to Banksy. His artwork addresses controversial issues but at the same time he makes it humorous and enjoyable. 

 Banksy, Happy Choppers, 2003

Banksy, Pulp Fiction, 2004

I quite like the stencilling technique as it is very simple but the finished product looks really cool. I like how hands on it is - drawing the stencil, cutting the stencil out, then spray painting. I like how you can stencil onto pretty much any material and it is so quick and easy that you can keep layering, using different colours and different shapes of stencils. I also really like it because during the spray painting part of the process you get messy, and I really like getting my hands dirty while making art.

This is an example of stencilling work I have done in class. I used a combination of found stencils and self-made stencils. I really enjoyed the entire process but my favourite part would definitely have to be spray painting. It's so easy to build up layers of shapes continuously and create something awesome. I also really like how the spray paint is transparent so you can see the layers underneath.