This task is supposed to creatively introduce myself to the viewer using three photographs. I was trying to express the main idea of façade and appearance. As I have always been a rather guarded person, I was trying to portray this quality in my three photographs.
The photographs are meant to be viewed from left to right, they are placed side by side in a horizontal layout as I wanted the viewers to see the three photos as a whole singular narrative. I chose to mainly portray my face as I feel that it is the first thing that people see when they meet a person, a direct physical representation of one’s identity.
For the first photograph, I took it when I just woke up. My idea was at the moment one regains consciousness from slumber, there would not be a chance for one to put on a façade or mask one’s true self. Thus, I would be showing my most vulnerable and raw “face” with my guard down.
The second photograph was supposed to act as a transition between the first and last. The white veil I positioned in front of my face and eyes symbolises the masking of myself and putting my guard up.
Lastly, in the third photograph, is my daily guarded face. This is also the only photograph where my eyes are clearly looking straight at the viewer, to represent how this is the only appearance I choose to allow others to see. My face here is captured to be positioned and angled almost exactly like the one in the first photograph. This mirroring is to further highlight the contrast between my vulnerable self and my guarded self.
The few other methods I used in the photograph to convey the idea of facade would be through my facial appearance and colouration.
My facial appearance in the first photograph is deliberately made more dishevelled, as compared to the final photograph where I had some makeup on and looked distinctly more put together and groomed. This was significant to me as my groomed self was a mask in which I feel more confident in and less vulnerable, thus, well-guarded.
For colouration, the first photograph is in a warmer hue of yellow, which emphasizes the vulnerability of the subject. This hue eventually transitions into a cool hue of blue in the third photograph, which signifies a colder, more distant persona who has her guard up.
Process
Photo: http://www.sothebys.com/content/dam/stb/lots/N09/N09141/714N09141_7BFK5.jpg
Photo: https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2012/cindysherman/lib/uploads/G04A01Untitled-85.1981_large-929×475.jpg
For this series, I was loosely inspired by Cindy Sherman’s Centerfold Series. I was mostly trying to observe how Sherman portrays vulnerability in her photographs through the appearance and the facial expression of the subjects. The influence of her work is mostly reflected in my first photograph.
Here are some other photographs that I took that did not make it to the final selection. I tried close ups and other angles of my face. However, I decided that I would prefer a similar angle between the first and last photograph to ensure coherence.
TASK 2: OBJECT AND REPRESENTATION OF SELF
The task is to pick an object which has significance or symbolic value to you, the item I pick is my glasses. This item is extremely significant to me as I have been near-sighted since I was six years old. Thus, my glasses are the thing that gives me sight and allows me to lead a normal life.
The layout of the photographs are in a triangular composition. This is to facilitate my expression of my concept.
My concept was to express by love-hate relationship with my glasses. The top-most photograph acted as a neutral one to express how my glasses give me a new clear perspective of the world, an improvement from a blurry one without it.
The lower left photograph portrays my dislike towards my glasses. This dislike is something of my pre-teen years, where my glasses kind of solidify my identity as a “nerd”. While the lower right photograph presents my appreciation and admiration for such a small object to have such a large positive impact in my life.
My dislike and appreciation is contrasted by the position of my glasses. In the photograph of dislike, I am looking down at my glasses, holding it far away from my body, almost to the point to dropping it. While to signify my love of the glasses, the photo is taken from a top-down perspective where I look up smiling towards my glasses. The perspective emphasises the feeling of admiration and how the object is one of importance.
Process
I did not really refer to a specific artist for this task but I was taking photos in the general style of advertisements, to somewhat “sell” the greatness of my glasses.
I tried other shots as stated in the project brief. However, I felt like they do not portray my feelings with the object as obviously.
TASK 3：MY WORLD
The last task, I am supposed to choose a place that is significant to me. However, I decided to interpret the task differently, as I strongly believe that the people makes the place, not the other way around. For me, a place would hold no significance if there were no memories with people associated to the place.
Thus, I decided to portray the same group of people in three distinctly different settings to convey my idea. I decided to place the photos in this layout, as I would like the viewer to see each photo individually. Each shot is composed in a way so that the subjects are in close proximity to the viewers. This is so they can feel as though they are viewing the world through my eyes.
Another thing I would like to highlight is, unlike the previous two tasks that I took with a DSLR, I did this task with an iPhone, as that is usually the gadget we use when we are out with our friends, so I felt it would seem more natural that way.
Process
I truly believe that people makes the place, but I was further inspired by this question in the project brief, “Is it the people, the environment, or a combination?” It made me come to my final decision of using this as my main concept.
I did have some difficulty securing these shots though, as during the outing w my friends, I realised I did not have a wide-angled lens. Also, sometimes my friends were not sitting in an aesthetically pleasing composition, so for those shots, I had to ask if they could shift.
With this, my Project 1 for 4D draws to a close. I had fun doing this assignment and am looking forward to more photo shoots in the future.