Through each of my photos I will talk about the key concept idea, how and why the photographs are taken in that manner, test shots and research done for each work.
Task1: Me
If I could only use 3 photographs to describe myself, I would form a connection between these 3 photos, like a sandwich with fillings pack within two slices of bread. Inspired by Nan Goldin’s self-portrait of herself one month after being battered, I felt the urged to based this series on an existing negative fact about myself with some staged props to convey hidden meanings that contrast with this negativity. In Nan Goldin’s self-portrait, she was deeply abused, and covered with bruises all over her face. The portrait was taken upfront with her in the middle; depicts that she has nothing to hide. However, she choose to stage her photograph by dressing herself up with shinny accessories and makeup. This sparks my curiosity as I came up with the assumption that she was trying to show a different side of herself.
In task 1, I showed a series of 3 photographs depicting the messy side of me behind close doors, where the photographs interlink with each other. The photos must be arranged in a downwards line; the first image of my desk with the portrait shot of a lady in a magazine (depicting the top half of a human structure) , my messy clothes portraying a mid-shot of the structure, and my legs with shoes as the bottom half of it. The arrangement of the photos is important as it creates a flow and continuity of my messy self from head to toe.
The 1st photograph shows the original state of my desk in my dorm room. Light enters the photo from the right side of the table, which enhance the messier side of the desk itself. The contrast of light is strongest at the center of the photo, where it draws attention to the magazine. The magazine was placed deliberately by me, with a strong woman figure in the front cover and visible text that state “The Next Generation”. This suggest the the strong and confident woman which I portrayed on the outside (to others), despite being a very messy and layback person on the inside.
The 2nd photograph shows a photo taken in a top view shot with neutral lighting, and clothes filling up the frame, peeping bits of the bed sheet. Since this photo is placed in the middle of the other two, I felt that the key elements in the photos (the clothes) should all be shown clearly to get the message that I want to convey clearer to the viewers.
The 3rd photograph highlights the lighting coming in from the left as it fades away to the right. With the light coming in from the opposite direction in comparison of the 1st photograph, it creates balance throughout the three photographs.
Task2: Object and representation of self
The object that I selected is my favourite structured bag with silver buckles; as I dressed up in my Secondary School uniform. I was inspired by Cindy Sherman, where she dresses up in different roles that she wants to be portrayed in each of her photographs. Using this technique enable viewers to see a clearer link between me and the object. In this series, I want to show the unpleasant secondary school life that I had back in the days. I used to be a very rebellious kid that sleeps throughout every lessons and skip classes. I was unhappy and felt that life was meaningless. Despite that, my school bag has always been with me.
In this photo, I portrayed myself skipping class and sleeping in a carpark. The rule of third in the photo enable the background to be shown clearly, so that viewers are able to see me skipping classes ( as the location show is not within the school compound) The elements in the background also helps to gravitate the eyes towards the object (me and the bag). With the bright yellow line and arrows on the floor pointing towards my direction. Good structure and proportion is also created with my leg being parallel to the yellow line and the adjacent towards the wall that I am leaning on.
This next image shows the same rule of third, with me and the bag being in the center of the photograph. In this photo, I want to show the depressing side of me, with the thought of school being a burden ( therefore the bag was placed above my shoulder). And although I managed to skip class, I was unable to go home ( the buildings at the left side of the background is where my house is located at) ; afraid that my parents will notice. The photo was shot at a low angle, therefore a full body shot was shown since I am sitting down. The bag blocks the sunlight from my face, which creates a gloomy effect on my expression, against my white fair skin.
In this photo, I want to bring out the feeling of being trapped. Whats left were me and my bag, against the world. Therefore my expressions and body gesture with the bag is portrayed in this manner. The background plays an important role in this photo, therefore the objects (bag and myself) is shot further away from the camera, and in a 45 degree angle. The two fences (one nearer and the other further) creates depth to the photo. Notice that the middle role of the fence (nearer to the camera) highlights the white and orange buildings at the back, which brings attention to my face and bag.
This photo shows a close up shot of me hugging the bag. The light shining on my hands and onto the bag builds up a connection between the object and myself; suggesting an unseparated bonding between us.
Task3: My World
Childhood memories means a lot to me. Especially at my favourite funfair; Uncle Ringo. This types of funfair are hard to come by these days, and I am lucky enough to chance upon one. I used to visit them with my friends when I was young, but never did I have the chance to visit it with my parents. Therefore in this series, You can see that I am drawn into capturing younger kids and adults interacting at the funfair (as seen on the second and third photos). These two images are more close up in comparison to the first photo. This is because in the first photo, I wanted to show an overview of the whole funfair; with the Uncle Ringo signage upfront and the buildings behind the funfair to depict a homely neighbourhood funfair scene. Notice that the sky is dark as it was taken at night; this way, the sky contrasted with the fun fair’s bright warm lights. As for the next two photos, notice that each particular funfair stall filled up the entire image. This creates an illusion of a spirited away wonderland (like scenes in Japanese anime) as it is hard to tell where this particular fun fair is located at.
