Project 1 : Picture Story – Curating Self (Task 1: Object and Representation of self)

Object of Significance: Yu Yee Oil.

Significance:

Yu Yee Oil has been with us for as long as many of us can remember. I believe that every Singaporean is able to recognise this brand just base on the packaging design and colour. It is a go-to medicated oil for children who has stomach-ache and an essential item for parents to apply this on the belly and bottom of the feet for their kids every time after their bath.

Yu Yee Oil is a significant object that greatly reminds me of my childhood. It has been with me since I was a baby.

Even today, I still use it. Not only because for its function to cure stomach-aches, but because the smell itself is very comforting. I even bring it with me to places I am unfamiliar with. A familiar scent that has been with me since childhood. A scent that is highly distinguishable. A whiff of it instantly calms me down. It makes me feel grounded. The moment the minty scent hits the back of my throat; a surge of warmth spreads within me and I feel all soft, mushy and warm; like a baby wrapped in a bundle. And I like feeling like that. A baby wrapped in a bundle, safe and sound with not a thing to worry about. And I think this is a way I can take myself away from reality, even if it is only just for a while.

References and Objectives:

I used maternity, family and baby photoshoots as visual references.

I wanted to capture the essence of family love, tranquility and purity. So I studied how the position of subject matters in the photos can help achieve the mood I wanted to convey.

photo ref

Baby photo shoot ideas pictures with baby girl with her cute headband looking up to the camera

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hence, with that, I wanted to capture these bolded words above in my photographs.

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My Story:

Close up of the object in a neutral background from various vantage points

Front view of object against white back drop.

Front view of object against white back drop.

Top View of object on soft towel

Top View of object on soft towel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side view of object lying down on soft towel.

Side view of object lying down on soft towel.

 

 

 

 

 

Full Figure shot of myself with the object.

Normal Standing pose with the object.

Normal Standing pose with the object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Figure shot of myself interacting with the object. Aim to capture my feeling about the object.

Cradling my object like a baby bump.

Cradling my object like a baby bump.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mid-range shot of me interacting with the object. Aim to capture my feeling about the object.

Playing with my object as though it is like a newborn.

Playing with my object as though it is like a newborn.

My Story Photo 3 My Story Photo 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Close- up shots of me interacting with the object

My Story Photo 1Close up shot 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

My final top 3 photographs that I felt conveyed the mood of my story:

I deliberately wore white to create a juxtaposition between the bright and vibrant colours of my object. So that more attention can be drawn to my object and my expressions which I wanted to use as the main elements to set the mood of my story.

My Story Photo 2

My object keeps me safe when I am scared.

I chose a specific timing in the afternoon to capture this image as the lighting from my window casts a shadow behind me. Shadow is casted towards the interior of the room which represented the internal darkness I have inside of me, and the bright light casted towards the exterior is a representation of my bright personality on the outside.

My Story Photo 3

My Object is soft and delicate to the skin like a baby.

My Story Photo 1

My object is small and close to me. Literally and metaphorically.

 

 

 

I attempted to create depth in this photograph as I brought my object much closer to the camera and pulled myself far behind. I wanted to show that a small and bright object like this, can also have a great impact in my plain white life.

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THE HALL OF REJECTED WORKS

These are just some of the photographs that failed the cut to get selected as my top 3 images because I couldn’t capture the emotions I want to convey in the photographs.

photo ref

 

 

 

 

 

editted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I brought my hand around the object to draw the viewer’s attention by framing it, and tilting my head at that direction. I thought looking at it would provide an implied line in the direction of the object. I tousled and spread out my hair to give a more relaxed feeling. However, I felt that after the shot was taken the mood was more…sensuous than pure and tranquil. Hence this photograph did not make the cut.

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Physical contact is a way to draw people closer because of intimacy and entering of one’s personal space. Hence, I plastered the object close to my face and cropped a mid-shot photograph to a close-up photograph obtain this. My objective for cropping is to allow the viewer to feel closer to us (me and my object). And placing the object against my face is a form of physical intimacy.

Close up shot 1

This photograph failed the cut because my object’s function is not to be used anywhere near the face (application on face may burn). In addition, this photograph looks like a cosmetic advertisement instead, which totally goes against the function of my object.

 

This was a fun project! 😀

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