'The Desperate Man'

I chose to focus my project on the painting ‘The Desperate Man’ by Courbet. I wanted to look at the kind of situations people might feel ‘desperate’ about in today’s society and I thought the theme adultery would suit this image. The suit and tie imply that he is a working man but the lipstick on the shirt and his stricken expression symbolises him having done something forbidden and dangerous. 

The original image I worked from by Courbet, 'The Desperate Man' 

 

My own final studio shot image 

 

I was really happy with how the final image turned out and I think I successfully got across the idea I wanted to portray! Hope you like it.

Patrick Jolley

I visited the Patrick Jolley exhibition in the City Gallery awhile ago and I thought it was really unbelievable! I wasn't really aware of his work up to the point that I seen it but I was totally blown away by it all, and there was so much to see! I took some notes and snaps of my favorite pieces.

I particularly loved the Ice House series photographed in Sweden, there is something so mysterious about them they are very hauntingly captivating! I love his use of the natural lighting in the images below. Also the short film of the burning house kind of fitted the same criteria for me in the way that there seemed to be something equally as eerie and haunting about the setting as the images before. All in all I loved the whole exhibition and they layout of they work was fantastic!

SLR Project Finished

So although I'm posting this a little late (oops!) Here are what my final 5 Developed Images turned out from the project 'Urban Environment'. I will have close up's of each image in a day or two :)

Dorothea Lange

Well known for photographing the Great Depression, her work is so admirable! She didn't just set up or create a scene to be captured she went in search of the scene! It is rewarding to look through her photos and read the stories behind each and the more you study it the different subtleties you begin to pick up on in the images. Here are a few I like:

Sally Mann

I love the work produced by Sally Mann, in particular her portraits! The emotion and expressions seem so genuine and raw it is hard not to stare! I read her book recently on her 'immediate family' and it was really interesting to see the kind of background she has and where her photos come from.

 

Studio Practice

To get us warmed up to using and setting up shots in the studio we had a kind of practice class. This was helpful in the way that we got to see how setting up the lights, the position, composition, etc. can really effect how a photo can turn out. Here were some of the shots from that session:

Setting up the lights in a why that compliments the mood, theme and subject.

 

Using a white backdrop and bleaching it out using the lights makes it easier to subtract the subject if using PhotoShop later

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using strong lighting can create harsh lines and shadows in the persons face.

 

 

 

 

 

Strong, harsh lighting can work in some situations when used properly, but for the most part a softer lighting is more suitable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a soft light (soft box) will give a more aesthetically pleasing effect. It is also a good idea to 'bounce' some light back into the darker areas of the face using a reflector!