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Driving Question:
Driving Question:
How can I capture emotions and identity through portraiture?
PARAGRAPH 1: INTRODUCTION TO MY PROJECT
PARAGRAPH 1: INTRODUCTION TO MY PROJECT
How can photography capture self identity and emotions? I’m aiming to create a series of portraits with a childhood friend, who I've known for the last six years. I’m personally invested in my project because I love self expression and exploring new ways in which someone can be perceived. I wanted to have a better understanding of how you could get a sense of someones identity without ever meeting or knowing of them. A photographer I’m interested in is Diane Arbus and Petra Collins, who both do portraiture. Arbus did a series of black and white portraits in New Jersey, that explored how people perceive themselves versus how others perceive them. Collins does more fantasy and coming of age portraits, that strongly show off emotions. I thought having inspiration from the both of them would be a nice balance.
How can photography capture self identity and emotions? I’m aiming to create a series of portraits with a childhood friend, who I've known for the last six years. I’m personally invested in my project because I love self expression and exploring new ways in which someone can be perceived. I wanted to have a better understanding of how you could get a sense of someones identity without ever meeting or knowing of them. A photographer I’m interested in is Diane Arbus and Petra Collins, who both do portraiture. Arbus did a series of black and white portraits in New Jersey, that explored how people perceive themselves versus how others perceive them. Collins does more fantasy and coming of age portraits, that strongly show off emotions. I thought having inspiration from the both of them would be a nice balance.
Slideshow of Final Edited Photos Below
Slideshow of Final Edited Photos Below
PARAGRAPH 2: SUMMARY OF PROCESS
PARAGRAPH 2: SUMMARY OF PROCESS
The two biggest things I wanted to experiment with for these shoots were lighting and aperture. I wasn’t sure if I wanted the subjects face in full focus and the background slightly blurry or fully blurred out. I tried both ways out and decided I liked high aperture instead. I had to set up three different shooting locations, as well as outfits and makeup. A surprise that came up while shooting was flash accidentally coming on while taking photos in broad daylight. It happened to be a blessing in disguise, because I really liked how the flash photos came out. The subject almost seemed to be cut and pasted onto the background as well as coming out very sharp. I mostly had to bring up the brightness and contrast when editing as well as cropping to make the subject the main focus of the image. The most consistent adjustments throughout my series was the placement of the subject and how they were always the center of attention and well as a non distracting nature background.
The two biggest things I wanted to experiment with for these shoots were lighting and aperture. I wasn’t sure if I wanted the subjects face in full focus and the background slightly blurry or fully blurred out. I tried both ways out and decided I liked high aperture instead. I had to set up three different shooting locations, as well as outfits and makeup. A surprise that came up while shooting was flash accidentally coming on while taking photos in broad daylight. It happened to be a blessing in disguise, because I really liked how the flash photos came out. The subject almost seemed to be cut and pasted onto the background as well as coming out very sharp. I mostly had to bring up the brightness and contrast when editing as well as cropping to make the subject the main focus of the image. The most consistent adjustments throughout my series was the placement of the subject and how they were always the center of attention and well as a non distracting nature background.
Diane Arbus Analysis & Petra Collins Analysis
Diane Arbus Analysis & Petra Collins Analysis
PARAGRAPH 3: REFLECTION
PARAGRAPH 3: REFLECTION
In the end of my three final shoots I believe that I successfully addressed my driving question. Through clothing and makeup the photos showed a strong perception of physical identity and how one wants to show themselves off to the world. I also think the location of different shoots amplified the contrast between the subject's physical and internal identity. My photos show a lot of space between the background and subject. Usually the subject was the main focus of the photo and generally in the center of frame. Light was fairly neutral and usually directed on the subject's face. In the second and third shoot I found a way to use flash on my camera, while still in broad daylight and I used that for up close shots of mainly just face portraits. This technique created a very sharp and almost cut and paste like format to my pictures. I mostly stuck with a wide aperture throughout the shoots because I wanted everything to be quite equal, as well as having the background be a large part of the image. Shutter speed was set pretty high just because I wanted a clear image and most of the photos are taken in motion. The hardest and most challenging part of this project was timing and scheduling, because I had to schedule shoots between another person and myself; so we had to find times that worked for both of us. I also chose to use a different location for each shoot and because of that it took some time to choose the spots as well as drive to them. I don't think much could be improved. Everything went quite smoothly and according to plan. In the future I would love to find some even more interesting and out there shooting locations. In terms of my finished project I am most proud of the ways in which I was able to explore portraiture and play with angles and lighting. I would like to further explore lighting, as well as flash on my next projects.
In the end of my three final shoots I believe that I successfully addressed my driving question. Through clothing and makeup the photos showed a strong perception of physical identity and how one wants to show themselves off to the world. I also think the location of different shoots amplified the contrast between the subject's physical and internal identity. My photos show a lot of space between the background and subject. Usually the subject was the main focus of the photo and generally in the center of frame. Light was fairly neutral and usually directed on the subject's face. In the second and third shoot I found a way to use flash on my camera, while still in broad daylight and I used that for up close shots of mainly just face portraits. This technique created a very sharp and almost cut and paste like format to my pictures. I mostly stuck with a wide aperture throughout the shoots because I wanted everything to be quite equal, as well as having the background be a large part of the image. Shutter speed was set pretty high just because I wanted a clear image and most of the photos are taken in motion. The hardest and most challenging part of this project was timing and scheduling, because I had to schedule shoots between another person and myself; so we had to find times that worked for both of us. I also chose to use a different location for each shoot and because of that it took some time to choose the spots as well as drive to them. I don't think much could be improved. Everything went quite smoothly and according to plan. In the future I would love to find some even more interesting and out there shooting locations. In terms of my finished project I am most proud of the ways in which I was able to explore portraiture and play with angles and lighting. I would like to further explore lighting, as well as flash on my next projects.
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