Portraiture Unit 1
Mood board
The mood board represents things I like for example; cycling, food, the outdoors and computers. I have laid it out in a way that at the centre is a happy face and everything that makes me happy is around it. For example the cyclist is cycling towards the happy face and the skydiver is flying towards the happy face. I have included pictures of people cycling because I enjoy cycling as I cycle with my friends almost every weekend. I am also a bike mechanic so I am a very keen cyclist. In my mood board their is also a picture of a computer, I have added this because I like going on my computer and editing photo's and surfing the internet. As I like camping and the outdoors i have put pictures of wildlife into the mood board, and like any teenager I like computer games. To improve my mood board I think I should add more photo's for example I like skiing and I used to be in a race team. Also i should have less white paper showing as this make it look bad, and maybe have some drawing's of even my own photo's I have taken. I will concentrate my portraiture on sports for example skateboarding, cycling and maybe skiing. I will go to local skate parks, rugby and football matches and bike shops to take pictures of people doing things they love. I will hopefully capture the happiness the sport brings to their lives.
Portrait booklet
camouflage portrait
This is my camouflage portrait for my portrait booklet, I took this photo by having the lights very low and having my subject bow his head so only part of his face was showing. I wanted to make a spooky effect which would scare the audience, I wanted to give the feeling of meeting a strange, dark and spooky person in an ally-way, I think this effect has come across and it is a very scary photo. After I took the photo I uploaded it to light room to get rid of the grey background and make it black. After I uploaded it to photoshop and edited the colour and made it have less saturation and this is my final product. I like this photo because it is very scary and the subject is very dark. I think this camouflage portrait is very good as the subject seems to sink into the background and fade away.
Solarized portrait
This is my solarise print, I took the photo and then uploaded it to photoshop and edited it to make it look like a solarised print. This was achieved by playing around the the colour curves. I think this looks good for a solarised print taken on a DSLR. I like how bits of the hair and skin are darker then others so the image doesn't look flat.
Man Ray
For my photo I took inspiration from Man Ray how has a few really interesting solarised portraits. The photo on the left is an example of one of his photo's. I think it is a really good photo as he has used the limbs of the subject and I looks really interesting. I love the way it has been solarised and how the shadow has been solarised. For my photo I tried to recreate this, I used the lights in the studio and got a shadow to cast across the subjects face. Then I imported it into photoshop and messed around and got a really cool solarised look.
Man Ray
For my photo I took inspiration from Man Ray how has a few really interesting solarised portraits. The photo on the left is an example of one of his photo's. I think it is a really good photo as he has used the limbs of the subject and I looks really interesting. I love the way it has been solarised and how the shadow has been solarised. For my photo I tried to recreate this, I used the lights in the studio and got a shadow to cast across the subjects face. Then I imported it into photoshop and messed around and got a really cool solarised look.
Balance portrait
This is my balance portrait it consists of a skateboarder and two roller blades, I like the photo as it has allot of detail and the lighting is very nice and clear. I have edited the photo with a HDR affect which gives the photo more detail, I have also adjusted the saturation to give the photo more colour. The photo could of been better if i had framed the shot in a better angle.
Extreme angle portrait
This is my extreme angle portrait, I like it because it is slightly dark and the image doesn't have much colour as I edited it in photoshop to push the saturation and vibrance down. This give the image a cold feeling. It could be improved by giving the subject something to hold for example a book.
perspective portrait
This is my perspective portrait I like it as the subject is the only person in the shot and it creates a lonely scene this is also brought forward as the image is in black and white. The photo could be improved if there was a longer line of trees and if the photo was take later in the day where it would be darker and more spooky.
Sepia portrait
This is my sepia portrait I like how it came out as it is very clear and i also like how the style of the photo is old and vintage which contrasts with the subjects clothes and style. The photo has been edited on photoshop using the photo filter adjustment. The image could be improved by playing with angles and lighting. However I do like the lighting in this shot as it casts a shadow on the right side of the face.
Close up portrait
This is a close up portrait, it has the subject on his side which creates a different view to what they usually are which is face on. I think it make the photo look very nice and successful. it could be improved by having the subject more on his side so it is only shows the side of the subjects face.
pattern portrait
This is a pattern portrait, i like it as it doesn't show the viewer the hole image, but only sections of it. I like it as the pattern is very simple and you can still make out the image. The pattern was imported onto photoshop where I selected the pattern and got rid of all the white sections, then pasted it on top of the original image. It could be improved by using a more interesting pattern so it looks more realistic and this could be done by using a different pattern and having the holes smaller and not as pixelated.
Reflective portrait
This is my reflective image is have been made by having two mirrors pointing at each other this makes the reflection copy it self over and over making a never ending tunnel of the reflection. I like the photo as the subject is in focus but the reflection. I like this because it the audience will slowly move their eye down the tunnel of reflections where the image get blurrier and blurrier. The photo could be better if you could not see the outline of the mirror or any of the background, so to improve this image i would need to recreate the scene in a studio.
Studio portrait
This is my studio portrait it shows a tramp not asking for money but for change, I like the photo as it shows the subject has no status as he is sitting on the ground and therefore he is very vulnerable. I like it as i think it is a good representation of homeless people and also the photo contains a message which says "I don't want your change, I want change" this is a very powerful message. The photo could be improved by making the subject look dirty and more scuffed up also i think the photo would have more power if it was in a different setting, like on the street or in a town centre.
Personal portraits
These are some of my photo's in response to my mood board, I took the aspect of sport and took photo's of my friends cycling. I like the use of black and white mixed with coloured photo's as the back and white effect makes the photo seem more powerful. For these photo's I will need to take photo's of their faces because they are not very good portraits. I could combine the photo's and have the subject doing there spot and a portrait photo of them. Therefore I will mess around with the aspect of using collage and other techniques with involve several photo's not just one. I think this is a good idea because it lets the audience see who the person is by showing them what they do, and enjoy doing. I will be looking to take photo's of my friends who like different sports like cycling and skateboarding . I think I could create very interesting and different collages of the different sports.
Ben Watts
Ben Watts is an english photographer based in New York, I like his photos as he combines the photo's in a collage which I find very interesting and at the centre of the image there is a portrait of the subject and who the subject is, is around the centre. I like how the photo of the left is very laid back and simple, this is very appealing to me as I think simplicity is very interesting. I like how he has used writing in his work and also a few drawings. I also like the effect of the masking tape as it holds all the photo's together. The use of a polaroid which gives a retro effect looks really interesting and the colours in the images looks vibrant and interesting. I think I could use some of these techniques in my own work, I would like to make a response to this piece of work as I am very fond of sports and I think this is a good way of displaying the sport as it shows all the sides of the sport, while many people only take photo's of the tricks while this piece of work shows the subject in a portrait and what he does all around him.
This is another collage done by Ben Watts, his photo has lots of small images and a couple of large ones spread over 2 pages, on the left he has arranged them all around the main image which is a portrait he has also used crayon to outline this. The collage also consists of torn up images put on top of each other. He has also used masking tape and spray paint to make the image very interesting and gives it a street vibe. I like how he has used the 2 pages differently and how he has combined black and white photography with coloured photography. He has achieved this wonderful collage by using a polaroid camera and he has stuck the photo's down around the base image which is the main portrait, around this base image are other images which show who the subject is and how they live there life. On the other page their is a 3 portraits but not one of them is hole, as they are very similar they intertwine and make one portrait. He has stuck these photo's on top of some masking tape which has been used with a stencil so it has bits of black paint on it. I like his way of displaying his work as it makes it look very interesting and I also like street look of it as it is very interesting and artistic. I also like the use of only a bit of crayon around the base image, I like this because of the bright yellow and red colours which draws the audience to the centre of the page then their eyes led around that image which I think is a very imaginative and different way of looking at images. I think the use of other materials makes for a good collage and I will be using these types of collage in my own work. Below are a few more examples of his work.
This is another collage done by Ben Watts, his photo has lots of small images and a couple of large ones spread over 2 pages, on the left he has arranged them all around the main image which is a portrait he has also used crayon to outline this. The collage also consists of torn up images put on top of each other. He has also used masking tape and spray paint to make the image very interesting and gives it a street vibe. I like how he has used the 2 pages differently and how he has combined black and white photography with coloured photography. He has achieved this wonderful collage by using a polaroid camera and he has stuck the photo's down around the base image which is the main portrait, around this base image are other images which show who the subject is and how they live there life. On the other page their is a 3 portraits but not one of them is hole, as they are very similar they intertwine and make one portrait. He has stuck these photo's on top of some masking tape which has been used with a stencil so it has bits of black paint on it. I like his way of displaying his work as it makes it look very interesting and I also like street look of it as it is very interesting and artistic. I also like the use of only a bit of crayon around the base image, I like this because of the bright yellow and red colours which draws the audience to the centre of the page then their eyes led around that image which I think is a very imaginative and different way of looking at images. I think the use of other materials makes for a good collage and I will be using these types of collage in my own work. Below are a few more examples of his work.
My response to Ben Watts
This is my first response to Ben Watts, I like his work and I have included a few aspects of his work for example the masking tape and the crayon. I think it looks quite good as a response but to improve the photo's I would need to use more portrait photo's as this piece does not contain any portrait photo's. So to improve this piece of work I should add more portrait photo's. In this photo I like the use of the crayon and the masking tape as it gives a good use of collage. I like the use of the yellow and red as it makes certain parts of the photo stand out. I think the use of black and white photography and then use bright coloured crayons looks very interesting and i think i will like to use this the method again including portraits.
Robert seale
Robert seale is another sports photographer his work is very good and his photography shows the subject and his sport very well as it shows his on one side and an aspect of his sport on the other. He has taken this photo in a studio with a plain background so the photo is based on the subject and not on any distractions in the background. I like this photo as it shows the sportsman is a very cool and different view as it is quite close up to the person and you don't really get to see them from this angle. As you mostly see them from a distance. I also like this photo as it has one photo of the subject then on the over side it shows what he does. I also like these photo's as it is like a time line, the fist is his kissing the ball for good luck then on the next image he is about the through the ball. I think this is a very cool idea as it shows who the sportsman is and who he is. I think I could include the aspect of having just two photo's side by side Having the main portrait and then one photo of the sport. I would also like to include the aspect of having the photo's taken in a studio so there is no distraction in the background.
This photo consist of a american football player, he is showing his strength from eating a lightbulb. It also has some fog in the background which fits the mood as the light bulbs are on and it gives a cool light as the fog gives a nice orange-yellow colour. It also makes a lot of shadow. This photo looks really interesting and it does not consist of many things so the focus of the photo is mostly on the subject. I also like the use of the studio and the lighting as it make the football player seem really strong and powerful. I think having the photo taken in a studio is really important because it gets the sports man out of their field and you get to see the person in a different point of view than normal.
This photo consist of a american football player, he is showing his strength from eating a lightbulb. It also has some fog in the background which fits the mood as the light bulbs are on and it gives a cool light as the fog gives a nice orange-yellow colour. It also makes a lot of shadow. This photo looks really interesting and it does not consist of many things so the focus of the photo is mostly on the subject. I also like the use of the studio and the lighting as it make the football player seem really strong and powerful. I think having the photo taken in a studio is really important because it gets the sports man out of their field and you get to see the person in a different point of view than normal.
Artist response
This is my contact sheet, I took several photo's of me and my friends cycling. I aimed to get several photo's of portraits and a few action shot's to go with the portraits. I am now going to edit some of them to make them into a portrait picture. I think I got a few good shots of my friends cycling and a few good portrait photo's. I think I could improve my shoot by involving some shoot's in the studio and I think this will look much better than having a very confusing background.
Response
This is an artist response to Robert Seale, I would like to try again and maybe use a studio and a different sport. I might like to use basket-Ball as I think the photo's of this sport look really cool and you can do much more with this sport than cycling. I think some of these shot's are quite good, for example the top left as the subject is out of focus and the foreground is in focus and this is really interesting and arty. In this collage I also like the use of only black and white photo's as I think portraits look much better in black and white as it makes the photo seem more powerful and for me it gives the photo more meaning. To improve this response I think I could use a studio and a different sport that can be taken inside as I think the background is too distracting in the photo for portraits. In my next shoot I think I will use a
sport like skating you can do it inside and this will
look better. I my also mess around with basket ball
as this can look really good.
sport like skating you can do it inside and this will
look better. I my also mess around with basket ball
as this can look really good.
final piece idea
These are a group of photo I took with a medium format camera, I had an idea of having several portrait photo's and several photo's capturing the motion of the football and the player. I think these came out quite well but I think I would need to use better light. I also think the blacks should be darker. I am going to redo this selection of photo's.
Final piece
This is my final piece and I will lay out the photo's in 2 groups of 4 photo's. I think they came out quite well as the lighting is very dramatic. I think the dark shadow is very powerful and striking to the eye. I also made the photos black and white as it gave very sharp blacks and whites which make for very good detail and it also make the photo more meaningful. I think these photo's came out very well but it could be improved if the photos had whole body shots and not just photos in a studio but photos of the subject on the pitch kicking the football.