OBJECT AND BODY PRESENTATION

OBJECT:

My concept for my Object unit, was based around the issue of Ageism and my personal connection with it. As I have a very strong relationship with my Grandparents, I thought it a good current social issue for me to base my work around. I concentrated on symbolism throughout this unit, looking at artists such as; Hans Holbein with his classical symbolic paintings, I also looked at the work of photographer Justine Reyes because of her photographic style, I really liked the simplicity of her work and drew inspiration from her classically inspired composition. 

I chose to take photographs of an egg. The reason I chose an egg was for its symbolic references. To me the symbolism of an egg reminds me of new life, innocence and the younger generation, the fact that in my images the egg is cracked and leaking was to represent broken life, referring to the prejudices against the older generations. 

My final image changed quite a bit from my original aspirations, but I don't see this as a negative thing. I was nervous to use the large format cameras as I didn't feel totally confident with them, and I think that this was one reason that, in my eyes the photo shoot didn't go very well.

Looking back on this unit I know there are a lot of things I can learn from, for example; my organisation. I didn't quite realize how much organization is needed for a photo shoot, and feel that, had I been better organised that I would have got more out of the experience, rather than getting worried and overwhelmed by everything I had to do. 

BODY:

The concept for my Body unit was focused on an idea that I had to do with representation. I asked the question, how accurate can a portrait be of a person if it is taken by another who does not know them. Basically, I wanted to focus on capturing the truest representation of my sitter that could be possible. I had this idea whilst developing my concept that a person is made up of two sides; the person they think other people see them as and the person they see themselves, personally as. 
I drew inspiration from the photographer Toby Glanville but in particular Hendrick Krestens. The reason I found looking at his work for this project was because of the personal connection he had with his series Paula Pictures, of his daughter. As I think that for my concept to have a real effect through my photos it is important to make a connection with the audience and if there is a personal connection with the sitter this is made more evident. 

Once I'd chosen my sitter, I made sure that I met with her to talk about what to expect form the shoot and what my concept was. It was important for my idea that she understood how personal I wanted this portrait to be of her. I really enjoyed the photo shoot, and felt quite confident in prompting my sitter, making her feel comfortable and getting the images I needed from the shoot. 

I was really please when I processed the films I took on the shoot day, as they all came out well. 

I chose a few images to print because I felt more than one of them captured the personality I wanted to come through. Of course, I asked my sitter which ones she liked best and which ones she felt represented her best. I ended up printing the image she chose as my final print, regardless of whether I think it's my best photo, in this case, with my concept idea it was hugely important that as the photographer I took a step back and let my sitter direct herself to achieve what I wanted from the photos.

Final Image: