This creative independent project focuses on themes found in the 1930-50s classic film style also known as Film Noir, I chose this because I enjoy the darker themes and undertones as well as the overall style of old crime films and the typical portrayal of gender. These photographs portray the stereotypical characters of film noir, the femme fatale being the most notable. I edited my digital photography to make it look more like old black and white film and took my photographs both in the studio, outdoors and at my home for a better and more believable mix or backdrops and ‘scenes’. I was inspired by Damien Lovegrove and his classic evocation of the genre.
Project Title: Cinematic Urban and Rural Landscapes
For this project, I decided to take most of my inspiration from famous film directors, such as Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino and the lesser known, yet equally talented, Terrence Malick. In terms of content, I tried to include topics that I take interest in, such as cars, architecture and the more vibrant side of nature, so that I can look back on this project and feel a sense of connection. I decided to choose the particular artists and directors I found, as their work is the type of content that I also have a personal interest in, such as peculiar architecture and interesting colour usage in artwork, Furthermore, as these interest were portrayed in film, another one of my intensive interests, I was more likely to see them. As a creator, I also aimed to distance my images from those that inspired me, as I feel that uniqueness in a project is imperative.
My desire for this project was to create an emotional impact with my images. I want to create awareness for everyone that has experienced abuse and show the effects that abuse can have on individuals of such that you don’t see or do see and don’t help, domestic abuse has skyrocketed this last year with lockdown. This project is relatable towards my family, I wanted to bring out a personal side to my work. I have gathered models and shown the side of abuse that I have seen, to do this I had used hard, soft lighting and photoshop to create bruises on the models, taken portraits of them in vulnerable positions to create awareness for abuse.
My idea started as just wanting to take photos of still life to make them look commissioned, to then be used for advertisements. As this was very broad, I started by looking at glass objects. Although I started with perfume, it quickly developed into my work with drinks. This allowed me to have more control over artistic designs, the main being able to light through the clear bottles and liquid. I was trying to understand how professional photographers created their product shots, which led me to experimenting with ways I never thought work such as spraying liquid on products. These objects are meant to be perfection and I wanted this to show in my images.
For this project I wanted to focus on the ideologies of feminism, more specifically the mistreatment people receive due to their gender identity. I wanted to raise awareness about issues that have affected me personally, or the close people around me. My work aims to evoke emotion, it aims to shock the audience into paying attention to the topic at hand. I produced this work with sensitivity and want the audience to relate to the issues and engage with the intended message. Some of the subjects are considered ‘taboo’, however photographs often speak louder than words…so what better way to start this well-needed conversation?
This project was created on a trip to Devon. Whilst in Torquay, I wanted to take images that would sell this location. I focused on creating landscape photographs of nature and the scenic environment. I wanted to show these hidden gems the UK has to offer. The grainy aesthetic to the work adds a timeless/vintage feeling complemented with warm, summer tones. The images look as if they were taken in a subtropical climate, further promoting UK holidays as ideal tourist destinations.
I have always had a passion for documenting emotions through my work. As well as this I also enjoy using photography to explore my interests in fashion. This was something that I wanted to portray in in my final project. I have taken inspiration from the album “all distortions are intentional” by the band Neck Deep, who explore the concept of the word sonder meaning all people have their own complex life paths.
Take yourself on an immersive experience through my exhibition as you’re surrounded by my work in an eerie atmosphere.
For the first time in history, men are more likely to kill themselves than each other. In 2012, about 56 million people died throughout the world. Of those, 120,000 were killed in war, 500,000 in crime. Whereas 800,000 committed suicide, more than all war and crime combined! (Homo Deus, A Brief History of Tomorrow, Yuval Noah Harari, 2016). The title of my FMP is Men’s Mental Health. I aimed to focus on the stigma that is still around, attempting to explore the important issues relating to men being taught to never show emotions because it’s “unmanly”. I hope to raise awareness and encourage a debate around changing this problem but also looking further into the idea of constantly comparing women’s mental health against men’s, with phrases such as “stop crying like a girl”, “you hit like a girl”, “man up” and so many more. This behaviour and conditioning encourages only women and young girls to be able to ‘wear their hearts on their sleeves’, through being taught it’s okay to show emotion and it’s okay to not be okay. Why can’t it be the same for men and young boys growing up? It should be equal. 1 in 4 men are affected by mental health problems or illnesses and male suicides have consistently accounted for approximately three quarters of all suicides. I feel that the media and in particular social media is a very toxic place at the moment and it makes young people of today view themselves and their bodies in a negative way – constantly comparing themselves – which can then go onto create all sorts of mental health problems including anxiety and depression.
