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.
