This project is inspired by a desire to document many portraits from various contexts, environments and settings, including organised photoshoots of drag queens, peer group and family. This body of work allows me to develop specific techniques on location and within the studio, advancing skills, confidence and ability.
Artists that have informed the work so far include, Alec Soth, Michela Riva, Andre Nygune, Richard Billingham, Mona Strieder and Andri Laukas. My portraits are going to be inspired by Michela Riva and Mona Strieder. The reason I have chosen these two artists is because I like how they use different angels for their portraits. They also incorporate nature as their preferred locations and I find it interesting how the final results emphasis each model, within the location.
The techniques that I have used for this project include managing lighting, positioning, location and post production editing. The camera is generally held in the portrait format as opposed to the landscape format. I have also explored the effects of colour, black and white and different gels to generate images. Summarise the whole project and talk about the final images…how these link to the theme and why, in your opinion they are successful?
The project is centred on capturing portraits from a range of characters, trying to present their style, their personality and their true selves. The images have been selected based on their ability to best communicate the true nature of the subject, revealing something new.
The title of my creative independent project is ‘abandonment’. I’ve always been drawn to the apocalyptic/overgrown aesthetic of town and cities in different medias. My main inspiration that I looked into first, to do with this theme was the PlayStation game ‘The Last Of Us’. The game begins with a zombie outbreak and the main character (Joel) loses his daughter: 20 years pass and within these his brother leaves him, and he loses more people.
‘The Last Of Us’ is a game filled with loss and ‘abandonment’ not only within the storyline but also with the game design –hence I see it as a huge inspiration for my project. Other medias I have been inspired by based off the game/soundtracks are ‘Everybody’s gone to the rapture’ and ‘Life is Strange’.I find my theme intriguing since ‘abandonment’ can come in many forms, whether it be in people or buildings and even when something has been left for a long while, I find beauty in their history and remains.
For example, in my work you will see sparks of vibrant colours where nature has begun to accompany and envelop these historical buildings and I find that beautiful. A new life growing within an old building and using it as a support and even a home –an interesting an example of nature reclaiming architecture.Abandonment is carried through multiple stages of these structures.
The building is first left to get old, and rot away as do the people who used it. After so long these people eventually pass away and although of course people go and visit graves, majority of the time the passed person is there, they are left alone. Linking well with the theme of my project, I also find it interesting how in a graveyard there are so many abandoned bodies all together in comfortable distance from one another, yet each still having that cloud of loneliness above them.
Finally, with the buildings in which I have photographed, they all look relatively similar in the way they are derelict, but we have to remember the history and story they carry along with them.
This project was designed to subtlety shock, scare and make the audience aware of their relationship with horror. Through discrete prop placement, referencing existing horror conventions, I aim to create photographs inspired by contemporary and vintage horror themes.
In doing this, I like to introduce subtle elements into my images, such as placing red balloons in a forest to suggest links to Stephen King’s IT and using light as a silhouette to create an atmosphere of fear and dread in the viewer. Although I’m interested in horror, I’m also interested in how an audience reacts to different levels of fear within the image. I’m aiming to build tension within the image using levels of anticipation through reimagining famous horror conventions.
This approach will focus on revealing less of the main horror ideas, such as blood and gore and instead aim to provoke fear through the mere presence of something, as opposed to the full picture being revealed. Within this project key influences included Joshua Hoffine and Kyle Thompson.
Kyle Thompson has informed many aspects of the project through his use of lighting to create a sinister atmosphere which is also supported by props such as red balloons, single models and silhouetted figures. In terms of the body of work, the decision to enter three images as a triptych would help the audience to imagine a narrative running through the photos.
The audience’s role is to bridge the gap between each image, creating their own horror scenario. My progression after graduating is to seek employment within the industry and to continue utilising my existing skills.
