Portraits - Lars Andersen

Lars Andersen

I was trying to look for a photographer who had done similar work to my alleyway idea but couldn't find anyone. I then found a man named Lars Andersen; he isn't a well known photographer because there isn't much of his work on the internet but he did a very interesting piece of work that works with an alleyway too. Andersen lives in Norway and has been a pro photographer since 1999. His idea was that he decided to take photos of the same alleyway over the duration of 10 years. These pictures aren't taken from the same place like mine are but every photograph has a person or people in them which is a similarity to my work. You can tell that Andersen has captured these over a period of time as the alleyway is clear in some of the images but in others it is filled with snow. I feel as though I can relate to Andersens work because he had to wait for a very long time to get these photos and although I know I didn't have to wait 10 years, it still shows an element of patience because there was times that no one was walking down the alleyway and for Andersen to do this over the course of 10 years is very admirable and I very much respect his work.

Andersen's work: http://petapixel.com/2015/04/28/ten-years-of-shooting-a-single-alleyway-in-norway/

Portraits - Side Project (The Alleyway)

On my way back from doing my second shoot I found a set of steps at the entrance of the park which looked down an alleyway. Although this didn't have anything to do with the idea that brought me to the park, it gave me an idea that could possibly turn out quite well. I decided to take a seat on the steps and just wait until someone walked past me; I would then take their picture. I thought this would be an interesting idea because I would be capturing random strangers in their natural life. Some people who walked past were in a hurry and others having just a gentle stroll; I feel like the pictures I took may give an insight to their lives through the way they were walking, the speed they were walking and even the emotions on their face.

Above are the steps that I sat on whilst taking the pictures and also my view from the steps of the alleyway. I timed it and gave myself a maximum of 15 minutes to take a picture of every person who walked towards or away from me, as long as they walked through the alleyway, I took a picture of them. Whilst doing this I believe I had about 2 or 3 people acknowledge me but each one thought I was only taking a picture of the alleyway itself, you can see this from the man in the flat cap who was smiling, his image was slightly blurry because he tried to do a little jog to get out of the shot he thought I was taking.

After doing this side project I feel that I would definitely do it again. I think the outcome was very different and the photos came out well. There were no complications when doing this project and the positive of this is that I could go back to the same steps and have completely different results every time I did it.

Portraits - Shoot 2

After deciding to elaborate on the photo I took of the woman walking her dog, I went to Farnham Park today to take some more photos of owners with their dogs to which I could then replicate later. When taking these photos I tried to get the owners in the photo as well as the dog because I felt that it would make the composition a lot more engaging. These are a few of the images I captured.

Later this week I will be putting dog makeup on my friend and will be trying to replicate these pictures to the best that I can. When doing this, I found that there were some obstacles at times such as when trying to make the dogs sit. Some of the dogs were running around at times because I was someone they had never seen before so I think it made them quite hyper so to overcome this I had to ask the owner of the dog to tell the dog to sit so I could take an image with good quality.

Out of these images, I think my favourite one is the one with the Beagle that is quite close to the camera. I like it the most because I feel that it's the picture that shows the most emotion in the dogs face; it looks slightly lost, like it doesn't understand what's going on. I think this will be a good picture to replicate as my model can be close to the camera, looking off into the distance with a frown on their face. 

Portraits - Shoot 1

Last week I decided to take some photos of some people. These are a few of the pictures that I have gathered.

'Fin'

Ben Manning

2016

When taking this shot, there was a process behind it. I happened to have my camera with me when I was getting ready for a night out with my friends, Fin being one of them. When we prepare for a night out, one this that is essential is that we all play the playstation before going out. Fin was quite intoxicated at the point of this video being taken. The original photo I took of him accidentally had the in-built flash on which gave Fin a completely different look. After I took the first picture, Fin unplugged a cable from his television, which then led to a blue screen appearing which lit up half of his face in a really unique way. My only instruction to Fin was to "Make yourself look pretty" and he did the pose himself. I thought this was a really good picture purely because of the lighting; The way that Fins face is lit, I find very interesting how it is split directly down the middle of his face and also how the out of focus fairy lights down add to the aesthetic of the picture.

'Ella'

Ben Manning

2016

The story of this shot is quite different to the first picture. This was the first picture I ever took of my girlfriend. Ella lives about 2 hours away from where I live so it makes things difficult at times due to the distance. Because of this, I always make sure that I take pictures of her when she is around so I always have a good collection of memories from each time we see each other. This picture was taken at about 3am although you wouldn't instantly think that, the only reason I think that you would realise that it is late is because the curtains are pulled. The lighting I used for this shot was just a single light; I turned off the main light which would usually light my whole room up and instead, turned on the light which is above my sink. I used this light because it has a slight orange tint which projects around the whole room, giving the space a very cozy feel. I tend to use this light a lot more in the evenings because it gives off a homely feel to the room which is a similar feeling I get when Ella comes to visit. I hope this photo shows how the emotion of the photographer can be portrayed through the lighting that is used.

'Act Casual'

Ben Manning

2016

This was the first picture I took of some people I didn't know. I went on a walk in my local park because I thought the colours of the trees and the leaves were really nice to photograph. I'd spent about and hour and a half in the park and decided that I'd had enough shots and started walking home. Just as I was about the leave the park, I stumbled upon this young couple who were sat on a bench. The girl had her head rested upon the boys shoulder and the couple looked very in love. I thought this would be a wonderful picture to get to show the emotion of this couple. I went up to them and asked if they would be willing to let me take their picture. They both looked at each other and nervously laughed at the same time, they did agree although they seemed very sheepish. I told them that they looked really nice and to just forget what I was doing and go back to whatever they were doing before I arrived. What came from it next was the couple tried to recreate what they were doing but this immense awkwardness came about and the couple both had a slight smile which I think is actually quite sweet. I feel like this turned out better than what I originally wanted the picture to be.  

'Sunday Stroll'

Ben Manning

2016

This picture came from when I was on my way back from the park. I was walking behind this old man who was walking at a snails pace. One thing I did like about this man was how he was walking; He had his hands behind his back and he was whistling. This made me pause because it made me think that you hardly see people nowadays just going for a walk to enjoy the scenes around them. I didn't want to disturb this man, I just wanted to capture him as he was so that nothing looked forced like my 'Act Casual' photo. The way I captured this shot was I walked ahed of the man and turned so I was facing him, I then got my friend to pretend to pose for the camera so if the man saw what I was doing, he wouldn't mind because it looked as though it had nothing to do with him. When he was close enough, I angled the camera to the side and captured the shot. I feel as though this picture actually turned out very well. You can see how his arms are still behind his back and he is just minding his own business which I think gives the man a sense of innocence.

Portraits - Gillian Wearing

Gillian Wearing is an English conceptual artist who does lots of portrait work of which I find very interesting. There is a exhibition that she did called "Signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say". This exhibition is a collection of photographs of different strangers holding up signs that say things that they feel are true to them.

Gillian Wearing OBE

 "Everything is connected in life"

1992-3

Above is one of the photos from Wearing's exhibition. What I like in particular about this picture is the message on the paper, it is simple yet affective much like the picture itself. There are a lot of dark colours and the contrast is quite high, the reason of this could may have been so that the viewer is drawn more towards the message on the paper as there is a white on top of black, thus making the piece of paper stand out more. I like how the man in the picture is smiling too, I think it shows that he is confident, happy and stands by what he is saying in his message.

Gillian Wearing OBE

"I have been certified as mildly insane!"

1992-3

This is another photo from Wearing's exhibition, this is one of my favourite's from the collection; the fact that the man has stated that he is mildly insane adds an element of fear I think to the picture. It makes me wonder how Wearing managed to get the man to follow instructions to get him to stand and pose for the picture when there is always a chance that the man could cause her harm as he is not mentally stable. There is also the fact that he has a tattoo of what could be a gang symbol on his face which is also quite alarming. Another thing to take into consideration is the location in which the man is in; it seems as though he is standing in a public place, perhaps a train station or a shopping mall which again, adds to the fear element of the picture as he is a dangerous individual who is in public place and could potentially cause harm on others around him.


Source: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/wearing-i-have-been-certified-as-mildly-insane-p78352 

Portraits - My Initial Idea

When this project began, I quickly got an idea of how I wanted to arrange my final photograph. I've always been very interested in the topic of storytelling so I felt that this project would be a great way to implement storytelling into my work. My very first idea was to have a friend of mine stand and face the camera, looking quite rough and rugged and to also be holding some kind of bat. I also thought to possibly have another person in the background yelling towards the main subject. The angle of the shot would have been from the chest, up and the depth of field would have focused mainly on the subjects face but also have the person behind him in focus too. The reason I liked this idea is because I think it would make the viewer of the photo really question what is going on. Why is the man holding a bat? Why is there someone yelling at him? Why does his facial expression lead us to believe he doesn't care? I enjoy making the viewer think for themselves; I like making people have their own opinion of what's going on in the picture instead of saying exactly what it is and how you should look at it.

After having a meeting with Peter Renn, we started talking about my idea and we picked up on the fact that I prefer photos that are more set up rather than photos that are taken in the moment. After looking into a few different photographers whom Peter thought that I might like, we decided on a final route that I should follow. We decided that my photograph is going to be around the idea of taking shots that are in the moment and try to recreate them so that they look natural when really they are set up completely but at the same time I am also trying to put my own personal spin on them. The way I thought of doing this is for example; say I took a picture of a woman walking her dog in the park, I then would recreate the image, same angles and lighting to the best of my ability but instead of having an actual dog, I would have someone dress like a dog with face paint and fake ears so it is still recreating the original image but this way I can put my own spin on it in a very obvious way. I have taken this picture below as an example, this would be the picture that I try to recreate.

I think having the conversation with Peter really helped develop my idea because although my first initial idea sounded good to me, there wasn't really much I could experiment with whereas with this new idea, I feel as though there are a lot more photographers that I could look at and be influenced by. I also like the fact that it is out of the ordinary and that very few photographers would have done something like this before.

Portraits - Research Project

Wolfgang Tillmans

Wolfgang Tillmans is a 48 year old photographer who specialises in fine art photography. Tillmans said in an interview that he didn't find an interest in photography until he was 20 years old. He says that he never dreamt that he would one day become a photographer, and that he never saw a point in recording his memories as he felt that spending time trying to capture the moment got in the way of actually being there and living in the moment. Wolfgang goes on to explain how although he never had an attraction to photography or film, he was very interested in newspapers. He had a scrapbook in which he would collect news pictures from big stories that happened in the world such as the hijacked plane in Mogadishu or the suicide cult in Jonestown, Guyana. He explains how he "felt drawn to how so much drama can be condensed into a cheap, grainy picture.

Below are a few photographs from Wolfgang Tillmans that I was personally drawn to.

Heidi Slimane (2000) - Wolfgang Tillmans

When looking at Tillmans work, this was the first picture that really jumped out at me. I just found that the whole composition was very compelling and intriguing. The first thought I had after seeing this photo was wondering what the man was looking at off camera. He has a very blank facial expression and is looking as though there is someone on the other end of the table. There is another obvious reason as to why this photo is interesting which is the fact that the table is quite messy; it makes me wonder how and why is there is a bowl which has been flipped over and also makes me wonder what is in the brown paper bag. I also feel that the colours in this picture are very interesting. I like that there is almost a divide down the middle in contrast so that the are the brighter, more light colours on the left with the whites of the table, the orange of the juice and the cream on the wall. There is then on the right side all the darker, more moody colours; his clothes, both jacket and trousers are a dark blue shade of denim. He also has a dark brown cupboard behind him which defines the divide of colour even more.

Richard James (1993) - Wolfgang Tillmans

This photo really stood out for me. I like photographs that tend to tell a story and I feel that this one does that completely. It makes me want to ask so many questions; Who are the people in the garage? Why can we not see their faces? Why is the garage door broken? Is it even their garage? The possibilities for the story behind this picture are endless. What I really like about this photo is that I think it shows a message of friendship. The boys in the picture are obviously not wealthy or have expensive things, that is why they have all crammed into this broken garage to spend time with each other; they are not bothered about where or what they are doing, just that they are with each other which I think personally is a beautiful thing to be able to capture in a photograph.

Simon de Pury (2001) - Wolfgang Tillmans

This picture was what I thought was the most interesting of the 3, simply because I look at the picture and just can't think what is going on in it which is why I like it so much. At a first glance I think "The man in this picture is obviously a business man" but it doesn't explain why he is in the location that he's in or why his suit is too baggy or even why he is holding poison ivy. Although in the previous picture, I stated that I liked when photographs have a story behind them. Although this is true, I also really like it when a photograph makes me think and has a real mystery to it.

In an interview, Tillmans goes on to talk about the artists whom he finds most interesting and inspiring. One of the names he states is Laurie Anderson. 

Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson is a 69 year old, American avant-garde artist who also specialises in other multimedia projects. In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first 'artist in residence' of NASA. From this experience, she developed a solo performance, The End of The Moon, monologue that focused on the imponderables of space, both near and far.

Below is some of Laurie Anderson's work that I like.

Two Men in a Car - Laurie Anderson

This was the first photo from Anderson which stood out for me, what I like most about this picture is the simplicity. It's as though this wasn't planned at all, it seems like it was a complete snapshot which is why I'm drawn to this photo so much, it just feels so raw and honest. I like the obvious thing about this picture which is that there are white bars covering the eyes of the models which gives a slight mystery to their identity; it gives you the full picture whilst still holding back on parts to keep you intrigued.

Boys in the Court - Laurie Anderson

This was the second photo that I came across from Anderson. The first thing that I noticed is that the theme is identical to the first picture I analysed. I decided that I really enjoy this kind of style that Anderson has approached. I also like the fact that the two street boys are behind a mesh fence giving even more mystery to the image and telling me they hide behind something deeper along with the original white bars across their faces.

Man with a Cigarette - Laurie Anderson

This was the last image I found from Laurie Anderson. This photo follows the same pattern of white bars just like the other Anderson pictures. I like the fact that in this picture, you can tell that the man is smiling at something that is off camera which instantly makes you start to wander what is making him smile. Also the fact that he has his hands open which also makes you start to wonder who or what is off camera and why are his body actions in this certain way.