5th April 2014
Overview
This blog so far has been mostly technical, talking about all the ins and outs of how I was creating the images and not really what they were about. After having a few tutorials I was told to take a step back and remember what I am trying to achieve, look at the photographs I have created and stop getting so caught up in creating them as what I aim to do may be lost in trying to create ‘the perfect Photoshop’ rather than the perfect image.
What I think they meant by this is that I have taken so long trying to improve my Photoshop ability to create the image, I have moved away from the type of images I want to create and present in the degree show. I want to create images which make people want to take a deeper, longer look at. To accomplish this, my images need to be; interesting, unique and quirky. Then I want people to question how I accomplished that.
I feel that with some of the images I have created, people will not be too interested in, dismiss instantly and not want to spend the time to look deeper into as they are not interesting images. For example, my image of a model on a surfboard; this image looks like the type of photo where the back drop is set up for you so you can pose on it looking like your surfing or riding a magic carpet. You would find this type of thing in a mall or at a water park. Although each layer of the picture has been individually edited and put together from 3 separate images; the background, the surfboard and the model; it is dismissed instantly as it at first glance looks normal and boring. I also do not like the bright colours used in this image. In my other photographs I have worked in greyscale, blues or only introducing in one colour into the image.
One of the images I do like the idea of is the models in the abandoned warehouse. I feel that not only is the actual background image of the warehouse a more interesting image, the fact that the girls are sat in there so casually, so unaware of their surroundings really makes the image as a whole a lot more visually appealing.
I would really like to make more images along these lines. I feel that the background image itself (abandoned warehouse, forests and empty parking lots) are all uncanny places in themselves. If I went along with this Idea I would still be sticking with one of my main themes and it would have closer links with my dissertation.
I would also like to experiment with adding odd objects into the image. This will either be taken at the scene or digitally added to the image later. This would include items such as fairy lights in the forest, abandoned dolls and balloons. Dolls being another uncanny fear and balloons something I have photographed previously which I feel worked quite well and done right could be affective in some of my chosen backgrounds.
Another thing I need to start thinking about is how I would dress the models. In the previous practice images the models are wearing their own random clothes so it was difficult to edit them into certain scenes. I need to make what they are wearing a key part of my planning when taking the next few photographs. As the image will be ruined is the models don’t match or look out of place in their chosen scene.
My current ideas staying along the lines of the uncanny include; dressing the models up like dolls or ballerinas. Still having them in these uncanny out of place areas perhaps still posed like the models in the warehouse photo I have already done so they look really out of place and uncanny.
