Lyric Video Work Record- 8

With my 8th shoot I decided I wanted to shoot in a video format to display a story, with this shoot i downloaded the song 'I'll be there for you' by The Rembrandts and decided to tell the story of 2 friends and to convey the story of a song with 2 friends and convey the lyrics of the songs with actions and written words. Initially, this video is just photographs which play at the right time and match with the appropriate lyrics. I planned to do this shoot with two friends on location in the sun, however my models dropped out last minute therefore when I was next in college I did the shoot with students in my class, who happily helped. After taking the photos, I made a rough edit of the video on premiere pro, the timing was a bit off and the photos didn't fit to the frame. I then listed the photos which I was going to use and edited them one by one. After doing this I used Imovie to create my lyric video as it was an easier program to use.




What I like about this video is the vibe and how it is quite light and fun, however if I was to do it again I think I would focus on the actual photography and do the framing a lot better.

Garry Winogrand

Garry Winogrand is an american photographer who photographs everyday life, his photos become story telling because they show life as just an equilibrium, in its simplest form. Garry Winogrand's photography is strictly in black and white, this drains colour and makes what the people are doing in the photo the focal, which can be simply walking in some of his pictures.

 In this photo Winogrand has photographed a woman walking and this is a perfect example of showing that he just photos simple everyday life. It is possible to say that his photography could also be documentary as he is documenting what he has seen on the street or documenting what this woman is doing in this very moment. I find this photo quite boring as it is so simple and I like photos with a meaning however this photos meaning could be that not everything is exciting and not everything is portrayed as the way you read it in books or see it in films, there are times in life when things just are and it can be boring.

This photo has influenced me to perhaps try simple photography or photography that can be seen as boring as it can represent monotony or express everyday life.

In this photo Winogrand has pictured two women waiting for a bus and 2 little girls playing. I again find this boring like the other photo and I think this photo is meant to represent monotony and just the everyday usual. This photo is very simple and I think that colour in this photo would have made it more exciting however I think that Garry Winogrand wanted to represent the theme of monotony in everyday life.

This photo hasn't influenced me to do anything different because it is the exact same as the other photo above (basically).

In this photo Winogrand has shot a man and woman talking on the street. Different from the others, this pictures black and white is sharper and  I actually like this photo. In this picture you can see the woman  looking up to talk to the man and the man is looking down at her boobs, this is representing the truth and how men see women, as sexual objects. I also like the form of this picture as it shows their shadows very prominently and you can see the girls boob curve on the ground which emphasises the idea that she is a sexual object.

This photo has influenced me to consider eye contact when taking pictures and to perhaps try to create photography that expresses an ugly truth.

In this photo there is a man begging and his sign tells the audience that he is both blind and deaf. In this photo you can see a woman giving money and other people are dodging this man. The woman that is giving money isn't dressed the same as everyone else and you can see form an on looked that someone is looking at her funny, i decode this because of the way she is dressed. This photo defeats the stereotype of society and tells people not to judge a book by its cover, because the girl giving money looks quite rough however she is the kindest of them all as she is the one helping whilst others walk past with their head down. In this image the black and white is soft and I think this represents the softness of the giving woman's heart.

This photo has influenced me to defy stereotypes in my work.

Overall, I don't like this photographers work because I find it very boring and monotonous, especially when I have to analyse it. I don't think his work holds enough substance, his pictures are okay to glance at, but there is no real meaning to them which I don't like.

Stephanie Sinclair

Stephanie Sinclair is an American documentary photographer who's main work is for an organisation called Too Young To Wed, she produces photo's which show little girls being married to older men and the lives they lead, therefore her photo's are a biography of the girls as they are the main subject of the project.

In this photo Sinclair has made it evident that the girl is the focal point of the photo by showing her face.  The consumers of this photo can see that the girl is unhappy with enforces that she is probably in fact hugging her husband which makes this photo quite disgusting, but brilliant at the same time. I like the way Sinclair has made the background really dark because it seems that the man is carrying the girl into the darkness, thus being a representation for a dark life. This biography provides an insight to the girls life.

This photo has influenced me to consider lighting when doing documentary photography because it sets a mood for the photo.

In this photo Sinclair has positioned the wives and husbands together, the positioning of the men behind the girl emphasises the point of her project and shows they are the focal point and the ones who need to be helped. Also, Sinclair had positioned the girls in front of the men which emphasised the height difference which emphasised the girls young ages. To me, this positioning also represents the lack of protection but harm, with protection the protector is usually placed in front and when someone is behind it represents harm and a potential threat. This represents to me the danger that these girls are in which is what Sinclair intended to show.

This picture has influenced me to consider positioning in my photography to convey a certain message e.g. protection/ harm.

 In this photo Sinclair has put a married couple next to each other and you can evidently see the girl is significantly younger. In this picture the man is looking at the camera, which is normal for a photo however the young girl is looking up at the man as if she is watching his every move, as if she has to for her own good which represents a bad relationship, which represents unhappiness. The form on the background of the setting emphasises the height difference and emphasises the girls age against the mans. The man is kneeling on a blanket whereas the girl is on the dirty, muddy floor, this represents her to now be tarnished and it also represents a split which represents the different opinions they hold, his is approved of, and hers is not.

This photo has influenced me to consider eye positioning in my photography as opposed to just facial expressions as eyes tell what a person is thinking of and feeling.

In this photo Sinclair shows a girl to be overly happy and taking off her hijab, this suggests her freedom, and this suggest how these girls should be treated and what they should be feeling, happiness. The dawn setting in the background represents the dawn of a new beginning. The bright pink of her hijab is vibrant and reminds an audience of happy things such as flowers, this represents that she is now allowed to grow as she takes it off. the narrative of this image suggest she has just got released of her arranged marriage and is now allowed to be a child again. This picture is very warming. 

This picture has influenced me to use certain colours of clothing/ day to represent the emotion of the subject when completing documentary photography or photography that suggests a message. 

Overall I really like this photographers work for this project which is her main work, or the only work of hers I am aware of, I especially like how her photo produces a biography for her subjects and documents their life. 

Connecting Essay - Jasper Doest

In this photo Doest has shot a picture of a bird spreading its wings and in its natural habitat, enough room has been left in the picture to see this. Doest has blurred the birds wing to display movement to display the birds actions. This photo tells the micro story of a bird, and in Doest's portfolio, this micro story is built as you watch the birds flee. The bird has been made very sharp against the dark background, the birds bright white colour stands out against the dullness. The bird is also made to stand out against the other birds by keeping them in a dark colour also. This technique shows who the main character of this story is.

In this picture I have taken a picture of a lizard and duplicated the layer in editing, and then made that layers opacity low as this provides a sense of movement to the consumers of this photo. I think this shows fast movement in particular as everything becomes fuzzy as you watch. The colour of the animal is bright green and slightly stands out against the brow backgrunds. This photo tells the micro story of a lizard and its daily going's on. The use of leaving the background in the picture displays the animals natural habitat and builds on the animals story by creating a setting for its narrative.







Both pictures connect because they both contain animals which have both been blurred to convey movement, also both animals have been given a realistic setting. I guess that Doest's photo is actually in the wild, however mine was taken in a zoo.

Lynsey Addario

Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist whose photography documents the lives of different cultures across the world and different issues across the world which occur between different cultures, for example, she has documented the unrest in Libya. I feel as if I could learn from Addario's work and perhaps produce photos which are like hers however without the travel, like display different cultures in England in one picture, making a combination of her work.

In this picture Addario documents maternity over different regions and documents mothering, this is interesting as it shows that everyone has a different way of doing something. The setting in this picture is vital as without this woman would be anywhere, the use of the bamboo and the trees among the hills, it is evident she is in an asian country. This picture is very sweet to look at as a mother is washing her babies, showing love and care. This picture doesn't seem staged but just as if Addario has walked in and took a picture un be-knowing to the lady.

This picture has influenced me to use setting that is iconic to express a culture e.g. London to represent its many multi cultures.

 In this Addario has shot what seems to be a hospital or at least what her viewers would connote to a hospital as there is a frail skinny woman laying in bed. This picture is quite shocking for an MEDC as their hospital seems so underdeveloped and the woman shows no sign of getting better as she seems to have no attention, the other woman in the picture is also looking away which represents that everything is simply looked past in LEDC's, this is quite had hitting to me and makes me feel quite bad that I take for granted the facilities I have, this is what Addario has intended to do.

This picture has influenced me to create photography that addresses issues and and represents a cause for concern as it is very interesting and makes you think beyond the photo.

 In this photo Addario has took a photo of a little girl holding a sign saying 'silence is a war', this picture is quite controversial because obviously the little girl doesn't know what she is holding and what it means, therefore doesnt know what she is protesting for. This photo however represents the next generation, and makes you create a story when you think of the future and how it will be, what kind of world your children will be growing up in. This kind of image conjures a though track, and also makes you consider the other situations which people are living in.

This photo has influenced me to create photography that raises questions are starts thought, however doing this evidently, for example, protest signs.

In this photo Addario documents those in Baghdad who have gone to the first 4d cinema screening, this photo interests me so much. You can tell these people are not english from their skin colours and a lot of the women are in hijabs. This photo interests me because I wouldn't think they have cinemas to such complexity in a conflict country. It shows you an equilibrium you never usually get to see when you are only shown what the media like the news want you to see. These people are shown happily watching a film as opposed to what you usually see about this country which is usually was, I  love the context of this picture.

This picture has influenced me to create photography that goes against media interpretations and the way society thinks something is, even though this documentary story telling photography, it would mix in with personal comment.

Overall I mainly like the context of this photographers work rather than her technique because I think just the context alone is captivating and consuming. I think her photography is not only story telling but personal comment of how she wants her journalism to appear, she takes pictures of what she agrees with, not the entire world, which I admire.

Connecting Essay - Julie Harris

This photographer is a milestone photographer and in this photo she has photographer a pregnant woman, this tells the story of the journey she is about to embark on or the chapter of her life she is about to begin. This picture has been put in black and white as it makes her bump look more prominent and the most important part of the picture, this is also enforced by the fact her face is not in the picture, making her pregnant bump the focal point of the picture, even though she is half naked you can tell was the important part of the picture is. 

In this picture I did a photoshoot of my brothers pregnant girlfriend, and the focal point of this picture is her pregnancy belly despite the fact that she is topless. It also becomes more prominent when the black background hits her bump, making it seem sharper. This picture like the other one has her hair in the picture and the only main difference is the fact it is not in black and white and her bottom half is not in the picture. This pregnant belly is more of a close up that Harris' which I like as it emphasises her pregnant belly more and emphasises the story that she is about the embark on a new big chapter of her life. I like the way the form of the shadow hits her bellow as it almost says that someone is there and suggests protection and love to this yet to be born child. 

Both of these photos connect because the narrative of the photos is pregnant woman, they also connect because the pregnant belly is the main part of the photo and this is evident as both women's heads have been removed in this photo, showing this is not about them but their children. 

Connecting Essay- Georges Antonio

This photographer is a fashion photographer and has used repetition in his work, this photo documents the fashion of this moment in time and adds to a history (storytelling) timeline. This photographer has used a model that is posing heavily and then reflected her, it is obvious this photo is for a fashion magazine or is just a fashion shoot. The picture is in black and white and has a red slash across parts of her face which then overlap, this is quit artistic and represents the thoughts that fashion is thought to be artistic. The model has been dressed up and put through hair and make up in this shoot to create an element of beauty.

In this photo I tried to recreate a magazine shoot as it is a way of story telling, it tells the history timeline of fashion (currently in modern fashion) and it also the way of conveying a story. I have used repetition in this photo to show 2 different fashions on one model, following studio conventions for fashion photography I used a plain background. The model is pulling almost the same pose in both photos , the only significant difference being her facial expression and the way her hair falls. I have kept this photo in colour to enhance the bright colours of her outfits and convey the fashion in this photo as much as possible. I think the repetition in this picture brings an artistic feel to the photo.








Both photos connect because they both follow the theme of fashion photography and both use repetition (even though Antonio's picture seems like mirroring and is smoother). Both photos also contain a model posing in an obvious way to emphasise the theme of a fashion shoot.

Connecting Essay - Scot Sothern

In this image Sothern has used black and white which brings a cinematic vibe to the picture, which is a way of story telling and because of this vibe you feel as it you are following this persons story. The laid back setting suggests this shoot was quite comfortable and she is at home so it creates questions like where does she live, what does she do for a living? The black and white drains all colour out of the photo and makes the picture seem solely about the model and her story. This photographer also mainly uses women so it seems he is following the story of women in a certain region, also in a majority of his picture women are naked, enforcing the feel that with the black and white, a person is stripped down to nakedness, to bare truth.

In this picture I have used black and white and the model in mine and the model in Sothern's seem to be using the same sort of pose. Neither f the models are dressed up which enforces the idea that the picture is about the person the model is, not the clothes she wears, both are also in a comfortable area (Sothern's the bed, mine the chair which you can slightly see) which enforces the idea they are being their honest self and makes the photography quite documentary. I have also used a woman model however this i purely by chance, I did not do this on purpose, I did this just because I wanted a female model as initially this was a magazine shoot. The black and white drains the colour as iv said and makes the picture more about the subject, this then enforces my models smile and documents that she is happy (due to the idea that black and white represents bare nakedness and truth), this raises enigmas like why is she happy?

Both pictures connect because they both use black and white, both models are women, are both photos seem to document that persons life story in that moment in time. The only major difference I can see is the location is made prominent in Sothern's picture and mine is a studio back drop as I did not deem the setting important.

Connecting Essay - Dina Goldstein

This photographer has told a story that already exists, it is the story of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, however this photographer has made the story controversial and almost quite controversial. This photo has been put into the retrospect that despite Belles good heart from her well known story, it isn't enough, and she must be beautiful, and this is the message sent to society through fairy tales, when do you ever see an ugly princess? I love the context of this picture especially due to the fact that not only has Goldstein put a modern spin on an old fairy tale, but she has also incorporated her own print technique. This picture itself never gets boring to me and was very influential for my photo shoot as it was a very capturing photo for me (well theme due to the fact she did a whole portfolio on controversial images like this; Fallen Princesses) and I really wanted to recreate it in my own form, but still using some of the themes.

This is my picture in which Goldstein influenced my photography. I really loved this shoot, the main theme i copied was the idea of a princess and plastic surgery. However I decided to add a woman who was planning her perfection, as this for me created a princess diaries sort of element. In Goldsteins picture she has tried to produce the princess to become quite sexy and appealing to look at in an obvious manner, however i used editing to convey this by making my models eyes bigger and changing their colour to a light green to make them stand out, also having big eyes is a desirable trait with todays society and is looked for it supermodels, this then emphasizes the necessity of beauty in todays society.

Both pictures connect because they have the same theme running through them, the iconic princess beauty which is being tested in these photos. Also we have both used color and the similar costume of a fairy tale dress.

Shoots

1)Evoloution into joker/ joker shoot with Lukas, location shoot- harmonys

props- pack of cards, face paint, green hair spray

2) Harmony skeleton costume following propps theory of characters, villain,/ shadow of death, location shoot- forest

props- skeleton costume, face paint, string, scissors

3) story of getting better/ getting worst , eleanor, location - house (gif and photos)

props- bath/shower

4) lyric video ell and harmony, location,  next to pool in sun, ill be there for you song

props- paper, marker

5) books shoot- studio , red background, shows a way of conveying story telling , highlight fave quotes by blurring the other ones  - amber to read a book  (one shot read book sitting upside down on chair)

props- books