ICMP: PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG




30/09/2023

After the first week of ICMP photography, here are a few of my initial ideas:
  • Narrative/storytelling
  • Link to drama and theatre- my own background
  • Use of fire
  • Coloured film photography?
  • Use of a stark black background behind subject
  • Actor literally on fire while acting an anger-driven scene
  • Will need to research powerful, anger-driven speeches using play scripts
  • Will need to source actors- possibly my peers?
  • Will need to research how to effectively shoot fire- practice on small flames
  • Will need to research how to have actors appear on fire safely- safety risks, stage fire, where will the shoot take place?
  • Possible use of different coloured flames?
  • Present as a gallery piece, including short information board about the piece


06/10/2023

During the photography activity today, we went out in groups to use a Canon DSLR to create a narrative with images. Taking inspiration from Chris Marker and Elliot Erwitt, we set out to take some narrative pictures of simple things like missing your train stop and dropping an ice-cream. We also utilised unpredictability as the end image was often unexpected. This has allowed me to think more about my own work with this project and how I might be able to integrate my idea into a narrative. We also looked at Sophie Calle and how she followed a man she met only for him to reject her. She followed and took pictures of Venice and documented her days deeply and created a piece of work which is quite moving; about loneliness and grasping onto something that wasn't there. We also looked at Chris Marker whose photographic sci-fi film really impressed me and the narrative was well explained even though it is just contrived of photos and few words. It highlights memory and how photographs are merely moments from the past you can no longer see; I found this to be very poetic, coupled with the silence of the film too. For my project, I want to incorporate a narrative to three photographs of actors on stage with fire. I want to present these as a museum display with an information panel to help explain the story of the pictures. Maybe this panel will tell my story of frustration with theatre and my ties there. I am still unsure whether I will use a film camera and develop the photos myself or a DSLR so that I can edit the photos afterwards. I may take photos on both devices and decide which ones are better.

Here are my notes from the lesson:



10/10/2023


Reflecting on today's lecture, I enjoyed analysing the different ways of framing and composition. It was made clear how important colour, shape and design are to the perception of a piece to a viewer. It allowed me to think about my own ideas about composition and how I want my own work to be perceived. I need to use colour and position to create certain feelings in my viewers.

Here are my current ideas regarding the photography project but will continue to adapt my ideas:




13/10/2023

This morning, we developed the black and white pictures we took on the SLR camera 2 weeks prior and learnt how to effectively edit these in photoshop. It was interesting to utilise colour balance, focusing and AI features to improve our photographs, ready for printing. It was a process I particularly liked and would like to explore this type of photography for my project.

Here are some examples of our work:




20/10/2023

During yesterday’s photography tutorial, we learnt how to use the studios effectively and had a go at using the equipment. We learnt how it is important to set the lighting to a specific setting to allow for ample results. During the tutorial, we found that it was difficult to do this and had to keep changing the power of the lights when the subject moves. However, once we got the hang of this, we were able to take some good shots which were useful in helping us understand how to use the equipment. In my own piece, I would like to utilise the studio space and equipment but with a film camera. I understand this may be difficult to do but with a little perseverance, I think I will be able to get some decent shots. I may also use a DSLR as well and compare the two. I also need to ask permission from a technician as to whether I may be able to use fire in my photography.

Here are some of the photos:



27/10/2023

During today’s photography session, we focused on using lighting to replicate other photographers. We used two lights, a light meter, a snoot, a honeycomb, reflecters and flags to create the desired look.

Here are our photographs:




In this image, we aimed to recreate Richard Ansett's 'Daniel, Age 9' by using a softbox to soften the light on my face and a reflector to create the shadows in the image.


For this image, we wanted to recreate Valerie Belin's portraiture by using a harsh beam from above directed onto the subject's face with a snoot. We also used another lower beam from the left to help recreate the shadows in the picture. This was particularly difficult as we couldn't recreate the picture exactly and wasn't able to create the white effect in the original photograph.


For this image based on Bettina von Zwehl’s ‘Tamsin, 2013’, we used monotone and a single white light directed on the subject’s face. We softened and focused the light with a honeycomb and utilised another much weaker light on the other side of the subject so that they stand out. To make the background whiter, we could have used another light facing the wall and over exposed it to get the desired effect.

03/11/2023

Today we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum to look at their photography display. It was incredibly interesting and I was able to see how far photography had come as a medium through the different ways of taking a photograph, to the many different compositions. Notably, the x-ray photography and strereoscopes intruigued me as I hadn’t thought about these in a photography setting. Eadweard Muybridge’s ‘Animal Locomotion’ showed a series of images which relayed a point in time, almost like a film which, when played in succession, would show a scene. These interested me and allowed me to think more about how I might create a narrative for my project. One image was of a woman running from fire with her face blurred: this image has inspired my own photography and I may want to utilise a similatr effect by blurring the face of the subject so that they are unseen and the image can relate to anyone who views it. Paul Trevor’s ‘Constant Exposure’ was a fascinating piece wich utilised the space and composition which made the picture seem intruiguing as to the story behind it as the viewer is encouraged to look carefully at the different images from television screens which are placed almost strangely as the images don’t seem to match even when next to one another. It reminded me of John Berger’s point in ‘Ways of Seeing’ where he mentioned that certain moods and perceptions can be made depending on what is next to an image- this is certainly used to Trevor’s advantage in this piece. I also enjoyed ‘The Zizi Show’ by Jake Elwes which depicted an AI representation of drag queens and highlighted the bias in AI as it was unable to decipher whether the images should be male or female. This interested me as it involved the question of inclusion and prejudice in AI and perhaps other media, causing the  viewer to question whether this is right and what could be done about it. After reading Nan Goldin’s ‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’ I realised how intimate and personal photography can be and felt as if I was reading through her life, encountering many different characters and forming opinions on them as she did. Whilst I felt some of the pictures were unnecessarily sexual (even given the title of the book), the overall message of man’s dependency on desire was quite poignant and you could feel the turmoil felt by Nan even when she was behind the camera, taking the pictures as she sees her friends and their, somewhat, better lives. The camera obscurer at the back of the gallery was also particularly interesting and I enjoyed learning about how it works and how it was then used to develop the cameras we use today. We also mentioned the ethics of allowing art galleries and places of culture to be paid for by the rich and powerful. Rich names line the walls of the rooms of art galleries; people who may have achieved their status though awful means like slavery. Is it right that these people dictate culture and is there any bias in that? 



After lunch, we visited the Arebyte Gallery which held the ‘Cultus’ exhibition by Zach Blas. The exhibition is ‘an immersive exploration of AI Gods, spirituality, and Silicon Valley’s techno-religion’. Silicon Valley seems to be in a race to create forward-thinking technologies through the use of AI and Blas seems to physicalise this through his immersive experience here and it appears to be an awe-inspiring series of gods which are ritualistically worshipped upon. These gods include: Exposito, AI god of desire and exposure; Iudicium, AI god of automation and judgement; Lacrimae, AI god of tears and extraction; and Eternus, AI god of immortal light. All the gods came with a plaque containing what appeared to be a prayer, written in a strange form of English. Whilst at the exhibition, we seemed to meet Exposito who placed their desires on us somewhat sexually. This could be alluded to the sexual desire of humans in AI as an increasing number of deepfake videos are being made, including celebrities in porn videos. Porn is also something that is widely accessibe with the internet and addictions seem to be getting more rampant. It appears this god pleases those people and perhaps even pleases shoppers who simply desire certain products. AI uses data to assess people and may show items in adverts to certain people depending on data. Iudicium may relate to the use of AI in cars and the increasing use of automation for everyday tasks like asking siri to search the web for you. This god does your work for you so that you don’t have to and can focus on what pleasures you. Lacrimae seems almost distant from the others as they are related to tears and extraction; maybe this is related to how all our lives in the Western world are placed on social media for others to criticise and shame, causing misery, or, perhaps, the data we put online is taken and extracted to be used by corporations with advertising: this may lead to misery or happiness. However, it is Eternus which intruigues me the most as it is this god who relates to eternal life. Not only does this mean to literally live forever, but the continuation of our internet personas. After experiencing the exhibition, the group came together to dicuss the exhibition and the idea of putting your brain into a machine to live on after you die came up which brought about the ethics of doing such an act and whether this is dangerous or perhaps disciminatory as only the rich can afford to do this. A rich man is also trying to live forever by injecting himself with his son’s blood in an attempt to cheat death and become god. We are then asked to question AI and the implications of what it could mean if it is possible for an AI to become sentient and the ramifications of this. The idea that our lives will forever be on the internet even after our death is simultaneously terrifying as it is comforting- you connot be forgotten, your legacy will live on (which is what most kings and wealthy people longed for in the past). But this all brings about the question of whether this is right or ethical: this is only available to more developed countries currently, therefore is it biased? Do we really want our lives on the internet and to worship an AI god?



10/11/2023

Following today’s presentation on my photography project to the class, it was clear that I would not be able to do the project in a studio because of the fire risk and will have to do it outside. This is not a problem as I will play about with doing the photography in the dark, and especially now as it will get darker earlier. I am also going to do the project on a DSLR camera since it is easier to balance and take better photos. It was also recommended that I don’t use subjects and focus on the fire and relation to monologues which may all be Shakespeare monologues, perhaps to show the flame he had when writing. I also want to use monologues which relate to fire, not necessarily anger-driven monologues. I will take the photographs and print them, along with the small plaques containing the monologues but will also utilise my own voice acting out these scenes which will be played alongside the images. The project will both be a gallery piece in the blue shed and a video. I would also like to play around with different coloured fire and overlaying images to create an interesting effect.

Possible monologues (but I will look for more Shakespeare monologues):

William Shakespeare, ‘Antony and Cleopatra’: Antony vows revenge against Cleopatra, Act IV, Scene 12-  https://www.actorama.com/ms/285/William-Shakespeare/Antony-and-Cleopatra

Neith Boyce and Hutchins Hapgood, ‘Enemies’: She reacts to He’s request for separation- 
https://www.actorama.com/ms/330/Neith-Boyce-and-Hutchins-Hapgood/Enemies

Lord Byron, ‘Cain’: Lucifer curses God, Act 1, Scene 1-
https://www.actorama.com/ms/656/Lord-Byron/Cain



17/11/2023 

During today’s photography workshop, we focused on the use of pose and expression to portray a series of images which could be used as a story. We looked at photographer Alys Tomlinson who took pictures of highschoolers at their prom, getting them to pose in a similar, formal fashion and created a set from the images. We had the class pose in front of our camera and we proceeded to capture both their expression and their reaction afterwards which told a story about their character and how they reacted to the task. We then continued by imitating portraits and I was chosen to have a bag on my head to look like the portrait. We then used the lighting to create a red effect on the bag only and I attempted to look like the portrait. We also messed around with having someone be lifted or jump in mid-air to create a floating effect.



24/11/2023

Since Julian was ill today, I used today’s photography session to help Eliana with her project where I gave advice and helped set up the equipment. This was a good experience as we were able to get quite a few pictures for her project and I enjoyed playing a passive but supportive role during the session. No one else was using the room so we took the chance to explore all our opportunities and took photographs of objects, which we hadn’t explored yet. I also took out a lens, light metre and card reader for the weekend where I will start on my photography project.
 

29/11/2023

Over the weekend, I was unable to take photographs for my project and am quite dissapointed in myself. After some consideration, I have come to the conclusion that my initial ideas regarding fire photography will be particularly difficult. I would have to get permission to light a fire around campus and I am not sure the idea will be properly perceived through it. I do, however, want to use Shakespeare monologues as a background to the images which I will record in the near future. Thinking about this project, I wondered whether I could take a feminist approach and take pictures of myself in male clothing as a sort of ‘role-reversal’ when delivering male speeches or, perhaps, objects which relate to the themes of the speeches. If I were to take pictures of myself, for example, I would like to do so on a stage if possible, which shows my acting background. This, again, may be difficult to do as I don’t have access to a stage at university. Alternatively, I could use the photography studio and take the pictures in front of a curtain background. During our workshop on Friday.

One photographer I am fond of is Alessio Albi who takes portraits of beautiful women in a close, personal way. He seems to play around with lighting and props to help make his work seem more dynamic and interesting. I may take some inspiration from this, especially with lighting to help make my portraits seem personal.



Another photographer I have researched is Sasha Aruntyunova. Her photography often seems quite personal and in action. Her subjects are often seen in day-to-day life yet Sasha uses lights and shade to help enhance the feeling gained from her photography.


Nina Masic is another female photographer who seems to capture femininity in its purest form as both beauty and realism. Her subjects seem like real people and are used to excentuate feminine beauty. I would like to take inspiration from her to make my subjects seem beautiful and real, even when playing a masculine role.


These are my chosen monologues:

William Shakespeare, ‘Antony and Cleopatra’: Antony vows revenge against Cleopatra, Act IV, Scene 12
https://www.actorama.com/ms/285/William-Shakespeare/Antony-and-Cleopatra

William Shakespeare, ‘Macbeth’: Macbeth has a vision of a dagger, Act II, Scene 1-
https://www.actorama.com/ms/277/William-Shakespeare/Macbeth

William Shakespeare, ‘Othello’: Iago professes his hatred for Othello and his malicious plans, Act I, Scene III
https://www.actorama.com/ms/259/William-Shakespeare/Othello


08/12/2023

During today’s crit week session, I discussed my ideas for my photography project where I explained how I will take portraits of myself with some help from my peers in the photography studios next Wednesday. It was mentioned that I should ask the photography technicians if I can book the space and explain what it is I want to do so that they can prepare some items I may need to use during the shoot. 


09/12/2023

Today, I recorded my voice overs for the monologues from the Shakespeare plays. This, surprisingly, didn’t take a lot of time and I used my Blue Raspberry microphone to record the speeches. I have also booked a photography studio for Wednesday 13th December to take the photos.


13/12/2023

In photography studio 6, I took the pictures for my photography project with the help from Eliana. I took inspiration from the photographers above but was unable to get exactly the same effect due to the restrictions of the studio. I utilised three different colours and different poses and effects to help distinguish between the monologues and characters. It was good to have Eliana with me to help set up and take the photos as well as give feedback and advice on what I could do better. I took on her advice and managed to produce a multitude of different pictures with varying sets. Unfortunately, I forgot to change the settings on the camera to take RAW photographs but, since I will only be doing minimal editing, the JPEGs may not be too much of a problem. I now need to put the images to sound in a video format to show Julian on Friday for some final advice.



14/12/2023

Today I put together a provisional video to show Julian tomorrow to get some pointers on how to progress. I noticed when making the video in Premier Pro, the pictures are not the best quality, perhaps because the settings on the camera were wrong. This is not a great issue as they will be posted to YouTube rather than be printed but it is dissapointing that I may not be able to do a mock-up for a gallery like I had hoped. I also wondered whether my voice is too quiet in the video or whether I should use some background music: all things to ask Julian tomorrow. However, I am happy with the photos I have taken and the look of the video currently but will continue to work on it for the deadline.

Here is the provisional video:



15/12/2023

During my talk with Julian today, he mentioned that he liked the pictures and the overall idea. The video is fine but the volume of my voice needs to be raised and the first monologue seems a little too long. Therefore, I will work on shortening this by doing another recording. It was also mentioned that I should use several photographs per monologue so that it is more engaging: I will go through the photos and pick 3 or 4 per monologue to show the viewer. Hopefully, this will make the piece more engaging. I also want to play around with a mock-up for a gallery by utilising Adobe InDesign and creating an image demonstrating how this would look on a wall in a gallery.


21/12/2023

Today, I made the changes I needed to make to the project and so have improved the sound, added another 9 images to the video and made a mock-up for a gallery. Overall, this process has been a lot of fun and I enjoyed using the studios with some help for this project as well as the work I’ve done in the sound area. I feel as though I have learnt a lot from this project with how to use a camera and how to make a cohesive viewing experience that I hope people will enjoy. I am proud of this work and will continue to use photography and an outlet for creativity in my own time.