Samuel

“Masked”

My final presentation for the Identity unit, entitled “Masked,” was made through the combination of my three red photographs by manually masking them using editing software, then combining them in one photo. Justification in regard to some elements in the final presentation has been mentioned in the Red Photo Evaluation, where one of the three Red Photos was analyzed.

For this project, I have made the decision to manually mask all three photos by tracing the outline of each one and eliminating the original background of any pictures. Although this could have been done in a much less pain-staking way by utilizing selection tools, I have decided to mask the photos by hand because it allows me to crop out certain undesirable portions of some of the photographs in addition to some of the fraying of the hoodie, which could be seen in the original red photos. For example, a bit of lifted fabric at the bottom-right of the white image distracted from the overall presentation, which I have cut out in the masking process to reflect a more clean and sharp look.

In the editing process, I could have also used feathering to minimize the sharp cuts that were used in the manual masking process, blurring the edges to allow it to blend in more with the background. Although this would have been desirable for me, I have ultimately decided to neglect this tool since this could limit the sharpness of the original image, which I want to retain due to how it is effective in concentrating attention on the central subject (white photo).

I have used opacity for the red and blue photos to blend both of the photos into the background. Because the main focus of this presentation is that all three photos are interconnected, with the blue and red photos indicating internal extensions of one’s external personality (that being represented by the white photo), the focus of attention should be on the central, white photo predominantly. In this presentation, the white photo represents the overall being and the two other photos, although also part of oneself, are more inherent and internalized compared to the subject.

I have decided to use these three colors (blue, red, and white) due to their symbolism and relationship to one another. Because white is one of the fundamental colors, it is used to represent the primary or external representation of a person. Blue and red, both of them contrasting with each other, blend well with the original, white hoodie in addition to how it is representative of the overall, external person. The black background was chosen because it contrasts with all other colors, allowing for the subject of the photo to be emphasized.

This blue photo is one of the three photos that will compose my final image. I think that this is probably the best image of the three due to some of the compositional elements within this photo.

The tone of this image is predominantly light blue. Combined with the white of the hoodie, this allows for the body of the image to be blended in a similar color. A white light from the top allows for the illumination of the face, contrasting with the rich blueness that the image is mostly composed of. The white light is somewhat symbolic of hope or heaven, with light shining down upon the individual, and blue could represent the despair and sympathy of individuals. The blue also highlights the black hair and headphones, but it isn’t the most effective since the lighting of the hair is comparable to the lighting of the background. I think that how the hair is illuminated could be improved upon by either changing the color of the hair or positioning lights so that the hair is directly illuminated. The black background was chosen to eliminate attention to the background and focus all attention on the subject of the photo, which is the individual situated in the middle.

The posing of the individual depicts him reaching for the light while removing the mask, a symbol of crisis and restriction. I attempted to imply that individuals should ease and take off their restrictions to fully express their identity and truly achieve. The head tilted up shows the person admiring the light, perhaps also endeavoring it.

The individual is sharply in focus. I used a large depth of field so that the individual can be clearly distinguished from the background. A blurred background, which could be created by having the background out of focus, could distract from the subject.

For my red selection, I chose images that I think would work best for my final product. I specifically chose these colors (red, blue, and white) because I think they are effective at portraying contrasting sides of an individual, in this case, the white image represents an individual at the surface level, and the red image portrays someone’s sinister side and the blue image portraying someone’s sympathetic side (in a way). It will probably be necessary for the background of these images to be removed because the colored lighting has caused the lighting to change the color of the background.

For my green selection, I focused on eliminating images with similar poses or colors to narrow down my selection. All of these photos would work well with the poses and colors that I want to evoke within my image.

Because most of my images are of similar quality, I focused on the posing and color when considering my yellow selection. I chose specific poses that would be ideal for my final product which involves the combination of multiple of these images. Almost all of these images could probably work alone, by themselves, or presented in a collection, but due to the nature of my final product, I had to choose images that are composed similarly so that it is easier to combine them at the end.

Link to PDF

Link to PDF

The title of this project is Masked. The societal issue that I want to explore with my photographs is the impact and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals, with the message that individuals are inherently more complicated than they are on the surface. I am using the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to increase relatedness with the audience and to use the mask as a medium to symbolize the obstruction of one’s true identity. I want my audience to understand the emotional swings experienced by many, especially during the pandemic, as well as relate to such experiences with the extreme isolation and restrictions that we all have previously experienced. I will gain inspiration by looking for photographs that utilize a similar medium, have similar circumstances to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that utilize techniques such as opacity masks or long exposure that allow for an expression of a multitude of expression within one, edited, photoraph.

“The eyes behind the mask” is a set of portraits taken in 2020 of NHS hospital staff in Ipswich Hospital. It is taken by Colin Gray, one of the hospital staff.

The tone of the photographs is all black and white. The masks are portrayed to be lighter than the background in all photographs, drawing attention to the faces of the individual within the photographs. The use of black and white photography could be of symbolic or connotative purposes (e.g. darkness associated with despair, light associated with hope), but could be to eliminate distractors from the more complex backgrounds within the photographs. Some of the photographs (clockwise from top left: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th) seem to have a black vignette effect surrounding the borders of the image which could also, likely, be used to put more emphasis and focus on the faces and away from the background obstacles. The contrasting effect derived from the white and black portions of the image shifts the focus toward the head within the photograph. I personally think that these photographs may be more effective on a completely plain background, but considering the circumstances of these photographs, it was not accomplished due to this being taken within a hospital and not a photography studio.

All of the individuals are portrayed in focus and very sharply, with most photographs having the background out of focus due to a shallow aperture. This effectively limits the interference that the background may have on the heads/faces, which are the subject of the photographs. In some photographs, the individuals may be oversharpened, producing some texture on certain parts of the picture that attract the viewer’s attention.

The skin’s texture is entirely focused (if not oversharpened) to provide different qualities to the head, which the photographer is attracting attention towards. In a way, this also weighs the individuals within the photograph, and the photograph itself, back into reality when considering the commonly unrealistic depictions of skin and people within commercial or other photographs, in addition to some of the connotative meanings that this could mean to the hospital staff.

The societal/cultural issue is the legacy and impact of COVID-19. Considering its significant impact on the world, I want to use my photographs to reflect how the public health crisis was also, to some, a mental health crisis and, to all, a period of difficulty and trouble.

The portrayal of identity that I how to achieve is of one’s suppression of identity, where one’s identity is restricted or limited because of the pandemic. I want to hint at how behind the mask, behind the surface, people are inherently more complex with varying mental states, all of which may just be hidden behind the mask and hidden within one’s internal walls. I want to express people’s deeper internal emotions, how people are much more mixed and different than who they inherently are on the surface.