<Refined Statement of Intent>

I want to present the reflection of reality through the presentation of enfolding imagery.

• My initial statement of intent ended up failing so I turned to this idea instead. In simple terms, I will be using distortion within my subjects to demonstrate the enfolded and abstract reality that exposes within them. Aside from angles, this will require photo editing techniques which I hold with confidence.
• My inspiration came from artist Antonio Gutierrez Pereira and an internet trend where posters would photoshop their faces with stars and galaxy elements.

<Artist Research>

Antonio Gutierrez Pereira is an artist from Vigo, Spain. She does not have a specific series of photographs, instead all of her photos are focused on the used of distortion and abstraction through the creative positioning of glasses. Her technique of glass placements characterizes her work by making the subject’s eyes appear bug-like. Her ways of expression deeply inspired me and I also see the distorted reality within her work. Despite having different intentions, she truly enlightened me on this new idea.

“Casa Branca” by Antonio Gutierrez Pereira

• This photography shows a tilted view of the subject. The camera is centered on the combination of the glass and the subject with negative space and a reflecting surface on the sides. Although the table does have reflecting surfaces, it is arguable that the reflection is not the main focus, instead it is the subject because otherwise the table would have been in frame more. Antonio uses a square composition which creates a symmetrical feeling, generating a contrast to the shifted subject. Black&white coloring is used most likely because Antonio wants to dictate a neutral tone, allowing the audience to focus on the subject rather than sub elements like color or emotion. Overall this piece was chosen to be written on because it is Antonio’s “most famous” piece, also what initially inspired me.

<Source>
http://leahfinebergalevel.weebly.com/exam-project-truth-fantasy-or-fiction.html

Experimental Takes (1)

There is not much technical issues with these photos however it does not reflect my intensions. The original plan was to have the light located behind the subject present the subject in a projecting way. However, this failed because the lights were unable to project the subject’s shadow effectively which completely kills the plan.

Experimental Takes (2)

These more follow up experiments taken at home because I thought the projection problem was caused by the oversized subjects. However, it turns out that the problem is most likely because the concept of shadow projection does not work. I did attempt different angles but none of them turned out to be effective.

Complete Failure (1)

This was an attempt with the normal light coming from outside of the pitch black studio but it ended up being completely black because the iso was lower than 100 and it appears that something is blocking the camera

• One major lesson I learned from this is that I should always test my ideas early on incase it fails. When I do this early on the in the process, I would have more time to reorganize and come up with new plans.

<Mind Map>

• This Mind Map shows my thinking of what my final piece would look like. In the mind map I showed different aspects and elements of my intended final piece.

<Mood Board>

• This Mood Board shows a compilation of references and inspirations of my final pieces. A lot of the pieces also represents elements that I intend to include in my final piece.

<Statement of Intent>

Statement: I aim to present a visually amusing imagery through the creative use of lighting and shadow work, demonstrating the divergency within a person.

• By presented my subject in a visually amusing way, I intend my audience to receive the meaning of divergency and how it is reflected within a person. I aim to achieve this by using lighting and shadow work to enhance the imagery of divergency on my subject.

<Artist Vision>

• The idea is based of and inspired by the character Kayn from League of Legends. Kayn in LOL is a character who is possessed by his own weapon, which creates a split personality within him. In-game, he is able to transform into his personalities making him one of the most special characters. Based of this, my idea for divergency is born which I aim to communicate through lighting and shadow world since those elements can create the most contrast.

• This set of photographs are the 12 best ones taken under the concept of “reflection” and by deep inspirations of Sebastian Magnani
• The concept of reflection is the main focus in this unit of photography. Reflect may be presented in many forms, wether it is straight forward or not. I personally choose presenting “literal” reflections because I favored its ability to convey emotions directly without making “twists” which can cause a deeper impact to my audiences. I achieved this point by using a literal mirror as a tool to help convey the subject within my photographs. I used lighting and contrast of subjects inside/outside the mirrors to demonstrate the subject as one differ from the environment.
• Sebastian Magnani is a Switzerland Photographer well known for his “intimate portraits masterfully utilizing light and color to create emotional scenes”. His works deeply inspired me because for a second I was able to see a sperate world within his picture, a world of difference and unknown.

(1) – Golden Hour / Top 1

• The name is a reference to the song Golden Hour by JVKE. I found the song and the image as a perfect pair of harmony, and just like the song, this image captures a golden moment.
• I used a high to low angle to show additional reflections of the mirror and has the lights shine in from the top left corner. The lighting tone was then edited to look golden which ends up in this composition.
• To improve, I should be more creative with how the background is displayed along with the golden moment to achieve greater heights.

(2) – Galaxy / Top 2

• This is named galaxy because of the space reflection on the subject’s mask. The idea originated from Michael, whom was inspired by a previous internet trend which had people photograph themselves in fishbowls while space was reflected on it to make them look like astronauts.
• This photo used a high to low angel to present the subject in a “weak” composition as it stands true when compared to the vast space. Lighting was used in a way where it was stuck extremely close to the subject to generate the natural reflection of the lights.
• To improve, there should be more suggestive elements in the background to show that the subject is in space.

(3) – Old Times / Top 3

• This is named Old Times due to its black & white tone, which projects a vintage emotion.
• This photo followed Sebastian’s inspiration of mirroring subjects within the foreground. I used reflection as a skill to creatively present the subject as differ. The comparison between two types of plants in two settings (inside and outside the mirror) communicates a conflicting emotion.
• To improve, the photo could be cropped more on the top right corner to erase extra foreground which frees up more space and make the comparison tighter.

(4) – “Hi” (taken by Michael, edited by Thomas)

• This photo uses symmetry to create a pattern on the doors. This is then combined with a perspective shot to make the entrance look dramatic which enhances the shadow as the subject. The door was purposely opened a bit to seem like the shadow is entering the hallway. To improve, the shadow could be make more obviously while the line of symmetry could be raised more.

(5) – Blue Life

• I used a high angle on this photo to frame the grass alongside the mirror together in an orderly fashion. This achieves the effect of a clear presentation of my subject, which is the mirror. I edited this photo by putting slight blurs on the picture while adding a few blue butterflies on the side to combine them with the background. To improve, I could use the rule of thirds and reposition my subject more to the left side.

(6) – Sahara

• I used a side angle on the subject mirror to show both its composition and the refection at the same time. This allows the subject to be focused on by the audience while the composition is also clear as day. This photo is heavily inspired by one of Sebastian’s photos where he put a mirror on a dirt road while the sky was reflect. The two elements in this photo – sand and sky – creates a clear contrast of dense and clear, which I find amusing. To improve, I could focus on the sand more so the contrast is more obvious.

(7) – Mirage

• The intent of this photo is to showcase time in a wasteland. The wasteland is represented by the mask that is half drowned in sand while time is symbolized by the mirror. These two elements create a time look feeling and combined with the shadows enhances this photo. To improve, I should clear out the sand to make it look more smooth.

(8) – Wasted

• I used the water as a reflection to create a symmetry line which splits the photo into 2. This perfectly replicates the theme reflection as the water’s content is exactly what is above it. The natural background that the photo offers relaxes the audience. To improve, I should have photoshopped the blue wall in the background into trees or jungles to complete the theme of nature.

(9) – Inversion (taken by Michael, edited by Thomas)

• This photo purposely uses “bad” lighting to generate a dark environment. It also creates a line of reflection where the subject of each side alters. The reflection in the shadow and the empty space above the pool creates a perfect contrast of absent and present. To improve, there should be more hints towards the contrast that the audience is suppose to realize.

(10) – Reflect

• I used the contrast of texture and color in this photograph. I put the mirror on top of the towel to compared the two elements, one is white yet furry, the alter is colored yet smooth. This almost achieved a quadruple comparison and communicates change. To improve, I should lay out the towel more so it is completely smooth without curves.

(11) – Pool

• I used a curved plastic surface as a “filter” and creates this distorted imagery of water. The theme of distortion ties to water because when reflections in water are affected, it usually become twisted. The elements of aquatics along the lighting turns both the reflection and the actual poll into half clear image. To improve, I should section of the distorted part of the photo for more effects which may create stunning visuals.

(12) – Basket

• This photo used a high to low angle on a mirror which reflected the bottom of a basket with patterns. I also used comparison in the photo since it always generates a differ emotion. This photo compares the basket, which is patterned, to the floor, which is smooth. Such comparison brings attention to the subject which is the mirror as if it was some “door” for the transitions. To improve, I should pan the camera out more so the view is not forced upon the subject.

Citation:

• https://www.sebastianmagnani.com/ (Artist)

<Lee Friedlander>

• Lee’s artist style follows a black & white color tone with city elements in the background. For this set of photos specifically, Lee uses a driver’s first person perspective to demonstrate the driver’s view of city. Due to its composition and placement of photo shooting, Lee seems to lean into natural lighting, although it won’t matter as much for black & white photos. In addition, Lee also creatively used the side mirror on the cars to generate a reflection, making it look like a separate frame within the original photo.
• In comparison with the other photographers, Lee shares a similarity with Naoya in their subjects, which are city objects. Lee also shares a similarity with Lisette in color tones, both bring black & white. Lee’s photography is also rather different as its main expression is to present a perspective of city scape while other artists such as Naoya or Lisette lean more into expressing the beauty of lighting or abstract human expressions.
• Unfortunately, Lee shares little to no connection with Robert as they have completely different subjects, perspectives, lightings, and meanings. Lee uses city views, first person, natural lighting, and expresses visual experience while Robert leans into studio setups and presents what he favors.

<Naoya Hatakeyama>

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• Naoya’s artist style follows a blurry pattern with lights “shooting out” into the camera. In this set of Naoya’s pieces, a repetitional occurrence of blurry windows stained with rain drops can be seen. This is used to enhance the illustration of the subject, which is the blurred yet obvious objects behind the “windows”. Although these subjects differ from streets all the way to towers while shot in different perspectives, they all share this one common similarity and that is lights. Aside from these photos, many of Naoya’s other photo’s indicates that Naoya has an obsession with explosions, literally. Although there is no actual explosions in these pieces, that would explain why the lights, or better known as the subjects are “shooting” lights out as if it was an explosion of lights.
• Naoya does not share much in common with the other artist, he has a very colorful tone and does not use cities or human as subjects. However, when compared to Robert, it is visible that both artists use sets of different colors to present their subjects, differing them from the background. In addition, Robert’s subjects are placed out on a surface, which to some degree looks like the aftermath of an explosion, where things got blown everywhere. Although this idea is very abstract, it indeed is a connection shared between Naoya and Robert.

<Lisette Model>

• Lisette has a very different artist style compared to the others. Lisette likes to take black & white tone portraits of people, with some being slightly “abstract” or “weird”. This style of hers shows no literal “reflect” of one self but instead has the subject be the reflection themselves. This in a way can be understood as looking at oneself look at the past. The black & white tone greatly contributes to this message that is being communicated. Lisette also appears to use the rule of thirds a lot, probably due to the fact that she shoots portraits.
• Compared to other photos, Lisette’s works are rather abstract and distinct, especially her first piece presented. A major contrast visible is the subjects. Although each photographer communicates some form of reflection, Lisette’s reflection particularly focus on human as subjects and expresses reflection in a more direct manner. Overall, through abstract reflection, Lisette’s work was able to stand out in the sea of photographs on similar topics.

<Robert Holden>

• Robert is the most unique photographer amongst all. He is also the most “organized”. Robert’s style is distinct because of the way he photograph his subjects. His style brings the meaning presentation to its finest, making it as if his sharing of the subjects is all he wants. Robert uses a very interesting technique to attend his subject, spacing. He spaces out all of the objects out evenly creating almost what seems to be symmetry yet each object is different and unique. He also shows to be dexterous at spacing because he is able to control each subject’s position so perfectly that the audience is able to focus on every single one at the same time and not lose focus.
• When it comes to comparison, Robert’s pieces are definitely the most differed ones. Although both him and Naoya uses colors to present their subjects, Naoya shares a more colorful tone while Robert’s subjects generally stick with similar colors. Aside from this factor, Robert’s photos are extremely different rather it is how many and in what way are his subjects presented or the techniques he uses such as framing and camera angels. Overall, Robert presents a more organized and formally framed image compared to other artists seen. It is more of a reflection on the objects to certain themes or events.

Themes:

• Memory
• Regret
• Future

Ideas:

• Subject seeing their past
• Subject seeing their lost self
• Subject seeing an insight of the future
• Subject seeing a reflection of their current life
• Subject seeing another person within themselves
• Subject seeing an important person long lost to them

Techniques:

• Shadow presentation
• Lighting control
• Dutch tilt
• Perspective shots
• Multi-framing

Top 2

• (1/2) – Defeat

The photo shows the shadow of a “knight” kneeling on the ground looking defeat while a huge shadow of a dragon is presented looking superior. This work is suppose to reflect the “defeat” of one. Lighting control and shadow projection was the main techniques used in this piece. Alongside, we expanded the concept of “negative space” and had it overlayed with shadow to create a “negative” spaced image with the subjects being presented on blank spaces. This photo communicates a despaired emotion through the intimidating dragon’s contrast to the defeated night.

• (2/2) – Rivalry

“Rivalry” is the extensive concept of rival where two has a never ending competition, in other word they are nemesis. Here, the shadow of two subjects is presented to be battling with one another. Once again, shadow projecting and lighting angles are the main techniques used here. The photo also shows a perfect balance between left and right, as well as up and down. This photo communicates a competitive feeling, built from the rivalry presented between the two subjects.

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1. Rule of Thirds

• The Dragon’s head pop out from the right grid all the way to the middle grid which perfectly fits the rule of thirds as the subject take up 2/3 of the whole composition. Could be improved if the dragon took up more of the frame.

1. Leading Lines

• Although not very obvious, the way that the subject is positioned as well as its distance from the camera achieves the effect of leading lines. Could be improved if the “lines” were more obvious and objective.

1. Symmetry and Pattern

• Literally the definition of symmetry and pattern, a rubik’s cube. We thought presenting symmetry and pattern in a literal way would be interesting, therefore this was captured. To improve, there should be more cube than shadow.

1. Framing

• A light combined with a chair created this triangular box of light while the sides are completely dark. This was thought to be creative because an additional frame was created in the already existing camera frame. Could improve if the lighting was shine from a different angle making the box more obvious.

1. Depth of Field

• The subject combined with its shadow in the background forms a menacing composure putting both the background and foreground focused. Could improve if the shadow was more obvious and visible.

1. Negative Space

• The idea of using the empty space and filling it up with shadows creates this shadow art which is a presentation of “negative space”. To improve, we should make the shadows more obvious, creating a clear contrast.

1. Balance

• The concept of “rivalry” creates this shadow picture of the two subjects fighting, each taking up half of the frame and one is hight while the other is low. This creates a perfect balance. To improve, the background cloth where the shadow is reflected on should be flattened out more.

1. Perspective

• A low to hight shot of the main subject falling off a “cliff” while others all “charge” at the subject in the middle center. To improve, the subject being “charged” at should be made clearer and more obvious.

Thomas Yue

Thomas Yue, born on 2009, Beijing, China, practices photography at ISB.

Thomas’ favorite photography aspects are camera angles and lighting. He believes that through perspectives and shadows will the audience be truly able to connect and appreciate his work.

Thomas’ highly desires monumental scenery summoned by the natural elements of nature. He believes that these moments are what truly express the value of photography of which is to capture them. Throughout the photo shooting process, he would often make simple adjustments to the lighting or tone in order to generate his own version of “beauty”.

Thomas aims to communicate appreciation in his works. He wants to express gratitude to the moment he captured, the people viewing his work, and receive the same back from his audiences through is photos. He believes that this is the pure meaning behind photography is to converse emotions, ideas, and amusement.

Thomas Yue currently lives and studies in Beijing.

Refined Statement of Intent: I intend to capture natural moments in society of those who are unnoticed and present them in a “spotlight” for my audience to view.

• I changed my statement of intent because after multiple attempts and trails, I have decided that capturing natural happy moments of that sets relief to stress was not realistic. Simply speaking, those moments were too hard to find. Therefore, I decided to revisit my trails and attempts which concluded in the foundation of the new statement of intent. I choose this because I found it amusing to put attention upon “normal” individuals in society that is not explicitly noticed. Doing so not only creates an interesting presentation of subjects but also surfaces the stress many people face, which from the root can lead to the relief of them (stress).

Final Set of 5:

• For this set generally, I choose to use very light editing such as slight shadow fixing and saturation managing to cope with the “natural” part of my intent as I believe to capture the explicit moments of unnoticed individuals in society, everything but be kept at its most natural form (edits were still applied).

<Man of Time> (Favorite)

Critique and Rationale: This image is named “Man of Time” because the imagery of the subject checking his watch while riding his bike makes him look like the manager of time, a figure related to the concept of “time”. To capture this image, I stood by the sidewalk and waited for someone to come into this setup frame and took the photo. This image was successful in terms of composition as it perfectly frames the man in the center while background elements contribute to the imagery. To improve, I should put blurs in the background leaving the man as the only focused and clear subject to contribute and enhance the imagery of “time” as well as the intent, explicit presentation of individuals. I choose this as one of my favorites because it demonstrates an abstract impression of an untouchable concept (time) for humanity.

<Back Then> (Favorite)

Critique and Rationale: This image is named “Back Then” because the subject with his back turned around looking into the roads felt as if he was reminded of his childhood and the early stages of his life where he had no concerns and was able to roam freely. To capture this image, I waited on the side of the road (already found this shade earlier) until someone came in and took this photo. This image was successful in terms of shadow control and contrast. I used the natural shadow provided by the shade to form this dark and light contrast creating the nostalgia feeling. To improve, I should frame the subject closer or crop the image so that the object the the bottom right corner does not ruin the photo. I choose this as one of my favorites because it objects the reflection of oneself.

<Fate> (Favorite)

Critique and Rationale: This image is named “Fate” because the subject of whom is a delivery person (offered referred as “unsuccessful” by parents) resents a sad yet harsh truth of “you can’t fight your fate” (delivery people are very unlikely to rise up and grow out of their poverty). To capture this image, I turned around looking for subjects at the perfect time when this man riding his motorcycle came into the frame while a strip of light shine down at him which I took a photo of immediately”. This image was successful in terms of lighting usage and natural momentum. Specifically speaking, the moment was just right, I was able to naturally capture this light strip and imagery without any setup or planning, it all just completely naturally occurred. To improve, I can edit the contrast and saturation a bit more to create a bigger difference, making the light seem like “hope” to the delivery person and as if he was in his redemption moment. I choose this as one of my favorites because it is a high succession of my natural and individual intent as well as an extremely lucky moment.

<Old Times>

<Bubble>

Critique Image:

<Disfavored>

Rational and Critique: By all means I do not hate or dislike this photo. However this is chosen as “disfavored” because it contains a mistake I repeatedly made, thus I have selected it to explicitly denounce. The occurring mistake here is framing error. Specifically, the intended subject, which is the girl in the center walking away is “too small” and since the framing is way too big, she becomes barely noticeable which makes the audience lose their focus. Moreover, the foreground and background is too “messy”, containing many other elements which “distracts” the audience and make them lose focus. To fix these mistakes and prevent from making them in the future, I will ensure that I properly setup my composition before taking an image.

Extra Set of 4:

<Summer Day> (Final vs. Original)

<Curtain> (Final vs. Original)

<Dead End> (Final vs. Original)

<Rain> (Final vs. Original)

Other/s:

Artist Link

-Admittedly speaking, most of these works does not match my artist of research in both style and theme. As seen mostly, except for image 2, all of the other pieces has multiple colors indeed but only of one tone barely differing the colors. Additionally, most of these images seem rather depressed than happy. Reflecting on these phenomenons, I believed that aside from my personal issue of being unable to capture my intent within photography, it is generally hard to perceive and capture moments of happiness in such a stressful society where everyone has weight on themselves by all means and through all forms. To counter this problem, I will attempt to capture more moments by myself and if seen unsuccessful, I would attempt to change my statement of intent and theme.

Story

-These photos do not tell a whole story altogether. However, each photo stands for an individual aspect of their subjects and presents a tale of them roaming within the society, providing the value they hold themselves and then disappearing into the sea of people never to be noticed. Following this point, it is more of a perspective ratio of the subject to the society (the environment around them) they habit within.

Order

-The order of 1-5 is based on my personal likings of the pieces. There were no specific rule or standards within my judgment, nor is it related to the theme/intent (does not mean I am ignorant of them). I believe that I should present what I am most proud of.

Skill Development

-A big improvement I have made since the last trial is subject framing (composition), something that I have pointed out in the last trail. For photos in this set, the subject are framed much more proportional and rationale (framing makes sense) which achieves the effect of focusing on the subject yet also enhancing it with the background.

Self Development

-As a photographer, I have grew more patient and certain, both in the photo-shooting process and the editing process. For example, this trail, I spent a considerable amount time roaming around looking for good angles instead of just taking whatever I saw during the last trail. Additionally, while editing and selecting, I was more decisive and critical on the photos I choose to present. This is obvious by the quality and quantity contrast of this trail and the last.

Strength and Success

-One great significance that I achieved was to capture the exclusive the moments of life on individuals. Aside from this, I believe that I was able to produce decent pieces despite not being able to effectively communicate my message. Continuing from this point on, I believe that I benefitted a lot from my photographical and skill development during this trail and is overall successful.

Improvement

-I most definitely need to work on communicating my intent. However as stated earlier, after many attempts and trails there is a complication of reasons to the absence of my intent within these photos which I will most likely decide to change my statement of intent in-order to effectively combat this problem.

New Set Expectation

-The major expectation that I have for myself and my upcoming final set is that I can clearly and effectively capture, then demonstrate my statement of intent within my pieces. This will allow me to present the results proudly and “in good form”.

<1>

-This is my best piece yet, I used framing and lighting to capture this “deep” moment on a road lamp and used editing techniques to make it look cold and dramatic, forming this dim looking shot. For improvements, I can consider raising the exposure on the light itself so it contrasts with the darkness and create a scene of another level.

<2>

-This is a piece taken on the side of statues as if they were humans being photographed. Although seemly bland, this piece is a perfect demonstration of my creativity and how I express my own world, having it shine into reality. I exclusively exploited the rule-of-thirds on this image to frame a composing shot. To improve, I can pull the subject in closer or attempt different angles to achieve different effects.

<3>

-This is simple and standard, but perfectly introduces people as unnoticed individuals in society where everyone does their own job and never gets exclusive attention. I used a slight (barely visible) tilt on the shot to make it natural and attempted to capture the group of subjects walking by. To improve, I need to frame the shot on the subjects a bit more otherwise they almost fade into the background making this photo blend.

<4>

-This is a contrast of time. In the picture the old man is scene walking into the distant with a giant building in front of him. Aside from the big and small scaling, this is a reference from Attack on Titan scenes where they would have low to high shots to exaggerate the titan’s differences to the characters. With this photo, I portrayed a low to high perspective without any exclusive angles, something that I believe was done successfully. To improve, I should take lighting into consideration so that it can enhance the contrast that has been presented and create better scene.

<5>

-This is an accidental success. For this photo, I originally intend to take pictures of the kids playing while an adult was walking by. However because I was swinging on a machine while doing so, the picture ended up being tilted and slightly blurred to the point where the subjects looked like ghosts. Based on that idea, I decided to add more color to it and fixed the exposure, contrast, and highlights to make it look gloomy just as seen now. To improve, I think I can put more lights on the subjects so it creates a obvious contrast with the surrounding objects and environments.

<Others>

Major Critique: These photos were ones that I exclusively considered putting into the set but did not end up making it because I found them unfitting with the intent or the photo’s general theme does not align with what I am trying to communicate.