Name: Shine

This photo is focused on my friend, Angelina. In the photo, I put a pink light on one side of her face, and the other side was dark. This way, the the light shines on one side of her face, while the other side is dark. The focus is on the left side of her face, as the light draws the viewers. This shows the theme from my statement of intent of natural beauty and not being perfect. The light shows many details on Angelina’s face, such as the mole on her forehead, which shows how she is showing her true self and her own identity. The mole is a special symbol in showing Angelina’s true identity, as she isn’t trying to hide it through makeup to become “perfect” in society. There are also many other elements, such as the hint of light in her eyes and her lips, that bring life and uniqueness to her. Also, her expressions are very relaxed, showing her confidence, as everyone has beauty within themselves, and they should show it to the world. This symbolizes that people need to understand where the true beauty standards are, as social media isn’t true beauty and natural.  Everyone should have confidence and passion in their identity and shine as themselves. Everyone is perfect in their own way.

Name: Flow

This photo is also focused on my friend, Angelina. Using the same pink light, the light brings life to her hair. There are many details in the photo, as the light is shining in different areas of her hair, and it brings focus to every single piece of her hair. Her hair is very wavy and goes in different directions, as it shows my vision of naturalness. The naturalness in her hair gives the photo a sense of liveliness. Through her hair, it is a symbol of her identity as her hair is flowing in different ways and not following a specific way. This connects to how Angelina is being herself, as her identity is shown through the uniqueness in her hair. She isn’t following anyone else or trying to have “perfect” hair on social media. Her hair in its natural state is what makes her truly beautiful.

Contact Sheet:

Yellow Shots:

I chose these yellow shots because they capture the essence of my vision of finding natural beauty or true beauty in people. These images show my focus, Angelina, in a different light, where one side of her face is dark while the other side is bright. This helps to show many textures in the natural flow of her hair, the hints of light in her eyes, and other parts of her nose and lips. It highlights the theme I have chosen, as it shows her identity to be different and unique and not perfect for social media.

Green Shots:

The green shots I chose support more of my vision than the yellow photos. Due to taking the photos in a dark space, some of the photos are a little blurry and not perfectly in focus, so I chose the ones that were the most clear to show more of the naturalness in my subject, Angelina. These photos also look more dynamic, as the focus is drawn to the left side of the face, as people can observe the different elements that create my vision. I took the photos with Angelina sitting towards the left side because on the left side of her face, she has a mole on her forehead, which is a symbol in my shots. I believe that it is a part of her identity and not hiding it makes her beautiful and perfect in her own way.

Red Shots:

I chose these 2 red shots from the green shots. I believe that these two photos connect my vision together. The first photo is of my subject, Angelina’s face, while the second photo is of her hair. These are two important elements that show the different textures and features in the theme. From the first photo, the viewers can see many elements on the bright side of her face, which glows in the photo. It shows the glossiness in her eyes that have a hint of light, showing a sense of liveliness. The hints of light on her lips and nose add to more texture and naturalness in the photo. The most important symbol is the mole on her forehead, which represents her identity and how she is being unique as herself and not covering it up. The second photo of her hair shows different textures, as every hair is going in different directions, making it look very relaxed and calm. The openness in her hair shows how she is being herself and not trying to imitate someone who is “perfect”.

The title of my project will be “Dirty”. Our first reaction to a photo is how perfect it is, as the amount of perfection in a photo equals to the amount of beauty. This has led to many problems on multiple social media platforms, as people are getting mental health issues. People are losing confidence in their bodies and faces, as they think that the perfect models on social media are what true beauty is. Many people are excluded from being perfect, such as people with disabilites and old people. It is facinating how social media can truly change the way people think in a short period of time. It has destroyed the true meaning of beauty, as now everyone is the same (through perfection). I believe that true beauty isn’t perfection and the imperfections from a person is what makes them unique and beautiful in their own ways. I want my audience to realize this too, as our first reaction to a photo shouldn’t be how perfect it is, but to look deeper at the emotions, stories, and details that may be in the photo. On the surface level, people can be perfect on social media, however, showing your true self with unqiue details can make your identity special in the world. For inspiration, I looked at photographs of different people that weren’t recognized, such as workers, old people.. etc. They show many details in the wringles of the skin, the glossiness of the eyes, and the different postures that utilize hands. These elements help to get focus on the face, showing the true beauty. Lastly, the clothes and the background can be very simple, and the photograph could be in black and white. This could possibly bring more focus to the subject in the photograph, showing the theme of how beauty isn’t from perfection, but from the unique and interesting elements from everyone’s identity.

The photographer that inspired me was Gregory Heisler. Through his photographs, it focuses on the face, especially the details and emotions in the eyes. In this photograph, it shows the image of an old man, as the pose shows his hands on his face. Looking deeper at the photo, it is clear that the focus is on the face. It shows textures of the wrinkles on the face and the glossy eyes. Through the eyes, you can see lots of emotions and almost a story of sadness and loneliness. Through the face, it shows a story and creates emotions, which helps the audience connect with the photo. It relates to the focus that I found as it shows the beauty in someone that isn’t “perfect” in modern times. We can also see beauty all people, as the textures from the face also show beauty in its own ways.

Works Cited:
(702) CONNECT | International School of Beijing. (n.d.). https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/648613/sections/lesson/778229/page/778230

In the modern world, people think that being perfect is the most beautiful. In reality, everyone has their imperfections, as being perfect isn’t possible. However, as a photographer, I want to try to find true beauty in people that have their own identities. Everyone should have confidence in their appearance, as people are beautiful in their own ways. It helps to show unique perspectives and identities. I want to be able to show different perspectives, textures, and poses/expressions to show this theme, as everyone is unique and shouldn’t be judged based on perfection.

A portrait photography is a style of photography that captures people (usually the face)  and aims to convey a story or emotion through the image. There are many different types of portrait photography. Traditional portraiture refers to using the basic rules, such as the rule of thirds, making everything clean and in focus, and having the subject look at the camera with a smile. They are usually taken in a studio. Similarly, headshots are taken in a studio with professional lighting, as it captures the head and shoulders of the subject. Headshots are more tightly framed than traditional portraiture, as it is usually associated with actors and other performers. Aside from headshots, there can also be close-up portraiture of different parts of the body. The picture frame can be tighter to capture the textures of a single feature. For example, the photo may include the eye or hand, making the photo artistic and sensual for the audience.  Lifestyle is a more casual approach to traditional portraiture. It is usually taken in a real-life scenario, as the subject is in a comfortable and natural state. There is a specific subject, but they aren’t posed, making it more lively. Environmental portraiture is when the background is an important aspect of the photo. These photos are taken in the real world, as the background adds to the photo. Candid portraiture is when the subject doesn’t know they are getting photographed, making the photo natural and not stiff. It relates to street portraiture, as there is an overlap. There can also be abstract portraits, as there are two main focuses: they should utilize the concepts of portraiture (the subject is a person) and show abstraction through a representational approach to reality. Finally, there can be portraiture without the person being in it. This refers to conceptual portraiture, as portraiture is not solely about physical likeness; it is also about representation, identity, and essence. If a collection of objects is carefully chosen to convey a person’s identity—through their personal items, habits, or emotional presence—it serves the same narrative function as a conventional portrait.

From all these styles, it is important to have good lighting on the subject, a composition that connects the subject and the background, focus on the subject, and the posing that creates story/emotions behind this photo. In modern times, selfies can also be portraits, as it is a popular form of portraiture that anyone can take. They are often shared through social media, such as Instagram, Snapchat… etc. Portraiture doesn’t have to be only one photo, it can be a series of photos. This helps to show the different emotions and angles of the subject.

Works Cited: