Display and finals decision

This set of images is the safe bet just in case I cant get my multiple exposure images done in time. These are all strong images that are asexual so they don't suggest the sex of the model therefore it is unsexualised.

This last template is the strongest three images from all that I have taken in my opinion however the movement image looks out of place against the other two.

After measuring these images up on the wall it would be a very tight squeeze to fit any of the above templates. If the student next to me has work that is spread out then my work will look cramped.

After measuring the intended print size up against the proposed wall it turns out that I won't be able to have three in a column because one would be on the floor.

 I feel that this template would look awkward because the two images above are collectively wider than the bottom image if it was to scale.

This is the only template that won't look awkward or squashed. It includes 2 of my favourite pieces and I think that they compliment each other especially if I can print them correctly. However I am determined to get my motion image into the show so I will have to ask, request and take any chance I can get to have that image included.

Printing

I have decided that I am going to do the printing myself which means that I will have to buy very big paper and for greater quality I will also have to use fibre based paper. FB paper is very sensitive to touch, flexing and chemicals so I will have to be very careful with it. 

I have decided that due to limitations in the darkroom and cost I am going to buy and use this paper. However I don't think that I need 50 sheets. As I was talking to a tutor she showed interest in it and proposed to split the price in half for half the sheets; I agreed to this proposition.

FB paper has a tendency to curl and wrinkle as it dries so if I can make it dry as flat as possible and get it heat pressed onto a mount board with an adhesive tissue in between then it shouldn't be a problem.

Fifth Shoot

Using a Bronica ETRS medium format camera I was able to produce 15 images.

I find that the multiple exposure images from this shoot was simply too surreal or gave the wrong message to the audience however the motion images that I have experimented with are very strong. 13 and 14 are too detailed and show the identity of the model which isn't what I wanted and 12 was poorly timed. However 11 was perfectly timed, doesn't show details and has stages in the exposure giving it the impression of a multiple exposure instead of a 1 second exposure.

Forth Shoot

I was using a Bronica ETRS medium format camera. Very few of these images were exposed or developed successfully.

From this I found that it would be a lot harder than expected to take strong images as a lot of these are much too confusing, I would class most of them as surreal pieces. Some of them have a strange bubble effect over them which is most likely from the development stage. If not enough developer was used then this might happen. Since as I cannot confirm how this effect occurred and most are not as strong as previous images I have taken so I won't be using any of these.

Pierre Boucher

After viewing a lot of Boucher's work I can determine that he was a great admirer of the female form as a large percentage of it included women's body and/or face. I would also regard him as an avant garde photographer; meaning that he experimented greatly with different techniques and subjects.He has contributed a lot to the photography culture determining what is acceptable and possible with modern and contemporary photography.

This image is called Two Nudes (overlapped) and was taken in 1935 which would suggest that this image was taken on film. I really admire the skill that is took to make this image. As single images I understand how hard it is to get these positions without creating lens flare from the light as I have previously attempted single images like this. One image is an angled view of the models back, bum, upper thighs and shoulders. The other is a side view of her with her arm up and shoulders angled inwards slightly revealing a toned back, it also shows the side of her breast and bum. One image has the model completely illuminated from the right and lower left whilst the other has the very edge of her skin illuminated so that the rest of the body is covered in shadow, I am sure there is another source of light from above the model as well displayed on the raised arm. Using the light tones from the first image is also shows details of the other that might not have been visible before. Since as he was an avant garde; it would explain the reasoning behind the double exposure. The subject is directly in the middle of the image where the model seems to blend into one and the shapes merge.

Third shoot

I wanted to test some film that I have never used before because of work by Paul Himmel where the grain makes a texture on the image and diffuses the detail in the image. I was using Ilford Delta 3200 on my Olympus OM10 35mm camera. Due to the effects that appeared during the last shoot I was really interested to see the result. 

These show that the camera still works as it should and the effects in the last shoot must have just been an anomaly. Attempting to recreate some of Himmels work was unsuccessful so I decided to attempt my own style again. Two images have appeared to be quite strong however I am unsure if they are strong enough. 

 I find this image very angelic if you take it that the hand is her own. If not; and you take it as it is someone else's hand I think this image becomes quite sinister. It feels like someone is trying to claim her or take the innocence from her. This could even be interpreted as a child becoming a woman.

I really like this image because of it's simplicity. The subject is only on the right leaving the left as space to emphasis the importance that her standing there might communicate. Focus on the subject is very soft, which is a feature of the film and the amount of grain that it produces. I think that it might have been more effective if I hadn't cut the models curve off the edge of the frame but I still think its very effective.

These images are still too similar to the sort of work I have previously produced. I think that I will continue with the multiple exposure work as the images are very strong, appealing, test my ability on taking the images and selecting which are best overall.

Frances Bruguiere

 Taken in 1926 this image is simply called 'Multiple Exposures.' Due to the time period that this image was taken in, I am sure that it was taken on black and white film, before digital photography was invented. Through this image I can tell there is at least 4 exposures. Bruguiere has photographed the model is specific positions where they must have known that lines clashed or blended effectively to show areas of detail and shapes that we recognise. Even though the image is black and white it seems to have a warm tone which might be due to it's age or the type of paper that was used. There are very bright highlights and rich, deep blacks. This image reminds me of work by Picasso during his cubism period because I think that a lot of the image is formed by individual shapes, similar his work.

Second shoot

During this shoot I was using a Fujifilm OM10 35mm camera with film I have used before. However something has happened inside where a large portion of both rolls of film has been exposed to light causing anomalies on most of the images. This might be because the door wasn't shut properly or some dust stopped the door from shutting as I know the camera works because of recent use. Some of these images are made stronger by this occurrence however I don't feel that I will be able to produce this result again and therefore I don't think that these images are appropriate for this assignment.

Adrian Carmody

Carmody is an Australian photographer.

I find this image very interesting because at first glance I would presume that it was made using a long exposure and the models movement. However I think that specific lines in the image suggest that this is a multiple exposure image. The top of the models head down to the shoulder however is blurred which would argue against a multiple exposure. Carmody may have used both of these techniques or accidentally exposed one image for too long, capturing movement.

I am pretty confident that this image uses a long exposure with a single dominant exposure which sets the mold for the whole image. Two main lights have been used from above and behind the model which explains the main highlights on her arms and back. The position of the model is similar to that of an ape or neanderthal. The unkempt hair would also strengthen this idea. The colour is also very effective in this image because of the contrast between the left side of the image which is a lot cooler than the warmth of the right side.

Experimenting with Shoot 1

Since as the double exposure was so effective I want to try overlapping my images digitally.

To make this image I have used 4 different images and adjusted opacity levels on every image whilst having a base image at 100%. I dislike this image because the more images I started to add the more it seems to just turn into a 'mush' of greys because of the blacks and whites overlaying each other. Doing it digitally is very different to in camera methods because it uses the black areas to expose the next image whilst digitally it just adds everything together.

Since as using different images didn't work I am wondering if using the same image placed differently will make any difference.

The greyness of the image is quite different as there are very defined whites and blacks however the image isn't the right choice as I think there needs to be more going on.

I have chosen an image with more lines and shapes however it still looks strange because all the main features blend together. To me it simply looks like a dodgy job on taking an image and editing it.

I really dislike using Photoshop for this work because it doesn't produce the appeal that a real double exposure would on film.

I am wondering if I could use several images from this set in an enlarger and create a multiple exposure through to the print.

I am very impressed with this piece as there are whites, blacks, mid-tones and the images match up really well. It looks like the two hands are trying to reach out to each other because the body and arm also looks uncomfortable suggesting that one person needs help. I used img10, img15 and img23 from the contact sheets. It was a 22 second exposure at grade 4 and a 7 second exposure at grade 00. This is called split grade printing. Split grade printing is usually used when a negative is especially hard to achieve blacks, whites and the right mid tones. First expose at the high grade to define the depth of the blacks and then expose the low grade to fill in the mid tones in areas where there should be detail.

Marc Laroche

Marc Laroche is a photographer and retoucher with a large online presence with accounts on flickr, Pinterest and his own website.

I think that this image might show how someone could feel uncomfortable in their own skin or in certain situations because main features that might distinguish the model has been hidden. Also the model would be very uncomfortable with her arms behind her back which to me seems like a physical manifestation of the feelings that she might have inside. The main lighting in this image is from the right which illuminates the models body and creates small shadows which are a deeper black than the background. This defines the models shape instead of using soft lighting where the shadow will blend into the background. I have also noticed that there are three highlights on the models elbows suggesting a second light or reflector bouncing the light back up towards the model.

Similar to the previous image the lighting makes sure that the models whole shape is visible, however the shadows are a lot larger and deeper. This is mostly because of the models positioning which is hiding a large portion of her back. I think that the light is above the model and slightly in front of her. This would explain how there is light on her lower back which is still underneath her shoulder. There are two highlights on her hand and shoulder; because they are close together and are in a very small area they make the rest of the image look very dark and draws the audience towards it. This is very bold because hands can often look quite awkward however the models look quite delicate.

I think that both of these images were taken digitally because of the amount of detail in these images.

First shoot

Using a Bronica ETRS medium format camera I was able to produce 38 images. Using meduim format allows me to scan and print my images a lot larger than the conventional 35mm.

I feel that I have produced some strong images from this set however they are very similar to the sort of work that I produced in my last assignment where I studied the female form. The image that really caught my attention was the second image. A double exposure. Maybe I should research into this and practise this again.

Dmytro Gurnicki

 Gurnicki has obviously used a white background and used a lot of light from the right on the model and both sides on the background. A very soft focus approach has been taken. This creates a very soft edge leaving very minimal amounts of detail; basic shapes and contrast in tones are the primary methods of distinguishing the model. It seems like the model is turn a slight amount clockwise, meaning that there should be no light on the models stomach. Since as there is some light there I presume there is a white surface that residual light is reflecting off. The focus on the shapes and curves of the body takes away the sexualisation of the female form.

This image is very different to the other. The model seems very insecure and has been placed in a defencive position, like she is protecting her face and front of her body. The setting looks like a bed which adds lines leading away from the model. The curves in the bed sheets near her upper back resemble the lines made across her skin by the ribs. Gurnicki has used the light that is from the right level to the bed to hide the models head and front of the model. The spine curves from her bottom right up the the neck where it disappears in darkness; the shadows edge on her side runs parallel with her spine creating shapes and lines diagonally across the image.

Paul Himmel

Himmel is an american photographer born 1914-2009 who practiced fashion and documentary photography.

 

This image would have been taken on film due to the period Himmel practiced. I think that to make this image the light source would have had to have been behind the model in order for the models silhouette to have such a sharp edge but it would have to be strong enough to leak light around the models skinand create the silhouette. I think that this image was taken on film using a very fast ISO like 3200. I think that is the only way to create that amount of grain and create a large amount white.

  This image uses movement primarily. The model moving her arms in an upward and downwards motion has made her sleeve flick up into the air; which has created the look of wings. The model has been made to look angelic. The strong straight arms and pointed fingers suggests that the model has power possibly similar to an angel. The shadow on the underside of the hand and inside of the models body means the the light source would have bee on the right and just slightly behind the model.

Brigette Bloom

Brigette Bloom is a photographer currently based in japan producing fine art pieces of work.

This image was made using instant film from a website called Impossible Project which would explain the super imposed look of the colour in the image. Most instant image cameras take images using flash however it looks like Bloom has relied on natural light. I think this because of the very deep and distinctive shadows behind the model. The model has been positioned in this image to look as if she is curling into a protective pose. I believe this because she is making herself very small and is hiding distinctive features. Another way to interpret this is that she would represent the flowing nature of the sea since as she is on a beach; her hair follows the draw back of the sea whilst her arms look like they have been washed up onto shore like drift wood.

 Instant film was also used for this image however it looks like something has been used on the film or it is very old because of the marks on either side of the image. If the film is old them it might be mold however because of the colour of them I would guess that they are actually salt crystals because mold would have more of a green tint. Bloom has used the models slender body very effectively; by stretching her midsection into a backwards ark she has defined the structure and created a lot of curves that wouldn't usually be visible. Lines have been created down the image and circles are present along the bottom which would suggest that some of the effects were created in camera. Previously Bloom has experimented with using chemicals like urine to change the properties of film which would explain my doubt that she hasnt done anything to this film.