Identity

Introduction:

This blog piece is about the chosen topic of identity through the usage of photography, Identity showing images that relate to myself and family members, showing the relation between me and that object/person. For the chosen topic i have decided to base my project on my niece and nephew, the reason for this is to show the relation between the both without showing their face. By doing so i will illustrate how close they are as brother and sister. I will be researching 3 well known photographers that i feel like i can relate to as then i will be able to follow certain techniques to produce something similar.

Sally Mann

Sally was born in Lexington, Virginia around 1951. She is one of Americas most renowned photographers who specialises in photography based around children. She has received numerous awards, including an NEA, NEH and a Guggenheim Foundations grant. Her work is held by major international institutions.

Sally is known for her expert photography skills which emphasises what she has taken, using certain techniques such as creating black and white portraits of her object. Giving a feel towards her images.

The reason why i have chosen to use Sally as an influential artist is purely down to the fact that she knows what she is doing when it comes to capturing young children and the way in which the environment changes a simple image.

This image captured by Sally has a great feel to it. The reason for this is that the usage of a younger child smoking shows a form of opposites as smoking is considered dangerous and manly done by elder people. Knowing the fact that she is young creates a form of empathy and worry towards why is she smoking. The usage of black and white creates a sad emotion behind the image. A technique i am looking to use as it makes the image more dramatic and more unusual.
 Taken as a mid shot of her face and the cigarette is a good usage of form as it portrays the meaning of the image with the subject.

The image here shows an amazing use of proportion. The reason for this is that its within a central line of sight showing the group of kids playing games. The other two children are blurred out which highlights the two girls within their environment. The usage of one girl looking at the board games and the other looking at the camera creates a form of feeling for these children. Giving an impression of how heavily fixed they are within passing time. The usage of timing is key within an image as each movement can signify different types of emotions between the images. A technique that i need to use as a guidance to create the ideal image within my project.

I really like this image of the young girl, the reason for this is because of the way it is shot and the meaning behind the image itself. A young girl in such an elegant dress shows a form of class or illustrates the background from which she is from in contrast to the other two images presented. The way the girl is presented within the shot shows a form of being well organised and forward planning. What i mean by this is that the way the dress flows within the wind as she twirls shows a form of forward planning. Another technique i wish to use as i feel like i will be able to find out how i would like to create my image before it is even captured. By doing this i will be able to have more thought into the image and will enable me to add more elements within the image.

Anne Gedde

Anne Gedde is an Australian born photographer, currently living and working in New York. Gedde has produced 18 million books and 13 million calendars all based around her work.

She is well known for her work based around young children and dressing them up into different costumes to portray certain images within the costume and background. A cleverly thought out process that involves forward planning to construct the images she creates based on identity. Here are 3 example of her work that influences me within the photography project.

This low lighted image caught my eye by the way it has been taken. By using a low-key form of image it creates a higher value of shadow around the subject. This creates a sense of identity as the shadow and the black background takes away what could be surrounding the image. Creating all sorts of emotions for the way the subject is presented. For example having the baby by itself could suggest that the baby is alone and that mother nature is looking after the baby by the way the baby is sleeping on the plant as well as having a leaf as a cap to keep it's head warm. The usage of Symbolism is an amazing technique to use as this creates a range of emotions. A technique i wish to use as it will enhance my images to make it seem different towards what it could look like.

This black and white image of the two children caught my eye. The reason for this is how the usage of black and white makes the image seem more dynamic. What i mean by this is how the shadows around the features of the subject is highlighted. This creates an amazing effect.
Having the subjects within a simple background and giving them hats to wear gives a motion of young and old within one image. As the children are wearing items normally seen on elder people this gives us the impression of old vs young. A technique i would like to use, I.e showing different body parts like hands on top of hands to create more shadows and a range of emotion as it can be a hand of any subject.

Another great image of an adult and a small infant adds an amazing effect especially being in black and white. This image captures different meanings as it use of symbolism applies to the adult as well as the young infant. The male model shows a form of a farther role by the way in which he is holding the baby. Even though we can not see his face we instantly get this image of him being a fatherly figure for the young infant. A great technique as this can be used within my work, highlighting the position of an adult and a younger child portraying emotions and what roles they have all within that one image.

Tom Hussey

Tom Hussey, an American photographer who specialises in commercial advertising and lifestyle photography. His work manly consists of illustrating the differences between young and old through a variety of set ups and techniques that he uses. He carried out a post graduate work at the acclaimed School of Photographic Arts & Science. This is where he began his journey as a photographer and established his great work within the commercial side of Photography.

I really enjoy looking at Toms work as he illustrates a range of emotions through the usage of reflection. As seen in this image you can see an elderly woman with her son. Within the reflection is a young woman holding her baby son. This image is meant to show opposites of young and old of the same person. As if they are both looking into the past. The composition of the image is set out perfectly. The reason for this is because of way a nurse is in the back this reinforces the idea that we are in a hospital as well as being in a world between then and now.
I would like to use this idea as i find that it illustrates both worlds within one image and creates a range of emotions.

As you can see within this image, it shows a younger child up against a window. As a window can reflect you can see an elderly gentleman within the background looking at what the child is doing. This is a use of symbolism, to me this image is seen as we all did it at one stage within our lives and when we look back at these actions we feel alien to it because we now live a more mature lifestyle where as children do what they please. Another use of opposites within an image. Being a portrait image we are able to see the child from head to toe and this also crops out any other unnecessary image around the focused area. A good way to highlight an area within an image.

This final image from Toms work shows an excellent use of opposites from mother to daughter. The way in which the younger daughter is watching what the mother is doing and that she intimidates her mother shows that she wants to be just like her within the way the image has been captured. As the girl is on top of the washing machine this shows a form of closeness between how the mother is looking after the daughter. Having her on a higher platform shows that she has a better sight of her daughter so she can look after her whilst she is folding her clothes. I really want to use this form of emotion with my images to create a better form of emotion and adds more emotion to the image. I will be using these techniques within my image to form a greater use of symbolism.

How i will capture the images?

Using a Nikon D3200 i will be able to capture my images through a 24 mega pixels which will make my images with a higher resolution. A 55-300mm Tamron lens with a macro lens will enable me to zoom into the subject from a far distance and the usage of a macro lens will enable me to get an enhanced close up of the image. This automatically changes the aperture size to create a better sense of depth of field as well as using a standard 18-55mm so i can capture images close up within the given distance. The flash will enable me to capture the image with a less harsher flash. The usage of a flash gun when used right can create an artificial use of natural light only hen used right. This i will try to do as i feel that images work better with the usage of natural light. The reason why i prefer this is because i enjoy the naturalness of an image without having to edit the image to much within an editing software.

Contact Sheet for images taken 
Here is the process of the images that were taken within sequence on my DSLR. The usage of a contact sheet shows each step that was taken and the images used within the final chosen selected images. This shows how my mind works within what images i wanted to use and what i didn't want to use.

Images taken

This first image which was taken in natural light with a 18-55mm lens is an image of bother brother and sister holding hands against a white wall. I have usage natural light within this image as i feel that the texture of skin is more realistic and pleasing towards the eyes. The usage of a portrait image focuses on a certain point within the image.

The main focus point is the two hands joined together. To me this image shows the bond between bother brother and sister within any circumstance. A close bond that will grow with both of them.

The usage of a Landscape shot of both brother and sisters shoes is another use of symbolism as they are only a year apart, however within this image it seems as though they are both the same size. I have taken this image with a 55-300mm so that i could blur out the background (A use of aperture).

I took a different approach within this image, the reason for this was to show my nephews toy car using an Aperture of F2. I used this so that i could blur out the background behind the image and the foreground of the subject is more focused. A usage of a focal point makes the eyes of audience go straight to the subject rather than anything else. The meaning behind this image is that even though it is a toy car it can also be seen as a real car. The differences between young and old. The same technique used by Tom Hussey.

Another technique that i've used from Tom Hussey techniques is of a doll and a doll house. A usage of symbolism that shows identity of the doll and a house. As it's my nieces doll house this shows a form of old and new as it could be her in the future looking at a house when she is older.

The usage of depth of field that was captured using an 18-55mm lens of the sculpted feet of my niece and nephews feet. The usage of reflection within the image shows that it's within a homely environment Another technique which i used from Tom Hussey's techniques.  

The black and white image of my mothers hand and my nieces hand creates a sense of an age gap and a relationship between old and new. This image was taken on a HDR mode so that the features of the hands are highlighted more to create a higher resolution within the image, The image was edited on photoshop using a black and white filter to highlight the shadows around the image and gives more detail within the image.

This image was influenced by Anne Gedde. The reason for this the way in which she captures the elements of young children within there living area. For example being on their bed shows an element of comfort as well as showing their feet which captures that they are so alike within feet size that they could be alike in person. Black and white within a HDR feature enhances the shadows around the feet, enhancing the use of detail.

The usage of shoes again symbolises the differences between sizes between the subjects. Boys sizes on one size and girls sizes on the other side. This is shown within patterned form because of the colours which are shown. The angle of which the images are shown within a tilt in a landscape mode captures the shoes as well as the box that it is in.

The differences between this image is that it is a usage of depth of field as well as scale. From large to small. Another technique which is similar towards Tom's work. I really like this image as it captures the age ranges between father and his two children. This was shot using a 18-55mm lens. I feel that this image could do with more work as i should have thought about the handbag being in the way. Forward thinking just like Sally Mann. I should have taken more time on this image.

The image of my nieces hand around her soft toy shows a form of security and that knowing she is asleep holding her teddy shows she feels secure. Something that is close to her and that she may need when she sleeps, a form of identity.

Another technique that i have used which was heavily influenced by Tom and how he shows the age range between parents and children. I found that this shot shows both Mother and Farther cradling the children's socks. A form of protection, another good use of symbolism.

This image is one of my weaker images as i feel as this image does not have much meaning behind it. It's simple and i feel that i know i can do better than this. However i think that it is wise for me to show my positive images as well as my negative images as it shows the way i think and what i prefer.

Editing the Images

The process of editing was all done on Photoshop. The reason for this was because i find that this is an amazing software to use for editing images and that i have been using Photoshop for all my images. Here is an example of how i edit my images. Using a Black and White mask i am able to create different effects changing each colour within the image by adjusting the colour channel.

Saving the file i made sure that each image was saved as a JPEG and saved at 300DPI. The reason why the image was saved at such a high resolution is due to that it will look more clear for print as the pixels will be higher reducing the chance of pixillation. 

Evaluation for project one

Project 1: Identity

For project one I based my project around the theme of identity, the use of identity which is based around my niece and nephew and how they have such a strong bond with each other as well as a family. I have highlighted aspects of what is close to both subjects, which varies from objects and certain elements of body parts.

Examples of what I have captured are the images such as the young hand on top of the older hand. This Image has a huge sense of symbolism, which shows the differences between ages, this is a technique that was heavily influenced by Tom Hussy.  The reason why I had used this technique is due to having two ages within one photo and how it shows an emotion within the image.

Another artist that I was influenced by was Sally Mann. Sally specialises in photography based around children, capturing them within their element, using black and white to add more emotion towards her images. Another technique that I was able to use as this made the shadows around the images stand out and made the image seemed more dramatic rather than being in colour.

The final artist that I looked at was Anne Gedde, She is a well known studio photographer who captures newborn’s within different lights. I felt that I was able to use some of her techniques as she captures children within different backgrounds, which changes the range of emotion within the image.

I was able to create 12 unique images from a range of different images as shown from the contact sheet, I feel really happy about the images that I produced as I put time into each effort to create a form of emotion behind each one. Each image was saved as a JPEG at a resolution of 300DPI. Each image was edited on Photoshop to create each visual for each picture.

My strengths within this assignment were that I use DSLR’s as an everyday tool, which gave me the upper hand on how to use them. I was able to capture each image using the chosen influences so that I could show a link between their work and my work to show a link between the two.

My weaknesses within this project was that I wish I had planned more ahead as I feel that the usage of theme was pretty basic and I wish I could have improved it by making it more dramatic or in some form more visualising.

Overall I have enjoyed the assignment I have learnt a range new techniques such as the usage of a macro lens and how the usage of the HDR mode adds more of a emboss effect to the images.